Christopher Lloyd might have recently joined the Star Wars universe in The Mandalorian season 3 (the less said about the episode itself, the better), but sci-fi fans still know him best for his role in Back to the Future, and to a lesser degree, Star Trek.
A year prior to starring as the iconic Doc Brown, Lloyd took on a leading role in one of the best Star Trek movies as the Klingon villain Kruge. Kruge’s attempts to steal the Genesis device culminate in an iconic confrontation with Kirk, where the Star Trek captain battles the Klingon following on from the death of his son David.
As the Genesis Planet begins to collapse, Kirk’s battle with Kruge becomes more dangerous and the Klingon ends up clinging on to a fiery precipice. Kirk tries to save him, but after Kruge attempts to drag the admiral down with him, Kirk finally snaps. “I! Have had! Enough of you!” Kirk yells, kicking Kruge repeatedly in the face and sending the Star Trek character to his death.
It’s pretty intense, extremely entertaining, and has rightly become a moment completely beloved by fans, in one of the best movies in the series. Reflecting on the moment with StarTrek.com, back in 2010, Lloyd said that he loves it too.
“I thought it was great,” said Lloyd, of his death. “I’m pushed off the edge of the cliff there and I just fall down into that chasm and I’m roasted. I thought it was a great ending for the character, very entertaining.”
Speaking more broadly about his experience, he continued, “I hadn’t done that much film work before then, and I didn’t quite know what about me they saw from previous work that convinced them that maybe I’d be a good Klingon. But I love doing that kind of thing, a far-out character, and a far-out character with a good script and a wonderful cast. I’ve seen the movie [again recently] and it holds up very nicely.”
That it does. The Search for Spock might not hit the highs of The Wrath of Khan, The Voyage Home, or The Undiscovered Country, but it has an unparalleled sense of adventure, truly managing to capture the best instincts of the original Star Trek series.
The extended sequence of Kirk and his crew stealing the Enterprise is also brilliant, as is Uhura’s hand in it (“You wanted adventure? How’s this?”). Spine-tingling stuff, and you can re-watch The Search for Spock on Paramount Plus.
For more on Lloyd, check out our list of the best science fiction movies and our guide to the new movies coming in 2023. Or, stick with Star Trek by checking out our Star Trek Strange New Worlds season 2 review, and our explainers on Lanthanites and the Crossfield class.
Or, learn how Patrick Stewart’s pride nearly killed Picard season 3, and find out how we celebrated Captain Picard Day on June 16.