Star Trek III: Spock and Spock Search for Spock – A Film Treatment

Act 1, Scene 1:

Credits roll while various activities on a star cruiser are performed.  At the end of credits, the captain’s chair swivels to reveal… Captain Farrow of the S.S. Melville.  He finishes signing paperwork, sends his yeoman on his way, and is about to stand when he’s interrupted by his chief communications officer.  “Incoming sub-space transmission, sir.  Origin unknown.”

“Put it on the screen.”

The pixels align and show the looming red interior of a Bird of Prey.  A dour face Klingon warrior stands into view.  “This is Commander Kruge of the IKS B’Rel.  Our sensors indicate your vessel is travelling in The Neutral Zone.  Engage warp and leave or you will be fired upon.”

 

 

 

“You will have to excuse me, Commander Kruge,” Captain Farrow replies, “as I determine my exact bearing from my crew.”

“Certainly,” Commander Kruge replies.  “You have two minutes to comply.”

“Silence communication.”  Kruge’s image drops from the overhead. “How the hell do the Klingons know we’re here?  Lieutenant…”

“I’m scanning for sensors that could give away our location, but I can’t find any.”

“Blast!  This was supposed to be a simple probing mission for a lost ship.”

“If I may, sir,” The first mate cuts in.  “Their transmission could be a wide channel burst sent out in all directions.  We merely intercepted one signal of many, responded and sent our signal back to the Klingon vessel in the direction the burst came from.  If that’s true, the Klingons know which direction we’re in, but don’t know how close or far we are.  It’s likely they are bluffing.  If we agree to leave our position, we are admitting we’ve invaded The Neutral Zone, and give the Klingons the excuse they need to attack a colony in retaliation.”

“Mm.  That makes sense.  Alright, put Kruge on screen.”  Kruge’s vision returns.  “My navigator informs me we’re in Federation Space.”

“So you have no intention of retreating?”

“No.”

“Excellent.  End transmission.”

“What was that all about?  What the…”

Three Klingon Birds of Prey de-cloak on top of the S.S. Melville, which is destroyed in a matter of seconds.

 

Act 2, Scenes 1 & 2:

 

Captain Kirk, Chief Medical Officer McCoy, Chief Engineer Scott and Communications Officer Uhura sit in a large room which is one part council chambers and one part alien botanical garden.  They are meeting with the Halkonians, a deer-like alien race who worship trees.  Kirk tries to persuade the Halkonians to join the United Federation of Planets, so they can avoid invasion from the Klingon Empire.  The Halkonian Chief, however, knows that joining the Federation will lead his people on a slippery slope resulting in the plunder of their planet for buried dilithium crystals.  Kirk counter-argues that if the Klingons invade, then Halkon definitely will be plundered.  Insulted, the Halkonians adjourn all further talk for tomorrow.

Kirk steps away from the table, frustrated.  He flips open his communicator and requests to be beamed to the Enterprise, but he’s rebuffed by First Officer Spock.  An ion storm is passing between Halkon and the Enterprise, and beaming through it is ill-advised.  According to Spock, a number of scientific studies yield intriguing results when beaming objects through such a storm.  Kirk isn’t interested, though.  He’s distracted and disappointed with the Halkonian Chief’s refusal to listen to reason.  He asks his engineer, Scott, if he’s ever experienced a problem beaming humans through an ion storm.  Scott responds it’s never been a problem, but he also admits he hasn’t done it very often.  Kirk claims that’s good enough, and orders Spock to beam him and his crew to the Enterprise, ion field or no ion field.

Kirk and crew beam up, and Kirk steps off the platform, then takes a step back.  The transporter room is not quite the transporter room.  The engineers at the console are wearing uniforms which blend Federation Officer with Persian Immortal.  The space on the wall which used to feature the symbol for the United Federation of Planets is now dominated by a plaque of a red planet, with a sword plunged through it.  First Officer Spock, sporting a Van Dyke beard, enters the room.  He greets Kirk with a Roman salute.

 

 

Kirk, confused, salutes in kind and says, “Report.”

“All systems operational, Captain.  I take it the Halkonians did not meet our demands?”

“No, Mr. Spock, they did not.”

“Then orders from Command deem we fire on the planet.  I will accompany you to the bridge.”

Spock and Kirk leave the transporter room.  In the corridor, Dr. Bones grabs Kirk’s shirt from behind, and clenches a whispered, “Jim, what the Hell is going on?” “I don’t know,” Kirk replies, “But something definitely is.  Until we have a better understanding of the situation, we better play along.”  Then louder, “Quite right.  I feel sick, too.  I wonder if beaming through the ion storm has something to do with it.  Scott.  Uhura.  I want both of you to report to the sick bay in twenty minutes, so Dr. Bones can give us a thorough examination.”

