Character Analysis
David's a brass human man with a drive for adventure; Saavik's a Vulcan lady with a cool logical exterior and an even cooler logical inside. Together they'll travel across the planet of Genesis in what sounds like a setup for a science fiction rendition of The Odd Couple.
But theirs is actually one of the more tragic tales in The Search for Spock. Get your hankies ready.
We're combining the character analysis for David and Saavik because their time together tells a separate side story that serves to highlight one of the film's themes by exploring the darker side of scientific and technological innovation.
And no, we're not talking about that terrifying little Microsoft paperclip—though those of us who lived through those dark days have basically no chance of forgetting about him. (Those eyes. Why was Clippy such a creeper?)
The Next Generation
David and Saavik's story begins aboard the USS Grissom, since both of them joined the science team to explore the newly formed planet. At first, everything goes pretty well.
The planet has stable desert, artic, and subtropical climates within walking distance of each other. And if you're starting to think that sounds impossible, let us remind you that David has a PhD in…science stuff. And he doesn't seem all that worried.
During their scan, they pick up a lifeform and argue with Captain Esteban to let them beam to the planet to check it out:
DAVID: Why don't we beam it up?
ESTEBAN: Oh, no, you don't. Regulations specifically state, "Nothing shall be beamed aboard until danger of contamination has been eliminated.
SAAVIK: Captain, the logical alternative is obvious. Beaming down to the surface is permitted.
ESTEBAN: If the Captain decides that the mission is vital and reasonably free of danger.
DAVID: Captain, please, we'll take the risk, but we're got to find out what it is.
SAAVIK: Or who.
This exchange immediately sets up their relationship as mirroring Kirk and Spock's. David's the courageous explorer and Saavik's the logical science officer. Working together they want to explore the possibilities and potentials of the Genesis device…much like their older counterparts explored space years back.
In a movie centered on the relationship between Kirk and Spock and the pain of the Spock-sized hole in Kirk's heart, this provides an instant connection to these two characters for the audience. We understand who these characters are, thanks to their mirrored personalities. And—bonus—it also reinforces why Kirk's desire to rescue Spock is so important.
Unfortunately, they didn't follow their forbearer's tried-and-true procedure and bring a red shirt along to the Genesis planet. But more on that later.
Cheating on the Test
As they initially traipse across the planet, Genesis looks to be kind of a paradise. (Actually it looks like a sound stage…but one mocked up to look like paradise.)
After some searching, they come across a Vulcan boy and immediately recognize him as the resurrected Mr. Spock. All things considered, they take the realization rather well. No one shouts "Zombie!" and tries to kill the newly minted Spock with fire…which would have been our first response. We passed our Zombie Preparedness course with straight A's, thank you very much.
But then things take a turn for the worst. The USS Grissom is destroyed in orbit by Kruge's Bird-of-Prey, and at this news, Saavik changes the mission from one of research to one of survival:
SAAVIK: It would seem that Grissom was destroyed by an enemy attack. We must go. They will soon come after us.
(Again, check out how very logical and very Spock-like she is.)
As they search for cover, the planet begins to show signs of distress, like a blizzard raging through a desert. As they settle beneath some snow-capped cacti, Saavik decides it's truth time, and David admits he might have cheated just a wee-tiny bit:
DAVID: I used protomatter in the Genesis matrix.
SAAVIK: Protomatter, an unstable substance which every ethical scientist in the galaxy has denounced as dangerously unpredictable.
DAVID: But it was the only way to solve certain problems.
SAAVIK: So, like your father, you changed the rules.
DAVID: If I hadn't, it might have been years or never.
And here we get to the theme about the dangers of scientific discovery and technological innovation. Had David not added techno-nonsense—sorry, protomatter—to the Genesis matrix, it might not have worked. That's true. But because it worked, Khan was able to steal it and weaponize it. Now a murderous Klingon has killed the crew of the Grissom to secure it…and the thing doesn't even work the way David wants it to.
Saavik sums up the moral of this story quite nicely:
SAAVIK: How many have paid the price for your impatience? How many have died? How much damage have you done? And what is yet to come?"
Yeah: all questions David probably should have asked before adding the protomatter.
Of course, we can look into history to see plenty of real world innovations that parallel David's blunder. Caterpillar tractors morphed from grain harvesters to tanks. Chlorine was developed for the German dye industry and ushered in the age of chemical warfare. Even something as simple as barbed wire, which was original designed to keep cattle corralled, killed an unimaginable number of soldiers during WWI. (Source)
Not long afterward, David, Saavik, and young Spock are captured by Kruge and his Klingon posse. David admits that Genesis doesn't work, but the Klingon commander disagrees:
KRUGE: A failure. The most powerful, destructive force ever created. You will tell me the secret of the Genesis torpedo.
A missile that can take a planet and make it a pristine planet? Yeah, David really did inadvertently create the perfect weapon.
Always Bring a Red Shirt
But The Search for Spock is a film about second chances. Kirk gets a second chance to save Spock, and David gets a chance to right his wrongs. For what it's worth, we think Kruge also gets a chance to change his ways…but he lets it slide by in true villain fashion.
After the Enterprise and the Bird-of-Prey battle each other to a stalemate, Kirk and Kruge negotiate terms. To show he has the upper hand, Kruge orders his men to kill one of the hostages…and he doesn't care which.
The Klingon warrior selects Saavik, but David attacks him. The two fight, but the Klingon overpowers David and kills him (And that's why you always take a red shirt along.)
Although David dies, his sacrifice isn't in vain. He manages to save Saavik and Spock, and his death buys Kirk the time to devise a plan that ends with Kruge's defeat. As a result, David helps keep Genesis out of the hands of a madman who would use it as a weapon. His death also prevents countless others—not counting all the Klingons who died on the Enterprise.
As for Saavik, she doesn't really have much else to do for the rest of the film. She joins the crew on their journey to Vulcan, observes the fal-tor-pan, and witnesses Spock's return both mentally and physically.
And that's really it for her. In The Voyage Home, she decides to stay on Vulcan and is never heard from again. Such is the fate of all Trek characters who do not receive top billing.
And with that we bid farewell to Saavik and David. Though their tale taught us a valuable lesson, we barely knew 'em.
David and Saavik's Timeline