![]() For the first time in Trek history, the crew was without their ship. The sequence that follows has appropriate weight on its shoulders: the entry of the codes by the senior officers, all sharing responsibility the countdown, the empty corridors, the Klingons boarding, and the final kablammo. For the sake of a friend, they were all prepared to give up everything - careers, shiny new positions, family - and Enterprise is chosen to trade her life for the greater good of their survival. While it might seem to some that Kirk’s decision to self-destruct as the Klingons prepare to board a cavalier decision, it fits in perfectly with the self-sacrificing theme of the movie. The Enterprise had been THE symbol of Star Trek for decades, the intrepid ship that explored the galaxy and is easily recognizable to millions worldwide. The Destruction of the Enterprise: Even the destruction of the NCC-1701-D in Star Trek: Generations didn’t have this kind of weight. In his reaction, David’s death meant something to us. And William Shatner here actually underacts beautifully - he staggers, his face goes blank, and he crashes down to the deck, missing his chair. Kirk, near-invincible and arrogant through many Trek adventures, has his world shot out from under him in a single moment. But what makes this a momentous event is Kirk’s connection with his murder, and his reaction to it. ![]() He was a foreshadowing of the whiny incompetence of Wesley Crusher or Anakin Skywalker, and we’re not that sad to see him depart stage left. The Death of Kirk’s Son: Yeah, no one really liked David. It’s not Shakespeare or even a highly-rewatchable film, but like Han Solo, who piloted the Enterprise for six seasons, it “had its moments”: Most just see Star Trek 3 as a stepping stone in the II-III-IV trilogy arc that completes a larger Trek story. And the fact that the main villains are a small handful of Klingons who have the personalities of matza bread. And their solution for Spock’s revival - that the newly-formed Genesis planet renewed his corpse, while a mind-meld in Wrath of Khan with McCoy saved Spock’s memories - was unwieldy and almost ridiculous. The entire movie is basically an exercise for writers to claw back out of a corner they wrote themselves into when they killed one of the most popular Trek characters in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. However, I’d like to hop back a bit and defend Star Trek III: The Search For Spock from being lumped into the same category as the dreary The Motion Picture, the frighteningly awry Final Frontier, and the muddled Generations. Except, of course, for the chain being broken by Star Trek: Nemesis, which bit all kinds of butt in its attempt to kill the franchise. Everyone knows the conventional wisdom: the even ones are the good ones, the odd the bad. ![]() Justin’s review: As this is my last Star Trek review on the site (barring the release of another feature film, which seems unlikely in the near future), I wish to put on my Old Man spectacles and harumph a bit about the Even-Odd Theory of Star Trek films. Justin’s rating: So long, and thanks for the bloodworms! Summary Capsule: Putting all the chips on the table, Kirk must reunite Spock’s brain (in McCoy’s head) with Spock’s body (newly regrown on the Genesis planet) with Spock’s ironic sense of humor (provided by the scriptwriters). The Scoop: 1984 PG, directed by Leonard Nimoy and starring William Shatner, DeForest Kelly, and Christopher Lloyd.
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