Captain Kirk jogs back to Spock.  As the two officers walk to the bridge, Spock asks, “Excuse me, Captain, but you were wearing your uniform when you transported to the planet’s surface.  Why did you return out of uniform?”

“The Halkonians were uncomfortable negotiating with Command.  They asked the crew to change into clothes they were more comfortable with.”

“And you complied?” Spock responds, cocking an eyebrow.

“Yes.”

“Fascinating.”

 

Act 2, Scene 3:

 

Kirk, Uhura and Spock appear on the bridge.  While Kirk busies himself with his duties as captain,  Uhura returns to her desk.  Her work, however, is interrupted by helmsman Sulu, who wears a terrible scar down one side of his face.  Sulu flirts with Uhura who refuses Sulu’s advances.  Surprised, Sulu raises a hand to slap Uhura, but looks towards the Captain and his First Mate and lowers it.

 

 

“I don’t know what crawled inside you, but keep it inside.  I won’t be so patient when I’m Captain.”

“Oh?” replies Ohura.  “And when will that be?”

“If all goes according to plan?  Tonight.”  Sulu awakens a devilish grin, and walks back to his station.

 

Meanwhile, Kirk interrupts Spock’s droning.  “Belay that order.”

“But Captain, our orders are to fire on the planet.”

“No.  We wait.”

“The Halkonians won’t respond to our transmissions.  Negotiation failed.  It is not logical to bid for time, when we have orders to exterminate them.”

“Spock, you know me.  Can you trust my instincts?”

“Following one’s instincts is a poor course of action when confronted with a logical…”

“But logic is dependent on facts.  And facts depend on what is observable.  I’ve… observed… things about the Falkonians you have not.  Things which make me believe waiting is the best course of action.  Do you accept I may have more relevant facts at my disposal than you when judging this matter.”

Spock pauses.  “Yes, I concede this.  But your course of action courts disaster.  I must report your delay to Command, and they will instruct me to assassinate you, claim my role as captain of the Enterprise, and fire on the Falkonians.  I do not wish to kill you, Captain.  Your chair is a dangerous seat; few Captains survive their tenure.  But if I do not follow Command’s orders, my life will be forfeit.”

Kirk turns to Spock and looks him in the eye.  He opens his mouth to speak, when Dr. Bone’s voice comes over the teleprompter.  “Jim, I’ve been doing a once over, and I don’t like what I see.  Skip the twenty minutes bull and bring the away team to sick bay.  I want everybody’s heads examined.”

 

Act 2, Scene 4:

 

Kirk, Uhura, Scott and Bones meet in the sick bay.  There, Scott explains that their transporter signals were altered while they beamed through the ion storm.  But instead of mutating or dissipating, their atomic makeup ‘bumped’ to a reality which runs parallel to their own.  Assuming he can reverse the transporter setting exactly, Scott also believes he can beam the crew through the ion storm and back home.

While the crew mull through the details, Sulu enters the room with a band of armed thugs.  “So, you’re running away from Command?” Sulu says.  “I wouldn’t expect you to take the coward’s way out, Captain.  But everyone’s a hypocrite when their back is against the wall.  It was unwise of you to leave the bridge without your personal guards.  Especially after you disobeyed a direct order from Command.  In my report, I’ll explain that I questioned your orders, you attacked me in a fit of rage, and I was forced to defend myself.  Cheer up, Jimmy!  Today, I get a promotion!”

Sulu’s guards grab Scott and Bones while Sulu advances on the captain, phaser drawn.  But when Sulu walks past Uhura, she slams her fist into the back of his neck, causing Sulu to shoot wild.  Kirk delivers a hook to Sulu’s face and takes his phaser away in one action.  Sulu’s guards release their holds on Scott and Bones and beg their captain for forgiveness.  Meanwhile, Spock enters the room with his own guards, and orders his guards to arrest Sulu’s guards.

“An assassination attempt,” Spock says. “Sulu, you fool.  If you waited a day, there would have been official orders to kill the Captain, and we could have done it together.”  Spock then turns to Kirk and says, “Shall I have Mr. Sulu executed?”

“No!” Kirk squeaks, then composes himself.  “Mr. Sulu and I can come to an understanding.”

“Very well.  He’ll be put in a torture booth until further notice.  And his guard?”

