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Biography [ ]

Early years [ ].

Saavik was born on the planet Hellguard in 2264 . Saavik had a harsh childhood living on Hellguard, a planet which bordered the Romulan Neutral Zone . In the Romulan language , her name means "little cat ." Her life changed in 2274 when the Vulcan vessel Symmetry arrived and she was rescued by Commander Spock . Spock took a leave of absence and began to teach Saavik the Vulcan way of life, but had great difficulty with her. After a year of living on Dantria IV , Spock decided to take Saavik to Vulcan where he would care for her with the help of Sarek and Amanda . ( TOS novel : The Pandora Principle ; TOS - Untold Voyages comic : " Worlds Collide ")

In accordance with Vulcan traditions, Sarek arranged for Saavik to be bonded to a young Vulcan boy named Xon , whose original bond-mate had tragically died in an accident. ( TOS - Saavik's Story comic : " Pon Far! ")

Saavik was given an excellent upbringing on Vulcan and soon embraced the Vulcan way of life, but decided that she wanted to follow Spock into Starfleet and entered Starfleet Academy in 2281 , assigned to live in Residence Complex Three . Her time at the Academy was not the easiest, and many of her classmates viewed her as an enemy, but she became a valuable resource for Starfleet in interpreting intelligence data and putting many myths to rest about Romulan psychology. She also forged a friendship with Cadet Peter Preston , whom she tutored in Advanced Theoretical Mathematics. ( TOS novels : The Pandora Principle , The Captain's Daughter ; TOS novelization : The Wrath of Khan )

Starfleet career [ ]

Saavik in 2286

Saavik was granted her commission while still studying at Starfleet Academy. In 2285 , as a Lieutenant, junior grade , she served as navigator of the USS Enterprise under Admiral James T. Kirk on their mission to recover the Genesis Device . ( TOS movie , novelization & comic adaptation : Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan )

After Spock's death, she replaced him as science officer on board the Enterprise . Kirk had some trouble in dealing with this change, treating her differently because of his grief. After they both conversed with Dr McCoy on the matter, Kirk relented his attitude towards Saavik, allowing her to acompany him on an away team to investigate a wormhole stabilised by the Klingons. There they found a highly-armed Klingon space station . ( TOS comic : " The Wormhole Connection ") Finding that the Klingon leadership had been influenced into attacking the Federation by Excalbians , Saavik acompanied Kirk to Organia , where he persuaded the Excalibians to release their influence on the galactic leadership and fight the Organians instead. ( TOS comic : " Deadly Allies ")

Soon after, Saavik began to feel the effects of pon farr , the Vulcan mating urge. She sought out Xon, who was working undercover for Starfleet Intelligence with the Romulan Star Empire , to the galactic barrier where the Romulans were trying to duplicate the experiment that gave Gary Mitchell his god -like powers. With the assistance of the Enterprise , Saavik and Xon defeated the Romulan plot. With the needs of their Pon-Farr sated, Saavik and Xon returned to their respective assignments. ( TOS - Saavik's Story comic : " Blood Fever ")

That same year, she transferred to the USS Grissom , along with Doctor David Marcus . The two discovered the reborn and rapidly maturing Spock on the surface of the Genesis Planet , where they were stranded after the destruction of the Grissom by Klingons . Saavik helped guide the young Spock through the pon farr , and accompanied him, and the former crew of the Enterprise , back to Vulcan to be rejoined with his katra . ( TOS movie , novelization & comic adaptation : Star Trek III: The Search for Spock ) Saavik remained on Vulcan following Spock's departure, wishing Kirk well on his journey back to Earth. ( TOS movie , novelization & comic adaptation : Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

In 2289, Saavik participated in a secret, extralegal mission aboard the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A involving Commander Kor of the Klingon Empire and a representative of the Romulan Star Empire , in an attempt to end the threat of an extragalactic life-form responsible for the destruction of the USS Farragut some thirty-two years earlier ( TOS comic : " Debt of Honor "). The following year, 2290 , following the promotion of Hikaru Sulu to Captain of the USS Excelsior , Saavik rejoined the Enterprise crew, this time serving on the Enterprise -A full time. ( TOS comic : " Tests of Courage ")

On stardate 8625.2, Lieutenant Saavik and Captain Spock were part of a diplomatic mission to Mardelva . During an attempted coup on the planet, their shuttle was caught in the crossfire and crashed on the planet's surface. ( TOS comic : " Deceptions ")

On stardate 8748.4, Saavik was assigned an undercover mission into Romulan space to retrieve Professor David Erikson , who was attempting to defect from the Federation. ( TOS comic : " Renegade ")

At some point prior to 2290 , Saavik served aboard the USS Whipple , where the starship encountered stellar energy pulse phenomena on several occasions. Also, before 2291, Saavik had also briefly served on the Oberth -class starship USS Tinian . ( ST comics : " Runaway ", " A Question of Loyalty ")

In the year 2291 , she was present when the Enterprise -A was sent to the planet Mestiko to retrieve a weapon stolen by a local terrorist group called the Torye . ( TOS - Mere Anarchy eBook : The Blood-Dimmed Tide )

She served on the Enterprise-A for two years before a disagreement with Spock about his new protégé, Valeris , prompted her to request a transfer. ( TOS comic : " A Question of Loyalty ")

In 2293 , Saavik attended James T. Kirk 's memorial service in the grounds of Starfleet Academy , along with many other former Enterprise crewmembers. ( TOS - Crucible novel : The Fire and the Rose ).

