Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Theatrical release poster art by Bob Peak
Directed by	Nicholas Meyer
Screenplay by	Jack B. Sowards
Story by	Harve Bennett Jack B. Sowards
Based on	Star Trek by Gene Roddenberry
Produced by	Robert Sallin
Starring	William Shatner Leonard Nimoy DeForest Kelley James Doohan Walter Koenig George Takei Nichelle Nichols Bibi Besch Merritt Butrick Paul Winfield Kirstie Alley Ricardo Montalbán
Cinematography	Gayne Rescher
Edited by	William Paul Dornisch
Music by	James Horner
Production company	Paramount Pictures
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	June 4, 1982 (1982-06-04)
Running time	113 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$12 million[2][3]
Box office	$97 million[4]

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Nicholas Meyer and based on the television series Star Trek. It is the second film in the Star Trek film series following Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), and is a sequel to the television episode "Space Seed" (1967). The plot features Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the starship USS Enterprise facing off against the genetically engineered tyrant Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán). When Khan escapes from a 15-year exile to exact revenge on Kirk, the crew of the Enterprise must stop him from acquiring a powerful terraforming device named Genesis. The film is the beginning of a three-film story arc that continues with the film Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) and concludes with the film Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986).

After the lackluster critical response to the first film, series creator Gene Roddenberry was forced out of the sequel's production. Executive producer Harve Bennett wrote the film's original outline, which Jack B. Sowards developed into a full script. Director Nicholas Meyer completed its final script in twelve days, without accepting a writing credit. Meyer's approach evoked the swashbuckling atmosphere of the original series, referring to the film as "Horatio Hornblower in space", a theme reinforced by James Horner's musical score. Leonard Nimoy had not intended to have a role in the sequel, but was enticed back on the promise that his character would be given a dramatic death scene. Negative test audience reaction to Spock's death led to significant revisions of the ending over Meyer's objections. The production team used various cost-cutting techniques to keep within budget, including using miniature models from past projects and reusing sets, effects footage, and costumes from the first film. The film was the first feature film to contain a sequence created entirely with computer graphics.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was released in North America on June 4, 1982, by Paramount Pictures. It was a box office success, earning US$97 million worldwide and setting a world record for its first-day box office gross. Critical reaction to the film was positive; reviewers highlighted Khan's character, Meyer's direction, improved performances, the film's pacing, and the character interactions as strong elements. Negative reactions focused on weak special effects and some of the acting. The Wrath of Khan is considered by many to be the best film in the Star Trek series, and is often credited with renewing substantial interest in the franchise.