# Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (Paramount Pictures, 1984) is the third feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series. It is a direct sequel to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and has a similar feel, although often with a lighter, more humorous touch.
    Directed by Leonard Nimoy. Written by Harve Bennett.

## Dialogue

    James T. Kirk: How much refit time before we can take her out again?
    Montgomery Scott: Eight weeks, sir, but ye don't have eight weeks, so I'll do i' for ye in two.
    Kirk: Mr. Scott, have you always multiplied your repair estimates by a factor of four?
    Scott: Certainly, sir. How else can I keep my reputation as a miracle worker?
    Kirk: Your reputation is secure, Scotty.
    Uhura: Would you look at that?
    James T. Kirk: My friends, the great experiment, the Excelsior, ready for trial runs.
    Hikaru Sulu: She's supposed to have transwarp drive.
    Montgomery Scott: Aye. And if my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a wagon.
    Kirk: Come, come, Mr. Scott. Young minds, fresh ideas. Be tolerant.
    Hikaru Sulu: The word, sir?
    James T. Kirk: The word is no. I am therefore going anyway.
    Sulu: You can count on our help, sir.
    Kirk: Thank you, Mr. Sulu. I'll need it.
    Pavel Chekov: Shall I alert Dr. McCoy?
    Kirk: Please. He has a long journey ahead of him.
    Alien: To your planet, welcome.
    Leonard McCoy: I think that's my line, stranger.
    Alien: Oh, forgive. I here am new but you are known, being McCoy from Enterprise.
    McCoy: You have me at a disadvantage, sir.
    Alien: I name not important. You seek I. Message received. Available ship stands by.
    McCoy: How much and how soon?
    Alien: How soon is now. How much is where.
    McCoy: Somewhere in the Mutara Sector.
    Alien: Ah, Mutara restricted! Take permits many! Money more.
    McCoy There aren't going to be any damn permits! How can you get a permit to do a damn illegal thing? Look: price you name. Money I got!
    Alien: Place you name, money I name, otherwise bargain no.
    McCoy: All right, damn it! It's Genesis! The name of the place we're going is Genesis!
    Alien: [loudly] Genesis?
    McCoy: Yes, Genesis! How can you be deaf, with ears like that?!
    Alien: Genesis allowed is not! Is planet forbidden!
    McCoy Look, my backwards friend: Genesis may be "planet forbidden", but I'm damn well going t—
    Federation security officer : [interrupting] Sir, I'm sorry, but your voice is carrying. I don't think you want to be discussing this subject in public.
    McCoy: I'll discuss what I like! And who in the hell are you?
    Security officer : Could I offer you a ride home, Dr. McCoy?
    McCoy: Where's the logic in offering me a ride home, you idiot? If I wanted a ride home, would I be trying to charter a space flight? [Alien growls.] How in the hell do you know who I am?
    Security officer: [shows ID] Federation Security, sir. [McCoy tries to nerve pinch him but fails] You're gonna get a nice long rest, doctor.
    James T. Kirk: [holding up a Vulcan salute to McCoy] How many fingers do I have up?
    Leonard McCoy: That's not very damn funny.
    Kirk: Well, your sense of humor's returned.
    McCoy: The hell it has. [Kirk produces a hypospray] What's that?
    Kirk: Lexorin.
    McCoy: Lexorin? What for?
    Kirk: You're suffering from a Vulcan mind-meld, Doctor.
    McCoy: That green-blooded son of a bitch! It's his revenge for all those arguments he lost.
    Captain Styles: Ah, Mr. Scott. Calling it a night?
    Montgomery Scott: Uh, yes, sir.
    Styles: Turning in myself. Looking forward to breaking some of the Enterprise's speed records tomorrow.
    Scott: Ah, yes, sir. Good night.
    Elevator voice: Level, please.
    Scott: Transporter room.
    Elevator voice: Thank you.
    Scott: Up your shaft.
    Captain Styles: Kirk, you do this, you'll never sit in the captain's chair again.
    James T. Kirk: Warp speed.
    James T. Kirk: [as Excelsior's warp drive fails] Scotty, as good as your word.
    Montgomery Scott: Aye, sir. The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain. Here, Doctor, souvenirs from one surgeon to another.[he hands McCoy some microchips]. I took them out of her main transwarp computer drive.
    Leonard McCoy: Nice of you to tell me in advance.
    Kirk: That's what you get for missing staff meetings, Doctor. Gentlemen, your work today has been outstanding. I intend to recommend you all for promotion in whatever fleet we end up serving. Best speed to Genesis.
    Saavik: It's time for total truth between us. This planet is not what you intended or hoped for, is it?
    David Marcus: Not exactly.
    Saavik: Why?
    David: I used protomatter in the Genesis matrix.
    Saavik: Protomatter, an unstable substance which every ethical scientist has denounced as dangerously unpredictable?
    David: But it was the only way to solve certain problems. Only my mother knew nothing about it.
    Saavik: So like your father, you changed the rules.
    David: If I hadn't, it might have been years or never.
