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They don't really 'search' for Spock

They know they shot him at Genesis. But it wasn't until the Grissom team located the torpedo tube that they - the Grissom - knew that it was there. I don't know or am not aware if Kirk & Co. got that info.

And something I often think people overlook after years of hindsight was that they weren't expecting to find Spock alive, or to bring him back to life. They went to retrieve his corpse and bring that back to Vulcan. And if they didn't know the tube had "soft landed," then they had no idea it had survived the atmospheric entry, and if did, they would have to search the entire planet - before it blew itself up.
 
Star Trek 3: This All Could Have Been Avoided If Spock Had Left Clearer Instructions As To The Disposition Of His Corpse.
 
Alright, I'll bite. Where is Spock? He's not on Genesis; that's just a reanimated corpse. He's not in McCoy's head, that's just his katra. Where is Spock?
 
When Kirk is with Sarek, they look at the tape where Spock gives McCoy his katra. And then Sarek tells him to get his ass to Genesis. That's all the investigation that's required. In other words:

They Study Security Camera Footage for Spock.
 
When Kirk is with Sarek, they look at the tape where Spock gives McCoy his katra. And then Sarek tells him to get his ass to Genesis. That's all the investigation that's required. In other words:

They Study Security Camera Footage for Spock.

Yeah, so why was it necessary to get his body from Genesis anyway? I never understood that. Sounded like Sarek thought the katra was enough.
 
Well, his katra probably could have been preserved in some way in Vulcan society, or possibly through a mindmeld with his relatives or something. But to bring Spock back to life, they needed his body.
 
Knowing what planet he's on is hardly knowing where he is.

The next time you can't find your keys, just take heart in the fact that you do indeed know where they are... on planet Earth.
 
Well, his katra probably could have been preserved in some way in Vulcan society, or possibly through a mindmeld with his relatives or something. But to bring Spock back to life, they needed his body.

But Kirk didn't go to Genesis because he thought they could bring Spock back to life. He was taking the katra to Vulcan so it could be removed from McCoy and preserved, as you say. But the mission turned into a side trip to Genesis, to get Spock's body... why?
 
Because Bones/Spock's katra wanted to go! He probably knew subconsciously that he could be restored.
 
Yeah, so why was it necessary to get his body from Genesis anyway? I never understood that. Sounded like Sarek thought the katra was enough.

They dropped the lengthy explanation, but the novelization has it. Body and katra are reunited briefly before the katra passes into the Hall of Ancient Thought but, with Spock's katra trapped in the head of a non Vulcan, the procedure will be difficult - and deemed impossible with no deceased body.
 
Then this is a risk for any Vulcan who dies offworld (not to mention those who die on Vulcan but can't be taken to the Hall). Why isn't there a standing policy that all Vulcans will be returned to Vulcan upon their death, rather than being shot into space in a torpedo tube? If it's that important, it seems like the entire Vulcan government should be complaining, rather than just Sarek-- and the dismissal of that policy by one admiral as "Vulcan mysticism" wouldn't carry much weight.
 
I have a feeling it's rare for a Vulcan (or anyone) to be in a situation where they know their death is imminent. Anyone who knows they're going to die and has time to plan would likely already be with their family.

As soon as he learned that Kirk didn't carry Spock's katra, Sarek basically accepted it and gave up, figuring it was a long shot at best.
 
Hmm, I may have this wrong, but I was assuming that under normal circumstances the katra remained in the body and was retrieved by the priests later-- and that Spock made other arrangements because he knew his body would be dangerously radioactive. If this was true, you wouldn't need to plan anything under normal circumstances. You'd just need to ship your body back to Vulcan.

If I'm wrong and the katra is never saved unless you have time to transfer it, then Therin of Andor's explanation makes sense. Only applicable under specific circumstances. No need for a blanket policy.
 
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