The villains of the film were originally intended to be Romulans, but upper studio management wanted Klingons to be used since they were better-known enemies. By the time the decision was made, the Romulan ship was already built and they did not want the expense of replacing it. However, since the TV show had already established that the Klingons and Romulans had shared technologies and ships in the past (for exactly the same real-world cost-cutting reasons), the idea of Klingons using a Romulan-style vessel was not a problem.
Although not mentioned on-screen, the novelization establishes that Saavik was half Vulcan and half Romulan.
'Leornard Nimoy ' is the “Elevator Voice” in the scene when Scotty says, "Up your shaft", while exiting the Starship Execelsior. The End Credits lists the voice under the synonym “Frank Force”.
Production was endangered by the great fire at Paramount. William Shatner helped fight the fire and rescue a crewmember before firefighter reinforcements arrived.
When the Enterprise enters space dock at the beginning of the movie, just before Uhura comments on the Excelsior's appearance ("Would you look at that!"), another docked ship can be seen, in shadow, at the upper left corner of the screen. This ship is one of the alternative models that was considered for use as the Excelsior. This alternate model also makes several appearances in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987), usually as a wrecked ship or piece of space junk.
First Star Trek "episode" to be directed by a member of the Star Trek cast. This would later become commonplace on the various Trek TV series.
The self-destruct codes for the U.S.S. Enterprise apparently haven't been changed in decades, as they are identical to those in the original series episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield".
Nicholas Meyer, director of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" was originally asked to direct, but refused.
Tribbles - a popular creature from the original TV series - make a cameo appearance during the bar sequence where McCoy tries to hire a ship.
The Excelsior was supposed to debut in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982) and be identified as newly-promoted Capt. Sulu's first command. This plot line was dropped and Excelsior saved for this film. Sulu would finally take command of her in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991). The ship design would be reused for the USS Enterprise-B in the Star Trek: Generations (1994).
The U.S.S. Grissom bridge was the U.S.S. Enterprise bridge rearranged with pink chairs, and the Bar where McCoy tries to charter the spaceflight is the Enterprise sickbay redressed.
The USS Excelsior's computer voice (heard in the turbolift when Scotty mutters "Up your shaft") was supplied by director Leonard Nimoy.
As in the previous Star Trek film, the movie includes the famous "Space, the final frontier" monologue, spoken by Spock. As in the previous film, the words have been changed slightly, referring to seeking out "new life forms" instead of just "new life". This was the final use of this modified version of the monologue.
The few Klingon phrases that James Doohan introduced in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) was used by Marc Okrand as the basis for the Klingon language in this film. Okrand's Klingon language became a fully realized fictional language, and would be the basis for all future Klingon dialogue in future movies and television shows (as well as an obsession to become fluent in for hardcore Star Trek fans.)
The spacedock orbiting Earth is supposed to be five miles tall - making it easily observable from the surface. The actual model itself was 6 feet tall.
Chekov makes a remark in Russian to Scotty about Spock's quarters having been invaded. Translated, he is saying, "I'm not crazy! There it is."
The uniforms worn by the security guards are the same uniforms from Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), but they're worn with the new red Starfleet uniforms, and a dark green turtleneck, which represents the security division.
This film marks the first appearances of the Excelsior class vessel, the Oberth class vessel (namely the USS Grissom), and the Klingon bird-of-prey. The models were reused as other, similar ships in numerous episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987) and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (1993).
James Goldstone was considered to direct the movie before Leonard Nimoy asked to direct.
The science ship, "Grissom", which is destroyed by the Klingons, is evidently named after real life astronaut Gus Grissom, who was killed after the Apollo 1 spacecraft itself was destroyed on 27 January 1967.
Edward James Olmos was Leonard Nimoy's original choice for the role of Kruge. However, executive producer Harve Bennett preferred Christopher Lloyd. Nimoy finally cast Lloyd because he came off more operatic and physically intimidating.
One of the boys who plays young Spock, had to wear brown colored contact lenses to match the color of Leonard Nimoy's eyes. The boy's natural eye color was blue.
