Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) was missing one important detail when he took revenge for the death of his son in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Written by Star Trek producer Harve Bennett and the first feature film directed by Leonard Nimoy, Star Trek III is a direct sequel to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Released on June 1, 1984, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock celebrates its 40th anniversary of Admiral Kirk and the crew of the Starship Enterprise risking their Starfleet careers to rescue Spock (Leonard Nimoy).
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock featured Klingons as the main villains after the warrior race's look was revamped in their brief appearance in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. In Star Trek III, Klingons led by Kruge (Christopher Lloyd) sought the secret of Project Genesis, the terraforming technology invented by Dr. Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch) and David Marcus (Merritt Butrick), Admiral Kirk's son. Kruge found David on the unstable Genesis Planet, which was rapidly self-destructing. Holding David, Lt. Saavik (Robin Curtis), and Spock hostage, Kruge ordered the execution of Kirk's son, and the Admiral was helpless to stop him.
Admiral Kirk Didn’t Know The Name Of The Klingon Who Killed His Son
Kirk only knew Kruge as "Klingon Commander"
Of course, Admiral James T. Kirk got revenge on Kruge for ordering the death of his son. But interestingly, Kirk did not know Kruge's name when they battled on the doomed Genesis Planet. Kirk only knew Kruge as the "Klingon Commander" because the Klingons didn't identify themselves. Of course, not knowing Kruge by name didn't stop Kirk from being out for the Klingon's blood. After a violent battle, Kirk gets his vengeance by kicking Kruge off a cliff into the inferno below as the Genesis Planet destroyed itself.
Although it wasn't shown on-screen during the closing moments of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, it's quite possible that Admiral Kirk learned Kruge's name during the journey to Vulcan. After the destruction of the Starship Enterprise, Kirk and his crew commandeered Kruge's Klingon Bird-of-Prey to take them to Vulcan. It's logical to assume that Kirk checked the Klingons' database and learned his hijacked starship's commander was named Kruge either en route to Vulcan or during the months before Kirk and his crew returned to Earth in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Leonard Nimoy’s Star Trek III Shows How Different Movie Klingons Are From TOS
Klingons changed significantly beyond their appearance
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock highlights how different the Vulcans became in Leonard Nimoy's movie, and not just in appearance. In Star Trek: The Original Series, the Klingons were a ruthless, expansionist empire, but they behaved more like humans. Klingons like Kor (John Colicos) would introduce themselves to Captain Kirk, and they engaged in conversation, albeit full of threats and fear-mongering. Star Trek: The Motion Picture introduced the revamped Klingons, and their culture would be further explored in Star Trek; The Next Generation and its spinoffs.
Even the evolved Klingons in TNG introduced themselves to their enemies.
Leonard Nimoy's Star Trek III added a warrior's code (derived from the Japanese) to the Klingons and imbued their culture with a focus on honor. This became the basis of the Klingons going forward and exemplified by Worf (Michael Dorn) on Star Trek: The Next Generation. But even the evolved Klingons in TNG introduced themselves to their enemies. Kruge in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock was unusual in how he wantonly killed and behaved without honor while refusing to name himself to his victims and foes. It's logical to guess that if and when Admiral Kirk learned Kruge's name, he never forgot the Klingon who ordered the death of his son.
