Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

Admiral Kirk and his bridge crew risk their careers stealing the decommissioned Enterprise to return to the restricted Genesis planet to recover Spock's body.

Director:

Leonard Nimoy

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (television series Star Trek), Harve Bennett

Stars:

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Shatner	...	Kirk
Leonard Nimoy	...	Capt. Spock / Elevator Voice (as Frank Force)
DeForest Kelley	...	McCoy
James Doohan	...	Scotty
Walter Koenig	...	Chekov
George Takei	...	Sulu
Nichelle Nichols	...	Uhura
Robin Curtis	...	Saavik
Merritt Butrick	...	David
Phil Morris	...	Trainee Foster
Scott McGinnis	...	Mr. Adventure
Robert Hooks	...	Admiral Morrow
Carl Steven	...	Spock...Age 9
Vadia Potenza	...	Spock...Age 13
Stephen Manley	...	Spock...Age 17

Storyline

Following Kirk's encounter with Khan that left the Enterprise severely damaged and Mr. Spock dead, they return to Starfleet so that Enterprise could be repaired. Kirk's hoping to go back to the newly created Genesis planet where he laid Mr. Spock to rest. But upon arriving he is told that the Enterprise will not be repaired and that Genesis has become a delicate matter and until it's resolved, no one is allowed to go there or talk about it. McCoy is also acting strangely. Later when he starts talking about Genesis he is detained. Kirk is visited by Spock's father Sarek, who tells him that he betrayed Spock because being placed on Genesis was not what he would have wanted. He tells Kirk he's supposed to bring Spock's body along with his soul or katra as the Vulcans call it which he passes onto someone, and bring it to Vulcan for the final rites. Sarek assumes Kirk would have it but he doesn't. Kirk then thinks that Spock may have passed it someone else and realizes McCoy is the one who...

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Plot Keywords:

planet | klingon | vulcan | admiral | commander | 

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Taglines:

A dying planet. A fight for life.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

StarTrek.com [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Klingon Russian

Release Date:

1 June 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Star Trek 3

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$76,400,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Cinema Group Ventures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Production was endangered by the great fire at Paramount. William Shatner helped fight the fire and rescue a crewmember before firefighter reinforcements arrived. Shatner said that his motivation for doing so was purely to save a day on the shooting schedule, as he had a make a deadline to be available for shooting on a new season of T.J. Hooker.

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Goofs

Obvious stunt doubles during the fight between Kirk and Kruge on the Genesis planet.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[Spock's dying words, repeated from the previous film]
Captain Spock: Don't grieve, Admiral. It is logical. The needs of the many outweigh...
Kirk: ...the needs of the few.
Captain Spock: Or the one. I have been and always shall be your friend. Live long and prosper.

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Crazy Credits

Leonard Nimoy is credited as director in the opening credits, but is not included in the cast list. There is a long gap between the name of William Shatner and DeForest Kelley, which lasts for the length of time Nimoy's name would have been displayed.

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Connections

Referenced in Being Human: Addicted to Love (2012)

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Soundtracks

"That Old Black Magic"
by Johnny Mercer & Harold Arlen

User Reviews

Underappreciated Star Trek film

I believe Star Trek III is an underappreciated film in part because it is not accessible to a general audience. It is a pure science fiction film. In my opinion it is the one odd numbered film in the series that isn't victimized by 'the curse' of uneven numeration. I enjoyed the film because of the exciting action and fight sequences, the nostalgia, and the developed characterization of characters I am already so familiar with. I also found the film to be surprisingly spiritual and revelatory, a rarity for a sequel in a commercial film franchise. Anyone with close friends will be touched by Kirk's loyalty and sacrifice for Spock. Highly recommended, 8/10.