#and captain terrell from wrath of khan

[frogayyyy]

now who was going to tell me that's the same guy

[nerds-yearbook]

Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn (originally titled The Vengeance of Kahn, but was changed when Star Wars Return of the Jedi was set to be titled Revenge of the Jedi) premiered on June 4, 1982. While many consider Star Trek the Motion Picture one of the worst of the franchise, it's sequel is often cited as one of the best. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was basically removed from involvement save for name only, so it was probably no surprise he was not a fan of the film. He would later come into further conflict with the studio with antics and behind the scenes drama on Star Trek the Next Generation TV series. The movie was a continuation from an episode of the original series "Space Seed" (season 1, episode 22, February 16, 1967, written by Gene L Coon and Carey Wilber, Directed by Marc Daniels). In the episode, the crew of the Enterprise awoke Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) and his crew of the SS Botany Bay after approximately 200 years of suspended animation. They realized Kahn and his people were products of genetic experimentation that lead to the Eugenics Wars of the 1990s. After a failed mutiny, Kirk exiled Kahn, his crew, Star Fleet officer Lt. Marla McGivers (Madlyn Rhue) and the Botany Bay to the planet Ceti Alpha V. It was learned that since being left there that Ceti Alpha VI exploded turning Ceti Alpha V into a wasteland. Many were killed by the event and others were killed by Ceti eels, including McGivers, who had become Kahn's wife. Kahn managed to capture Captain Clark Terrel (Paul Windfield) and Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) and take control of the USS Reliant. Kahn then set off to try to take control of the Genesis Device that was being developed for the purpose of terraforming planets. The project was lead by one of Kirk's ex-lovers Dr Carol Marcus (Bebi Besch) and their son Marcus (Merrit Butrick). When Kirk learned they were in danger, he took comand of the USS Enterprise, which was on a training mission. He was joined by his old crew Mr Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (James Doohan), Hikaru Sulu (George Takei), Lt Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) as well as new member Saavik (Kristy Alley). In their clashes with Kahn, the Enterprise was damaged leading to the deaths of Scotty's nephew (Ike Eisenmann) and Mr Spock (a large part of why Nimoy agreed to return for the sequel). A new planet was also created. This film was cited as having one of the first complete computer generated scenes in a movie, which was accomplished by the company that would become Pixar. ("Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn)

[thegeminisage]

WRATH OF KHAN breakdown

i watched this movie with catherine maulthots six days ago and liveblogged it incoherently on a notepad file on my phone because No Way was i opening this devils website when spock could die any moment. i am recording my experiences here for posterity

firstly i did know going in that he was going to die. this made me wracked with anxiety. more on that later. actually when kirk walked up and was like ha ha arent you supposed to be dead i almost lost it .5 seconds into the movie

absolute first thing was that we werent sure whether or not the thing in the beginning was a test. absolutely LOST MY MIND when i realized it was the kobayashi maru. every ten seconds during this movie i went "omg an aos reference" even though i knew it was really the other way around. somehow i thought mister perfect tos jim wouldn't cheat on the test so when they sort of hinted at what he did but didn't say it i was FROTHING to know more

bones's gay little posture. that's it that's the whole bullet

bones coming to jim's place at night was like the opening of some retro gay porno. DELIGHTED to find out that jim's allergies were not in fact an aos fanon but based in both aos and tos canon (re his little old man glasses)

mad that all of the movies seem to flirt with whether or not james t kirk should retire or captain a starship and then never resolve that question ever. it's like will shatner's insecurity about aging was leeching into the very script. girl we ALL KNOW what he should be doing so either shit or get off the pot

birthday gifts cute though. oh my fucking god. a book and glasses and he shows up with both repeatedly throughout the film

khan's tits were amazing. even as an asexual, even queer as a two dollar bill, i am full of admiration for what he had going on. he was rockin it

when they put the little worms into chekov and terrel cathy was like "omg THATS why they called them khan worms" and then i got to say "omg spn reference" instead of "omg aos reference" and we were so excited she wasn't even mad about it. also, they were so gross, oh my god, i couldn't look, she had to tell me when it was safe to unhide my eyes

meanwhile we're also mercilessly mocking the oversight that allowed khan and chekov to know one another. how did that plothole make it into production

EYE personally was very shocked at the amount of non-annoying women in the movie (two??). i liked both saavik and carol though i had to google to see if saavik was a human or vulcan. VERY cute that spock gave her the wheel to fuck with kirk specifically even though anyone but kirk being captain is so WEIRD. spock can be acting captain but not actual captain!!!

i ALSO knew from spoilers that carol had had kirk's fucking child which i may have accidentally also ruined for catherine so when a woman with an adult son mentioned james kirk onscreen we both became a little. unwell.

khan's "i shall have him" this sort of sexual tension is one of many things missing from into darkness. NOT that i want to see b*nedict c*mberbatch have that with anyone bc he is quite literally so ugly i have to cover his face with my hand when i watch into darkness but they should have cast a better person as khan and then made him have sexual tension with kirk.

cathy on the khan worms coming out of chekov's ears: wow, i love that! me on the same thing: i hate it

khan's "i wish to go on hurting you" no comment

khan yell REALLY GOOD. glad to see some things never change. william shatner was like i have been and will ever be a huge fucking ham

when carol marcus went "can i cook or can't i" i decided to go ahead and start liking women again. nature is healing, etc

if i had seen kirk pop that apple in his mouth while talking about how he didn't like to lose before i wrote gambler's knife. well. the fic probably wouldn't have changed much but my brain chemistry has certainly changed now. i can't explain w human words. AAAAAAUGH

spock's line about "sauce for the goose" was so out of character we had to check the transcript and make sure that was him speaking and not kirk. "sauce for the goose"??? sir, you're a vegetarian

the cgi was surprisingly good in whatever version we watched. it really holds up, which is ironic considering we had 20-minute vistas of it in the previous movie, where it was just okay

spock's death. i cried all the way through. don't text.

i did have a vague idea of what was going on when he melded with bones bc you literally cant avoid spoilers but i didn't have Details so i was very shocked for a second until i remembered

SPOCK'S FUNERAL. oh he would have been insulted to hear jim call him human!!!!! but he WAS

kirk trying to run away from his kid was really good. if i hadn't been blinded with tears i would have really enjoyed it. didn't like the "you've never faced death" bit though bc OBVIOUSLYYY he was on tarsus iv.

anyway then they panned to the coffin and i was like SURELY HES GONNA POP OUT AND SAY SIKE but he didn't. he didn't and i just had to live with that. and we had planned to watch search for spock immediately the next day but fate intervened and i had to skip it TWO DAYS in a row and nearly died. the end.

also, i didn't realize the book spock had given kirk was the one he quoted at the end!!!!!!! really horrible.

[dasmuggler]

In the Blu-ray special feature "The Captain's Log", Ricardo Montalban says that once he committed to "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" (1982), he realized that he had trouble getting back into the character Khan. After years of playing Mr. Roarke on "Fantasy Island," he found that he was "stuck" in that character. He requested a tape of the original "Star Trek" episode "Space Seed" from Paramount, and proceeded to watch it repeatedly. By the third or fourth watching, he had recaptured the essence of Khan's character.

