STAR TREK: The Wrath of Khan (1982) was directed by Nicholas Meyer and stars the cast of The Original Series (TOS). As in TOS, Ricardo Montalban returns to reprise his rule as Khan Noonien Singh. Even the character's name rings familiar, and I wonder if Data of The Next Generation (TNG) has some relation to Khan.

Another notable addition to this film is Kirstie Alley, who has been visible in many television roles.

Admiral James T. Kirk is advised by Dr. McCoy to do something to spice up his life and get back into space. Kirk then inspects and watches on the bridge with Captain Spock as Lieutenant Saavik (Kirsti Alley) takes out the U.S.S. Enterprise from space dock on a cadet training cruise. Kirk appears to be happier back on a starship.

The plot thickens early on as a distress call from Khan's tribe attracts a starship to investigate, and Khan's forces manage to kidnap two Starfleet officers and then sequester their starship. Thus begins the tug-of-war between Khan and Kirk, who at this point does not even know there is a problem.

The theme of this film appears to be the continuing relationships of friends and their higher responsibilities, as well as an exploration into bad blood between Khan and Kirk. Years of isolation for Khan help to punctuate how badly, and how different, Khan perceives the situation from the Starfleet version.

Kirk is forced to deal face-to-face with his wife and son, and to experience death in the form of his friend Captain Spock.

As Khan reminds us in the film, "revenge is a dish that is best served cold." It is a very entertaining film and carries a lot of themes and lessons that all humans explore and discover daily.

I enjoyed this film, and recommend it to any trekkie fans.

Learn more about this author, Raleigh Stout.
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