''Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'' is a 1982 American
science fiction film directed by
Nicholas Meyer and based on the television series ''
Star Trek''. It is the second film in the
''Star Trek'' film series following ''
Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' (1979), and is a
sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
to the
original series
Original programming (also called originals or original programs, and subcategorized as "original series", "original movies", "original documentaries" and "original specials") is a term used for in-house television, film or web series productions ...
episode "
Space Seed
"Space Seed" is the twenty-second episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek''. Written by Gene L. Coon and Carey Wilber and directed by Marc Daniels, it first aired on February 16, 1967.
In the ...
" (1967). The plot features Admiral
James T. Kirk
James Tiberius Kirk is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Originally played by Canadian actor William Shatner, Kirk first appeared in ''Star Trek'' serving aboard the starship USS ''Enterprise'' as captain. Kirk leads ...
(
William Shatner
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship ''Enterpris ...
) and the crew of the starship
USS ''Enterprise'' facing off against the genetically engineered tyrant
Khan Noonien Singh
Khan Noonien Singh is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' science fiction franchise, who first appeared as the main antagonist in the ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' episode "Space Seed" (1967), and was portrayed by Ricardo Montalbán ...
(
Ricardo Montalbán
Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG (; ; November 25, 1920 – January 14, 2009) was a Mexican and American film and television actor. Montalbán's career spanned seven decades, during which he became known for performances in a var ...
). When Khan escapes from a 15-year exile to exact revenge on Kirk, the crew of the ''Enterprise'' must stop him from acquiring a powerful
terraforming
Terraforming or terraformation ("Earth-shaping") is the hypothetical process of deliberately modifying the atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology of a planet, moon, or other body to be similar to the environment of Earth to make ...
device named Genesis. The film is the beginning of a three-film
story arc
A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vid ...
that continues with the film ''
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock'' (1984) and concludes with the film ''
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home'' (1986).
After the lackluster critical response to the first film, series creator
Gene Roddenberry was forced out of the sequel's production. Executive producer
Harve Bennett wrote the film's original outline, which
Jack B. Sowards developed into a full script. Meyer completed its final script in twelve days, without accepting a writing credit. Meyer's approach evoked the
swashbuckling
A swashbuckler is a genre of European adventure literature that focuses on a heroic protagonist stock character who is skilled in swordsmanship, acrobatics, guile and possesses chivalrous ideals. A "swashbuckler" protagonist is heroic, daring, ...
atmosphere of the original series, a theme reinforced by
James Horner
James Roy Horner (August 14, 1953 – June 22, 2015) was an American composer. He was known for the integration of choral and electronic elements, and for his frequent use of motifs associated with Celtic music.
Horner's first film score was in ...
's musical score. Leonard Nimoy had not intended to have a role in the sequel, but was enticed back on the promise that his character would be given a dramatic death scene. Negative test audience reaction to Spock's death led to significant revisions of the ending over Meyer's objections. The production team used various
cost-cutting
Cost reduction is the process used by companies to reduce their costs and increase their profits. Depending on a company’s services or products, the strategies can vary. Every decision in the product development process affects cost: design i ...
techniques to keep within budget, including utilizing miniature models from past projects and reusing sets, effects footage, and costumes from the first film. The film was the first feature film to contain a sequence created entirely with
computer graphics
Computer graphics deals with generating images with the aid of computers. Today, computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. A great de ...
.
''Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'' was released in North America on June 4, 1982, by
Paramount Pictures. It was a box office success, earning worldwide and setting a world record for its first-day box office gross. Critical reaction to the film was positive; reviewers highlighted Khan's character, Meyer's direction, improved performances, the film's pacing, and the character interactions as strong elements. Negative reactions focused on weak special effects and some of the acting. ''The Wrath of Khan'' is considered by many to be the best film in the ''Star Trek'' series, and is often credited with renewing substantial interest in the franchise.
Plot
In 2285, Admiral
James T. Kirk
James Tiberius Kirk is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Originally played by Canadian actor William Shatner, Kirk first appeared in ''Star Trek'' serving aboard the starship USS ''Enterprise'' as captain. Kirk leads ...
oversees a simulator session of Captain
Spock's trainees. In the simulation, Lieutenant
Saavik commands the
starship on a rescue mission to save the crew of the damaged ship ''
Kobayashi Maru
The ''Kobayashi Maru'' is a training exercise in the ''Star Trek'' franchise designed to test the character of Starfleet Academy cadets in a no-win scenario. The ''Kobayashi Maru'' test was first depicted in the 1982 film '' Star Trek II: The ...
'', but is attacked by
Klingon
The Klingons ( ; Klingon: ''tlhIngan'' ) are a fictional species in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''.
Developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon in 1967 for the original ''Star Trek'' (''TOS'') series, Klingons were swarthy humanoids c ...
cruisers and critically damaged. The simulation is a
no-win scenario designed to test the character of
Starfleet
Starfleet is a fictional organization in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Within this fictional universe, Starfleet is a uniformed space force maintained by the United Federation of Planets ("the Federation") as the principal means for conduc ...
officers. Later, Dr. McCoy visits Kirk on his birthday; seeing Kirk in low spirits due to his age, the doctor advises Kirk to get a new command instead of growing old behind a desk.
Meanwhile, the starship ''Reliant'' is on a mission to search for a lifeless planet to test the Genesis Device, a technology designed to reorganize dead matter into
habitable worlds. ''Reliants Captain
Clark Terrell and first officer Commander
Pavel Chekov
Pavel Andreievich Chekov (russian: Павел Андреевич Чехов) is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' universe.
Walter Koenig portrayed Chekov in the second and third seasons of the original ''Star Trek'' series and the ...
beam down to evaluate a planet they believe to be Ceti Alpha VI; once there, they are captured by the genetically engineered tyrant
Khan Noonien Singh
Khan Noonien Singh is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' science fiction franchise, who first appeared as the main antagonist in the ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' episode "Space Seed" (1967), and was portrayed by Ricardo Montalbán ...
explaining that they are on Ceti Alpha V. Fifteen years prior, Kirk exiled Khan and his fellow supermen to Ceti Alpha V after they
attempted to take over his ship. The neighboring planet exploded, devastating the surface of Ceti Alpha V. Khan implants Chekov and Terrell with indigenous eel larvae (which killed several of his followers, including his wife) that render them susceptible to mind control, and uses them to capture ''Reliant''. Learning of the Genesis Device, Khan attacks space station ''Regula I'' where the device is being developed by Kirk's former lover, Dr.
Carol Marcus, and their son,
David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
.
Kirk assumes command of ''Enterprise'' after the ship, deployed on a training cruise, receives a distress call from ''Regula I''. En route, ''Enterprise'' is ambushed and crippled by ''Reliant''. Khan offers to spare Kirk's crew if they relinquish all material related to Genesis; Kirk instead stalls for time and, taking advantage of Khan's unfamiliarity with starship controls, remotely lowers ''Reliant''s
shields
A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of ...
, enabling a counter-attack. Khan is forced to retreat and effect repairs, while ''Enterprise'' limps to ''Regula I''. Kirk, McCoy, and Saavik beam to the station and find Terrell and Chekov alive, along with the slaughtered members of Marcus' team. They soon find Carol and David hiding Genesis deep inside the nearby planetoid. Khan, having used Terrell and Chekov as spies, orders them to kill Kirk; Terrell resists the eel's influence and kills himself, while Chekov collapses as the eel leaves his body. Khan transports Genesis aboard the ''Reliant'', intending to maroon Kirk on the lifeless planetoid, but is tricked by Kirk and Spock's coded arrangements for a rendezvous. Kirk directs ''Enterprise'' into the nearby Mutara Nebula; conditions inside the nebula render shields useless and compromise targeting systems, making ''Enterprise'' and ''Reliant'' evenly matched. Spock notes that Khan's tactics indicate inexperience in three-dimensional combat, which Kirk exploits to disable ''Reliant''.
