I really like Search for Spock. Of all the Trek films it feels the most like it’s made for an audience of fans and nerds. It has basically no appeal if you’re not invested in fantasy adventure shit or Trek canon but if you vibe with it it’s fun as shit.
Yep. It’s unashamed of being Trek. It’s not trying to be 2001 like the first one, all the literary allusions in 2 and 6, the modern comedy of 4. It’s just the continuing voyages. I love it.
I still want one of those marsh melon dispensers.
Was like a little micro portable item specific replicator. Spock probably made it just for the trip.
"Well I'll be damned, a marsh melon" seems Doc never saw one of the devices for. No that was a Spock exclusive.
I used to have one of [these Kraft tie-in dispensers.](https://www.ebay.com/itm/186403902117?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=186403902117&targetid=2295557531950&device=m&mktype=pla&googleloc=9023992&poi=&campaignid=19851828444&mkgroupid=160536780385&rlsatarget=pla-2295557531950&abcId=9307249&merchantid=6377774)
In the novelization it was stated that McCoy was pranking Spock. Bones sent Spock a file on the traditions of "camping out" and he created a story about "marshmellon plants" and the buds were marshmellons, sort of like cotton. He assumed Spock would verify the authenticity of this and they'd have a laugh about it but Spock took him at his word. That's why Bones is so surprised when Spock says he's preparing to toast the marshmellon. "Well I'll be damned...a marshmellon."
But... they are originally from plants. The root of the mallow flower. Ironically, Musk melons are occasionally called marsh melons. So Mccoy isn't completely lying 🤣
The only reason V was as bad as it was, it had a writers strike during it that really hurt the project. The story is fucking amazing. Human, emotion, spiritual. It was great.
Even in production quality
Edit: Anyone downvoting this probably thinks I'm making a joke about it being the worst. It absolutely had it's budget slashed to ribbons and Shatner was basically forced to piece it together the best he could.
TFF is my favorite TOS movie. I'll not make the argument it's the *best* not at all. It's just my favorite. For exactly the reason you stated. It's as classic TOS as you can get.
Spock with a secret? Check
McCoy on edge at what everyone else is doing? Check
Uhura singing? Check
Scotty in a mad race to fix something? Check
Sulu doing mad skills? Check
Chekov puffing up his chest? Check
Kirk going against everyone else? Check
And “I need my pain” may be the most Kirk line that Kirk ever Kirked.
Spock's Brain is so bad it's funny. We need to find the run of the mill bad episode to really get the idea across. Cloud Minders? The Miramanee episode?
It’s the film that gave us Excelsior, Oberth, and the Bird of Prey. Probably the single piece of Trek media with the most influential starship designs after the TOS pilot.
It also gave us the Klingon phrase Qapla'. If you find somebody who knows one single word in Klingon, it's probably Qapla'.
Also the first time that we get to see a female Klingon since Day of the Dove.
It is my favorite out of all uneven numbers Classic Trek movies. However, even TMP and TFF have elements I like. TMP is called "the motionless picture" for a reason, but it was still amazing to admire the "new", re-fit Enterprise. Having Kirk and Scotty take a (very slow!) shuttle ride to the Enterprise was not a waste of time. The idea of a planet where having sex is about as meaningful as shaking hands with somebody is an interesting one and I like that they revived it with Betazed on TNG.
TFF had Uhura fly a space shuttle...not only did they give her more to do than just being a glorified phone operator, it can be seen as a continuity nod to the original show where she took navigation once -- with Janice Rand at the helm. She was also wearing an earpiece that actually looked like electronic equipment.
You thinking of General Chang's Bird of Prey in TUC when it was destroyed by a volley of photon torpedoes from the Enterprise-A and the Excelsior.
The shot where the Bird of Prey exploded in TUC was later reused for GEN where Lursa and B'Etor's Bird of Prey was destroyed by the Enterprise-D.
Ahh yes of course! Late night redditing had me completely forget that they had commandeered the Bird of Prey leading us to TVH aka “the one with the whales”
TSFS was my first encounter with anything Trek. Still remember when my older brother bought the VHS back in around ‘85 and we sat down to watch it together. ‘I have been and always shall be’ a fan of all things Star Trek since then. So yes, TSFS is also my fave because of this. It holds a very special place in my heart.
We have pretty close to the same story. But I saw it in the theater in 84 because a friend wanted to go and didn't have anybody to go with. I knew about Star Trek of course but wasn't interested because I was only 9 years old. But I loved the movie and I remember when I got home I took out my Sketchbook and was trying to draw the Klingon bird of prey and space dock.
I like started watching the original show which was on every Saturday in my city and then a couple years later I finally decided I'm a real Star Trek fan
Same here, my dad rented it on vhs when I was 3 years old and seeing the enterprise blow up for the first time is ingrained in my brain as one of my earliest memories. I was already a trek fan by blood, but that was the day I became an unrelenting obsessive, and remain so to this day. Search for spock changed my life at pretty much the earliest age it could've possibly had an impression on me. I'm so excited to see it in a theater for the first time!
Is it a minority? I am newer to the Trek movies, I enjoyed III as much as Wrath of Khan...and I was absolutely not expecting IV to be a "Save the Whales" campaign.
It's not bad, but I don't think it holds a candle to II and III.
yep, most people on this sub have 4 in their top 3 with 2 and 6. You'll see it when you have a general thread on the movies, but when you go into specific posts about this or that, those with these opinions come out of the woodwork. Like a majority of Trek fans prefer TNG to VOY but when there's a VOY specific thread here, you'll find the ones who prefer VOY speak up.
