Summary
- Captain James T. Kirk and his crew faced a real-life danger on the set of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock when a major fire broke out.
- William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy felt the pressure to continue filming despite the fire, with Shatner jumping in to help slow down the blaze.
- The tight filming schedule and the need to meet deadlines prevented the production from stopping, resulting in only minor damage to the Star Trek III sets.
Star Trek's Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew faced many fantastical dangers on their explorations aboard the Starship Enterprise, but the actors faced a real-life danger on the set of 1983's Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Set just after the events of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock follows Kirk and his crew as they search for a way to help their recently fallen friend, Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Leonard Nimoy himself directed the film, which would receive mostly positive reviews from critics and audiences.
On the afternoon of August 25, 1983, on the ninth day of filming The Search for Spock, a major fire broke out on the Paramount lot in Los Angeles, California. William Shatner himself jumped in to help slow the blaze, as he was on a tight filming schedule. Leonard Nimoy, too, felt the pressure to meet his deadline. In a 1984 interview with Harold Greene leading up to the film's release, Nimoy spoke about the fire:
"I had no choice. There was nothing I could do about the fire. I had a schedule to meet. We shot as best we could. The only problem we had to contend with on the stage where we were shooting was that the fire department and police department helicopters were circling overhead and we were having trouble getting our dialogue. But the fire was raging several hundred yards away and Bill Shatner went out and helped the fire department. They put out the fire and that was the end of that."
Why The Search For Spock Couldn't Stop Filming Despite The Fire
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock had an extremely tight filming schedule, mostly due to William Shatner's starring role on the police drama, T.J. Hooker. Shatner had to begin filming for T.J. Hooker almost immediately after the conclusion of The Search for Spock, so he could not afford any kind of delay. Among the behind-the-scenes features on the DVD release of The Search for Spock is a Captain's Log Featurette which includes interviews with many of the film's cast and crew. In one of these interviews, William Shatner recalls the day he jumped in to help stop the fire, saying:
"My desperation was not to save anything but the one day that we would lose on the set."
In that same featurette, cinematographer Charles Correll recalls his desire to film scenes for The Search for Spock on location in Hawai'i. Of the fire, he said:
"If I can be just a little cynical about this right now, I was thinking, my God, I'm going to get my wish, we're going to end up going to Kauai because this place is going to burn down and we won't be able to use it."
But the trip to Hawai'i was not to be, as The Search for Spock continued filming despite the nearby inferno. Thankfully, no lives were lost in the blaze, unlike in the film, which saw the death of Kirk's son, David Marcus (Merritt Butrick). The Star Trek III sets suffered only minor damage. However, several iconic sets were destroyed, including the "New York Street" set which had been used in films such as Going My Way and Bells of St. Mary’s. While the third Star Trek film may not be as highly praised as its predecessor, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock battled literal fires during its production and saw the legendary Spock make a triumphant return to the franchise.
