Star Trek II is not my favorite of the films, but it is still one I consider the best. It's easy to ignore the levels in the story and focus on the plot holes and logic errors, but I've always appreciated the depth of the story. As much as everyone says "it's the movie where Spock dies," it's not about that. And anyone who says "it works fine without it, Spock's death was tacked on," misses the point. It's not about Spock, his death, or even so much the progression of the character (even though that is an important subplot). It's not about Khan and his vengeance. It's about Kirk. It's his story. At 50 and a desk bound Admiral, he is depressed with no direction in his life. He feels the best years are well behind him and he has nothing meaningful left to accomplish . He is old, played out, done. Even on the training mission, where he should be happy, he is surrounded by youth reminding him that the future is theirs.
All he has left are the people in his life, Spock and Bones most importantly. They represent his past, his better years, and he is focused on nostalgia, having acquired an interest in antiques. He sees no joy in his future, so he romanticizes the past. And that past catches up with him all at once.
Khan, burning with vengeance, escapes and hunts Kirk. Ages and years of planet bound service have dulled his reactions, and Khan gets the jump on him. Disgusted with himself, Kirk's resolve strengthens and he starts finding the old skills, playing a bluff and buying time. Then he meets an old flame, as well as the son he never knew. The son who hates him. Now even his past has turned on him, and that's left is survival. By the time he is ready to beam up, the soldier is back at the top of his game. The past and future have made way for the present, and it's in the moment that Kirk lives most fully. In full command, he defeats Khan. Then, he suffers a crippling blow with the death of his closest friend. Yet Spock gave his life to save the crew, his friend, and the one thing that Kirk was missing for years: his beloved vessel. Spock's own growth, his last act of humanity, preserved Kirk's future and demonstrated that, even in advanced age, you have a purpose, you are still necessary.
At the end of the film, Kirk reconciles with his son, and they look toward building a new relationship. He has faced the odds and won, and confirmed Spock's belief that captaining a starship is what Kirk was born to do. For the first time in years, Kirk has regained his lust for life, and feels young. He mourns the loss of his friend, but that loss made tomorrow possible. And what he lost was balanced by everything he gained. He can now embrace his past, enjoy the present, and warmly anticipate the future. It's a very natural and subtle character arc. By the time Kirk says his final line, you can see he is at peace.
Two years later, this is somewhat undone by putting Kirk back in a state of directionless mourning. Much as I love TSFS, it dulls the impact of the meaning of TWOK, and all of the emotional resonance in III is surface. TWOK has all of this below the surface; you could enjoy it on this level or simply as a tale of revenge and adventure. There's a reason why the TNG guys kept trying to duplicate TWOK. Yet they never really got why Khan succeeded and they failed: they used all of the trappings, but none of the depth. Having a "personal nemesis" and "the death of a popular character" was not the reason why TWOK succeeds. Data's death did nothing but save lives, and he was Geordi's best friend, not Picard's. Data learned nothing different from whatever he already knew. Spock's death restored life and gave meaning to it. Spock's sacrifice was a vital step in his own personal growth. Data just went over and took Picard's place.
Whether or not one likes the direction of TWOK, the story was well thought out and realized. It was always more than the sum of its parts, the most mature and adult film in the series. It's the perfect film to show to non-fans, as experience with Trek is unnecessary. It's all laid out in the screenplay. You didn't need to know what Romulans or Klingons were, the in-jokes were minimal to non existent. Actually, the film works BETTER without any real connection to the film. You can then ignore continuity gaffes.
The Wrath of Khan is to Trek was Empire Strikes Back was to Star Wars.
All he has left are the people in his life, Spock and Bones most importantly. They represent his past, his better years, and he is focused on nostalgia, having acquired an interest in antiques. He sees no joy in his future, so he romanticizes the past. And that past catches up with him all at once.
Khan, burning with vengeance, escapes and hunts Kirk. Ages and years of planet bound service have dulled his reactions, and Khan gets the jump on him. Disgusted with himself, Kirk's resolve strengthens and he starts finding the old skills, playing a bluff and buying time. Then he meets an old flame, as well as the son he never knew. The son who hates him. Now even his past has turned on him, and that's left is survival. By the time he is ready to beam up, the soldier is back at the top of his game. The past and future have made way for the present, and it's in the moment that Kirk lives most fully. In full command, he defeats Khan. Then, he suffers a crippling blow with the death of his closest friend. Yet Spock gave his life to save the crew, his friend, and the one thing that Kirk was missing for years: his beloved vessel. Spock's own growth, his last act of humanity, preserved Kirk's future and demonstrated that, even in advanced age, you have a purpose, you are still necessary.
At the end of the film, Kirk reconciles with his son, and they look toward building a new relationship. He has faced the odds and won, and confirmed Spock's belief that captaining a starship is what Kirk was born to do. For the first time in years, Kirk has regained his lust for life, and feels young. He mourns the loss of his friend, but that loss made tomorrow possible. And what he lost was balanced by everything he gained. He can now embrace his past, enjoy the present, and warmly anticipate the future. It's a very natural and subtle character arc. By the time Kirk says his final line, you can see he is at peace.
Two years later, this is somewhat undone by putting Kirk back in a state of directionless mourning. Much as I love TSFS, it dulls the impact of the meaning of TWOK, and all of the emotional resonance in III is surface. TWOK has all of this below the surface; you could enjoy it on this level or simply as a tale of revenge and adventure. There's a reason why the TNG guys kept trying to duplicate TWOK. Yet they never really got why Khan succeeded and they failed: they used all of the trappings, but none of the depth. Having a "personal nemesis" and "the death of a popular character" was not the reason why TWOK succeeds. Data's death did nothing but save lives, and he was Geordi's best friend, not Picard's. Data learned nothing different from whatever he already knew. Spock's death restored life and gave meaning to it. Spock's sacrifice was a vital step in his own personal growth. Data just went over and took Picard's place.
Whether or not one likes the direction of TWOK, the story was well thought out and realized. It was always more than the sum of its parts, the most mature and adult film in the series. It's the perfect film to show to non-fans, as experience with Trek is unnecessary. It's all laid out in the screenplay. You didn't need to know what Romulans or Klingons were, the in-jokes were minimal to non existent. Actually, the film works BETTER without any real connection to the film. You can then ignore continuity gaffes.
The Wrath of Khan is to Trek was Empire Strikes Back was to Star Wars.
I don't know if it's the "best" but it is one of the better ones.
