Phasers Set To Stun: Star Trek III The Search for Spock

0:01 Space the Final Frontier. Join us for a bold conversation our prime directive to recap our favorite Star Trek shows, both new and old, to engage and debate about all things Trek. Prepare to energize with Phasers Set to Stunt. Hello everyone, and welcome back to Phasers Set to Stunt.

0:42 In this ongoing series from a film by a podcast, we continue to show our love for every quadrant of the expanding Star Trek universe by covering television, animation, movies, directors, and much more. Plotting the course, as always is your Core Trek crew. I'm Scott Hoffin, I'm David Burns, and I'm Wayne White. In this episode, we're continuing to follow the original series crew on the silver screen with Star Trek three, The Search for Spock, written by Harvey Bennett and directed by Spock himself Leonard Nimoy. Now this is coming a little late, but red alert, you've had a few years. I mean, come on, but red alert. If you haven't seen this film, please go watch it and then come back and talk to us. For now that we've could talk to that five percent of the population, let's break it down. Wayne wanted it to go as to the summary of what this movie is all about.

1:34 Following the death of Captain Spock and the creation of the Genesis planet, the Enterprise returns to Earth to be decommissioned and it's crew reassigned. Doctor McCoy begins to exhibit strange behavior and is arrested, and a surprise appearance by Spock's father, Sarah, reveals that moments before death, Spock has transferred his Katra, his living spirit, into the mind of McCoy, only bringing Spock's body to Vulcan and re fur the process to return their friend back to the land of the living. But getting to Genesis may prove to be the least of Kirk's problems. The Klingons have become interested in its secrets, and they will stop at nothing to retrieve the weapon. Kirk may have to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to save his friend, his son, and his crew.

2:20 All Right, So, before we get into favorite moments and the cast and everything else, I know there's a lot of I would say, opinions just kind of split on certain movies as we go through the franchise. So Dave, I'll toss it up to you first. What are your overall thoughts about this movie. So it is not as strong as con obviously, but it's still a Star Trek movie. You know. Anytime you can give me Star Trek on the big screen a little screen, I'm gonna be happy going in. I saw this movie in the theaters when I was a little kid, and I remember being happy with it because I was little, you know, I get to see the Star Trek crew. The only thing that this left me devastated when I walked to the theater was seeing the Enterprise go down in flames. You know, today, it's no big deal to see one of these ships just get blown to pieces and you know, be done with.

3:14 Back then, that's a different story, you know. Seeing the Enterprise go down like that, and that shot that you got of the crew watching it come down in the atmosphere burning and Kirk saying, oh my god, bones, what have I done? That whole scene right there was spectacular to me, and as a little kid, I had some tears when I saw the Enterprise coming down like that because I didn't see that coming Wayne. What about you? Well, while I. Think this is the weakest of the trilogy, I still think it's a good film. You know, I have a hard time separating this from the other two films from Star Trek two and four, because it's the second act. It's chapter two of like the same books. So I can't say it's a bad film because it's really, in my mind two, three and four or make you know, one large story. It's kind of like, you know, the Star Wars trilogy. It's hard to separate from that. But I like the film, I really do. It's got a lot of great moments to it. It's a lot of great design. Is it the best note, but it's still very enjoyable.

4:18 So wait, and I'm gonna give you credit for why I like this movie even more because it wasn't until you had mentioned that this is part of a trilogy that I had really thought of it that way, And it made me like the film that much more because I knew that it wasn't. The end of the story is kind of a continuation of it. It does seem like, you know, when you're looking at this compared to something like Empire strikes back this part of me that feels like, well, the Empire of this trilogy feels like it would be con But if you only think about that in terms of Spuck, it's not really it's the ship. It's kind of this this passing from one kind of of era I guess to another not original series to Next Generation obviously, but because of the destruction of the Enterprise. So it's fascinating.

5:08 And I hadn't thought of it as a trilogy before, and I think you you made it better for me just thinking about it that way. I agree that there are some things that feel like they're not as strong. There are some things like apologies to Scott McGuinness, but mister Adventure, the way some of those lines are delivered in the room with her, uh that that steve a little dated. And there are some things that feel like it's it's trying to be Wrath of con in some kind of moments, like when he says I want Genesis it just because of feels like it's like it's it's trying to be a con like villain, which didn't really hit right for me. It's it's not. One of my absolute favorites, but I have so much more of an appreciation of it thinking of it as a trilogy, and especially looking at tonally, how this one goes from such an action packed movie wreath of Khan to something that has a little bit more of kind of a lighthearted nature. As ot as that may seem, there are a lot of down moments in this but the heist specifically stands out to me as one of those lighter sequences. While we get a little bit of comedy back.

6:14 In it, it really felt like it was missing. I mean, and I understand why because Spock was in McCoy, but we really missed McCoy in this film. His humor. You get a tiny bit of it here and there, but you got a lot of that in Khan, and that element was missing here. And then you're breaking up the crew too, with you know, horror not being with them. I understand why they were doing it and how why it had to be like that, but I felt like some of that with them, the whole Bridge crew not being together just felt a little awkward at times, and that's what was missing from the film for sure. Yeah, you know, you're you're right. I wanted to bring up that point about McCoy too, because you know, I know he's he's acting different throughout this film, and you got to give Marx to uh DeForest Kelly for for playing it like that. But he's it's just very odd the way he portrays McCoy, but that that's the way it's supposed to be. And then I don't understand. I mean you her is hardly in this film. She has very little to do, have not having all of them together for the majority of the film up until basically the end, it's it makes his film lacking.

