The Wrath of Khan

   

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Writer(s):

Andy Schmidt

Artist(s):

Chee Yang Ong

Colorist(s):

Moose Baumann

Letterer(s):

Neil Uyetake &Robbie Robbins

Editor(s):

Chris Ryall &Scott Dunbier

Publisher:

IDW Publishing

Published:

June-July2009

Pages:

75

Omnibus:

Movie Omnibus

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was the secondStar Trekmovie, released in1982. The movie wasnovelized byVonda N. McIntyre in the year of its release. It was adapted into acomic in2009, written byAndy Schmidt with art byChee Yang Ong.

The Wrath of Khan tells the tale ofKhan Noonien Singh's revenge onJames T. Kirk years after being marooned onCeti Alpha V. The story introducedSaavik to the crew of theEnterprise and saw the death ofSpock. The story also featured theGenesis device, a technology created byCarol andDavid Marcus (the latter Kirk's son), culminating in the creation of theGenesis Planet and beginning a three-film story arc showing the aftermath of Genesis and the resurrection ofSpock.

Description[]

Prepare yourself for warp-10 excitement!

The galaxy's ultimate future is in the hands ofJames T. Kirk,Mr.Spock andthe indomitable crew of theEnterprise…

The galaxy's ultimateweapon is in the hands of the evilKhan and his followers…

A battle that will shake theuniverse cannot be avoided… And the ultimate adventure is about to begin!

Summary[]

In the23rd century…

The story begins aboard what appears to be thebridge of thestarshipEnterprise. The whole original crew, save forJames T. Kirk andPavel Chekov, is aboard under the command of what appears to be aVulcan woman namedSaavik. They are on a mission to rescue a tradingfreighter known as theKobayashi Maru. The ship is found to be adrift in theKlingon Neutral Zone. Saavik orders the ship to save the freighter, which is about to fall apart. Then a fleet ofKlingon warships attack and seemingly kill the entire crew. Two large doors open, andAdmiral James T. Kirk enters. It is found that this is a training simulator for acadettest. Saavik finds it hard to understand the reasoning behind the scenario, which is that sometimesStarfleet commanders must face a no-win-scenario. Kirk is celebrating his birthday.

TheFederation starshipReliant is on a mission to find a suitable world for theGenesis Device, a newterraforming tool that is in development. Chekov, who is an officer aboard the vessel, along with his crew, comes upon theplanetCeti Alpha VI. They find only what appear to be traces of life, which cannot be present. On Earth, Kirk shows that he is in a mid-life crisis of sorts, wondering what his place now is in Starfleet, believing that his days aboard starships are done. CaptainClark Terrell and Chekov beam down from theReliant to the barren planet. They discover a wrecked ship, which has been converted into what appears to be a safe haven from the planet. Chekov finds a tag that reads "Botany Bay". He then remembers this as the flagship of the madKhan Noonien Singh, a power-crazed dictator fromEarth's past. As Chekov attempts to hurry Terrell out, they are captured. Khan and his followers reveal to Terrell and Chekov that this isCeti Alpha V, and that Ceti Alpha VI exploded, causing many deaths and the shift of the planet's rotation. Khan now has a vendetta against Kirk. Khan wants to know why Terrell and Chekov were looking for a lifeless planet. He uses a creature called a ceti eel to force them into revealing the knowledge.

Kirk is due to inspect the starshipEnterprise, which is on a cadet training voyage under the command ofCaptainSpock. The ship sets out into space under the command of Spock. The whole crew, save for Chekov, is aboard. Meanwhile, at a Federation outpost calledRegula One, a group of scientists led by Dr.Carol Marcus discover that the Federation are accelerating their plans for the Genesis Device, and that theReliant is on its way to pick it up. The scientists are alarmed by this, and refuse to go along with it. Kirk and his crew receive a message from Dr. Marcus, who is worried about the Genesis Device. When Kirk, Spock, andMcCoy learn what Genesis is, Kirk assumes command and sets a course for the outpost.

