Other Titles • Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan • Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) • Star Trek II: The Undiscovered Country (1982) • Star Trek II: The Vengeance of Khan (1982) • Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - The Director's Edition (1982) • Star Trek II: Der Zorn des Khan (1982)
Synopses for Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
1.
Although Star Trek: The Motion Picture had been a box-office hit, it was by no means a unanimous success with Star Trek fans, who responded much more favorably to the "classic Trek" scenario of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Inspired by the "Space Seed" episode of the original TV series, the film reunites newly promoted Admiral Kirk with his nemesis from the earlier episode--the genetically superior Khan (Ricardo Montalban)--who is now seeking revenge upon Kirk for having been imprisoned on a desolated planet. Their battle ensues over control of the Genesis device, a top-secret Starfleet project enabling entire planets to be transformed into life-supporting worlds, pioneered by the mother (Bibi Besch) of Kirk's estranged and now-adult son. While Mr. Spock mentors the young Vulcan Lt. Saavik (then-newcomer Kirstie Alley), Kirk must battle Khan to the bitter end, through a climactic starship chase and an unexpected crisis that will cost the life of Kirk's closest friend. This was the kind of character-based Trek that fans were waiting for, boosted by spectacular special effects, a great villain (thanks to Montalban's splendidly melodramatic performance), and a deft combination of humor, excitement, and wondrous imagination. Director Nicholas Meyer (who would play a substantial role in the success of future Trek features) handles the film as a combination of Moby Dick, Shakespearean tragedy, World War II submarine thriller, and dazzling science fiction, setting the successful tone for the Trek films that followed. --Jeff Shannon
DVD features On the DVD commentary track, Nicholas Meyer discusses his directing philosophy, how he scrimped to stay under budget (Wrath of Khan was the cheapest Star Trek film), and his nautical approach to Trek, but he doesn't dissect all the various bits of footage (only a few minutes total, with the most substantial change explaining Midshipman 1st Class Peter Preston's connection to Commander Scott) that went into the director's cut DVD. For those kinds of technical details and trivia, switch on the subtitled commentary track by Michael Okuda (who cowrote The Star Trek Encyclopedia and did the same honors on the Star Trek: The Motion Picture DVD). Disc 2 offers substantial featurettes on how the story developed and how the costumes, ships, and sets were designed, highlighted by new interviews of Meyer, producer-writer Harve Bennett, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and Ricardo Montalban. There are also 8 minutes of 1982 interviews, 13 storyboard archives, and a feature that might seem like a 27-minute commercial for Star Trek books, but is actually an interesting and lighthearted look at how novelists create the back story for such topics as the Kobayashi Maru test and the Eugenics Wars, which feature prominently in Khan. --David Horiuchi
2.
Khan, a genetically engineered "superman" prone to megalomaniacal delusions, was exiled years ago to the barren planet Ceti Alpha 5. He blames Admiral Kirk for his hard fate, as well as for his son's death, and vows revenge. When Commander Chekov mistakenly beams down to Khan's lair, the villain finally has a means of escape. Using a parasitic creature that allows him to control the minds of his victims, Khan seizes command of the Starship Reliant. From there he hopes to lure Kirk to his death, using equipment stolen from an experimental research project. These devices allow him to trigger something known as the "Genesis Effect" -- a means of generating new life from existing matter. Khan plans to use the creation machines as weapons, because the same fire of life that creates new worlds must destroy what existed before. Kirk and crew need all the courage and cunning they can muster in order to save their friend and silence Khan forever.
3.
A 2-Disc Edition…
It is the 23rd century. The Federation starship U.S.S. Enterprise is on routine training maneuvers, and Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) seems resigned to the fact that this inspection may well be the last space mission of his career. But Khan is back. Aided by his exiled band of genetic supermen, Khan (Ricardo Montalban) -- brilliant renegade of 20th century Earth -- has raided Space Station Regula One, stolen a top secret device called Project Genesis, wrested control of another Federation starship, and now schemes to set a most deadly trap for his old enemy Kirk…with the threat of a universal Armageddon!
4.
Inspired by the "Space Seed" episode of the original series, the classic swashbuckling scenario of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was much more of a success with fans than the somewhat turgid drama of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The film reunites newly promoted Admiral Kirk with his nemesis from the earlier episode--the genetically superior Khan (Ricardo Montalban)--who is now seeking revenge upon Kirk for having been imprisoned on a desolated planet. Their battle ensues over control of the Genesis device, a top-secret Starfleet project enabling entire planets to be transformed into life-supporting worlds, pioneered by the mother (Bibi Besch) of Kirk's estranged and now-adult son. While Mr. Spock mentors the young Vulcan Lt. Saavik (then-newcomer Kirstie Alley), Kirk must battle Khan to the bitter end, through a climactic starship chase and an unexpected crisis that will cost the life of Kirk's closest friend. This was the kind of character-based Trek that fans were waiting for, boosted by spectacular special effects, a great villain (thanks to Montalban's splendidly melodramatic performance), and a deft combination of humour, excitement, and wondrous imagination. Director Nicholas Meyer (who would play a substantial role in the success of future Trek features) treats the film as "Horatio Hornblower in space", and then adds lots of spicy seafaring Moby Dick references, plus a sprinkle of Shakespearean tragedy and World War II submarine thriller, all driven along by one of composer James Horner's finest scores. Wrath of Khan set the successful tone for the films that followed. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
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