7:29 Yep. Yeah, all that, so for as little as she has to do, I do like the role that her a place in this. Oh yeah, I know that. I think Michelle Nichols had some reservations about it because it didn't feel like she had much on paper. But I think what she had done with those scenes, especially how it kind of sets her up for so the future installments. I like where they're going with that. Yeah. We Yeah, the cast is fantastic in it. They're they're they're doing their best with the script. It's it's it's they're all good. They're all always been very very good. But you know, here, especially with between Kirk and Spock and McCoy, you really feel that that friendship here in this film, You'll just like you hadn't start her too.

8:15 The whole the whole ending really felt hit hit home. Yeah, it did. You know when Spock was walking away and he turns around and comes back, and I know we'll get to that, but I just absolutely loved all of. That right there with the Bridge crew. I thought it was fantastic. The one thing that I was really missing from this film too, and it's not their fault is obviously christ the Aali, yes, not reprising her role as Savic, and I understand why, I guess money and all that kind of stuff, But Robert Curtis still did a good job. Don't get it wrong, she really did. But CURSTIALI just not having her when she was in con and we get that change up. It really felt odd to me. It did. It's a different portrayal. That the two actresses played the character so different, you know, it makes me wonder maybe they should have just made it a different character or something new.

9:04 But I agree. I hate to say this because Robin Curtis did a fantastic job, but I do prefer Christy Ali's portrayal of Savag and it's a pity she couldn't continue on. It does seem like it has a bit of a it's kind of an interrupt interruption in the consistency of it, right, especially because toward the end of con you see some emotion come through in Savag So it feels like then there would be a little bit more I guess, carry through and the emotional connection she might have with David that we were missing. But I think Robin Curtis, to your point, does a great job of filling in that gap and carrying it. Yeah. Yeah, When we talk about the cast, there's a lot of great performances in here.

9:51 I want to mention Merret Merrett, Butrick coming back as David. I think it's good that we continue to see a little bit more of his development. Unfortunately, we come to learn that David sees himself as responsible for the Genesis disaster because he's proto maatter in the mix. I think he does a great job in this role. I think it's interesting to see that kind of self punishment. But I don't know that it should I don't know that the fault should fall so squarely on his shoulders, because it feels like the planet's created in a way it wasn't designed to. It was made to terra form a planet, not turn a ship into a planet that's freestanding.

10:40 And you know, he's like taking the responsibility all in himself. But if you remember Genesis was a team effort, it was right right. I mean, you can't you can't say that he really probably you know, shouldn't say that he was in bought. I think they're all responsible, you understand, I understand it. I mean, everybody wants to cut corners in order to s seed, but you know it shouldn't all fall on his fault. That's why Carol was not around. She knew the word this was going. I'm out. I told him not to put that in the batter. He wouldn't listen. And we've got a big connective thread between McCoy, Spock, David, and the rest of the crew.

11:21 William Shatner as Kirk, I think we get a really unique performance here, specifically with how he reacts to David's death. Oh yeah, I was. I was surprised to hear that that was an improvised scene that nimoy just said, play it how you want to that. I don't know. I haven't seen as much of the original series as I should have, but having seen all the movies, it feels like this is one where we get some kind of unusual exploration from from William Shatner in that way, would you agree? Oh, no, absolutely. I think that's one of the most powerful scenes in the whole film, you know, when he said, you know, you killed my son, but the whole thing falling back and missing the chair. I thought that was incredible, very emotional.

12:06 Yeah, this this film was a much more intimate portrayal for Kirk, Spock and McCoy, you know. And I think it was a good idea for Leonard Nimoy to direct this film rather than someone from outside agree directed, because you know, not only does he know his own character, but he knows the others and they know him, and he was able to really, in my opinion, bring out the best in those those characters, in those actors, because they all do a fantastic job, including William Shatner. He's just he's outstanding in this film. Yeah, and kudo to them for bringing Mark Leonard back. Oh yeah, yes, kudos to them for that, because he did a fantastic job in.

12:48 This Yeah for sure. Well, jumping over to the other ship, let's talk about the Klingon crew. I'm not going to go to the obvious one first because I just want to mention for a minute. I always forget where Dan Fielding is on that Klingon ship as John Laraquet. He was Dan Fielding in Night Court obviously as one of the Klingons. Surprises me every single time. I always have to kind of look through the makeup to find out where he is. And of course we've got another comedic superstar in a very different kind of role, Christopher Lloyd as is that Krug Krug?

13:33 Yeah, thoughts on Krug, He's fantastic. I mean it's it's obvious you're trying to capture what they got and had. It started two with with Khn, you know, a central villain that everybody can hate. But it's it's different, you know, Christopher Lloyd did a complete different portrayal. This is really the first time we've seen the Klingons in any you know, any major parts the original series and really back then, you know, we never really got much in depth, you know, development with the Klingons. But so much is put into this film and it's a lot goes to Christopher. Lloyd in his portrayal.

