Late spring 1984 was a big deal for Trekkies, for it marked the release of the highly anticipated sequel, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, directed by Leonard Nimoy and written/produced by Harve (The Six Million Dollar Man/The Bionic Woman) Bennett.
I still recall rushing from the Burger King where I worked to catch the earliest show. There was abundant excitement in the air, with fans wondering how Spock would return after his sacrificial death in The Wrath of Khan. If the premise was done right, it could lead to other cinematic chapters in the franchise.
As most now know, the Planet Genesis prompted Spock's resurrection, and along for the bold quest were his beloved, crew mates: William Shatner's James T. Kirk, DeForest Kelly's Leonard McCoy, James Doohan's Montgomery Scott; Nichelle Nichols' Nyota Uhura, George Takei's Hikaru Sulu, Walter Koenig's Pavel Chekov, Merritt Butrick's David Marcus, and replacing Kirstie Alley, Robin Curtis' Saavik, along with newbies, Dame Judith Anderson's T'Lar and Christopher Lloyd's crusty Klingon Commander Kruge. (Mark Lenard even culminated the search with a special appearance as Spock's father, Sarek.)
The Biblical/Christ allegory of life, death and rebirth flavored this third, theatrical submission, bringing pathos and danger as the characters enacted the noble notion that "The needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many." James Horner's score (a continuation of his epic, Khan themes) ensured that the metaphoric thread remained emblematic of the sprawling, human adventure.
The successful sequel spawned the time-traveling Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, thus completing a popular story arch, which in its own right birthed even more movies and the revered Next Generation. Trek III has also aged well, particularly in light of such overloaded, polarizing sequels as The Last Jedi.
Take time this month to revisit this "fascinating" sequel for its 40th anniversary. Logic dictates that The Search for Spock is just too important to ignore.
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