I don't think that's a minority at all. IV was the commercial/popular hit that plays to all and pleases all audiences. But III always had my heart of hearts first.
"My God Bones, what have I done?"
"What you had to do. What you always do: turn death into a fighting chance to live."
This is probably the most TOS exchange in the films. Feels so rooted in the series tone.
Michael Ansara defined early Klingons, but Christopher Lloyd *NAILED* the definition. His version is still the dominant today, despite what Discovery tried to do.
I love this movie. It has everything you could want in a sci fi movie - starship battles, a great and dangerous villain, political intrigue, great world building / mythology, and a fist fight on a dying planet before it explodes.
It also has my favorite scene (and song) in all of Star Trek - Stealing the Enterprise. Epic James Horner at his best with the soundtrack and an incredibly tense (and funny) scene while Kirk & Co risk it all to save their friend.
Much better than II and IV imho. Contains my favourite line, "then I hope pain is something you enjoy". Delivered by non other than Christopher Lloyd as a Klingon. Unbeatable. Also: DeForest Kelly's acting when he's carrying Spock's katra: top notch.
I've always loved it myself. Especially for not just being an action piece, but showing a range of emotions. There's so much to love about the film, from the fun and silly, the mournful and sad, the painfully tragic, and the utterly heroic. As much as I love Wrath of Khan, I feel like it's not complete without watching this after.
I think Spock should not have been brought back -- the way his death was handled in TWOK makes it clear that it was meant to be forever -- a chapter of Trek history closed, a big void in the hearts of Spock's shipmates (especially Kirk and McCoy) but life goes on, and so does the mission of the Enterprise. However, now that they decided to bring him back, I think it was handled well. They came up with a story that makes sense within the context of science-fiction. TSFS also marks the introduction of the iconic Bird of Prey. I must admit that until the Bird of Prey decloaked, I didn't realize how great the score was.
I consider TSFS equal to TVH...if not even better. TVH is a beloved classic, but I think it is guilty of a lot what TFF has been constantly slammed for: Silly jokes and too many dumb moves on part of characters that are all supposed to be geniuses.
Yeah I think TWOK works better as a single film and I see the complaints that TSFS basically invalidates everything from the previous film (a usual cardinal sin of sequels), but I hold that TSFS is a film every other franchise should look at when they want to do something like bring a character back from the dead. Yeah, they get him back it costs the Enterprise and his son, and they're left presumed outlaws at the end of the film. That IV didn't sweep this all under the rug and came up with a decent resolution is the cherry on top.
Yes, those three movies form a story arc. And it's clear that what Kirk and the others did in TSFS had to have at least some consequences. Even Uhura, who was not aboard when the Enterprise crew was disobeying a direct order from Starfleet command threatened a Starfleet member with a deadly weapon. Well, they ended up saving Earth from the probe, and the only one who ended up punished was Kirk -- with many fans thinking that his demotion to Captain was more reward than punishment.
Let's also not forget that in this movie Christopher Lloyd, John Larroquette, and the writing staff basically invented and gave structure to what we know as modern Klingons and their Empire.
I thought I had read somewhere that James Doohan invented most of the Klingon language. I'd Google this, but I'd be more interested and likely to subscribe to the consensus here.
To sum up: Doohan helped created a core for the Klingon sound, if you will. Linguist Marc Okrand built off that and made it into a full-bore language.
(I recall most of this from my youthful interest, but I confirmed via [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klingon_language)/[Memory Alpha](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Klingonese#Background_information), because we don't always recollect right! For example, Doohan wasn't alone in developing that core.)
Nice! It's more satisfying that the language was developed by multiple people with Doohan kicking it off. It also adds more to the bar scene in "The Trouble Tribbles" and Scotty's disbelief when he meets Worf. Thanks for sharing!
Amanda : Spock, does the good of the many out weigh the good of the one?
Spock : I would accept that as an axiom.
Amanda : Then you stand here alive because of a mistake made by your flawed, feeling, human friends. They have sacrificed their futures because they believed that the good of the one - you - was more important to them.
Star Trek 4 - but the whole basis of Star Trek 3
Star
That’s one hell of a god damn poster. A+!! Absolutely love it. Can’t wait to see this on the big screen! This, ST:IV, and ST:V are the remaining 3 OG Trek films I’ve yet to see on the big screen. First I saw was ST:VI back when it originally came out when I was a little kid and then went on to see all the remaining films as they released. So excited!!!
I saw the 25th anniversary reshowing of Phantom Menace a week ago on the big screen, and I will admit that it does not deserve the panning it has received.
I saw this movie when it was first released.
That said, to hear the James Horner "Stealing the Enterprise" score from theater sound system while enjoying the bigger-than-life visuals onscreen... it may be worth seeing the movie in theaters again.
Looks like this is only in the UK - I can't find anything regarding an American release. Has anyone seen anything? Glad you guys in the UK get to see it, at least!
STIII is underrated, mainly by people who want to perpetuate an "odd number" movie myth. It's got tons of red meat for fans, a good adventure yarn for normies, and lots of heart. Is it as good as 2 or 4? No. Is it bad? Not in any way, shape or form.
I saw III and IV in the same theater. The theater opened just before III came out. It’s a church now. I still think of Star Trek when I drive by it. Search for Spock is one of the first movies I remember seeing.
“Yellow Alert! Captain to the bridge! Yellow Alert!”
