This has to deal more of Star Trek from a pop culture angle, rather than in-universe.
There are indications that Nicholas Meyer intended for Spock to stay dead after the events of The Wrath of Khan. The backlash against Spock's death required Nimoy to reassure fans that Spock was not through as a character. Obviously, The Search for Spock rectified this.
What if Paramount/Meyer/Bennett/whoever decide to keep Spock dead in-universe, or at least for a while? What happens to Star Trek, in terms of being a franchise? Can Star Trek maintain a level of quality, even without Nimoy as Spock? Can a Spock-less Star Trek III succeed, with new characters assuming greater roles (i.e., Saavik, David)?
Personally, I think it could, but it would be extremely difficult. The group dynamic between Kirk, Spock, and Bones would be gone, of course. The hole would be great. However, I don't think it would be completely lost. Spock would undoubtedly still loom large in character direction. The role of Saavik would definitely be interesting to explore, though character development would be different since I can't imagine a POD that keeps Alley in the role. A young female Vulcan - or a half-roman one, depending on what you consider canon- would provide a much different dynamic. (On a side note, IMO, one of the greatest injustices in the movie series was the dropping of Saavik - literally - on Vulcan where she was never heard from again, and never fully developed as a character. Casting issues made this difficult, of course, but it's so sad, in my opinion)
What do you all thing? Can Star Trek survive with a dead Spock?
There are indications that Nicholas Meyer intended for Spock to stay dead after the events of The Wrath of Khan. The backlash against Spock's death required Nimoy to reassure fans that Spock was not through as a character. Obviously, The Search for Spock rectified this.
What if Paramount/Meyer/Bennett/whoever decide to keep Spock dead in-universe, or at least for a while? What happens to Star Trek, in terms of being a franchise? Can Star Trek maintain a level of quality, even without Nimoy as Spock? Can a Spock-less Star Trek III succeed, with new characters assuming greater roles (i.e., Saavik, David)?
Personally, I think it could, but it would be extremely difficult. The group dynamic between Kirk, Spock, and Bones would be gone, of course. The hole would be great. However, I don't think it would be completely lost. Spock would undoubtedly still loom large in character direction. The role of Saavik would definitely be interesting to explore, though character development would be different since I can't imagine a POD that keeps Alley in the role. A young female Vulcan - or a half-roman one, depending on what you consider canon- would provide a much different dynamic. (On a side note, IMO, one of the greatest injustices in the movie series was the dropping of Saavik - literally - on Vulcan where she was never heard from again, and never fully developed as a character. Casting issues made this difficult, of course, but it's so sad, in my opinion)
What do you all thing? Can Star Trek survive with a dead Spock?