It has been widely debated that Montalban's chest was actually a prosthetic piece that he wore during the film. In the director's commentary on the Blu-ray, director Nicholas Meyer is quoted as saying that this was, in fact, Montalban's actual chest and that he was a very muscular man who worked out. During publicity for the film, during an appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," Montalban explained that he was able to achieve the look seen in the film by doing push-ups. "A lot of push-ups."

Montalban was offered substantially more money to reprise Khan than he eventually agreed to. Although his initial offer was never disclosed, he agreed to a salary of $100K, which, given his star power at the time, and the studio's understanding that the film could not be made without him, was considered an exceptionally generous gift to the cash strapped production.

When Khan shows Chekov and Captain Terrell the Ceti eels (the only native inhabitants of this destroyed planet) for the first time, he tells that these eels were responsible for the deaths of twelve of his people, including his "beloved wife." Although he never mentions her name, or goes into any more detail about her, this was confirmed by the producers that his wife was in fact the former Enterprise historian, Lieutenant Marla McGivers, who was seduced by Khan, and helps him commandeer the ship in "Space Seed." Madlyn Rhue was to reprise her role as Marla McGivers, but she suffered with multiple sclerosis, and was confined to a wheelchair, so the role was written out of the script, by explaining she had died during the years of exile. Rhue did perform on television through 1996, despite her disability.

Montalban said in promo interviews for the film about how he realized early on in his career that a good villain does not see himself as villainous. He may do villainous things, but the character feels that he is doing them for righteous reasons. Likewise with heroes, Montalban said he always tried to find a flaw in the character because no one is completely good or completely evil.

[el-huddpudd]

Here's my chronology so far - TOS Space Seed then Journey to Babel; so interesting seeing how much Enterprise knowledge I know from just collective consciousness. Lovvvved the Vulcan lore and the dynamic of Spock's parents' with Kirk.

The Motion Picture; I always love a 'getting the gang back together' story. The ship renovations throwing a wrench in things was cool, made me think of the creativity in challenging a high level party. V'Ger had good twists, the ending landed!

2009 Movie; feeling chaotic with @slippery-soapbox she wanted to watch it and we just went for it lol. Surprised by so many A-list actors popping up, and I had fun pointing out all the crew I know now! Keith Urban really nailed it. Young Chekov was absolutely perfect.

Wrath of Khan; the music is so amazing!!! That's the first time I've lived reacted. Highest high was clever tricks with regulations - definitely going to watch more TOS episodes from @specialagentartemis & @chimaerakitten list. Lowest low was Captain Clark Terrell, Midshipman First Class Peter Preston, and Spock. They were the first fatalities I've seen with so much emotional weight. "Is the word given?"

Come home to your usually peaceful interstellar community x

#star trek: first watch it has begin!

I started out as #huh i don't know star trek but this is good and now I'm really going for it. While I know random tidbits stumbled across on tumblr and of course what's part of the zeitgeist aplomb, I'm going in mostly unaware!

[fromthefilesofredshirtgal]

Do you remember the scene in The Wrath of Khan where Captain Terrell and Chekov are looking around the Reliant and Chekov suddenly notices a child looking at him through a window and calls out for Terrell? A child that scurries off the second Terrell arrives, leaving Chekov to attempt to describe what he saw? What? You don’t remember this particular scene? That’s because it was deleted before the film was finalized and released. But in one version of the script, this child did exist and even appears again near the end of film.

In this alternate ending,  Khan would be nearly ready to detonate the Genesis device when we suddenly see the same toddler crawling onto the transporter pad.  With a natural child’s curiosity, he begins to head in the direction of the projectile.

Here is a behind the scenes photo of almost the same scene as a above, but from a different angle. Meyer seems to coaxing the child to come toward him and the child is rising slightly as if he were about to stand.

Again, the bright shiny object with the flashing lights seems to fascinate the toddler and he tries to get closer to it.

And once he had gotten to this point, where he is close enough to touch it, Khan would have detonated the Genesis Device, not knowing that the child is there. Which would have been a horrifying scene in the midst of what is already a horrifying scene back on the Enterprise. If this child exists, then there must be others who also die along with their parents  on the ship. What a way to emphasize the horrors of war. But even though these photos exist as proof that Nicholas Meyer once had this ending in mind, there is no trace of the actual film footage. It was most likely destroyed once Meyer decided this would be way too dark. The audience would already have been reeling from watching Spock slowly die from radiation exposure. To then watch a scene with a child walking slowly towards his death would be an extra punch to the gut that might detract from the scene before it. Wisely, all scenes involving the toddler were cut. There are online articles speculating that this child was Khan’s son. Most likely, this was never true. No one from the movie with any knowledge of this scene have ever given even the slightest indication the toddler’s father was Khan. Most likely it was meant to be representative of other small children who would have likely been sired by the young men and women in Khan’s crew.

[aion-rsa]

Mass Effect: Best Star Trek References and Easter Eggs

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Look, it’s not exactly a secret that Mass Effect has a little Star Trek in its DNA. It’s a franchise all about assembling a crew comprised of humans and aliens as you explore the furthest reaches of space and try your best to romance a few of those humans and aliens. It’s safe to say someone on the Mass Effect development teams watched an episode or two of Star Trek.

So while Mass Effect is, in some ways, a giant tribute to Star Trek and several other notable sci-fi works, there are a few ways that the Mass Effect games reference Star Trek that you may not have spotted unless you’re a hardcore Star Trek fan who also explored the furthest reaches of Mass Effect‘s galaxy.

From suspicious lines of dialog to familiar voices, these are some of the best Star Trek references and Easter eggs you’ll find in the Mass Effect trilogy.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

The Borg and The Geth

As a race of networked AI who utilize a “hivemind” system and have to deal with the occasional dissenter, there are clearly similarities between Mass Effect‘s Geth and Star Trek‘s Borg that can’t be ignored.

Having said that, some fans have pointed out that the designs and philosophies of the Geth could also be a nod to Battlestar Galactica‘s Cylons. It should also be noted that Mass Effect‘s Reapers are often treated as a mysterious galactic threat similar to how the Borg were described in early TNG episodes.

The Thorian and Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan’s Ceti Eels

In Mass Effect, you’ll encounter a sentient plant known as a Thorian. If this almost slug-like creature with the ability to use painful spores to control people’s minds seems oddly familiar, that’s likely because it’s almost certainly a reference to the Ceti Eels that Khan used to control people in one of Star Trek 2‘s most memorable scenes.

In fact, there’s a memorable moment in Mass Effect when Fai Dan shoots himself after ignoring a Thorian order to kill Shepard. It’s an almost exact recreation of a Wrath of Khan scene in which Captain Terrel uses a phaser on himself after disobeying Khan and the influence of the Ceti Eels.

Cerebus and Section 31

In Star Trek: Deep Space 9, we learn there’s a special section of Starfleet known simply as Section 31. They’re kind of a “wetworks” organization that has operated with and without Star Fleet’s support over the years. Through it all, they claim to promote “security” through whatever means necessary.

The Cerebus group in Mass Effect serve a similar purpose, with the biggest difference being that Cerebus has long been a kind of “splinter” group that operates independently to protect human interest (allegedly) on a galactic scale whereas Section 31 did seemingly operate with Starfleet’s support (at least for a time).

