10 Iconic Movie Characters Weirdly REPLACED In Movie Sequels
3. Saavik - Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
One of the Star Trek movies' most popular supporting characters is Vulcan Starfleet Lieutenant Saavik, who was played by Kirstie Alley in The Wrath of Khan and then Robin Curtis in follow-ups The Search for Spock and The Voyage Home.
But Saavik was also originally written into the script for the sixth and final film featuring the Original Series' main cast, The Undiscovered Country.
The script revealed Saavik to be a traitor, but after Trek creator Gene Roddenberry objected to a beloved fan favourite character turning heel out of nowhere, it was decided to reimagine the turncoat as a new character.
And so Valeris was born, Spock's Vulcan protégé as played by the great Kim Cattrall. It's hilariously obvious to anyone watching that Valeris is a Saavik surrogate, with Saavik's original role receiving only the most minor, transparent rewrites to tweak her into somebody "new."
Given that Saavik remains a hugely popular Trek character to this day, though, it was probably a smart decision all things considered, as peculiar as it is that she just... disappears after The Voyage Home.