After the Enterprise [ ]

Saavik was an eyewitness to the events of the Tomed Incident in 2311 . During that time, a child ran from her in terror at the sight of her "Romulan" features.

Saavik made her way up through the ranks, and by the year 2329 , Saavik had become the first officer of the USS Armstrong . She held that post until at least 2344 .

She and Spock had remained close over the years, and their relationship eventually grew beyond camaraderie into something more. In 2329, the couple became betrothed in a formal ceremony on planet Vulcan that was attended by Admiral Leonard McCoy and Lieutenant Jean-Luc Picard .

In 2344 , she was sent to the Romulan Star Empire on an unofficial assignment by Captain Uhura of Starfleet Intelligence to retrieve Spock, who had answered a mysterious summons from the Romulan commander Charvanek . When Saavik arrived on Romulus , she found the Romulan capital in a state of turmoil.

The mad Praetor Draleth was planning on launching an unprovoked attack on the Klingon colony at Narendra III in order to start a quadrant-wide war. Spock instructed Saavik to leave Romulus and raise the alarm for Narendra while Spock (who was suffering from the beginning stages of Pon-Farr ) and his ally Ruanek took care of Draleth.

Saavik managed to reach the USS Enterprise -C , who went on to defend Narendra, while sending Saavik back to Vulcan, where she was soon reunited with Spock. Soon after, the couple were officially married in another ceremony, this one attended by both McCoy and Uhura. ( TOS novel : Vulcan's Heart )

Alternate realities [ ]

First splinter timeline [ ], the uss alliance [ ].

Saavik eventually rose to the rank of captain, and was content for a time to command science vessels while the Federation was at peace. When the war with the Dominion broke out in 2373 , she requested command of a combat-worthy vessel, and was given command of the USS Alliance .

At some point during the war in 2374 she was injured in ship-to-ship combat and transferred to home duty on Vulcan. Her former first officer, Captain Howe , sent her a "get well cactus" that she described to Spock as "a superfluous xerophyte".

While on Vulcan, Saavik accepted command of the planet's defences. ( ST short story : " Blood Sacrifice ")

In early 2377, she led a diverse convoy of vessels into the space of the mysterious Watraii , who had announced plans for a genocidal war against the Romulan Star Empire. In this first encounter, Admiral Pavel Chekov was believed to have been killed in a transporter accident. ( TOS - Vulcan's Soul novel : Exodus )

After it was discovered by Uhura that Chekov had not been killed, but was instead languishing in a Watraii prison cell, Saavik took the Alliance back into Watraii space for a rescue operation. The effort was successful, but Saavik had to deal with the immediate consequences of the rescue operation. ( TOS - Vulcan's Soul novels : Exiles , Epiphany )

As of 2379 , Saavik was still in command of the Alliance . ( TTN novel : Taking Wing )

Other alternate realities [ ]

The crew of the USS Enterprise -A in an alternate timeline

In an alternate timeline created when Yeoman J. Mia Colt was sent forward in time from 2254 to 2293 after her tricorder scans released the tachyon energy contained in an Algolian artifact known as a Keepsake, Saavik served as a junior science officer aboard the USS Enterprise -A .

In 2293 , she was killed during a battle between the Enterprise -A and a Klingon bird-of-prey commanded by General Chang and three Klingon battle cruisers in orbit of Algol II . Shortly thereafter, Pike activated the self-destruct sequence . As the Enterprise was destroyed, Colt entered the Well of Tomorrows on Algol II and was returned to 2254, thereby restoring the proper timeline. ( EV comics : " Future Tense, Part Two ", " Futures, Part Three ", " Now and Then ")

Appendices [ ]

Connections [ ], appearances and references [ ], appearances [ ], external link [ ].

• Saavik article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• 1 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
• 2 The Chase
• 3 Preserver (race)

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published Aug 15, 2016

Catching Up with Kirstie Alley

Kirstie Alley. Need we say more? She’s been near the top of StarTrek.com ’s list to snag as an interview for many years. Her turn as Saavik in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan came out of nowhere, stunning audiences, and her performance launched her into a stellar career that endures to this day. She’s excelled at drama and comedy, too, and even given reality TV a go, with her credits spanning from Runaway, Summer School, Cheers , the Look Who’s Talking movies, David’s Mother, Veronica’s Closet and Deconstructing Harry, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Fat Actress, Dancing with the Stars and Kirstie . StarTrek.com caught up with Alley just a couple of days before she made her first-ever convention appearance at Star Trek Las Vega s, and here’s what she had to say…

Many people, for many, many years, have wanted to see you at a convention. What convinced you to finally say YES?

