I wish they had kept Spock dead - Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) Discussion

[–] AP (5288) 7 years ago

Yeah, his death was a great send off. Unfortunately, Spock ended up dying between movies, unceremoniously.

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[–] TMC-4 (20160) 6 years ago

I was wondering if it was a mistake to bring Spock back, or at the very least bring him back so soon. I don't know what it was like back in 1982 when The Wrath of Khan was first released, but knowing that Spock would inevitably return in the following movie really cheapens the emotion behind the ending. I mean, why kill Spock off in the first place, if you're just going to spend the entirety of the next movie resurrecting him in the most contrived, convoluted manner imaginable?

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[–] AP (5288) 6 years ago

Yeah, they were planning to bring him back in the next movie (hence, the scene between him and Bones), so it's a bit weird that they had that ending.

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[–] TexasJack (12516) 7 years ago

I agree. Bringing him back was pretty lame.

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[–] Otter (24464) 7 years ago

Certainly the method of bringing him back was lame, but the fact is he's the real star of the show and there's no franchise without him.

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[–] AngularTurnip (3337) 7 years ago

Spoiler ahead

Imagine how much less of a punch "Lower Decks" would have packed if Sito Jaxa had been brought back in future installments a la Tasha Yar in "Yesterday's Enterprise"? They were wise to resist fan pressure in Sito's case and let her story end on a note of tragedy (though redemption too since with her final act of courage she at last stepped out from under the shadow of her sordid past). By comparison, watching Spock's death in "Khan" today, knowing he'll be brought back in the next installment, fills me less with sadness and more with disgust that the makers of "Khan" reduced such a powerful scene to a cheap gimmick.

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[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

Blame the makers of "Search for Spock."

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[–] TexasJack (12516) 6 years ago

They still could have searched.

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[–] MickyMac (3188) 7 years ago

He died because they thought TWOK was gonna the last of the Star Trek films.

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[–] mikethemartian (6749) 6 years ago

Nicholas Meyer was against bringing Spock back but he was overruled by the studio and additional scenes were added to the film that he did not direct.

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[–] AnubisRaydeen (7897) 6 years ago

I agree. Spock was the best thing in ST, IMO. It was after that that we started getting Nimoy-Spock. Still usually good ... but it got pretty bad near the end. They could have kept that as a singular moment of dramatic impact.

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[–] strntz (12341) 6 years ago

Even though I know Spock is being resurrected (literally) in III, I still don't often watch TWOK. I hate when beloved characters are smote one way or the other. Hell, it was tough enough watching Enterprise go down in flames. It's a great and powerful scene (diluted by the happenings in III), but I would enjoy the movie more if Spock lived.

It was my understanding that it was Nimoy who wanted the death scene and would only agree to do TWOK if he got to croak himself. If I'm wrong, I would appreciate a citation that says otherwise.

Therefore, if anyone insists on blaming someone, it should be Nimoy for demanding the death scene then agreeing to reprise Spock.

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[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

It was just the way things played out. Ultimately it would have been better if Spock somehow died at the end of Star Trek VI. He didn't need to guest star on TNG.

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[–] liscarkat (18460) 6 years ago

After this, Spock changed from an intellectually brilliant, physically vital character into an oracle of platitudes, a sort of Master Po, or Yoda with better syntax. I found him tiresome and predictable, and could have let him go after "The Wrath of Khan".