Should I remind everyone in 2026 that...
"I have decided to stay with the Enterprise, Captain. If Dr. McCoy is to remain on board, my presence here will be essential."
That's right, your eyesight isn't deceiving you. Spock jokingly says he wants to stay aboard the Enterprise because of McCoy.
But, alas, you won't find this line in "The Motion Picture," as it doesn't appear there. This phrase only appears in Leonard Nimoy's book "I Am Spock"
Our dear Mr. Nimoy explains how "ST:TMP" was created, specifically how they improvised and made numerous edits to improve the storyline. Some changes were accepted, but in most cases, Robert Wise rejected all changes. This was the case with this line.
Here's an excerpt from the book "I Am Spock" showing how it all happened:
***Finally the last day of filming arrived; we were scheduled to shoot the final "tag" scene on the Enterprise bridge. The dialog called for Kirk to tell McCoy that he (the doctor) would be returned to Earth, where he'd been planning to retire. McCoy refuses the offer on the grounds that, once on board, he might as well stay. Kirk then turns to Spock and offers to return him to Vulcan; Spock declares that that is unnecessary, since his business on Vulcan is finished. The implication was that the crew was together again and would fly off together toward the next adventure. It made sense and was a neat wrap-up, but not particularly fun.
In the final rehearsal before filming, I at last heard a Spock voice in my head that captured the right "feel" of the characters and relationships from the series.
So I decided to take a chance. With the cameras rolling and Bob Wise and Gene Roddenberry watching, our scene began in earnest. Kirk delivered his line, and McCoy gave the appropriate response; then Kirk turned to Spock and offered to return him to Vulcan.
And I—or rather, Spock—replied,
"I have decided to stay with the Enterprise, Captain. If Dr. McCoy is to remain on board, my presence here will be essential."
It drew a good laugh on the set—but when I saw the whispered conversation between Gene and Bob Wise behind the camera, I knew it was doomed. Bob walked over with the decision: "The feeling is that the joke is inappropriate in light of what's gone before."
The scene was filmed as written.
SPOCK: Did I say something inappropriate?
NIMOY: No, no, Spock. I think it was a good idea.
SPOCK: Then why was it rejected?
NIMOY: It was an artistic decision. Out of our hands. It might have worked; we'll never know.
To sum it up, we see that Leonard and his inner Spock wanted to recapture the spirit of the show's relationship and emphasized the relationship between Spock and McCoy, no one else. That is, for Nimoy and the Spock he created in his mind, the relationship between the doctor and the Vulcan is the epitome of the original series.
Who would dare say after this that Spones isn't canon?
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