Mortally wounded, Khan activates Genesis, quoting Captain Ahab from the novel
Moby Dick
''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship ''Pequod'', for revenge against Moby Dick, the giant whi ...
as he dies. Though Kirk's crew detects the activation and attempts to move out of range, they will not be able to escape the nebula in time without the ship's inoperable
warp drive
A warp drive or a drive enabling space warp is a fictional superluminal spacecraft propulsion system in many science fiction works, most notably '' Star Trek'', and a subject of ongoing physics research. The general concept of "warp drive" wa ...
. Spock goes to restore warp power in the engine room, which is flooded with radiation. When McCoy tries to prevent Spock's entry, Spock incapacitates him with a
Vulcan nerve pinch
In the fictional ''Star Trek'' universe, the Vulcan nerve pinch is a technique used mainly by Vulcans to render unconsciousness by pinching a pressure point at the base of the victim's neck.
Origin
The script for " The Enemy Within" stated tha ...
and performs a
mind meld
Vulcans, sometimes referred to as Vulcanians, are a fictional extraterrestrial humanoid species in the ''Star Trek'' universe and media franchise. In the various ''Star Trek'' television series and films, they are noted for their attempt to l ...
, telling him to "remember". Spock repairs the warp drive, and ''Enterprise'' jumps to warp, escaping the explosion, which forms a new planet. Before dying of
radiation poisoning, Spock urges Kirk not to grieve, as his decision to sacrifice himself to save the ''Enterprise'' was a logical one. Kirk and the ship's crew host a
space burial
Space burial is the launching of human remains into space. Missions may go into orbit around the Earth or to extraterrestrial bodies such as the Moon, or farther into space.
Remains are sealed until the spacecraft burns up upon re-entry into ...
for Spock, whose photon torpedo casket lands on the new Genesis planet.
Cast
''The Wrath of Khan''s cast includes all the major characters from the original television series, as well as new actors and characters.
*
William Shatner
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship ''Enterpris ...
as
James T. Kirk
James Tiberius Kirk is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Originally played by Canadian actor William Shatner, Kirk first appeared in ''Star Trek'' serving aboard the starship USS ''Enterprise'' as captain. Kirk leads ...
, a Starfleet admiral and former commander of the ''Enterprise''. Kirk and Khan never confront each other face-to-face during the film; all of their interactions are over a viewscreen or through communicators, and their scenes were filmed four months apart. Meyer described Shatner as an actor who was naturally protective of his character and himself, and who performed better over multiple takes.
*
Ricardo Montalbán
Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG (; ; November 25, 1920 – January 14, 2009) was a Mexican and American film and television actor. Montalbán's career spanned seven decades, during which he became known for performances in a var ...
as
Khan Noonien Singh
Khan Noonien Singh is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' science fiction franchise, who first appeared as the main antagonist in the ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' episode "Space Seed" (1967), and was portrayed by Ricardo Montalbán ...
, a genetically enhanced superhuman who had used his strength and intellect to briefly rule much of Earth in the 1990s. Montalbán said that he believed all good villains do villainous things, but think that they are acting for the "right" reasons; in this way, Khan uses his anger at the death of his wife to justify his pursuit of Kirk.
Contrary to speculation that Montalbán used a prosthetic chest, no artificial devices were added to Montalbán's muscular physique.
Montalbán enjoyed making the film, so much so that he played the role for much less than was offered him, and counted the role as a career highlight. His major complaint was that he was never face-to-face with Shatner for a scene. "I had to do my lines with the script girl, who, as you might imagine, sounded nothing like Bill
hatner" he explained. Bennett noted that the film was close to getting the
green light when it occurred to the producers that no one had asked Montalbán if he could take a break from filming the television series ''
Fantasy Island
''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. ...
'' to take part.
*
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy (; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor, famed for playing Spock in the '' Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes originating Spock in the original ''Star Trek'' series in 1966, th ...
as
Spock, the captain of the ''Enterprise'' who relinquishes command to Kirk after Starfleet sends the ship to Regula I. Nimoy had not intended to have a role in ''The Motion Picture''s sequel, but was enticed back on the promise that his character would be given a dramatic death scene.
Nimoy reasoned that since ''The Wrath of Khan'' would be the final ''Star Trek'' film, having Spock "go out in a blaze of glory" seemed like a good way to end the character.
*
DeForest Kelley as
Leonard McCoy
Dr. Leonard H. McCoy, known as "Bones", is a character in the American science-fiction franchise '' Star Trek''. McCoy was played by actor DeForest Kelley in the original ''Star Trek'' series from 1966 to 1969, and he also appears in the an ...
, the ''Enterprise''s chief medical officer and a close friend of Kirk and Spock. Kelley was dissatisfied with an early version of the script to the point that he considered not taking part.
Kelley noted his character spoke many of the film's lighter lines, and felt that this role was essential in bringing a lighter side to the onscreen drama.
*
James Doohan
James Montgomery Doohan (; March 3, 1920 – July 20, 2005) was a Canadian actor, author and soldier, best known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the television and film series '' Star Trek''. Doohan's characterization of the Scottis ...
as
Montgomery Scott
Montgomery "Scotty" Scott is a fictional character in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. First portrayed by James Doohan in the original ''Star Trek'' series, Scotty also appears in the animated ''Star Trek'' series, 10 ''Star Trek ...
, the ''Enterprise''s chief engineer. Kelley felt that McCoy's speaking his catchphrase "
He's dead, Jim" during Spock's death scene would ruin the moment's seriousness, so Doohan instead says the line "He's dead already" to Kirk.
Scott loses his young nephew following Khan's attacks on the ''Enterprise''. The cadet, played by
Ike Eisenmann
Ike Eisenmann (born July 21, 1962) is a former American actor, producer, and sound effects specialist who has been active in the entertainment industry since childhood.
Early life and education
Eisenmann was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Rut ...
, had many of his lines cut from the original theatrical release, including a scene where it is explained he is Scott's relative. These scenes were reintroduced when
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
aired ''The Wrath of Khan'' on television in 1985, and in the director's edition, making Scott's grief at the crewman's death more understandable.
*
George Takei
George Takei (; ja, ジョージ・タケイ; born Hosato Takei (武井 穂郷), April 20, 1937) is an American actor, author and activist known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the fictional starship USS ''Enterprise'' in the televi ...
as
Hikaru Sulu
Hikaru Kato Sulu is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. A member of the crew in the original ''Star Trek'' series, Sulu also appears in the animated ''Star Trek'' series, the first six ''Star Trek'' movies, one episode ...
, the helm officer of the ''Enterprise''. Takei had not wanted to reprise his role for ''The Wrath of Khan'', but Shatner persuaded him to return.
*
Walter Koenig
Walter Marvin Koenig (; born September 14, 1936) is an American actor and screenwriter. He began acting professionally in the mid 1960s and quickly rose to prominence for his supporting role as Ensign Pavel Chekov in ''Star Trek: The Original S ...
as
Pavel Chekov
Pavel Andreievich Chekov (russian: Павел Андреевич Чехов) is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' universe.
Walter Koenig portrayed Chekov in the second and third seasons of the original ''Star Trek'' series and the ...
, the ''Reliant''s first officer and former ''Enterprise'' crewmember. During filming, Kelley noted that Chekov never met Khan in "Space Seed" (Koenig had not yet joined the cast), and thus Khan's recognizing Chekov on Ceti Alpha did not make sense.
Non-canon
In fiction, canon is the material accepted as officially part of the story in an individual universe of that story by its fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction. The alternative terms mythology, tim ...
