STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (1982) MOVIE NEWS & REVIEW

star trek ii: the wrath of khan (1982) movie

Genre              |   Science Fiction

Classification   |   PG 

Running time   |   113 minutes

Released         |   4 June 1982 

cast

William Shatner ... Kirk
Leonard Nimoy ... Spock
DeForest Kelley ... McCoy
James Doohan ... Scotty
Walter Koenig ... Chekov
George Takei ... Sulu
Nichelle Nichols ... Uhura
Bibi Besch ... Carol
Merritt Butrick ... David
Paul Winfield ... Terrell
Kirstie Alley ... Saavik
Ricardo Montalban ... Khan
Ike Eisenmann ... Preston
John Vargas ... Jedda
​John Winston ... Kyle

director

Nicholas Meyer

writer

​Gene Roddenberry ... (based on "Star Trek" created by)
 
Harve Bennett ... (story) and
Jack B. Sowards ... (story)
 
Jack B. Sowards ... (screenplay)
 
Nicholas Meyer ... (screenplay) (uncredited)
Samuel A. Peeples ... (story) (uncredited)

cinematographer

Gayne Rescher

music

James Horner​

film editor

​William Paul Dornisch

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box office result

Worldwide             $​​​​​78,912,963

Australia                 $​​​​​ not available

North America       $​​​​​​78,912,963

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movie minutiae

​Producer Harve Bennett viewed all the original STAR TREK (1966) episodes and chose "Space Seed" (1967) as the best candidate for a sequel. Spock even remarks in the script that it would be interesting to return in a hundred years or so to see what type of civilization had grown there. This is the first time a movie was made as a sequel to a specific television show episode.

​The computer simulation of Genesis transforming a dead planet into a habitable one (and habitable planets into dead planets) is the first complete computer-generated sequence ever used in a feature film. It is a direct brainchild of ex-Boeing engineer Loren Carpenter, who after Boeing, went on to join George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic. At Boeing, in the late 1970s, Carpenter discovered that Mandelbrot fractals could be used to create realistic mountain landscapes for computer animations of new aircraft designs, a previously intractable problem, and started a revolution in computer graphics and simulation.

The original subtitle was "STAR TREK: THE GENESIS PROJECT." That was changed to "STAR TREK II," then "STAR TREK: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY" and subsequently "THE VENGEANCE OF KHAN" This was discarded in deference to STAR WARS EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983), which was then subtitled "REVENGE OF THE JEDI" and was planned to be released near the same time. The third subtitle was eventually used for STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY (1991).

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related movies

STAR TREK III:
​THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK (1984)

STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (1982) MOVIE IMAGES

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STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (1982) STORY SYNOPSIS

As Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy) monitor trainees at Starfleet Academy, another vessel from the United Federation of Planets is about to try out the planet-creating Genesis Device in a seemingly deserted portion of space. In the process, Commander Chekov (Walter Koening) and Captain Terrell (Paul Winfield) of the Starship Reliant are captured by Khan (Ricardo Montalban), an enemy no one thought they'd ever see again. Once more, Kirk takes the Enterprise's helm, where he meets Khan's ship in an intergalactic showdown with Universe-shattering consequences.

STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (1982) MOVIE REVIEW

Reviewed by Mark Geraghty   |   Review date 4 June 2015

​​Pop Movee Rating

STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN came as a surprise to many after the failure of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979) to excite movie-goers around the world. The first film cost Paramount Pictures $40 million to make, which in the late 1970s, made it one of the most expensive movies ever. While the film's financial performance was strong, it wasn't in the STAR WARS realm. The decision was made to produce a second film, but for a lot less money. It's been well documented over the years that the Studio management turned to Paramount's television production arm to assemble a team to bring the next Star Trek film to the big screen.

Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek's creator and the first film's Producer, was moved aside by studio management and would participate in the film's production essentially in name only. Harve Bennett, a prolific TV producer, was brought in to oversee production and make sure the film was brought in on-time and on-budget. By comparison to the first film, the second film's budget was a mere $11 million. To put this into perspective, BLADE RUNNER, also released in the Summer of 1982, had a budget of $28 million and was not nearly as successful as STAR TREK II at the box office. It could be argued that BLADE RUNNER has had a much longer-lasting impact on modern cinema, but STAR TREK II's longer-lasting impact on the continuation of the franchise is not to be under-estimated...

The passage of STAR TREK II to the screen was not an easy one...