14:14 I think he's even stated this is one of his favorite roles that he's ever done, was playing this and it almost didn't happen. My understanding, he almost didn't have this role, and I'm glad it did because I think Paramount was kind of throwing a fit because they were like, oh, that's not that taxi guy we. Don't want, we want him. Yeah you do, oh yeah, you really do well. His Leonard Nimoy. He wanted Edward James almost to play the part. Yep, you know, but Paramount didn't want that. I like both actors, but I think Christopher Lloyd he really put everything into the part, and I'm glad he got it. Me too. I'd be interested to pick up a copy of that at the Alternate Reality Video store just to see what it's like. But I'm glad we got what we got.

14:57 I think if we didn't, we probably wouldn't have Judge doom In hooprame Bruder Rabbit. Oh absolutely a lot of his range. Yeah, absolutely, and that's always just fun to see him. I remember seeing his picture on the front of my brother's cleon Dictionary, but I was still surprised when I was like, that's that's Doc prown. There's no way I forgot all about that, you know. I went through all the merchandise and stuff, And I completely forgot about the Klingon dictionary. That came out with this that stood out so much. That was Yeah, this film was the birth of all of that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yep, because they had to find a way to give him some language. So I mean, I guess because of Search of a Spot, we have that to thank you for. Yeah, and they used that for years and years and years afterwards.

15:39 Yeah. Yeah, it's a it's a big expansion for the Klons. So they didn't have that much language in the original series, wasn't it James doing James Newhan had a hand in creating some of the language, and then for this they had to kind of build on that. Yeah. Yeah, that's exactly what they did. That's crazy. Well I'll get into another expansion of the Klingons because I love the ship. I love the ship in this movie. We'll talk about that in a minute. Any other thoughts on cast anybody glossing over? I want to mention one person, Frank Welker. Yes, love him, box screens and. Stuff like that. That is insane that they got him just to do that.

16:19 Thank you, Dave. I love it. And let's let's not forget even Leonard moy through his voice in there for the elevator. Yes, up your shaft. Yes, Oh I love that scene. I love I love so many you Scotty's lines. I'll come up later, but yeah, we've got definitely uh definitely got a crossover with the Transformers of the movie from our eighty six Dave. I love when you mentioned that. And speaking of you know, voice actors, there's another one in here, Judy durrant To. She voices the space Talk computers. We hear her voice a lot later on. She's actually the voice of the Kardassian computers and the Deep Space nine computers on start our Deep Space nine. Nice.

17:00 Interesting, Yeah, there's some amazing work done in here. I know we haven't even touched on a lot of the the Vulcan cast. There's so much ceremony. You already mentioned Mark Leonard. It's always great to see him come back. It's it's a very sprawling kind of movie. Like you get a lot of Klingons, a lot of Vulcan, a lot of the crew, some interesting appearances by people from space Dock, including those that are piloting Excelsior after Scutty sabotages it. This is one of my favorite scenes. We got a cameo of Janis Rand as well in fun I forgot about that.

17:42 Yeah, and we got those silly guard suits back from the motion picture. Different, a little bit different, but they're still. There for the for the Starfleet football team. Those helmets. Yeah. Well, let's talk about some of our favorite moments from the one we've already mentioned a couple. First appearance of Excelsior hits a little differently after being such a fan of Undiscovered Country. But I love the introduction of that. I like the reverse effect here that we get, you know, in the motion picture in the Wrath of Cohn, we both get the Enterprise that is sitting there in dock and gatoray we watch it go out. This time we get the opposite effect, where we're seeing Enterprise come in to the dock, and that's when you get the review of the Excelsior and you get all the crew people who are inside watching Enterprise that that's coming in and you see it's all beaten up and those kind of things.

18:37 I really love how they did it that way. Yeah, I think it was a great segue to have that whole I know it's not an immediate follow up from the first movie, but that opening sequence where we have the teeny tiny, almost television view that kind of zooms in. I think it was a great choice to have them with all that battle damage coming back home kind of like their wounds and still recovering from everything that's going on with. With Spock the way the way I took it. I mean, if you if you're standing there watching Enterprise come in, everybody knows the history of Enterprise, So if you're in Starfleet, you're seeing this ship coming in, probably the first time you've ever seen it, you are just going to be beside yourself watching this come in.

19:20 Right, Yeah, Yeah, for sure. I just think that that moment was incredible, and I think it's really overlooked. And everyone's you know, they're staring at it when it comes in there, but they're seeing the battle damage and and you know, quite shocked over it from the looks their faces. M M. Yeah. Well, I tell you what, We're gonna go ahead and take a break, and when we come back, we're going to talk about a couple more of our favorite moments, get into some behind the scenes things, and talk about one of my favorite moments, the heist. We were back. Okay, we're back. So favorite moments. I want us to talk about the heist, the good and the bad. There's a lot of great comedy, I think in this one, and as soon as you get the idea that you're not necessarily supposed to be taking this sequence too seriously. I think it's a lot of fun. But it is definitely a different tone from the entire rest of the movie.

20:14 Fair Oh yeah, it absolutely is. I like the whole herr thene Again, we don't get a lot of her in this movie and the one one we get here where she shines. You know, go get in the closet. What it's a badass moment, right, it is, It really is, and I love that out of her, and but I wish we had gotten more. But it is what it is. Even Sulu gets gets gubble moment here, He's tossing a lot of people around, especially tiny. Yeah, it's clearly a mistake, but I don't know. I thought it was a lot of fun. It was an interesting way to kind of segue into the the adventure of the next sequence when they all stim really get it. I think it all kind of wraps up as Scotty kind of drops the different pieces into McCoy's hands, from one surgeon to another.

