The character of Saavik was first introduced in Nicholas Meyer’s “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” as a protégé of the soon-to-retire Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Saavik, being a young cadet, was still baffled and annoyed by working with humans, an issue she was able to discuss with Spock on a few occasions. In “Khan,” Saavik was played by Kirstie Alley, but was replaced by Robin Curtis for “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” and “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.” Both actors were perfectly capable in the role and provided the appropriate level of cold, Vulcan logic.
Saavik, despite being a Vulcan, had to face multiple dramatic events throughout the three movies. Most notably, in “Star Trek III,” Saavik had to be present when a twisted Klingon warrior assassinated David Marcus (Merritt Butrick), the son of Admiral Kirk (William Shatner). She was the one who had to, via a communicator, inform Kirk that his son was dead right in the middle of a hostage situation.
Back in May 2024, Curtis spoke with StarTrek.com about playing Saavik and the challenges it presented. Not only did she have to take over the role from another actor, but all of a sudden, she had to face some of the most intense, deathly moments ever seen in a “Star Trek” movie. She famously received some helpful advice from Leonard Nimoy — he told her that Vulcans all have millennia worth of experience behind their eyes — but was still unsure as to how a Vulcan would react to having a phaser held to her head, or how she would face the death of a colleague.
The death of David
For those unfamiliar with the story of “The Search for Spock,” it deals directly with the consequences of the Genesis Device — a widget introduced in “The Wrath of Khan.” Dr. Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch) invented a special type of radiation that, when fired at the surface of a planet, could terraform it almost instantly. At the end of “Khan,” the device was detonated, and a planet was created out of the dust in a nebula.
In “Star Trek III,” Saavik and David Marcus investigate this new planet and find that it is unstable. Its weather patterns do not hold and evolution seems to be moving far too quickly; new life forms manifest within a matter of minutes. Spock’s corpse was left on the planet and Saavik witnesses it coming back to life as a baby, and then growing from an infant to an adult within a matter of hours.
Knowing the potential weapon power of the Genesis Device, an evil Klingon named Kruge (Christopher Lloyd) invades the Genesis world and holds Saavik and David hostage, hoping to get information. He’s not above killing either one of them to get what he wants, either, and ends up shooting and killing David. Kirk is in orbit aboard the Enterprise at the time, so all the terrible news had to be relayed to him by Saavik.
Curtis admitted that the moment she told Kirk about the death of his son was a fraught acting moment. Could she stay emotionless during such an emotional scene? “That [moment] filled me with anxiety and dread,” she admitted. “How could I possibly say that with the Vulcan demeanor?”
Curtis did an exemplary job, however, and kept her Vulcan demeanor. Indeed, she was pretty excellent in the movie overall.