The Normandy’s Poker Table

While it’s a bit of a shame you don’t really get to do much with the poker table on the Normandy, the fact there’s a poker table so prominently featured on a spaceship has to be a callback to the poker table frequently used by the Enterprise crew in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Actually, TNG‘s poker table was such an important part of the ship (at least to key members of the crew) that it was even the centerpiece of the final scene in TNG‘s last episode, “All Good Things…”

Kenneth Donnelly is (Accidentally?) a Scotty Tribute

As a spaceship engineer with a heavy Scottish accent, it’s easy to assume that Mass Effect‘s Kenneth Donnelly was designed to be an obvious homage to Star Trek���s Montgomery “Scotty” Scott.

However, Mass Effect level designer Dusty Everman has previously stated that the similarities between those two weren’t planned from the start and really only came to life as the result of voice actor John Ullyatt’s performance choices and a bit of coincidence. Actually, Everman (or someone convincingly posing as him once upon a time) stated that Donnelly’s accent was based on his wife’s love of Ewan McGregor and that the original plan was for female Shepard players to be able to romance him.

“Yes! Exhilarating, Isn’t It?”

One of Mass Effect‘s better Star Trek references happens when Shepard warns a Krogan that the area around them is collapsing and the Krogan replies “Exhilarating, isn’t it?”

The same line is spoken by Christopher Lloyd in Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock under spiritually similar circumstances. Lloyd even portrays a Klingon in the film, and the Krogan have been called a Klingon-like race.

Various Star Trek Actors Voice Characters in the Mass Effect Franchise

If you’ve ever wondered just how much Star Trek influenced Mass Effect, look no further than Mass Effect‘s voice actor cast list.

Marina Sirtis, Armin Shimerman, Keith Szarabajka, Dwight Schultz…the Mass Effect cast is packed with actors arguably best known for their roles in various Star Trek series and films. Michael Dorn (who famously portrayed Worf in Star Trek: TNG) even voices a Krogan in Mass Effect 2.

Read more

Games

Mass Effect’s Hidden Kirk/Picard Morality System

By Matthew Byrd

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Star Trek: Judgment Rites Was the Final Season The Original Series Deserved

By Matthew Byrd

“This is… it’s green?”

While visiting the Dark Star lounge, Mass Effect‘s Commander Shepard receives an alien drink and remarks “This is… it’s green?” The line is a clear callback to a Star Trek: TOS episode called “By Any Other Name” in which Scotty picks up a strange bottle and makes the same comment.

In fact, Data says a similar line in the TNG episode “Relics” while pouring a mysterious green drink for…Scotty.

Mordin Solus and Data Have Similar Taste in Music

Mordin Solus’ love of music isn’t just one of the best Mass Effect companion’s most loveable attributes, it’s an apparent nod to Data: the also hyper-intelligent, also slightly detached Star Trek: TNG character who also loves to sing.

Actually, Solus and Data seem to share an appreciation for Gilbert and Sullivan as the two sing the duo’s greatest hits in their respective series.

“Goodbye Little Wing” and Deanna Troi

Matriarch Benezia isn’t just one of the more memorable side characters in the original Mass Effect; she’s another one of those characters in the Mass Effect franchise you may have not realized was voiced by a Star Trek alumni. Yes, Benezia is played by none other than Deanna Troi actress Marina Sirtis.

Best of all, there’s a moment in the first Mass Effect when Benezia says “Goodbye little wing, I have always been proud of you” shortly before dying. It’s an odd phrase that might make a little more sense when you realize that Troi’s mother was always calling her “little one” in TNG.

“When Your World Seems Hollow, We Help You Touch the Sky”

This one has to be in the running for the honor of “most obscure” Star Trek reference in any Mass Effect game.

In Mass Effect‘s Bring Down The Sky DLC, there is a radio shack located between two fusion torches. Go inside it, and you’ll find a log filled with unused radio promo spots. The script for one of those spots reads “If you are feeling hollow, we can help you touch the sky.” What is that supposed to mean?

Well, it seems to be a nod to a Star Trek: TOS Season 3 episode called “For The World Is Hollow And I Have Touched The Sky.” In that episode, an old man living atop a mountain tells the Enterprise crew “the world is hollow and I have touched the sky.”

The Systems Alliance Logo Looks Very Familiar…

Mass Effect‘s Systems Alliance is an Earth coalition responsible for representing the interests of humans in Citadel space. There are obviously many organizations in several notable sci-fi works with similar responsibilities, but there’s little doubt that the Systems Alliance is intended to refer to Star Trek‘s Starfleet.

In fact, the Systems Alliance logo bears a strong resemblance to the Starfleet logo from later Star Trek series and films. It’s not exactly a 1:1 copy, but it’s impossible not to spot the similarities once you start looking for them.

“Karora is Essentially a Great Rock in Space”

You’ll find another surprisingly subtle Star Trek reference in Mass Effect 2 when you request more information on a planet named Karora. The Normandy’s computer will inform you that “Karora is essentially a great rock in space, tidally locked to Amada.”

As it just so happens, Spock describes the Regula planet that the Enterprise crew encounters in Star Trek 2 as “essentially a great rock in space.” Maybe the wording is common enough to be a coincidence, but given all the other clear Star Trek references in Mass Effect, it feels like an intentional tribute.

The post Mass Effect: Best Star Trek References and Easter Eggs appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[spockvarietyhour]

Captain Clark Terrell: Captain, U.S.S. Reliant. Assigned to the Genesis Project in 2285 searching for a suitable planet to conduct the third stage test of Genesis. Reliant was taken over by Khan and his followers when they mistakenly landed on Ceti Alpha V thinking it was Ceti Alpha VI. Khan used a local slug, the Ceti Eel, to take control of Terrell and his first officer, Pavel Chekov and learned of Project Genesis. Most of the crew was stranded on planet and they travelled to Regula One Spacelab in an attempt to grab the Genesis device. He had Chekov send a message announcing their arrival with false orders from Admiral Kirk, hoping Dr. Marcus would lure Kirk there. When they arrived, Carol Marcus, David Marcus and one other scientist were missing, the databanks empty and the Genesis device gone. Khan tortured and killed all those remaining (none yielded) and left Terrell and Chekov behind for Kirk to find, as double agents. Kirk did exactly that and was able to lead them to the Genesis cave and Terrell revealed he and Chekov had been working for Khan. After killing one of the remaining scientists Terrell was unable to follow through on Khan’s order to kill Kirk. He fought the eel and ended up killing himself in his struggle. 

Appeared in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

[douxreviews]

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) Review

[This review includes big honking spoilers.]

Spock: "I never took the Kobayashi Maru test until now. What do you think of my solution?"

The Wrath of Khan is a favorite of many fans, and it deserves to be. It is exactly what a big Star Trek movie should have been, and finally was.

Why is this movie so good? Bunches of reasons. Like an exciting story that had personal significance to the main characters, terrific writing, an outstanding villain, and the intensely moving death of the most beloved character in the series. I can't get through this movie without crying, and I've seen it a dozen times.

Birthdays, old age, death and loss, passing the torch to the next generation, it was courageous of the franchise to make these things the center of the movie, instead of ignoring the fact that it was fifteen years after the series and the cast was getting older. The Wrath of Khan is beautifully bookended by the Kobayashi Maru no-win scenario at the beginning, basically the arrogance of youth believing that they will never die, and a no-win real life situation at the end for Kirk when he loses Spock, his closest friend, the other half of himself.

