youtube star trek the wrath of khan

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan review – Spock and Kirk shine in charming Enterprise revisit

The 1982 sequel to the original Star Trek film, featuring a film debut for Kirstie Alley, returns to cinemas with its crowdpleasing zap and raw emotion intact

T he 1982 sequel to the original Star Trek feature film is now re-released: a brisker, brasher work directed by Nicholas Meyer which moved away from the more lugubrious, Kubrickian ambitions of the first film and back to the crowdpleasing zap of the TV show, importantly starting with the irresistible theme tune. However, 60s TV Star Trek would surely never have given us anything like the rather extraordinary moment included in this movie: chief engineer Mr Scott is discreetly treated for a certain ailment by Dr McCoy, because of his recent “shore leave”. Too much information there about Mr Scott’s private life.

Wrath of Khan is the film that sensationally gave us the heroic and tragic sacrifice of Mr Spock, a wonderful performance of sonorous gravitas from Leonard Nimoy. That calamity traumatised its audiences and taught future generations of franchise-creators from Star Wars to Harry Potter that nothing grabs the fanbase like a big death. The Spock demise was further elevated in pop culture a decade later on the Seinfeld TV show when it was revealed that Jerry’s friend George Constanza was, in adult life, more moved by the memory of Spock’s fate than by the death of his own fiancee.

The situation aboard the USS Enterprise is that Spock is now captain, mentoring a commander-in-training, Saavik, played by Kirstie Alley in her debut film role. There has been another uniform redesign: tunics are now a deep cherry red, thus confounding the “red jersey” stigma, traditionally the colour of other ranks’ uniforms, those most likely to die when beamed down to other planets with more important cast-members.

Admiral James T Kirk (William Shatner) is yearning to get away from desk responsibility and see action once again. He is grimly aware of the passing years, made more piquant by a birthday present from his plain-speaking pal, Dr McCoy (DeForest Kelley): a pair of reading glasses. But Admiral Kirk’s inspection of the Enterprise coincides with a threat from his old nemesis Khan (an enjoyably hammy Ricardo Montalbán) who tries to steal a terrifyingly powerful new invention: the Genesis, which has the power to create biological lifeforms on desolate planets, but also to destroy lifeforms that are already there.

The unspeakable Khan gains an insidious access to the Enterprise by capturing Chekov (Walter Koenig) and getting a little reptile’s offspring to slither into his ear, thus putting him under a hypnotic influence: a truly creepy moment. And so the duel between Kirk and his old adversary begins, with the Admiral periodically shouting “Khaaaaan!” in pedantic moments of defiance. It’s still entertaining and charming in its innocent idealism.

• Science fiction and fantasy films
• William Shatner
• Leonard Nimoy
• US television

Comments (…)

Most viewed.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

• With the assistance of the Enterprise crew, Admiral Kirk must stop an old nemesis, Khan Noonien Singh, from using the life-generating Genesis Device as the ultimate weapon.
• It is the 23rd century. Admiral James T. Kirk is an instructor at Starfleet Academy and feeling old; the prospect of attending his ship, the USS Enterprise--now a training ship--on a two-week cadet cruise does not make him feel any younger. But the training cruise becomes a deadly serious mission when his nemesis Khan Noonien Singh--infamous conqueror from late 20th century Earth--appears after years of exile. Khan later revealed that the planet Ceti Alpha VI exploded, and shifted the orbit of the fifth planet as a Mars-like haven. He begins capturing Project Genesis, a top secret device holding the power of creation itself, and schemes the utter destruction of Kirk. — Gregory A. Sheets <[email protected]>
• It is the 23rd century. The Federation starship USS Enterprise is on routine training maneuvers, and Admiral James T. Kirk seems resigned to the fact that this may well be the last space mission of his career. But Khan Noonien Singh is back. Aided by his exiled band of genetic supermen, Khan--infamous conqueror from late 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! — Robert Lynch <[email protected]>
• In the year 2285, Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) oversees a simulator session of Captain Spock's (Leonard Nimoy) trainees. In the simulation, Lieutenant Saavik commands the star ship USS Enterprise on a rescue mission to save the crew of the damaged ship Kobayashi Maru. When the Enterprise enters the Klingon Neutral Zone to reach the ship it is attacked by Klingon cruisers and critically damaged. The simulation is a no-win scenario designed to test the character of Starfleet officers. Later, Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) joins Kirk on his birthday; seeing Kirk in low spirits, the doctor advises Kirk to get a new command and not grow old behind a desk. Meanwhile, the USS Reliant is on a mission to search for a lifeless planet for testing of the Genesis Device, a technology designed to reorganize matter to create habitable worlds for colonization. Reliant officers Commander Pavel Chekov and Captain Clark Terrell beam down to the surface of a possible candidate planet, which they believe to be Ceti Alpha VI; once there, they are captured by genetically engineered tyrant Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán). The Enterprise discovered Khan's ship adrift in space 15 years previously; Kirk exiled Khan and his fellow supermen from 20th-century Earth to Ceti Alpha V after they attempted to take over the Enterprise. After they were marooned, Ceti Alpha VI exploded, shifting the orbit of Ceti Alpha V and destroying its ecosystem. Khan blames Kirk for the death of his wife and plans revenge. He implants Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Terrell (Paul Winfield) with indigenous creatures that enter the ears of their victims and render them susceptible to mind control and uses the officers to capture the Reliant. Learning of Genesis, Khan attacks space station Regula I where the device is being developed by Kirk's former lover, Dr. Carol Marcus, and their son, David. The Enterprise embarks on a three-week training voyage. Kirk assumes command after the ship receives a distress call from Regula I. En route, the Enterprise is ambushed and crippled by the Reliant, leading to the deaths and injuries of many trainees. Khan hails the Enterprise and offers to spare Kirk's crew if they relinquish all material related to Genesis. Kirk stalls for time and uses the Reliant's prefix code to remotely lower its shields, allowing the Enterprise to counterattack. Khan is forced to retreat and effect repairs, while the Enterprise limps to Regula I. Kirk, McCoy, and Saavik beam to the station and find Terrell and Chekov alive (who feign innocence and say that they did not help Khan. They also tell Kirk that Khan tortured the station crew but could not get hold of Genesis as Dr Marcus and David were nowhere to be found. The data banks were empty as well), along with slaughtered members of Marcus's team. They soon find Carol and David hiding deep inside the Planetoid of Regula. Khan, having used Terrell and Chekov as spies, orders them to kill Kirk; Terrell resists the eel's influence and kills himself while Chekov collapses as the eel leaves his body. Khan then transports Genesis aboard the Reliant. Though Khan believes his foe stranded on Regula I, Kirk and Spock use a coded message to arrange a rendezvous. Kirk directs the Enterprise into the nearby Mutara Nebula; static discharges inside the nebula render shields useless and compromise targeting systems, making the Enterprise and the Reliant evenly matched. Spock notes however that Khan's tactics are two-dimensional, indicating inexperience in space combat, which Kirk then exploits to critically disable the Reliant. Mortally wounded, Khan activates Genesis, which will reorganize all matter in the nebula, including the Enterprise. Though Kirk's crew detects the activation of Genesis and attempts to move out of range, they will not be able to escape the nebula in time due to the ship's damaged warp drive. Spock goes to the engine room to restore the warp drive. When McCoy tries to prevent Spock's entry, as exposure to the high levels of radiation would be fatal, Spock incapacitates the doctor with a Vulcan nerve pinch and performs a mind meld, telling him to "remember". Spock successfully restores power to the warp drive and the Enterprise escapes the explosion, though at the cost of his life. The explosion of Genesis causes the gas in the nebula to reform into a new planet, capable of sustaining life. After being alerted by McCoy, Kirk arrives in the engine room and discovers Spock dying of radiation poisoning. The two share a meaningful exchange in which Spock urges Kirk not to grieve, as his decision to sacrifice his own life to save those of the ship's crew is a logical one, before succumbing to his injuries. A space burial is held in the Enterprise's torpedo room and Spock's coffin is shot into orbit around the new planet. The crew leaves to pick up the Reliant's marooned crew from Ceti Alpha V. Spock's coffin, having soft-landed, rests on the Genesis planet's surface.