ALLEY: That's a good question. I was filming a movie in Canada. And one of the actors was going off to do one of these conventions. And I said, "Oh, what's it like to do them?" He said, "They're really, really fun." And I said, "Well, is it weird? What's it like?" He described what it was like. He said, "No, it's really fun." And he goes, "A lot of people do them now, you know, with Comic Con and the big Star Trek event in Las Vegas.” I just trusted him, and he sort of inspired me. That actor was Cas Avnar. I met Cas there when we were doing the movie, and he was just working this one day there. He was talking about it and said it's super-fun.

Let's talk about Star Trek II . What, if anything, did you know about Star Trek before that film came along?

ALLEY: I had watched Star Trek , the TV series, with my boyfriend, Bob. So I'd seen quite a few of those episodes. And people my whole life teased me, because when I’m talking and I don't really pay attention to what I’m doing, my eyebrow goes up. Right? So even just my friends would go, "Oh, God, your eyebrow goes up like Spock." When I came to Los Angeles and I was pursuing acting, and this role came up, they said, "You're half-Vulcan and half-Romulan, and you’re a protégée of Spock." I thought, "Well, I’ve got the eyebrow thing down.” If only I could do it on command. Which I really can't.

So that's an involuntary reflex?

ALLEY: Yes. I think it's when I’m concerned or thinking. Maybe that's how it works with Spock, too.

What do you remember of auditioning for the role of Saavik?

ALLEY: You know, it was a very bizarre period in my life. What had happened was I had not ever had an acting role. I didn’t walk around telling people I was an aspiring actress. Because who isn’t, in Hollywood? So I was doing some decorating jobs, and I was also a housekeeper. When I went for that audition, I could tell I did a good job. Nick Meyer liked me. Then he brought me back, and I did a good job again. I think I came in three times. And I was up against a lot of people who had worked a lot. So I had that against me. I wasn’t even in the Screen Actors Guild.

So then -- this is where it really seemed like it couldn't happen. And I’ve told this story before, but it was pretty significant in my life. I was supposed to have a meeting on a Monday for my final audition for Star Trek , in front of Paramount and the studio guys. That weekend, my parents were in a car wreck and my mother was killed. That was on a Friday night. I flew back to Kansas. It killed my mother, and my Dad was in bad condition. So I called my agent and I said, "I can't make this meeting Monday." He said, "Well, what do you want me to tell them?" I said, "Well, I want you to tell them what happened." He said, "But you realize it's already iffy to hire you, because you've never done anything. You're not in the Screen Actors Guild, and this could be your first movie. And now you're telling them that your mother died, and your father might be dying. And they start shooting in a month or something. And all that pressure on someone will probably mean you won't get the role." I said, "I understand, but I’m not leaving my Dad. So you're gonna have to tell them that, and you're gonna have to tell them that I can come back into town when my Dad is out of danger. Out of intensive care."

So he told them that, and...?

ALLEY: By some kind of huge miracle they said, "Okay. We'll wait." Which I still, to this day, am more grateful for than anything that's ever happened in my career. I just can't believe that they would have been so thoughtful and amazing. Still, to this day, I can't believe it. So there you go. And then what I did do with my Dad was, he was sort of in a semi-coma. I took a picture, an 8 by 10 of myself, and I said, "Dad, look, I really want to be in a movie." I said, "This is my picture. I want to be an actress." I don't even think I’d told my parents I really wanted to be an actress. I go, "And when you get out of here and you're doing well, I get to go audition for this." That night -- I’m not even making this up. This would seem so made-up, in a movie -- but that night his doctor called me and said, "Your Dad has pulled out all of his tubes, and we're going to see if he can make it on his own." I was like, "Okay." Then, the next day when I went in, he said, "So you're gonna be an actress. You're going to be in a movie."

Saavik was half-Vulcan, half-Romulan. What interested you most about her as a character?

ALLEY: I liked Spock. I was a big Spock fan. I didn’t have a lot of thought in it. The only thought I really had was, I knew I wanted to be an actress. I knew I wanted to be in a movie. And I knew that my eyebrow could raise up. And I thought, "Oh, I can do this. And I can look like Spock. I can make this happen." So that was about as much thought as there was.

So your naiveté and inexperience probably played right into the role.

ALLEY: It might have. I would like to sound like I was more intelligent and gave it more thought, but I didn't. I just thought, you know, "They're half Romulan and half Vulcan."

How did you enjoy working with Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner?

ALLEY: Well, I loved it. Bill is a mixed bag of tricks, which is funny. I think he thought at one point, “Why the hell did they hire this girl, who's never done anything?” I wasn’t so good at my lines, I will tell you. The repercussion for me never having acted before was that I wasn’t the world's best at learning lines. And I was sort of irresponsible. I mean, if you want to know the honest truth, I would go out every night and celebrate that I got a job in a movie. So I would stay out too late, and then I would come in, let's call it "unprepared." That might be a polite way to say it. But they were all such pros. They know what the hell they're doing. Bill… he's Captain Kirk, for God's sake. And Leonard was Spock. So they knew exactly what they were doing. Everyone was professional, probably except me.

