10 Times When Star Trek Re-Cast Its Actors
6. Saavik
Lieutenant Saavik was introduced in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan as a potential replacement for Spock, as Leonard Nimoy had indicated he would only return for the sequel on the proviso that he was killed off. The film opens with Kirstie Alley commanding the Enterprise into the infamous Kobayashi Maru test.
The character as written was young and, for a Vulcan, emotional. She swears (damn!) when she is out of options and Klingons close in. She lets out an audible gasp later in the film when Scotty arrives carrying the body of his nephew. She sheds a tear for Spock as his coffin is fired into space.
She had originally been written with the intention of having Romulan heritage, which would account for the displays of emotion during the film. However, when the character returned for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, these emotions and this back story was struck out by director Leonard Nimoy. She became a full-blooded Vulcan and the emotional outbursts were not touched on again.
By the time Star Trek III was filming, Alley had risen in status thanks to her role on the TV show Cheers and her price had risen accordingly. Robin Curtis was then cast in the role. She would play Saavik for the next two films. Her portrayal was a cold counterpart to Alley's, eschewing the humanity of her predecessor for a more straight-forward Vulcan.