Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Was Forced To Follow A Strict William Shatner Rule - SlashFilm
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The screenwriters of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home were ordered to make William Shatner's Captain Kirk feel like the movie's most important character.

“The approach we were told to take is that Kirk really had to be the one to lead everyone. […] Not necessarily that he had to actually have the idea to do something, but it had to appear as if he has the idea.”

Krikes recalled how illogical the mandate was, and how, when you watch the film, you can see how Kirk has been arbitrarily inserted into various scenes where he doesn’t belong. For example, there’s a scene near the end of the movie in which Spock (Nimoy) has a conversation with his father Sarek (Mark Lenard). Kirk is present in the background, watching the conversation. There is no reason for him to be there. But, golly, that’s what Paramount wanted.

…

“I think the perfect example in the movie is when Spock goes into the belly of the Bird of Prey to use the computers and learns that the sound is whale songs. It’s Kirk who has the idea to go back through time, although Spock is the one who plants the suggestion in Kirk’s mind. Kirk verbalizes it, and that’s the way it had to be played. We were told Bill had to be the leader at all times. In that scene, if you’re reading it, you say, ‘It’s Spock’s idea,’ but on film, Spock’s discovery that it’s humpback whales is not as important as Kirk’s idea of going to get them.”

  • @MajorHavoc
    3•1 month ago

    Yeah. Bones absolutely was meant to swear like a sailor, and couldn’t get out part the censors.

    This all still fits my head-canon, in case it helps you enjoy Trek IV more.

    In my head canon, It’s not that swearing died out. What died off is any particular words being exceptional or able to cause offense.

    Spock is confused in the 20th century, because the angry man expected a reaction to his swearing.

    A typical angry 24th century person wouldn’t waste their energy adding swears when truly angry, because the swears don’t bring any additional reaction.

    We do see some evidence of this in other Trek - 24th century people (at least federation officers) are often shown to get very articulate, when angry.

    So I attribute Spock’s confusion to encountering a 20th century person who became less articulate, when angered. Then Kirk has to try to explain that the selected (less specific) words carry 20th century cultural significance.

    • Flying SquidOPM
      2•1 month ago

      Except, again, people swear when angry in Discovery, SNW, Lower Decks and Picard.

      • @MajorHavoc
        4•1 month ago

        Yeah. I mean - It’s still clearly a retcon. I don’t disagree by any means.

        I just like to allow that the 20th century man’s reaction is substantially different enough from any 24th century norm to support Spock’s confusion.