reviewed by Charity Bishop
     

Following on the heels of a highly successful earlier production that ended on a somber note, the third Star Trek is the directing debut of Leonard Nimoy and one of the better installments in the film franchise.

The crew of the Enterprise is triumphant in their defeat of a vicious foe but disheartened at the loss of their first officer, Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Having sacrificed his life to protect all of them and prevent the ship from certain destruction, the Vulcan's body has been shot out into space and landed on the planet Genesis. His oldest and dearest friend, Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) has returned to Star Fleet and learned that the Enterprise is to be retired from service. It is more than twenty years old and considered a "dinosaur" of technology. Their chief engineer Scotty (James Doohan) is to be reassigned to a much faster ship, Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) is given another position working the transporter beam on base, and Sulu (George Takei) and Chekov (Walter Koenig) are on standby. It is assumed that Kirk will resume his retirement. But after a surreal encounter in Spock's quarters with Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) in which Kirk "senses" Spock's presence, he becomes ill at ease with what happened on Genesis. His suspicion that his friend is not entirely dead increases with a visit from Spock's father, Ambassador Sarek (Mark Lenard), who believes his son's consciousness has been temporarily "passed on" to another. Spock would have known his death was impending and taken steps to avoid it.

Kirk must find his friend's remains and deliver him and his consciousness -- currently encased in McCoy's head -- to Vulcan so he can be restored. But Star Fleet is not interested in trusting him with such a "unnecessary" commission, since the aftermath of the Genesis Project has created a stir within the Federation. Until terms are reached and all parties are satisfied, the planet is off limits to all except a scientific exhibition team, headed up by Kirks' son and Lt. Savaak (Robin Curtis). They are surprised to beam down on the surface and find an empty pod. Spock, or whatever he has become, is missing. Further complications arise in the form of Kruge (Christopher Lloyd), an ambitious Klingon officer whose primary interest is in obtaining and putting to use the highly volatile Genesis formula.

This film struggles less than its predecessors and is quite an achievement for Nimoy, who balances the script's subtle humor and more dramatic overtones well. It benefits from better special effects than the original series and here the characters seem a bit more "like themselves" (a problem its prequel suffered from). It was a joy to see more of Scotty and the other secondary characters and surprisingly, Spock's absence from much of the production did not hamper the plot. Our interest is peaked and as the story unfolds we become concerned as to his fate -- while at the same time knowing that somehow Kirk's attempts to save him must prove successful. That is not to say however that the script suffers from a lack of surprise -- there are two plot twists that prove devastating; one character does die and something forever alters the balance between a captain and his ship. I was surprised how emotional the movie made me in its final moments: a tremendous loss and then a reconciliation brought out a rare feeling of compassion and happiness in me. In that respect, the movie shines since it capitalizes on the relationship that has been the foundation from the start -- Kirk and Spock.

Some might complain about its measured pace but I did not find it slow at all; the audience has an opportunity to experience time passing with multiple characters in various situations and it moves back and forth between them with surprising ease. It is also our opportunity to see Spock in a different light. The cast is very solid. Christopher Lloyd claims Kruge is his favorite character out of a long history of film roles and is terrific in a somewhat hammy but threatening role. Nimoy has found the depths of seriousness in Spock and proves as effective behind the camera as in front of it. Robin Curtis is also wonderful as Lt. Saavik. From what I understand, her replacement of the earlier actress was controversial and much protested within the fandom, but I find her Saavik far more charismatic and interesting than the previous one. She has some great scenes that showcase the tender side of Vulcan culture as well as its logical aspects. There is not much to deter most audiences in terms of content -- there is quite a bit of profanity and a handful of mild abuses of deity. Violence consists of explosions and fistfights; it's implied that someone is stabbed to death off screen. There is a reference to the Vulcan mating ritual of "Pon Farr" ; Saavik takes a young Vulcan male's fingers and touches them to her own hand (it's symbolic in their culture of a passionate kiss). This calms him down.

Humor is present in patches of dialog (one especially funny remark is made by McCoy when discovering he has Spock's consciousness in his head -- he calls him a pointy-eared, green-blooded *blank* and accuses him of having done this "on purpose, as revenge for all our arguments that he lost!") but for the most part it is straightforward and rather clever science fiction. Those interested in symbolic meaning will find a subtle message about the importance of caring for life rather than destroying it. Plus, the self-destruction of the Genesis Project affirms that humans cannot "create" only "replicate," and our attempts to match the greatness of the universe can only ever be pale, flawed imitations. It's an interesting undercurrent that never becomes preachy but does leave the audience something to think about. Once we get done discreetly wiping our eyes, of course.