In 1965, the legend of Star Trek began with the filming of The Cage, a thoughtful story with Bradbury undertones that Gene Roddenberry then presented to Paramount execs for the launch of his new series. Paramount liked the concept but considered this opening salvo "too slow-moving, too cerebral," and ordered a second pilot more in keeping with their previous expectations of a space opera. It was this second pilot, David Peeples' Where No Man Has Gone Before, that finally sold the series.

The rebirth of Star Trek in the late 1970s followed an eerily parallel path. With the release of the first movie, Robert Wise's Star Trek: The Motion Picture, legions of fans were disappointed with what they dubbed "Where Nomad Has Gone Before." The film was cerebral, slow-moving and tedious, and contained little of what the built-in audience came to see: action and characterization.

Ultimately, Paramount green-lighted a second film -- if it hewed closer to the popular expectations of a Star Trek movie. The result was what is generally considered by Star Trek fans the best of the film series: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. It was this film that saved the movie franchise and set the tone for the subsequent films, and -- with the help of the fourth in the series, The Voyage Home, which brought in the non-fans -- helped to spawn four new television series.

Taking as a starting point the original series episode Space Seed, Ricardo Montalban reprised his role as the genetically-bred Khan Noonian Singh -- but this time around, played it in an over-the-top operatic style. In order to appear in the same frame as Montalban, Shatner was forced to drop his somnambulistic style (and hair color) from the first film and go back to what he does best: bad acting. Director Nicholas Meyer keeps his camera moving to help play up the tension, and the palette is cranked up from the sterile monotone of the first film to near-garish. The result was what the fans truly wanted to see: a space opera full of theatrical dramatics, character interaction, and... humor. Star Trek was reborn.

Film Synopsis:

It is the 23rd century. The Federation starship U.S.S. Enterprise is on routine training maneuvers, and Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) seems resigned to the fact that this inspection may well be the last space mission of his career. But Khan is back. Aided by his exiled band of genetic supermen, Khan (Ricardo Montalban) -- brilliant renegade of 20th century Earth -- has raided Space Station Regula One, stolen a top secret device called Project Genesis, wrested control of another Federation starship, and now schemes to set a most deadly trap for his old enemy Kirk…with the threat of a universal Armageddon!

Technical

Video:	Widescreen 2.35:1 (Anamorphic)
Audio:	ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Surround [CC] FRENCH: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles:	English, Closed Captions
Chapters:	17

The two-disc Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is presented in a 2.35:1 widescreen with anamorphic enhancement for 16:9 TVs. The framing is nearly identical to the older 1-DVD version, and adds more to all four sides compared to the 2.25:1 laserdisc.

The video image seems slightly improved from the previous DVD (and is at least an order of magnitude better than the laserdisc release), with less grain evident and a slightly stronger image. There is some variation in the three minutes' added scenes, and astute viewers on a high-definition TV will be able to spot the additions, but in general this is well up to Paramount's high standards.

The audio is particularly improved. The original disc had a substandard stereo soundtrack, and it appears that this release remastered the stereo audio from the 5.1 Dolby Digital track (which on the original DVD was a great improvement).

Supplements

Disc 1

• Feature commentary by director Nicholas Meyer
• Text commentary by Michael Okuda

Disc 2

• Captain's Log (27:20)
• Designing Khan (23:52)
• "Where No Man Has Gone Before" -- The Visual Effects of Star Trek II (18:13)
• Original Interviews (10:56)
• The Star Trek Universe (28:56)
• Storyboard Archives:
  • Main Title Concept
  • Kobayashi Maru
  • Ceti Alpha V
  • Regula I
  • Checkov and Terrell Find Khan
  • Admiral's Inspection
  • Khan's Revenge
  • Kirk Strikes Back
  • Finding the Genesis Cave
  • The Mutara Nebula
  • Sneak Attack
  • Genesis
  • Honored Dead
• Theatrical Trailer (2:18)