The first major stumbling block was convincing Leonard Nimoy to sign on to the project. Nimoy had told Harve Bennett that if the story was good enough he'd consider being involved. Nimoy had spent a long time, subsequent to the cancellation of the STAR TREK TV series, establishing himself as an actor capable of more than just playing variations on Spock. He had come back for THE MOTION PICTURE because both he and William Shatner had been given a level of creative control over story content. There was, however, no guarantee of Nimoy's involvement in the second film. It wasn't until Jack Sowards suggested to Bennett that they kill Spock, and Bennett's subsequent conversation with Nimoy about it, that Spock would appear. Unfortunately, news of Spock's demise was prematurely announced by Gene Roddenberry's secretary Susan Sackett at a Star Trek convention in England. The ensuing wave of publicity made it more difficult for Bennett to provide Nimoy with a story that guaranteed his involvement.

As had been the case with STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE, the screenplay for the second film continued to cause problems for Bennett and producing-partner Robert Sallin even after the cast had been locked in to appear in the film. It was not until Nicholas Meyer boarded the project that something close to the final film came together on the page. Under pressure to deliver a screenplay to effects house Industrial Light & Magic or risk delaying the film's release, Bennett and Sallin brought Meyer to re-write the script and direct the film. In a very short period of time, he was able to bring together the five different scripts that he had been given and write a screenplay that the studio was happy to produce. The story dealt with the return of one of the crew's most notorious adversaries - Khan - from the first season episode "Space Seed".

STAR TREK II opens on the bridge of a starship with a young Vulcan woman, Kirstie Alley in her film debut as Saavik, in command of the ship.

Everyone else is familiar.

Nimoy as Spock; DeForest Kelley as McCoy; George Takei as Sulu and Nichelle Nichols as Uhura.

The Enterprise responds to a distress call from another ship, the Kobyashi Maru. The ship has hit a gravitic mine and has drifted into the neutral zone between the Federation and Klingon Empire. At great risk, Saavik orders a rescue mission only to find three Klingon warships in wait. Despite their protests that they are staging a rescue mission, the Klingons fire on the ship, completely disabling it. As Saavik waits for the Klingon ships to finish the job, her crew dead, the voice of James T. Kirk rings out telling someone off-screen to "Open it up". A screen slides open to reveal Kirk. The rescue has been a simulation designed to test Saavik's command skills.

An interesting side note to this scene is the matter of Spock's death. In the simulator scene, not only Spock, but McCoy, Sulu and Uhura all "die". Nicholas Meyer felt that this would be enough to disarm viewers who were expecting Spock's death at some point in the film. It comes as a surprise that it's not just Spock who dies, but other much-loved members of the crew as well. In his book, 'The View From The Bridge', Meyer explained that he believed he could overcome negativity about Spock's death by creating a red-herring early in the film that would make audiences relax and be genuinely surprised by events later in the film.

Later that evening, Kirk laments his birthday with McCoy. The Doctor tells him to snap out of it and find away to get back command of a starship otherwise he will really grow old...

Elsewhere, the USS Reliant investigates a planet with a view to testing a new scientific experiment called Genesis. The project is top-secret and has the ability to turn lifeless planets into thriving viable worlds. The ship contacts Dr. Carol Marcus, played by Bibi Besch, to establish the possibility of using the Genesis  experiment on the planet they've just discovered. Captain Terrell, played by Paul Winfield, and Walter Koenig's Chekov beam down to a planet believing it to be Ceti Alpha VI, only to discover it is Ceti Alpha V, the planet where Captain Kirk marooned the genetically-engineered war criminal Khan and his followers fifteen years before. Chekov, realising the danger they're in, scrambles to escape, but it is too late. Khan and his followers have the pair surrounded. Inside the remains of the S.S Botany Bay, Khan, reprised in the film by Ricardo Montalban, interrogates Terrell and Chekov. Khan realises that they believe they are on Ceti Alpha VI and wants to know what they were looking for. He uses one of the planets indigenous creatures as a means of torture, forcing both men to reveal their mission.

The film moves up a notch as the Enterprise gets underway for a training mission, with Admiral Kirk on board to evaluate the trainee group under the command of Captain Spock. Only a few hours into the journey, Kirk receives a communication from Carol Marcus, who is outraged that the Reliant is on its way to commandeer the Genesis research. Before he can verify what she is talking about, the transmission is cut-off; jammed at the source according to Uhura. Kirk becomes suspicious that something is amiss. He takes command of the Enterprise and, with Spock and McCoy, familiarises himself with the Genesis research. McCoy is appalled by the implications of the technology and Kirk is concerned that, in the wrong hands, the research could be weaponised. Uhura interrupts their meeting to advise that sensors have just picked up the U.S.S Reliant.

Having commandeered the Reliant, Khan lures the Enterprise with a fake transmission advising that the ship is experiencing some difficulty. Kirk realises too late that the Reliant intends to attack and the Enterprise suffers heavy damage. Uhura advises that the commander of the Reliant is hailing the Enterprise wanting to discuss the terms of their surrender. Kirk acquiesces to the demand and Khan appears on the Enterprise viewscreen. All at once, Kirk understands what he is now up against. Fortunately, both Kirk and Spock have a trick or two up their sleeves. They quickly devise a plan to use the Enterprise controls to lower the Reliant's shields. Khan is enraged, but it is too late. The Enterprise gets off enough phaser bursts to damage the Reliant and force her to withdraw - for the moment.

