I never felt Bones hated Spock. He deeply respects him, but Spock’s lack of emotions frustrates McCoy.

The cameo was Kirk's Yeoman Janice Rand. Nurse Chapel was Roddenberry's wife Majel Barrett Roddenberry.

I agree with the Drinker’s take. I know this film wasn’t as good as Wrath of Kahn, but if you’re going to bring a character back, make it the endeavor of an entire movie, and have it cost the protagonist dearly.

Star Trek 3 made $87 million on a $16 million budget in 1984, which would mean a gross of about $200 million in today's dollars, and that's without a large foreign box office influence. So yes, it did quite well financially, but not as high as Wrath of Khan. It was also battling against film JUGGERNAUTS in 1984, which was a year of mega-hits: "The Terminator", "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", "Ghostbusters", "Gremlins", "The Karate Kid", along with quite a number of minor hits and cult classics.

Yes. It's happening. Finally. Now we just need Drinker and Mauler to watch Voyage Home and Undiscovered Country.

James Doohan was a Canadian. Was part of the D-Day invasion and lost a finger due to shrapnel. As an actor he often wore a glove to conceal it.

Spock and McCoy have one of the best frenemy relationships ever depicted. They deeply respect each other and often risk their lives for one another, but it often comes with frustration and bickering on both their parts. The trio of Kirk, Spock and Mccoy is the perfect harmony of lifelong friendship.

They could not cut off the Pon'Farr it was part of the lore. There was literally an episode of it in the TOS series. One of the most iconic episodes.

David is dead - one of the coldest lines ever delivered.

Shatner is hugely underrated. Sure, he doesn't disappear, he has a distinctive style but he can deliver great scenes and characters. He took his work seriously, and whilst he could be seen as selfish a lot of that could also be down to a tunnel vision on doing the best possible job. He thinks of himself as a professional. He thought focusing on the leads and doing his job was more important than being friends with the rest of the cast.

I’m just imagining Drinker trying to drunkenly steer Enterprise out of Spacedock… “The doors, Drinker!” “Nah, it’ll be fine!”

That final scene with Shatner and Nimoy is so good. You understand how much Kirk values Spock and you know that this friendship means everything to him.

I love the Drinker's observation about the Enterprise being 'home' for Kirk. It's arguably one of the biggest differences that defines Kirk vs Picard. When the Enterprise is destroyed, it has a gravity for Kirk. When Picard's Enterprise is destroyed in Star Trek Generations, his literal response is to shrug and say "I'm sure they'll build another one", like the Enterprise had no meaning to him at all, it was just any old ship to him. Complete contrasts.

One of the most under appreciated movies ever!

I like that the guy that Uhrua locks in the closet is listed in the credits as "Mr. Adventure" EDIT: When kirk and crew pull up on the hostages , my friend and I always used to joke that Kirk shot that guy on "Klingon Bastard Setting"

Christopher Lloyd is an epic Klingon. I don't know if he was trying to play it completely straight, but his Lloyd-ness shone through. He was like Bill Murray in Z2, everything he did made me laugh. I imagine whenever he was at a meeting with other Klingons they would burst out in chuckles as soon as he left the room.

When kiirk and limited crew is dead to rights defeated by the Klingons, that was kirk’s actual, bonafide kobayashi Maru. Also, when he hears about the death of his son and falls backward, that was an accident that everyone just went along with. They talked about that in an interview a long time ago when the movie was still fresh in the theaters.

The only Klingon that survives is played by JOHN LAROQUETTE. This was made while the original Night Court was on the air and he was winning the Emmy seemingly every year.

People deep into the Star Trek lore (not that there was a lot of it when this movie came out, just 79 television episodes and two movies) got a lot thrown into this one. Ponn Far was from the episode 'Amok Time', where Spock returns home to mate or die trying, and the scenes with the Vulcan priestess at the end here evoke that episode strongly. Spock being able to project his consciousness into another person was seen in 'Return To Tomorrow', where he briefly shares his mind inside Nurse Chapel's body. The Enterprise destruct sequence was first activated in the episode 'Let That Be Your Last Battlefield', exactly as it is seen in this movie with the same destruct codes. There are Tribbles in the bar Dr McCoy visits, making their first live-action return since the classic episode 'The Touble With Tribbles'. Former series regular Grace Lee Whitney as Janice Rand is seen in the lounge as the beaten Enterprise returns to spacedock. There are others, but you get the idea. One wonders if at least some of these kisses to the past were director Leonard Nimoy's idea, as he obviously remembered them from the TV show, but on a macro level them being sprinkled throughout the movie does give a greater sense of this being a massive universe that encompasses more than just the events of one movie.

