Did You Know?: Spock had a child with Saavik in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Spock was supposed to have a child in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

Fans were deprived of one of the best ideas to never make it to the big screen; Spock being a dad. Parental storylines were something little explored in Star Trek, at least among the crew. While James T. Kirk had a son, he was hastily introduced and just as quickly killed off. Spock’s child would’ve at least given fans a chance to see one of the more prominent characters getting to become a father. While others, like Sulu, did have a daughter, it was often used as a plot device and not as a story arc.

That was until Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, where Spock and Saavik would’ve been parents to a baby few knew about.

The screenplay first had Saavik taking maternity leave from the Enterprise and Starfleet as a whole, and returning to Vulcan to have her child, which she conceived with Spock during Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. The reason for her departure would remain unknown to most, which would’ve led to a dangling plotline where the crew of the Enterprise goes back in time while the audience is aware of Saavik’s pregnancy. Ultimately, that was cut from the final version of the film.

The scene was cut from The Voyage Home because of Spock himself

The reason why the scene was cut boils down to one person ultimately. It was because of the man who brought Spock to life, Leonard Nimoy himself. Nimoy was apparently “uncomfortable” with the idea according to Harve Bennett, a contributor on the Star Trek films.

More from Movies

• Rod Roddenberry is trying to obtain the missing Enterprise model
• Nicholas Meyer admits he doesn’t understand J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movies
• 3 reasons why a Star Trek prequel series or film about Khan would succeed
• The 3 best Star Trek films across each and every era of films
• 3 reasons why a Star Trek prequel series or film about Khan would fail

Since Nimoy was directing Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, he got to decide who and what made the movie in the end.

Peter Krikes, who wrote the film’s original script with Steve Meerson, was quoted in the book “The Making of the Star Trek Films” that five lines of dialogue were taken out of one scene in particular that would’ve revealed the pregnancy.

In that scene, Kirk would be talking to Saavik and would ask her if she’s “told him yet” and Saavik would reply with a no, before mentioning she’s going on maternity leave.

This would be worked and re-worked a few times before Nimoy ultimately cut it from the film. The scene was filmed but never made it into the original film reel.

Saavik would’ve been brought back in Star Trek  VI: The Undiscovered Country but only if screenwriters Nicholas Meyer and Denny Martin Flynn were able to land the original Saavik, Kristie Alley, for the role. Since that never happened, the minor cameo she did end up having in The Voyage Home remains her last canonical appearance.