''Star Trek'' books have attempted to rationalize this discrepancy; in the film's novelization by
Vonda N. McIntyre, Chekov is "an ensign assigned to the night watch" during "Space Seed" and met Khan in an off-screen scene.
The novel ''
To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh'' fixes the error by having Chekov escort Khan to the surface of Ceti Alpha after the events of the television episode. The real cause of the error was a simple oversight by the filmmakers. Meyer defended the mistake by noting that
Arthur Conan Doyle made similar oversights in his
Sherlock Holmes stories.
Although they did not appear in the episode together, the ''Star Trek'' timeline indicates that Chekov was a member of the crew at that time. Chekov's screaming while being infested by the Ceti eel caused Koenig to jokingly dub the film ''Star Trek II: Chekov Screams Again'', in reference to a similar screaming scene in ''The Motion Picture''.
*
Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols (, born Grace Dell Nichols; December 28, 1932 – July 30, 2022) was an American actress, singer, and dancer best known for her portrayal of Nyota Uhura in ''Star Trek'' and its film sequels. Nichols' portrayal of Uhura was g ...
as
Uhura
Nyota Uhura () is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. In the original television series, the character was portrayed by Nichelle Nichols, who reprised the role for the first six ''Star Trek'' feature films. A younger Uhura is ...
, the ''Enterprise''s communications officer. Nichols helped convince Meyer and Bennet to marginally cut back their vision of a more militaristic depiction of Starfleet, which Gene Roddenberry took issue with.
*
Bibi Besch as
Carol Marcus, the lead scientist working on Project Genesis, and the mother of Kirk's son. Meyer was looking for an actress who looked beautiful enough that it was plausible a womanizer such as Kirk would fall for her, yet who could also project a sense of intelligence.
*
Merritt Butrick
Merritt R. Butrick (September 3, 1959 – March 17, 1989) was an American actor, known for his roles on the teen sitcom ''Square Pegs'' (1982), in two '' Star Trek'' feature films, and a variety of other acting roles in the 1980s.
Early lif ...
as
David Marcus, a Project Genesis scientist and Kirk's son. Meyer liked that Butrick's hair was blond like Besch's and curly like Shatner's, making him a plausible son of the two.
*
Paul Winfield
Paul Edward Winfield (May 22, 1939 – March 7, 2004) was an American stage, film and television actor. He was known for his portrayal of a Louisiana sharecropper who struggles to support his family during the Great Depression in the landmark fil ...
as
Clark Terrell, the captain of the ''Reliant''. Meyer had seen Winfield's work in films such as ''
Sounder'' and thought highly of him; there was no reason for casting him as the ''Reliant''s captain other than Meyer's desire to direct him. Meyer thought in retrospect that the Ceti eel scenes might have been corny, but felt that Winfield's performance helped add gravity.
*
Kirstie Alley as
Saavik, Spock's protege and a Starfleet commander-in-training aboard the ''Enterprise''. Serving on board as the navigator in Chekov's absence, she has a strong habit of questioning Kirk's eccentric heroic methods, preferring a more by-the-book approach. Constantly quoting rules and regulations to Kirk, she is actually vindicated during the battle with Khan, and her manner provides Spock with the idea for how to talk in code to Kirk down at the science lab. When Kirk and McCoy intend to beam down to the science lab, she insists on going with them on the pretext of protecting Kirk. The movie was Alley's first feature film role. Saavik cries during Spock's funeral. Meyer said that during filming someone asked him, "'Are you going to let her do that?' And I said, 'Yeah', and they said, 'But Vulcans don't cry,' and I said, 'Well, that's what makes this such an interesting Vulcan.'"
The character's emotional outbursts can be partly explained by the fact that Saavik was described as of mixed Vulcan-
Romulan
The Romulans () are an extraterrestrial race in the American science fiction franchise '' Star Trek''. They first appeared in the series '' Star Trek'' (1966–1969). They have appeared in most subsequent ''Star Trek'' releases, including '' The ...
heritage in the script, though no indication is given on film.
Alley was so fond of her Vulcan ears that she would take them home with her at the end of each day.
*
Judson Scott
Judson Earney Scott (born July 15, 1952) is an American stage, film and television actor. He has appeared in a number of science fiction productions, especially within the '' Star Trek'' franchise, as well as '' V'' and three episodes of ''The X- ...
as
Joachim, Khan's chief henchman. Scott took the role believing that it would be more prominent and requested top billing. When Paramount refused, Scott waived billing, believing that he would still appear in the end credits. Instead his performance went uncredited.
Production
Development
![Gene Roddenberry crop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Gene_Roddenberry_crop.jpg)
After the release of ''The Motion Picture'', executive producer
Gene Roddenberry wrote his own sequel. In his plot, the crew of the ''Enterprise'' travel back in time to set right a corrupted time line after Klingons use the
Guardian of Forever
"The City on the Edge of Forever" is the twenty-eighth and penultimate episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek''. Written by Harlan Ellison, contributors and/or editors to the script included ...
to prevent the
assassination of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963, at 12:30 p.m. CST in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza. Kennedy was in the vehicle with ...
.
This was rejected by Paramount executives, who blamed the tepid reception and costs of the first film on its plodding pace and the constant rewrites Roddenberry demanded.
As a consequence, Roddenberry was removed from the production and, according to Shatner, "kicked upstairs" to the ceremonial position of executive consultant.
Harve Bennett, a new Paramount television producer, was made producer for the next ''Star Trek'' film.
According to Bennett, he was called in front of a group including
Jeffrey Katzenberg
Jeffrey Katzenberg (; born December 21, 1950) is an American filmmaker, animator, and media proprietor. He became well known for his tenure as chairman of Walt Disney Studios from 1984 to 1994. After departing Disney, he was a co-founder and C ...
and
Michael Eisner
Michael Dammann Eisner (born March 7, 1942) is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company from September 1984 to September 2005. Prior to Disney, Eisner was president of rival film st ...
and asked if he thought he could make a better film than ''The Motion Picture'', which Bennett confessed he found "really boring".
When Bennett replied in the affirmative,
Charles Bluhdorn asked, "Can you make it for less than forty-five-fucking-million-dollars?" Bennett replied that "Where I come from, I can make five movies for that."
Bennett realized he faced a serious challenge in developing the new ''Star Trek'' film, partly due to his never having seen the television series.
Watching episodes of the show convinced Bennett that what the first picture lacked was a real villain; after seeing the episode "
Space Seed
"Space Seed" is the twenty-second episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek''. Written by Gene L. Coon and Carey Wilber and directed by Marc Daniels, it first aired on February 16, 1967.
In the ...
", he decided that the character of Khan Noonien Singh was the perfect enemy for the new film.
Bennett selected Robert Sallin, a director of television commercials and a college friend, to produce the film. Sallin's job would be to produce ''Star Trek II'' quickly and cheaply.
Bennett hired
Michael Minor as art director to shape the direction of the film.
Bennett wrote his first
film treatment
A film treatment (or simply treatment) is a piece of prose, typically the step between scene cards (index cards) and the first draft of a screenplay for a motion picture, television program, or radio play. It is generally longer and more detail ...
in November 1980. In his version, titled ''The War of the Generations'', Kirk investigates a rebellion on a distant world and discovers that his son is the leader of the rebels. Khan is the mastermind behind the plot, and Kirk and son join forces to defeat the tyrant. Bennett then hired
Jack B. Sowards, an avid ''Star Trek'' fan, to turn his outline into a film-able script. Sowards wrote an initial script before a writer's strike in 1981. Sowards' draft, ''The Omega Syndrome'', involved the theft of the Federation's ultimate weapon, the "Omega system".
Sowards was concerned that his weapon was too negative, and Bennett wanted something more uplifting "and as fundamental in the 23rd century as recombinant DNA is in our time", Minor recalled.