I'm also a fan of this one. It always gives me chills at the end when Spock recognizes Kirk.

A little late, but the Futurama episode with the star trek cast, when Fry asks Walter Koenig to say "Nuclear Wessels," and Walter just says, "No."

The touching of fingers wasn't simply to keep within the ratings boundaries. The touching, possibly with a telepathic component, was established in The Original Series. Between Sarek & Amanda in _'Journey to Babel'_ and between Spock & the Romulan Commander in _'The Enterprise Incident.'_

Its weird hearing MauLers critique on a movie from 38 years ago where fans in their late 20's, 30's and up, have talked about to infinite . The destruction of the Enterprise, how and why, was never an issue, the ship is damaged from the last movie, a sitting duck. The Klingons thankfully didn't destroy a nacelle that would have been depressing, it was Kirk (the father) who ends it. What an iconic sacrificial scene. That whole scene is bulletproof as is most of the film.

I understand Maulers issue with Krug not being personal enough to Kirk as a villian.... right up unil he orders Davids death. Kirk not knowing his name is no longer an issue... I don't need to know the name of the murderer of my child (Shatners perfformance in that scene is as good as Spocks death scene) for it to suddenly become more personel. Kirk shows his hatred and anger for the rest of the film. He completley sacrifices his home to hurt Krug and weaken him. Also Mauler is lacking context with The Undiscovered Country really hammering home how personel Kirk's hatred of the Klingons became because of the death of his son which is fair.

The self destruct code for the Enterprise is the exact same sequence used in the third season episode, LET THIS BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD...except that in that episode the countdown was only 30 seconds.

I think some people misinterpret the Spock/McCoy dynamic like they actually hate each other when it seems to me to be the complete opposite. They have a somewhat begrudging respect for each other both as friends and colleagues. They may butt heads and snipe at each other but its more like playful jibes than actually hate filled insults. I even think the writers of TNG didnt get it when they tried to replicate the dynamic with Polaski/Data but she came off as almost racist treating Data like a toaster that can speak than like a sentient being. McCoy clearly has massive respect for Spock but his attitude and logical nature just upset McCoy on occasion when it came to the safety and welfare of crew members, especially Kirk.

David's death is shocking in a matter of fact sort of way. You rarely see death being depicted that way. Terminator The Sarah Connor Chronicles had a death in the 2nd season similar to this.

Regarding the Spock/Saavik 'sex' scene, one of the most overlooked things is how Saavik looks down in shame at the end of the movie when Spock looks at her (while examining the entire crew after having his katra back). A wonderfully subtle nod to what the viewer can easily assume to be some heavy sexual activity. If you need more proof, the original writeup of ST4 had Saavik pregnant, which is why she stayed on Vulcan during the movie, but they wrote that out. It is also worth noting their hand play can be very erotic for a Vulcan due to their telepathic proclivity. So, a lot was said in a clean and subtle way. Much better than the overdramatic teens in space you get from JJ.

I have no issues with the enemy just being a random Klingon. I doesn't always have to be personal, in fact I think that makes the Universe look small if every bad guy is someone Kirk knows. Also, when it comes to Klingons there are more or less only three options. Kor, Koloth and Kang could have been the bad guy but they have completely different personalities and are far too iconic to just kill them off in this movie. That and much more important the trio wouldn't have been in DS9 doing badass stuff.

I've only just realized that Kirk lost two loves back to back. David and the Enterprise. He was really at rock bottom.

Pon Far: This is established in the Original Series. I think it's mentioned in the commentary for ST4 that Savik does indeed mate with Spock on Genesis, and the resulting pregnancy is why she doesn't join them when they leave Vulcan.

21:19 She was Yeoman Rand in TOS. The actress, Grace Lee Whitney, and the bosses had disagreements and she was out of the show. She's the transporter operator in TMP, too.

Wrath of Khan is the best, but Search for Spock is my personal favorite of the 6 original Trek films.

Loved this - and like Drinker, this does hold a special place in my heart and I prefer it to The Voyage Home myself. Btw, the character the camera lingers on is actually Yeoman Janice Rand played by Grace Lee Whitney, not Nurse Chapel. Rand appeared in ST-TMP but not ST-TWOK.