Did you see the finished film at a premiere? In a theater? And what did you think of it?

ALLEY: I saw it at a premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theater. I think it was in the top five of my most extraordinary nights of my life. I hadn't seen any footage. I hadn't seen any pre-cut. I'd seen nothing. I had no idea, really, what I looked like. But the one thing about when I came to Hollywood is, I went to a movie in Grauman's Chinese, and I thought, "Oh my God. If only… someday." I really was like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz . "If only someday there would be a movie of mine in this theater." And boom. Lo and behold, there it is in that theater, with that booming sound, and James Horner's incredible score. I was so impressed that I was in something of that caliber and of that grandeur, you know? Before that, I'd just been on the set, going, "Oh, I’m being a half-Vulcan, half-Romulan." I didn’t know what it would look like. I really didn’t. And it was so much bigger than the series. Wow, it was just really impressive to me. I have to say that I was sitting there, like, "Oh my God! I'm a star!" [LAUGHTER]

Everyone assumed that you’d be in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , and it did not materialize. You were reportedly offered the same amount of money or less for what would have been a larger role. That math obviously didn’t work for you…

ALLEY: It doesn't work. I’m not trying to sound ungrateful at all, because what they paid me when you did your first job is fine. But it wasn’t like it was a massive amount of money, trust me. It just wasn’t. And so that never made sense to me. Like, “You're not paying as much as the first one, and it's a bigger role? It just didn’t make sense to me. I don't think I said, "Pass." I know I wouldn't have gone just, "Pass, forget it." I feel like what I said was, "Okay, I don't get this." And when we queried it sort of gently, like, "Why would you offer someone less money for a bigger role?" How many years later did they do III ?

Two years later. It came out in 1984.

ALLEY: Yeah. Why would you do that? It didn’t make sense. And I still don't know the answer, why they would do that. It still doesn't make sense to me. And I don't know who it was. I’ve heard rumors, but I don't know if the rumors were true.

You’ve said Nick Meyer and Star Trek II really gave you your career. At the end of the day, how grateful are you for Trek and what it did for you?

ALLEY: I can always say more about Nick Meyer, because I just feel like he took such a chance. He did. He took a big risk, I think. So did Gene Roddenberry. He was a fan. And so did Paramount, and so did all of the executives. I really thought they took a big chance, for all the reasons that I’ve said. You know, it's like when I did Cat on a Hot Tin Roof , and Jose Quintero championed me to the point where he said, "If she isn’t Maggie, then I’m not doing the play." How do you have enough gratitude for someone who takes that kind of stance with a girl that had never done a movie, in Nick's case, and with a girl who'd never done a play, in Jose Quintero's? How do you have enough gratitude for people who put you in a position -- even like Jimmy Burroughs, to put me in Cheers when I’d never done comedy? They didn’t know if I could be funny. All I did was go in and read for it, you know? They didn’t know I could do comedy. I didn’t know I could do comedy. I thought I could do comedy, but no one had ever seen me do it. So, I call it a luxury, and maybe I’m the luckiest girl in the world, that people actually hired me for something that they'd never seen me do.

We know that you’re working on a new TV show that’s too early in the development stages to discuss, so let’s ask you about being a grandmother. How is that going for you?

ALLEY: Oh my God. I had no idea. You know, a lot of my friends have been grandmothers for a while. I had no idea how special it was, and how exciting it would be. But to have your kid have a kid, it's just magical. He's two months old now.

In terms of your career, Star Trek II aside, what of your work are you proudest of, and why?

ALLEY: I don't think very much about that. I never talk about movies and I never talk about being an actress to anyone in my life, until I'm on the phone with someone doing an interview. So, most proud of? I guess that would be something that I would think I was the best at, or something, or my best work I ever did for some reason.

Let me put it to you this way. When your grandkid is old enough to watch Grandma in something, what are you going to have him watch?

ALLEY: Maybe Cheers . I think Cheers is one of those weird things that can be any time period. It's just timeless, for some reason. The writing on Cheers was so good. Timeless is the way I would describe it. I mean, I know kids now that watch Cheers , and they're 15 years old and they think it's hysterical. It doesn't feel dated to them. It's probably the equivalent of my watching I Love Lucy , you know? The writing was so good. It's current, in that those are some of the situations that go on right now. I would say I would start them off with Cheers . I was very proud of David's Mother , which was a drama, just because I hadn't ever done something like that. I guess any time -- I’m one of those actors that likes to do things that I haven't done before. So when someone asks me, "What about this?" If my first feeling is, "Ooh, why'd you choose me for this?" Then I kind of go -- because then you have to be a little bit braver, I guess -- "All right, I’ll give it a whirl."

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Why Saavik Was Star Trek VI's Most Heartbreaking Villain

• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was a powerful send-off for the original cast and tied into the end of the Cold War.
• New character Valeris was a Vulcan who betrayed Starfleet to sabotage peace talks and conspired with Klingons.
• Director Nicholas Meyer wanted to include a legacy Star Trek character that would've broken the hearts of both the characters and the audience.

