Rewatching the Star Trek movies! Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) is considered one of the high marks – if not the high mark – of the entire franchise. But what does it say about our characters?

Here’s what happens: When a Starfleet ship accidentally discovers the villain Khan (from the original series), events are set in motion where Khan seeks vengeance against Kirk by weaponizing a miraculous new technology.

Captains courageous: Kirk is still an admiral, back on Earth, where he’s teaching a group of trainees. His crew and the trainees board the Enterprise for a three-week inspection (how does that work?) This business of training recruits has Kirk reckoning with getting older and wondering if his good days are behind him. Spock is on hand to remind him that the captain’s chair is where Kirk is meant to be.

Ol’ pointy ears: Spock spent the last movie accepting his half-human emotional side as part of himself. By now he’s circled back around to full-on logic, introducing the “needs of few vs. needs of many” theme that will carry this through the next two movies. But then, the finale of the movie is about Spock making a sacrifice that goes against the “few vs. many” logic. This makes him – dare I say it – human.

Welcome aboard: All the fan blogs love to point out that new character Lt. Saavik is not just Vulcan, but part Vulcan/part Romulan. The movie doesn’t say this, however. I did a little reading, and allegedly Saavik was created as a new version of Spock for the never-made Star Trek II TV series of the mid-70s. Her Romulan background was written out of Wrath of Khan, apparently because it was an unnecessary detail that didn’t add much to the character. Follow-up novels and comics did more with Saavik, and there’s where her Romulan-ness was made canon.

Continuity café: To get this story to work, a number of details from the original series’ Space Seed have been rewritten and/or ignored. Most fans shrug this stuff off as either the passage of time or extrapolating by filling in gaps unseen in the old episode. Imagine that – Trek fans actually suspending their disbelief for once.

What you leave behind: What can I say about this movie that hasn’t been said. It’s big, bold entertainment, one that’s enjoyed by both Trek hardcores and casual viewers alike. As far as character development goes, it’s more of a reset after The Motion Picture rather than a continuation. But that’s okay, because this one establishes key themes for the characters moving forward.

Next: The original In Search Of.

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