Trans-warp engines are impulse engines that identify as warp drives.

I literally just watched this (and 2,4,5, and 6) with my son and he loves Star Trek now

James Horner, makes a slow tail chase epic. That's how you do it Ruin.

It's great that someone appreciates Star Trek III. Also, I think that I can hear Mauler drinking the blood of his enemies in the background

Highly underrated movie!

Just looked up the official self destruct sequence. According to Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise: The code "0-0-Destruct-1" would trigger a total warp core detonation, whereas The code "0-0-Destruct-0", as we see here, would cause lesser damage to the ship that rendered it a useless hulk. Different stages of "destruction", I guess. As I said in chat: Merely Dead, and Really Most Sincerely Dead.

The guy that survives is John Laroquette. Another comedic actor. Proof comedians make the best villains again.

Generations was ok. "Time is the fire in which we burn."

TSFS is my favorite Trek movie. The cinematography, the musical score, the characters.....it's magnificent.

This was a nice viewing, with great commentary, thanks Drinker & Mauler. i was never a big Trek fan, the series did not run in Sweden when I was a kid, the big thing in Sweden at that time was Space 1999. It wasn't till much later I started watching Star Trek. But it's nice looking back at the movies with you guys.

That one liner when he kills Kruge. I don’t know if it’s one of the best one liners or one of the worst because of shatner and his delivery😂

Nichelle Nichols' role was meant to be larger in the original script where she escapes the authorities to get to Sarek in the vulcan embassy. which would then have explained her appearance on Vulcan at the end.

Absolutely love these commentaries. They remind me of when I introduced my brother to the Star Trek films and watched him turn into a Trek fan in real time. Please do continue doing these ASAP!

This was fantastic.Both the Drink and the Long have great chemistry together with no one else interrupting.Very much looking forward to the next one!

"The Admiral's outfit looks badass. It's like a velvet couch someone made into a suit." 😆

Love how I can hear the ice in drinkers glass clinking and someone scratching their arse!😂

Personally, I think I'd rock that leather jacket Shatner wears when they break McCoy out of the Starfleet holding cell. 🤔😏🤣

As a kid. This was my favourite. We had the VHS! Loved the music and still do.

First Contact is amaaaazing

Mark Leonard played the Klingon Captain in the Motion Picture too!

"IF I hadn't tried, the cost would have been my soul" through the entire story he never hesitates, just as in part2 Spock doesn't hesitate to run into a warp reactor to save the ship!!! 2 and 3 are 2 sides to a coin and I think there perfect, also the automation system/ battle scene DOES make sense, everyone forgets the Enterprise is BARELY patched together they repaired the damage (stopped energy fires, hull breaches etc) but in no way was the ship more than 20% functional. Scotty needed 2 to 8 weeks in space dock to get the ships systems working with unlimited replacement parts... it was held together by duct tape when they fight the bird of prey

Deep Space 9 is great. Takes a bit of time to get rolling as a series. It is my favorite Star Trek TV show even over TNG.

I’d say these are happier than any recent Happy Hour! Please, continue.

It's interesting to see Mauler watch the original crew without having digested all of the original series. So, as a layman, he's missing context with his opinions. Whereas I'd bet his perspective on say the Vulcan swx scene would be different as I feel it is very on brand and fits with established lore. I think, for me, not having watched Buffy, this would be akin to if they made Buffy films with that cast and how I'd react based solely on what I knew. To Drinker's Point about continuity, I really appreciate how much series lore appears in these films. Yes...keep going!

This was great. More Star Trek movies, please!

MauLer has seen Abramsverse Trek but no DS9, and only a little TNG. The poor man.

I agree, this is evident in the award winning TV show Boston Legal with the fantastic James Spader and equally fantastic William Shatner.

I was probably one of the only people that saw this movie more than 40 times in the cinema. I was only 14. Not nearly as good as WOK, but definitely underappreciated for it was.

Klingons don't use hand held phasers, they use "disrupters", which kill you painfully.

