After they killed Spock in Wrath of Khan, they wrenched our hearts once more in this film with the destruction of the Enterprise. I remember seeing this in the cinema, and I think it actually felt more shocking than the death of Spock. Without Spock, the rest of the crew can still go on, but without the Enterprise, their home, their means of adventure, was suddenly gone. What would happen now?

We had to wait another whole movie to find out.

I almost hate to admit it, but rewatching this movie to prepare for drawing this strip was the first time I realised that Sarek described the fal-tor-pan in English as the "re-fusion", in the sense of re-fusing or rejoining Spock's body and katra. Every previous time I'd heard it as the "refusion", as in some sort of refusal - the refusal of death or something, I guess. I always thought that was a bit of a weird way to express it.

Transcript

13
{Enterprise bridge}
Sulu: Genesis.
Kirk: Find Spock's body. This should be easy.
Sulu: Klingon ship decloaking! And firing!
Kirk: ... or not.
14
SFX: Kaboom!
Kruge: {on viewscreen} Surrender! Or I'll kill a prisoner!
Kirk: Oh, like you'd do that.
15
SFX: Splorch!
Saavik: {over communicator} Saavik here, Admiral. They killed David.
Kirk: You Klingon bastard, you killed my son!!
16
Kirk: All right, we surrender. Prepare to board.
SFX: klik
Kirk: Computer, destruct sequence. Code: "password".
Computer: Self destruct in 60 seconds.
17
{on the Genesis planet, the Enterprise crew look up to the ship falling to its destruction}
McCoy: My god, Jim. What have you done?
Kirk: If I can't have Enterprise, nobody can!
18
Kruge: Let's settle this like men. Or Klingons. Man to man. Or Klingon. Or whatever.
19
Kruge: You're too old for a shirt-ripping fist fight!
Kirk: Not yet!
20
{on the Klingon ship}
Kirk: {holding Spock} To Vulcan! Allons-y!
Kirk: {to Saavik} Did you change your hair?
21
{Vulcan}
Sarek: I ask for fal-tor-pan. The re-fusion.
T'Lar: That is not logical.
Sarek: Actually, it is. His body is here, his katra is in here. {tapping McCoy's head}
SFX: tap tap
McCoy: Hey!
22
T'Lar: We shall return Spock's brain... I mean, katra.
23
Kirk: Spock! You're okay!
Spock: The ship. Out of danger?
Kirk: Yes! Well, until I blew it up.
24
Spock: Jim... Your name is Jim.
Kirk: Yes! Group hug!!
{group hug!}