Minor suggested to Bennett that the device be turned into a
terraforming
Terraforming or terraformation ("Earth-shaping") is the hypothetical process of deliberately modifying the atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology of a planet, moon, or other body to be similar to the environment of Earth to make ...
tool instead. At the story conference the next day, Bennett hugged Minor and declared that he had saved ''Star Trek''.
In recognition of the Biblical power of the weapon, Sowards renamed the "Omega system" to the "
Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
Device".
By April 1981, Sowards had produced a draft that moved Spock's death to later in the story,
because of fan dissatisfaction of the event after the script was leaked.
Spock had originally died in the first act, in a shocking demise that Bennett compared to
Janet Leigh
Jeanette Helen Morrison (July 6, 1927 – October 3, 2004), known professionally as Janet Leigh, was an American actress, singer, dancer, and author. Her career spanned over five decades. Raised in Stockton, California, by working-class parents, ...
's early death in ''
Psycho''. This draft had a twelve-page face-to-face confrontation between Kirk and Khan.
Sowards' draft introduced a male character named Saavik.
As pre-production began,
Samuel A. Peeples, writer of the ''Star Trek'' episode "
Where No Man Has Gone Before
"Where No Man Has Gone Before" is the third episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series, ''Star Trek''. Written by Samuel A. Peeples and directed by James Goldstone, it first aired on September 22, 1966.
In t ...
", was invited to offer his own script. Peeples' draft replaced Khan with two new villains named Sojin and Moray; the alien beings are so powerful they almost destroy Earth by mistake. This script was considered inadequate;
the aliens resembled too closely the
villains on a typical ''TOS'' (''Star Trek: The Original Series'') episode. Deadlines loomed for special effects production to begin (which required detailed storyboards based on a finished script), which did not exist.
![Nicholas Meyer (2008-11-17)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Nicholas_Meyer_%282008-11-17%29.jpg)
Karen Moore, a Paramount executive, suggested that
Nicholas Meyer, writer of ''
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
''The Seven-Per-Cent Solution: Being a Reprint from the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D.'' is a 1974 novel by American writer Nicholas Meyer. It is written as a pastiche of a Sherlock Holmes adventure, and was made into a film of the same ...
'' and director of ''
Time After Time'', could help resolve the screenplay issues.
Meyer had also never seen an episode of ''Star Trek''.
He had the idea of making a list consisting of everything that the creative team had liked from the preceding drafts—"it could be a character, it could be a scene, it could be a plot, it could be a subplot,
..it could be a line of dialogue"—so that he could use that list as the basis of a new screenplay made from all the best aspects of the previous ones.
To offset fan expectation that Spock would die, Meyer had the character "killed" in the Kobayashi Maru simulator in the opening scene.
The effects company required a completed script in just 12 days. Meyer wrote the screenplay uncredited and for no pay before the deadline, surprising the actors and producers,
and rapidly produced subsequent rewrites as necessary. One draft, for example, had a baby in Khan's group, who is killed with the others in the Genesis detonation. Meyer later said:
Meyer described his script as "
'Hornblower' in outer space", utilizing nautical references and a swashbuckling atmosphere.
(Hornblower was an inspiration to Roddenberry and Shatner when making the show, although Meyer was unaware of this.) Sallin was impressed with Meyer's vision for the film: "His ideas brought dimension that broadened the scope of the material as we were working on it."
Gene Roddenberry disagreed with the script's naval texture and Khan's
Captain Ahab
Captain Ahab is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists in Herman Melville's ''Moby-Dick'' (1851). He is the monomaniacal captain of the whaling ship ''Pequod''. On a previous voyage, the white whale Moby Dick bit off Ahab's leg, ...
undertones, but was mostly ignored by the creative team.
As a gesture of good faith, Paramount changed the film's title from its original working title, ''The Vengeance of Khan,'' as it was too close to the working title for
Lucasfilm's upcoming ''
Star Wars'' film. After the name change was made, Lucasfilm changed their title from ''Revenge of the Jedi'' to ''
Return of the Jedi
''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who ...
.'' An even earlier working title for the Trek film was ''The Undiscovered Country'', a title which would eventually be used for the
sixth film of the franchise.
Design
Meyer attempted to change the look of ''Star Trek'' to match the nautical atmosphere he envisioned while staying within budget.
The ''Enterprise'', for example, was given a
ship's bell
A ship's bell is a bell on a ship that is used for the indication of time as well as other traditional functions. The bell itself is usually made of brass or bronze, and normally has the ship's name engraved or cast on it.
Strikes Timing of s ...
,
boatswain's call,
and more blinking lights and signage.
Meyer had a "No Smoking" sign added to the ''Enterprise''s bridge, which he recalled "Everyone had a fit over
..I said, 'Why, have they stopped smoking in the future? They've been smoking for four hundred years, you think it's going to stop in the next two?'"
The sign appeared in the first shot of the film, but was removed for all others appearing in the final cut.
To save money on set design, production designer Joseph Jennings used existing elements from ''The Motion Picture'' that had been left standing after filming was completed.
Sixty-five percent of the film was shot on the same set; the
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
of the ''Reliant'' and the "bridge simulator" from the opening scene were
redresses of the ''Enterprise''s bridge.
The Klingon bridge from ''The Motion Picture'' was redressed as the Regula I transporter room and the ''Enterprises torpedo bay.
The filmmakers stretched ''The Wrath of Khan''s budget by reusing models and footage from the first film, including footage of ''Enterprise'' in spacedock.
The original ship miniatures were used where possible, or modified to stand in as new constructions. The orbital office complex from ''The Motion Picture'' was inverted and retouched to become the Regula I space station.
Elements of the cancelled ''
Star Trek: Phase II
''Star Trek: Phase II'' was the initial working title for what officially became titled ''Star Trek II,'' an unproduced American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as a sequel to (and continuation of) the original ''S ...
'' television show, such as bulkheads, railings, and sets, were cannibalized and reused.
A major concern for the designers was that ''Reliant'' should be easily distinguishable from ''Enterprise''. The ship's design was flipped after Bennett accidentally opened and approved the preliminary ''Reliant'' designs upside-down.
![Starfleet uniform as introduced in The Wrath of Khan (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Starfleet_uniform_as_introduced_in_The_Wrath_of_Khan_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Designer
Robert Fletcher was brought in to redesign existing costumes and create new ones. Fletcher decided on a scheme of "corrupt colors", using materials with colors slightly off from the pure color. "They're not colors you see today, so in a subtle way
hey
Hey or Hey! may refer to:
Music
* Hey (band), a Polish rock band
Albums
* ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014
* ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980
* ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...
indicate another time."
Meyer did not like the
Starfleet uniforms from either the television series or ''The Motion Picture'' and wanted them changed,
but could not be discarded entirely because of the budget. Dye tests of the fabric showed that the old uniforms took three colors well: blue-gray, gold, and dark red. Fletcher decided to use the dark red due to the strong contrast it provided with the background. The resulting naval-inspired designs would be used in ''Star Trek'' films until ''
First Contact'' (1996). The first versions of the uniforms had stiff black collars, but Sallin suggested changing it to a turtleneck, using a form of vertical quilting called ''
trapunto''. The method creates a bas-relief effect to the material by stuffing the outlined areas with soft thread shot via air pressure through a hollow needle.
By the time of ''The Wrath of Khan''s production, the machines and needles needed to produce ''trapunto'' were rare, and Fletcher was only able to find one needle for the wardrobe department.
The crew was so worried about losing or breaking the needle that one of the department's workers took it home with him as a security measure, leading Fletcher to think it had been stolen.
For Khan and his followers, Fletcher created a strong contrast with the highly organized Starfleet uniforms; his idea was that the exiles' costumes were made out of whatever they could find.
