History Film / StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan

* ShootTheShaggyDog: The whole point of "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E22SpaceSeed Space Seed]]" was that Kirk was giving the supermen a second chance to redeem themselves, allowing them to start their own colony on an uninhabited planet, with the intention to come back "in a hundred years" and see what kind of civilization would eventually develop from this "seed". Here we learn that in a mere fifteen years, it developed into a threat to the entire galaxy.

* FunnyBackgroundEvent: While Kirk is telling BlatantLies to Saavik ("There's no such regulation!"), Sulu, her back, is smiling from ear to ear, both because it's so perfectly in character for Kirk to just brazen it out, and because she obviously ''knows'' it's a lie, and stares Kirk down until he gives in.

* FunnyBackgroundEvent: While Kirk is telling BlatantLies to Saavik ("There's no such regulation!"), Sulu, behind the Admiral's back, is smiling from ear to ear, either because it's so perfectly in character for Kirk to just brazen it out, or because of the look on Saavik's face as she obviously ''knows'' it's a lie.

* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Both Kirk and Khan (who are biased against Kirk for [[HeroicSelfDeprecation different]] [[RevengeMyopia reasons]]) take it as Kirk's fault that Khan was marooned on the planet. While it's part of a bigger issue that Kirk is impulsive with choices and runs away from problems pretending they're not there, Kirk was probably kinder than Khan deserved, as Chekov points out.

* MurderByProxy: Attempted. Khan uses Ceti Eels to gain control of Capt. Terrell and Chekov, then tries to order them to kill Kirk. Terrell turns the phaser on himself, and Chekov resists long enough for the creature to exit his body.

* BloodierAndGorier: Not too bad in comparison to most examples but out of all the original series movies, this one has the most actual on-screen bloody wounds. Some of the ''Enterprise'' cadets get ''very'' badly burned, Khan spends the last half of the movie with a big red slash across his chest, and the corpses of the scientists on Regula One are rather severely bloodied. Khan himself gets burned rather horrifically across the side of his face [[spoiler:after ''Enterprise'' fires the final shots that cripple ''Reliant'']]. Then there's the [[{{Squick}} memorably unpleasant]] scenes with the [[BrainSlug Ceti eels]].
* BrainSlug: A particularly notorious and [[{{Squick}} gross]] example is seen both entering and leaving its victim.

** The (apparently operational) 1970s UsefulNotes/CommodorePET in Kirk's apartment is actually part of his antiques collection, and thus doesn't technically count.[[note]]It should be noted that Creator/WilliamShatner was the promotional face of Commodore (particularly the VIC-20 ad campaign) in the early '80s, and would try to sneak CBM products into many projects in which he was involved...[[/note]]

%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented on. Please add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

About [[TimeSkip 12 years after the events]] of ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture'', Admiral Kirk has been overseeing students at Starfleet Academy and the Enterprise largely serves as a training vessel in orbit around Earth. Admiral Kirk has been [[ThePeterPrinciple promoted beyond his usefulness]] and is facing a mid-life crisis, with Spock and [=McCoy=] encouraging him to head back out into the galaxy to regain his confidence.

Unfortunately, Kirk finds himself drawn into a conflict with Khan Noonien Singh, a WorthyOpponent he encountered during ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' fifteen years ago, during the events of "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E22SpaceSeed Space Seed]]." Khan had escaped his exile on Ceti Alpha V through capturing the crew of the Reliant, who were surveying the planet for a project called "Genesis." His goal is [[ItsPersonal revenge]] against Kirk and [[TakeOverTheWorld secure his own territory]] through the "Genesis Device," a {{terraform}}ing explosive that can be used as HostileTerraforming against any who oppose him. Kirk struggles [[BackInTheSaddle against his rusty skills and instincts]] as the Enterprise and Reliant do battle, and it doesn't get any easier for him when the scientists in charge of "Genesis" turn out to be his OldFlame and [[LukeYouAreMyFather their son]].

** Both inverted and played straight. Spock observes of Khan that "He's intelligent, but inexperienced. His pattern indicates two-dimensional thinking." (This was foreshadowed by Khan having a traditional 2-D chess set.) Kirk then orders "Z-1000 meters" so the ''Enterprise'' can come in under the ''Reliant''. But it's still played straight in a different way; the Enterprise has to rise back onto the same plane as the Reliant to fire instead of shooting up from below (which is especially bad, as this would give them a much better "profile" to shoot at).

* ActivationSequence: After the ''Enterprise'' shoots the ''Reliant'' to pieces, Khan, [[TakingYouWithMe in a final act of spite]], begins activating the Genesis Device, a process that involves turning a series of cylinders on a control panel and then pushing them down to reveal the next one which starts a final countdown.

* AdaptationExpansion: The novelization goes into considerably more depth on certain characters, especially Saavik and Peter Preston. We get a full backstory of Saavik's origins as a half-Vulcan half-Romulan ChildByRape and how Spock was responsible for saving her from the Romulan prison planet of Hellguard, a story arc for Peter clashing with his uncle Scotty over a number of issues as well as a heartwrenching scene of his HeroicSacrifice staying too long in the middle of a coolant leak in order to get the ''Enterprise's'' power back online after the initial clash with the ''Reliant,'' and a minor relationship between the two of them (Saavik was tutoring Peter and he seemed to have a crush on her) which crushes Saavik when Peter dies.
* AesopCollateralDamage: Unlike in the original series, where Kirk went into ItsAllMyFault easily but there were very few deaths in total; what he did with Khan, and Khan’s ensuing revenge, left a large death toll, including Spock, David and the ''Enterprise''. More detail in the books is given to Carol mourning her lover amongst the scientists killed, and Scotty/his family’s grief over Peter dying.

* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: When Khan mentions his "beloved wife", he is referring to Marla [=McGivers=], a historian on the ''Enterprise'' when they found Khan's ship. During "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E22SpaceSeed Space Seed]]" Khan rather abusively took advantage of her romantic view of twentieth-century men to get her to help him take over the ship. At the end of the episode Khan did seem to have some genuine affection for her, and accepted her going to Ceti Alpha V with him.

* BackInTheSaddle: Kirk gets command of the ''Enterprise'' to investigate the Regula Station situation, but his rustiness gets the better of him when Khan uses ''Reliant'' for a surprise attack.

** And later on, after showing Khan he survived his attempt to maroon the ''Enterprise'' crew:

** Khan's surprise attack on the ''Enterprise'' hinges on them believing ''Reliant'' to still be an ally despite its strange behavior. This only works because Kirk ignores regulations that would require him to raise ''Enterprise's'' shields when they haven't been able to establish visual communication with another Starfleet vessel.
*** Kirk later reverses this when he pretends to surrender and upon "agreeing" to Khan's terms demands proof that Khan won't just kill them all anyway and Khan refuses and just tells Kirk that there's nothing Kirk can do at this point so he'd better just pray Khan isn't lying and Kirk seems to just meekly back down. But this tells Kirk that Khan isn't aware Enterprise can remotely control Reliant, otherwise he wouldn't have been so assured that Kirk was beaten and also that Khan hadn't been aware and altered the computer so this trick wouldn't work as he'd have taunted Kirk about this.
** Exploited when Kirk tries to goad Khan into beaming down to Regula to dispose of him personally. Kirk's obvious frustration ('''[++KHAAAAAAAAAN!!!++]''') when this gambit fails helps to convince Khan that he has won. The actual gambit is that Kirk wanted Khan to think he had won so that the ''Enterprise'' can return to pick them up while Khan still thinks she is crippled and trying to run.
** Kirk's plan to trick Khan into chasing the ''Enterprise'' into the Mutara Nebula (where both ships will have a mutual disadvantage and thus be equal), which works since Khan is [[VillainousBreakdown becoming unhinged]] and [[RevengeBeforeReason irrationally bent on revenge]]. Furthermore, this is all justified by Kirk's critical observation about Khan and his BerserkButton:

** Near the end of the Nebula Battle: Khan's aide Joachim dies aboard the USS ''Reliant'', juxtaposed with Chekov rejoining the bridge crew on the USS ''Enterprise''.
* BittersweetEnding: Kirk escapes Khan, but [[spoiler:Spock dies]] repairing the ''Enterprise'' to make it happen. In a way, this means Khan succeeds in avenging himself upon Kirk, as [[spoiler:Spock's death]] is [[FateWorseThanDeath by far the worst injury he could have inflicted]] upon Kirk, besides actual physical harm.
* BlatantLies: Before the ''Reliant'' first attacks the ''Enterprise'', Kirk attempts to hail his sister ship. Khan, eager to maintain his element of surprise, does not answer. [[IKnowYouKnowIKnow Realizing that Kirk will find the silence suspicious]], he sends a token message stating that ''Reliant'''s coil emissions are overloading her comm systems. Spock runs a scan of the ship which reveals normal coil emissions. This alerts Kirk that something is up, though by this time, it is too late.

* BothSidesHaveAPoint: {{Downplayed|Trope}}; while Khan is justifiably miffed at Kirk's failure ever to check in on Ceti Alpha V, which resulted in the death of his wife and many of his followers, Chekov points out that Kirk had a very good reason ''not'' to visit the planet again, considering that the last time they met Khan tried to hijack the ''Enterprise'' and murder Kirk. Khan then loses any tiny sliver of moral high ground he may have held by putting Ceti eels in Chekov and Terrell, which will eventually kill them if not removed, then hijacks the ''Reliant'' and dumps its crew on the planet.

** StockFootage from the first movie was used for the Klingon ships in the ''Kobayashi Maru'' test, the ''Enterprise'' leaving spacedock, and a few establishing shots.
** The ''Reliant'' was the only new starship model used (with Regula I being a re-use of the "orbital office complex" from the first film just turned upside down). Both models would also be heavily re-used later on in ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration The Next Generation]]''.

* BloodierAndGorier: Not too bad in comparison to most examples but out of all the original series movies, this one has the most actual on-screen bloody wounds. Some of the ''Enterprise'' cadets get ''very'' badly burned, Khan spends the last half of the movie with a big red slash across his chest, and the corpses of the scientists on Regula One are rather severely bloodied. Khan himself gets burned rather horrifically across the side of his face [[spoiler:after ''Enterprise'' fires the final shots that cripple the ''Reliant''.]] Then there's the [[{{Squick}} memorably unpleasant]] scenes with the [[BrainSlug Ceti eels]].

** Kirk and Spock's exchange before he assumes command of the Enterprise contrasts the previous movie. Kirk used the emergency as an excuse to oust Decker and they spent most of the movie at each other's throats. This time, Kirk is reluctant to take command but Spock (now the Captain) insists.

* TheCameo: Mr. Kyle, the Transporter Chief from ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', is the Communications Officer on the ''Reliant''--making him and Scotty as the only RedShirts known to have survived the five-year mission. (In fact, he even survived having been tossed aside by Khan in the transporter room in the [[Recap/StarTrekS1E22SpaceSeed original episode]].)
* CaptainObvious: When the ''Enterprise'' is trying to contact Regula One, Spock has this insightful comment, "There are two possibilities: They are unable to respond; they are unwilling to respond."

