Beam Me Up to This Classic ’80s Star Trek Film, Scotty

Conventional wisdom says that not only is Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan the best film in the franchise, it is also the most accessible to non-Trekkers. I was never able to test this theory until this past summer. One day in July, some friends of mine (familiar only with J.J Abrams’ popular new Star Trek film) and I (a Star Trek fan since childhood) went out to the AFI Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, and watched Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan as part of their 1980s summer film festival.

Wrath of Khan sees an older, now “Admiral” Kirk (William Shatner) manning a desk at Starfleet Academy in San Francisco, with the Enterprise assigned a trainee crew under the leadership of Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Without a ship to command or space to explore, Kirk is beginning to feel the weight of his advancing age. Just then in the nick of time, genetically engineered supervillain Khan (Ricardo Montalban) breaks free of the barren planet where Kirk marooned him fifteen years earlier with his heart set on revenge and a weapon of unspeakable power, developed by Kirk’s old flame (Bibi Besch), who has her own beef with the Admiral. In response Kirk assembles his old crew, takes back command of the Enterprise, and sets off to defeat his embittered nemesis once and for all.

What struck me most about watching Wrath of Khan with an audience was how much laughter there was. It has been my favorite Star Trek film since I was a kid, but it was always deadly serious business. Khan spends most of the film with the upper hand, and the ending, though uplifting, is nothing resembling happy. What I could never see, which only a group of neophytes could show me, is how the film smells of 1980s cheese in the best way possible. With a title like The Wrath of Khan, what else can you expect?

Shatner gives his greatest performance as James T. Kirk, but his (at times) famously stilted delivery is bound to inspire chuckles, and his iconic, oft-parodied bellowing of, “KHAAAAAAAAAN!” has too much cultural baggage for someone not raised on the film to take seriously. Montalban is hands down the best Trek villain ever to grace any sized screen. His performance, whether he is unleashing rage or seething in resentment, exhibits a theatricality which, in its excess, is enthralling. No attempt is made to make this larger-than-life character seem less than that, and a modern audience used to more subdued performances could find Montalban’s brilliant villainy amusing at times.

All cheesiness aside, Wrath of Khan is still the greatest Star Trek movie ever made. (Uncredited) writer/director Nicholas Meyer had no familiarity with the original series when he signed on, so he brings a freshness and irreverence for this group of space-faring legends. Instead of focusing on giving audiences what they want, Meyer gives the characters what they need and succeeds at both.

Wracking Kirk with insecurity gives this often infallible hero something other than a fantastic villain to overcome. An old lover gives him more to regret about his past and compounds his midlife crisis. The friendship of the logical Spock, the emotional Dr. McCoy (Deforrest Kelley), and Kirk, comes front and center for some of the best character interaction the series has seen in its 40-plus year history. The personal stakes of the main conflict make it more engaging than the crew doing battle with a faceless machine as they had in the soporific Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Meyer also has no compunction about ending the film with the death of a main character, the most shocking and moving Star Trek moment ever shown in any medium. I won’t spoil it for those who have not seen it or live under a rock, but it isn’t too hard to figure out. (Hint: What’s the subtitle for Star Trek III?)

Of course, it’s not all character drama. This Star Trek has gripping action sequences perhaps not on the level or scope of Star Wars, but still more than suited to a character driven space opera of this kind. The special effects look dated, especially compared to J.J. Abrams’ latest entry in the franchise, but regardless they were fantastic for the time and are more than compensated for by the film’s tight pacing and strong acting. The rousing, bombastic score by James Horner is one of the composer’s best. Then at the end of it all, the defeat of a bad guy and the loss of a close friend give Kirk a new lease on his life, and the film leaves him sobbing, “I feel young.” After a ride like that, so does the audience.

As I left the theater with my friends, I had to ask the obvious question, “So which did you like better, this one or Abrams’ new one?” The vote was unanimous: Wrath of Khan all the way. It may not be new, and it may be cheesy at times, but you can’t beat a classic with a big heart and a lot of blood.


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