21:11 I don't know. I just thought it was a lot of fun. Well, you know, when you're watching this, you know the heist. You know Kirk and the crew are are sacrificing everything to still that enterprise. They know that, you know, they're they're going to be court martialed, They're they're going to lose everything. To me, that just shows how much they care about Spock. I mean, the whole sequence. Yes, it's comedy, but it really shows that you know, they had to make that decision that you know, their their careers, their lives, or their friend, and they chose their friend. And I think that's probably one of the strongest parts of the film because of that. You know, their their choice to to save Spock rather than than and sacrifice themselves in everything that they know. I love the sequence. I think it's not only is it fun, but it's exciting. The visually, the visual effects are fantastic in it. So the excelsior is beautiful. I it's it's the highlight light of the entire film for me, that that centerpiece.

22:10 The only thing that's not beautiful are those pink chair. I didn't even notice him. Now I gotta go back and watch the pink chairs. I couldn't take my eyes off of this time. Were they on the every time they shared the bridge, they got these pink chairs, and I'm like, I can't do my eyes off of. Say, for me, the weird there on the excels here aside from the kind of cartoon you know, uh bus breaking down so sound, as is the the I guess it's a writing crop that captain carries around. Yeah, but this seems weird and awkward, like what like to make the ship go faster, you're like slap it against the side of the seat or something like you got that in the wrong place.

22:51 I never thought of that. What what was his engage? What was his word? I forget, but I'm like, I cringe. I don't remember what it was. But it was not cool at all. I'm like, dude, no, just no, it. Doesn't seem like a very fun ship to be on. I don't know if i'd want to be one of the bridge crew there, No, not at all. That's right there. I want the ship to go faster. Now. Any other favorite scenes I know? I give there they're watching the Enterprise go down. That's I mean, I hate to say that's my favorite scene, but it's just a very emotional scene for me. There's just there's just so many things in this I love the scene where they're all together on the space station before the heist and when Kirk's you know, they're all having drinks and stuff like that, and you know they're asking them what they're what they're going to do, and that's when they're having the discussion that the Enterprise is going to be decommissioned yor like, well, where are.

23:51 We going to go? What's gonna happen to us? I really like that scene between our between that crew because I mean, yeah, I mean, but how long they've been together and now they're stuck in the situation. If it was one of us, it'd be no brainer to do what Kirk did and to go with Kirk, because if you're being decommissioned and you're almost at the end of your career and you got your best one of your best friends is out there, you're going to do it. Yeah. So in yeah, going out with the Blaze of. Glory exactly, yep, and a hell. Of a gamble from Kirk if his gambit with the self distract hadn't worked, and there was a slightly savvy pling on on that bridge that they just hit the stop button, which I know it's not that simple, but that's how they set down self destruct sequences. But I don't know, it was, Yeah, it was. It was a powerful decision to make, and knowing how much the franchise still had left in it, it's a it's a very interesting, uh kind of risk because at the end of the movie, it's like, where do they go from here? Does a beautiful job of setting up the next movie, which is a lot of fun.

24:58 Absolutely, yeah, it does. And and even speaking about my favorite parts, we kind of touch based on the ending there where you know, Spock is walking when he comes back and he has that discussion with Kirk you know, I've been told that you are my friend, and that that whole sequence thera at the end where you know he gives that line you know where Kirk actually says that you know you came back, Well, he said, you came back for me. He says, why would you do this? And then Kirk was said, because the needs of the one outweighed the needs of the many, the reverse of what Spock had told him in con and I absolutely loved that. Man. I thought that moment right there really made the film for me. Again, it's not the strongest Star Trek film, but I absolutely love that whole scene right there.

25:41 Now you're when, Yeah, it wasn't the strongest Star Trek film, but it had moments that are some of the strongest moments in Star Trek. You know. It's I have a lot of great memories from this film. You know, this is probably the film that I remember the most watching. I remember every last detail when I saw this for the first time. I mean just I can remember every little thing about it. You know. I saw this film first at drive in There was a driven called the Lake Drive in between Sline and Saint Mary's. My mom took me one night. She just it was something we did all. Every now and then. And you know, she put me in the car. We went. She popped up a big grocery bag full of popcorn.

26:25 We went to the corner grocery store and bought pop and candy, and she bought me two comic books and one of them was Star Trek Issue eight, which is a savag issue. But and we got to the drive in theater. I sat there and I read it, and at the end of that comic showed Savog leaving to go to the Grissom for this adventure. It led right into Star Trek three, and then I saw Star Trek three, you know, right after it, after it, and I think the second film, if I remember right, was Grimlins, and that was the first time I saw that film too, so you know, I had a two for that night. It's it's such a great strong memory for me, so I really, I mean, this film, you know, has some special meeting for me because of that, because you know, I love those nights going to the theater or going to the drive in with mom, and I just remember it so clearly.

27:16 Yeah, that's really cool. Well, and she's she's doing it right with that grocery bag full of popcorn. Yeah that sounds epic. Good job, mom, Yeah, absolutely, mart Well, speaking of favorite moments or favorite things, I guess to get into a little bit of behind the scenes. I was interested to learn that this was the introduction of the Klingon bird of prey. Is that right? Yeah, that's right, sure is. And it was designed in part by Leonard Nimoy. There's something I found about at a pre production meeting at I l m uh. He kind of posed his arms and hands to show off what the wings would ultimately look like. So I guess he was almost posing as if he was carrying like a big basket or something like that.