** Kirk, who arrogantly assumed command of the ''Enterprise'' in the last film and put himself at odds with Captain Decker, has become a lot more humble and is reluctant to take command of a ship again until the Captain, Spock, gives him absolute assurance that he's the one who should be in the captain's chair for the rescue mission. He also addresses the crew and apologizes that what was supposed to be a training cruise will now be much more intense for them.

** As in ''TMP'', at least one supporting character from ''TOS'' turns up, with a promotion. As noted in TheCameo, transporter operator Lieutenant Kyle from the original series shows up, still serving with his old crewmate Chekhov, as the U.S.S. ''Reliant''[='=]s communications officer, now promoted to commander. The implications are more significant than the usual cameo because of Khan's prior interactions with the ''Enterprise'' crew: Since Kyle played a prominent role in "Space Seed" while Chekov did not, and Khan recognized Chekov instantly, there is little doubt that Khan recognized Kyle, but this is not shown onscreen.
** The ''Enterprise''[='=]s training cruise heads for the Gamma Hydra sector -- the same location as the TOS episode [[Recap/StarTrekS2E12TheDeadlyYears "The Deadly Years"]]. In the TV episode, the aging of the command crew (and how to overcome it) drove the plot; here, it's subtext.

** A minor one: when Khan takes off his makeshift environmental suit in his first scene in the film he is already wearing a medallion that looks like the belt buckles worn with the then-current Starfleet uniforms, with a notch taken out of the circle around the arrowhead. The problem is that at the time Khan was marooned on Ceti Alpha V not only was such a buckle ''not'' part of the uniform, but Starfleet had not yet adopted ''Enterprise's'' Command section insignia as a universal emblem (each ship had its own emblem in the original series). So where did it come from? Some fans suggest it is a TragicKeepsake from his wife Marla [=McGivers=] but she was not part of the command department: her "arrowhead", even if she had worn one, would not have had the star in the center but the "support services" spiral.
* CoolStarship: The ''Miranda''-class U.S.S. ''Reliant'' and of course the original Lady E. [[WebVideo/RedLetterMedia Rich Evans]] pointed out that Khan managed to cripple the ''Enterprise'' seriously with a ''weaker ship'', whose main job was scientific.

** Check the poster at the top of this page and you'll see the ''Enterprise'' engaged in an all-out battle with the Regula One space station. Not only does this never happen, but it's the ''Enterprise'' blasting away at an unarmed research station.
** Another poster is composed of film stills showing scenes that didn’t exactly happen: the ‘’Enterprise’’ phaser-blasting Reliant’s Torpedo Cannon (it was photon-torpedo-ed instead). A knife-wielding David crouching over a fallen Kirk. A close-up of Kirk and Spock at a ladder that will lead them to the bridge.
* CrazyPrepared: Starfleet ships come with a prefix code, allowing another ship to access their computer and make commands remotely. Kirk mentions it comes standard for the exact reason they were facing at that moment.
** It's a twofer: The code prevents an enemy who doesn't know it from taking remote control of a Starfleet vessel, while allowing a Starfleet vessel who ''does'' know the code to take control in the event of. . . well, pretty much exactly what happens in the film.

*** The shooting script [[AllThereInTheManual goes into a bit more detail]] about this. Command signals are transmitted around the ship by subspace, because it’s faster than closed circuits (which are limited to relativistic speeds). That’s why the prefix code is necessary. By using Reliant’s code, the Enterprise is able to transmit a signal that looks to Reliant’s shield generator like it’s coming from Reliant’s bridge.

* CriticalStaffingShortage: The ''Enterprise'' is on a cadet cruise, with only vital systems manned by the cadets and a few senior staff supervising, and none of the science labs, or other stuff Starfleet usually has, active. The ''Reliant'' is similarly under-manned, with only Khan's dwindling number of loyal followers. Space Station Regula 1 is also on short staff, with David noting that everyone is on leave.

* CulturedBadass[=/=]WickedCultured: Apparently even in the 23rd century there will be villains that read and quote Creator/HermanMelville, though, admittedly, Khan is from the 20th century.
* CurbStompBattle: the Enterprise versus the Reliant, 2 high tech, immensely powerful spacecraft both crippled from their previous engagement and then partially blinded by the effects of the nebula, reduced to slugging it out at point blank range like a pair of ships of the line from ages past.

* DamageControl: The ''Enterprise'' is [[GenreBlindness taken by surprise]] in the initial attack, but [[GuileHero Kirk and Spock]] can turn the tables and deal some swift damage to ''Reliant''. Both ships are forced to withdraw and effect repairs before they can fight again. In the final battle, both ships are again crippled (the ''Reliant'' from the devastating volley the ''Enterprise'' just delivered, and the ''Enterprise'' still from lingering damage from the very first encounter), and it is only a HeroicSacrifice by [[spoiler:Spock]] that allows them to survive.

** There were shades of this in the previous film, ''The Motion Picture'', where it was shown that Kirk was clearly unhappy when he was anything other than being the captain of the ''Enterprise'', and was shown to be more grumpy than usual when things didn't fall into place the way he wanted them to be. While lost in the shuffle of the previous film, these elements are explored more thoroughly here.

* DiedInIgnorance: At the end of the film, [[spoiler:a defeated Khan decides to pull a TakingYouWithMe rather than surrender to Kirk. Khan succumbs to his injuries shortly before the ''Enterprise'' manages to warp to safety, and he thus dies believing that he won.]]

* DramaticIrony: When [[spoiler:the warp core is repaired in the climax just before the Genesis Device detonates, Kirk thinks that Scotty has pulled off another miracle before ordering Sulu to bring the ''Enterprise'' to warp ("Bless you, Scotty"). The audience however knows [[HeroicSacrifice the price Kirk has paid (through Spock's sacrifice)]] for his escape.]]