The Second Act of the film is all about Kirk reestablishing contact with Carol Marcus and coming to terms with the passage of time.

​Meyer, even though his name isn't on the screenplay credits, does a great job in the Second Act of showing that actions have consequences. Marooning Khan fifteen years earlier, now has a consequence for Kirk. His prior relationship with Carol Marcus has a consequence in the form of his son, David Marcus, played by Merritt Butrick. The majority of the Second Act is spent off the Enterprise, as Kirk, McCoy and Saavik beam over to Regula One, the space station Marcus and her research team have been working to develop the Genesis torpedo. On board, the landing party find Terrell and Chekov who have been left behind by Khan. Checking the last transporter coordinates, Kirk works out that someone or something was beamed to the planetoid below. The group beam down, uncertain of what they'll discover...

The group are met with a hostile response, as Kirk is attacked by David Marcus. Before things get out of hand, Carol intervenes to calm the situation. All of a sudden Terrell and Chekov pull phasers on the group. Terrell speaks into a wrist communicator to ask Khan if he has been listening. Khan orders Terrell to kill Kirk, but he is unable. Mentally torn he turns the phaser on himself and fires. Chekov writhes in pain clutching the side of his head. The Ceti eel has detached itself and squirms its way out of his ear. Kirk grabs Chekov's communicator and tells him that he'll have to do his own dirty work from now on...

Khan tells Kirk that he no longer needs to try as he beams the Genesis device aboard the Reliant;

"I've done far worse than kill you, Admiral. I've hurt you. And I wish to go on hurting you. I shall leave you as you left me, as you left her, marooned for eternity in the centre of a dead planet - buried alive."  

To which Kirk responds with the often-quoted, much parodied "Khaaaaaannnnnnnn ......."

The group are trapped inside the Regula planetoid and there is no sign of the Enterprise. Looking on the bright side, Carol Marcus decides to show the Enterprise crewmen what she and her team have been working on - the Genesis Cave. Kirk finds it hard to believe. Marcus explains that the matrix for everything Kirk sees formed in a day and the lifeforms and vegetation grew at a highly accelerated rate. It is an impressive feat. Later, the group are gathered together and Saavik asks Kirk how he performed when he took the Kobyashi Maru simulator test. Kirk tells her that he reprogrammed the exam so that the ship could be rescued because he doesn't believe in no-win scenario. Flicking open his communicator, Kirk speaks with Spock telling him it's almost two hours and whether or not he's ready? Saavik is utterly confused. Kirk tells her that he doesn't like to lose.

The Third Act of the film is dedicated to a game of cat and mouse in the Mutara Nebula. A clever piece of writing early in the Third Act lets the audience know that, even though badly damaged, the Enterprise will be more evenly matched with the Reliant because the nebula interferes with ship systems including the shields. Even though he will lose his tactical advantage, Khan is so blinded by the need for revenge that he follows the Enterprise into the nebula determined to kill Kirk. Spock is quick to analyse the situation and tells Kirk that Khan lacks experience and that his actions indicate two-dimensional thinking. Kirk immediately takes advantage of the information and orders Sulu to drop the ship by Z minus one thousand metres. Within moments, the Reliant briefly appears on the Enterprise viewscreen. Kirk orders a full volley of photon torpedoes, which completely smash the Reliant.

Realising he is beaten, Khan, now bloodied & maimed, in one final act of vengeance, arms the Genesis device.

On the Enterprise bridge, Spock reports that he is scanning an energy source that he has never seen before. David Marcus, who has come to the bridge, checks the readouts and tells Kirk that it's the Genesis Wave and that they've got four minutes to detonation. Kirk contacts engineering and tells Scotty that they need warp speed in four minutes or they're all dead. There is no reply from the Chief Engineer. Sensing that something is amiss, Spock leaves his station and heads for Engineering. He arrives to find Scotty in the care of Dr.McCoy. Spock starts to make his way to ward the warp core, but McCoy stops him. Spock tricks McCoy by asking him about Mr.Scott's condition and, as McCoy turns to report, the Vulcan uses a nerve-pinch to render McCoy unconscious. He places his fingers on McCoy's face and says "Remember". Scotty, who has been half-conscious to this point, realises what Spock is up to and starts screaming at him to get out.

Meanwhile, on the Enterprise bridge, the countdown continues. At the three minute thirty mark, the Enterprise is only four thousand kilometres away from the Reliant. Everyone knows that they are not far enough away to escape the Genesis wave.