28:04 That would surprise me as a director. Yeah, he probably had a lot of hand and designing everything. But I think it's a great design for a ship. It is like, it's a very intimidating design. And I had no idea this is the first time we ever got it. Yeah, I didn't. Yeah, I didn't know that behind the story behind it, but yeah, and I knew this was the first time we got that ship. Wasn't wasn't the original intention for the Romulins to be the villains in this? Yeah? Yeah, in the same place, it sounds like it was a Romulin vessel that comandeered. Which I mean, if you think of it that way, that makes sense because the Romulins, you know, they they're the ones with the bird of Praise, They're the ones that have the bird motif on their ships. So you know, here we got the kling on bird of prey and you know, with with the bird motif and the moving wings and everything, so it makes sense. It's you know, they it's a pity they dropped that because I mean, I think that's still I'm trying to remember. I don't know if it was the original series or the movie where they're brought up the idea of the Klingons and the Romulans having some sort of treaty, some sort of sharing of the technology. I think this might have been the first time. No, that's right, it was the original series because the Romulans are using Klingon ships in there, so it makes sense. You know, the Romulins were using the cleanon ships and now the Klingons are using Romulin technology and Romulint designs makes sense.

29:23 So there's another bit of that that I had seen. So I guess the the original intention was to make it the Romulins instead of the Klanons, but Klingons were better known. But it sounds like they already had designs on the warship for the Romulins being built. They basically just transferred it over. Yeah, yeah, I. Think that's interesting. I can't imagine this movie with the Romulins being the. Villains, though I can't now, I mean, yeah, but maybe it could have happened, but I don't know. Hard to say now because this movie is so ingrained in my brain now really hard to imagine.

30:06 And the Klingons are such like the the the big iconic star Trek villains. But back then I guess they really weren't. You know, the Romulans appeared just as much as the Klingons in the original series, and they were really big. So I think back then maybe we could it would have made more sense. But now it's really hard to imagine anybody else the clean. Well, I mean, for for a fresh audience that's not as used to the species. It could have caused some confusion with Vulcan, right, because always they're so similar. There could be people that were new to it to say, like, I don't get it. So there's like Vulcan good guys and Vulcan bad guys, right, I know, there's well a lot more separating them, but I don't know if every audience could have could have picked up on that.

30:53 That's a good point. There were a lot of new designs for this in this film. I mean, it wasn't just Lingons, you know, we had they pretty mu put everything, new new phasers, new triquarders, communicators. Look the Klingons, they got guns and the knife. That's all brand new, brand new ships. Everything, everything was designed fresh for this film. That space station even look really good in this one. Oh yeah yeah. Space Yes, they looked so good. I just don't know. I get the idea of the name space Doc, but open the space doors. It feels like they could have spent like maybe ten more minutes to name it something else. Otherwise it sounds like go to the batcave, to the bat computer. You can get the bad things.

31:35 Like, right, we get it. We're in space, we worked there. We don't need everything to be space something right. And new designs. I think the design of Excelsior. I guess Scotty would disagree, But I like the look of Excelsior I do too. Yeah yeah, that and the Grisome. I like the design of the science ships too. Whoever designed these ships, and I don't remember it is they did a phenomenal job. You know, those ships were used so many times over they like twenty thirty years of the of the Star Trek series. Well, and aside from the danger we see on the screen, apparently there's some danger behind the scenes. That I wasn't aware of. Apparently there was a big fire at Paramount Studios.

32:17 Yeah, that's that's right. Yep. I heard that William Shatner helped to fight it and rescue a crew member. Yeah, more reinforcements arrived. It sounds like his main motivation was to save a day edge of shooting because he had to get back to t J. Hooker. But he wasn't doing that at this time, wasn't he. Yeah. I mean, next time, maybe leave that out. You don't have to say, you know, I did it to save a damn production for TJ. Hooker. Just say, of course they saved a. Person from a fire. Yeah, but glad you did it anyway. Yeah, they didn't they determine that that fire was arson. I wonder what the rest of that story was. I wonder if they ever found out who started it or why.

32:59 Ingurious about that, I have to it was it was in because William Shatton wrote a book that's where the whole quotes and stuff from about him saving the fire, saving or saving stuff in the fire. But I gotta read that book. It's been a long time since I seen I'm I'm curious about that now. It was probably Geene Roddenberry because he got bared from. See. I was gonna say it was the Romulins because they were like, I see, fine, we're not going to get our movie up your shaft. What other behind the scenes tidpits do you have about production? Well, you know, the Klingon outfits were new, because you know, they had the ones they made for Star Trek the motion picture, but they had lent him out to the people who are making more Coan Mindy and just destroyed them, so they had to make all new ones.

33:46 Oh geez, oh, Mark, I knew, now, I do know. There's a if you watch the opening credit at the beginning, there is a longer pause between Williams. Shattner and to forced Kelly's name because that's where Leonard Nimoy's name was should have gone. And they noticed that your. Attention to that next time you watch it, they did, because then right after that they start going really quick. Interesting. Yeah, I had read about that tidbit after seeing it, and I was like, great, and I have to watch it again, at least just the first credits. But no, I think there's a lot of clever decisions like that from I assume that leonardinmoy had a hand in that a lot of clever decisions, aside from the fact that for a movie that has his name in the title, we don't really see Spock until the very end of the movie, which makes sense because the search for Spock has to have a destination of finding Spock. But he gets maybe like what five minutes of screen time. I mean, unless you count all the other Spocks no offense, Carl Steven and all the other that Y trade Spock growing up.

