Movies - Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

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	Movies - Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (Paramount Pictures, 1984) is the third feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series. It is often referred to as ST3:TSFS or TSFS. It is a direct sequel to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
, and has a similar feel although often with a lighter, more humorous touch.

Cast

Plot summary

A few weeks after the events of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
, the USS Enterprise limps back to Earth, scarred from its battle with Khan in the previous movie, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Once there, Admiral James T. Kirk is informed that the obsolete vessel's days are over (it is stated to be 20 years old, but official production timelines place it as about 40 years old, with Kirk's command of the Enterprise being about 20 years); it won't be refit, but will instead be retired, and its crew reassigned. Meanwhile, Dr. Leonard McCoy exhibits strange behavior, somehow related to the deceased Captain Spock.

Simultaneously, Kirk's son Dr. David Marcus and Lieutenant Saavik explore the Genesis planet, created at the end of the last film. Unknown to them, Klingon commander Kruge becomes interested in Genesis, and travels to the Genesis planet to learn its secrets.

Spock's father Sarek turns up on Earth and discovers with Kirk that McCoy possesses Spock's "katra" (soul), but that both his katra and body are needed to properly lay him to rest on his homeworld Vulcan, or McCoy could die. Disobeying orders, Kirk reunites his officers and steals the Enterprise to head to the Genesis planet, which is beginning to self-destruct.

Kruge arrives at Genesis first, destroying the research vessel USS Grissom there. His crew captures the scientists on the planet — David, Saavik, and a Vulcan child — and then the Enterprise arrives. The Enterprise strikes first, hitting the Klingon ship as it de-cloaks, but is unable to raise shields during the Klingon counterattack. The Enterprise is crippled, and Kirk is powerless to prevent the Klingons from killing David on the planet. Instead of surrendering, Kirk self-destructs the Enterprise to kill Kruge's men, and defeats Kruge in hand-to-hand combat on the planet's surface, which is rapidly disintegrating. Kirk tricks the lone Klingon on board the Bird of Prey into beaming Kirk and Spock up, then takes the ship over. The crew return to Vulcan, where Spock's katra is reunited with his body.

Themes

A theme of TWOK was summed up by Spock as "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one." A theme of TSFS is "the needs of the one sometimes outweigh the needs of the many." Kirk and company are willing to sacrifice their careers, lives, and ship to put Spock's soul to rest, not even imagining that Spock's resurrection is a possibility.

In the Original Series, much was made of the attachment Kirk had to the Enterprise, so his willing destruction of the vessel here is a resounding note indeed.

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