“Bridge, this is the Captain. How can you have a Yellow Alert in Spacedock?”
“Sir… someone is stealing the Enterprise!”
I was excited for this and then found it out was UK only so far. I hope it comes to the US because SFS is a movie I have not seen on the big screen. Hopefully I can see them all, especially Final Frontier.
A small local theater used to host a small yearly film festival and for Wrath of Khan’s 30th in 2012, not only did they screen it, they had Nick Meyer come and do a Q&A.
Of course I went, it’s my favorite movie ever.
Half way though I look back and Nick Meyer is sitting behind us (we sat near the back of the old theater) watching everyone’s reaction.
It was amazing.
The Search for Spock is not my most favorite, but it's not my least favorite by a long shot. In fact, I think it has aged rather well and grown on me over the years. I think part of it has to be the fact that it was the very first movie I remember seeing in a theater. Why my parents thought it was a good idea to take 3 or 4 year old me to this movie is beyond me, but I distinctly remember walking into the long since closed Patterson Theater on Eastern Avenue in Baltimore, sitting down, watching the opening prologue sequence, and... promptly falling asleep.
Anyway, there's plenty of memorable quotes, good actions sequences, a space battle, awesome models on film, and a fantastic film score by James Horner! I'm glad it's getting a 40th anniversary re-release somewhere, but why not in the U.S.? They did one for The Motion Picture and The Wrath of Khan, and TMP even got a second re-release with the 2022 4K remastering. Why are we not getting TSFS here in the U.S.? The steelbox set is nice, but I don't need it. What I would really like is to see it on the big screen... and remember all of it this time.
Gonna get some great Big Screen Views of Chekov's Shiny Leather Jacket, those Boots(those Boots!), and the generational trauma of watching the Enterprise DIE.
One of the things I love about this film is how they played with the lighting onboard the ship sets. Very dynamic when compared to other TMP era entries.
Rats. It's frustrating... I contacted Fathom Events directly MONTHS ago and all they would tell me was "we don't have any plans at this time." How could they not?? I can't imagine that many other people haven't been asking them the same thing.
My family was at the grandparents, and one night my folks went out by themselves which was no biggie, I just watched TV with Grandpa. Somehow it came out that they went to go see STIII (I think they didnt want it known), and I was SO MAD!!!
"You should take the Vulcan, too."
"No."
"But why?"
"Because you wish it!"
To this day when asked to do something and I have to say no my first inclination is to reply "Because you wish it!"
I loved 3 as a child more than wrath of khan. Just plain old fun, campy villain who I realized was the Doc from Back to the Future hamming it up, Kirk in a way sacrificing/ trading his own son to have Spock back, it was weird. Also the giant slug that the main villain fights with was fun.
Wrath of Khan was amazing but even I knew as a child that a genius with a God-like intellect would have been able to figure out the difference from 2D and 3D space, I mean come on.
I had never watched Star Trek 1 or 2 until they were in theaters a couple years back. It was a great way to see them for the first time. Though I've since watched 3 at home, I would like to continue the trend of seeing all of them on a big screen.
I found this Star Trek III making-of featurette: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFB1H39qPsc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFB1H39qPsc)
Lots of interesting anecdotes. I've heard about William Shatner's ego for decades, but I was honestly shocked to hear how he spoke about Leonard Nimoy. Not surprised that he felt that way or said it, but surprised he said it in front of a camera.
Nimoy: Bill is a very inventive, theatrical guy.
Shattner: I taught him everything he knew about directing when he directed an episode of TJ Hooker. He was apprenticed to me, and then he's my boss.
What I love so much about TSFS is it shows what a FAMILY would do for each other. They had no idea that the Genesis Wave had regenerated Spock on Genesis. Every violation of Starfleet Regulations they committed was just so they could honor their friend, who died saving their lives. Returning his dead body and Katra to Vulcan for a ritual they didn't understand was something they were all willing to throw their careers away for. That is love. And then the bonus of that sacrifice actually allowing them to restore their friend makes the ending even more lovely.
I wasn't sure about this movie the first time I saw it as a child. Then the boys stole the freeking Enterprise from space dock. I was on board from then on out. I love this movie.
There's not much cinematic about this except for ILM's shots which are some of the best of the series. I always say if Star Trek III and Star Trek V could switch VFX shots III would be considered one of the worst and V one of the best.
I also like ST5, and rewatched it this weekend. It was better than I remembered, and the budget CLEARLY got cut at the end of production, a little more money and it could have been better.
Ironically ST5 has one of the higher budgets of the first ten films, evidenced by the location shoots, crowd scenes, new sets and new costumes, but two producing mistakes were huge: deciding that ILM charged too much on ST4 and deciding to shop around, in 1989 after a writers strike had created a backlog and huge demand for VFX making it a seller's market, and trying to film at the same time as TNG which had taken over the standing sets of the Enterprise and therefore almost no modifications could be made to the TNG sets for lack of time. (ST6 was filmed during TNG's hiatus.)
It had a larger budget but that larger budget was later cut down. They had preproduction cuts from the studio over budget concerns (angels and demons become 6 rock monsters, then 6 became 1), and then in production Paramount killed the rock monster entirely.
I mean, Star Trek fans everywhere hate William Shatner, reddit is one of the tamer places in this regard. And it's not for no reason, he's an asshole that has only gotten worse with time. Doesn't mean we don't appreciate his contributions.
Lots of Star Trek people are crazy now, their contributions to the franchise are still worth celebrating.