34:55 But you know what I mean, it doesn't count. It's literallymore nothing. And I think we already mentioned that up your Shaft scene. I love the fact that Leonard Nimway is the voice of the turbolift. Yeah, and you can clear you can clearly hear if you're paying attentions that it's definitely Yeah. So in the ending credits, apparently that voice is listed as Frank Force. I wonder if he chose that name. That sounds like that sounds like one of Zartan's guys trying to get into g I. Joe, why do you do that? Just Just put Leonard Nimboy. Who cares, right, I mean, at this point, it's not like the internet is finding out like, oh wait, he's the voice of the Turbolift. Just just do it. Maybe he had aspirations for working on Transformers one day. Well all right, So going back to Christy Alley, so apparently she had negotiations negotiating the contract with Paramount. They didn't offer any other options for other sequels. Apparently it sounds like she wanted a lot of money, which led to her being dropped and being replaced by Robin Curtis.

36:09 It makes me wonder, though, I mean, you guys might be able to know this better than I do. Was this was start? When did she start in Cheers? Do you ever remember what year she started with? This wasn't Star Trek four was before that? Or start Star Trek three was before that? Wasn't it? I think it was this. Is eighty four, Yeah, because she didn't join to what third or fourth year of Cheers? Yeah it was something like that. Yeah. Yeah, so yeah, this was This would have been before Cheers, before she got popular because of that show. Yeah. So, I mean I don't understand where her stances of asking for that much money. Yeah, I'm just gonna be frank, Greg, you know, it doesn't seem like at this point she was that big of an actress, right, So I wonder what was going on there. I mean, you know, was it was it her that was pushing It was it her agent that was pushing that?

37:00 You know. I would be curious to learn a little bit more about the background of that fact. Yeah, I think you're right, there's gonna be more to this. And it's also just a pity because I think this is basically the end for Savak. We do see her in the next movie briefly, which we'll talk about next time. But I wonder if she maybe had thoughts of, like, we're talking about Star Trek here and apparently there's a you know, enough fandom behind it to say that this is going to continue going unless somebody, you know, really does something horrible like chasing God with a starship or something like that. I don't know, but she may have had thoughts of like, I could take this quite a quite a long way if I get in here, so it's worth me negotiating for a higher price. Knowing that Savic is now becoming more of an integrated character. It'd be interesting to see that alternate video start to see if she would have been right if she had been Savak in this movie, if she would have maybe had a bigger role in uh, the next one. I kind of doubt it that it feels like the right place to say goodbye to Savage. I think it's a shame that we never see her again, but you know, the universe isn't closed yet, so we'll see what happens.

38:15 It's not, but it would it not have been interesting though, to see her had joined the crew for Voyage Home. Yes, ye, yeah, that's true. I'll go to that alternate reality video store and put that in the put that in the bag. That would be fun to see, it would. Well, especially seeing her and Spock having to navigate San Francisco both hiding right exactly. Yeah, Well, let's take a quick break. I know we're coming up on time, so let's take a quick break before we get back into some what ifs. We obviously have to talk about the score and just a few easter eggs dimension bear it back. All right, we're back. We mentioned what are the what ifs?

39:00 When I think you had mentioned it before, the possibility of ever James almost being kruged instead. I guess the idea was that he was that Christopher Lloyd was a little bit more physically intimidating than ever James Almost, which I can see, but apparently then almost was later offered another role in another series. Right, interesting enough? Yes it was, Yeah, it was Picard. Yes, again, I can't say I wouldn't be interested in seeing that. I do think we're living in the best reality because at least in some ways, because we did get Patrick Stewart as Johnick Brigard. But it would be interested to see that play out in both those roles.

39:47 Right, Well, we did in a way. We did kind of later on you know, twenty years later on Battlestar Galactaga. Exactly. That's true. That's true. So he did get an opportunity, so just not Star Trek, but still a great show. I don't struggle to go any other what come to mind? I think what was it? Nicholas Meyer asked to direct this, but he could quickly turned it down because you know, he thought Fox Dash that have remade final, So I think that was his. Like, I don't want anything to do with this, really, but I mean he did come back from Discovered Country obviously, yes, and. I'm very grateful for that me too. Yeah, we'll talk about that in a while. Yeah, well, you know, we talked briefly about that the original treatment. Either they're really unlike a lot of the other films, there really wasn't like lots of drafts for this film to really talk about.

40:36 But you know. That that treatment that Bennett wrote with the Romulans actually is rather interesting. You know, it had them finding the Genesis planet rich in di lithium, and so they go and they start mining the planet until all the miners are killed by a feral spock. And then of course the Valcans, you know, they hear about the Tennessee's device. They're just absolutely horrified to discover that the Federation had created a potential weapon. So they are looking to secede from the Federation. So Kirk and his crew would have went to Vulkan and to face them and negotiate. I don't think it would have worked as well. It sounds a little bit too political of a film to be like the second part of a trilogy, but it's still a very interesting idea.

