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Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

  • 19841984
  • PGPG
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
78K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,254
27
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
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ActionAdventureSci-Fi

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.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.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.

IMDb RATING
6.7/10
78K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,254
27
  • Director
    • Leonard Nimoy
  • Writers
    • Gene Roddenberry(based on "Star Trek" created by)
    • Harve Bennett
  • Stars
    • William Shatner
    • Leonard Nimoy
    • DeForest Kelley
Top credits
  • Director
    • Leonard Nimoy
  • Writers
    • Gene Roddenberry(based on "Star Trek" created by)
    • Harve Bennett
  • Stars
    • William Shatner
    • Leonard Nimoy
    • DeForest Kelley
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 235User reviews
    • 95Critic reviews
    • 56Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 7 nominations

    Videos2

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:14
    Trailer
    Halloween Costume Creations
    Video 1:50
    Halloween Costume Creations

    Photos263

    Walter Koenig, William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, and George Takei in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
    Leonard Nimoy in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
    William Shatner in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
    William Shatner, James Doohan, and DeForest Kelley in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
    Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
    William Shatner in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
    Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
    Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
    Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
    Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
    Christopher Lloyd in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
    Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

    Top cast

    Edit
    William Shatner
    William Shatner
    • Kirkas Kirk
    Leonard Nimoy
    Leonard Nimoy
    • Capt. Spockas Capt. Spock
    DeForest Kelley
    DeForest Kelley
    • McCoyas McCoy
    James Doohan
    James Doohan
    • Scottyas Scotty
    Walter Koenig
    Walter Koenig
    • Chekovas Chekov
    George Takei
    George Takei
    • Suluas Sulu
    Nichelle Nichols
    Nichelle Nichols
    • Uhuraas Uhura
    Robin Curtis
    Robin Curtis
    • Saavikas Saavik
    Merritt Butrick
    Merritt Butrick
    • Davidas David
    Phil Morris
    Phil Morris
    • Trainee Fosteras Trainee Foster
    Scott McGinnis
    Scott McGinnis
    • Mr. Adventureas Mr. Adventure
    Robert Hooks
    Robert Hooks
    • Admiral Morrowas Admiral Morrow
    Carl Steven
    Carl Steven
    • Spock - age 9as Spock - age 9
    Vadia Potenza
    • Spock - age 13as Spock - age 13
    Stephen Manley
    • Spock - age 17as Spock - age 17
    Joe W. Davis
    • Spock - age 25as Spock - age 25
    Paul Sorensen
    • Captainas Captain
    Cathie Shirriff
    Cathie Shirriff
    • Valkrisas Valkris
    • Director
      • Leonard Nimoy
    • Writers
      • Gene Roddenberry(based on "Star Trek" created by)
      • Harve Bennett
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit
    In the wake of Spock's ultimate deed of sacrifice, Admiral Kirk and the Enterprise crew return to Earth for some essential repairs to their ship. When they arrive at Spacedock, they are shocked to discover that the Enterprise is to be decommissioned. Even worse, Dr. McCoy begins acting strangely and Scotty has been reassigned to another ship. Kirk is forced to steal back the Enterprise and head across space to the Genesis Planet to save Spock and bring him to Vulcan. Unbeknownst to them, the Klingons are planning to steal the secrets of the Genesis Device for their own deadly purpose. —Colin Tinto <cst@imdb.com>
    planetsacrificeregaining one's memorydying planetstabbed to death194 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Join the search.
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Adventure
      • Sci-Fi
    • Certificate
      • PG
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When negotiating Kirstie Alley's contract for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Paramount Studios did not offer or include any options or clauses regarding any possible sequels. According to director Leonard Nimoy, this left Alley open to negotiate a new contract for this film, resulting in Alley's excessive salary demands, which led to her being dropped and replaced by Robin Curtis.
    • Goofs
      When Kirk checks the video logs to find the keeper of Spock's katra, the timestamp reveals that Spock melded with McCoy on stardate 8128.78. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) begins on stardate 8130.3.
    • Quotes

      Sarek: Kirk, I thank you. What you have done is...

