Her best was "big trouble in little China" .... But I've never been a big fan
Alley on not doing Trek III
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Her best was "big trouble in little China" .... But I've never been a big fan
I suppose it is down to personal choice, but couldn't disagree more.
When it comes to Kirsty Alley VS Robin Curtis as Saavik, I am TOTALLY in the Robin Curtis camp. Even way back when I first saw TWOK in the theaters as a kid, I thought Kirstey Alley was miscast as a Vulcan. She didn't look like one (no up turned eyebrows, and in the funeral scene, you can't even see her ears), and I felt the way Alley portrayed Saavik was not Vulcan enough for my taste. It's not that I disliked Alley. She just didn't really stand out that much to me.
As for Robin Curtis, she looked and acted the part of a Vulcan much better. She was more stoic as a Vulcan should be. The eyebrows were correct, and they made sure her ears were on display (Yes that is important to me!
). Of the two, I thought Robin Curtis was much prettier (again personal choice). I think Nimoy made the right call to make sure Saavik did deliver the "David is dead" like in a cold manner like she did. I know some fans were upset she was unemotional, some even interpreted it as being smug, but that is not how I interpreted it. I took it as her being angry, upset, and even feeling a sense of terror because she might be next, and she was suppressing her emotion, which is what a Vulcan does. When faced with situations where emotion could overtake them, they double down on suppressing their emotion. Nimoy was the one who set the template for Vulcans in the first place, so who would know best?
I'm guessing that you thought covering the Romulan's ears was the worst part of TFF.The eyebrows were correct, and they made sure her ears were on display (Yes that is important to me!
Not the worst, but I didn't like that.I'm guessing that you thought covering the Romulan's ears was the worst part of TFF.
I suppose it is down to personal choice, but couldn't disagree more.
When it comes to Kirsty Alley VS Robin Curtis as Saavik, I am TOTALLY in the Robin Curtis camp. Even way back when I first saw TWOK in the theaters as a kid, I thought Kirstey Alley was miscast as a Vulcan. She didn't look like one (no up turned eyebrows, and in the funeral scene, you can't even see her ears), and I felt the way Alley portrayed Saavik was not Vulcan enough for my taste. It's not that I disliked Alley. She just didn't really stand out that much to me.
As for Robin Curtis, she looked and acted the part of a Vulcan much better. She was more stoic as a Vulcan should be. The eyebrows were correct, and they made sure her ears were on display (Yes that is important to me!
I think Nimoy made the right call to make sure Saavik did deliver the "David is dead" like in a cold manner like she did. I know some fans were upset she was unemotional, some even interpreted it as being smug, but that is not how I interpreted it. I took it as her being angry, upset, and even feeling a sense of terror because she might be next, and she was suppressing her emotion, which is what a Vulcan does. When faced with situations where emotion could overtake them, they double down on suppressing their emotion. Nimoy was the one who set the template for Vulcans in the first place, so who would know best?
I think I'd say that Alley's Saavik was too emotional considering that they essentially dumped her backstory but that might be Meyer's fault since Valeris was too emotional as well. Having watched Beyond, I was getting a Kirstie Saavik vibe from Jaylah, whose background was very similar to Saavik's. I would much rather have seen them build Saavik up as a character showing how her heritage and upbringing affected her.
If Curtis had tried to play her as more emotional, she might have found herself at odds with her director. Even so, retconning her as a typical, unemotional Vulcan character weakened her longevity IMO. A more vulnerable character with anger management issues would have made her more 'fascinating'.
I've heard why they were reluctant to use her in TUC but does anybody know why she was not considered for TFF?
The only thing I remember is a quote, or maybe it was just a paraphrase, from Shatner in an issue of Starlog at the time that there wasn't room for her in Final Frontier. The way the script was structured, there's no obvious place for Saavik to fit.
Once again, this is only true if you ignore her back story. A flashback of Saavik as a feral child on the Romulan colony being rescued by Spock, hero-worshipping Spock, loving Spock, would have rung far more true than Uhura slobbering over Scotty. In fact, I would have much preferred Uhura to be one of the crew unaffected so she could have been more in the thick of the action. A shame.
The issue raised by bringing on another Vulcan character is how to differentiate them from Spock. In TWOK, Saavik was young and unseasoned compared to Spock, with the sense of a mentor/mentee relationship (or senpai/kohai, if you like). In TSFS, that relationship was absent, and the change of actor meant there was no real continuity of the character. Thus, the character had to stand or fall on its own merits. Although Wright has her fans, I think most find her performance uncharismatic. I'll allow that the actor playing David didn't give her much to play off.
I do think that Butrick gives a much better performance in TSFS than he did in TWOK.
You are talking about Robin Curtis, wright... er right?
Correct. All these Robins look the same to me...
Kirstie Alley has gone on to BIGGER things.....bigger meals and bigger dresses.
I loved Alley-Saavik, she was definitely far better (and more memorable) in the role. It's a shame she never returned for TSFS, I can just imagine the chemistry between Saavik and David trapped on Genesis.
Alley, just like many others today, has a tough enough time dealing with their weight gains and losses, to which comments like those are uncalled for.
Alley, just like many others today, has a tough enough time dealing with their weight gains and losses, to which comments like those are uncalled for.
Kirstie Alley has gone on to BIGGER things.....bigger meals and bigger dresses.
She was better in her ever-expanding presence in "Cheers" than in that very slim part in TWOK.
Reminds of that alien talking to McCoy in the bar scene of ST III...
"Funny is not? So think you. I think funny is."
I do think it would have been better had Saavik been played by Kirstie Alley all the way through to Star Trek VI. For consistency, and for better dramatic punch.
Not that I had any problem with Robin Curtis. I did see her first in the role, after all. I saw Star Trek II after I had seen Star Trek III dozens of times.
Not that I had any problem with Robin Curtis. I did see her first in the role, after all. I saw Star Trek II after I had seen Star Trek III dozens of times.
That's just weird!