Star Trek: 11 Greatest Unfinished Story Ideas

2. Whatever Happened To Lieutenant Saavik? (Star Trek II, III, and IV) There are those who could make a very convincing argument that this entry should be listed at #1. When first introduced, Saavik (played by Kirstie Alley) quickly became a favorite character amongst fans. Strong willed and opinionated, but tempered by a cool intellect, she was focused on trying to understand the seemingly odd and random behavior of the Humans around her. Actress Robin Curtis would go on to portray Saavik in both Star Trek III and IV, but after her brief appearance in the latter, Saavik was never seen or heard from again. Fans have never been willing to accept that this important new addition to the crew had simply vanished. To this day her true fate remains a mystery. The most difficult thing to bear is that there was a plan in place to provide a fitting end to this admired character. During the early planning stages for Star Trek VI the character Valeris was in fact intended to be Saavik. And just as Valeris was involved with the film's conspiracy storyline, so too would have Saavik. It would then have been revealed that Saavik was half Romulan and that her mixed heritage was a factor in her choice to side with the conspirators. With Saavik in the film, not only would her actions have reason (as Valeris' do not), but her betrayal would have provided an emotional punch to Spock. So what happened? When he heard what was being planned for Saavik, Gene Roddenberry immediately protested, saying that the writers couldn't turn such a well-liked character into one of the bad guys. He was certain fans would never accept it, even though it would have been a surprising, but believable dramatic turn for her. And so Saavik was changed to Valeris and fans were denied a true and proper ending to a character that deserved so much more than she was given.