      Kirk: What I have done, I had to do.

      Sarek: But at what cost? Your ship. Your son.

      Kirk: If I hadn't tried, the cost would have been my soul.

    • 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 names of William Shatner and DeForest Kelley, which lasts for the length of time Nimoy's name would have been displayed.
    • Alternate versions
      Some network broadcasts are noticeably truncated. In particular, the scene where Kruge destroys the female mercenary for looking at the Genesis information is deleted. The scene ends instead with the two characters expressing love for each other! The scene where McCoy refers to "that green-blooded son-of-a-bitch" is also censored.
    • Connections
      Edited from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
    • Soundtracks
      Theme From Star Trek (TV Series)
      by Alexander Courage

    User reviews235

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    Competent, but not great...
    Perhaps it is the inevitable comparison to the previous episode, but Star Trek III very much has a feel of being low-rent or second-rate. An excellent example of this can be seen whenever Saavik is on the screen. Kirstie Alley may not be the greatest actor in the world, but Robin Curtis succeeds in making her look like Anna Paquin or Sigourney Weaver by comparison. The strange thing is that Merritt Butrick seems to suffer a decline in performance whenever he is in the same frame with her.

    Let's face it, any dialogue heavy film was going to be a letdown after the epic battles in Star Trek II. A very personal battle between two enemies that have been festering in one another's minds for years is always going to make a brief fight with a crew of Klingons seem pretty restrained by comparison. A lot of the film's plot elements also come second-hand from the previous film, so it isn't as if much is done to separate it.

    The spaceship sequences also look far less realistic in this film than is the case in the past two films. It seems that Paramount hired another effects house to simulate these moments, and the result is that the ships look as if they are under a constant invisible spotlight, rather than the realistic tones that were evident in the previous two films. The combat doesn't seem nearly as realistic, either. After the massive tradings of torpedoes and phaser energy in the previous film, expecting us to believe the Enterprise can be disabled by a single torpedo is a bit much.

    The dynamic between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy was always a big part of what made the original series work, so it's not surprising that an entire film be dedicated to restoring this dynamic. To the credit of the screenwriters, it works. The fights on the surface of Genesis, and some of the dialogues, give the whole film a connection with the audience that later films in the franchise particularly lack. Everyone certainly has a friend that they'd do things like this for if they had to, so it's hard not to get behind the Enterprise crew as they battle for one of their most prominent members.

    I would have appreciated more footage to show how Uhura arrives on Vulcan, and what the Federation does when they learn that the crew is on Vulcan. Still, the film is much more tightly paced than some give it credit for, so we can let that one slide. It is, however, interesting to note how little internal security the Starfleet orbital station has. I would have thought that the Starfleet version of the drunk tank would have more than just two security guards, given the wide variation in alien races that make up the organisation.

    In all, I gave Star Trek III a six out of ten. Most sequels try to be bigger and bolder than the previous episode. Star Trek III is an exception, but it certainly is a worthwhile viewing if you like a bit of science fiction.
    helpful•28
    26
    • mentalcritic
    • Oct 5, 2004

    FAQ15

    • If Genesis resurrected Spock, why couldn't it do the same for David?
    • What is 'The Search for Spock' about?
    • Who from 'The Wrath of Khan' returns in 'The Search for Spock'?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 1, 1984 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • StarTrek.com (United States)
    • Languages
      • English
      • Klingon
      • Russian
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Star trek III: À la recherche de Spock
    • Filming locations
      • Occidental College - 1600 Campus Road, Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Paramount Pictures
      • Cinema Group Ventures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $17,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $76,471,046
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $16,673,295
      • Jun 3, 1984
    • Gross worldwide
      • $76,471,046
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 45 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Surround 7.1
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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