"Jim. Your name... is Jim." That part always puts tears in my eyes lol

There was a TNG novel, I think Genesis Wave, that explained that the Genesis device worked just fine, and Protomatter was no issue at all - it was the fact that Khan detonated the device in a nebula rather than on an existing planetary body as intended, which overtaxed the Genesis wave and made the resulting planet unstable (too much energy used to pull the nebula gases together which left insufficient resources to finalize the planet). The proof was that the Regula I cave was still flourishing even in the TNG era. The concern was that a Genesis device could be made with, basically, off the shelf technology in the 24th century, and was far too dangerous (as the Borg could make one that instantly assimilated a populace). So Starfleet just kept Genesis under wraps as a "public failure." Also dovetails with Picard Season 3 where the Genesis II device is hidden at Daystrom Station. Also, the destruction of the Klingon moon Praxis in Undiscovered Country was attributed to the Klingons experimenting with a Genesis device of their own, which failed miserably and almost ruined their home planet (which explained why the Klingons initially turned away aid). This scared the Klingons off such research and motivated the Federation to attempt peace overtures to avoid further research on it.

22:09 @Drinker, they're staring at Chekov like he's an alien because the Cold War is going on between America and Russia, and this foreign dude with a Russian accent is asking people where he can find nuclear vessels, which is totally not suspicious or weird at all

A great outing with lots of keen comentary. Two nitpicks tho: 1. MauLer criticized the space battle by saying he wished there'd been a line earlier to establish the stakes for the Enterprise trying to go into combat in its crippled state. The script DOES have it. He (and Drinker) missed it. When they first get on the bridge of the stolen Enterprise.... Scotty: "The energizer's bypassed like a Christmas tree, so don't give me too many bumps." Kirk: "No promises." So when Scotty has to tell Kirk after the Klingon salvo that they're dead in the water, it DOESN'T come out of nowhere. The script set it up. 2. When MauLer asked if Pon Farr was established canon, Drinker tells him no. Which is odd for a ST fan to say, as the OS episode that established Pon Farr ("Amok Time") is one of the more famous ones. I suspect that is why the script felt the need to allude to it, even if it served no narrative purpose and the target demographic for the film precluded overt sexual behavior. TOS fans would've immediately asked how a Vulcan can go through decades of suddenly growth without having to mate every 7 biological years.

I love watching you guys watch movies! Please do more of these!

-"Jim...you´re name is Jim." Love this movie, great James Horner score.

My personal ranking of the Star Trek films: Wrath of Khan (II), Undiscovered Country (VI), Voyage Home (IV), Search for Spock (III), five and one do not exist for me. Let the flame war begin!

This was my Nana's favorite movie. 🎉

You guys were talking about manuevering the ship in the dock... Being an officer in the Navy now, this is equally true of sea going ships. Even a small hundred foot patrol boat takes time to move around. It makes me appreciate the "nautical" aspect of Star Trek even more.

1:24:10 One of my favourite jokes from an old Star Trek fan mag (from the early 90’s) has this scene (with Kirk and crew watching the Enterprise burning up in the atmosphere), and Kirk says “My god bones … what have I done?” .. and Bones replies “I don’t know Jim, but don’t tell the insurance people we blew it up!” .. And Scotty chimes in “Aye Capp’n .. tell ‘em the Klingons did it!” 🤣

James Horner’s scores for both Wrath Of Khan and Search For Spock were incredible.

Looking forward to you both watching "the one with the whales." Although the odd-numbered Star Trek movies weren't as well-regarded back in the day, after all the rubbish we've been exposed to with NU Trek, I think as a series of movies, they all stand up pretty well. Even the dreaded Star Trek V has some good moments and quotable dialogue. Honestly, we didn't know how good we had it. Great discussion, guys.

This is great ! I’m at work installing A/C Sleeves with Drinker & Mauler watching a classic movie! Cheers Mates

The captain of the Grissom being Kirks friend would have increased the “small world” effect which you really don’t want. Grissom being nobodies gives you a sense of the world being real.

When I was a child and had never heard the word “foreplay,” the scene with Saavik and Spock rubbing fingers left me clueless.

I really love hearing the Critical Drinker & MauLer talking about Star Trek 3 The Search For Spock.

So glad this continued. Next three, even five, soon?