TheEnterprise encounters theReliant, which is under Khan's command. Kirk and Khan do battle, and seriously damage each other. Scotty's nephewPeter Preston is killed. Kirk and his crew arrive at Regula One, which is deserted. Kirk, McCoy, and Saavik beam over to the station and find most of the scientists have been murdered. They then check the transporter logs and find that the beam coordinates were to the center of the dead planetoid that Regulus I was orbiting. They find the Genesis Cave, the Genesis Device, and Doctors Carol andDavid Marcus. It is revealed that Kirk and Carol were once involved and that David is their son. Khan is able to retrieve the device, and believes he has stranded Kirk and company in the planetoid.

Spock, using a coded transmission, is able to evade Khan and get the crew aboard. After Kirk enters theMutara Nebula and heavily damages Khan's ship, Khan is prepared to detonate the Genesis Device to destroy them both. TheEnterprise does not have enough power to escape, but Captain Spock sacrifices his life to save them all. TheGenesis Wave from Khan's destroyed ship ends up terraforming a planet. As Scotty plays "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes, Spock's body is launched into space above the planet on a course selected by Saavik. Kirk and crew set course for Earth, awaiting adventures unknown.

References[]

Characters[]

Movie characters[]

"Stoney" Beach •Pavel Chekov •Croy •Jedda Adzhin-Dall •Joachim •James T. Kirk •John Kyle •Vance Madison •Delwin March •Carol Marcus •David Marcus •Mas'ud •Leonard McCoy •Peter Preston •Saavik •Sarod •Montgomery Scott •Khan Noonien Singh •Spock •Hikaru Sulu •Clark Terrell •Nyota Uhura •Wajahut •Yoshi •Ceti eel

Referenced only

Marla McGivers

Novelization characters[]

Maximo Alisaunder Arrunja •"Stoney" Beach •Christine Chapel •Pavel Chekov •Croy •R. Grenni •Jan •Jedda Adzhin-Dall •Joachim •Kasatsuki •James T. Kirk •John Kyle •Vance Madison •Delwin March •Carol Marcus •David Marcus •Leonard McCoy •Peter Preston •Saavik •Montgomery Scott •Khan Noonien Singh •Spock •Hikaru Sulu •Clark Terrell •Nyota Uhura •Yoshi •Zinaida Chitirih-Ra-Payjh •Ceti eel

Referenced only

Mandala Flynn •Marla McGivers

Photostory characters[]

Pavel Chekov •Joachim •James T. Kirk •Carol Marcus •David Marcus •Leonard McCoy •Saavik •Montgomery Scott •Khan Noonien Singh •Spock •Hikaru Sulu •Clark Terrell •Nyota Uhura •Ceti eel

Pavel Chekov.

James T. Kirk.

Leonard McCoy.

Scotty.

Spock.

Hikaru Sulu.

Nyota Uhura.

Starships and vehicles[]

USSEnterprise (Constitution-class) •USSReliant (Miranda-class) •K't'inga-class

Referenced only

USSAndromeda •SS Botany Bay (DY-100-class) •USSExcelsior (Excelsior-class) •USSFirenze •USSM-31 •USSMagellanic Clouds

Locations[]

Ceti Alpha V •Ceti Alpha system •Gamma Hydra •Gamma Hydra sector •Genesis Planet •Mutara Nebula •Mutara sector •Regula •Regula I

Referenced only

Zyra

Races and cultures[]

Augment •Deltan •Human •Romulan •Vulcan

States and organizations[]

Fleet General Staff •Starfleet •United Federation of Planets

Science and classification[]

Atalskes phaser IV •bionetics •communicator •dynoscanner •phaser •radiation shield •Retinax Five •shields

Other references[]

geoplastics •Kobayashi Maru scenario •radon •snark •The Hunting of the Snark

Appendices[]

