@socketwench - From what I understand Kirstie Alley turned the role down for rmore money.

However, because Nimoy is FAMOUSLY protective of the vulcans (he got on a lot of make-up crews cases cause he liked Spock's ear tips a certain way and would refuse to put them on if not done right), he made sure Robin Curtis was as flat as possible.

That's sort of good, because I think she NAILS the Vulcan Aesthetic. The problem is, Kirstie, who didn't, just played Saavik better because she emoted. On top of that she's half Romulan in the script.

There's a wonderful scene at the end of the movie, though, where she sees Spock and bows her head. Before the scene, Nimoy went to her and said "Forget everything I taught you about Vulcans. I want you to react like you've just seen a passionate lover who left you years ago passing by on the street."