The final film featuring the original cast of Star Trek exists because of a fortunate coincidence. At the turn of the final decade of the 20th Century, the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union came to an end. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was able to end the original cast's era with one final allegory casting the Federation as America and the Klingons as the USSR. However, if director Nicholas Meyer had been able to get his first choice for the Starfleet villain, Saavik (with Kirstie Alley reprising her role), the film would've been heartbreaking.

The story writer Denny Martin Flinn, Mark Rosenthal and Meyer came up with for The Undiscovered Country wasn't always perfect. The original opening of Star Trek VI was truly terrible, and thankfully cut for budget considerations. The finished product however stands up even in 2023 as a lovely meditation on the struggle to accept and embrace big changes, especially in how one sees the world. As the US and USSR mended fences by tearing down walls, a space-disaster set up a scenario where the Federation would finally make peace with their hated enemies the Klingons. The inclusion of Saavik as an antagonist working with the Klingons to derail peace would've been an emotionally powerful addition.

Why Kirstie Alley Didn't Return as Saavik in Star Trek VI

Star Trek: Lower Decks Creator Wants to Create Animated, Live-Action Movies

Nicholas Meyer first cast Kirstie Alley as Saavik, Spock's Vulcan protégé, in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . Her first major acting role, the documentary The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek includes an in-depth interview in which she discusses her struggles making the film. Along with not being used to the rigors and demands of filmmaking, Alley says the cast wasn't very welcoming. When the character of Saavik returned in the next two pictures, she was played instead by Robin Curtis. In her first, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , Saavik gets intimate with a regenerating Spock, going through the deadly pon farr .

In The Fifty-Year Mission: The First 25 Years: The Complete, Uncensored, and Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman, co-writer on Star Trek VI Peter Krikes revealed five cut lines of dialogue would've revealed she was pregnant with Spock's child . It's why Saavik was written out of that film. Had Saavik returned for The Undiscovered Country , that would've been ignored. Instead, Rosenthal pitched that Saavik and Kirk fall in love, in order produce another half-human, half-Vulcan character like Spock.

In Star Trek VI , Saavik would've been one of the Starfleet officers working with General Chang and the Klingons to undermine peace talks. During The Search for Spock , Saavik witnessed the Klingons kill David Marcus, Kirk's son . Her repressed anger over his murder would lead her to betray the Federation and, more importantly, Spock. Ultimately, however, Meyer couldn't convince Alley to return for the role. Instead of asking Curtis to reprise the role, he created Valeris and cast Kim Cattrall.

Why Saavik Would Be a Better Antagonist in The Undiscovered Country

Star Trek Can Still Tell TNG-Era Sequel Stories in Adult Animation

By virtue of the difference in Alley's and Curtis's performances, Saavik appeared to mature and become "more" Vulcan in Star Trek III and IV . In The Wrath of Khan , Alley's Saavik isn't emotional, rather she's out of her depth around all these irrational humans. If Alley had returned as the character, it's likely her choices would have again put Saavik off balance. This would work on every level. The entire USS Enterprise crew is off-balance. First, they're skeptical of the peace talks. After the villains assassinate Mikhail Gorbachev stand-in, Chancellor Gorkon, the crew is off-balance trying to prove their innocence.

Valeris is an interesting character, and Cattrall's performance is great. She's charming enough to make audiences care about her, at least a little. But audiences already cared about Saavik. With or without the scene when Spock offers his Vulcan protégé the position of science officer on the USS Enterprise, her betrayal would've been devastating. Spock is a rock in this film , both in setting up the peace talks and then investigating the crime. When he confronts Valeris it's satisfying, but audiences don't feel what Spock is supposed to be repressing.

Saavik represented the very next generation of Starfleet officers, personally mentored by Spock. As great an officer as she was, trained with the best of the best, her betrayal would show Spock and company passed along their biases to her as well. The Undiscovered Country is Captain Kirk's greatest victory , from a big-picture perspective. He stops the baddies and brings about a peace that lasts for all time. (Save for a few years during Deep Space Nine. ) If Saavik had been the villain, the victory would've been wrapped around their greatest failure.

Star Trek Storytellers Wasted Saavik as a Character

The Past 30 Years of Star Trek Movies Are Missing This Key Ingredient

Fans who liked Saavik are surely pleased she wasn't the villain in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . Valeris committed unforgivable sins, which means Saavik is still a "hero" in their eyes. However, despite how long-lived Vulcans are, Star Trek producers never brought the character back with either actor. Thus, her arc remains incomplete, and the potential for interesting drama was wasted. Whether she had Spock's child, fell in love with Kirk or both, in the Star Trek canon hers is only half a story.

The franchise is normally very good about setting up its future while tying it to the past. Michael Dorn appears in The Undiscovered Country as Colonel Worf, a Klingon advocate and namesake of his The Next Generation character . If Rick Berman -- who was in charge of Star Trek after the passing of creator Gene Roddenberry -- had utilized Saavik in a future story, sparing her from Star Trek VI makes some sense. Especially since she could serve to introduce the son of Spock in an era that had a dearth of memorable Vulcan characters. Saavik deserved more than to disappear on Vulcan never to be seen again.