Fletcher said, "My intention with Khan was to express the fact that they had been marooned on that planet with no technical infrastructure, so they had to cannibalize from the spaceship whatever they used or wore. Therefore, I tried to make it look as if they had dressed themselves out of pieces of upholstery and electrical equipment that composed the ship."
Khan's costume was designed with an open chest to show Ricardo Montalbán's physique. Fletcher also designed smocks for the Regula I scientists, and civilian clothes for Kirk and McCoy that were designed to look practical and comfortable.
Filming
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...
began on November 9, 1981, and ended on January 29, 1982.
''The Wrath of Khan'' was more action-oriented than its predecessor, but less costly to make. The project was supervised by Paramount's television unit rather than its theatrical division.
Bennett, a respected television veteran, made ''The Wrath of Khan'' on a budget of $12 million.
The budget was initially lower at $8.5 million, but it rose when the producers were impressed by the first two weeks of footage.
Meyer used camera and set tricks to spare the construction of large and expensive sets. For a scene taking place at
Starfleet Academy
In the fictional universe of ''Star Trek'', Starfleet Academy is where recruits to Starfleet's officer corps are trained. It was created in the year 2161, when the United Federation of Planets was founded. The Academy's motto is "''Ex astri ...
, a
forced perspective
Forced perspective is a technique that employs optical illusion to make an object appear farther away, closer, larger or smaller than it actually is. It manipulates human visual perception through the use of scaled objects and the correlation ...
was created by placing scenery close to the camera to give the sense the set was larger than it really was. To present the illusion that the ''Enterprise''s elevators moved between decks, corridor pieces were wheeled out of sight to change the hall configuration while the turbolift doors were closed.
Background equipment such as computer terminals were rented when possible instead of purchased outright. Some designed props, such as a redesigned phaser and communicator, were vetoed by Paramount executives in favor of existing materials from ''The Motion Picture''.
The ''Enterprise'' was refurbished for its space shots, with its shiny exterior dulled down and extra detail added to the frame.
Compared to the newly built ''Reliant'', the ''Enterprise'' was hated by the effects artists and cameramen; it took eight people to mount the model, and a forklift truck to move it.
The ''Reliant'', meanwhile, was lighter and had less complex internal wiring. The spaceship miniatures were photographed against a blue screen, which in post production allowed them to be composited with background scenery which had itself been photographed independently of the foreground miniatures. Any reflection of blue on the ship's hull would appear as a hole on the film; the gaps had to be patched frame by frame for the final film. The same camera used to film ''
Star Wars'', the
Dykstraflex, was used for shots of the ''Enterprise'' and other ships.
The barren desert surface of Ceti Alpha V was simulated on stage 8, the largest sound stage at Paramount's studio. The set was elevated 25 feet off the ground and covered in wooden mats, over which tons of colored sand and powder were dumped. A
cyclorama
A cyclorama is a panoramic image on the inside of a cylindrical platform, designed to give viewers standing in the middle of the cylinder a 360° view, and also a building designed to show a panoramic image. The intended effect is to make view ...
was painted and wrapped around the set, while massive industrial fans created a sandstorm. The filming was uncomfortable for actors and crew alike. The spandex environmental suits Koenig and Winfield wore were unventilated, and the actors had to signal by microphone when they needed air. Filming equipment was wrapped in plastic to prevent mechanical troubles and everyone on set wore boots, masks, and coveralls as protection from flying sand.
Spock's death was shot over three days, during which no visitors were allowed on set.
Spock's death was to be irrevocable, but Nimoy had such a positive experience during filming that he asked if he could add a way for Spock to return in a later film. The mind meld sequence was initially filmed without Kelley's prior knowledge of what was going on.
Shatner disagreed with having a clear glass separation between Spock and Kirk during the death scene; he instead wanted a translucent divider allowing viewers to see only Spock's silhouette, but his objection was overruled. During Spock's funeral sequence Meyer wanted the camera to track the torpedo that served as Spock's coffin as it was placed in a long trough and slid into the launcher. The camera crew thought the entire set would have to be rebuilt to accommodate the shot, but Sallin suggested putting a dolly into the trough and controlling it from above with an offset arm.
Scott's rendition of "
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...
" on the bagpipes was
James Doohan
James Montgomery Doohan (; March 3, 1920 – July 20, 2005) was a Canadian actor, author and soldier, best known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the television and film series '' Star Trek''. Doohan's characterization of the Scottis ...
's idea.
Spock's death in the film was widely reported during production. "
Trekkie
A Trekkie or Trekker is a fan of the '' Star Trek'' franchise, or of specific television series or films within that franchise.
History
Many early Trekkies were also fans of ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' (1964–1968), another show with scienc ...
s" wrote letters to protest, one paid for
trade press
A trade magazine, also called a trade journal or trade paper (colloquially or disparagingly a trade rag), is a magazine or newspaper whose target audience is people who work in a particular trade or industry. The collective term for thi ...
advertisements urging Paramount to change the plot, and Nimoy even received death threats.
Test audiences reacted badly to Spock's death and the film's ending's dark tone,
so it was made more uplifting by Bennett. The scene of Spock's casket on the planet and Nimoy's closing monologue were added; Meyer objected, but did not stand in the way of the modifications.
Nimoy did not know about the scene until he saw the film,
[Boucher, Geoff.]
Leonard Nimoy riffs on William Shatner, George Lucas and ... Jimi Hendrix?"
''Los Angeles Times'', June 12, 2010. but before it opened, the media reassured fans that "Spock will live" again. Due to time constraints, the casket scene was filmed in an overgrown corner of San Francisco's
Golden Gate Park, using smoke machines to add a primal atmosphere. The shoot lasted from midday to evening, as the team was well aware there would be no time for reshoots.
Special consideration was given during filming to allow for integration of the planned special effects. Television monitors standing in for computer displays were specially calibrated so that their
refresh rate
The refresh rate (or "vertical refresh rate", "vertical scan rate", terminology originating with the cathode ray tubes) is the number of times per second that a raster-based display device displays a new image. This is independent from frame rate ...
did not result in banding on film.
Due to a loss of resolution and quality resulting from rephotographing an element in an optical printer, live action sequences for effects were shot in
65mm or
VistaVision
VistaVision is a higher resolution, widescreen variant of the 35 mm motion picture film format which was created by engineers at Paramount Pictures in 1954.
Paramount never used anamorphic processes such as 2.55: 1, CinemaScope but refi ...
formats to compensate. When the larger prints were reduced through an anamorphic lens on the printer, the result was a
Panavision
Panavision is an American motion picture equipment company founded in 1953 specializing in cameras and lenses, based in Woodland Hills, California. Formed by Robert Gottschalk as a small partnership to create anamorphic projection lenses dur ...
composite.
Effects
With a short timeframe to complete ''The Wrath of Khan''s special effects sequences, effects supervisor Jim Veilleux, Meyer, Jennings, Sallin and Minor worked to transform the written ideas for the script into concrete storyboards and visuals. The detailed sequences were essential to keep the film's effects from spiraling out of control and driving up costs, as had occurred with ''The Motion Picture''.
Each special and optical effect, and the duration of the sequences, was listed.
By the end of six weeks, the producers determined the basic look and construction of nearly all the effects; the resulting shots were combined with film footage five months later.
Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) produced many of the effects, and created the new models; the ''Reliant'' was the first non-''Constitution''-class Federation starship seen in the series. Originally, the ''Reliant'' was conceived as a ''Constitution''-class starship identical to the ''Enterprise'', but it was felt audiences would have difficulty distinguishing between two alike ships.
As the script called for the ''Reliant'' and ''Enterprise'' to inflict significant damage on each other, ILM developed techniques to illustrate the damage without physically harming the models.
Rather than move the models on a
bluescreen during shooting, the VistaVision camera was panned and tracked to give the illusion of movement.
