Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan Parent Guide

Every hero has his nemesis. In the case of James T. Kirk (William Shatner), his avowed enemy is a man he has almost forgotten.

Having gallivanted all over the universe, the former Captain has now climbed to the ranks of Admiral and traded in his Starship for a classroom full of eager Star Fleet recruits. But what he doesn’t know is his career path is on a collision course with his past.

Fifteen years previously, while in command of the Enterprise, Kirk and his crew discovered a space vehicle filled with hibernating humans from the twentieth century. Once revived, these genetically enhanced earthlings turned hostile. The twenty-third century space explorers had no choice but to deposit the unruly bunch and their power-hungry leader Khan (Ricardo Montalban) on a remote life-sustaining planet where they could work out their own social order. (The whole story can be seen episode 39 of the original Star Trek series entitled Space Seeds.)

When an unrelated science expedition accidentally stumbles upon this sleeping giant, his past grievances (real and imagined) are aroused. Using his superior intellect, Khan devises a plan to seek his revenge on the man who marooned them.

On the other side of the cosmos, Kirk’s routine inspection of the Enterprise is interrupted by an urgent but garbled message from Dr. Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch), an old acquaintance who accuses him of commandeering her top-secret science research. Biting at the chance to resume his former post, the Admiral gets Federation permission to take the starship’s staff of inexperienced cadets and investigate the situation. Completely unaware the communication is only bait on Khan’s hook, the over-confident space veteran is about to chew off more trouble than he can swallow.

The ensuing battle of wits and ingenuity between the two fiercely proud foes will have viewers sitting on the edge of their seats while the script boldly explores such concepts as the cost of revenge, the burden of regrets, and the gift of self sacrifice. But the fast-passed action, violence, depictions of bloody injuries, and plot surprises (along with a few profanities) make this classic sci-fi adventure a better choice for teens and adults.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was the second attempt at bringing the popular 1960s television series to the big screen. After critics panned the first film because of its extended panoramic shots of the refurbished Enterprise, it is a wonder the studio invested in the franchise again. Fortunately for the fans, this well written sequel and the incredible performance by Ricardo Montalban not only saved Gene Roddenberry’s brainchild, but also acted as the genesis for more movies and a whole new generation of Trekkies.

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Donna Gustafson

Donna Gustafson has been involved with her husband Rod's work since the beginning. Handling many of the behind-the-scenes tasks, she also creates preview pages for up-coming movies, acts as managing editor and occasionally writes reviews.