Star Trek III ( Gene Roddenberry ) Star Trek III was an undeveloped story that Gene Roddenberry proposed for a " Star Trek " film . It involved the , time - traveling Klingon s , and the assassination of John F . Kennedy . This story was named " " Star Trek III " " by Gene Roddenberry himself . This was because he regarded as the first iteration of " Star Trek " , " " as the second iteration of " Star Trek " , and this story was to have been the third version . However , some fans familiar with its premise call it the " Captain Kirk meets Kennedy " script . ( " " , " Log 21 " , fn . ) In " SFX " Special Edition supplement " The A - Z of " Star Trek " " ( p . 106 ) , this narrative was likewise simply referred to as " " Kirk Meets JFK " " . Immediately after the release of " Star Trek : The Motion Picture " , a second " Star Trek " film was ordered by Paramount Pictures . ( " " , " Log 21 " ) In , Roddenberry proposed that this story idea be used for that purpose . ( " Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before " , p . 71 ) He submitted it to Paramount in the form of a sixty - page outline . " " This wasn ' t as hokey as it may sound , " " Susan Sackett commented , about the narrative . " " There were sensitive moments , even tender scenes with well - developed characters and well thought out science - fiction concepts . Having given the story his all , Gene optimistically awaited a ' go ' from Paramount to begin writing the screenplay [ . . . ] He [ . . . ] steadfastly believed Paramount would give it a thumbs up . This time he would produce a " Star Trek " movie his way , not like the last one , a film written by a committee and out of control . He would do it on time and on budget . His hopes were high . " " ( " " , " Log 21 " & " Log 22 " ) Following a careful review of the suggested narrative , however , the plot was rejected by Paramount , severely disappointing Gene Roddenberry . " " His hopes were dashed that summer [ of 1980 ] [ . . . ] The studio executives gave Gene and his script a dishonorable discharge , " " continued Susan Sackett . " " What bothered Gene the most was that they didn ' t give any tangible reasons for the rejection . ' I think they didn ' t like time travel , ' said Gene , ' which is odd , considering that years later their was a time travel story . " " ( " " , " Log 22 " ) Paramount ' s refusal of the narrative was around the same time as they hired Harve Bennett to be instrumental in developing a second " Star Trek " film , which became " " . ( " Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before " , pp . 71 - 72 ) Even while that film was in development , though , Roddenberry suggested doing his own Kennedy story as the second " Star Trek " film instead of any plot concepts Bennett thought up . Roddenberry made the same suggestion while the story of " " was being devised , though the alternative plot was somewhat revised by then , with the film ' s climax now featuring Spock as the shooter on the grassy knoll . " " Throughout my tenure on " Star Trek " , " " recalled Bennett , " " that story came up four times as a substitute for whatever we were planning . " Star Trek II " , " III " , " IV " , " V " , it didn ' t matter . " " ( " Star Trek Movie Memories " , hardback ed . , pp . 108 , 161 - 162 ) According to rumors in the early 1980s , Spock would have had to kill President Kennedy , to set history back on course , by firing a phaser at him in Roddenberry ' s sequel to " Star Trek : The Motion Picture " . ( " Lost Voyages of Trek and The Next Generation " , p . 17 ) In their reference book " Lost Voyages of Trek and The Next Generation " ( pp . 16 & 17 ) , Mark A . Altman and Edward Gross wrote about Roddenberry ' s plot involving Kennedy and Klingons as if it hadn ' t actually existed . They also speculated , however , that rumors of its existence , which had circulated in the early 1980s , may have been based on the second treatment of " Star Trek : The Motion Picture " , in which Montgomery Scott messed up the timeline and Kennedy helped Kirk put it back as it had been . Trivia . It is notable that the popular BBC sci - fi sitcom " Red Dwarf " explored a plot with similar themes , in the episode Tikka to Ride .