    Saavik: How many have paid the price for your impatience? How many have died? How much damage have you done, and what is yet to come?
    Kruge: I've come a long way for the power of Genesis, and what do I find? A weakling human, a Vulcan boy, and a woman.
    Saavik: My lord, we are survivors of a doomed expedition. This planet will destroy itself in hours. The Genesis experiment is a failure.
    Kruge: A failure? The most powerful destructive force ever created. You will tell me the secret of the Genesis torpedo.
    Saavik: I have no knowledge.
    Kruge: Then I hope pain's something you enjoy. [his communicator alerts] I ordered no interruptions!
    Torg: But sir, a Federation starship is approaching!
    Kruge: Bring me up!
    James T. Kirk: David, what went wrong?
    David Marcus: I went wrong.
    Kirk: I don't understand.
    David: I'm sorry, sir. Just don't surrender. Genesis doesn't work. I can't believe they'd kill us for it.
    Kruge: Admiral, your young friend is mistaken, I meant what I said. And now to show that my intentions are sincere, I shall kill one of the prisoners.
    Kirk: Wait a minute! Give me a chance to talk.
    Kruge: [in Klingon] Kill one of them. I don't care which.
    Kruge: Take every last man. Form a boarding party armed heavily.
    Torg: They outnumber us.
    Kruge: We are Klingons! Once you control the ship, we'll transfer our flag there and take Genesis from their own memory banks.
    James T. Kirk: Mr. Sulu, what is the crew complement of a bird of prey?
    Hikaru Sulu: About a dozen officers and men.
    Kirk: With some of them on the planet. I swear to you, we're not finished yet. Bones, you and Sulu to the transporter room. The rest of you with me, we have a job to do. Commander, Klingon vessel: prepare to board this ship on my next signal.
    Kruge: No tricks, Kirk. You have one minute.
    Kirk: No tricks. I'm looking forward to meeting you.
    Kruge: [to his men in Klingon] To the transporter room. Success!
    James T. Kirk: Computer, this is Admiral James T. Kirk. Request security access. Computer, destruct sequence one, code 1, 1-A.
    Montgomery Scott: Computer, Commander Montgomery Scott, Chief Engineering Officer. Destruct sequence two: code 1, 1-A, 2-B.
    Pavel Chekov: Computer, this is Commander Pavel Chekov, Acting Science Officer. Destruct sequence three: code 1-B, 2-B, 3.
    Computer: Destruct sequence completed and engaged. Awaiting final code for one minute countdown.
    Kirk: Code zero, zero, zero, destruct zero.
    Computer: Destruct sequence is activated. [begins counting down from 60]
    Torg: My lord, the ship appears to be deserted.
    Kruge: How can that be? They're hiding!
    Torg: Yes, sir. But the bridge is run by computer. It is the only thing speaking.
    Kruge: Speaking? Let me hear.
    Computer: Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five.
    Kruge: Get out! Get out of there! Get out!
    [The Enterprise explodes, killing the boarding party]
    James T. Kirk: [watching the Enterprise burn in the atmosphere] My God, Bones. What have I done?
    Leonard McCoy: What you had to do. What you always do: turned death into a fighting chance to live.
    Kruge: Genesis. I want it!
    James T. Kirk: Beam the Vulcan up and we'll talk.
    Kruge: Give me what I want and I'll consider it.
    Kirk: You fool! Look around you! The planet's destroying itself!
    Kruge: Yes! Exhilarating, isn't it?
    Kirk: If we don't help each other, we'll die here.
    Kruge: Perfect. Then that's the way it shall be.
    James T. Kirk: You, help us or die.
    Maltz: I do not deserve to live.
    Kirk: Fine. I'll kill you later.
    T'Lar: Sarek, child of Skon, child of Solkar, the body of your son breathes still. What is your wish?
    Sarek: I ask for fal-tor-pan, the refusion.
    T'Lar: What you seek has not done since ages past, and then only in legend. Your request is not logical.
    Sarek: Forgive me, T’Lar. My logic is uncertain where my son is concerned.
    T'Lar: Who is the keeper of the Katra?
    Leonard McCoy: I am: McCoy, Leonard H., son of David.
    T'Lar: McCoy, son of David, Since thou art human, we cannot expect thee understand fully what Sarek has requested. Spock’s body lives. With your approval, we shall use all our powers to return to his body that which you possess. But McCoy, you must now be warned. The danger to thyself is as grave as the danger to Spock. You must make the choice.
    McCoy: I choose the danger. [mutters to Kirk] Hell of a time to ask.
    Sarek: Kirk, I thank you. What you have done is...
    James T. Kirk: What I have done, I had to do.
    Sarek: But at what cost? Your ship. Your son.
    James T. Kirk: If I hadn't tried, the cost would have been my soul.
    Spock: My father says that you have been my friend. You came back for me.
    James T. Kirk: You would have done the same for me.
    Spock: Why would you do this?
    Kirk: Because the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many.
    Spock: I have been and ever shall be your friend.
    Kirk: Yes. Yes, Spock.
    Spock: The ship, out of danger?
    Kirk: You saved the ship. You saved us all. Don't you remember?
    Spock: Jim. Your name is Jim.
    Kirk: Yes!