* DramaPreservingHandicap: While Kirk managed to outsmart Khan, and the ''Enterprise'' wasn't as damaged as Khan was led to believe, it was still badly damaged, and Spock pointed out that the ship was still nowhere near fully operational.
* DudeNotFunny: In-universe when Spock is dying, he makes a GallowsHumor joke saying he never took the Kobayashi Maru test until now, and what does Kirk think of his solution. The attempt at humor just makes Kirk cry harder.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler:Khan and Spock]] get one each, activating the Genesis device and saving the ''Enterprise'' respectively.

* EnemyRisingBehind: The ''Enterprise'' does this to the ''Reliant'' in the Mutara Nebula. This is either for dramatic purposes, or Kirk himself fell victim to the TwoDSpace phenomenon that Spock attributed to Khan. (Nicholas Meyer admitted it was because he wanted the sequence to feel like a submarine battle.)

** Lampshaded by [[OnlySaneMan Joachim]], who advises both [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim shooting Kirk straight away]] when the ''Enterprise'' shields are down, as well as retreating once they have Genesis and the ''Reliant'' has suffered damage. Naturally, Khan ignores him both times.

** Played brutally straighter during the battles. One solid torpedo hit on the ''Enterprise'' causes half TheBridge to explode. Later on, the destruction of the ''Reliant'''s port nacelle sends backlash throughout the ship, with one of the bridge consoles exploding into pieces just as Khan walks by it, horrifically mangling and burning him.

* FailedASpotCheck: The crew of the ''Reliant'' failing to notice that they're on ''the wrong planet'', related to the fact that they failed to notice another planet ceasing to exist due to a [[EarthShatteringKaboom Ceti Alpha VI–Shattering Kaboom]].

* FalseFlagOperation: Khan and his crew using the hijacked USS ''Reliant'' to sneak up on the unsuspecting USS ''Enterprise''.

* FixFic: A classic ''Franchise/StarTrek'' example, fixing an apparent continuity glitch--in the film, Khan and Chekhov recognize each other upon meeting. However, "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E22SpaceSeed Space Seed]]", the episode of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' in which Khan appears, is a first-season episode, and Creator/WalterKoenig did not join the cast of the show until the second season. The semi-official {{retcon}} (not explained in any of the shows or movies, but widely propagated by producers and actors in convention appearances) is that Chekov was on the ''Enterprise'' at that time, he just wasn't part of the bridge crew yet and thus didn't appear on screen. After all, Khan was trying to recruit the crew to follow him, with the implied narrative that ''every single crew member'' (other than Lt. [=McGivers=], of course) refused to do so, out of a ship's complement of 430, while only about 30 of the crew are shown onscreen, so Chekov could easily have been among those not shown, since there was never any canonical evidence showing when Chekov officially came onboard the ''Enterprise''. Likewise, Khan had full access to the names and other information of the crew, who as prisoners would likewise give their names, ranks and serial-numbers, etc.\\

* FlyingSaucer: The ''Reliant'' is, essentially, what you get if you mush the engineering section of the Enterprise into the saucer section rather than have two distinct parts, with the warp engines flipped downward. This was only the second Starfleet starship design to appear in the franchise, as all other Starfleet vessels seen earlier were ''Constitution'' class ships like the ''Enterprise'' [[note]]Some other Federation ship designs were seen in the original series, such as the robot freighter in "The Ultimate Computer" but they were civilian Federation vessels rather than Starfleet ships[[/note]]. It must have been influential, as many Starfleet designs seen in later series would be variations on the FlyingSaucer theme.

** While supposedly "marooned for all eternity" inside the planet Regula, Kirk nevertheless keeps checking his watch. [[spoiler: He's keeping tabs on the ''real'' repair estimate so the ''Enterprise'' can beam them all up.]]

* TheGlassesComeOff: Right before [[spoiler:the ''Enterprise'' takes out the ''Reliant'''s shields]]. [[TheKirk Kirk]] also tells Khan "I [[{{Pun}} see]] your point" as he does it.

* HelplessWindowDeath: [[spoiler: In the climax, Spock sacrifices himself to repair Enterprise's damaged warp core, taking a lethal dose of radiation from the core in the process. Once Kirk arrives in Engineering, he's forced to speak to Spock through the clear wall of the warp core chamber, as opening the chamber would flood the area with radiation, and can only watch as Spock succumbs to his injuries and dies.]]

* HesBack: When Kirk appears on the ''Enterprise'' again after Khan attempts to maroon him on Regula.

* HesitationEqualsDishonesty: JustifiedTrope with Chekov reporting to the Genesis scientists. He's under mind control, and being fed lines.

-->'''Carol:''' David, why don't you show Dr [=McCoy=] and the Lieutenant our idea of food? ...\\

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Khan, [[TooDumbToLive repeatedly]]. Despite his superior intellect, he fails to acknowledge that the crew of the ''Enterprise'' would be more familiar with how another Starfleet ship like ''Reliant'' works, especially after so many years (and the fact that Khan had never actually engaged in starship-to-starship combat before ''ever''!). Then he futilely blows himself up with the Genesis device, because he simply cannot imagine that anyone could possibly be smart enough to get the ''Enterprise's'' warp drive working again in time to escape the detonation. Had he listened to [[OnlySaneMan Joachim]] in the first place, he could have taken the ''Reliant'' and the Genesis device and [[TakeOverTheWorld carved out a nice empire for himself somewhere]]. Instead, every asset he gains is turned against Kirk, and ends up doing him far more harm than it does Kirk.
* HollywoodHacking: Actually handled fairly realistically. Khan wants Kirk to hand over all data regarding the Genesis Project, so he opens a network connection between ''Reliant'' and ''Enterprise''. Kirk and Spock take advantage of this to order ''Reliant''[='=]s computer to deactivate their [[{{DeflectorShields}} shields]], leaving her open to counterattack. It's even {{lampshade|Hanging}}d that it will only work if the supergenius who [[GrandTheftPrototype stole a starship]] didn't think to change the password on the computer.

