by Moe Zilla

Created on: February 14, 2008   Last Updated: February 01, 2009

"Star Trek" movies started nearly 30 years ago - but the best one was "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." Captain Kirk faces off against his toughest adversary, the notorious Khan (played by Ricardo Montalban). The crew of the Enterprise faces an exciting game of cat and mouse against a man who's arrogant, intelligent, and bent on revenge.

It's a great premise, and the movie handles it well. Mr. Chekov is the first character to face Khan's fierce conquest, beaming down to a strange planet that's wandered far from its original orbit. Khan's episode of the original series ended with his gratitude to Captain Kirk for a new life on the planet as pioneers. But a freak space accident left Khan and his crew stranded and bitter, his wife dead and their new world hopelessly lost in space. Yes, now he's after revenge, and his ruthlessness is clear when he plants a mind-controlling slug into Mr. Chekov's helmet (as well as the helmet of Chekov's new starship captain, Clark Terrell). Khan takes control of Terrell's ship, and will launch a sneak attack against the starship Enterprise.

It's one of the finest battles in "Star Trek" history. With the Enterprise damaged, Khan demands unconditional surrender, telling Captain Kirk he has only one minute to beam over crucial information about "the Genesis Project". Kirk tells Spock to "pretend like I'm giving you instructions," then advises him to remotely hack into the computer on Khan's ship. The ship's engineer, Mr. Scott is advised to stand by with the ship's torpedoes. "It's coming over now," Kirk advises coyly, just as the shields drop on Khan's ship. Montalban's arrogant face registers fear, then anger. Now his hatred for the Enterprise's Captain is even more intense.

It creates real excitement when they meet again in the film's climax. Captain Kirk's only chance for survival lies in luring Khan's ship to a murky nebula. "I'm laughing at the superior intellect," Kirk taunts again. And the final showdown is on. The Enterprise's come-from-behind maneuver is an all-time favorite "Star Trek" moment.

But this film also offers one of the strangest sub-plots ever: Captain Kirk has a son! "The Genesis Project" is developed by Dr. Carol Marcus, a former lover of Kirk's - and her headstrong son David bears a remarkable resemblance to the captain. But an even greater plot twist lurks at the end of the film. The Enterprise can only be saved when one crewmember sacrifices his life to repair the ship's engines - Mr. Spock.

The film includes Mr. Spock's funeral - with Mr. Scott playing sad bagpipes before Captain Kirk delivers a touching eulogy. ("Of all the souls I have met, his was the most... human.") This movie did a good job of showcasing each actor from the original series. William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and DeForest Kelley didn't just re-create their original roles. The film seems to capture the deep and genuine feeling the friends have for each other.

This film offered real surprises and some terrific action scenes, with a plot that raised the stakes unusually high. Of course, the strange science of the "Genesis Project" suggests that Mr. Spock could eventually return. But the answer to that question would have to wait until "Star Trek 3."

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