Damage to the ''Enterprise'' was cosmetic, and simulated with pieces of aluminum that were colored or peeled off. Phaser damage was created using
stop motion
Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...
. The script called for large-scale damage to the ''Reliant'', so larger versions of the ship's model were created to be blown up.
The battle in the nebula was a difficult sequence to accomplish without the aid of computer-generated models. The swirling nebula was created by injecting a latex rubber and ammonia mixture into a cloud tank filled with fresh and salt water.
All the footage was shot at two frames per second to give the illusion of faster movement. The vibrant abstract colors of the nebula were simulated by lighting the tank using
colored gels. Additional light effects such as auroras were created by the ILM animation department.
The ships were combined with the nebula background plates via bluescreen mattes to complete the shot.
The destruction of the ''Reliant''s engine nacelle was created by superimposing shots of the engine blowing apart and explosions over the model.
The scene in which Terrell kills Jedda, a Regula scientist, by vaporizing him with a phaser was filmed in two takes. Winfield and the related actors first played out the scene; this footage became the background plate. A blue screen was wheeled onto the set and actor
John Vargas
John Vargas is an American actor best known for his role in the films ''Primary Colors'' and '' Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan''. "Seduced By Evil" 1994.
Early life
John Vargas was born in the Bronx and moved to Puerto Rico when his father Jua ...
, the recipient of the phaser blast, acted out his response to being hit with the energy weapon. A phaser beam element was placed on top of the background plate, and Vargas' shots were optically dissolved into an airbrushed disintegration effect which matched Vargas' position in every frame.
The Ceti eel shots used several models, overseen by visual effects supervisor
Ken Ralston
Kenneth Ralston (born 1954) is an American visual effects artist, currently the Visual Effect Supervisor and Creative Head at Sony Pictures Imageworks. Ralston began his career at the commercial animation and visual effects company, Cascade Pictur ...
, who had just finished creature design for ''
Return of the Jedi
''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who ...
''. He tied a string to the eels to inch the models across the actors' faces before they entered the ear canal.
The scene of a more mature eel leaving Chekov's ear was simulated by threading a microfilament through the floor of the set up to Koenig's ear. The scene was filmed with three variations, which Ralston described as "a dry shot, one with some blood, and the ''
Fangoria'' shot, with a lot of gore."
Footage of a giant model of Koenig's ear was discarded from the theatrical release due to the visceral reaction it elicited in test audiences.
Additional optical effects were provided by Visual Concept Engineering (VCE), a small effects company headed by Peter Kuran; Kuran had previously worked at ILM and left after finishing ''
The Empire Strikes Back
''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based on a stor ...
''.
VCE provided effects including phaser beams, the ''Enterprise'' reactor, additional sand on Ceti Alpha V, and an updated transporter effect. Meyer and the production staff were adamant about not using freeze frames for the transporter, as had been done in the original television series. Scenes were shot so that conversations would continue while characters were in mid-transport,
although much of the matte work VCE created was discarded when the production decided not to have as much action during transports.
Computer graphics company
Evans & Sutherland
Evans & Sutherland is a pioneering American computer firm in the computer graphics field. Its current products are used in digital projection environments like planetariums. Its simulation business, which it sold to Rockwell Collins, sold products ...
used the computer graphics-based
Digistar
Digistar is the first computer graphics-based planetarium projection and content system. It was designed by Evans & Sutherland and released in 1983. The technology originally focused on accurate and high quality display of stars, including for the ...
planetarium system to generate the fields of stars, based on a
database of real stars.
The models of the ships were composited atop the star fields. The
Evans & Sutherland
Evans & Sutherland is a pioneering American computer firm in the computer graphics field. Its current products are used in digital projection environments like planetariums. Its simulation business, which it sold to Rockwell Collins, sold products ...
team also produced the
vector graphics
Vector graphics is a form of computer graphics in which visual images are created directly from geometric shapes defined on a Cartesian plane, such as points, lines, curves and polygons. The associated mechanisms may include vector display ...
tactical displays seen on the ''Enterprise'' and the simulator bridge.
''The Wrath of Khan'' was one of the first films to extensively use
computer graphics
Computer graphics deals with generating images with the aid of computers. Today, computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. A great de ...
to improve the visual quality and production speed of special effects shots. Among the film's technical achievements was cinema's first entirely computer-generated sequence, ILM's animation for the demonstration of the effects of the Genesis Device on a barren planet.
The first concept for the shot took the form of a laboratory demonstration, where a rock would be placed in a chamber and turned into a flower.
Veilleux suggested the sequence's scope be expanded to show the Genesis effect taking over a planet. While Paramount appreciated the more dramatic presentation, they wanted the simulation to be more impressive than traditional animation.
Having seen research done by
Lucasfilm's Computer Graphics group, Veilleux offered them the task. Introducing the novel technique of
particle systems
A particle system is a technique in game physics, motion graphics, and computer graphics that uses many minute sprites, 3D models, or other graphic objects to simulate certain kinds of "fuzzy" phenomena, which are otherwise very hard to repro ...
for the sixty-second sequence, the graphics team paid attention to detail such as ensuring that the stars visible in the background matched those visible from a real star light-years from Earth. The animators hoped it would serve as a "commercial" for the studio's talents. The studio would later branch off from Lucasfilm to form
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californ ...
.
The sequence would be reused in two sequels, ''
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock'' and ''
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home'', as well as in the unrelated
LaserDisc-based stand-up video
arcade game ''
Astron Belt''.
Music
Jerry Goldsmith
Jerrald King Goldsmith (February 10, 1929July 21, 2004) was an American composer and conductor known for his work in film and television scoring. He composed scores for five films in the ''Star Trek'' franchise and three in the ''Rambo'' franch ...
had composed the music for ''The Motion Picture'', but was not an option for ''The Wrath of Khan'' given the reduced budget; Meyer's composer for ''Time After Time'',
Miklós Rózsa
Miklós Rózsa (; April 18, 1907 – July 27, 1995) was a Hungarian-American composer trained in Germany (1925–1931) and active in France (1931–1935), the United Kingdom (1935–1940), and the United States (1940–1995), with extensi ...
, was likewise prohibitively expensive.
Bennett and Meyer wanted the music for the film to go in a different direction, but had not decided on a composer by the time filming began. Meyer initially hoped to hire an associate named John Morgan, but Morgan lacked film experience, which would have troubled the studio.
Paramount's vice-president of music Joel Sill took a liking to a 28-year-old composer named
James Horner
James Roy Horner (August 14, 1953 – June 22, 2015) was an American composer. He was known for the integration of choral and electronic elements, and for his frequent use of motifs associated with Celtic music.
Horner's first film score was in ...
, feeling that his demo tapes stood out from generic film music.
Horner was introduced to Bennett, Meyer and Sallin.
Horner said that "
he producers
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
did not want the kind of score they had gotten before. They did not want a
John Williams score, ''per se''. They wanted something different, more modern."
When asked about how he landed the assignment, the composer replied that "the producers loved my work for ''
Wolfen'', and had heard my music for several other projects, and I think, so far as I've been told, they liked my versatility very much. I wanted the assignment, and I met with them, we all got along well, they were impressed with my music, and that's how it happened."
Horner agreed with the producers' expectations and agreed to begin work in mid-January 1982.
In keeping with the nautical tone, Meyer wanted music evocative of seafaring and swashbuckling, and the director and composer worked together closely, becoming friends in the process.
As a classical music fan, Meyer was able to describe the effects and sounds he wanted in the music.
While Horner's style was described as "echoing both the bombastic and elegiac elements of John Williams' ''Star Wars'' and Goldsmith's original ''Star Trek'' (The Motion Picture) scores,"
Horner was expressly told to not use any of Goldsmith's score. Instead Horner adapted the opening fanfare of
Alexander Courage's ''Star Trek'' television theme. "The fanfare draws you in immediately — you know you're going to get a good movie," Horner said.