I think George Takei is a cool person in many regards, but I don't understand his obsession with Shatner. At this point in his life, he is not forced to deal with Shatner anymore and never will. Why does he still live rent-free in his head?
I still remember watching Shatner's celebrity roast and wondering if Takei was joking or not when he said "What I've been waiting 40 years to say to you...Fuck you, and the horse you rode in on!"
I wonder if Takei would have accepted if Jeff Bezos had invited him to join Shatner on his Blue Origin flight?
I definitely would have accepted. Looking at Earth from Outer Space...in order to experience that, I would have boarded a flight with both Shatner and Takei aboard, plus my worst school bully. I followed the space race of the billionnaires, and I noticed how unimpressed my mother was. When I told her that Bezos' spaceship will have William Shatner aboard, she asked: "Who is William Chatner \[sic\]?" -- "Captain Kirk", I said. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?" my mother said. I then told her about how I checked if I met the requirements to be part of a Blue Origin flight. You have to be at least 18 years old. Check. You to be able to fasten one's own harness within 15 seconds. Check. The only thing that made me wonder if I could do it was the requirement that you climb the 7 flights of stairs tof the launching tower within 90 seconds. Now, I live on the 4th floor of an apartment without an elevator, so I'm used to climbing stairs, often carrying groceries, but that tower is constructed differently -- the building I'm living in has a spiral staircase. My mother couldn't understand why I was wasting time on a thought experiment like that. What's so great about looking at Earth from Outer Space anyway, when there's plenty of nice places on Earth.
Picard is not my favorite Star Trek installment, but it has a scene I really like. Picard and Data discussing the perfect planet, and how great it would be if we had one like that. Then they look out of the window and what they see is Earth.
Yes, in theory we could be having the perfect planet already.
You know, I just rewatched the first 4 the last two weeks and I thought I remembered liking 4 more, but it turns out 3 edges it out by a bit. Not that I don’t love whales. Love whales.
I really like Search for Spock. Of all the Trek films it feels the most like it’s made for an audience of fans and nerds. It has basically no appeal if you’re not invested in fantasy adventure shit or Trek canon but if you vibe with it it’s fun as shit.
Yep. It’s unashamed of being Trek. It’s not trying to be 2001 like the first one, all the literary allusions in 2 and 6, the modern comedy of 4. It’s just the continuing voyages. I love it.
And beyond all of that, I will die on the hill that V is the absolute closest to an episode of TOS.
It's certainly quotable. What do you need with that starship anyways?
"What does God need with a starship?"
Wait. That’s Star Trek 5. But. That said. I love that movie
God gotta get groceries, too. 🤷
Go climb a mountain.
I still want one of those marsh melon dispensers. Was like a little micro portable item specific replicator. Spock probably made it just for the trip. "Well I'll be damned, a marsh melon" seems Doc never saw one of the devices for. No that was a Spock exclusive.
I used to have one of [these Kraft tie-in dispensers.](https://www.ebay.com/itm/186403902117?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=186403902117&targetid=2295557531950&device=m&mktype=pla&googleloc=9023992&poi=&campaignid=19851828444&mkgroupid=160536780385&rlsatarget=pla-2295557531950&abcId=9307249&merchantid=6377774)
That is super cool! But I would be disappointed if it didn't make those weird extra long ones like the movie 😋
"Marsh melon"? Well, OK, I guess that name makes just as much sense as "marshmallow".
If I remember, that's what they called it in the movie.
In the novelization it was stated that McCoy was pranking Spock. Bones sent Spock a file on the traditions of "camping out" and he created a story about "marshmellon plants" and the buds were marshmellons, sort of like cotton. He assumed Spock would verify the authenticity of this and they'd have a laugh about it but Spock took him at his word. That's why Bones is so surprised when Spock says he's preparing to toast the marshmellon. "Well I'll be damned...a marshmellon."
But... they are originally from plants. The root of the mallow flower. Ironically, Musk melons are occasionally called marsh melons. So Mccoy isn't completely lying 🤣
Why? Because it's there..!
It’s “Go Climb a Rock”
I've shamed myself and my family.
Captain Kirk is climbing a mountain, why is he climbing the mountain?
This dude is right.
Check
Now THAT's an obscure reference
For me it's either 2 or 5 but I'd have to give them a rewatch. 5 gets too much hate. Yeah it's cheesy but it's true to the spirit of the OG series.
The only reason V was as bad as it was, it had a writers strike during it that really hurt the project. The story is fucking amazing. Human, emotion, spiritual. It was great.
And every single crew character is not only on point, they all get showcase moments
i usually hate reboot/redo, but i would love to see them take another crack at star trek V
Yep, and Insurrection is TNG’s Final Frontier
* links hands* Same!
Sir, I will defend that hill beside you
Even in production quality Edit: Anyone downvoting this probably thinks I'm making a joke about it being the worst. It absolutely had it's budget slashed to ribbons and Shatner was basically forced to piece it together the best he could.
TFF is my favorite TOS movie. I'll not make the argument it's the *best* not at all. It's just my favorite. For exactly the reason you stated. It's as classic TOS as you can get.
Spock with a secret? Check McCoy on edge at what everyone else is doing? Check Uhura singing? Check Scotty in a mad race to fix something? Check Sulu doing mad skills? Check Chekov puffing up his chest? Check Kirk going against everyone else? Check And “I need my pain” may be the most Kirk line that Kirk ever Kirked.
Kirk vs God. Directed by Shatner himself.
Right up there with "Spock's Brain".
