20 Things You Didn't Know About Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
8. Star Trek: Punk Part 2
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home arrived in 1986, while the punk scene was still going strong. Kirk Thatcher appeared in the film as the mohawk-sporting punk who flips Kirk off while on the bus, before getting the nerve pinch from Spock.
Thatcher had actually worked on Star Trek previously, having contributed to The Wrath of Khan. He helped with the FX on the Ceti Eel. So, when he heard that Leonard Nimoy was looking for an FX assistant on Star Trek IV, he lobbied hard for the part. This led him to his dual-acting roles in the film.
First, he contributed his voice - it is Thatcher's sped-up voice who asks Spock how do you feel? Then, when he heard that they required a punk for the bus, he approached Nimoy. Paramount Pictures had a music licensing deal that gave them access to artists like Duran Duran, though Thatcher recalled telling Nimoy that music like that wouldn't be appropriate at all. He had been a punk in his teenage years (he was 23 at the time of filming) and was able to guide the style of Punk On The Bus.
The scene required two takes, thanks to a wardrobe malfunction on the first try. His leather jacket was so stiff that he never felt the nerve pinch. For the music that blares from the boombox, Thatcher offered to compose a song that would suit, which he collaborated on with Mark Magini, the sound editor, who composed the guitar riff.