“Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” has become a huge part of the franchise’s legacy and is considered by many to be the best “Star Trek” movie of them all, but it was a serious challenge to bring to the screen. After the relative failures of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” franchise creator Gene Roddenberry was sidelined, allowing for a darker, grittier “Star Trek” than we had ever seen before. “The Wrath of Khan” is an operatic epic, following the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise under Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) as they contend with genetically engineered villain Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán). Khan was one of the most terrifying antagonists from “Star Trek: The Original Series,” specifically the episode “Space Seed,” so bringing the character back was a big deal. It raised the stakes, as Khan had the capacity to do real damage — stealing terraforming technology called the Genesis Device that would kill an entire world in order to reform it into a lush paradise.
Khan wants revenge on Kirk for forcing him into exile for 15 long years, trapped on a planet that became completely uninhabitable over time. He’s a somewhat sympathetic villain despite his murderous plans because he wants to do right by his people and has endured so much suffering. In the original plans for “The Wrath of Khan,” however, the film made his character even more tragic, including a …ot much else has surfaced. Meyer wasn’t exactly a softie and didn’t even shed a tear when filming Spock’s emotional death scene, so the decision to cut the material featuring Khan’s baby probably wasn’t his. Removing the scenes didn’t change the movie too much, though it would have provided another layer of depth to Khan’s character.
