Howdy Otterites! Francis here again for another Francis Friday moment.
This past week on June 4th, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan celebrated the 40th anniversary of its theatrical release. (It’s also getting some special big screen showings in September around the country.) I’m of the opinion that Wrath of Khan was the critical moment in time where Star Trek resurrected itself and assured its future.
The story was amazing, returning to the great storytelling centered amidst great characters that so often made the Original Series such a phenomenon. Performances were spot on and yet fresh and those of us who revere the movie recognize we owe Nicholas Meyer in particular a huge debt of gratitude. Yes, his version of Trek was not the shiny, glowing technological wonder-filled universe that Roddenberry tried to bring about in The Motion Picture, but I believe that making the story personal and smaller ultimately saved the franchise and allowed it to evolve.
Had Meyer not captured the proper zeitgeist (Martin loves that word) and the movie had flopped, Trek would likely have ended right there, never moving forward to achieve the generational appeal and adulation it now has. The Next Generation and subsequent series would likely have never happened, depriving us of some of the greatest science fiction ever produced, right up to today. (Strange New Worlds by the way, might be the franchise’s greatest achievement. It truly nails everything right and if you love Trek, you’ve got to be watching it.)
In any case, to celebrate Wrath of Khan’s 40th anniversary, I suggest you readers find some time to crack open some Romulan Ale and rewatch the true classic.
The movie is all over several streaming services, believe it or not, and is the slightly elongated “Director’s Cut” which added back in about 6 (IMO crucial) minutes of material Nicholas Meyer stated the studio cut from the original theatrical release. (If you’ve ever noticed the differences they are small in time but huge in impact, and still keeping the film under two hours, so the whole studio cut makes no sense. Oh well, the proper cut is in place now and is available in 4K as well.)
Remember, revenge is a dish that is best served cold!