“They only tried to arrest Bones and McCoy under Sulu’s orders, and turned themselves in when the fighting was earnest.”

“Captain?”

“I want those men returned to their quarters and put on house arrest until I have a chance to speak with them.  Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Spock replies.

 

Act 2, Scene 5:

 

Kirk, Uhura, Scott and Bones enter the transporter room.  Scott goes to the controls while the crew step onto the transporter platform.  Scott sets the coordinates and approaches the platform when Spock enters the room with his phaser raised.  Spock knows the truth, that the crew is not who they purport to be.  Still, Spock thinks Kirk should stay, and take his mirror’s role, since the Mirror Enterprise needs a captain.  Kirk tells Spock he can’t stay, and that his own Enterprise also needs its captain.  He reminds Spock that he shouldn’t shirk responsibility because it’s convenient, but he should welcome challenges because they are hard.  “With enough leverage,” Kirk says, “you can move planets.  If you find the fulcrum, you can topple Command.”

“Where you come from,” Spock says, “They believe this?  That every life is precious, and one man can change The Universe?”

“No, not everyone,” Kirk says, “But I do.”

Spock steps to the controls, salutes Kirk, and beams the crew away.

 

Act 3, Scenes 1, 2, 3 & 4:

 

Kirk returns to the bridge of the Enterprise, but bad news follows good. When Kirk’s crew beamed to the Mirror Enterprise, they disappeared from the ship’s scanners at the same time the Enterprise lost communication with the Halkonians.  Spock took it on himself to beam to the planet’s surface and find the missing crew.  Other officers insisted on going with him, but Spock deemed it unsafe to beam any more people through the ion storm.  The extra crew members would only put their own lives in needless jeopardy.  Spock beamed to Halkon and reported he was fine.  Soon after, though, the ion storm scrambled his signal, and the Enterprise lost contact with Spock.

While the bridge discuss their options, Spock from the Mirror Universe, and that world’s Lieutenant Brent beam into the transporter room.  Behind the transporter console, the shocked chief transporting officer, Lieutenant Brent from this world’s reality, fumbles with his communicator.  Mirror Spock shoots Lieutenant Brent and he drops to the ground, dead.  Captain Kirk responds over the dead officer’s communicator, asking why the bridge is receiving a distress signal from the transporter room.  Mirror Brent grabs the communicator and explains it was a false alarm, but everything is all clear now.  After Mirror Brent closes the communicator, Mirror Spock orders him to put on this world’s Starfleet uniform, and beam the dead Liuetenant’s body into space.

Mirror Spock leaves the transporter room and walks the corridors of The Enterprise.  He’s absorbing this ship’s details, when he spots a tribble in Doctor McCoy’s office.  Mirror Spock enters the room and sorts through McCoy’s medical supplies.  While Mirror Spock administers a hypospray injection to the tribble, he’s greeted from behind by Doctor Carol Marcus.  She says she’s glad to see Spock returned through the ion storm in one piece, and tries to make small talk, which Spock deflects.  She’s also curious why Spock is wearing such a crazy outfit, and how did he grow a beard on such short notice?  Spock replies that the beard is fake, and that it and the clothes were worn for ceremonial purposes, to put The Falkonians at ease.

Mirror Spock slips away from Dr. Marcus, and enters Spock’s quarters.  He puts on an Enterprise science officer uniform, and shaves off his beard.  He then flips through Spock’s sparse personal effects, turns on Spock’s computer and scans his contact list.  One of the contacts says “Spock”.  Curious, Mirror Spock presses the button and, in a couple of seconds, an elder Spock appears on screen, and says, “Mister Spock.”

 

 

Mirror Spock replies back, “Mister… Spock?”

 

Act 3, Scenes 5, 6, 7 & 8:

 

Meanwhile, in sick bay, Dr. Bones is giving Uhura a check-up.  She in perfect health, but Bones doesn’t want to take any more chances with a crew member who’s beamed twice through an ion storm, and wants her to avoid all strenuous activity for the near future.  He prescribes a relaxant, and reaches for an overhead medicine cabinet.  When he opens the cabinet, though, a pile of tribbles dump on top of him, skittering across the medical bay floor.

 

 

Mirror Spock leaves Spock’s room, while a tribble scuttles past his feet.  He returns to the transporter room and salutes Mirror Brent, who contacts the bridge and tells them he’s locked on to Spock’s signal and is beaming him up now.  Kirk replies back that that’s excellent news, and he’d greet Spock personally, but there’s a situation on the bridge, and Spock is needed post-haste.