In the scene where Kirk meets Admiral Morrow for a drink to discuss taking the Enterprise back to the Genesis Planet, an abstract hanging sculpture can be seen on the wall behind Morrow. The sculpture is in fact one of the miniatures of the Epsilon 9 station from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, which was made of acid-etched brass.
When Dr. McCoy declares his full name, the "H" stands for Horatio. Horatio Hornblower was Gene Roddenberry's model for Captain Kirk. David Andrew McCoy is his father's full name, according to the novelization of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
As explained by William Shatner on "Star Trek: The 25th Anniversary Special" (1991), there was tight security on the set to minimize theft, as incurred on "Trek II". Picture i.d. badges, codes and the works were used so much that Shatner quipped it was like Paramount's real-life "Mission: Impossible".
Kirk:
How are we doing?
McCoy:
How are "we" doing? Funny you should put it quite that way, Jim. "We" are doing fine.
Sulu:
The word, sir?
Kirk:
The word is no. I am therefore going anyway.
[their first look at the U.S.S. Excelsior]
Uhura:
Would you look at that!
Kirk:
My friends, the great experiment: The Excelsior. Ready for trial runs.
Sulu:
She's supposed to have transwarp drive.
Scotty:
Aye, and if my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a wagon!
Kirk:
Come, come, Mr. Scott. Young minds, fresh ideas. Be tolerant!
Scotty:
The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.
Kirk:
You're suffering from a Vulcan mind-meld, doctor.
McCoy:
That green-blooded son of a bitch! It's his revenge for all the arguments he lost.
Kirk:
Sorry about your crew, but as we say on Earth, c'est la vie.
Kirk:
Klingon Commander, This is Admiral James T. Kirk. I'm alive and well on the planet surface. I know that this will come as a pleasant surprise to you, but our ship was a victim of an "unfortunate accident". Sorry about your crew, but as we say on Earth, c'est la vie.
Kruge:
Take every last man, form a boarding party armed heavily.
Torg:
They outnumber us...
Kruge:
[shouts] We are Klingons!
Kirk:
[Kirk gathers himself after David's murder] Mr Sulu, what is the crew compliment of a Bird Of Prey?
Sulu:
About a dozen officers and men.
Kirk:
...With some of them on the planet... I swear to you, we're not finished yet.
Kirk:
You should take the Vulcan too.
Kruge:
No.
Kirk:
But why?
Kruge:
Because you wish it.
Sulu:
If I read this right, sir, we have pull power.
Kirk:
[exasperated] Go, Sulu.
Alien:
To your planet, welcome.
McCoy:
I think that's *my* line, stranger.
Alien:
Oh, forgive. I here am new. But you are known, being McCoy from Enterprise.
McCoy:
You have me at a disadvantage, sir.
Alien:
Oh, I name not important. You seek I. Message received. Available ship stands by.
McCoy:
How much and how soon?
Alien:
How soon is now. How much is, where?
McCoy:
Somewhere in the Mutara sector.
Alien:
Oh, Mutara restricted! Take permits many; money more.
McCoy:
There aren't gonna be any damned permits! How can you get a permit to do a damned illegal thing? Look, price you name, money I got.
Alien:
Place *you* name, money *I* name, otherwise bargain, no.
McCoy:
Alright, damn it! It's Genesis! The name of the place we're going is GENESIS!
Alien:
Genesis?
McCoy:
Yes, Genesis! How can you be deaf with ears like that?
Alien:
Genesis allowed is not! Is planet forbidden!
Captain Spock:
Jim. Your name... is Jim.
Captain Spock:
My father says that you have been my friend. You came back for me.
Kirk:
You would have done the same for me.
Captain Spock:
Why would you do this?
Kirk:
Because the needs of the one... outweigh the needs of the many.
Captain Spock:
[pacing] I have been and ever shall be your friend.
Kirk:
Yes. Yes, Spock.
Captain Spock:
Ship, out of danger?
Kirk:
You saved the ship. You saved us all. Don't you remember?
Captain Spock:
Jim. Your name is Jim.
Kirk:
Yes.
Cmdr. Hikaru Sulu:
DON'T call me "Tiny."
[Kirk and party have commandeered Kruge's Bird of Prey]
Kirk:
[to Maltz] You! Help us or die!
Maltz:
I do not deserve to live!
