The third installment of the venerable franchise is often maligned with the garbage of an “odd-numbered” curse. As far as this fan is concerned there is no such thing, never has been. This film’s only problem is that it had the impossible task of following everyone’s favorite, rightly so, “Wrath of Khan.” Although not nearly as dynamic as that film, TSFS boasts excellent performances from the main cast and some memorable dialogue and spectacle. Although often times lost in the shuffle between WOK and the slightly over-rated sequel, The Voyage Home, it manages to tell a compelling story that honors the characters and takes them to some dark, yet satisfying places. It’s an unfair slight, as the film is not a sequel, but a direct continuation of Part II, (think what “Quantum of Solace” is to “Casino Royale”). The film picks up right where Part II left off with the Enterprise limping home and feeling the loss of their comrade, Spock. When Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) learns that Spock's essence or Katra is held in the mind of Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley), who has been acting very strange and that neither can find peace until Spock's remains are brought to the planet Vulcan, Kirk and company hijack the Enterprise against orders and return to Spock's resting place, the engineered Genesis Planet. Once there, hostile Klingons attempt to steal the planet's secrets to use as a weapon with Kirk making some unintended sacrifices. Written and produced by Harve Bennett, the screenplay does its best to keep the characters interesting despite the obvious absence of Spock. The writing is plot oriented, but very good, creating a moody, thoughtful atmosphere. We know going in how the story ends, yet two permanent things occur that raise the stakes as the film goes for some emotional truth. The destruction of the Enterprise’s death marks a turning point for the gang as they sacrifice just about everything for their comrade Spock. Once again, it underscores the series humanity and heart outweighs the hardware and what friendship, duty, honor really means to this crew. The death of Kirk’s son David (Merritt Buttrick) was quite a shock as we only got to know him as such in the closing moments of “WOK,” and his bond with Kirk was just beginning. His demise is abrupt and cruel as the Klingons continue to taunt Kirk. One of the finest moments for Shatner the actor is his reaction to David’s death. It’s one of those rare moments where the character is stripped of all of his bravado, machismo, opened like a fresh wound he’s reduced to a sobbing mess as he screams out in anger, “You Klingon bastards! You killed my son!” Kirk being Kirk, not even that will take him down as his pain emboldens him, he quickly gathers his wits and steadfastly proclaims to his crew, “I swear to you we are not finished yet.” Out of two tragedies comes a victory as the crew is corned by Klingons. Kirk’s rage prompts him to do something only Kirk would do- destroy his beloved Enterprise to continue the mission. One of the most dramatic displays of Kirk’s cunning and ingenious ability gain the upper hand in a once thought no-win scenario. Remember, Kirk does not believe in the no-win scenario. The most provocative of all offers for Leonerd Nimoy to return to the series was being offered to direct the film. He does an acceptable job, nothing groundbreaking, but he does create an impressive emotional design for the flick that’s broad, operatic and tense. A compromise between the first two films; TSFS is one big emotional bubble waiting to burst. Everyone is in pain; Kirk over the loss of his friend and later his son, McCoy carrying Spock’s soul that slowly is driving him insane and the Enterprise itself, she even has scars to prove it. Several compelling themes are mentioned; death, aging and resurrection being the most prominent.
Director Nimoy gets great performances from the entire main cast; De Kelly and Shatner take the lead with some fine moments by James Doohan as Scotty. Christopher Lloyd as Klingon Commander Kruge is a menacing, violent brute that thinks he’s tougher than he is. He’s no match for Kirk, but he makes for an entertaining baddie as Lloyd infuses the character with some of his trademark quirks. He provides many of the movies best jokes, despite the doom and gloom of the big story, the film has plenty of humor to keep things watchable. All of the Klingons are great fun to watch as their paranoia gets the better of them. John Laroquette has a small cameo as one of Kruge’s henchmen who Kirk takes prisoner and promises him, “I’ll kill ya later.” Deforest Kelly has all the best lines- upon learning of his status as keeper of Spock’s Soul, he’s outraged, “That green-blooded son-of-a-bitch! It’s his revenge against me for all those arguments he lost.” Robin Curtis replaces Kirsty Alley as Lt. Saavik, a thankless role, but she does her best. The film boasts one of the best moments of spectacle ever captured in a Trek film and it’s the death of major character. The Destruction of the Enterprise was a huge deal at the time. The filmmakers went to great lengths to conceal this plot twist. Since everyone knew going in that Spock was going to be resurrected, Bennett felt there had to some surprises for the audience. Two weeks before the film’s release, a television spot promoted the film with shots of the ship being destroyed without Bennett’s knowledge. Still, it packs quite a wallop to see an icon destroyed. James Horner returns from Part II to score, although not nearly as memorable as the previous entry, he manages to create poignant, soaring themes that elicit pain and is full of big emotions. A film that I was initially cold towards, the years have been kind to it as its themes of honor, duty and sacrifice ring true louder than ever before. Although nothing of great cinematic importance was created with this film, it’s an exceptional entry into a forever undeniable franchise.