In comparison to the flowing main theme, Khan's
leitmotif was designed as a percussive texture that could be overlaid with other music and emphasized the character's insanity.
The seven-note brass theme was
echoplex
The Echoplex is a tape delay effect, first made in 1959. Designed by Mike Battle, the Echoplex set a standard for the effect in the 1960s—it is still regarded as "the standard by which everything else is measured." It was used by some of the ...
ed to emphasize the character's ruminations about the past while on Ceti Alpha V, but does not play fully until ''Reliant''s attack on the ''Enterprise''. Many elements drew from Horner's previous work (a rhythm that accompanies Khan's theme during the surprise attack borrows from an attack theme from ''Wolfen'', in turn influenced by Goldsmith's score for ''
Alien
Alien primarily refers to:
* Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country
** Enemy alien, the above in times of war
* Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth
** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
''). Musical moments from the original television series are also heard during investigation of the Regula space station and elsewhere.
To Horner, the "stuff underneath" the main story was what needed to be addressed by the score; in ''The Wrath of Khan'', this was the relationship between Kirk and Spock. The main theme serves as Kirk's theme, with a mellower section following that is the theme for the Starship ''Enterprise''.
Horner also wrote a motif for Spock, to emphasize the character's depth: "By putting a theme over Spock, it warms him and he becomes three-dimensional rather than a collection of schticks."
The difference in the short,
French horn
The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...
-based cues for the villain and longer melodies for the heroes helped to differentiate characters and ships during the battle sequences.
The soundtrack was Horner's first major film score,
and was written in four and a half weeks. The resulting 72 minutes of music was then performed by a 91-piece orchestra.
Recording sessions for the score began on April 12, 1982 at the
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
lot, The Burbank Studios and continued until April 15.
A pickup session was held on April 30 to record music for the Mutara nebula battle, while another session held on May 3 was used to cover the recently changed epilogue.
Horner used synthesizers for ancillary effects; at the time, science fiction films such as ''
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' and ''
The Thing'' were eschewing the synthesizer in favor of more traditional orchestras.
Craig Huxley performed his invented instrument—the
Blaster Beam
The blaster beam is a concept electric musical instrument consisting of a 12 to long metal beam strung with numerous tensed wires under which are mounted electric guitar pickups which can be moved to alter the sound produced. The instrument is ...
—during recording, as well as composing and performing electronic music for the Genesis Project video.
While most of the film was "locked in" by the time Horner had begun composing music, he had to change musical cue orchestration after the integration of special effects caused changes in scene durations.
Themes
''The Wrath of Khan'' features several recurring themes, including death, resurrection, and growing old. Upon writing his script, Meyer hit upon a link between Spock's death and the age of the characters. "This was going to be a story in which Spock died, so it was going to be a story about death, and it was only a short hop, skip, and a jump to realize that it was going to be about old age and friendship," Meyer said. "I don't think that any of
he other preliminaryscripts were about old age, friendship, and death."
In keeping with the theme of death and rebirth symbolized by Spock's sacrifice and the Genesis Device, Meyer wanted to call the film ''The Undiscovered Country'', in reference to
Prince Hamlet
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
's description of death in
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
'', but the title was changed during editing without his knowledge.
Meyer disliked ''Wrath of Khan'', but it was chosen because the preferred ''Vengeance of Khan'' conflicted with
Lucasfilm's forthcoming ''
Revenge of the Jedi'' (renamed ''Return of the Jedi'' late in production).
Meyer added elements to reinforce the aging of the characters. Kirk's unhappiness about his birthday is compounded by McCoy's gift of reading glasses. The script stated that Kirk was 49, but Shatner was unsure about being specific about Kirk's age.
Bennett remembers that Shatner was hesitant about portraying a middle-aged version of himself, and believed that with proper makeup he could continue playing a younger Kirk. Bennett convinced Shatner that he could age gracefully like
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two cons ...
; the producer did not know that Shatner had worked with Tracy on ''
Judgment at Nuremberg
''Judgment at Nuremberg'' is a 1961 American epic courtroom drama film directed and produced by Stanley Kramer, written by Abby Mann and starring Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Maximilian Schell, Werner Klemperer, Marlene D ...
'' (1961), and was fond of the actor.
Meyer made sure to emphasize Kirk's parallel to
Sherlock Holmes in that both characters waste away in the absence of their stimuli; new cases, in Holmes' case, and starship adventures in Kirk's.
Khan's pursuit of Kirk is central to the film's theme of vengeance, and ''The Wrath of Khan'' deliberately borrows heavily from
Herman Melville
Herman Melville ( born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works are ''Moby-Dick'' (1851); ''Typee'' (1846), a rom ...
's ''
Moby-Dick
''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship ''Pequod'', for revenge against Moby Dick, the giant whi ...
''.
To make the parallels clear to viewers, Meyer added a visible copy of ''Moby-Dick'' to Khan's dwelling.
Khan liberally paraphrases Ahab, with "I'll chase him round the moons of Nibia and round the Antares maelstrom and round perdition's flames before I give him up!". Khan quotes Ahab's tirade at the end of the novel verbatim with his final lines: "To the last I grapple with thee; from Hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee."
Release
The film's novelization, written by
Vonda N. McIntyre, stayed on the
''New York Times'' paperback bestsellers list for more than three weeks. Unlike the previous film, ''Wrath of Khan'' was not promoted with a toy line, although
Playmates Toys
Playmates Toys Limited is a Hong Kong toy company. The company was founded in Hong Kong in 1966 by Sam Chan as Playmates Industrial, manufacturing dolls for other companies. In 1975, Playmates began marketing their own line of pre-school toys, ...
created Khan and Saavik figures in the 1990s, and in 2007
Art Asylum
Minimates are a block-styled miniature action figure originally created by Art Asylum in 2002 and now released by Diamond Select Toys. The basic Minimate figure design has a tall body that resembles an extremely simplified human form with 14 point ...
crafted a full series of action figures to mark the film's 25th anniversary. In 2009,
IDW Publishing released a comic adaptation of the film, and ''
Film Score Monthly
''Film Score Monthly'' is an online magazine (and former print magazine) founded by editor-in-chief and executive producer Lukas Kendall in June 1990 in music, 1990 as ''The Soundtrack Correspondence List''. It is dedicated to the art of Film sco ...
'' released an expanded score.
''The Wrath of Khan'' opened on June 4, 1982 in 1,621 theaters in the United States. It made $14,347,221 in its opening weekend, at the time the largest opening weekend gross in history.
It went on to earn $78,912,963 in the US,
becoming the sixth highest-grossing film of 1982. It made $97,000,000 worldwide.
Although the total gross of ''The Wrath of Khan'' was less than that of ''The Motion Picture'', it was more profitable due to its much lower production cost.
Reception
Critical response was positive. Review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reports that 86% of 73 critics have given the film a positive review, recording an average score of 8.1/10.
After the lukewarm reaction to the first film, fan response to ''The Wrath of Khan'' was highly positive. The film's success was credited with renewing interest in the franchise.
Mark Bernardin of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' went further, calling ''The Wrath of Khan'' "the film that, by most accounts, saved ''Star Trek'' as we know it";
it is now considered one of the best films in the series.
Pauline Kael
Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' magazine from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael's opinions oft ...
of ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' called the film "wonderful dumb fun."
Gene Siskel gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, calling it "a flat-out winner, full of appealing characters in engaging relationships in a futuristic film that has a delightfully old-fashioned sense of majesty about its characters and the predicaments they get into."
The film's pacing was praised by reviewers in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' and ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' as being much swifter than its predecessor and closer to that of the television series.