Perhaps Meyer should've offered the role to Curtis once Alley passed on reprisal, especially since she was the Saavik audiences were most familiar with. One thing often missed in the film is how the villains -- in trying to subvert peace -- proved the Klingons and Starfleet could work together. That story would have much more emotional impact, for the characters and viewers, if it had been Saavik instead of Valeris.

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Saavik was a protagonist introduced in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan .

She was initially portrayed by the late Kristie Alley in Star Trek II , then by Robin Curtis in subsequent films.

Saavik, whose name meant "Little Cat" in Romulan was a half-Vulcan half-Romulan hybrid. The product of a rape of a Vulcan by a Romulan, she spent her early years living a hellish existence on the planet Hellguard before being rescued by Spock , who took her back to Vulcan and arranged for her to be cared for by his parents Sarek and Amanda Grayson.

In 2281, Saavik followed in Spock's footsteps and joined Starfleet. Her Romulan heritage made life at the Academy difficult, however she perservered and in 2285 held the rank of Lieutenant (JG). She took the Kobayashi Maru test and failed it just as nearly all other cadets did.

Saavik, as portrayed by Kirstie Alley.

Soon after her test, Saavik served on the Enterprise under then Admiral James T. Kirk as the ship went on a three week cadet cruise. The ship came under attack by Khan Noonien Singh, who had recently escaped from Ceti Alpha V. By the time Khan had been defeated, Saavik's friend Preston was dead. Khan's attacks also apparently cost the life of her mentor Spock when he sacrificed himself to save the Enterprise from the Genesis Wave. She did strike up a friendship with Kirk's son David Marcus after he and his mother Carol were rescued from the Regula I planetoid.

Saavik transferred with David over to the USS Grissom . During their time on the ship her relationship with David became physical. The ship soon returned to the Genesis planet, where they found the regenerated body of Captain Spock on the surface of the planet, with his mind blank. Grissom was lost just after they discovered Spock, a victim of an attack by the Klingon warlord Kruge .

Meanwhile Spock was rapidly growing into an adult as the Genesis Planet also aged rapidly. When Spock began experiencing pon-farr, Saavik slept with Spock to help resolve the condition. The Enterprise arrived a short time later. When she was disabled during combat with Kruge's ship, Kirk tried to bluff Kruge into surrendering, but Kruge decided to have one of the three Federation citizens killed. The Klingon warrior chose to kill Saavik, but David sacrificed himself to protect her and Spock.

Kirk blew up the Enterprise , taking out the Klingons who boarded the Enterprise to take her over. He then defeated Kruge in hand to hand combat on the surface of the disintegrating Genesis planet. By then Spock had reached the age that he was when he had sacrificed himself. Boarding the Klingon ship, Saavik and the other survivors raced to Vulcan, where Spock's living soul was transferred from Leonard McCoy back into Spock's body, restoring Spock to life.

Saavik remained on Vulcan for the next several months. During this time she kept her distance from Spock as he recovered from his experiences and retrained his mind. Saavik did record and send a statement to the Federation Council in support of Kirk. When Kirk and the Enterprise crew left Vulcan to return to Earth to face the consequences of their actions, Saavik remained behind on Vulcan with Amanda.

Returning to duty in Starfleet, Saavik eventually served on the Enterprise-A full time. She eventually transferred off the Enterprise after disagreeing with Spock over his new protégé Valeris - who she thought was arrogant and bigoted. Her concerns turned out to be correct when Valeris was exposed as a traitor after the Khitomer conspiracy.

The friendship between Saavik and Spock in the coming years continued to develop, and in 2329 the pair became engaged in a betrothal ceremony attended both by Admiral McCoy and a young Lieutenant Jean-Luc Picard . The pair were finally formally married in 2344.

Saavik was a Captain in Starfleet by the 2370s, and commanded the USS Alliance . During the Dominion War she was wounded during ship to ship combat and spent several months recuperating on Vulcan. One of her former first officers sent her a get well cactus, which Saavik termed a "a superfluous xerophyte." Saavik returned to duty, and continued to command the Alliance following the war.

• Apparently Alley wanted to reprise her role of Saavik in The Search For Spock , however a misunderstanding with her agent caused the agent to insist on a much higher salary than Paramount was willing to pay, leading to the role being recast.
• Saavik was originally slated to return as one of the members of the Khitomer Conspiracy in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . However Kristie Alley declined to return, and producers didn't want to bring Robin Curtis back. Unwilling to cast a third actress to portray Saavik, and being concerned over the fan reaction to Saavik being a traitor led the producers the shelve those plans, and instead introduce the character of Valeris as the traitor on Kirk's ship.
• The Star Trek: The Next Generation producers were originally going to make Saavik the first officer of the Bozeman in the episode Cause and Effect , however the scheduling could not be worked out for Alley to appear on the show.
• Originally the producers of Star Trek IV were going to explain Saavik remaining on Vulcan because of her being pregnant as a result of having intercourse with Spock on the Genesis Planet to help him resolve his pon-farr. The scenes dealing with Saavik's pregnancy were cut from the final film.
• 1 Mariko Toda
• 2 Yoshi Toranaga
• 3 King Baldwin IV

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

Robin curtis: saavik.