On board the Reliant, in one final moment before the Genesis device detonates, Khan looks at the viewscreen and sees the Enterprise trying to escape. He utters his last words, quoting from Herman Melville's Moby Dick.

"At hell's heart I stab at thee. For hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee."

At last, Khan thinks he has his whale ...

Just as the Genesis device detonates, the Enterprise warp engines come back on line. Kirk orders Sulu to go! As the ship warps away, the explosion behind them starts to change the fabric of space. Everyone marvels at what they are seeing on the viewscreen. Kirk hits the comm button to congratulate Scotty, but instead gets McCoy, who tells him that he better get down to Engineering. Kirk shoots a look across to Spock's station and realises the Vulcan is missing. Kirk knows intuitively what has happened.

What comes next is one of the great science fiction movie scenes.

Two friends - one dying, the other helpless to do anything but watch. Many non-Star Trek fans find it difficult to understand the emotion of Spock's death scene, after all it's not like he's real..

When STAR TREK II was originally released, back in 1982, there was no guarantee that STAR TREK would survive beyond this film, so there was a very real possibility that the character's demise could be permanent. Spock had a huge fan following and it was unthinkable to those fans that he was dead. Credit must also go to William Shatner in this scene. STAR TREK II is his best work as Kirk. He carries the majority of the film, but, in this scene, he dials it down and lets Nimoy do the 'acting';

Spock     "Don't grieve Admiral. It's logical. The needs of the many outweigh ..."

Kirk         " ... the needs of the few ... "

Spock     " or the one ... I never took the Kobyashi Maru test until now. What do you think of my solution?"

Kirk        "Spock!"

​Spock     "I have been ... and always shall be your friend ... Live long. And prosper."

And, with his signature Vulcan hand gesture, he presses against the glass one last time, turns so that his body is supported against the glass, and dies.

The final scenes of the film are left to tie up the story's themes of old age and mortality. Kirk comes face-to-face with his past and acknowledges his responsibility as a Father, but also takes the opportunity to look positively to the future by declaring to McCoy and Carol that he feels young. The last scene cuts away to the newly-formed Genesis planet and shows that Spock's burial tube has landed on the planet suggesting that there may, indeed, by a chance that Spock may have survived in one form or another.

STAR TREK II opened on June 4, 1982 and went on to make $14.3 million in its first weekend at the box office. In today's terms this may not seem like a big opening, but in 1982 it was big business. The film went on to make nearly $79 million in the US during its theatrical run and guaranteed that a third film would be made with the crew of the Enterprise. Speculation started immediately after the film's release about what role, if any, Leonard Nimoy would play in the third film.

What though are STAR TREK II's legacies?

The immediate legacy was Nicholas Meyer's involvement in the STAR TREK film franchise.

While Harve Bennett produced four of the first five films, Meyer was involved in writing & directing STAR TREK II, writing STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME (1986) and writing & directing STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY (1991). All three even-numbered films are considered to be the best to feature The Original Series cast.

STAR TREK II also featured the music of James Horner. At the time, Horner had only scored a handful of B-grade films, but his work on STAR TREK II brought him to the attention of mainstream film makers. He went on to score a number of films for James Cameron including ALIENS (1986) and AVATAR (2009) and won two Oscars for his work on TITANIC. Horner came back to score STAR TREK III and his musical legacy for the STAR TREK franchise, while not quite as strong as fellow composer Jerry Goldsmith, continued over the next two decades as various elements of his scores for STAR TREK II & STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK (1984) were referenced in subsequent movies and television series.

STAR TREK II also opened the door for Leonard Nimoy to become more involved behind-the-scenes with STAR TREK feature film production and his work as a Director on the third movie paved the way for fellow STAR TREK cast members in the future, such as Jonathan Frakes, to also show that talent in front of the camera could translate into talent behind the camera.

It's interesting to speculate what might have happened had STAR TREK II not been successful. Perhaps Paramount may have still proceeded with a new television series in the mid-1980s. It's not hard to imagine that they may have moth-balled the franchise.

What is certain is that the success of STAR TREK II, as well as III and IV, convinced Paramount that the feature film and their associated licensing opportunities were enough to convince Gene Roddenberry to create STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. With TNG came DS9, Voyager, Enterprise, more feature films and ultimately the J.J Abrams reboot features.

​STAR TREK, the franchise, as we know it today has a lot to thank the people like Nichoals Meyer and Harve Bennett for the decisions they took back in 1980 and 1981 to create a different version of Star Trek. STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN references The Original Series without being a slave to it, giving its audience the right mix of action, thrills, laughter, sadness and nostalgia. It's a great adventure always worth the ride!

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STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (1982) USEFUL LINKS

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - Wikipedia
​Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) - IMDb
​Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) - Rotten Tomatoes​

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