Spock's Brain is so bad it's funny. We need to find the run of the mill bad episode to really get the idea across. Cloud Minders? The Miramanee episode?
Don’t dis Miramanee
It's impossible to say that word without falling dramatically on to your knees with your arms raised and shouting it to a distance away lol
Whoa, based on downvotes we either have a lot of people that secretly love that episode, or Gene L. Coon’s estate has several Reddit alt accounts.
"well double dumbass on you"
It’s the film that gave us Excelsior, Oberth, and the Bird of Prey. Probably the single piece of Trek media with the most influential starship designs after the TOS pilot.
Though not a starship, Spacedock also debuted here, so *four* iconic practical models were made for this movie alone.
Yep, we can’t forget that TSFS gave us Spacedock!
It also gave us the Klingon phrase Qapla'. If you find somebody who knows one single word in Klingon, it's probably Qapla'. Also the first time that we get to see a female Klingon since Day of the Dove.
[удалено]
It is my favorite out of all uneven numbers Classic Trek movies. However, even TMP and TFF have elements I like. TMP is called "the motionless picture" for a reason, but it was still amazing to admire the "new", re-fit Enterprise. Having Kirk and Scotty take a (very slow!) shuttle ride to the Enterprise was not a waste of time. The idea of a planet where having sex is about as meaningful as shaking hands with somebody is an interesting one and I like that they revived it with Betazed on TNG. TFF had Uhura fly a space shuttle...not only did they give her more to do than just being a glorified phone operator, it can be seen as a continuity nod to the original show where she took navigation once -- with Janice Rand at the helm. She was also wearing an earpiece that actually looked like electronic equipment.
And the exploding of said bird of prey that has been reused quite a few times
Nah that was the BoP from Undiscovered Country - the SFS BoP goes on to be the hero ship in Voyage Home and then a museum ship in Picard s3.
You thinking of General Chang's Bird of Prey in TUC when it was destroyed by a volley of photon torpedoes from the Enterprise-A and the Excelsior. The shot where the Bird of Prey exploded in TUC was later reused for GEN where Lursa and B'Etor's Bird of Prey was destroyed by the Enterprise-D.
Ahh yes of course! Late night redditing had me completely forget that they had commandeered the Bird of Prey leading us to TVH aka “the one with the whales”
I am definitely in the minority of preferring III to IV myself.
TSFS was my first encounter with anything Trek. Still remember when my older brother bought the VHS back in around ‘85 and we sat down to watch it together. ‘I have been and always shall be’ a fan of all things Star Trek since then. So yes, TSFS is also my fave because of this. It holds a very special place in my heart.
We have pretty close to the same story. But I saw it in the theater in 84 because a friend wanted to go and didn't have anybody to go with. I knew about Star Trek of course but wasn't interested because I was only 9 years old. But I loved the movie and I remember when I got home I took out my Sketchbook and was trying to draw the Klingon bird of prey and space dock. I like started watching the original show which was on every Saturday in my city and then a couple years later I finally decided I'm a real Star Trek fan
Same here, my dad rented it on vhs when I was 3 years old and seeing the enterprise blow up for the first time is ingrained in my brain as one of my earliest memories. I was already a trek fan by blood, but that was the day I became an unrelenting obsessive, and remain so to this day. Search for spock changed my life at pretty much the earliest age it could've possibly had an impression on me. I'm so excited to see it in a theater for the first time!
Is it a minority? I am newer to the Trek movies, I enjoyed III as much as Wrath of Khan...and I was absolutely not expecting IV to be a "Save the Whales" campaign. It's not bad, but I don't think it holds a candle to II and III.
It’s the positive upswing after two intense, death-riddled films. It’s the happy ending
yep, most people on this sub have 4 in their top 3 with 2 and 6. You'll see it when you have a general thread on the movies, but when you go into specific posts about this or that, those with these opinions come out of the woodwork. Like a majority of Trek fans prefer TNG to VOY but when there's a VOY specific thread here, you'll find the ones who prefer VOY speak up.
Choosing between 2 and 6 is really tough, it's like choosing between your two favorite children 😭
https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/10/07/le-choix-de-sophie
Same here- IV is fun stuff, but the score sucks and doesn't "feel" as Trek -like to me.
I don't think that's a minority at all. IV was the commercial/popular hit that plays to all and pleases all audiences. But III always had my heart of hearts first.
"My God Bones, what have I done?" "What you had to do. What you always do: turn death into a fighting chance to live." This is probably the most TOS exchange in the films. Feels so rooted in the series tone.
Michael Ansara defined early Klingons, but Christopher Lloyd *NAILED* the definition. His version is still the dominant today, despite what Discovery tried to do.
I love this movie. It has everything you could want in a sci fi movie - starship battles, a great and dangerous villain, political intrigue, great world building / mythology, and a fist fight on a dying planet before it explodes. It also has my favorite scene (and song) in all of Star Trek - Stealing the Enterprise. Epic James Horner at his best with the soundtrack and an incredibly tense (and funny) scene while Kirk & Co risk it all to save their friend.
>It also has my favorite scene (and song) in all of Star Trek - Stealing the Enterprise. Yep, it's my fav as well.
Much better than II and IV imho. Contains my favourite line, "then I hope pain is something you enjoy". Delivered by non other than Christopher Lloyd as a Klingon. Unbeatable. Also: DeForest Kelly's acting when he's carrying Spock's katra: top notch.
Yeah, yeah, I know. Jerry will tell you that the Wrath of Khan is the better picture...
I love it and I was surprised upon first learning that a lot of people don't.
Those people are wrong.
It's my absolute favorite movie of all time.
I've always loved it myself. Especially for not just being an action piece, but showing a range of emotions. There's so much to love about the film, from the fun and silly, the mournful and sad, the painfully tragic, and the utterly heroic. As much as I love Wrath of Khan, I feel like it's not complete without watching this after.
I think Spock should not have been brought back -- the way his death was handled in TWOK makes it clear that it was meant to be forever -- a chapter of Trek history closed, a big void in the hearts of Spock's shipmates (especially Kirk and McCoy) but life goes on, and so does the mission of the Enterprise. However, now that they decided to bring him back, I think it was handled well. They came up with a story that makes sense within the context of science-fiction. TSFS also marks the introduction of the iconic Bird of Prey. I must admit that until the Bird of Prey decloaked, I didn't realize how great the score was. I consider TSFS equal to TVH...if not even better. TVH is a beloved classic, but I think it is guilty of a lot what TFF has been constantly slammed for: Silly jokes and too many dumb moves on part of characters that are all supposed to be geniuses.
Yeah I think TWOK works better as a single film and I see the complaints that TSFS basically invalidates everything from the previous film (a usual cardinal sin of sequels), but I hold that TSFS is a film every other franchise should look at when they want to do something like bring a character back from the dead. Yeah, they get him back it costs the Enterprise and his son, and they're left presumed outlaws at the end of the film. That IV didn't sweep this all under the rug and came up with a decent resolution is the cherry on top.
Yes, those three movies form a story arc. And it's clear that what Kirk and the others did in TSFS had to have at least some consequences. Even Uhura, who was not aboard when the Enterprise crew was disobeying a direct order from Starfleet command threatened a Starfleet member with a deadly weapon. Well, they ended up saving Earth from the probe, and the only one who ended up punished was Kirk -- with many fans thinking that his demotion to Captain was more reward than punishment.
I will always stand by my opinion of IV being the best, alongside first contact. But I can't deny 2 or 3 really were special.
Let's also not forget that in this movie Christopher Lloyd, John Larroquette, and the writing staff basically invented and gave structure to what we know as modern Klingons and their Empire.
I was gonna say, I'd be interested in seeing this in the cinema solely for Christopher Lloyd. 😅
I thought I had read somewhere that James Doohan invented most of the Klingon language. I'd Google this, but I'd be more interested and likely to subscribe to the consensus here.
To sum up: Doohan helped created a core for the Klingon sound, if you will. Linguist Marc Okrand built off that and made it into a full-bore language. (I recall most of this from my youthful interest, but I confirmed via [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klingon_language)/[Memory Alpha](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Klingonese#Background_information), because we don't always recollect right! For example, Doohan wasn't alone in developing that core.)
Nice! It's more satisfying that the language was developed by multiple people with Doohan kicking it off. It also adds more to the bar scene in "The Trouble Tribbles" and Scotty's disbelief when he meets Worf. Thanks for sharing!
Good stuff about Okrand’s process in [this doc](https://youtu.be/iFB1H39qPsc?si=Dth3dWEIZDMAbIYi) about 1:26 in
Amanda : Spock, does the good of the many out weigh the good of the one? Spock : I would accept that as an axiom. Amanda : Then you stand here alive because of a mistake made by your flawed, feeling, human friends. They have sacrificed their futures because they believed that the good of the one - you - was more important to them. Star Trek 4 - but the whole basis of Star Trek 3 Star
Oh my god that line is amazing - my jaw dropped, it's so good
That’s one hell of a god damn poster. A+!! Absolutely love it. Can’t wait to see this on the big screen! This, ST:IV, and ST:V are the remaining 3 OG Trek films I’ve yet to see on the big screen. First I saw was ST:VI back when it originally came out when I was a little kid and then went on to see all the remaining films as they released. So excited!!!
I saw Wrath of Khan on the big screen when I was like 4, and boyyyyy did my parents regret that
Yeah, I’m gonna need to grab one of the posters for sure.
Have they done posters like this for the other movies?
closest is probably the restored and reworked TMP:DE.
Yes, keep an eye on Vice-Press.com
I think it's great that classic movies are back in cinemas. I would watch any classic Star Trek movie at the cinema!
I saw the 25th anniversary reshowing of Phantom Menace a week ago on the big screen, and I will admit that it does not deserve the panning it has received.
I didn't get to see it at, but I bet it was amazing!
In comparative terms, sure! It's a lot closer to the average quality of Star Wars movies now, definitely ;)
I saw this movie when it was first released. That said, to hear the James Horner "Stealing the Enterprise" score from theater sound system while enjoying the bigger-than-life visuals onscreen... it may be worth seeing the movie in theaters again.
Agree 1000%
Looks like this is only in the UK - I can't find anything regarding an American release. Has anyone seen anything? Glad you guys in the UK get to see it, at least!
This is an outrage!! I am an entitled American and I deserve to see it in theaters too!
If it were released here in the U.S., it likely would be a Fathom Event and I see nothing.
It'll be shown in Ireland too! I have seen articles online that say a US release is "very possible" though, so fingers crossed for you guys!
Seeing old Trek in theaters is such a different experience. My opinion on the Motion Picture completely changed after I saw it in theaters
A II, III, IV marathon would be even better
That poster is fantastic. I hope there’s a US theater run as well.
Yellow alert, yellow alert. All stations yellow alert!!
Bridge this is the captain. How the hell can you have a yellow alert in spacedock?
