 At the age of 87 , and after an acting break of 14 years , Dame Judith Anderson accepted the part of T <unk> — a Vulcan high priestess who restores Spock 's katra to his body — at her nephew 's urging . Nimoy wanted someone with " power and magic " for the ethereal role . Anderson claimed to be 5 feet 2 inches ( 1 @.@ 57 m ) tall , but her true height was closer to 4 feet 8 inches ( 1 @.@ 42 m ) , which presented a problem when the designers needed to make her look appropriately regal . The solution was to dress her with an overlong hem and built @-@ up shoes which , combined with a crown , added 6 inches ( 15 cm ) to her height . Kirstie Alley , who had played Saavik in The Wrath of Khan , did not return to reprise her role because she feared being typecast . Robin Curtis had arrived in Los Angeles in 1982 ; she made friends with the head of Paramount 's casting department , who recommended her for the role . Nimoy met with Curtis , and gave her the assignment the next day . 