Kirk:
Fine. I'll kill you later!
[later, once safely in Warp Speed]
Kirk:
Take care of the prisoner.
Maltz:
Wait! You said you would kill me!
Kirk:
I lied!
Elevator voice:
Level, please.
Scotty:
Transporter room.
Elevator voice:
Thank you.
Scotty:
[under breath] Up your shaft.
Kirk:
Scan for vessels in pursuit.
McCoy:
[in Spock's voice and manner] Scanning. Indications negative at this time.
[everyone stares at him]
McCoy:
[as himself] Did I get it right?
Security Guard:
Make it quick, Admiral. They're moving him to the Federation funny farm.
Kirk:
Yes, poor friend. I hear he's fruity as a nutcake.
Kirk:
[showing the Vulcan salute] How many fingers do I have up?
McCoy:
That's not very damn funny.
Kirk:
You're sense of humors returned!
McCoy:
The hell it has!
[after stealing the Enterprise]
Kirk:
Gentlemen, your work today has been outstanding and I intend to recommend you all for promotion... in whatever fleet we end up serving.
Captain Styles:
[on the comm speakers] Kirk, you do this, you'll never sit in the Captain's chair again.
Kirk:
Warp speed.
[aboard the Excelsior]
[Kirk finds McCoy in Spock's quarters]
McCoy:
Jim... help me. You left me... on Genesis... why did you do that? Help me...
Kirk:
Bones? What the hell are you doing? Have you lost your mind?
McCoy:
Help me, Jim. Take me home.
Kirk:
Home is where we are. We are home.
McCoy:
Then perhaps it's not too late. Climb the steps, Jim. Climb the steps of Mt. Seleyah.
Kirk:
Mt. Seleyah? Bones, Mt. Seleyah's on Vulcan. We're home. On Earth.
McCoy:
Remember...
Ambassador Sarek:
You must bring them to Mt. Seleyah, on Vulcan. Only there can both find peace.
Kirk:
What you ask... is difficult.
Ambassador Sarek:
You will find a way, Kirk. If you honor them both, you must.
Kirk:
I will. I swear.
"Mr. Adventure":
Look at you. You're a twenty-year space veteran, yet you pick the worst duty station in town. I mean, look at this place. This is the hind end of space.
Commander Nyota Uhura:
Peace and quiet appeals to me, Lieutenant.
"Mr. Adventure":
Well, maybe that's OK for someone like you, whose career is winding down. But me, I need some excitement, some adventure... maybe even just a surprise or two.
Commander Nyota Uhura:
Well, you know what they say, Lieutenant. Be careful what you wish for. You might get it.
[Kirk, McCoy and Sulu enter the transporter room]
Kirk:
Uhura, is everything ready?
Commander Nyota Uhura:
Step into my parlor, gentlemen.
"Mr. Adventure":
That's Admiral Kirk, my God!
Commander Nyota Uhura:
Very good for you, Lieutenant.
"Mr. Adventure":
But it's damned irregular. No destination points, no encoded ID's.
Commander Nyota Uhura:
All true.
"Mr. Adventure":
So what are we gonna do about it?
Commander Nyota Uhura:
I'm not gonna do anything about it. You're gonna sit in the closet.
"Mr. Adventure":
The *closet*? Have you lost your sense of reality?
Commander Nyota Uhura:
This isn't reality.
[Turns a phaser on him]
Commander Nyota Uhura:
This is fantasy. You wanted adventure, how's this? The old adrenaline going, huh? Good boy. Now get in the closet.
"Mr. Adventure":
OK...
Commander Nyota Uhura:
Go on.
"Mr. Adventure":
I'll just get in the closet. All right! Damn!
[Falls into the closet and shuts the door]
McCoy:
I'm glad you're on *our* side!
Kirk:
[Pointing to the closet] Are you sure you can handle...?
Commander Nyota Uhura:
Oh, I'll have Mr Adventure eating out of my hand, and I'll see all of you at the rendezvous.
Lieutenant Saavik:
How many have paid the price for your impatience? How many have died? How much damage have you done, and what is yet to come?
Kruge:
I've come a long way for the power of Genesis, and what do I find? A weakling human, a Vulcan boy, and a woman!
