Movies

The Star Trek film franchise really fumbled the ball with Saavik

BBG News

As a seasoned Star Trek enthusiast with a soft spot for intriguing character arcs and unrealized potential, I can’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment when I think about Saavik. She was a character brimming with possibilities, yet she never quite managed to live up to her initial promise.

One common point of contention regarding the Star Trek movies lies in their failure to introduce or develop new characters in a substantial manner. This isn’t exclusive to any particular version of the franchise. Interestingly, Carol Marcus stands out as the character with the longest tenure, primarily due to her appearances in two distinct films across different timelines.

She rarely appeared in movies, yet she traversed different time periods, an accomplishment that few characters have managed. In the upcoming Strange New Worlds, we expect to encounter Sybok; however, at present, he remains no more than a vague outline.

Nevertheless, things didn’t necessarily have to unfold as they did. The film “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” did an exceptional job establishing the character of Saavok, portrayed by Kirstie Alley at the time. Saavok had a unique backstory for a Vulcan character, displaying more emotions than typically seen among their kind. This has sparked speculation that she might have been a Romulan in disguise or a hybrid of Romulan and Vulcan origin.

That wasn’t the only interesting idea, as she was supposedly set to be the mother to Spock’s child. Though that idea too was dropped. Which is, in part, the issue. The character kept having major moments and elements eliminated from her character. Yes, they did move on from Alley, but Robin Curtis was always a better actress, so that shouldn’t have been the reason why the character flopped in later films.

In Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Curtis and Saavik’s characters seemed less unique compared to their initial appearances. This might give the impression that they were intentionally weakened out of spite due to Alley’s absence, but in reality, it was Leonard Nimoy’s influence that led to the character’s diminished charm across films.

It’s unfortunate that Saavik didn’t get to develop her role more extensively within the Star Trek series beyond the initial two films. Despite having the potential to become a significant figure, she was only utilized in those two movies. The franchise never revisited her character, and by the sixth film, Saavik had essentially been phased out and replaced by a new Vulcan character named Valeris, who hasn’t appeared again since then.

If we had introduced Saavik in the second movie as the mixed Romulan-Vulcan she was intended to be, her journey over five films could have been fascinating. She might have developed feelings for Spock, had a child with him, and then betrayed him at the end. This character arc would have been captivating, providing us with someone to revisit in both the Kelvin Timeline series and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Currently, Saavik appears to be a character with significant untapped potential that hasn’t been fully utilized in her portrayals.

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2024-10-09 03:23

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