Adventure, Quest, and Science Fiction

Adventure

When we prepare a weekend action-movie binge, our lineup includes the Indiana Jones films…while the Star Trek series is notably absent.

We don't typically associate Trek with action, because of its slower pace and focus on cerebral issues that can't be solved with a bullwhip to the face. But in many ways, Search for Spock is basically Indiana Jones Goes To Space.

Both movies involve risk and physical dangers. Jones battles Nazis and cultists over pits of lava. Kirk battles Klingons…over pits of lava.

Quest

If we consider the quest genre, we see that The Search for Spock and Indiana Jones share more than just adventure in their genre genealogy.

Traditionally, a quest story tells tale of a character—usually a knight or other heroic figure—and his or her journey towards a goal. That goal is usually to find a powerful or mythic artifact or to defeat an evil force. And often, the powerful artifact is necessary to defeat said evil force.

The quest story's a classic and can be traced back to the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (see Le Morte d'Arthur). Indiana Jones himself is basically a modern day knight as he quests for holy artifacts, such as the Holy Grail, to defeat the evil Nazis. He just swapped his sword for a revolver and his armor for a fedora.

Kirk and his crew undertake a similar quest, upgrading the steeds to starships. Kirk takes the place of the chivalric knights who have to undertake a journey. He does battle with an evil black knight in the form of Kruge, the outcome of which will have a profound impact on the universe. While he's not looking for a religious artifact, he is, as the title suggests, searching for Spock.

And since Spock is a Christ Figure anyway, we're counting it.

Science Fiction

Of course, the one genre Indiana Jones and Star Trek don't share is science fiction.

Can you even imagine it? Indiana Jones hanging out with aliens and spaceships? That'd be horrible; thank goodness no one ever thought that would be a good idea for an unnecessary fourth film made twenty years too late…

Setting repressed memories aside a bit longer, let's focus on Star Trek.

This series has been defining in terms of sci-fi. When conceiving the story, Gene Roddenberry envisioned a future where new technology and expanding scientific knowledge bettered human society and culture. While technology can be dangerous and expanding knowledge scary, Roddenberry believed that if we followed a "philosophy of nonviolent, rational humanism" we would ultimately continue to improve, both as individuals and as a species. (Source)

Although Roddenberry was no longer running the series by 1984, The Search for Spock continues in this tradition. As typical in the genre, the story takes place in a scientifically advanced future and is set against the backdrop of space.

Technology again threatens universal stability in the form of the Genesis device. Also, our expanding knowledge of the universe, in the form of the katra or soul, proves frightening—especially the idea that you can misplace a soul like a quarter between the couch cushions of McCoy's mind.

But it is Kirk and his crew's ability to properly use technology and knowledge that ultimately saves the day. Scotty's mechanical genius and Kirk's strategy allow them to defeat both the Excelsior and Kruge. And it's Kirk's willingness to explore the unknown that allows him to save his friend Spock. In Star Trek, technology and knowledge can be scary…but they're never insurmountable obstacles thanks to technology and knowledge.