Mirror Spock jogs to the bridge to see Commander Kruge of the IKS B’Rel on screen.  “…indicate that your vessel is travelling in The Neutral Zone.  Engage warp and leave or you will be fired upon.”

“I wasn’t aware we were in The Neutral Zone,” Captain Kirk responds.  “Could you give me time to confer with my helmsman?”

“Certainly,” Commander Kruge responds, “You have two minutes.”

“Off screen.  Sulu?”

“Halkon is disputed territory.  According to The Federation, it’s not in The Neutral Zone…”

Kirk finishes his statement “…but we haven’t flown any ships to Halkon lately, since the Klingons disagree.  What I want to know is:  How do the Klingons know we’re here?  The Halkonians reject the use of sub-space communication, otherwise The Federation wouldn’t have chanced sending the Enterprise.  Are there sensors on the planet we can’t detect?”

“Unlikely, sir,” Uhura responds, “I can’t get a signal through this ion storm, and we’re only 800 kilometers away from the planet surface.”

“If I may, sir,” Mirror Spock interrupts, “The Klingon may not have sent out a single signal, but, instead, have created an all-points transmission burst.  If that were the case, then we encountered a single signal from the thousands sent out and responded to that one, creating a two-way communication.  The Klingon may know which direction the sub-space signal comes from, but they wouldn’t know how far the signal extends.  If we make a minor change in our position, It is unlikely they would find us.  If, however, we agree to leave, then we admit we were flying through The Neutral Zone.  The Klingons could use that as justification to attack a colony, or possibly, to start a war.”

“Yes, you’re probably right,” Kirk responds.  He turns back to the screen and raises his hand.  Then he pulls his hand back, leans forward, and folds both hands in front of his chin, thinking.

“Sir?” Sulu says.

“Spock, how much time have you spent with Klingons?”

“Very little, Captain.”

“Uhura.  If The Klingon Empire had proof that a Federation vessel flew through The Neutral Zone, would that prompt them to retaliate on a nearby colony?”

Uhura looks from Spock to Kirk.  “No… the Klingon are a proud race of warriors.  Attacking an unrelated colony because an alien species broke a treaty would be a cowardly act.  That’s something a Human would do.”

“And they wouldn’t go to war over it?”

“No, I don’t believe so.  They might bait an attack, but they wouldn’t start a war over a minor treaty infracture.  For the Klingons to go to war, the other side must be willing and capable of fighting.  Otherwise, it would be a dishonorable slaughter.”

“So there wouldn’t be any point in demanding we leave.  If we comply, they gain nothing.  If we don’t comply, they gain nothing.  In fact, they shouldn’t want to communicate with us at all, since Commander Kruge indirectly told us he’s probably invading The Neutral Zone as well.  Unless…”

“Sir, the Klingons are hailing us.”

“Mr. Chekov, ready the lasers, and load the cannons.  Mr. Sulu, if you could hide in plain sight, and wanted to feel superior to your opponent, where would you stand.”

“Right in front of them, sir.”

“Scotty!  Move all available power to the forward shields.”

“Aye, aye, Captain!”

“Bring Kruge back up.  Commander Kruge!  I spoke with my helmsman, and he told me we are not in The Neutral Zone.  We will not move our ship.”

“Excellent.  End transmission.”

Three Birds of Prey appear before the Enterprise.  Kirk yells “Fire!” and a laser tears through the starboard Bird of Prey.  The other two fire at the Enterprise, but their salvo is absorbed by the Enterprise’s shields.  The fighting between the two remaining Klingon ships and the Enterprise is fierce, made worse by a sudden population explosion of tribbles in engineering’s ventilation shafts.  A second Klingon ship explodes.  And, although the Enterprise is crippled, Kruge opens communication and surrenders.

Kirk assembles a boarding party, which includes Uhura and Mirror Spock who grabs a nearby tribble and shoves it in a satchel.  The away team beams to the B’Rel.  Inside, the remaining Klingons surrender.  Kruge is no where to be found, however.  Uhura demands the captured Klingons tell her where Kruge is, but they refuse to answer.  Meanwhile, an away team member notices that a console is flashing symbols and speaking in Klingon.  The team member asks Uhura what this could mean, and Uhura realizes the computer is performing a count down.

Kirk instructs the transporter room to beam everyone out but himself, and runs down the Bird of Prey’s corridors.  Mirror Spock also insists on not beaming back, and chases after Kirk.  “Kruge,” Kirk explains to Spock as they run, “must have beamed himself down to the planet’s surface!”  Kirk and Mirror Spock find the transporter room, and transport to the Halkon, using Kruge’s last settings.  Seconds later, the final Bird of Prey explodes.