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Quotes 

Kruge : [1:00:44]  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!

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.

Saavik : I have no knowledge.

Kruge : Then I hope pain's something you enjoy.

McCoy : [1:18:52]  Rapid aging. All genetic functions highly accelerated.

Kirk : What about his mind?

McCoy : His mind is a void. It seems, Admiral, that I've got all his marbles.

Kirk : Is there anything we can do?

Saavik : Only one thing, sir. Get him off this planet. His aging is part of what's going on around us.

Saavik : [to David]  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?

David Marcus : This planet's aging in surges.

Saavik : And Spock with it. It seems they're joined together.

David Marcus : They are.

Saavik : How long?

David Marcus : Days... maybe hours. I'm sorry.

Saavik : It will be hardest on Spock. Soon he will feel the burning of his Vulcan blood.

David Marcus : I don't understand.

Saavik : Pon farr. Vulcan males must endure it every seventh year of their adult life.

Captain Esteban : Grissom to Saavik. We're picking up radiation from the life form.

Saavik : Affirmative, Captain. Our readings are well below danger level.

Captain Esteban : Very well. Exercise caution, Lieutenant. This landing is captain's discretion, and I'm the one who's out on a limb.

Saavik : I'll try to remember that, Captain.

Saavik : All units functional. Recorders are on. Scanning sector 1. Foliage in fully-developed state of growth. Temperature, 22.2 Celsius.

David Marcus : Sector 2 indicating desert terrain. Minimal vegetation. Temperature, 39.4.

Saavik : Sector 3, subtropical vegetation. Temperature decreasing rapidly.

David Marcus : [looking at the monitor over her shoulder]  It's snow. Snow in the same sector. Fantastic.

Saavik : Fascinating.

David Marcus : All the varieties of land and weather known to Earth within a few hours' walk.

Saavik : [getting an alert]  Metallic mass.

David Marcus : Close-range scan. A photon tube. Gravitational fields were in flux. It must have soft-landed.

Captain Esteban : [to his communications officer]  Encode to Starfleet: "Captain Spock's tube located on Genesis' surface."

Saavik : We have reached the destination planet at .035.

Captain Esteban : Very well, Lieutenant. Helm, execute standard orbital approach.

Helm : Standard orbit. Aye, sir.

Captain Esteban : Communications. Send a coded message for Starfleet Commander, priority 1. "Federation science vessel Grissom arriving Genesis Planet, Mutara sector, to begin research. J.T. Esteban, commanding."

Communications : Aye, sir. Coding now.

Captain Esteban : Dr. Marcus, it's your planet.

David Marcus : Begin scanning, please.

[whispering in her ear] 

David Marcus : This is where the fun begins, Saavik.

Saavik : Just like your father; so human.

Saavik : It's time for total truth between us. This planet is not what you intended or hoped for, is it?

David Marcus : Not exactly.

Saavik : Why?

David Marcus : I used protomatter in the Genesis matrix.

Saavik : Protomatter. An unstable substance which every ethical scientist in the galaxy has denounced as dangerously unpredictable.

David Marcus : It was the only way to solve certain problems.

Saavik : So, like your father, you changed the rules.

David Marcus : If I hadn't, it might have been years or never.

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?

David Marcus : I don't believe it.

Captain Esteban : What is it?

Saavik : If equipment is functioning properly, indications are an animal life-form.

Captain Esteban : You said there wouldn't be any.

David Marcus : There shouldn't be any.

Saavik : Cross-referenced and verified. An unidentifiable life-form reading.

Communications : Do you wish to advise Starfleet, sir?

Captain Esteban : Wait a minute. We don't know what we're talking about here.

David Marcus : Why don't we beam it up?

Captain Esteban : Oh, no, you don't. Regulations specifically state nothing shall be beamed aboard until danger of contamination has been eliminated.

Saavik : Captain, the logical alternative is obvious. Beaming down to the surface is permitted.

Captain Esteban : If the captain decides that the mission is vital and reasonably free of danger.

David Marcus : Captain, please, we'll take the risk, but we've got to find out what it is.

Saavik : Or who.

David Marcus : There are your life-forms. These were microbes on the tube's surface. We shot them here from Enterprise. They were fruitful and multiplied.

Saavik : But how could they have evolved so quickly?

David Marcus : [opening the tube]  Saavik?

[taking out and handing her a black cloak] 

David Marcus : What is it?

Saavik : Spock's burial robe.

Saavik : [1:09:32]  Admiral, David is dead

Kirk : Klingon bastard, youkilled my son! Klingon bastard you killed my son. Klingon bastard.

