Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan/YMMV

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• Crowning Music of Awesome: They couldn't afford to bring back Jerry Goldsmith for the sequel, so they took a chance on an up-and-comer named James Horner... who proceeded to kick ASS.
• Even Better Sequel / Surprisingly Improved Sequel: To the point that other Film series which follow up on their first installment with a much better-received Sequel are said to have "pulled a Wrath of Khan".
  • Arthur C. Clarke considered listing Khan as one of the best science fiction movies of all time. Considering Clarke's reputation for hard science promoting a Space Opera movie Sequel, this underscores just how good this Sequel was...
• First Installment Wins: A major aversion. Despite being a sequel, this installment is much more popular and well-known than the first Trek movie.
  • Also applies to the Khan storyline itself. This is the second story to feature him, but the film Khan is the one everyone pictures when the character is mentioned. In fact, many people who've seen the film think this is Khan's first appearance.
• He Really Can Act: "KHAAAAAN" aside, Kirk has a lot of quiet, subtle character moments, and William Shatner really delivers. Nicholas Meyer took credit for this one, forcing re-take after re-take until Shatner finally got tired of "performing" and actually did some acting.
  • It probably should be pointed out that with even the "KHHHAANNN!" line, the CHARACTER of Kirk was likely deliberately overacting to fool Khan.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Spock invented The Picard Maneuver!
• Ho Yay: Kirk/Spock (surprise, surprise). Notably at the end of the movie: Kirk and Spock press hands against the glass as Spock dies. Spock's death has a huge impact on Kirk (which continues into the third movie.) Kirk says he's never truly faced death before, "not like this," even though his brother died during the series. Kirk would go on to say that he had lost "the noblest half of [him]self" - and look closely. Kirk and Spock are Vulcan kissing through the damn glass!
  • Academic Henry Jenkins tells of using this film to explain the concept of SlashFic.

"When I try to explain slash to non-fans, I often reference that moment in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan where Spock is dying and Kirk stands there, a wall of glass separating the two longtime buddies. Both of them are reaching out towards each other, their hands pressed hard against the glass, trying to establish physical contact. [...]And, I tell my nonfan listeners, slash is what happens when you take away the glass."

• • Khan's obsession with Kirk can be interpreted as Foe Yay.

Nicholas Meyer: Kirk did not lie awake thinking about Khan; Khan lay awake thinking about Kirk.

• It Was His Sled: The Kobayashi Maru opening sequence was included because Spock's death was one before the movie was finished.
• Magnificent Bastard: Kirk and Khan both.
• Memetic Mutation: "KHAAAANNN!!! KHAAAAAANNN!!!"
• Newer Than They Think: "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one." It sounds like an old Vulcan proverb, but more reliable sources point to this movie as the origin of the phrase.
• Ruined FOREVER: Although it's now seen as one of the best (if not the best) of the films, when the ending leaked out prerelease it was very controversial, with many fans vowing to never watch Star Trek again.
• They Just Didn't Care: In the movie's audio commentary, when addressing the aforementioned Series Continuity Error, Meyer admits to harboring this attitude regarding the issue.
• Tough Act to Follow: Oh, absolutely.
• Visual Effects of Awesome: The space battles, especially in the Mutara Nebula, hold up well almost 30 years later. Also worth noting is the CGI in the Genesis video was developed by what would eventually become Pixar.
• What the Hell Casting Agency: At the time, studio executives felt that audiences wouldn't buy Montalban as a villain, given his genial nature on Fantasy Island.
• Win Back the Crowd: If it hadn't been for the success of this film, Star Trek the Motion Picture might have marked the end of the Star Trek franchise.