Netflix is preparing to remove Star Trek III: The Search For Spock from its extensive movie database because they reportedly feel that the version they currently have does not have authentic enough subtitles for the Vulcan and Klingon dialogue.

And I’ll be honest with you, even though I own this movie on DVD and Blu-ray (and VHS), I totally panicked when I read this news and immediately went into my Netflix Instant Queue where, of course, Star Trek III: The Search For Spock perpetually sits at the #2 slot (behind Star Trek III: The Wrath Of Khan) and watched the movie. The version currently streaming on Netflix that I watched had no subtitle translations for the Klingon and Vulcan dialogue, of which there is plenty, so unless you’ve seen this 1984 movie a million times like me, then you might find it hard to follow.

But check out this [awesome? amusing? ridiculous?] plan Netflix has to resolve this situation: According to Radio Times, the popular online streaming service plans to translate the Vulcan and Klingon dialogue themselves and say it will take about a week to do so. Perhaps Uhura works for Netflix, because otherwise I’m not sure why they wouldn’t just use the translation from previous releases.

Why do I feel like this is really an Onion story?

Man, I really would have loved to watch the version on Netflix that they deemed not authentic enough. What could the translation have been? And where did they get this supposed low-grade subtitled version? And by the way, when I turned on the closed-caption English subtitles, it gave showed the Vulcan words on the screen for the Vulcan dialogue; for the Klingon dialogue, nothing came up.

Rule of thumb: Klingons are warmongers and the head Klingon in this film, Commander Kruge (Christopher Lloyd), is out for blood. Also, when you hear vIHoH, jISaHbe’, expect someone to get killed. Matter of fact, whenever you see Kruge on screen, expect shit to get real.

[Source: Radio Times via THR]

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