Lieutenant Saavik:
My lord, we are survivors of a doomed expedition. This planet will destroy itself in hours. The Genesis experiment is a failure.
Kruge:
A failure? The most destructive force ever created? You will tell me the secret of the Genesis torpedo.
Lieutenant Saavik:
I have no knowledge.
Kruge:
Then I hope pain's something you enjoy.
[Witnessing the destruction of the Enterprise]
Kirk:
My God, Bones... what have I done?
McCoy:
What you had to do. What you always do: turn death into a fighting chance to live.
Scotty:
All systems automated and ready. A chimpanzee and two trainees could run her.
Kirk:
Thank you, Mr. Scott. I'll try not to take that personally.
Excelsior First Officer:
[over intercom] Yellow Alert! Yellow Alert!
Captain Styles:
Bridge, this is the captain, how can you have a yellow alert in spacedock?
Excelsior First Officer:
Sir, someone is stealing the Enterprise!
Captain Styles:
I'm on my way.
Ambassador Sarek:
This cost you your ship... your son...
Kirk:
If I hadn't tried, it would've cost me my soul.
Captain Styles:
Ah, Mr. Scott! Calling it a night?
Scotty:
Yes, sir.
Captain Styles:
Turning in myself, looking forward to breaking the Enterprise's speed records tomorrow.
Scotty:
Ah, yes sir!
[behind his back, frowning]
Scotty:
Good night.
Kirk:
Klingon bastard! You killed my son!
Kirk:
David, what went wrong?
David Marcus:
I went wrong.
David Marcus:
Genesis doesn't work. I can't believe they'd kill us for it.
Kruge:
Commander, your young friend is wrong. And to prove my sincerity, I will now kill one of the prisoners.
Kirk:
No, wait...
Kruge:
[in Klingon] Kill one of the prisoners. I don't care which.
Maltz:
Wait! You said you would kill me.
Kirk:
I lied.
[the Enterprise faces off against a cloaked Klingon Bird of Prey]
Kirk:
If my guess is right, she'll have to de-cloak before she can fire.
McCoy:
May all your guesses be right.
Kirk:
The needs of the one outweighed the needs of the many.
McCoy:
Rapid aging. All genetic metabolism accelerated.
Kirk:
What about his mind?
McCoy:
His mind is a void. It seems, Admiral, that I've got all his marbles.
Adm. James T. Kirk:
If we don't help each other, we'll die here.
Kruge:
Perfect. Then that's the way it shall be.
Kirk:
[stomping on Kruge the Klingon] I have had... enough... of YOU!
[Kruge falls into the abyss]
[McCoy is informed of the danger of the transfusion]
McCoy:
I choose the danger!
[to Kirk]
McCoy:
hell of a time to ask...
Scotty:
[studying the Klingon bird-of-prey's helm] Where's the damn anti-matter inducer?
Cmdr. Pavel Chekov:
That?... no, *that*!
Scotty:
That or nothing.
Torg:
[the Klingons have boarded the Enterprise only to find it is deserted] My Lord, the ship appears to be deserted.
Kruge:
How can that be? They're hiding.
Torg:
Yes, sir. The ship appears to be run by computer. It is the only thing that is speaking.
Kruge:
Speaking? Let me hear it.
Enterprise computer:
[Torg walks over to a console, placing his communicator towards it] 9-8-7-6-5...
Kruge:
[shouts] Get out! Get out of there! Get out!
Enterprise computer:
2-1...
[the Enterprise bridge explodes]
McCoy:
[to an unconscious Spock] I'm gonna tell you something that I... never thought I'd ever hear myself say. But it seems I've... missed you. And I don't know if I could stand to lose you again.
Continuity: Arrangement of Kirk's duelling pistols on the wall in the background when Sarek and Kirk are talking in Kirk's home.
Revealing mistakes: When Kirk and Kruge are fighting, a piece of the cliff breaks away and wiggles down the side of the cliff rather than falling like a rock.
Revealing mistakes: During the opening sequence, you can see a highway with cars driving in the bottom left-hand corner of one of the scenes.
Continuity: Chekov's clothes change after the Enterprise leaves the Spacedock facility. It was unlikely that he would have taken the time to change his clothes during a moment of crisis.