 

Act 4, Scenes 1 & 2:

 

Back on the Enterprise, Uhura runs to her station.  She tries to contact Kirk or Spock, but the ion storm causes too much interference.  She beats her desk, then notices a flashing icon on her screen.  “Captain Sulu,” Uhura says, “Incoming sub-space transmission.”

“On screen.” Sulu responds.

The image sharpens to reveal an elder Spock.  “Captain, I have unfortunate news,” he says.  “I do not think I am myself today.”

 

On Halkon’s surface, Kirk and Mirror Spock transport to a lush jungle basin and pick up two nearby life forms on their scanners.  As they walk to where Kruge must be, Mirror Spock trails behind, points his phaser at Kirk and demands him to stop.  Spock motions with his head, and Kirk tosses his phaser at his feet.

“I thank you,” Mirror Spock says. “Without your encouragement, I do not think I would have traveled to your reality.  I was happy fulfilling my role as first mate of my Enterprise, content to never achieve ultimate control, but also not worrying that my existence was in peril every minute of every day, while reaping the benefit of a high military station.  First mate, in my world, was the logical choice.  But you showed me the possibility of a world where Humans do not kill their superiors to move ahead in status.  One where even a planet full unagreeable savages with access to untold resources would be negotiated with, instead of eradicated.  In this world, I can let my ambition cut loose.  I can steal, manipulate and kill to advance in rank without fear that someone else would kill me in retribution.  I can be captain of the Enterprise for the rest of my days.  I only have one obstacle in my way.  Good-bye, Captain.”

“No!” Kruge yells as he leaps out of the jungle canopy and tackles Mirror Spock.  “Kirk is mine to kill!  He disgraced me!  Me!  It’s my right I take his life!”  The two combatants roll on the ground.  Kirk tries to slip past both of them to get to his phaser, but he’s tripped by Mirror Spock, and punched in the stomach by Kruge.  The three-way brawl falls out of Kirk’s favor, since he’s outmatched physically by both the Vulcan and the Klingon.  Eventually, though, Kirk rolls, grabs his phaser, stuns Kruge and turns  on Mirror Spock.

“Wait!” Mirror Spock responds, “In my satchel, there’s a bomb ready to go off any moment now.”

“How do I know you’re not lying?” Kirk asks.

“Our worlds may be very different, but even on my savage home world, Vulcans rarely lie.  Keep your phaser trained on me, and I will remove the bomb so you can see for yourself.”

Kirk nods.  Slowly, Spock puts on a heavy glove from inside the satchel, then lifts the tribble out by the scruff of his neck.

“I thought you said there was a bomb in your satchel?” Kirk says.

“There was.  This tribble is pregnant, and her ability to breed in the presence of vegetation is exponential.  If I release her here, on the jungle floor of Halkon, she will scamper for cover and colonize immediately.  Her kin will eat the local flora at a terrific pace, converting vegetable matter into an explosive tribble populace, destroying the planet’s ecosystem and killing the herbivorous Halkonians in under a month.  If you stun me, Captain, my unconscious body will drop this tribble and it will scamper for cover.  It would then be unlikely for you to find and kill the tribble before you lose track of it, and it breeds. If you let me go, though, I will walk away and keep the tribble secure.  You will maintain the safety of an entire race of people, and you will never see me again.  There is, of course, a third option.  Your phaser is set to stun, which will impair me, but will barely affect the tribble I’m holding through this glove.  If, however, you set your phaser to kill and shoot, then you will kill both myself, and this tribble.  In this way…”

“Shut up an go,” Kirk says as he puts his phaser in its holster.  Mirror Spock walks into the Halkonian jungle.

 

Act 4, Scene 3:

 

Kirk sits on a rock and puts his forehead in his hands.  A few moments later, a bedraggled Spock wanders out of the woods.  He is as gladdened to see his captain as one can expect from a Vulcan.  “The ion storm is breaking up,” Spock says.  “On my walk here, I was able to get in contact with the Enterprise.  They updated me on your situation.  Is this Kruge?”

“Yes.  That’s him.”

“And my double?  He escaped into the jungle?”

Kirk nods his head.

“That is unfortunate.  But that leaves us with an odd question.  How do you know that I am not him?”

“I don’t.” Kirk responds, pulls out his phaser, and stuns his friend.  He walks over to Spock’s unconscious body, pulls him up and puts his arm over his shoulder, and flips open his communicator.  “This is Captain Kirk to the Enterprise.  Three to beam up.”