* HopelessBossFight: The ''Kobayashi Maru'' simulation is unwinnable by design, ending in an encounter with a numerically superior Klingon force that inevitably overpowers the ''Enterprise''.

** When ''Enterprise'' successfully hacks ''Reliant's'' computer during the brief ceasefire that follows, the only warning that Khan gets that he's about to be attacked is his ship's shields abruptly dropping.
* IndyPloy: Kirk's quick thinking about hacking into ''Reliant'''s main computer using her command codes.

* ISurrenderSuckers: In the initial confrontation between the ''Enterprise'' and the ''Reliant'', Kirk pretends to accept Kahn's surrender demand. This is just a ploy to stall for time while his crew looks up the command codes for the ''Reliant''. Once found, he uses the codes to deactivate the ''Reliant'''s shields and force them to withdraw.

* KickedUpstairs: Kirk's promotion to Admiral (established in the previous film, though he briefly downgrades his rank voluntarily to captain for that mission) is explained. He accepted promotion willingly out of a feeling of being over the hill, and has to be talked into getting his command back by both Bones and Spock. (ExpandedUniverse and other media have suggested that Kirk voluntarily downgraded himself to captain for the duration of a second five-year mission with the Enterprise, however there is no actual indication of this on screen and certainly not in this movie, so as far as the film continuity is concerned, Kirk never lost the admiral rank he had at the start of ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture''.)
** It should be noted that the tradition in the British Navy, as reflected in works like the ''[[Literature/HoratioHornblower Hornblower]]'' books that exerted significant influence on ''Star Trek'' in general and this film in particular, was that the proper, functional title of the person explicitly charged with commanding a ship, having been "read in" as the vessel's commander on boarding, was "Captain" even if his ''rank'' was higher. If Starfleet followed the same model, Kirk answering to the functional title of Captain when taking up formal command of the ''Enterprise'' did not affect his graded rank of Admiral and did not constitute demotion (self-inflicted or otherwise). Kirk's reduction to Captain at the end of [[Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome the fourth movie]], in contrast, was a demotion in graded rank imposed as punishment for disobeying orders.

* LastSecondTermOfRespect: In the DirectorsCut, Admiral Kirk takes delight in teasing Scotty's nephew, Peter Preston, about the state of the Enterprise's engine room.

* MeaningfulGift: Subverted. The gifts given to Kirk for his birthday are thoughtful and reflect the knowledge the givers have of the Admiral. Spock gives him a copy of ''Literature/ATaleOfTwoCities'' because he "knows of his fondness for antiques". Bones gives him a pair of reading glasses, knowing that Kirk is allergic to a medication that would have improved his vision. In fact, it's worth noting that Kirk is later seen reading the book with those glasses on his way to the Enterprise to run an inspection. But the gifts don't make him happy, because as Bones observes, Kirk would prefer to be "out there hopping galaxies" instead of bound to desk duty, the one thing his friends can't give him.

* MoodWhiplash: Done skillfully throughout. Kirk manages to buy the crew some time by crippling the ''Reliant'', and it's a great badass moment to remind us how smart Kirk is. Then Uhura gasps in horror, and the camera pans to see an agonized Scotty holding the horribly burned body of one of the young cadets (a deleted scene shows it's his nephew) in his arms, reminding us that Kirk has unwillingly dragged a bunch of untrained kids into [[NiceJobBreakingItHero a violent battle with one of the smartest enemies he's ever faced.]]

* NaiveNewcomer: Saavik quotes regulations by their number, only to be brushed off by Kirk. Subverted in that she had a pretty good point about the regulation regarding Federation vessels acting strangely. Kirk swallows his pride after it results in the ''Enterprise'' getting blindsided by the ''Reliant'', and gives her free reign to go "right on quoting regulations".

* NewMeat: Everyone on the ''Enterprise'' aside from the bridge crew and Scotty is a trainee.

* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Both Kirk and Khan (who are biased against Kirk for [[HeroicSelfDeprecation different]] [[RevengeMyopia reasons]]) take it as Kirk’s fault that Khan was marooned on the planet. While it’s part of a bigger issue that Kirk is impulsive with choices and runs away from problems pretending they’re not there, Kirk was probably kinder than Khan deserved, as Chekov points out.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: ''Wrath of Khan'' is often praised for its fast-moving, intense space battles. This is unusual for ''Star Trek'' because all of the ship-to-ship combat in this movie is done ''without shields''--Kirk can't get the ''Enterprise''[='=]s shields up in time when Khan first attacks, and then hacks the ''Reliant''[='=]s computer to lower shields before retaliating; during the climax, conditions in the Mutara Nebula disable the shields of both ships. Conversely, ''Film/StarTrekInsurrection'' and ''Film/StarTrekNemesis'' have been criticized for having boring space battles, since they follow the normal style of ''Trek'' combat where ships gradually chip away at each other's shields before doing damage.

** Khan, when the ''Reliant'''s DeflectorShields go down.
---> "Where's the override? ''The override''?" [[note]]Not where you're looking, Khan.[[/note]]

* OnlyMostlyDead: [[spoiler: Spock]] after the final battle. He still has time to say goodbye to his friend.

* OverrideCommand: Kirk uses the ''Reliant's'' prefix code to remotely lower its shields, allowing ''Enterprise'' to disable its weapons with the limited offensive capacity they have after Khan's surprise attack. Khan's inexperience with the vessel prevents him from locating the override on ''Reliant'' that would be able to reverse Kirk's sabotage.