Janet Maslin
Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for ''The New York Times''. She served as a ''Times'' film critic from 1977 to 1999 and as a book critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000 Maslin ...
of ''The New York Times'' credited the film with a stronger story than ''The Motion Picture'' and stated the sequel was everything the first film should have been.
''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' agreed that ''The Wrath of Khan'' was closer to the original spirit of ''Star Trek'' than its predecessor.
Strong character interaction was cited as a strong feature of the film,
as was Montalbán's portrayal of Khan.
In 2016, ''
Playboy
''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...
'' ranked the film number four on its list of ''15 Sequels That Are Way Better Than The Originals''.
''
Popular Mechanics
''Popular Mechanics'' (sometimes PM or PopMech) is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do-it-yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation and transportation o ...
'' would later rate Spock's death the tenth greatest scene in science fiction.
Roger Ebert of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago ...
'' and Derek Adams of ''
Time Out'' complained about what were seen as tepid battle sequences
and perceived melodrama.
While Ebert and ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news.
The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008.
Corpora ...
'' felt that Spock's death was dramatic and well-handled,
''The Washington Post''s Gary Arnold stated Spock's death "feels like an unnecessary twist, and the filmmakers are obviously well-prepared to fudge in case the public demands another sequel".
Negative reviews of the film focused on some of the acting,
and ''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' singled out the "dodgy coiffures" and "
Santa Claus tunics" as elements of the film that had not aged well.
Christopher John reviewed ''Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'' in ''
Ares Magazine'' #13 and commented that "By not taking itself so seriously – that is, realizing the film should be an action adventure with elements of pathos and philosophy gently added – ''The Wrath of Khan'' succeeded brilliantly. For those who loved the series, it was a dream come true (to such an extent that many refuse to acknowledge the existence of the first film as part of the ''Star Trek'' epos)."
''The Wrath of Khan'' won two
Saturn Awards in 1982, for best actor (Shatner) and best direction (Meyer). The film was also nominated in the "best dramatic presentation" category for the 1983
Hugo Awards, but lost to ''
Blade Runner
''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick' ...
''. ''The Wrath of Khan'' has influenced later movies: Meyer's rejected title for the film, ''The Undiscovered Country'', was finally put to use when Meyer directed the
sixth film, which retained the nautical influences.
Director
Bryan Singer
Bryan Jay Singer (born September 17, 1965) is an American filmmaker. He is the founder of Bad Hat Harry Productions and has produced almost all of the films he has directed.
After graduating from the University of Southern California, Singer ...
cited the film as an influence on ''
X2'' and his abandoned sequel to ''
Superman Returns
''Superman Returns'' is a 2006 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris from a story by Singer, Dougherty and Harris based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the sixth and fina ...
''. The film is also a favorite of director
J. J. Abrams
Jeffrey Jacob Abrams (born June 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker and composer. He is best known for his works in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. Abrams wrote and produced such films as '' Regarding Henry'' (1991), '' F ...
, producer
Damon Lindelof
Damon Laurence Lindelof (born April 24, 1973) is an American screenwriter, comic book writer, and producer. Among his accolades, he received three Primetime Emmy Awards, from twelve nominations. In 2010, ''Time'' magazine named him one of the ...
, and writers
Roberto Orci
Roberto Gaston Orcí (born July 20, 1973) is a Mexican-American film and television screenwriter and producer. He began his longtime collaboration with Alex Kurtzman while at school in California. Together they have been employed on television ...
and
Alex Kurtzman
Alexander Hilary Kurtzman (born September 7, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for his work on the ''Star Trek'' franchise since 2009, co-writing the scripts to ''Transformers'' (2007), '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' and ...
, the creative team behind the franchise relaunch film ''
Star Trek''. Abrams' second entry in the relaunched film series, ''
Star Trek Into Darkness
''Star Trek Into Darkness'' is a 2013 American science fiction action film directed by J. J. Abrams and written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof. It is the 12th installment in the ''Star Trek'' franchise and the sequel to t ...
'', drew significantly from ''Wrath of Khan''.
Home media
Paramount released ''The Wrath of Khan'' on RCA
CED Videodisc
The Capacitance Electronic Disc (CED) is an analog video disc playback system developed by RCA, in which video and audio could be played back on a TV set using a special stylus and high-density groove system similar to phonograph records.
Fir ...
in 1982 and on
VHS and
Betamax in 1983. The studio sold the VHS for $39.95, $40 below contemporary movie cassette prices
and it sold a
record 120,000 copies.
[ The successful experiment was credited with instigating more competitive VHS pricing, an increase in the adoption of increasingly cheaper VHS players, and an industry-wide move away from rentals to sales as the bulk of videotape revenue.]
Paramount released ''The Wrath of Khan'' on DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
in 2000; no special features were included on the disc. Montalbán drew hundreds of fans of the film to Universal City, California
Universal City is an unincorporated area within the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Approximately 415 acres (1.7 km) within and around the surrounding area is the property of Universal Pictur ...
where he signed copies of the DVD to commemorate its release. In August 2002, the film was re-released in a highly anticipated two-disc "Director's Edition" format. In addition to remastered picture quality and 5.1 Dolby surround sound
Surround sound is a technique for enriching the fidelity and depth of sound reproduction by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener (surround channels). Its first application was in movie theaters. Prior to s ...
, the DVD set included director commentary, cast interviews, storyboards and the theatrical trailer. The expanded cut of the film was given a Hollywood premiere before the release of the DVD. Meyer stated that he didn't believe directors' cuts of films were necessarily better than the original but that the re-release gave him a chance to add elements that had been removed from the theatrical release by Paramount. The four hours of bonus content and expanded director's cut were favorably received.
The film's original theatrical cut was released on Blu-ray Disc in May 2009 to coincide with the new '' Star Trek'' feature, along with the other five films featuring the original crew in ''Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection''. Of all six original films, ''Wrath of Khan'' was the only one to be remastered in 1080p
1080p (1920×1080 progressively displayed pixels; also known as Full HD or FHD, and BT.709) is a set of HDTV high-definition video modes characterized by 1,920 pixels displayed across the screen horizontally and 1,080 pixels down the screen ve ...
high-definition from the original negative. Nicholas Meyer stated that the ''Wrath of Khan'' negative "was in terrible shape," which is why it needed extensive restoration. All six films in the set have new 7.1 Dolby TrueHD
Dolby TrueHD is a lossless, multi-channel audio codec developed by Dolby Laboratories for home video, used principally in Blu-ray Disc and compatible hardware. Dolby TrueHD, along with Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC-3) and Dolby AC-4, is one of the i ...
audio. The disc also features a new commentary track by director Nicholas Meyer and ''Star Trek: Enterprise
''Star Trek: Enterprise'', titled simply ''Enterprise'' for its first two seasons, is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. It originally aired from September 26, 2001, to May 13, 2005 on Uni ...
'' showrunner Manny Coto
Manuel Hector "Manny" Coto (born June 10, 1961) is an American writer, director and producer of films and television programs.
Coto was the executive producer and showrunner of ''Star Trek: Enterprise'' in its final season, and executive produ ...
. On April 24, 2016, Paramount Pictures announced the Director's Edition of the film would be released for Blu-ray Disc on June 7, 2016. On July 7, 2021, it was announced that the first four films in the ''Star Trek'' franchise (including both the theatrical cut and the Director's Edition of ''The Wrath of Khan'') would be released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Ultra HD Blu-ray (4K Ultra HD, UHD-BD, or 4K Blu-ray) is a digital optical disc data storage format that is an enhanced variant of Blu-ray. Ultra HD Blu-ray discs are incompatible with existing standard Blu-ray players, though a traditional Blu- ...
on September 7 of that year to commemorate the franchise's 55th anniversary, alongside individual remastered Blu-rays of the same films.
See also
* ''Star Trek'' film series
*