41:27 I do like the sound of a feral fuck Thode. Going around killing everybody I know that anybody else thinking of like a wolverine spuck mash up just. The yeah or even a ramboth buck come on. Well, the reason why they didn't go with this story wasn't that you know, Paramount hated it or or it was bad. It was because it was leaked out to the fans. So you know, Bennett really quick and did some very extensive rewrites and that's what we ended up seeing on screen. So he had to wait for that headband moment when he rips the robe in the next movie and ties it around his stead exactly Aryl Rambo moment. Yep.

42:08 Well, one of the things that we always love to talk about here, David, Wayne, especially, let's talk about the score with James Horner. Yeah, he's back for the next one. Obviously. We know he did the Wrath of Con. Yes, very similar themes in this one that he brings from Con that you can hear throughout it. I know he conducted one hundred and five piece orchestra and it took I think one week to record this score. Wayne, you know my love of James Horner. Oh yeah, again. My only complaint is he likes to cheat steal from himself from time to time, and you still get some of that in here. I don't think it's as strong as his score from the Wrath of Khan, but I still enjoy this.

42:56 Score, don't get me wrong. In this score, you're starting to hear his action adventure music starting to come out, more stuff that he's going to use later on, and like the Rocketeer, you're starting to hear more of that now and that I love that absolutely. And we also get some more themes from him. You get like a Vulcan theme, you get the a Klingon theme, and you even get a starfleet theme that he has created for this. So I when you look and really break down the score, he did a much better job with his exploration of the score itself in this one that he did CON. I just think CON was just a little bit more loud and out there, if that makes sense it does.

43:41 I agree with you one hundred percent. I like the fact that you know the consistency, the continuity of the scores between two and three, though you know his reuse of the themes and his creation of the new themes. I really wish that they would have continued on and had him score four. The only reason he didn't score four is because you know, Nimoy really wanted to use rosam and he wanted to use Rosamund in this film, but Paramount said, no, that's a pity he couldn't have done the whole trilogy because some of his themes are great. I love his h the theme when the Burda pre Is is flying into Balkan, that then such, that's gorgeous music. And then when they're stealing the enterprise, which I think that's the name of the title, stealing a enterprise, that whole it's a really long queue and I just love that's that's Hornered. Now, you know, when he did start Tar two, that was like way at the beginning of his career. But now he's got films under his belt and he's developed his style and his sounds that he would continue on throughout his career, and you know, I just he just develops the theme so well in this.

44:44 Film, and he's he's getting close to his Alien's score, which is one of the best action sequence cue piece of music. In all of film in my opinion for sure. And that's only a couple of years away from this one. Yeah, So you're starting to hear him explore those themes and getting bigger and believing himself. You're really seeing that on the big screen here, And you're right, Wayne, I mean Wratha Kam was his first one on the big screen and here he's getting a little bit more confidence in himself. And you can see that here. And it's a popular score. You know, it's been released four times over the years. You know, it's original release in eighty four, GMT Crescendo released it in nineteen ninety on CD, and then twenty ten Film Score Monthly released the complete score, and then in Trata again released the complete score for you know, back in twenty twenty two.

45:42 So you know it's still available. Go get it. I got David one for Christmas. So great. It's just it's a great score. In a movie like this where it's a continuation of the original series cast. Seems kind of odd to ask about East eggs, but I'm curious if we've found any. Oh yeah, well, they're more like film facts and Easter eggs. Although now we're starting to you know, they're starting to develop. Those triples are in this. Come on, now there's this. You're right there are. Guy, that guy that's talking to McCoy in the bar. Oh like this. They function of Yoda kind of thing that.

46:23 That is like one of the most cringe moments of this movie, a little bit that character. Yeah, I kind. Of like the the whole canteena scene. It's kind of I think it's kind of fun. But I was surprised to see the triples though. I was like, how do you have tribles in a bar that aren't just taking the place over? Like one plate of wings and it's that's. It, right, Yeah, true, all right, Well, the producers wanted to keep the destruction of the enterprise's secret in order to shock the audience, but the Paramount executives decided otherwise, and they use it as the main selling point in the trailers and.

47:05 Shook clips the destruction of the Enterprise. Harv Bennett, he objected, but he had to try to have the trailers change, but ultimately it was Paramount's call and the shots stayed. So there went that surprise. The events of this film take place in the year twenty two eighty five. It's not really mentioned in the film, but that date was confirmed on screen in the first episode of the second season of Star Trek Picard, where we see the commemorative plaque of the USS Excelsior, showing the date of its original commission. This is the first time we actually hear Chekhov say anything in Russian in this film.

47:45 Which seemed like an odd choice right in that moment. I mean, it's kind of like, sure, Scuta knows Russian, but otherwise it's like, Checkov, what are you doing? Man? It is kind of odd for that character, especially, you know, as I said, he hadn't done it before. The enterprise is distrdes that were used here the exact same ones that were used in the original series episode Let That Be Your Last Battlefield. There were three main scenes that they shot and decided to cut from the film. There was a conversation between Kirk and McCoy and a turber lyft. The second one showed the crew carrying Spock's body up the steps at Vulcan and a young Vulcan girl coming up to them and telling Spock to live long and prosper.

