![]() ![]() We’re talking about the Star Trek “Genesis Trilogy.” Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986). But there was another great sci-fi trilogy of the same era, and in its own way, it’s just as solid from a storytelling standpoint as George Lucas’ original films. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is streaming now on HBO Max.When people talk about influential sci-fi movie trilogies from the late ‘70s and ‘80s, they usually are thinking of Star Wars. Behind the camera, Nimoy boldly went where Star Trek had never gone before, but would eventually go again. Nimoy didn’t just want to make an extended episode of television, he wanted a tonal change for the franchise, a first step into the darker waters it would later find during Deep Space Nine. There are several moments in the movie that could have functioned as their own story: busting McCoy out of a hospital, Uhura taking charge with an officer, the mysticism of Vulcan philosophy, the changes of to the Genesis planet, Kirk’s loss of David. One gets the sense that Nimoy was bursting with ideas while making Search. The movie doesn’t dwell on David’s passing - the title is Search for Spock, after all - but it’s a plot point that would play into future films, helping to complete Kirk’s arc. Kirk stumbles back into his captain’s chair, a weakened man. While it’s not a crucial plot point for the movie, David’s murder at the hands of Klingons forces Kirk into the type of “no-win situation” he once mocked. ![]() The Genesis planet plays its role by bringing Spock back, but it brings just as much devastation (if not more). Upon further examination, it’s revealed that Spock spent his last moments transferring his katra to McCoy.Ĭhristopher Lloyd in Search for Spock. Both have to be at rest in order to respect Vulcan tradition. Back on Earth, Spock’s father, Sarek (Mark Lenard) reveals there are two parts to a Vulcan person: their body and their katra (everything which is not the body). McCoy is acting strange and tells Kirk about he must go to Vulcan. Kirk investigates only to find Spock’s old rival, Dr. Spock sealed them up himself, but something is in there. While Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) tries to process the loss of his friend and run a starship, his son David (Merritt Butrick) is exploring the new world with a Vulcan named Saavik (Robin Curtis, replacing Kirstie Alley).Īs Kirk bemoans a crew unable to move past its trauma, his new acting science officer, Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig), makes a surprising discovery: there are life signs in Spock’s quarters. Search follows directly after Wrath of Khan, opening with Spock’s tragic passing and his legendary declaration that “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” The Enterprise heads back to Federation space battle-scarred while the real action takes place Genesis, a planet created during the events of Khan. While Spock barely appears, his presence looms large in a story where the main antagonist is hubris itself. The result was 1984’s Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, perhaps the most introspective movie the long-running franchise ever produced. Spock’s demise was so iconic that rumors spread that the ever-busy Nimoy had only taken on the project to take out Spock once and for all. Things went smoother the next go-around when he delivered a marquee performance of his career in The Wrath of Khan. Years of personal animosity with Gene Roddenberry - and a lawsuit over Paramount using his likeness without permission - had to be settled to make 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Nimoy kept busy, although Star Trek kept calling. He explored the theater, playing Sherlock Holmes with the Royal Shakespeare Company and starring in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest a year before the Jack Nicholson movie debuted. ![]() He appeared regularly on TV, from guest appearances on Colombo to an Emmy-nominated performance as the husband of Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. The Spock actor quickly found work on the action-adventure series Mission: Impossible as a magician-turned-secret agent.įrom there, Nimoy’s career blossomed. After the original Star Trektelevision series ended in 1969, several cast members worried they’d never escape the shadow of the USS Enterprise. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |