Star Trek III: The Search For Spock re-edit suggestions

[Emperor-Tiberius]

I was wondering... A lot of people knock out the film for being too slow, too boring, etc, but also praise it for its humanity, and the way the cast holds the film so well, etc...

What if the film was re-edited, from what it is, into something that was closer to being better? What would your suggestions be for a better (or slightly better, anyway) version of this film?

What do you think?

 

[BillJ]

Leave it alone. The film works as is.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

I totally agree. I am, however, willing to entertain the idea as such.

 

[sonak]

I mostly think the film mostly works as it is, except for a major story flaw: Kirk has no real need to go to Genesis when he does, since he doesn't know at that point that Spock's tube landed safely on the planet.


Apparently, in an earlier script, Grissom was supposed to find Spock's tube first, then report this to Starfleet and have Kirk hear about this.


I don't know, this is kind of the "unnecessary Trek" anyway. The plot's a giant reset button to tie up loose ends of TWOK and undo Spock's death. It turned out okay for what it was.

 

[FatherRob]

First, I really enjoyed the novelization, though I don't recall a ton of details from it.

Second, concering the film as is...

1) Move the Kruge/Valkress scene to be a cold open, leading into the opening credits. I've always found the retrospective soft open to be lacking.

2) Enterprise returns to dock after opening credits, has Morrow encounter.

3) Grissom at Genesis, radios back finding Spock's tube.

4) Sarek comes to visit Kirk

5) Kirk tries to talk Morrow into the trip.

6) Grissom is destroyed

7) Kirk commandeers the Enterprise

8) Encounter at Genesis through conclusion of film would remain largely the same.

Rob+

 

[Iamnotspock]

First, I really enjoyed the novelization, though I don't recall a ton of details from it.

Second, concering the film as is...

1) Move the Kruge/Valkress scene to be a cold open, leading into the opening credits. I've always found the retrospective soft open to be lacking.

2) Enterprise returns to dock after opening credits, has Morrow encounter.

3) Grissom at Genesis, radios back finding Spock's tube.

4) Sarek comes to visit Kirk

5) Kirk tries to talk Morrow into the trip.

6) Grissom is destroyed

7) Kirk commandeers the Enterprise

8) Encounter at Genesis through conclusion of film would remain largely the same.

Rob+

Wasn't it originally more like that? I seem to remember reading that certain scenes early in the movie were re-ordered in the edit?

 

[FatherRob]

Wasn't it originally more like that? I seem to remember reading that certain scenes early in the movie were re-ordered in the edit?

Off the top of my head, I don't recall. I may be channeling some of Vonda McIntyre's novelization as I piece that together, but either way, I think it would have been effective.

Rob+

 

[DrCorby]

Re-edit all of Saavik's scenes, with Robin Curtis ignoring Leonard Nimoy's direction. Then Saavik might be an interesting character again, instead of the block of wood we got. (I find the parts of the movie with Saavik almost unwatchable.)

Though, I do like FatherRob's re-ordering of scenes. That would make more sense.

 

[Gojira]

I once saw a picture of the Genesis Planet exploding in a sci-fi magazine but its not in the movie. I think that would be a good addition to the movie. Other than that I do enjoy it. It has a lot going for it.

 

[CmndrSela318]

If I could re-edit the movie, I would put a flashback in part of the scene between Kirk and Sarek in Kirk's apartment.
Here's the script for my re-edited version of part of that scene.
Kirk: Wait.
*Sarek turns to face Kirk*
Kirk: Spock would've found a way. If there was that much at stake, he would've found a way.
Sarek: Yes. But how?
(insert flashback of scene between Kirk and McCoy in Spock's quarters when Enterprise was preparing to dock)
(Back to Kirk and Sarek)
Kirk: What if he joined with someone else?

 

[Grant]

The movie WAS re-ordered in post production probably because they felt Butrick and Curtis couldn't carry the David/Saavik front loaded script. Alley might have carried those scenes but that's the way it goes. It created the plot hole of Kirk going back for Spock's body without knowing his body had 'soft-landed' They got lazy and didn't even add in some quick voice-over about Kirk hearing the tube being found.

 

[inflatabledalek]

It's great to hear the film at least originally covered that plot hole, it's always bugged me how Kirk randomly decides to go to Genesis for no real reason and in direct contrast with what Sarek told him he needed to do to separate McCoy.

 

[Maurice]

Re-edit all of Saavik's scenes, with Robin Curtis ignoring Leonard Nimoy's direction. Then Saavik might be an interesting character again, instead of the block of wood we got. (I find the parts of the movie with Saavik almost unwatchable.)

Though, I do like FatherRob's re-ordering of scenes. That would make more sense.

It's not a re-edit if you're including things that weren't shot.

 

[sonak]

The movie WAS re-ordered in post production probably because they felt Butrick and Curtis couldn't carry the David/Saavik front loaded script. Alley might have carried those scenes but that's the way it goes. It created the plot hole of Kirk going back for Spock's body without knowing his body had 'soft-landed' They got lazy and didn't even add in some quick voice-over about Kirk hearing the tube being found.

You're right, that is pretty lazy. They could have just recorded Shatner just reading some lines and inserted it into the movie. They should've done that when releasing the movie on VHS and DVD. That simple plot hole is just irritating.

 

[Grant]

Ironically the opening scene of the movie WAS Grissom finding that the tube had 'soft landed'------------

then the next scene was Kirk doing his voice-over and in it he says, "the news of Spock's tube has shaken me!"

But when they put that scene as first they altered the voice-over and ignored when or if Kirk ever found out.


KIRK (V.O.)

... Perhaps it is the erratic

behavior of Ship's surgeon

McCoy... Or the emptiness of this

vessel: most of our trainee crew

have been reassigned; Lieutenant

Saavik and my son David are

exploring a new world... and

Enterprise feels like a house with

all the children gone... No. More

empty even than that...



He has reached Spock's vacant chair. He touches it.



KIRK (V.O.)

(continuing)

The news of Spock's tube has

shaken me.

(beat)

It seems that I have left the

noblest part of myself back there,

on that newborn planet.

 

[Tom]

I still don't get why Kirk launched Spock into space in the first place, was this Kirks decision? I would think that If Spock bothered to give McCoy his Kaatra he may have had a Will that dictated his body be brought back to Vulcan. And even if there was no Will or last wishes did Kirk even think that Sarek and Amanda may want there son's body back? It just seems very odd.

 

[BillJ]

I still don't get why Kirk launched Spock into space in the first place, was this Kirks desision? I would think that If Spock bothered to give McCoy his Kaatra he may have had a Will that dictated his body be brought back to Vulcan. And even if there was no Will did Kirk even think that Sarek and Amanda may want there son's body back? It just seems very odd.

Perhaps Spock was unsure if his katra would even be transferable because he was half-human. Maybe it was his wish for a space burial?

 

[Tiberius]

I gotta point out that Kirk going to Genesis only makes no sense if Kirk didn't know that Spock's tube had soft landed. If Kirk had intentionally set it up so the tube soft landed, then his trip to Genesis makes perfect sense.

 

[FatherRob]

I gotta point out that Kirk going to Genesis only makes no sense if Kirk didn't know that Spock's tube had soft landed. If Kirk had intentionally set it up so the tube soft landed, then his trip to Genesis makes perfect sense.

True, but there is no exposition of that in the final film. In fact, the discovery that the tube soft-landed is a suprise is explicit when the metallic mass is discovered. I suppose Kirk could have hid it from everyone, but there would be no logical reason for Kirk to give the tube a soft-landing.

Disregarding the shock aboard Grissom at finding the tube, the prologue gives no indication that Kirk arranged the landing, and his interaction with Sarek is also absent such cluing. It's too much for a casual film audience to pick up on such nuances (which is why the teaser restrospective from Khan was added, I am sure). I just can't see the justification working.

Rob+

 

[Search4]

Re the body being buried in space... its 'logical' to think it was highly radioactive, and this was viewed as a safer, long term choice. Perhaps this is standard in Starfleet when a body is highly contaminated and potentially dangerous? Or when infected by the latest space-virus-of-the-week?