Trek at 60: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan


This year Star Trek turns 60. For decades, it has enthralled and entertained audiences. Part of that legacy is 13 feature films. Over the next few weeks, I'll be looking back on each of the feature films in the franchise, including where I place them in my personal rankings!

Spock: If I may be so bold, it was a mistake for you to accept promotion. Commanding a starship is your first, best destiny; anything else is a waste of material.
Kirk: I would not presume to debate you.
Spock: That is wise. Were I to invoke logic, however, logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
Kirk: Or the one.
Spock: You are my superior officer. You are also my friend. I have been and always shall be yours.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Franchise Ranking: 1
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, Bibi Besch, Merritt Butrick, Kirstie Alley, and Ricardo Monalban
Director: Nicholas Meyer
About: If the first Trek outing in theaters was under-whelming, this was everything we could have hoped for. This is not only the best Star Trek film, it's a masterpiece. It's a fantastic film with an engaging plot and some of the most iconic moments of the franchise of all time. This is the Empire Strikes Back of Star Trek films. It fixes the look and uniforms, and it puts everyone back together in an engaging and incredible story. It returns a classic villain from the original series with a great foil for Kirk in Montalban's Khan. The Genesis Project, the Kobyashi Maru test, all of it works brilliantly. But this is also an incredible showcase for Nimoy and Shatner from beginning to end. All that is poured into their friendship early and throughout the film pays off with one of the most emotional and beautiful sequences in the film at the close. I love this movie.

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