Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan (1982)
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The crew of the starship Enterprise must stop a genetically engineered tyrant from acquiring a powerful terraforming device.
The story
In 2285, Admiral James T. Kirk and the crew of the starship USS Enterprise face a grave threat when the genetically engineered tyrant Khan Noonien Singh escapes from a 15-year exile. Khan seeks revenge against Kirk and aims to seize the Genesis Device, a powerful technology capable of transforming dead matter into habitable worlds. As Khan's forces attack the project's development site, Kirk must lead his crew in a desperate struggle to intercept the villain and prevent him from obtaining the device. The conflict forces the crew to confront a formidable adversary in a high-stakes race to protect the future of the galaxy.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 2285, Admiral James T. Kirk oversees a simulation of Spock's trainees before being advised by Dr. Leonard McCoy to seek a new command. Meanwhile, the ship Reliant is testing the Genesis Device on Ceti Alpha V, where they are captured by the tyrant Khan Noonien Singh. Khan, seeking revenge for his exile, uses the captured crew members to seize the Genesis Device. When Kirk's Enterprise arrives at the site, a battle ensues. Kirk and his crew eventually confront Khan in the Mutara Nebula, where the ship's systems are compromised. During the struggle, Spock performs a mind meld with McCoy and sacrifices himself to ensure the Enterprise can escape the nebula's explosion. The film concludes with the crew honoring Spock's memory as the explosion creates a new planet.
- First release year
- 1982
- Runtime (minutes)
- 113
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Nicholas Meyer
- Writers
- Jack B. Sowards · screenplay; Harve Bennett · story; Harve Bennett · story; Nicholas Meyer · script
- Cast and characters
- William Shatner · James T. Kirk; Leonard Nimoy · Spock; DeForest Kelley · Leonard McCoy; James Doohan · Montgomery Scott; Walter Koenig · Pavel Chekov; George Takei · Hikaru Sulu; Nichelle Nichols · Uhura; Bibi Besch · Carol Marcus; Merritt Butrick · David Marcus; Paul Winfield · Clark Terrell; Kirstie Alley · Saavik; Ricardo Montalbán · Khan Noonien Singh
- Genres
- science fiction; adventure
- Themes
- death; resurrection; growing old; vengeance
- Tone and mood
- swashbuckling; action-oriented
- Premise and plot tags
- space opera; sequel; survival
- Source material / true-story basis
- television series Star Trek
- Franchise connections
- Star Trek
- Reception
- The film was a box office success and received positive critical reviews, noted for its pacing, character interactions, and the portrayal of Khan. It is often considered one of the best in the series and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 8.1 · scale: 10 · review count: 73
- Awards and nominations
- Saturn Award · best actor · 1982 · win; Saturn Award · best direction · 1982 · win; Hugo Award · best dramatic presentation · 1983 · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was the first feature film to contain a sequence created entirely with computer graphics.; The production team used several cost-cutting techniques, including reusing sets and costumes from the first film.; The film's novelization was a New York Times bestseller for over three weeks.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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