When you watch the movie knowing the ending, you can see Spock's death coming. There are so many references to dying. The first thing Kirk says to Spock is, "Aren't you dead?" And we can see on Spock's face the moment he realizes what must happen in order to save the ship. He just gets up and goes to his death without a word to anyone, a very Spock-like thing to do. He even has to trick McCoy in order to carry out his plan, which for me, makes it even harder to take. The way he stands and straightens his uniform, those final moments where he and Kirk are separated by glass, it always gets to me. It was an exceptional death for an exceptional character. I can remember when I first saw it, I was absolutely devastated. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy were at their best in that scene.

And yet, there is the obvious hint that it's not over for Spock. There was the way he touched the unconscious McCoy's face and said, "Remember," a deliberate call-back to "Requiem for Methuselah." The pod containing his body was lying on the grass of a vibrant new world that hadn't existed an hour before. They just couldn't bear to write Spock out completely, could they? (Not that I'm criticizing. I couldn't, either.)

As Kirk faced aging and death, pretty much for the first time, there was the complementary plot of passing the torch to the next generation. It was believable that Kirk would have had a child somewhere along the line, and it delighted me that his ex-amour was the most brilliant scientist in the Federation. David Marcus felt like he could have been Kirk's son, and I liked that Kirk did exactly as Carol had requested -- he stayed out of David's life and let Carol raise him alone. In an obvious parallel, Spock was mentoring his young protege, the competent, professional and often amusing regulation-quoting Lieutenant Saavik. The feminist in me can't help pointing out, with the exception of the comments about her hairstyle in the turbolift, Saavik could have easily been played by a man without changing a single other detail.

All this, and I haven't even gotten to one of the best things about this movie – and that's Ricardo Montalban reprising his character Khan from the original series episode "Space Seed."  His performance was so strong and so intense (and his chest so amazing) that there has yet to be a Star Trek villain that can top him.

And the supporting cast was terrific: DeForest Kelley was a delight as McCoy. James Doohan did a fine job with a wonderful dramatic scene when he lost his nephew. Bibi Besch did well in the key role of Carol Marcus, Merritt Butrick as David Marcus was pretty much perfect, and we also got Paul Winfield as the unfortunate Captain Terrell and future television star Kirstie Alley in her acting debut as Saavik. And yes, Chekov recognized Khan but Chekov wasn't in "Space Seed." I honestly don't care, since it wasn't important to the plot, and Walter Koenig's performance as Chekov in this movie is probably his best. (I only started liking Walter Koenig after his villainously wonderful continuing role in Babylon 5.)

Unlike Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Wrath of Khan never stops moving. The space battles are terrific, the gimmick with the prefix code and the scenes in the Mutara Nebula all work, the musical score is outstanding, and best of all, the effects still hold up. (Although the close-ups of the ears during the Botany Bay scenes don't. Ah, well.)

I love this movie. The Wrath of Khan and the two movies that completed the trilogy are the pinnacle of original Star Trek, incorporating the best aspects of the original series. They're wonderful. In my not so humble opinion.

Bits and pieces:

— Stardate 8130.3 to 8141.6. The Reliant, space station Regula 1, Ceti Alpha 5 (not 6), and the Mutara nebula.

— Star Trek: The Motion Picture was set two and a half years after the end of the series, but here it was established that it had been 15 years since "Space Seed". Khan mentioned his "beloved wife," which would have been Lt. Marla McGivers.

— The Genesis presentation was exceptional. Best commercial ever. I'd buy it.

— I loved the way they used the rare book and the antique glasses as a reminder of the fact that Kirk was getting older. I also loved the level of detail in the furnishings in Kirk's apartment, as well as the huge mosaic IDIC in Spock's quarters.

— The ear thingies were the Alien chestburster of their time. Ick.

— Khan's use of the lines from Moby Dick were set up by the mini-library aboard the Botany Bay: Moby Dick, Paradise Lost, Dante's Inferno. And all books relevant to what happened to the Botany Bay.

— Kyle from the original series was a crew member on Reliant.

— Although the theatrical version is fine, I prefer the director's cut. It includes just a few little extra scenes, but one in particular – the introduction of Midshipman Preston as Scotty's nephew – makes a difference.

— Even the costumes were great. I particularly liked the white flap on Kirk's uniform stained with Peter Preston's blood; it was a striking visual.

— The Genesis cave scene is wonderful. But I've always wondered: where did the light come from?

Quotes:

Kirk: "A no-win situation is a possibility every commander may face. Has that never occurred to you?" Saavik: "No, sir. It has not." Kirk: "And how we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life, wouldn't you say?" Saavik: "As I indicated, Admiral, that thought had not occurred to me." Kirk: "Well, now you have something new to think about. Carry on."

Dr. McCoy: "Admiral, wouldn't it be easier to just put an experienced crew back on the ship?" Kirk: "Galloping around the cosmos is a game for the young, Doctor." Uhura: "Now what is that supposed to mean?"

David: "Remember that overgrown boy scout you used to hang around with? That's exactly the kind of guy..." Carol: "Listen, kiddo. Jim Kirk was many things, but he was never a boy scout."

Kirk: "Mr. Scott, you old space dog. You're well?" Scotty: "Oh, I had a wee bout, sir, but, Doctor McCoy pulled me through." Kirk: "Wee bout of what?" McCoy: "Shore leave, Admiral."

(Kirk tensely watches as Saavik takes Enterprise out of space dock.) McCoy: "Would you like a tranquilizer?"

Kirk: "I would not presume to debate you." Spock: "That is wise. Were I to invoke logic, however, logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Kirk: "Or the one." Spock: "You are my superior officer. You are also my friend. I have been and always shall be yours."

Khan: "I'll chase him around the Antares maelstrom and round Nibia and round Perdition's Flame before I give him up!"

Spock: "As a matter of cosmic history, it has always been easier to destroy than to create." McCoy: "Not anymore. Now we can do both at the same time. According to myth, the Earth was created in six days. Now watch out, here comes Genesis! We'll do it for you in six minutes!" Spock: "Really, Dr. McCoy. You must learn to govern your passions. They will be your undoing."

Khan: "Let them eat static."

Khan: "Ah, Kirk, my old friend. Do you know the Klingon proverb that tells us revenge is a dish that is best served cold? It is very cold in space."

Spock: "Jim, be careful." McCoy: "We will!"

Kirk: "KKKHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!!!" :)

Carol: "Can I cook, or can't I?"

Saavik: "On the test, sir... will you tell me what you did? I would really like to know." McCoy: "Lieutenant, you are looking at the only Starfleet cadet who ever beat the no-win scenario." (gestures at Kirk) Saavik: "How?" Kirk: "I reprogrammed the simulation so it was possible to rescue the ship." Saavik: "What?" David: "He cheated." Kirk: "I changed the conditions of the test. Got a commendation for original thinking. I don't like to lose." Saavik: "Then you never faced that situation... faced death." Kirk: "I don't believe in the no-win scenario."

Khan: "To the last, I will grapple with thee. From Hell's heart, I stab at thee! For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee!" Montalban makes these lines from Moby Dick work. How many actors could pull off lines like this?

McCoy: "He's not really dead as long as we remember him." Kirk: "It's a far, far better thing I do than I have ever done before. A far better resting place that I go to than I have ever known." Carol: "Is that a poem?" Kirk: "No. Something Spock was trying to tell me, on my birthday." McCoy: "You okay, Jim? How do you feel?" Kirk: "Young. I feel young."