* ThePeterPrinciple: Kirk has long since been an Admiral at Starfleet Command, with the Enterprise in orbit serving mostly as a training vessel. He is feeling old and useless because all he is doing is paperwork and chastising cadets. Both Spock and [=McCoy=] tell him at different points that, although more than qualified to be an admiral, his greatest destiny is as a starship captain. This is echoed through the remainder of the Original Series films, as he is eventually demoted back to captain and he is perfectly fine with that. (In ''[[Film/StarTrekGenerations Generations]]'' he even spells this out as advice to Picard.)

* PowerOfHate: Khan's rage and hatred give him the strength to launch one final TakingYouWithMe attack on Kirk and the Enterprise. As well as providing inspiration for some great last words (quoted from ''Literature/MobyDick'').

* RaceAgainstTheClock: When Khan activates the Genesis device, it counts down from four minutes before it detonates. This is the amount of time Spock has to get down to the engine room and repair ''Enterprise'''s engines so that she can go to warp and escape the blast radius.
* RailingKill: It's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it example, but during the ''Enterprise''[='=]s final attack on the ''Reliant'' an explosion in the latter ship's engineering section throws one of Khan's henchmen over the railings surrounding the warp core.

* RedEyesTakeWarning: ''Reliant'''s running lights become red once the ship's hijacked by Khan. Especially apparent when the ''Reliant'' is bearing down on the ''Enterprise'' in the first attack.

** Subverted. [[DefiedTrope Screws with expectations by having every main character wearing red uniforms for most of the film]]. The ones who get killed the most on the ''Enterprise'' are the engineers, who wear ''white'' outfits.

* RepeatToConfirm: When Saavik is piloting the ''Enterprise'' out of Spacedock.

* RevengeIsSweet: Khan engages in such feelings, ultimately stranding Captain Kirk in the Genesis Cave in retaliation for leaving him and his followers on Ceti Alpha Six after a failed attempt to take over Kirk's ship, which while hospitable when Kirk left, not too long afterwards was turned into a Death World by a catastrophic ecological disaster. These feelings disappear after Khan finds out that Kirk has found a way onboard the starship Enterprise, making him bent on taking down Kirk for good despite his underling Joachim pointing out [[RevengeBeforeReason Khan has much more to gain]] from ignoring Kirk and taking his new starship and planet-killing Genesis device to carve out a new empire.
* RevengeMyopia: {{Lampshaded}}. After Khan explains his beef with Kirk, Chekov says, "Captain Kirk was your host. You repaid his [[SacredHospitality hospitality]] by trying to steal his ship and murder him!" Khan ignores the point. Neither does he consider that he owes his life to Kirk, on account of the fact that his ship almost certainly would have fallen victim to age sooner or later; a dozen of his fellow augments died from stasis malfunctions before the ''Enterprise'' even found them. Even their exile was an act of charity (even if it went horribly wrong); Kirk could have just dragged them all back to Earth for war crimes trials. But Khan has a NeverMyFault sort of mentality.

* SealedEvilInACan: Khan Noonien Singh and his cryogenically frozen followers, when they're abandoned on Ceti Alpha V (which the crew of the ''Reliant'' mistake for Ceti Alpha VI after a natural disaster alters its orbit and destroys its environment).

** Koenig was joking, of course, but it's entirely possible that Chekov was a junior officer on the ''Enterprise'' at the time of "Space Seed", and only later got promoted to the bridge crew (and thus became an on-screen character). This is explicitly the case in the novelization: it describes Chekov having an encounter with Khan while still a junior officer assigned to the overnight watch on the bridge.

* ShabbyHeroesWellDressedVillains: Inverted. The crew of the Enterprise wear pristine uniforms while Khan and his men are [[RummageSaleReject rummage sale rejects.]]

* SpaceMines: In the UnwinnableTrainingSimulation that starts off the movie, the ship the ''Enterprise'' needs to rescue was disabled by a gravitic mine.

* SpySpeak: Cleverly used. After getting screwed badly with not following regulations on approaching a silent ship, Kirk asserts that they will be following regulations more closely from then on. When on Regula One Kirk asked Spock for an update on the repairs and Spock tells Kirk that "By the book, hours will seem like days." and explains that it will take several days to get transporters back online. Kirk then tells them that if they don't hear from him in one hour they are to leave the combat zone and contact Starfleet. Several hours later everyone else thinks the Enterprise has left and Kirk reveals his trump card, assuming that Khan was listening in on their communications regulation stated they needed to speak in code. "Hours will seem like days" meant that transporters would be online in ''two hours'', not two days. Kirk's command to leave in one hour meant one day, and waited to contact the Enterprise when they could transport them back. Khan WAS listening, and attempted to ambush the Enterprise at Regula One right as they were to leave but Spock had them on the other side of the planet. When he finally sees the Enterprise again he remarks that the ship was not as crippled as he was led to believe.
* StandardStarshipScuffle: The battle between ''Enterprise'' and ''Reliant'' provides the trope's page image. This only comes into play because both ships' Warp Drives are damaged in the first exchange, and the [[NegativeSpaceWedgie Mutara nebula]] negatively affects sensors - typically, the ships would be [[https://youtu.be/PILS3LtgJRc?t=214 firing missiles at each other from thousands of miles apart.]]

** Much of the SceneryPorn of the ''Enterprise'' from ''The Motion Picture'' was reused to help stretch the budget, specifically several flybys and scenes involving the spacedock.
** The original teaser trailer features the ''STTMP'' blue '''Enterprise'' going into warp' effect shot. The warp shots made for ''STTWOK'' (and following movies) are more subdued.

* TakingYouWithMe: Khan, at the end, attempts to destroy Kirk and the ''Enterprise'' by detonating the Genesis device.

