Why does the Vulcan Lieutenant Saavik (Kirstie Alley) cry over the death of Spock (Leonard Nimoy) in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan? Directed by Nicholas Meyer, the second film starring the cast of Star Trek: The Original Series introduced Lt. Saavik as the protégé of Spock. Saavik serves on the bridge of the USS Enterprise during the conflict that resulted when Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) steals the planet-creating Genesis Device.
Lieutenant Saavik learned a great deal from Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, but she taught the Starfleet legend a thing or two as well. Kirk realized Saavik was right about quoting regulations when Khan’s stolen USS Reliant caught Jim “with my pants down” and disabled the Starship Enterprise. Throughout Star Trek II, Saavik conferred with Spock, even marveling that Kirk was “so human.” But for a Vulcan, it’s Saavik who displayed the very human emotion of grief as she openly wept over Spock when the Vulcan Science Officer sacrificed his life to stop Khan.
Why Kirstie Alley’s Lt. Saavik Cried At Spock’s Death In Star Trek II
It’s not logical.
Lieutenant Saavik’s very un-Vulcan like crying over the death of Spock at the end of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is because of her deleted backstory. Lt. Saavik was originally conceived to be half-Vulcan and half-Romulan. The screenplay for Star Trek II describes Saavik’s shared heritage, which was meant to echo Spock’s own half-human and half-Vulcan duality:
” Lt. Saavik is young and beautiful. She is half Vulcan and half Romulan. In appearance, she is Vulcan with pointed ears, but her skin is fair and she has none of the expressionless facial immobility of a Vulcan. ”
Romulans don’t suppress their emotions as their Vulcan cousins do, and Lt. Saavik showed her grief upon Spock’s heroic and tragic death. However, since Star Trek II never stated Saavik’s ancestry on-screen (a line from Spock explaining her dual heritage to Kirk was cut from the film), Saavik is presented as a full Vulcan. Yet Saavik’s original intention as a half-Romulan remains with her crying and mourning Spock.
Leonard Nimoy Made Saavik More Vulcan In Star Trek III
Robin Curtis’ Saavik learned from Nimoy
As the director of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Leonard Nimoy’s approach to Lt. Saavik differed greatly from Nicholas Meyer’s in Star Trek II. Kirstie Alley didn’t reprise Saavik in Star Trek III due to a pay dispute, and Robin Curtis was cast to play Saavik in the sequel that resurrected Spock. Leonard Nimoy personally coached Robin Curtis on how to portray a Vulcan, and this is why Robin’s version of Lt. Saavik is cooler and more logical and Kirstie Alley’s more tempestuous Saavik.
Under Leonard Nimoy’s guidance, Robin Curtis’ Lt. Saavik displayed no outward emotion as a Vulcan. When David Marcus (Merritt Butrick) was murdered by Klingons, Saavik reacted properly as a Vulcan, and she didn’t cry over David despite the close relationship they shared in Star Trek III. While it’s canonically the same character in both Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Robin Curtis’ Lt. Saavik doesn’t display the traces of her deleted Romulan heritage that Kirstie Alley’s Lt. Saavik did.