15 More Things You Didn’t Know About Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984)
14. It Was A Last-Minute Remember-ance
When Star Trek II wrapped principal photography in January 1982 there was something missing: Spock putting his fingers to McCoy’s face and saying the single word “Remember.”
That’s because, in director Nicholas Meyer’s mind, dead meant DEAD, and leaving a door open for Spock to return undermined the drama of his sacrifice. Producer Harve Bennett disagreed and wanted to end the film on at least a note of hope.
Ergo, the pickups—shot in late March, 1982—included that now iconic “remember” bit. That was pretty ambiguous, but another possible story avenue was supplemented when ILM picked up shots of Spock’s space casket in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
Thus the seeds for The Search For Spock were sown, but, as is often the case, no one had a clear idea on what it meant or how they might play off it if a sequel were approved. Such is the way of Hollywood.