Can't wait to see Maulers reaction to "What does God need with a starship?"

love the drinker sounds in the background. corks and thorps and ice and such. very authentic. ;)

Definitely do more of these, gents. My two favourite KZfaqrs talking about some of my favourite movies is just golden. 🖖

To prime MauLer for the TNG movies, I'd recommend the following 5 episodes: - Season 3.26 and Season 4.01 - The Best of Both Worlds, Parts 1 and 2: Covers Picard's ordeal with the Borg and why he's driven for revenge in First Contact. - Season 4.02 - Family: Picard visits his estranged brother and family after his Borg encounter, giving context to the start of Act 3 in Generations. - Season 6.26 and Season 7.01 - Descent, Parts 1 and 2: Data is given an emotion chip by his brother, Lore. Gives context to First Contact and Nemesis.

Wish you had Dave Cullen in on this one.

This was great and I'm looking forward to the next 3 films. A couple details to clear up in Star Trek lore that you guys brought up: Spock's pon farr: The first one happens during puberty but it continues to happen to vulcan males every 7 years. This was established in the original series episode Amok Time. If they don't do the duty they literally die, that was the tension in the scene and why it would have made more sense if Savak had done the deed with him. As far as the klingon boarding party not knowing about the countdown but the captain did, at this point in history there aren't universal translators in everyone's brain like in The Next Generation era, at this point there's a universal language similar to Star Wars "galactic basic", but (at least for klingons) only high ranking people bother learning it and the rest of the population speaks their native language (Klingonese).

Janice rand ( cameo ) she ends up on excelsior with sulu . First officer.

Really enjoyed this and looking forward to the next one. When we get to Star Trek V, it'll be interesting to hear Mauler's ideas for how the story could have been improved, with maybe the Drinker filling him in on the things Shatner had hoped to do but lacked the time and budget.

OG Enterprise going out in a blaze of glory taking the Klingon bastards with her. Incredible scene.

You were 100% on point on why Nimoy came back. He found a new love for the character during Khan, and he was given the director chair for this one. As a result of their contracts, this is why Shatner was handed the director's chair for Final Frontier. He just got really hosed on that one due to budget hell.

Personally I don’t know if there is a need to inflict # 5 on Mauler. It has absolutely no carry over to Undiscovered Country. And it approaches Abram’s trek levels of suckage, although there are entertaining interactions between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. But of course The Voyage Home is a must.

WATCH IV MAULER FOR FFS!!! I consider that my up vote

I’ve always had a soft spot for this Trek film too, Drinker, and definitely like it at least as much as you do. It really is a good film and a great chapter of the Trek story with movies 2,3,4, & 6!

Great commentary! I always liked ST-3. On making David's death more poignant, when the crew is gathered in Kirk's apartment early on, Kirk could have said he really wants to get to know David better, looking to bring him into his life, though David is working on Genesis planet so he's not sure when he'll see him next. Whether Shatner tripped on purpose or by accident, his acting when David is killed was moving, as was the look on Scotty's face. The moving scene when the Enterprise is burning up, combined with the music, it's almost out of Wagner's "Gotterdammerung." Real drama. While Roddenberry was only a consultant on this, he had been an airline pilot and for pilots, especially back then, a plane was very personal, not just an expendable machine. Note how pilots in WWII would give their planes names. So for an older generation as well as Star Trek fans, the loss of the Enterprise was personal.

Mauler not being a Star Trek fan makes his synopsis of Into Darkness even more impressive 👏 As a huge Trek fan since ‘89 I can tell you he didn’t miss a beat and probably watched it through entirely 3-4 times. Love your work fellas 🤙🏻

None of the TNG movies gave us something AS ridiculous as the D doing a trench run...

Drinker and Mauler. When Khan came out being a fan of TOS. Spock dies and we waited possibly 3-4 years. This is my all time favorite. Spock's return. FYI still today I use as one of my password Kirks final destruct code 000 destruct 0. Blowing up NCC 1701 after for me was iconic and traumatic 😂 I watched TOS on its first run and am die hard Trekker since I was 6.

Thank you lads.. That was fantastic. Cannnt wait for The Voyage Home

Pon Far is not new for this movie, it was featured in an original Star Trek episode, Amok Time, 2.01, which explained that Vulcans have a mating season every few years, and Spock needed to return to Vulcan to sort his issue out. This was also referenced in the Simpsons episode where the Mensa chapter takes over Springfield and Comic Book Guy attempts to impose sexual rules based on Vulcans, saying that people should only breed once every seven years. "For many of you, this will mean much less breeding. For me, much much more."

Sir someone is stealing the enterprise scene is masterful. The build up,the music,the enterprise reversing out the space dock… They don’t make em like this anymore.