It isn't necessary to have seen "Space Seed" or Star Trek: The Motion Picture to follow this movie. In fact, it isn't really necessary to have seen the original series to follow this movie. And you don't even need to watch Star Trek III and IV. Although I assume every Star Trek fan pretty much has.

Four out of four no-win scenarios.

Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

[seanhtaylor]

eSpecs Books Focus #2:

Christopher L. Bennett

Tell us a bit about your latest work.

My most recent published work is Star Trek: The Original Series—Living Memory from Gallery Books, my second consecutive novel set in the period between Star Trek: The Motion Picture and The Wrath of Khan. My previous novel, The Higher Frontier, showed how Kirk became commandant of Starfleet Academy while keeping the Enterprise as his flagship for special missions, setting up the status quo that would eventually lead to The Wrath of Khan. While The Higher Frontier showed Kirk commanding one such special mission, Living Memory keeps Kirk occupied with a challenging situation at the Academy, involving the controversial admission of a specially bred warrior population to the student body at a time of public protests at the perceived militarization of Starfleet. Meanwhile, Captain Spock of the Enterprise and Captain Terrell and Commander Chekov of the Reliant investigate a series of destructive cosmic storms that seem to be backtracking the Enterprise’s past ports of call—and that turn out to have a surprising connection to Commander Uhura, one that she’s unable to remember due to the Nomad probe wiping her memory in the episode “The Changeling.” I was glad to take that throwaway plot point and craft a poignant story about Uhura’s struggle to reconnect with her lost past.

My latest original work (aside from a few short stories on my Patreon) is the duology Arachne’s Crime and Arachne’s Exile, published by eSpec Books, also available as a single volume with bonus stories, The Arachne Omnibus. This is an epic interstellar adventure in which a human starship crew inadvertently destroys an alien space habitat and is put on trial by the survivors. Arachne’s Crime devotes its first half to the trial, then follows the crew as they attempt to integrate into the alien society and make amends for their mistake, complicated by factions of both species that would prefer a more violent resolution. Arachne’s Exile then opens up the story on a more cosmic scale, as the characters travel deeper into galactic civilization and discover ancient secrets that drive them to seek escape—leading to a dangerous heist on a unique megastructure orbiting a neutron star. The late Don Sakers of Analog called Arachne’s Exile “a fun, exciting read.”

Read more:

https://seanhtaylor.blogspot.com/2021/08/especs-books-focus-2-christopher-l.html

[hhhhh-waitwhat]

Star Trek: The wrath of Khan

Finally watching this immediately after seeing tmp for the first time and I already miss This Simple Feeling [SPOILERS BELOW]

-spock looks amazing as always I am already in love with this red outfit aaaa

-wait where's kirk

-damn indeed

-evasive action! *explodes*

-SPOCK!! UHURA!!! We are one minute in

-Jesus? No, that's just Kirk, he's extra like that

-aaaaa i see

-yaas bones so dramtic

-Jim why must you roast them like that

-shdhejje they're gifting each other poetry now?! This is the best of times

-illegal smuggle buddies

-old man Kirk better wise up we have 3 more movies to go

-FIRST OFFICER CHEKOV?! in my dreams

-whos this nervous mop and cool lady what

-not at all ominous shed in the desert, looks like a good place to chill

-always trust Chekov

-the Botany Bay mafia has arrived

-WHAYHSHb great to finally meet you mr khan

-read the room new captain geez

-Chekov never told me the tale too :(

-Jim is a busy man khan he can't just keep checking on everyone he abandoned

-TITS OUT KHAN

-aww but it's like a worm armadillo

-oh nooo don't out it in their ears ewww

-AAAA IT LICK

-aah back to the comfort of the enterprise

-personally i love the dad glasses Jim

-a tiny boi SIR

-vulcan the real language of love

-lmao bones and Jim snarking on the new guys

-YES ASTRONAUT GUY!!! tiny spaceman is my favourite reoccurring star trek movie minor character

-Sulu's smile melts my heart 💖

-more like Starship Un-reliant

-someone save Chekov my poor baby

-Bones lmaoo are you casually drunk

-SHAKE YOUR HEAD NO JIM ITS CALLED NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION YELL CAROL NO

-be still my beating heart Spock in a robe

-ohohoho suddenly Spock's out here with the outbursts of Jim you're the only one for me the enterprise

-AAAAYYYYYY WE GOT EM, I GOT MY 'THIS SIMPLE FEELING'

-I have been, and always will be, yours.

-I have been, and always will be, yelling about this scene from now on

-*chanting* Captain Kirk, Captain Kirk

-khan really does subscribe to the Jim Kirk Titties Out look

-coughwhydotheycallthemmrsavik is this a subtitle error orrrr trans vulcan Savik confirmed

-hmm seems kinda op to just make any planet living

-cant see how that could go wrong at all

-alright Bones we should probably go about this at a different way instead of insulting Spock but I get what you're putting down

-hahs khan that's your intimating line?! I love it, reminds me of megamind lmaoo revenge is a dish served cold

-that guy just FLEW on the bridge!!!

-oof khan got em good, his bite is stronger then his bark

-sup khan long time no see

-unforgivable that they did that to the lovely lady enterprise

-amazing work as always Jim but Chekov!!! We must save him and his worm

-good god who is that in your arms Scotty why did you bring them to the BRIDGE

-its the baby boy!!! you did well my red shirt baby, rest well

-i love how bones didn't even wanna be here at first but now he won't even let Jim beam down to planets alone without him

-hewwo? Mop head and the lovely and smart Carol?

-oh there are the rest

-CHEKOV IS BACK!!! everyone hug him NOW

-thats a big sonic screwdriver

-mop head and Carol, living it up in a bunker woot woot

-Chekov betrayal! I don't blame you baby boy I blame the rest for not listening when you told them about the ear worm like what did we expect

-Terrel noooo!! I didn't appreciate you enough I'm sorryyyyy

-wait why did Chekov's worm leave is he just that powerful

-that "KHAN" was so loud I'm surprised the enterprise didn't hear it ahshssh

-OFC Kirk has a complicated relationship with Carol smdh

-LIKE HIS FATHER?!? MOP HEAD IS KIRKS...?!?!

-my son.. look at my son!! *bursts into Hamilton song and dance

-not gonna lie I did read a spirk fic today where I believe it mentioned his son and wife died but I paid it no heed, now I'm second guessing everything ajsjsje the line between cannon and fannon continues to blur in my mind

-wowow dang Carol you really outdid yourself this place is straight ART

-kirk big brain cheated and Starfleet were so impressed they just let it slide immmm

-okay wow this crew montage and dramatic music has no right to get me this pumped up

-omg mop wears a jumper around his shoulders like a rich tennis player are we SURE this is Jim's son

-khan even nearly has the titty scar wound too he's more like Jim then mop boy will ever be

-second movie second serve of flashing lights, I really need to stop watching these in the dark

-do y'all really think khan is the kind of guy to surrender lololol

-crazy that spite kept him and only him alive like that huh

-AAAAA SHITS GETTING REAL SPOCK WENT ROGUE

-no hesitation we mind meld with whoever, Spock you naughty boy

-Me, Bones and Scotty all yelling at Spock to STOP SACRIFICING YOURSELF at every dang opportunity sjjdidkdj we CARE

-dang khan what a way to go out

-All is good so far? Did we win?