48:27 And the final was a long shot in the Vulcan Hall of Ancient Thoughts during the ceremony at the end of the film. All three of those scenes were cut because Nimoy felt they ruined the pacing of the film. On June twenty third, nineteen eighty four, Star Trek three was shown at the White House to President Reagan, and I quote after dinner we saw Star Trek three. It wasn't too good. I like. Star Trek three to search for Spot had its broadcast network television on ABC on September twenty eighth, nineteen eighty seven, only because that evening's Monday Night Football was delayed because of a strike that year, which happens to be the exact same day that Encounter Farpoint aired the pilot episode of the Next Generation inter And unlike Star Trek two, Star Trek three had quite a bit of tie in merchandise to go along with it. We got the novelization by Vonda in McIntyre that was released right at the same day that the film was released. We've got a read along storybook and a record released by Winna Vista Records.

49:38 We got official movie magazine poster magazine released by star Log DC Comics, who at the time held the license for Star Trek. They published a comic adaption to Star Trek three, which included a lot of those deleted scenes that I mentioned, and had a wonderful cover by Howard Chaikin On top of all that, Eardle Toys released a line of action figures for Star Trek three. This would be their first attempt at releasing any action figures and included Captain Kirk, Mister Spock, Scottie, and the Klingon Leader And that was the actual names that we use on the cards, as well as a line of die cast spaceships of the Enterprise, the Klingon, Burda Prey, and the Excelsior. It wasn't a bad line, but kids just weren't crazy about them, so they didn't make any more figures until.

50:21 Star Trek five came out. Faza Games released a Star Trek three source book supplement for their popular role playing game, and finally, Taco Bell got into the game with four fancy looking glasses, released one a week for sixty nine cents with the purchase of a large or medium drink. Yeah. According to their overly peppy commercial that aired on TV, the four glasses were named Spock Lives, Klingon Courage, The Fate of the Enterprise, and the Secret of Faldor Pain. That's how they pronounced it faldor Pain on the commercial. Alrighty, then, well, Dave, I've got a question for you.

51:03 Yes, as we wrap this up, if you could be any woman in this film, who would it be? And why? Oh? Man, I would probably have to go with horror. She gets some she gets some moments, and she gets to shine important moments I might ad And she doesn't have to worry about being on the enterprise as it's trying to escape or it's try getting blown up. She just gets a nice easy trip to Volcan to meet the crew as they come back with Spock. So yes, it's a horror and she was badass. Oh yeah, she has to push her on Mister Adventure. That's got to be fun. Wayne, What about you? What would be your choice?

51:43 Well? I wouldn't want to go through anything that's like Kirk Spocker McCoy goes through in this film, And I don't want to be check off because did you see what he was wearing in this film? So I guess I'm going to have to share that body with David if he can say you're her. You know, she just has that it. She just has it easy in this film. You know, she has that little fun with the Mister Adventure and then she gets to go straight to Vulcan and time for the ceremony. Shouldn't have to do all that fighting and lava on Genesis. Yeah, I'm I'm gonna go with sir too. Well tell about you. Well, this is a bit on the nose, but I gotta go with my main man, Scottie. He gets to sabotage the Excelsior and rig the Enterprise to fit his needs.

52:31 He has plenty to do in this one. Not a lot of immediate danger, I guess, and just some great lens too up up your chaftist. The one that kind of threw me for a loop. If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a wagon. And I was just like, what what what that? That's not something that rolls off the tongue for somebody. That's not something that's just like a colloquialism. I don't think. No, I don't know. Listeners tell me. If I'm wrong. But I ever heard that in the world. So there's one other thing I want to mention that has me confused. So you got this huge ship Enterprise, You've got what four people on board? Five people m and you signal that we have to go to red alert?

53:17 Who are you telling? Who are you telling? Everybody? On that ship is a weird That's true, that's true. What always confused me is that is such a ship state of the line, such a big ship, I mean the top of starfleet. You know, so many engineers put all this effort into building the cel s sewer and what Scotty disabled it just by pointing out some spark plugs. I hope that they all went back to the drawing board and fixed that after that, because that is one hell of a flaw for a starship. It's got to be in the meeting, on the on the list for that meeting, they've also got to be talking about Okay, now who put all these rocks here?

53:57 And why are we storing them all overhead compartments? Just in the chair, get rid of the pink chair. Somebody with a writing crop comes in and says, now we've got to change something here. Well, David Wayne, thank you so much for joining me for another trip around the sun with this one. It's always fine, absolutely. And as always, thanks to our listeners for joining us. Uh. Just a reminder that haling frequencies are always open for you to share your thoughts and questions on Facebook, Instagram, and your favor favorite social channels. You can email us at a film by Podcast at gmail dot com, find us online at a film by podcast dot com, and if you're looking for more exclusive content and swag, send some Latinum our way through Patreon. See you next time for another episode of Phasers. Set to sun. Right, I have a random question because I don't want to pop it up in the middle of the chat and then everybody's like, what the hell's HOFF been talking about? What does anybody else remember some kind of a craze, whether it's the Spot Lives shirts. No, I guess I'll get that out of the script. I remember there's some kind of craze of a bunch of T shirts that said Spock Lives, but I didn't know if it was like between the movies there were a bunch of people that were rallying for Spock, or if it was this movie people were all excited. But since nobody knows what the hell I'm talking about, I'm gonna get rid of it.

55:22 I mean, yeah, I don't remember that at all, so I. Thigur way it would be like, oh, yeah, I've got that. I know I was been waiting for it, but no, no, well I went I mean even went through all the merchandise. I don't remember seeing that, Scott. What you sinking to me about twenty minutes So that we can make sure we get our commercial break in. I will flash you after twenty minutes. Whoa whoa, whoa, whoa whoa Wait, whoa movie sign? We've got movies sign