rjnoe@ihlts.UUCP (Roger Noe) (05/25/84)
What follows is a synopsis of "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock". Some significant plot elements may be missing and several are probably slightly out of order, since final editing can change the order of presentation of the several plot threads winding through the film as long as they ultimately converge. Note especially that it gets a little sketchy near the end. I'm not precisely sure what is in the final scene. --- "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" begins with the heavily damaged U.S.S. Enterprise crawling back to Earth. Enterprise's science officer, Lt. Saavik, and Kirk's son, Dr. David Marcus, are sent to a scientific survey vessel, U.S.S. Grissom. Grissom, under the command of Capt. Esteban, is assigned to investigate more fully the Genesis planet. Marcus and Saavik are permitted to beam down to that planet to determine the source of some very odd sensor readings. They eventually find the photon torpedo casing used for Spock's coffin lying in a tropical region of the planet. The coffin is empty. Enterprise nears Earth and McCoy is beginning to act very strangely, having taken Spock's death far worse than Kirk has. He repeatedly insists to Kirk that they should be headed for Genesis, not Earth. McCoy begins quoting Spock, which causes Kirk to believe that McCoy is suffering from severe mental strain. In the neutral zone, Klingon spy Valkris contacts the battle cruiser Bird of Prey commanded by her lover, the sinister and powerful Kruge. She has obtained stolen secret Federation tapes regarding the Genesis project. Transmitting the information to Kruge, she proudly awaits her death. Kruge orders her ship to be destroyed. Enterprise now approaches Spacedock, in orbit around Earth. This is not the starship-sized dock used in the first two ST movies. This is a HUGE orbiting space station, the size of more than a dozen Enterprises. Almost ready for launching from the dock is U.S.S. Excelsior, the state of the art in starships, which uses the experimental trans-warp drive. This craft is much larger than Enterprise, and its lines are not as clean. Noticeable immediately are the much shorter dorsal hull, the squared off nacelle pylons, and the oddly shaped secondary or Engineering hull. It's a cross between Enterprise and Admiral Ackbar's pickle-with-warts ship in "Return of the Jedi". Anyway, Chekov detects that someone has entered Spock's quarters, in violation of Kirk's orders. Kirk discovers it is McCoy, who tells Kirk to climb "the steps of Mount Seleya" toward the summit on planet Vulcan. He murmurs the word "remember" and then collapses. Admiral Morrow boards Enterprise to give shore leave to all except Scott. He is promoted to Captain of Engineering and ordered to be aboard the Excelsior the next day. Scott prefers to stay aboard Enterprise while it is being repaired and is horrified when Morrow announces that Enterprise will not be repaired. Instead, the 20-year-old ship is to be decommissioned. Aboard Bird of Prey, Kruge realizes the power of Genesis. He orders his ship across the neutral zone, to the Genesis planet. Meanwhile, on that very planet, Marcus and Saavik discover highly evolved microbes around Spock's coffin. They hear a very humanlike scream and rush off to investigate. In Kirk's San Francisco apartment, Sulu, Uhura, and Chekov join Kirk in their own private memorial of Spock. They are surprised when Spock's father, Sarek (now 117 Earth-years old), appears at Kirk's door. Sarek has expected Kirk to come to Vulcan to participate in a private ceremony. As is Vulcan custom, Spock must have left behind his katra, his life-essence, just before his death. Spock's katra must be brought to Vulcan for this ceremony. Sarek mind-melds with Kirk to confirm that Kirk knows nothing of this. Spock's katra is elsewhere. Kirk and Sarek view tapes that show Spock's mind-meld with McCoy, which explains McCoy's erratic behavior. Kirk vows to Sarek that he will do everything possible to bring Spock's body from Genesis and Spock's katra in McCoy together to Vulcan. Kirk explains all this to his old friend, Admiral Morrow. Morrow denies Kirk's request, officially prohibiting Kirk from going to Genesis or anywhere else. But Kirk does learn what has happened in the galaxy since the Genesis device was set off. Both the Klingons and the Romulans are enraged and frightened. Many planetary councils are arguing against the device on moral grounds. The Federation needs a scapegoat to end the bickering and to regain lost esteem. The scapegoat is to be the Enterprise and its commanding officer. On Genesis, Marcus confesses that he secretly used protomatter, a dangerous and unstable compound, in the Genesis matrix. While this permitted Genesis to function, it also is causing the planet and everything formed on it to rapidly age. Genesis may soon destroy itself. McCoy wanders into a seedy bar on Earth, looking for any vessel to take him to Genesis. While negotiating, he is observed by a Federation security officer, who arrests him. McCoy is jailed. While Kirk visits McCoy, Sulu disables a security post, and the two of them help McCoy to escape. Uhura takes over a transporter within Starfleet HQ and beams Kirk, McCoy, Scott, Sulu, and Chekov aboard the empty Enterprise. Scott and Chekov automate the ship so that it can be controlled by the five of them. As it moves to clear Spacedock, Starfleet goes on red alert. Captain Styles, commanding