-OH FUCK SPOCK! RUN KIRK, RUN TO SPOCK HE NEEDS YOU

-wow I've never seen him run so fast and- did he just push over a random guy??? Go Jim nothing can stop you

-oh my god no

-no

-this is the second movie he can't die now?!?!? im not ready for thefamous touch through the glass scene I glimpse on Tumblr IM NOT READY

-i just have it paused. i don't even want the camera to pan across and show Spock I KNOW I'll cry

-deep breath

-i can't type too busy crying my heart out, spoooooooooooooooooooock

-OH MY GOD JIM DONT CRY TOO WAAAAAAAAA THE TEARS DONT STOP

-i should never have watched the movies I was so happy with just the original series, imagining my boys together exploring space for all eternity

-amd now I'll never stop crying ahsjdusjjs

-Okay okay okay I couldn't even wait till the end of the movie i HAD to know NOW, my poor heart couldn't go on otherwise-so, after a brief glance at the next movie descriptions Spock is IN bones in Search for Spock?!?! And then he's alive maybe in the next one I'm so confused my heart is so wearyyy

-too numb for the rest I can't deal with you rn mop head

-we are in MOURNING

-Jims broken I'm broken we're all fucked up now

-cant even hug right I feel ya Jim we are empty on the inside

-okay bones sure he's not dead if we remember him but also HES NOT DEAD DEAD RIGHT?! It's too late now to start another movie but I am dyingggg to know what happens next send help

-you're going to bring up your birthday Jim?!? Remind both of us how you were too busy sulking to appreciate Spock's poetry I swear to goddd next time you see Spock I am BEGGING you to shower him in all the love and affection he desrves

-wish they'd do a Sherlock and he's just hiding behind a tree :(

-wellllll I mean??? He sorta was??? Egg spock

-stop making me cryyyyyy opening in Spock's voice ahshshsbs I hope those gravely lines are the last thing I hear

-FINALLY it is OVER I can try to mend my broken heart with fanfics hhhhh

-got me outta nowhere with Spock and I am draineddd, can't wait to watch the next one soon 💕

[feathery-dreamer]

Little over a month ago, on a Discord server, I remarked that one of the members’ name was identical to a Star Trek character. Namely Captain Terrell, from the movie Wrath Of Khan: https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Clark_Terrell

So at the beginning of last month, I sketched a little pic of him in the same pose as that movie screenshot. I guess it could be considered a punny shitpost, with more time and manual effort put into it? [DA link]

I didn’t dare work further on my old struggling lagtop, while the newer laptop was off to get a new HD. Now that it’s back, over this past week I was able to digitally lineart and color the picture in Inkscape. Plus I added some details I’d initially forgotten; like his beard, the rank pin on his shoulder, or the wrist cuff. [DA link]

Unfortunately the original one's face is ruined, since I erased it trying to move the snout just a little lower. I was so proud to have nailed the “tired of this bullshit” face and posture, too... The screenshot looks like Terrell is in the middle of swinging the left armrest to spring out of his chair (I do recall that feature of Captain’s chairs since they have display panels on the armrests, which kinda hover over the thighs for easy access but also are hinged for dramatic standing convenience).

Also, for some reason Inkscape's fill tool is terrible, I'd like some advice on how to avoid those gaps. They're smaller if I zoom in, but when I do that it doesn't fill anything outside of the screen; if I keep scrolling to fill the entire area, it makes thin "joints" I also don't like. Guess I could just... select the linearted shape, and go to its properties? Which I discovered well into making the picture, and didn't feel like redoing all the coloring.

[kevrocksicehouse]

Before they started writing Morgan Freeman roles there was…Paul Winfield.

Nathan Lee Morgan in Sounder. D: Martin Ritt (1972).  A great movie that really should be seen more is among other things a touching portrait of fatherhood. The scenes where Morgan, a sharecropper just released from a work camp realizes his oldest son’s hero-worship will hold him back in life are quietly shattering and good examples of the economy of great acting. Winfield was nominated for an Oscar that year and sometimes I think he should’ve beaten Brando.

Captain Clark Terrell in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. D: Nicholas Meyer (1982). In what is still the best Star Trek movie, Winfield plays a small part that is also a large (mostly unremarked upon) milestone: The first African-American starship captain in the franchise. Can’t say it ends well for him but if Laurence Harvey can go out a hero in The Manchurian Candidate, Winfield does it here.

Philip Green in Mike’s Murder. D: James Bridges (1984).  Hollywood’s not-so-benign neglect of Black actors led Winfield to do a lot of his best work on stage and television (Check him out as MLK in 1978’s King miniseries – if you can find it) and small scene-stealing roles like this one as the record-producer sugar daddy of a young murdered cocaine dealer. Winfield delivers a moving performance of pragmatic grief that was also one of the few times this professionally closeted actor played a gay man.

[blackkudos]

Paul Winfield

Paul Edward Winfield (May 22, 1941 – March 7, 2004) was an American television, film and stage actor. He was known for his portrayal of a Louisiana sharecropper who struggles to support his family during the Great Depression in the landmark film Sounder, which earned him an Academy Award nomination. He portrayed Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1978 television miniseries King, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award. Winfield was also known to science fiction fans for his roles in The Terminator, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. He received five Emmy nominations overall, winning for his 1994 guest role in Picket Fences.

Early years

Winfield was born in Los Angeles, California, to Lois Beatrice Edwards, a union organizer in the garment industry. His stepfather from the age of eight was Clarence Winfield, a city trash collector and construction worker. He graduated from Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles. From there, he attended the University of Portland, 1957–59; Stanford University, 1959; Los Angeles City College, 1959–63; University of California, Los Angeles, 1962–64; University of Hawaii, 1965 and the University of California, Santa Barbara, 1970-71.

Career

A life member of The Actors Studio, Winfield carved out a diverse career in film, television, theater and voiceovers by taking ground breaking roles at a time when black actors were rarely cast. He first appeared in the 1965 Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Runaway Racer," as Mitch, a race car mechanic. His first major feature film role was in the 1969 film, The Lost Man starring Sidney Poitier. Winfield first became well-known to television audiences when he appeared for several years opposite Diahann Carroll on the groundbreaking television series Julia. Filmed during a high point of racial tensions in the United States, the show was unique in featuring a black female as the central character. He also starred as Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1978 miniseries King.

In 1973, Winfield was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1972 film Sounder, and his co-star in that film, Cicely Tyson, was nominated for Best Actress. Prior to their nominations, and Diana Ross for Lady Sings the Blues the same year with Winfield and Tyson, only three other black Americans – Dorothy Dandridge, Sidney Poitier and James Earl Jones – had ever been nominated for a leading role. He also appeared, in a different role, in the 2003 Disney-produced television remake of Sounder, which was directed by Kevin Hooks, his co-star from the original. Winfield played the part of “Jim the Slave” in Huckleberry Finn (1974) which was a musical based on the novel by Mark Twain. Winfield would recall late in his career that as a young actor he had played one of the two leads in Of Mice and Men in local repertory, made up in whiteface, since a black actor playing it would have been unthinkable. Winfield also starred in miniseries, including Scarlett, and two based on the works of novelist Alex Haley: Roots: The Next Generations and Queen: The Story of an American Family.