Related media[]

• "Space Seed" - (TOSepisode) -The Wrath of Khan was a direct sequel to this orignal series episode which set up the situation which would lead Khan to have such a strong hatred of Captain Kirk.
• To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh - (TOSnovel) - The prequel toThe Wrath of Khan telling the story of Khan's exile on Ceti Alpha V.
• "The Wormhole Connection" - (TOScomic) - Set afterThe Wrath of Khan this comic sees Kirk personally requestGrand AdmiralStephen Turner allow him to remain in command of theEnterprise, which Turner approves. The story then deals with Kirk's reaction to Saavik (who takes Spock's former role as science officer) while he grieves for Spock.
• The Search for Spock (TOS movie) - Spock transfers hiskatra to Doctor McCoy before his death inThe Wrath of Khan, allowing his resurrected inThe Search for Spock when his katra is transplanted back into his body which regenerated on the Genesis Planet.
• The Chimes at Midnight (TOS/Myriad Universes novel) - Set in analternate timeline whereThelin is aboard theEnterprise instead of Spock and the Genesis Planet is still created, although in this case Thelin uses a shield modification to allow theEnterprise to survive the Genesis effect rather than sacrificing himself to repair the ship's engines.
• "Cloak and Dagger" (EV comic) - The conflict between theEnterprise and theReliant is mirrored in this comic. TheEnterprise faces anotherMiranda-class starship, theUSSCortez, and once again the ship has been commandeered by fanatics. Like the film Number One uses theCortez's command codes to take down the shields to make it vulnerable after its initial brutal attack. And finally like theReliant theCortez is destroyed by a powerful technology, though in this case a planet is destroyed in the process rather than created.

Adaptations and novelizations[]

Novelization original printing cover image.

Novelization collected inDuty, Honor, Redemption.

Comic adaptation collected inMovie Omnibus.

Video releases[]

VHS video release cover image.

Background[]

• Regula One is referred to as "Regulus I" throughout the novelization.Regulus is the brighteststar in theLeo constellation.
• Some major differences between the novelization and the movie are due to last-minute changes to the screenplay. In the novel, Kirk does not know that David Marcus is his son until he meets him inside the Genesis planetoid. This point was left ambiguous in the movie until a late re-shoot clarified that Kirk had always known he was David's father. There is no indication in the novel of Spock transferring hiskatra to McCoy, or of Spock's casket landing safely on the Genesis Planet, because those elements were not added to the movie until a late stage. Indeed, Spock's line "Remember" was not added to the script until the day it was filmed.
• Regarding writing the novelization, authorVonda N. McIntyre said, "If you transcribe a movie screenplay, you get at best a novella, which is about half the length of a modern novel. To create a novel from a screenplay, you have the choice of padding mercilessly or adding subplots and backstory. I was fortunate in being trusted to add subplots and backstory, and to treat the characters and the universe with respect. Merciless padding tends to be boring, both for the writer and the reader...Peter Preston had more screen time in the screenplay I was working from. If I remember right, I believe I added the graveyard scene. So I expanded that character's arc somewhat, but not as much as it would seem if you compared the movie and the novel rather than the screenplay and the novel. I made up most ofSaavik's backstory. Does the movie even mention that she'sRomulan andVulcan? I blush to admit I can't remember. That was in the screenplay. Her flirtation with David Marcus ended up mostly on the cutting-room floor, but it was also in the screenplay I worked from. I expanded it a little."
• McIntyre also put the writing experience in perspective for the time it was written. "I always worked from the script. This was not necessarily the script that accurately represented what ended up on screen... Remember that we're talking about a time before most publishers had digitized their book-producing process, and everything was still done on paper galleys and page proofs. Getting galleys and page proofs back and forth took more time than it does now with email. Because of differences in the way books were produced and movies are produced, the manuscript had to be finished well before the movie was done. I never saw any of the movies before the manuscript had to be turned in, or indeed until the movies came out in the theater. I've never been to aStar Trek movie set. The producer, screenwriter, and director have many more things on their minds than talking to the tie-in writer." (Star Trek Magazine Issue 172/US 45: "A Novel Approach")

Comic adaptation[]

• The comic adaptation of this film was released as a three part biweekly series in June and July of 2009.

