Leonard Nimoy's wild answers to a question about Spock's fate protected a major Star Trek III: The Search for Spock spoiler from leaking ahead of the $87 million movie's release in 1984. Star Trek 3 picked up from Spock's death at the end of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The cliffhanger tease, and the third movie's title heavily signposted that Spock would eventually return, but how that would happen was a closely guarded secret. Star Trek fans now know that Spock was resurrected by the power of the Genesis planet, but at the time, fans would stop Nimoy in the street to offer their own theories.
In a 1984 interview with Harold Greene (via Star Trek's best Vulcan would be brought back from the dead.
Leonard Nimoy's Spoiler Theories For Spock's Return Were Amazing
Taking it as read that Spock would indeed be back for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Nimoy pondered the fascinating possibilities for his return with Harold Greene. Among the various options Nimoy offered up for Spock's magical resurrection were mutating into an animal, turning into pure energy, or even the possibility that Spock "could have become a tree." These are big ideas that would all tie in neatly to The Search for Spock's metaphysical and existential themes. A rebirth as an animal, ascension to a celestial form, or a return to nature are recurring concepts of the afterlife in both religion and science.
Nimoy's response to Harold Greene's question about Spock's fate is evidence of how connected the actor was to the character and the wider Star Trek universe. Rather than give the usual press tour answer of "You'll just have to watch the movie", Nimoy gave Greene three out-there potential ideas that were fairly in line with what happened in the finished movie. It shows how intertwined Leonard Nimoy and Spock were, and how much thought Nimoy put into the movie as a director and uncredited writer.
Why Spock's Death Didn't Last In Star Trek
Jack B. Sowards, one of the writers of an early version of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, believed that a reluctant-to-return Leonard Nimoy wouldn't be able to up the chance to kill off his beloved character. Sowards was right, and Spock's death in Star Trek II became one of the franchise's most iconic moments. It was never meant to last, however, as producer Harve Bennett was ordered by Paramount to start writing Star Trek III: The Search for Spock within days of Wrath of Khan's release.
It makes perfect sense as Leonard Nimoy's Spock was, and still is, Star Trek's most iconic character, having been there since the very beginning. That's not to say that William Shatner and the rest of the Star Trek: The Original Series cast wouldn't have been able to sell a movie without him, but it's arguable that it would have been lacking without Spock. The Search for Spock did solid business with an $83-million gross, enough to satisfy Trekkers and lead into the Star Trek movies' then-biggest success, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, also directed by Leonard Nimoy. And so, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock became a case of the franchise having its cake and eating it, killing off Spock so that it had meaning, but resurrecting him to ensure that they weren't without their most iconic character for too long.