## Miscellany

* ...and the Adventure continues...
** [Closing text.]

## Main cast

Cast of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock :
| Actor | Role |
| William Shatner | Admiral James T. Kirk |
| Leonard Nimoy | Captain Spock |
| DeForest Kelley | Dr. Leonard McCoy |
| James Doohan | Commander Montgomery Scott |
| George Takei | Commander Hikaru Sulu |
| Walter Koenig | Commander Pavel Chekov |
| Nichelle Nichols | Commander Nyota Uhura |
| Grace Lee Whitney | Commander Janice Rand |
| Mark Lenard | Ambassador Sarek |
| Judith Anderson | High Priestess T'Lar |
| Merritt Butrick | Dr. David Marcus |
| Robin Curtis | Lieutenant Saavik |
| Christopher Lloyd | Klingon Commander Kruge |
| Robert Hooks | Fleet Admiral Morrow |
| James Sikking | Captain Styles |
| Carl Steven | Spock at 9 |
| Vadia Potenza | Spock at 13 |
| Stephen Manley | Spock at 17 |
| Joe W. Davis | Spock at 25 |

## External links

* Star Trek III: The Search for Spock quotes at the Internet Movie Database
* Star Trek III: The Search for Spock at StarTrek.com
Gene Roddenberry  (1921–1991) :
| Television series | Star Trek (1966–1969) · The Animated Series (1973–1974) · The Next Generation (1987–1994) · Deep Space Nine (1993–1999) · Voyager (1995–2001) · Enterprise (2001–2005) · Discovery (2017–2024) · Picard (2020–2023) · Lower Decks (2020–) · Prodigy (2021–2024) · Strange New Worlds (2022–) | Star Trek (1966–1969) · The Animated Series (1973–1974) · The Next Generation (1987–1994) · Deep Space Nine (1993–1999) · Voyager (1995–2001) · Enterprise (2001–2005) · Discovery (2017–2024) · Picard (2020–2023) · Lower Decks (2020–) · Prodigy (2021–2024) · Strange New Worlds (2022–) | Star Trek (1966–1969) · The Animated Series (1973–1974) · The Next Generation (1987–1994) · Deep Space Nine (1993–1999) · Voyager (1995–2001) · Enterprise (2001–2005) · Discovery (2017–2024) · Picard (2020–2023) · Lower Decks (2020–) · Prodigy (2021–2024) · Strange New Worlds (2022–) |
| Feature films | The Original Series | The Original Series | The Motion Picture (1979) · The Wrath of Khan (1982) · The Search for Spock (1984) · The Voyage Home (1986) · The Final Frontier (1989) · The Undiscovered Country (1991) |
| Feature films | The Next Generation | The Next Generation | Generations (1994) · First Contact (1996) · Insurrection (1998) · Nemesis (2002) |
| Feature films | Reboot series | Reboot series | Star Trek (2009) · Into Darkness (2013) · Beyond (2016) |
| Video games | Borg (1996) · Klingon Academy (2000) | Borg (1996) · Klingon Academy (2000) | Borg (1996) · Klingon Academy (2000) |
| Proverbs | Klingon · Vulcan | Klingon · Vulcan | Klingon · Vulcan |
| Other | Star Trek franchise · Last words in Star Trek media · Jean-Luc Picard· Phase II | Star Trek franchise · Last words in Star Trek media · Jean-Luc Picard· Phase II | Star Trek franchise · Last words in Star Trek media · Jean-Luc Picard· Phase II |