* TemptingFate: Mercifully subverted for the ''Enterprise''. When going over how they're going to disable ''Reliant'' using the prefix code, Spock feels it necessary to note that Khan might have changed it. Fortunately fate lets this one slide, else the movie would have ended there.

** Kirk after Spock dies. The script describes him as “beyond seeing or hearing anything”.
* TimeBomb: When Khan activates the Genesis device on the ''Reliant'', the ''Enterprise'' has four minutes to get away before it detonates, but it can't reach a safe distance unless the warp drive is repaired....

* {{Troll}}: Spock orders the inexperienced Saavik to take the ''Enterprise'' out of drydock, knowing it would make Kirk nervous to stand by and watch her.
* TryAndFollow: Kirk [[IShallTauntYou mocks]] Khan to goad him into following the ''Enterprise'' into a nebula, counting on Khan's {{Pride}} to override his better judgment, as the gambit is a very obvious trap.
* TwoFaced: Khan gets the right side of his face horribly injured following an explosion in the bridge of the ''Reliant''.

* UpgradeVsPrototypeFight: This is often overlooked: in [[Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture the previous film,]] the ''U.S.S. Enterprise'' had just completed a massive refit using updated technology. The ship was entirely rebuilt, [[FlawedPrototype effectively making it a totally new ship.]] The ''U.S.S. Reliant'' is [[SuperiorSuccessor effectively an upgrade, using all of the same technology without the bugs of the old design.]] Even more, it has [[MoreDakka more guns, including a twin rear mounted photon torpedo, and a pair of oversized phaser cannons.]] It fits all of this in a space [[PintsizedPowerhouse less than half the size]] of the ''Enterprise''.

** The ''Enterprise'' is in a heavier weight class than the ''Reliant'' (although ''Reliant'' is a [[UpgradeVsPrototypeFight newer design]]) and would likely win or at least be evenly matched in a straight up fight, and Kirk quickly proves himself the superior strategist and leader over the course of the film. But in their first confrontation, both ships ended up being attacked aggressively with their {{Deflector Shield}}s down, and for the final confrontation both ships are in a nebula which disables shields and impairs scanners. This makes weapons fire very risky for both parties, as all damage is taken directly to the hull.
** The ''Enterprise'' is additionally handicapped because it is staffed with a cadet crew, meaning [[MrFixit Scotty]] loses most of his crew at a vital moment when the trainees panic and flee the engine room during the first attack. This is balanced in turn by the fact that Khan and his people are lost in time, even less numerous, and barely understand how to work their ship.

* YouAreInCommandNow: At the beginning of the movie Spock is actually captain of the ''Enterprise'' with a cadet crew for a training mission. Kirk comes along primarily to get out of Starfleet Command and back into space. When Carol calls them up asking about Genesis and the transmission is jammed, Kirk gets orders to investigate. A long scene in Spock's quarters has Kirk dancing around the issue of taking command and Spock gladly hands it to him, citing both regulation and echoing [=McCoy's=] earlier thoughts that Kirk is at his best commanding a starship.

* BillionsOfButtons: After ''Enterprise'' has remotely ordered ''Reliant'' to lower her shields, Khan's OhCrap moment is punctuated by a rapidly panning POV shot of a bank of buttons of switches as he desperately tries to find the override before ''Enterprise'' can open fire.[[note]]Per the [[DeadpanSnarker subtitle commentary track]] in the Director's Cut, Khan won't find it; he's staring at the Helmsman's station.[[/note]] This highlights the fact that while Khan might be smarter than Kirk, Kirk has ''much'' more experience.

** Carried by ''Reliant''[='s=] crew as they mistake Ceti Alpha V for Ceti Alpha VI (imagine mistaking Earth for Mars), and by Chekov for not remembering that Khan was left on. In their defense, Ceti Alpha VI was destroyed, Ceti Alpha V's orbit was shifted to be closer to Ceti Alpha VI's, and they are both in an out-of-the-way system that was not well surveyed, and Ceti Alpha V had formerly been a life-filled planet, but was devastated by the orbit shift to more closely resemble Ceti Alpha VI.

* LittleNo: From [[LargeHam Kirk]], of all people, [[spoiler:when Spock dies]].

Unfortunately, Kirk finds himself drawn into a conflict with Khan Noonien Singh, a WorthyOpponent he encountered during ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' fifteen years ago, during the events of "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E22SpaceSeed Space Seed]]." Khan had escaped his exile on Ceti Alpha VI through capturing the crew of the Reliant, who were surveying the planet for a project called "Genesis." His goal is [[ItsPersonal revenge]] against Kirk and [[TakeOverTheWorld secure his own territory]] through the "Genesis Device," a {{terraform}}ing explosive that can be used as HostileTerraforming against any who oppose him. Kirk struggles [[BackInTheSaddle against his rusty skills and instincts]] as the Enterprise and Reliant do battle, and it doesn't get any easier for him when the scientists in charge of "Genesis" turn out to be his OldFlame and [[LukeYouAreMyFather their son]].

No real relation to the aborted ''Star Trek Phase II'' TV series, whose pilot became ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture''. Also not to be confused with ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'', a (loose) remake of this film set in the AlternateTimeline created by Creator/JJAbrams for his cinematic franchise.

Unfortunately, Kirk finds himself drawn into a conflict with Khan Noonien Singh, a WorthyOpponent he encountered during ''Series/{{StarTrekTheOriginalSeries}}'' fifteen years ago, during the events of "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E22SpaceSeed Space Seed]]." Khan had escaped his exile on Ceti Alpha VI through capturing the crew of the Reliant, who were surveying the planet for a project called "Genesis." His goal is [[ItsPersonal revenge]] against Kirk and [[TakeOverTheWorld secure his own territory]] through the "Genesis Device," a {{terraform}}ing explosive that can be used as HostileTerraforming against any who oppose him. Kirk struggles [[BackInTheSaddle against his rusty skills and instincts]] as the Enterprise and Reliant do battle, and it doesn't get any easier for him when the scientists in charge of "Genesis" turn out to be his OldFlame and [[LukeYouAreMyFather their son]].