Kruge : There are two more prisoners. Do you want them killed, too? Surrender your vessel

Kirk : All right. All right damn you. All right. Give me a minute to inform my crew

Saavik : I give two minutes for you and your gallant crew

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Saavik (shuttle)

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In 2401 , the Saavik was held in Shuttlebay 3. To aid Captain William T. Riker and Admiral Jean-Luc Picard in their unauthorized mission to rescue Beverly Crusher on the SS Eleos XII , Commander Seven of Nine called away the ensign guarding it, giving them the opportunity to launch the shuttle. Riker piloted the shuttle to the aft docking port on the Eleos XII , whereupon he and Picard boarded the small starship . ( PIC : " The Next Generation ")

Shortly after, the Shrike destroyed the shuttle with a volley of photon torpedoes , cutting off that avenue of escape. ( PIC : " Disengage ")

Screen Rant

Roddenberry was right: why star trek 6 switched saavik for another vulcan.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country created the treacherous Lt. Valeris after Gene Roddenberry objected to the plan to turn Saavik into a traitor.

• Gene Roddenberry objected to the initial idea of turning Lt. Saavik into a traitor in Star Trek VI, and he was right. Saavik was a beloved character and it wouldn't have been fitting for her to commit treason.
• Lt. Valeris was created as a new character for Star Trek VI to replace Saavik. This decision allowed the story to unfold properly without compromising Saavik's established character.
• Money was also a factor in the decision to create Valeris. Kirstie Alley, who played Saavik in Star Trek II, was the highest-paid actress on television at the time and Star Trek couldn't afford her. Kim Cattrall was cast as Valeris and she was excited to join Star Trek as a new character.

Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was right to object to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country 's initial idea to turn Lt. Saavik (Kirstie Alley/Robin Curtis) into a traitor, which resulted in the film creating a new character, Lt. Valeris (Kim Cattrall). In Star Trek VI , Valeris conspired with rogue Klingons, Romulans, and Starfleet Officers to prevent peace between the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets. From her position aboard the USS Enterprise, Valeris enabled the conspiracy to frame Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) for the assassination of Klingon Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner).

During the production of Star Trek VI in 1991, a very ill Gene Roddenberry was still executive consultant of the Star Trek movies as well as exective producer of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Although Roddenberry had long since lost any real say in the movie franchise's decision-making, he was still kept in the loop about Star Trek VI 's development, and he was made aware of every element of the film's story, including the initial plan to cast Lt. Saavik in the role of the Starfleet traitor. Roddenberry was reportedly furious at the idea of Saavik committing treason against the Federation, and especially betraying Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy). And Star Trek 's creator was correct.

Star Trek: The Original Series Cast & Character Guide

Roddenberry’s objection saved saavik from being star trek vi’s vulcan traitor.

Gene Roddenberry fought against Star Trek VI 's director Nicholas Meyer's plan to make Saavik Star Trek VI 's Vulcan traitor, and he objected on the grounds that Saavik had achieved "beloved character" status. Meyer argued that Saavik was a character he created for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , and since she was not a Gene Roddenberry creation, he had every right to turn Saavik traitor if that's what the movie's story called for. However, Roddenberry got his way, and Saavik was saved. It turned out much better that Valeris was created for Star Trek VI because a character created from whole cloth allowed Meyer to have Valeris act as the story required, and it wouldn't be "out of character", as turning traitor would have been for Saavik.

There were other factors that led to Lt. Valeris replacing Lt. Saavik in Star Trek VI, however, and the most prevalent was money. In 1991, Kirstie Alley was the star of Cheers, and she was the highest-paid actress on television. Frankly, Star Trek VI couldn't afford Alley reprising Saavik. Nicholas Meyer and producer Leonard Nimoy also didn't want to recast the role of Saavik a third time after Alley and Robin Curtis played the Vulcan, so creating Valeris instead was logical. This also allowed Meyer to cast Kim Cattrall as Valeris; the future Sex and the City star was actually Meyer's original choice to play Saavik in Star Trek II but Cattrall was unavailable. As Valeris, Cattralll was excited to finally join Star Trek and play a new character. Kim would have turned the movie down if she'd been asked to be the third actress to play Saavik.

Why Roddenberry Was Right About Saavik In Star Trek VI

Although Saavik only made three canonical appearances in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Gene Roddenberry was right that Lt. Saavik was a character who was embraced and beloved. Star Trek fans likely would have rejected seeing Saavik turn traitor out of a misguided sense she was "protecting the Federation." In turn, Lt. Valeris made a huge impact as a protégé of Spock who betrayed him, and even though Star Trek VI was her lone appearance, Valeris remains influential. Star Trek: Lower Decks ' heroic Vulcan Lt. T'Lyn's (Gabrielle Ruiz) look is based, in part, on Valeris' hairstyle and signature headband.

Star Trek: Picard gave Saavik her due 37 years after she was last seen in Star Trek IV . Canonical backstory setting up Picard season 3 on Instagram revealed that Saavik was promoted to Captain in 2293, and the Vulcan was, in fact, the first Captain of the USS Titan. Further, the Titan was briefly the flagship of the Federation. This essentially made Saavik one of the most important Starfleet Captains of the late 23rd century era, thanks to Gene Roddenberry fighting to keep Saavik from going down in Star Trek history as a traitor.