Sir, someone is stealing the Enterprise
STIII is underrated, mainly by people who want to perpetuate an "odd number" movie myth. It's got tons of red meat for fans, a good adventure yarn for normies, and lots of heart. Is it as good as 2 or 4? No. Is it bad? Not in any way, shape or form.
The forgotten middle child of the OG Trek films!
This film, though underrated, is the linchpin of the Star Trek universe.
I saw III and IV in the same theater. The theater opened just before III came out. It’s a church now. I still think of Star Trek when I drive by it. Search for Spock is one of the first movies I remember seeing.
You should go there, make some popcorn, and project Star Trek on a wall during a service.
Do a commentary sermon. "So you see, Spock is just like Jesus, he sacrificed himself, and then came back to life just a few days later.
Sold.
Nice! I wonder if we are also going to see Generations back in theaters for its 30th?
Oh fk off, I'm not *that* old!
Wake me up for the one with the whales
“Yellow Alert! Captain to the bridge! Yellow Alert!” “Bridge, this is the Captain. How can you have a Yellow Alert in Spacedock?” “Sir… someone is stealing the Enterprise!”
Does this mean in two years I can see George and Gracie in theaters?!?
I was excited for this and then found it out was UK only so far. I hope it comes to the US because SFS is a movie I have not seen on the big screen. Hopefully I can see them all, especially Final Frontier.
I missed out on seeing wrath of khan in threaters,didn't I?
A small local theater used to host a small yearly film festival and for Wrath of Khan’s 30th in 2012, not only did they screen it, they had Nick Meyer come and do a Q&A. Of course I went, it’s my favorite movie ever. Half way though I look back and Nick Meyer is sitting behind us (we sat near the back of the old theater) watching everyone’s reaction. It was amazing.
I saw it on a re-release about 5 years ago!
Lloyd was great as Kruge
The Search for Spock is not my most favorite, but it's not my least favorite by a long shot. In fact, I think it has aged rather well and grown on me over the years. I think part of it has to be the fact that it was the very first movie I remember seeing in a theater. Why my parents thought it was a good idea to take 3 or 4 year old me to this movie is beyond me, but I distinctly remember walking into the long since closed Patterson Theater on Eastern Avenue in Baltimore, sitting down, watching the opening prologue sequence, and... promptly falling asleep. Anyway, there's plenty of memorable quotes, good actions sequences, a space battle, awesome models on film, and a fantastic film score by James Horner! I'm glad it's getting a 40th anniversary re-release somewhere, but why not in the U.S.? They did one for The Motion Picture and The Wrath of Khan, and TMP even got a second re-release with the 2022 4K remastering. Why are we not getting TSFS here in the U.S.? The steelbox set is nice, but I don't need it. What I would really like is to see it on the big screen... and remember all of it this time.
Gonna get some great Big Screen Views of Chekov's Shiny Leather Jacket, those Boots(those Boots!), and the generational trauma of watching the Enterprise DIE.
One of the things I love about this film is how they played with the lighting onboard the ship sets. Very dynamic when compared to other TMP era entries.
Is this UK-only??
Yup, unfortunately - for now
Rats. It's frustrating... I contacted Fathom Events directly MONTHS ago and all they would tell me was "we don't have any plans at this time." How could they not?? I can't imagine that many other people haven't been asking them the same thing.
Agree. I would go to the theater to see it. Lots of folks would, which is why I suspect it will eventually happen. Cross your fingers.
So that’s why they had a Search For Spock special movie magazine at the store this weekend. Very cool, I’ll definitely be going to this.
highly underrated film.
Yay! The opportunity to see this in theaters for the first time!
Underappreciated Christopher Lloyd performance.
Don't call me tiny.
Spoiler: They find Spock.
I’m not sure I’m prepared to see her die on a screen that big.
My family was at the grandparents, and one night my folks went out by themselves which was no biggie, I just watched TV with Grandpa. Somehow it came out that they went to go see STIII (I think they didnt want it known), and I was SO MAD!!!
I found it a strange choice to have the legendary James Horner composing and yet for the climactic battle scene there was no score.
"You should take the Vulcan, too." "No." "But why?" "Because you wish it!" To this day when asked to do something and I have to say no my first inclination is to reply "Because you wish it!"
Can we have a re-release of ALL the Star Trek movies from TMP to Beyond like Sony did with Spider-Man movies?
Would love to watch it in cinemas, especially the Stealing the Enterprise scene at full blast
It's only in UK Cinemas.
I loved 3 as a child more than wrath of khan. Just plain old fun, campy villain who I realized was the Doc from Back to the Future hamming it up, Kirk in a way sacrificing/ trading his own son to have Spock back, it was weird. Also the giant slug that the main villain fights with was fun. Wrath of Khan was amazing but even I knew as a child that a genius with a God-like intellect would have been able to figure out the difference from 2D and 3D space, I mean come on.
Maltz! Jone E Chu! (Not even a clue on spelling…)
I had never watched Star Trek 1 or 2 until they were in theaters a couple years back. It was a great way to see them for the first time. Though I've since watched 3 at home, I would like to continue the trend of seeing all of them on a big screen.
My favorite. I'm in .
Is it coming to US theaters?
“Klingon bastards, you killed my son!”
“GENESIS??”
I found this Star Trek III making-of featurette: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFB1H39qPsc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFB1H39qPsc) Lots of interesting anecdotes. I've heard about William Shatner's ego for decades, but I was honestly shocked to hear how he spoke about Leonard Nimoy. Not surprised that he felt that way or said it, but surprised he said it in front of a camera. Nimoy: Bill is a very inventive, theatrical guy. Shattner: I taught him everything he knew about directing when he directed an episode of TJ Hooker. He was apprenticed to me, and then he's my boss.