Winfield gained a new segment of fans for his brief but memorable roles in several science fiction television series and movies. He portrayed Starfleet Captain Clark Terrell of the USS Reliant, an unwilling minion of Khan Noonien Singh, in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Lieutenant Ed Traxler, a friendly but crusty cop partnered with Lance Henriksen in The Terminator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 1996, he was part of the 'name' ensemble cast in Tim Burton's comic homage to 1950s science fiction Mars Attacks!, playing the complacently self-satisfied Lt. General Casey. On the small screen Star Trek franchise, he appeared as an alien captain who communicates in metaphor in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Darmok". He also appeared in the second season Babylon 5 episode "Gropos" as General Richard Franklin, the father of regular character Dr. Stephen Franklin, and on the fairy tale sitcom The Charmings as The Evil Queen's wise-cracking Magic Mirror. He also portrayed the character of Julian Barlow in the television series 227 during its last two seasons.

Winfield also took on roles as homosexual characters in the films Mike's Murder in 1984 and again in 1998 in the film Relax...It's Just Sex. He found success off-camera due to his unique voice. He provided voices on the cartoons Spider-Man, The Magic School Bus, Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child, Batman Beyond, Gargoyles, K10C and The Simpsons, on the latter voicing the Don King parody Lucius Sweet. In his voiceover career, he is perhaps best known as the narrator for the A&E true crime series City Confidential, a role he began in 1998 and continued with until his death in 2004. Throughout his career, Winfield frequently managed to perform in the theater. His only Broadway production, Checkmates, in 1988, co-starring Ruby Dee, was also the Broadway debut of Denzel Washington. He also appeared in productions at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, and The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. Winfield was nominated for an Emmy Award for his performance in the King and Roots: The Next Generations. He won an Emmy Award, in 1995, for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, for his appearance as Judge Harold Nance in an episode of the CBS drama Picket Fences.

Personal life and death

Winfield was gay, but remained discreet about it in the public eye. His partner of 30 years, architect Charles Gillan, Jr., died on March 5, 2002, of bone cancer. Winfield long battled obesity and diabetes. He died of a heart attack in 2004 at age 62, at Queen of Angels – Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles. Winfield and Gillan are interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

Wikipedia

[culturejunkies]

38 Years Ago Today, Star Trek changed forever

By Kenshiro

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is widely considered the greatest Star Trek film of all time. Some have it in their top 10 of all-time great Sci-Fi films. There’s more than a few great reasons for that. Lets go over them now.

The Mid-Life Crisis of Admiral Kirk

William Shatner had been playing Admiral James T. Kirk for almost 20 years by the time this film came out. The theme of Kirk’s story echoed the thespian himself: How does one fight against the undefeated Father Time? It was something Kirk had carried over from the previous movie entry Star Trek The Motion Picture. In that film, Kirk had manipulated situations to regain command of The Enterprise. It was a desperate attempt to regain something he felt he’d lost, and Bones McCoy astutely called him on it.

In TWOK, Kirk has seemingly surrendered to the inevitable thing that all humans face; The captain is old and worn down by time.  Kirk is shown making references to his age constantly, telling his friends that captaining a ship is a “young man’s game”. Jim also defers to Spock on obvious command decisions, despite being the senior officer. This was Kirk at his lowest point. The veneer of invincibility had worn off. This realistic approach to the swashbuckling hero was refreshing. Setting the stage for his greatest foil to return from the dead.

Ricardo Montalban’s Masterful Performance

In a historic event, Star Trek transformed a one-off character into its greatest villain. Ricardo Montalban’s Khan had morphed from a charismatic villain clothed in fine clothes, to a revenge-obsessed madman trapped in a barren wasteland. Every scene Montalban had was effortlessly stolen by his presence. As a young child, I was captivated by him as an actor. He commanded the screen, and Khan as a villain was positively magical. His lines were laced with memorable quotes that fans can remember decades later. Also there is simply no other character who could quote Moby Dick so eloquently with his dying breath and have it carry such gravitas.  Khan is a sympathetic villain fueled by righteous anger. Kirk had essentially abandoned him and when beset by tragedy, Khan was left powerless to save his people from it.  He didn’t want to rule the galaxy…he wanted vengeance.

When given the opportunity, he ruthlessly turned situations to his advantage: Subverting Checkov & Capt. Terrell; Massacring the staff at Regula One; Leaving the Enterprise crippled and Kirk seemingly trapped. That last situation, did two things: It gave Montalban a meaty quote line: “I’ve done far worse than kill you….I’ve HURT you…and I wish to go on…HURTING you. I shall leave you as you left me…as you left HER…marooned for all eternity in the center of a dead planet.  Buried ALIVE….buried alive.  The response became one of the most enduring memories of Star Trek before or since. 

  CHILLS.

The Chess Match Between Khan and Kirk

What makes this movie even more amazing is the two protagonists never once shared the same space.  No mano-y-mano showdown or duel at twenty paces. Khan and Kirk engaged in a mental battle of wits that we had never seen in Star Trek or even Star Wars before.  Khan’s opening gambit of using the friendly appearance of the U.S.S. Reliant to lower his adversaries guard and deal serious crippling damage to The Enterprise.  Kirk countered by using a secret prefix code to order Khan’s stolen ship to lower its own shields and leave it open to attack.

Both sides suffered serious losses, but the game of life and death continued unabated.  Khan laid a trap at Regula One which again preyed on Kirk’s weakness for familiar faces and left him trapped with the possibility of escape.  Yet Kirk flipped it around and used coded messages with Spock to buy themselves time to effect repairs to The Enterprise for one last gasp showdown.  A breath-taking free for all ensued in the Mutara Nebula. The battle showcased a pitched battle that highlighted the inexperience of one man vs. another, and finished with a white-knuckle escape from certain death.  Of course that leads me to the next memorable point…

The Death of Spock

If you were to list one of the most shocking movie moments in the 1980s, this is right up there with Darth Vader’s reveal to Luke in Empire Strikes Back. In the opening scene of the movie, the characters were partaking in the infamous “no-win scenario” Kobayashi Maru test.  Here Lt. Saavik sat helplessly as everyone in her training crew seemingly died, including Spock himself.  Spock is of course, the most popular Star Trek character ever played by the legendary Leonard Nimoy. So many fans were sitting on the edge of their seats when Spock bravely entered the Enterprise’s Warp Reactor core to try and engineer an escape for his beloved friends.  Entering that chamber was as stated by Dr. McCoy a certain death sentence as there ever was one.  Spock went anyway. 

When we see the worry on Kirk’s face descend into horror upon entering the Engine room the reality of the situation set in. It was a somber moment that left many fans in tears and sadness after they left the theater.  For many this was the point of no return.  There was no internet at the time, nor was there any bulletin boards to throw out theories.  This was it.  Spock was dead….until he wasn’t in the next film 2 years later.  The weight of the scene hammered home that Star Trek had for all intents and purposes, grown up.  This was no longer just a mere TV show.  It was a phenomenon.