Unfortunately, Kirk finds himself drawn into a conflict with Khan Noonien Singh, a WorthyOpponent he encountered during ''Series/{{Star Trek|TheOriginalSeries}}'' fifteen years ago, during the events of "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E22SpaceSeed Space Seed]]." Khan had escaped his exile on Ceti Alpha VI through capturing the crew of the Reliant, who were surveying the planet for a project called "Genesis." His goal is [[ItsPersonal revenge]] against Kirk and [[TakeOverTheWorld secure his own territory]] through the "Genesis Device," a {{terraform}}ing explosive that can be used as HostileTerraforming against any who oppose him. Kirk struggles [[BackInTheSaddle against his rusty skills and instincts]] as the Enterprise and Reliant do battle, and it doesn't get any easier for him when the scientists in charge of "Genesis" turn out to be his OldFlame and [[LukeYouAreMyFather their son]].

The plot features the charismatic genetically-engineered tyrant Khan Noonien Singh of the original ''Series/{{Star Trek|TheOriginalSeries}}'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E22SpaceSeed Space Seed]]", fifteen years after the events of the episode (matching the real-life gap between that episode and this film). Khan escapes his exile with [[ItsPersonal revenge]] against the man who sent him into exile, [[TheKirk Starfleet Captain James Tiberius Kirk]] as his main goal, and [[TakeOverTheWorld establishing a galactic]] [[TheEmpire Empire]] as his secondary goal, using a stolen [[{{Terraform}} compact terraforming device]] called "Genesis" as a [[HostileTerraforming weapon to seal his victory]]. Meanwhile, ''Admiral'' Kirk has been [[ThePeterPrinciple promoted beyond his usefulness]] and is facing a mid-life crisis (apparently having forgotten everything from the first film). It doesn't get any easier for him when the doctors in charge of "Genesis" turn out to be his OldFlame and [[LukeYouAreMyFather their son]].

* This was the first major motion picture[[note]]His first film, ''Film/BattleBeyondTheStars'', had a much lower budget.[[/note]] to be scored by Music/JamesHorner, who would go on to do ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'', ''Film/HoneyIShrunkTheKids'', ''Film/TheRocketeer'', ''Film/{{Braveheart}}'', ''Film/{{Titanic 1997}}'', and ''Film/{{Avatar}}''. As Nicholas Meyer once put it, they hired James Horner to do ''Star Trek II'' because they couldn't afford Music/JerryGoldsmith, but by the time Meyer returned for ''Film/{{Star Trek VI|The Undiscovered Country}}'' they hired Cliff Eidelman because they couldn't afford James Horner.[[note]]Horner would succeed Goldsmith on [[Franchise/{{Alien}} another sci-fi franchise]], reworking one of his cues from this movie to great effect, while Goldsmith, somewhat ironically, would later return to score the [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]]-era films ''[[Film/StarTrekFirstContact First Contact]]'', ''[[Film/StartrekInsurrection Insurrection]]'', and ''[[Film/StarTrekNemesis Nemesis]]''.[[/note]]

''Star Trek II'' starts a loose trilogy arc that continues with ''Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock'' and concludes with ''Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome''. Nimoy directed the latter two films.

* ManHug: Kirk and David. Awwwk-waardd. [[note]] {{Justified|Trope}} in that this was a father and son who hadn't even heard of/seen each other until a day ago, and the latter hated the 'military type', until he saw he was wrong. Any way you cut it this was going to be awkward. [[/note]]

** A minor one: when Khan takes off his makeshift environmental suit in his first scene in the film he is already wearing a medallion that looks like the belt buckles worn with the then-current Starfleet uniforms, with a notch taken out of the the circle around the arrowhead. The problem is that at the time Khan was marooned on Ceti Alpha V not only was such a buckle ''not'' part of the uniform, but Starfleet had not yet adopted ''Enterprise's'' Command section insignia as a universal emblem (each ship had its own emblem in the original series). So where did it come from? Some fans suggest it is a TragicKeepsake from his wife Marla [=McGivers=] but she was not part of the command department: her "arrowhead", even if she had worn one, would not have had the star in the center but the "support services" spiral.

* ColdBloodedTorture: What Khan does to the scientists on Regula I. It's even worse in the {{Novelization}}; they're tied up, stabbed and brutally beaten while bleeding to death, and it's all an explicit taste of what Khan plans to do to Kirk once he gets him.

** McCoy's unfinished insult to Spock, "You green-blooded, inhuman..." Yes, Vulcans have green blood and they're not human, so...?

* CavalierConsumption: While everyone else is worried about being stranded inside Regula, Kirk casually munches an apple.

* TheHerosBirthday: Admiral Kirk's, which highlights his mid-life crisis.

[[caption-width-right:350:''[[{{Tagline}} At the end of the universe, lies the beginning of vengeance.]]''[[labelnote:*]]And yes, that's really his chest.[[/labelnote]]]]

* CurbStompBattle: the Enterprise versus the Reliant, 2 high tech, immensely powerful spacecraft both crippled from their previous engagement and then partially blinded by the effects of the nebula, slugging it out at point blank range like a pair of ships of the line from ages past.

* CurbStompBattle: the Enterprise versus the Reliant, 2 high tech ships both crippled and partially blinded by the effects of the nebula, slugging it out at point blank range like a pair of ships of the line from times past.