Crew or equipment visible: During the self destruction of the Enterprise, there's an explosion where a Klingon goes flying over the navigation console. When he lands, an arm can be seen helping him.
Revealing mistakes: Obvious stunt double for Kruge during his fight with Kirk.
Continuity: When the seal to Spock's quarters is broken, the Bridge displays of the ship and of Spock's quarters are based on the original Constitution-class vessels (from the TV show) and not the refitted movie version.
Continuity: Phase of the Earth's Moon when the Enterprise arrives at space dock after the battle with Khan, and when Kirk steals the Enterprise.
Continuity: The age of the Enterprise is inaccurate. When the admiral tells Kirk that the Enterprise will not be refit, due to the fact that it is twenty years old, this is quite a bit inconsistent. Here's how we can arrive at that: In Star Trek II, Kirk states that a man he hasn't seen in fifteen years is trying to kill him. Ok, that was Khan, who first showed up in Star Trek Season One, in Space Seed. That is the same season as the episode The Menagerie, so we can assume that and the episode Space Seed happened around the same time. So, in The Menagerie, we see, during Spock's court martial, historic video of the Enetrprise and Spock states "this was thirteen years ago." Ok, so do the math. The Enterprise was at least thirteen years old when Kirk met Khan. Star Trek III takes place right after Star Trek II. So add 13+15 and you get 28. If you really want to get geeky, most Trekkers will tell you the Enterprise was built in 2245. So, at the time of Star Trek III, it's supposed to be 2284. Consequently, the Enterprise is closer to forty years old.
Continuity: In the self-destruction-scene it is said and shown on a screen, that the time until the destruction of "Enterprise" is one minute - but it passes several minutes, before the first explosion.
Continuity: When Kirk checks the video logs to find the keeper of Spock's katra, the timestamp reveals that Spock melded with McCoy on stardate 8128.78. The Wrath of Khan begins on stardate 8130.3.
Continuity: The Security Alert screen features a diagram of a Constitution-class vessel from the Original Series instead of the refitted version from the movies. Also, the registry on the diagram is NCC-200.
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): The helm of the Grissom, Jeanne Mori, is also seen standing near Captain Styles on the bridge of the Excelsior.
Continuity: When Valkris, the Klingon spy, first approaches the freighter captain from behind, we can only see the bottom portion of her torso. We cannot see her face, but there definitely is something covering her front. However, when we see her face in the next shot, her face and torso are uncovered.
Follows
"Star Trek" (1966)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Followed by
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Star Trek: Generations (1994)
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
"Enterprise" (2001)
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
Star Trek (2008)
Edited from
Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Edited into
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Referenced in
"Seinfeld: The Foundation (#8.1)" (1996)
- Kramer tells Elaine the idea of the "katra" came from 'Star Trek III: The Search for Spock'.
"Biography: Leonard Nimoy: Spock and Beyond" (1996)
- This film is mentioned in this "Biography" episode. At least one still photo was also included.
Free Enterprise (1998)
Pourquoi pas moi? (1999)
"Futurama: Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love? (#2.9)" (2000)
- The ritual of "Claw Plah" is a play on the command used by Klingons in this movie "Klah Plah!"
The Parole Officer (2001)
- The movie is mentioned in a conversation
"Futurama: Where No Fan Has Gone Before (#4.12)" (2002)
- Loads of references are made to each Star Trek film and series.
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003)
- referenced as part of the documentary
Features
Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Featured in
Cosmic Thoughts (2003) (V)
- A clip from 'The Search for Spock' is shown in 'Cosmic Thoughts'.
Spoofed in
Sex Trek II: The Search for Sperm (1991) (V)
- Spoofs the famous Trek movie in the Title
Space Quest VI: The Spinal Frontier (1995) (VG)
Femalien II (1998)
South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999)
- The ending scene where Satan throws Saddam into a pit of fire and shots "I have HAD enough of YOU!"
Igby Goes Down: In Search of Igby (2003) (V)
Team America: World Police (2004)
- At one point, all of the F.A.G. actors yell out together "Kah Plah!" (sp?). This is a Klingon command yelled in "Star Trek III" by the Klingon characters.