I've been a Star Trek fan for many years. I've seen almost every Trek show, interviewed the stars and creators of those shows, and even have my own Strange New Worlds cosplay outfit hanging in my closet. And yet, I'm ashamed to admit that the Original Series movies have always been a blind spot in my fandom, and that I only just saw Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan for the first time a week ago.
Using my Paramount+ subscription, I was able to watch the movie that I've been told many times over by people is one of the greatest Star Trek movies of all time. I turned down the lights in my living room, pre-gamed with a rewatch of the TOS episode "Space Seed" for the ultimate experience, and holy Spock, I have some thoughts on Wrath of Khan after years of being a Trek fan. Spoiler warning if you're also like me and waited too long to see this one, though I feel like I'm in the minority here.
I Thought I Wasn't Missing Much Knowing The Gist Of The Movie's Plot. I Was Wrong
The ending of Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan is easy to learn about in pop culture, and much like Darth Vader being Luke's father is no longer a closely-guarded spoiler, neither is Spock's sacrifice to save the crew. Hell, there was apparently a hullabaloo ahead of the film's release that people wouldn't see it because Gene Roddenberry basically leaked out the major death. I knew Spock died, and I also knew he'd come back later and eventually get trapped in the Kelvin Universe, though that was decades later. Still, it felt like I knew the most important part of Wrath Of Khan, and, therefore had no reason to watch it.
That was a stupid line of thinking, and I'm calling myself out to let everyone else who may have the same thought know: being aware that Spock dies at the end does absolutely nothing to taint the enjoyment of the movie or make it anything less than a thrill from start to finish. This is quality cinema, even if you aren't a major fan of the franchise, though I'm mainly taking the word of my coworkers who aren't quite as into Trek as I am.
The Tension Between Khan And Kirk Is So Incredible, I Missed Out On One Key Element
Ricardo Montalbán and William Shatner give it their all in this movie. You feel the tension between Khan and Kirk in every scene, and I love how the movie ping-pongs back and forth with them outmaneuvering each other, and the stakes being raised with each move. These two make the movie what it is, and the dynamic is so powerful that I failed to realize one key element of the performance that was later pointed out to me on Twitter.
Khan and Kirk are at each other's throats the entire movie, and yet, they never share a scene together in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan. To be honest, it's not needed because both actors deliver such intensity that you'd think they were screaming in each other's faces and not communicating across two ships. I know William Shatner gets some guff for "overacting" in his performances, but this is a case where he went for it and it worked out for him in the best way possible.
Watching "Space Seed" Before Viewing Was An Excellent Decision
We live in an age of streaming in which someone can easily watch Star Trek's "Space Seed" and jump directly into The Wrath Of Khan afterward. I'm here to say everyone should absolutely do that. This motion picture is the perfect sequel to a strong episode of The Original Series, and while Wrath of Khan does adequately lay out the synopsis of the episode it's based on well enough, seeing it right before is so much better.
Seeing the differences between the Enterprise crew and Khan decades apart is incredible, and I'm talking both in terms of their physical appearances and their performances. Ricardo Montalbán's role can't be fully appreciated without seeing the character he is originally and how the cool and calculated villain is driven to extremes after losing what matters to him most. It's hard to fully appreciate his love for his wife, Marla McGivers, who left Starfleet to be with him without seeing their original infatuation. If you're a Trek fan who has never done this double viewing, please do yourself a favor and do so immediately.
Leonard Nimoy's Spock Sacrifice Scene Helped Me Better Understand His Character
It's probably because I came up in an era of Star Trek in which the franchise is enamored with Spock wrestling between his human and Vulcan side, but Leonard Nimoy's Spock has always felt a little foreign to me. At this stage in his life, he has seemingly all but entirely retained his Vulcan side over the human bits, with humanity only shining through on rare moments. Or at least this is what I thought until the sacrifice scene revealed to me that Nimoy's Spock is the mastered balance between Vulcan and human.
Spock's decision to sacrifice his own life to save the crew is the ultimate mastery of Vulcan logic paired with the human emotion of protecting the people he cares about. It's logical that he has the physiology to withstand the radiation poisoning of the warp drive long enough to repair it and allow the Enterprise to jump before the Genesis Device can activate. It's human of him to have courage, want to save his crew and share one last goodbye with his dear friend before passing. I don't know why I cried because I know Spock ultimately comes back, but it may be because I fully understood Nimoy's Spock for the first time.
Kirk's Eulogy Is So Touching
Of course, I can't sit here and act like Kirk's eulogy at the end of the movie didn't help me reach my conclusion regarding the truth about Spock. It's such a wonderful full-circle moment, starting with earlier in the movie, when Kirk jokes that all of Spock's decisions are based in Vulcan logic, to the end, when he tells mourners while fighting back tears that his friendship with Spock was the most "human" he'd ever had.
I've seen the original Star Trek, so I knew Kirk and Spock were the best of friends. I don't think there's any scene in the original series that better encapsulates the love these two characters had for each other than Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan. It reminds me of the bond I have with my own best friend and gets me choked up thinking of the day I'll have to eulogize him when he dies from radiation poisoning. In all seriousness, though, this is the cap on an incredible movie, and you can feel the actual friendship between William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy bleed through in this final scene.
Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan is a blast to watch in 2023, and thankfully, it's easy to watch on streaming if you have access to Paramount+. Stream it on there, buy a copy or do whatever you need to see it again or for the first time, because I need more people to talk about it with now that I've seen it.