Title/Number	Issue 1	Issue 2	Issue 3
Writers	Andy Schmidt
Artist	Chee Yang Ong
Published	10 June2009	17 June 2009	1 July 2009
Cover A
Cover B
Retail incentive cover

Images[]

USSReliant.

DoctorCarol Marcus.

David Marcus.

CaptainClark Terrell.

TheGenesis Device.

Croy.

Enterprise.

Peter Preston.

Terrell's phaser.

Commander"Stoney" Beach

Novelization images[]

Cover image.

Cover art.

Kirk.

Spock.

Khan.

Connections[]

IDW Publishingminiseries
TOS	Klingons: Blood Will Tell •Year Four •The Enterprise Experiment •Assignment: Earth •Mirror Images •Romulans: The Hollow Crown •Crew •Mission's End •The Wrath of Khan •Romulans: Schism •Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor •Burden of Knowledge •Khan: Ruling in Hell •Infestation •Star Trek—Legion of Super-Heroes •Harlan Ellison's The City on the Edge of Forever •The Primate Directive •Star Trek vs. Transformers •The Motion Picture: Echoes
	Star Trek (2009) tie-in:	Countdown •Spock: Reflections •Nero •The Official Motion Picture Adaptation •Countdown to Darkness •Khan •Starfleet Academy •The Spectrum War •Manifest Destiny •Stranger Worlds
TNG	The Space Between •Intelligence Gathering •The Last Generation •Ghosts •Assimilation² •Hive •Deviations •Mirror Broken •Through the Mirror •Terra Incognita •The Mirror War •Warriors of the Mirror War •Holo-Ween
DS9	Fool's Gold •Too Long a Sacrifice •The Dog of War
VOY	Seven's Reckoning
DSC	The Light of Kahless •Succession •Aftermath •Adventures in the 32nd Century
PIC	Picard: Countdown •Stargazer
LD	All in a Sea of Wonders •Second Contact
SNW	The Illyrian Enigma •The Scorpius Run
Other	Turnaround •Alien Spotlight •Alien Spotlight II •Captain's Log •Waypoint •The Q Conflict •Aliens •Resurgence •Defiant •Picard's Academy •Sons of Star Trek

Timeline[]

Publication history[]

• 1982
  • 4 June - Movie released.
  • July -Vonda N. McIntyre's novelization of the film published byPocket Books as the seventh book intheir line of numberedTOS novels.
  • October -Photostory adaptation byRichard J. Anobile published by Pocket Books.
• 2004, October - Novelization reprinted in theSignature EditionomnibusDuty, Honor, Redemption, along withStar Trek III: The Search for Spock andStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
• 2009
  • June-July - Three-partcomic adaptation byAndy Schmidt with art byChee Yang Ong published byIDW Publishing.
  • November - Original date scheduled for IDW reprint the comic adaptation in theMovie Omnibus with otherTOS comic adaptation.

Translations[]

1982

German :Star Trek II: Der Zorn des Khan, translated by Hans Maeter. (Heyne)

1982

French :La Colère de Khan. (J'ai Lu)

1982

Japanese :宇宙大作戦 スター・トレック2 カーンの逆襲, translated by Haku Saito. (Hayakawa Bunko)

1998

Hungarian :Khan haragja, translated by Németh Attila. (N & N Könyvkiadó)

External links[]

• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan article atMemory Alpha, the wiki for canonStar Trek.
• The Wrath of Khan article atMemory Alpha, the wiki for canonStar Trek.
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (comic) article atMemory Alpha, the wiki for canonStar Trek.