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It may seem foreign now with over 30 year of hindsight , butStar Trekfans did not react positively to Spock ’s death inStar Trek II : The Wrath of Khan . Widely deliberate the good cinematic offer in theStar Trekfranchise , The Wrath of Khanreintroduced Ricardo Montalbán as the titular villain from the original TV serial . In a dramatic , nail - bite finale , Khan activates Genesis , which will create a unexampled planet and swallow the endeavor along with it . In a heroic act of self - forfeit , Spock brook disastrous radiation syndrome poisoning in the course of repairing the ship ’s warp drive , allowing his crew to escape at the toll of his own living . The final act is pelt with highly emotive scene , include a final farewell to William Shatner ’s Kirk and a funeral where Spock ’s jewel casket is ejected into space for one ( apparently ) last voyage .
As everyone now know , of class , The Wrath of Khanwas very far from Spock ’s last appearance in theStar Trekfranchise . Leonard Nimoy returned for the follow - up and would go on to star in the next trilogy of large screen releases . Furthermore , Spockwould briefly pop up inStar Trek : The Next Generationand then time - travel into J. J. Abrams ' movie reboot to make a brand Modern continuity for subsequent films to play around in . To a 1982 gang , however , Spock ’s fate look far more uncertain and the prospect ofStar Trekwith one less set of pointy ear provoked a strong chemical reaction .
Related : Star Trek : Spock ’s Time Travel & Nero Connection explain
In answer to the negative reaction , The Wrath of Khandirector , Nicholas Meyer , placed a phoney - out expiry at the source of the film , with theKobayashi Maruscene intend to fool fans into thinking Spock ’s leaked " demise " had already played out , only to be hit with a patsy - punch when he kicked the bucket for literal at the very end .
ManyStar Trekfans were leave upset by Spock ’s demise , assuming it was permanent . Firstly , theStar Treksequel was lucky to get made . Star Trek : The Motion Picturewas an expensive disbursal for Paramount and do below the studio ’s expectations . A follow - up was made on a far mean budget and while the success ofThe Wrath of Khanpaved the way for the future , movie house - goer were n’t to know how big the motion-picture show would become . More pertinently , there were far-flung rumors that Nimoy was done withStar Trek , supported when the actor refused to bless on for a third picture show unless he could direct it . While reports that Nimoy also insist his lineament was kill off inThe Wrath of Khanhave since been debunk , hearsay persisted at the time , perhaps sparked by the statute title of the worker ’s 1975 autobiography , I Am Not Spock .
For better or worse , the explosive rooter reaction when Spock ’s death first leaked ensure the character’sStar Trekfuture . Nimoy began speaking openly about potentially appearing inStar Trek IIIaround the timeThe Wrath of Khanwas unloose and the actor also sowed the seed for his return during filming . As a late plus toThe Wrath of Khan , a mo was add where Spock mind - meld withMcCoyand say " remember , " thus setting the stage for a comeback . Despite protestation from Meyer , endeavor were also made to soften Spock ’s death scene with a more uplifting tone as a unmediated result of test screen criticism .
It ’s often claimed that the advent of social metier has given movie fans a unmediated route to criticizing film and television development in existent - time , as seen antecedently in the take to the woods - up toStar Trek : Discovery , but the suit ofStar Trek ’s Spock death prove that this pattern was around long before that .
More : Star Trek : How Zachary Quinto ’s Spock Is Different To Leonard Nimoy ’s
