Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

With the assistance of the Enterprise crew, Admiral Kirk must stop an old nemesis, Khan Noonien Singh, from using the life-generating Genesis Device as the ultimate weapon.

Director:

Nicholas Meyer

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (television series Star Trek), Harve Bennett (story)

Stars:

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

3 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

It is the 23rd century. Admiral James T. Kirk is an instructor at Starfleet Academy and feeling old; the prospect of attending his ship, the USS Enterprise--now a training ship--on a two-week cadet cruise does not make him feel any younger. But the training cruise becomes a deadly serious mission when his nemesis Khan Noonien Singh--infamous conqueror from late 20th century Earth--appears after years of exile. Khan later revealed that the planet Ceti Alpha VI exploded, and shifted the orbit of the fifth planet as a Mars-like haven. He begins capturing Project Genesis, a top secret device holding the power of creation itself, and schemes the utter destruction of Kirk.

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Plot Keywords:

planet | space station | trap | taunt | jamming communications | 

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Taglines:

Beyond the darkness...beyond the human evolution...is Khan. A genetically superior tyrant. Exiled to a barren planet; banished by a Starship Commander he is destined to destroy. Left for dead, Khan has survived.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Startrek.com

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 June 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Star Trek II: The Undiscovered Country

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$11,200,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,347,221, 6 June 1982, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$78,912,963

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$97,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min 116 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There was no comic book adaptation of this movie, because at the time, nobody had a license to do a Star Trek comic. Marvel's license had expired before it went into production, and DC Comics didn't pick up the license until after this movie was released. An adaptation has been released now, though.

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Goofs

When the Genesis device was activated, the Enterprise should have used the transporter. As established in Star Trek: Wolf in the Fold, the transporter can be set to disperse the atoms and thus render the object essentially non-existent. Alternatively, it could have been left in the pattern buffer where its pattern would degrade and no longer be possible to reintegrate.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Saavik: Captain's log: Stardate 8130.3. Starship Enterprise on training mission to Gamma Hydra, section 14, coordinates 22-87-4. Approaching Neutral Zone; all systems normal and functioning.
Sulu: Leaving section 14 for section 15.
Saavik: Standby. Project parabolic course to avoid entering Neutral Zone.
Sulu: Aye, captain.

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Crazy Credits

After the opening credits: "In the 23rd century..."

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Connections

Referenced in Hyper Sapien: People from Another Star (1986)

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Soundtracks

Theme From Star Trek (TV Series)
Music by Alexander Courage

User Reviews

Revenge is a dish that is best served cold!

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a classic action film. It has heroic characters, a nasty villain and a sweeping adventure that is both engaging and entertaining. This is top-notch filmmaking, which just happens to be told via Gene Roddenberry's sci-fi world of Star Trek.

Acting: Shatner and the Enterprise crew are all in top form. It just so happens that this is the best material they have ever been given to perform and they execute it with class and style (a quality later incarnations of Star Trek lack). Also, Ricardo Montablan is the ultimate Star Trek villain as Khan Noonian Singh.

The special FX are also well-done. In this age of CGI it is refreshing to see the ingenuity and creativity of old-style model effects being used so effectively. And just to make this statement even more clear: ST II has THE BEST space battle sequences in film history. That's right, the best. It's not about the scope of a battle that makes it fun to watch, it's all about the pacing! This film exhibits the best cat and mouse battle in my mind and its well worth your time.

Go see this movie.