10 Star Trek Moments You Never Knew Were Improvised
8. Across The Bay... In Alameda - Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the franchise headed toward comedy after the heavier preceding films. The Motion Picture, The Wrath of Khan and The Search for Spock all dealt with such serious topics that there was little to no room for humour, so The Voyage Home opted to include as much of it as possible. There were plenty of jokes written into the script, though this moment stands out in the film, totally improvised as it was.
Layla Sarakalo had been more or less stuck when production on the film shut down the street on which she was parked. She worked up the courage to approach the filmmakers and asked for a part in the film. They decided to let her appear, though they told her not to answer Chekov and Uhura's questions. Both officers are looking for the 'nuclear wessels' in Alameda, stopping several people on the street, including one completely unamused cop, in an attempt to track them down.
Sarakalo not only answered their question but came up with a witty response on the spot.
'Oh, I don't know if I know the answer to that. I think it's across the bay. In Alameda!'
The line went down a storm and it was decided to leave it in the film. This resulted in Sarakalo being inducted into the Screen Actors' Guild and it was only in viewing the film that she realised the scene hadn't been cut.