The Musical Score of James Horner

Almost all memorable films in history are backed by an epic musical score.  James Horner transformed the music of Star Trek cinematically with his incredible score.  Horner, who was a relative newcomer to the musical score scene wanted to evoke the feeling of nautical battles scene in old Pirate films.  Horner’s work gives us familiar sounds that can be heard in future works such as Willow, Krull, Aliens and his Oscar award winning Titanic.  The standout tracks include the Epilogue/End Title, the Battle in the Mutara Nebula and Genesis Countdown.  I am an avid collector of soundtracks in my musical library.  This iconic score is possibly the most played out of all the various film scores in my collection. Its that damn good.  Take a listen for yourself at the great music in the Genesis Countdown scene and you’ll begin to understand. 

The Wrath of Khan Changed Star Trek forever

The themes of Star Trek were always upbeat. Hopeful for a brighter future.  The Wrath of Khan is the first time where Star Trek deals with the sins of the past coming back to haunt the characters.  Dealing with much darker themes of vengeance, the film was not actively marketed towards kids.  It has proven to be a very hard act to follow.  Since then no other Star Trek film has encroached closely upon its popularity. Not even the very popular 2nd Next Generation film Star Trek: First Contact.  The Wrath of Khan is a mixture of all the things that make movies great. It’s a fun, swashbuckling film that doesn’t pander to its mature audience.  While levity is present in the film, the tone never trends towards the camp of the original series. The stakes are always very high and the weight of what transpires is ever present. 

After the success of the film, there was renewed interest in the franchise. There have been 11 films that have followed it and many series on TV and streaming services since this day in 1982.  Fans return to this film for the reasons I’ve listed above, but it can be boiled down to one single meme:

[aion-rsa]

Star Trek Picard Season 2 Teaser Trailer: All the Easter Eggs & References

https://ift.tt/39N5lp2

Mild spoilers for Picard Season 1 ahead.

More than any of the new Star Trek series, Picard is the one that is the most stuffed with obvious Trekkie nostalgia. Yes, when Strange New Worlds starts showing some footage, we might feel differently, but because Picard is a sequel to the ‘90s-era of Trek, for this present moment, it connects with various generations of Trekkies at the same time.

On “First Contact Day,” Paramount+ dropped a minimalist, spare teaser-trailer, similar to the vineyard teaser for Picard Season 1. But this time, as we swept through Picard’s study in Château Picard, the trailer was basically nothing but Easter eggs. Here’s a full breakdown of what we caught and what it all might mean.

Château Picard is NOT a hologram

Notably, the first shot of the trailer is of the outside of Château Picard, which seems to imply what we’re looking at isn’t the holographic recreation of Picard’s study on the La Sirena, but instead, the “real” place. This could imply that Picard actually returns to Earth in Season 2. Unless this is some idealized version of his study we’ll never see.

Enterprise painting

This one is obvious. Prominently displayed in Picard’s study is that famous painting of the Enterprise which Picard had in his Ready Room for all seven seasons of The Next Generation, and the film, Generations. Like the Captain Picard Day banner in Season 1, you really have to wonder if this is the same painting. After all, when the Enterprise-D was crashed in Generations, we only saw Picard take his photo album with him, which seems to imply somebody else had to grab that painting for him later. That said, this painting looks a little different from the one made by Andrew Probert and Rick Sternbach for The Next Generation.

Is any of this real? 

Paradise Lost 

One of the books visible in Picard’s study is Paradise Lost by John Milton. Mostly, this is a book of verses about Satan and other fallen angels. Paradise Lost is a revered work of literature insofar as many critics cite its metaphoric power over a variety of subjects. The most famous quote from Paradise Lost is easily, “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.” Now that Picard is a Snyth/Golem (and no longer human) he might feel this way about himself. But, this thematic notion of Satan could also easily be applied to Q, a trickster god, often at odds with the other beings in the Q Continuum. 

Star Trek also loves referencing this book. Khan alludes to this book in “Space Seed,” and Kirk explains to Scotty the significance at the end of the episode. When Chekov and Terrell find the Botany Bay’s cargo bays in The Wrath of Khan, a copy of Paradise Lost is clearly visible next to Moby Dick. 

The Long Dark Tunnel 

Sitting underneath the copy of Paradise Lost is a made-up book (meaning it doesn’t exist IRL!) of The Long Dark Tunnel. If you look close you can see the words “Dixon Hill.” Meta-fictionally, Dixon Hill a hardboiled detective who, in the Star Trek canon, was the main character of a series of crime noir novels published in the 1930s. The “author” of the Dixon Hill book was “Tracy Tormé” a writer on TNG’s early seasons. (The new Picard trailer honors that authorship too!) According to the Enterprise computer, “The Long Dark Tunnel” was the second appearance of Dixon in fiction. So, if you think of Dixon Hill like Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe, then The Long Dark Tunnel is like Farewell, My Lovely, or, perhaps, more appropriately, The Long Goodbye.

“Dixon Hill,” and the detail about The Long Dark Tunnel, was first mentioned in the TNG episode “The Big Goodbye.” The last time we heard mention of Dixon Hill was in Star Trek: First Contact when Picard played him on the holodeck and pumped some Borg full of lead. 

The Promellian battlecruiser- in a bottle! 

You can barely see this, but on Picard’s mantle, underneath the Enterprise painting, is a model ship in a bottle. Some fans, including Jörg Hillebrand on Twitter, have zoomed in very close and think this is a Promellian battlecruiser, in a bottle! Why would Picard have this? Well in the TNG episode, “Ship in a Bottle,” Picard mentioned having built model ships and putting them in bottles. 

Picard’s Shakespeare books

We’ve seen these before, but the two big glass cases containing books appear to be Picard’s collected works of Shakespeare. Relevantly, Q threw huge volumes of Shakespeare at Picard (literally) in the TNG episode “Hide and Q.” 

The Kurlan Naiskos

Given to Picard in “The Chase,” the Kurlan Naiskos is an ancient alien artifact. It represents “many voices” inside of “the one.” 

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The USS Stargazer

Perhaps the most prominent Easter egg in the teaser is Picard’s model of the Stargazer. This Easter egg may not mean anything, but then again, this entire teaser is focused on Picard talking about regret and “second chances.” Picard was the Captain of the Stargazer before he was the Captain of the Enterprise. His best friend, Jack Crusher, died on the Stargazer based on orders given by Picard. Jack was Wesley’s dad and Beverly Crusher’s husband. We’ve only ever seen the Stargazer for real in the TNG episode “The Battle.” Interestingly, the Stargazer is also an Easter egg for Picard Season 1. In the Picard episode “Maps and Legends” Jean-Luc is visited by Dr. Benayoun, who we learn was a medical officer on the Stargazer. Other than Jack (and maybe Beverly) the canonical info about the Stargazer officers — and that Trek time period in general — is limited. 

The Queen of Hearts

This Easter egg seems linked to a scene at the very start of Picard Season 1. While Data and Picard playing poker, Data suddenly has five queens. It’s at that point that Picard relives the attack on Mars, and wakes from his nightmare. Back in 2020 Michael Chabon and Akiva Goldsman denied that this was an Easter egg for “Q,” but now, maybe, retroactively, it was? 

Has Q just been hanging around, waiting to mess with Picard for a while? 

While it’s probable that there wasn’t a plan to bring Q back in Picard Season 1, this Easter egg lets us believe that even if the writers’ didn’t intend for this reference at first, Q totally had other plans.

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Picard Season 2 is expected to hit Paramount+ sometime in 2022.

The post Star Trek Picard Season 2 Teaser Trailer: All the Easter Eggs & References appeared first on Den of Geek.

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