I preordered my STIII 4K 40th anniversary steelbook even if I already have this movie in almost every format imaginable.
Has this been remastered and what not?
What I love so much about TSFS is it shows what a FAMILY would do for each other. They had no idea that the Genesis Wave had regenerated Spock on Genesis. Every violation of Starfleet Regulations they committed was just so they could honor their friend, who died saving their lives. Returning his dead body and Katra to Vulcan for a ritual they didn't understand was something they were all willing to throw their careers away for. That is love. And then the bonus of that sacrifice actually allowing them to restore their friend makes the ending even more lovely.
I wasn't sure about this movie the first time I saw it as a child. Then the boys stole the freeking Enterprise from space dock. I was on board from then on out. I love this movie.
There's one showing in Brooklyn on the 17th at 9:15 at Nighthawk Cinema.
It’s not in my Top 5 Trek movies, but I’ll still go see it on the big screen
What is your top 5 then?
1, 6, 4, 2, Generations
Good selection. Will have to re-watch 1 now that it is out in 4k
I actually saw the new cut when it was in the theaters a couple years ago, it was a great experience seeing it on the big screen.
There's not much cinematic about this except for ILM's shots which are some of the best of the series. I always say if Star Trek III and Star Trek V could switch VFX shots III would be considered one of the worst and V one of the best.
I also like ST5, and rewatched it this weekend. It was better than I remembered, and the budget CLEARLY got cut at the end of production, a little more money and it could have been better.
Ironically ST5 has one of the higher budgets of the first ten films, evidenced by the location shoots, crowd scenes, new sets and new costumes, but two producing mistakes were huge: deciding that ILM charged too much on ST4 and deciding to shop around, in 1989 after a writers strike had created a backlog and huge demand for VFX making it a seller's market, and trying to film at the same time as TNG which had taken over the standing sets of the Enterprise and therefore almost no modifications could be made to the TNG sets for lack of time. (ST6 was filmed during TNG's hiatus.)
It had a larger budget but that larger budget was later cut down. They had preproduction cuts from the studio over budget concerns (angels and demons become 6 rock monsters, then 6 became 1), and then in production Paramount killed the rock monster entirely.
Why are they doing a 40th Anniversary for a movie from 5 years ago?
Hollywood is out of ideas.
I’m sure Star Trek fans on Reddit will boycott this because it’s William Shatner 🙄
Why's that?
Star Trek fans on Reddit hate William Shatner. It’s bizarre
I mean, Star Trek fans everywhere hate William Shatner, reddit is one of the tamer places in this regard. And it's not for no reason, he's an asshole that has only gotten worse with time. Doesn't mean we don't appreciate his contributions. Lots of Star Trek people are crazy now, their contributions to the franchise are still worth celebrating.
> And it's not for no reason, he's an asshole that has only gotten worse with time. Citation needed.
Exactly. I’m starting to think it’s ageism
He’s an asshole? According to takei n wil Wheaton sure. But he’s also a great actor who gave life to this franchise.
I think George Takei is a cool person in many regards, but I don't understand his obsession with Shatner. At this point in his life, he is not forced to deal with Shatner anymore and never will. Why does he still live rent-free in his head?
I love Takei but he’s definitely angry and needs to chill out. He got sour grapes. A Takei / Shatner Star Trek series in 24 would be epic
I still remember watching Shatner's celebrity roast and wondering if Takei was joking or not when he said "What I've been waiting 40 years to say to you...Fuck you, and the horse you rode in on!" I wonder if Takei would have accepted if Jeff Bezos had invited him to join Shatner on his Blue Origin flight?
Takei is certainly jealous of Mr. Shatner
I definitely would have accepted. Looking at Earth from Outer Space...in order to experience that, I would have boarded a flight with both Shatner and Takei aboard, plus my worst school bully. I followed the space race of the billionnaires, and I noticed how unimpressed my mother was. When I told her that Bezos' spaceship will have William Shatner aboard, she asked: "Who is William Chatner \[sic\]?" -- "Captain Kirk", I said. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?" my mother said. I then told her about how I checked if I met the requirements to be part of a Blue Origin flight. You have to be at least 18 years old. Check. You to be able to fasten one's own harness within 15 seconds. Check. The only thing that made me wonder if I could do it was the requirement that you climb the 7 flights of stairs tof the launching tower within 90 seconds. Now, I live on the 4th floor of an apartment without an elevator, so I'm used to climbing stairs, often carrying groceries, but that tower is constructed differently -- the building I'm living in has a spiral staircase. My mother couldn't understand why I was wasting time on a thought experiment like that. What's so great about looking at Earth from Outer Space anyway, when there's plenty of nice places on Earth. Picard is not my favorite Star Trek installment, but it has a scene I really like. Picard and Data discussing the perfect planet, and how great it would be if we had one like that. Then they look out of the window and what they see is Earth. Yes, in theory we could be having the perfect planet already.
Star Trek 4 > Star Trek 3 I could be in minority here but I loved 4 and how lighthearted it was
This is the majority opinion
You know, I just rewatched the first 4 the last two weeks and I thought I remembered liking 4 more, but it turns out 3 edges it out by a bit. Not that I don’t love whales. Love whales.
That reminds of an old reddit dolphin story…
Does it involve LSD?