Admiral Kirk and his bridge crew risk their careers stealing the decommissioned U.S.S. Enterprise to return to the restricted Genesis Planet to recover Spock’s body.
Cast:
- William Shatner as Admiral James T. Kirk
- DeForest Kelley as Leonard McCoy
- James Doohan, as Montgomery Scott
- George Takei as Hikaru Sulu
- Walter Koenig, as Pavel Chekov
- Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
- Christopher Lloyd as Kruge
1984 viewing
In 1984 I was still a huge Star Wars fan. Return of the Jedi was still fresh in my mind and rumors swirled George Lucas was going to make another Star Wars trilogy. (Who knew we’d have to wait 16 years to get the new trilogy)
I’d seen the Star Trek TV series and both Star Trek movies. The Wrath of Khan being far superior to the original movie. That ending!
I had a friend at the time, who loved Star Trek more than Star Wars, strange I know. We went to see The Search for Spock one Saturday afternoon. I enjoyed it, not as much as The Wrath of Khan but it had good action and a decent story.
Forty years on and I’ve seen ever Star Trek movie (even the Kelvin Timeline, ugh) and every episode of Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Animated Series, Star Trek: Enterprise, Picard and most of Deep Space Nine.
Let’s see if Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is as good or better after forty years.
40th Anniversary Re-watch
Is Spock really dead, like dead dead? Of course not. But at the end of Star Trek II it was unclear. A third movie wasn’t planned and didn’t get green-lit until Star Trek II was a success. Some of the events in Star Trek II were added, perhaps serendipitously, without knowledge of Star Trek III. The biggest element being Spock’s mind meld with McCoy before Spock dies.
After the events of The Wrath of Khan, the Enterprise limps back to earth with one less crew member. Dr. McCoy is acting crazy and gets arrested, Kirk and crew are told not to talk about Genesis and the Enterprise is being decommissioned.
That’s a lot to take in after Spock’s death.
The Federation sends David Marcus, Kirk’s son and Saavik to investigate the new Genesis planet. In a casting change Kristie Alley didn’t come back to reprise her role as Saavik.
Christopher Lloyd plays Kruge, the Klingon hell bent on getting the Genesis device. In his blind quest he ends up killing David, with no regrets or remorse. Telling Kirk he will kill more if Kirk doesn’t surrender the Enterprise.
I’ll say I like Star Trek III a lot more now then I did in 1984. I don’t think I picked up on all the themes in Star Trek III back then. The movie is the antithesis of Wrath of Khan and it does it in a beautiful, respectful way.
In The Wrath of Khan Kirk meets his son David, the Genesis planet is created, the Enterprise avoids destruction and Spock dies. In The Search for Spock David dies, the Genesis planet is destroyed, Kirk deliberately destroys the Enterprise and Spock is resurrected.
While The Search for Spock seems to undo all that was done in The Wrath of Khan both movies are integral to the character development of Kirk, McCoy, Spock, Scotty and the overarching trilogy storyline of Star Trek II, III and IV.
Spock using the mind meld on McCoy at the end of The Wrath of Khan was a fantastic piece of writing and luck. The writers didn’t know if they would ever use it in the future but it proved to be the way to bring Spock back.
Favorite Line:
Klingon bastard! You killed my son!
Directed by Leonard Nimoy, his debut directing a major motion picture, Star Trek III is visually beautiful to watch. The space battles are glorious, the destruction of Genesis is marvelous, the space dock is huge yet still gives the feel of the vastness of space. And watching the Enterprise explode and disintegrate as it streaks through the atmosphere is impressive and heartbreaking at the same time.
The Klingon Bred of Prey spaceship was also introduced in Star Trek III. It’s a great ship that is now an icon in the Star Trek universe. Not to be outdone, the Federation unveiled the new Excelsior class starship.
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is an overlooked gem in the Star Trek universe. It’s a great movie that, for various reasons, doesn’t get the credit it deserves.
If you haven’t watch Star Trek III in a while or if you’re convinced it’s a bad movie, give it another try. Watch The Wrath of Khan and The Search for Spock back to back and enjoy the compelling and interconnected storyline. Honestly, go one more and watch Star Trek IV after The Search for Spock. The three films form a trilogy which tells a great story and solidifies the characters of Kirk, Spock and McCoy.
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock was released on 01 June 1984. It made a big impact at the box office making $76.4 million on a $16 million budget, making it the 9th highest grossing movie of 1984.
Did you watch Star Trek III: The Search for Spock? If so let me know your thoughts in the comments below or on X(Twitter). The main Geekster channel is @GeeksterMedia and I’m @MileHighSamurai You can also find me on Bluesky @MileHighSamurai
8/10 stars
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