This June marks the 38th anniversary of the release of Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, a film with an undeserved bad reputation.
Not that the movie was bad, per se, the biggest gripe was that it simply wasn’t as good as its predecessor, the legendary Wrath of Khan. But that does not mean The Search For Spock was a bad movie.
I might be a bit biased here, but I absolutely love The Search For Spock…. When I was a kid and my parents were working overnight thus leaving me stuck at home all day, my dad would go to the local video store and rent me a movie. The most frequent one he got was The Search For Spock, so I’d seen it dozens of times, and dozens more since, and thoroughly enjoyed every one.
Here are four reasons why I think The Search For Spock is fantastic:
New Ships!
The Search For Spock wasn’t the first live-action Star Trek production to show a Federation starship that wasn’t Constitution Class, but it more than doubled-down on its predecessor with new Starfleet ships. Most notably was the gorgeous USS Excelsior, a personal favourite of mine and probably the reason this film is so special to me.
Another fan-favourite design that debuted was the Oberth Class USS Grissom, a very unique take on Federation starship design.
The most recognizable new ship from Star Trek III was undoubtedly the Klingon Bird-of-Prey. Originally intended as a Romulan ship when they were the initial villains of the piece, the ship survived the changeover to Klingon baddies largely unchanged.
Its wings still retain the feathered pattern common to Romulan vessels. Since then, the Bird-of-Prey has become as synonymous with the Klingons as honour, bat’leths, and bloodwine!
A Bigger Universe
Star Trek III was the first Trek production since the animated series to make the universe feel like, well, a universe. It confirmed that there was much more going on than the voyages of the Enterprise.
We can see that in the sequences at Earth Spacedock, a massive space station teeming with activity. New shuttles and work bees moved between the docked ships, which included not only the Excelsior, but at least one Miranda-class ship and several others, which were study models for the Excelsior.
A scene with a Starfleet commander in an observation lounge watching the Enterprise pull in was also interesting, as the commander (presumably Janice Rand as the character is played by Grace Lee Whitney) shakes her head disapprovingly as if to say, “Geez, Kirk’s at it again. Some things never change.”
There are also scenes outside of Starfleet facilities, including the bar Dr McCoy visits to charter a flight to Genesis and a revisit to Kirk’s place in San Francisco.
In addition, a civilian starship, the Merchantman, helps in the introduction of the main villain, Kruge, and we get a glimpse of the final frontier that, for the first time, isn’t quite so bright and shiny.
Embracing Humour
Star Trek III was the first Trek film to really embrace the humorous side of the franchise, as several TOS episodes did masterfully.
I still laugh hysterically at McCoy’s revelation that he’s carrying Spock’s katra! The whole cast got in on the fun, with many of them having funny moments throughout the movie.
I really enjoyed seeing Scotty, Sulu, and Chekov struggling to get the stolen Bird-of-Prey going (“That or nothin’!), and I loved Uhura’s scene with “Mr Adventure!”
This leads right into the next reason this movie is great…
Expanding the Crew
For Star Trek III, it seemed like director Leonard Nimoy really wanted the rest of the Enterprise crew to have some more to do.
Hence the film includes a bit of a heist sequence in which the supporting characters get a chance to shine: Scotty sabotaging the Excelsior (though we don’t get to see it on screen), Sulu with a prison break, and Uhura’s aforementioned encounter with Mr Adventure at Old City Station.
I feel that these scenes throughout the movie drive home the camaraderie of these characters, explaining through their actions exactly why they’re risking their careers to save one of their own.
The Search For Spock has a reputation for not being very good, and it might have been responsible for the so-called “odd-numbered curse,” wherein the odd-numbered Trek films were considered not as good as the even-numbered ones.
That being said, STIII was not as critically acclaimed as its predecessor and successor, and it did not gross as much as those two films. However, that does not mean it’s a bad film. The four reasons I gave here only scratch the surface of describing just how good STIII actually is. And, for the record, I believe it was Star Trek V which actually started the stereotype of odd-numbered Trek films being bad, and that one was, in fact, pretty bad.
But don’t take my word for it. If you’re reading this and you have yet to see The Search For Spock, do yourself a favour and watch it. I promise you’ll find something to delight in!