the finished Excelsior, is awakened and ordered to stop the Enterprise. He cannot because Scott has sabotaged Excelsior's trans-warp drive. Excelsior limps after the Enterprise while repairs on its main drive begin. Enterprise and its crew of five head toward Genesis, unaware of the peril which awaits them there. The Klingons are presently orbiting the planet and are prepared to take it over. They have already destroyed the Grissom and all aboard, stranding Saavik and Marcus on the planet. Saavik and Marcus have discovered a male Vulcan child on Genesis, aging rapidly. It is physically Spock, but not otherwise. His body has been regenerated by the Genesis effect. Saavik discovers that the adolescent Spock is entering Pon Farr, the Vulcan mating cycle. Saavik, er, helps him out. Bird of Prey launches a surprise attack on the Enterprise. Marcus, Saavik, and Spock are captured by the Klingons. Kruge, to demonstrate his ruthlessness, orders one of the captives killed. Marcus heroically attacks a Klingon assassin to prevent the other two from being killed. Kirk's son is quickly murdered. Kirk, to spare Saavik and Spock, agrees to surrender Enterprise. They booby trap their ship so that it will destruct after the Klingons have boarded it. Kirk and party stand on Genesis and watch as the Enterprise blows up and (apparently) destroys Bird of Prey. On the planet, Kruge fights to the death with Kirk while Genesis falls apart around them. Kirk ultimately triumphs. Another ship (Excelsior?) arrives to take all of them, including the now adult but dying Spock, off Genesis just before it disintegrates. They manage to get to Vulcan, where they are greeted by Sarek and Uhura. McCoy risks his life while T'Lar presides over an ancient and mystic ritual to rejoin Spock's body with his katra. The attempt is eventually successful, but Spock's memories are cloudy until he once again greets his friend, Kirk. He begins to remember. --- This is said by Gene Roddenberry to be THE best ST movie yet. If you like seeing development in all the major characters, you should just love this movie. If you thought that David Marcus held promise as a character or if you really liked Enterprise a lot, you may have some misgivings about ST3. But the worst thing about this movie is where it places the Star Trek universe for future pictures. All of the major characters are in deep mulch with Starfleet Command. They have risked their careers and they will probably be split apart, at the very least. Some may never be seen again except as civlians. Of course, Spock is in no trouble with Starfleet but he is not the person he used to be. I also don't know for sure just how McCoy is after the ritual on Vulcan. And I've changed my mind--I don't want to see Enterprise come back as an Excelsior-class starship, even with the old crew. Naturally, these will be some of the things explored in ST4. Roger Noe ihnp4!ihlts!rjnoe
merchant@dartvax.UUCP (06/09/84)
{ Two cents change, sir... }
Ah, but do the ends justify the means? First, I don't think that Spock
is that impressive. If so, Starfleet would have probably dealt with it
themselves. He's just another officer...maybe a little brighter than
most, but another officer. Remember ST:TMP? Spock had left. There was
ANOTHER VULCAN SCIENCE OFFICER COMING ON BOARD. He got chewed up in
the transporter. Spock isn't the only Vulcan in Starfleet, I'm sure.
What you're saying, though, is that "Yeah, Jim broke the rules, but
everything worked out okay, so let's just call it amends." Well, let's
say that in Star Trek 4, Jim goes on to defeat the Klingon Empire and
make that part of the Universe safe for humanity. Kills lots of people,
lays ruin about three or four planets, but hey! No problem, right?
I'm sorry. The ends DO NOT justify the means. Jim Kirk broke the rules,
for whatever the "good" reason. The elimination of the Klingon Empire
seems like a good reason. If Jim Kirk figures that he can do it with
a starship and five other people, should he be allowed? No! Of course
not!
Okay, okay. Everything worked out well THIS time. Kirk was in the right
place at the right time and managed to save the universe. Marvy. Let's
just say, though, that the Klingons hadn't been involved. Jim shows up
and suddenly has to deal with the Grissom. That might have made a better
story, actually. What does Jim Kirk do when the captain of the Grissom
puts him under arrest? He has to save his friend, but he's facing a
possible prison sentence or maybe the death penalty. Scotty said the
Enterprise wasn't battle ready. And, if he fired on the Grissom or any
of it's crewpeople, if they beamed aboard, Jim would be in REALLY BIG
TROUBLE!
See what I'm saying, though? Jim didn't go out there to fight Klingons
and save the day. It just kind of worked out that way. But he still
broke the law and should be punished. If a private steals a tank to go
joyriding and, on the way, manages to blow up an enemy tank, does he get
a medal? No! He broke the law. And it wasn't as if he was doing it
because he KNEW the enemy tank was out there and he had to save the regiment.
He did it because it's a new turbo tank and he wants to see whether he can
jump it over Beggar's Canyon.
Sorry. Jim better be up shits creek. If Star Fleet looks the other way
at this, Star Fleet is a very bad organization and the Federation better
demolish it and put in something better.
--
"To Boldly Split Infinitives
where infinitives have never
been split before!" Peter Merchant