Contribute to this page

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More from this title

More to explore.

Recently viewed

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Streaming in:

We checked for updates on 246 streaming services on May 1, 2024 at 12:41:33 AM. Something wrong? Let us know!

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan streaming: where to watch online?

Currently you are able to watch "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" streaming on Max, Max Amazon Channel. It is also possible to buy "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" on Microsoft Store, AMC on Demand, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Vudu as download or rent it on Microsoft Store, Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand online.

Where does Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan rank today? The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

Streaming charts last updated: 9:19:03 PM, 04/30/2024

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is 10558 on the JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts today. The movie has moved up the charts by 6052 places since yesterday. In the United States, it is currently more popular than Transpecos but less popular than 12 Pups of Christmas.

It is the 23rd century. The Federation Starship U.S.S. Enterprise is on routine training maneuvers and Admiral James T. Kirk 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 - 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 sets out in pursuit of the Enterprise, determined to let nothing stand in the way of his mission: kill Admiral Kirk... even if it means universal Armageddon.

Videos: Trailers, Teasers, Featurettes

Streaming Charts The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

Production country

Bundle offers, people who liked star trek ii: the wrath of khan also liked.

Popular movies coming soon

Similar Movies you can watch for free

Den of Geek

Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan – The History of the Horrifying Ear Scene

Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan is beloved, but contains a truly horrifying moment.

• Share on Facebook (opens in a new tab)
• Share on Twitter (opens in a new tab)
• Share on Linkedin (opens in a new tab)
• Share on email (opens in a new tab)

“You see, their young enter through the ears and wrap themselves around the cerebral cortex. This has the effect of rendering the victim extremely susceptible to suggestion… Later, as they grow, follows madness and death…”

– Khan Noonien Singh

At school the next day, it was all we could talk about. Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan had aired on TV the night before, and for many of us impressionable youngsters, it was the first time we’d seen laid eyes on the movie.

We were too young to have heard about the “Spock must not die!” fan backlash that erupted before the sequel’s release in 1982. We didn’t know about the film’s emotional ending, which was moving in a way that few of us could have expected. And we most certainly weren’t prepared for what we can only describe as That Ear Scene.

If you’ve seen the film, you’ll know the bit I’m referring to.

Ad – content continues below

Oh dear lord no make it stop

Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) lands on a seemingly deserted planet with Captain Terrell (Paul Winfield),and discovers that it’s the residence of Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban). A genetically-manipulated genius with an alarming appetite for despotism, Khan was left in exile 15 years earlier, and he’s plotting to exact his revenge of Kirk for the inadvertent death of his wife and 20 of his men. As part of his plot, Khan introduces Chekov and Terrell to his household pet: a loathsome, slug-like called a Ceti eel – an example of the creatures that had killed those close to him years earlier.

Watch Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan on Amazon

Grasping a couple of the creature’s greasy young with a pair of tongs, Khan explains that the eels have a tendency to worm their way into their victims’ ears and attach themselves to their brains. Khan takes Chekov and Terrell’s space helmets and drops an eel into each one. Chekov and Terrell, held down by Khan’s minions, can only gawp in fear.

“Let me introduce you to Ceti Alpha V’s only remaining indigenous life form,” Khan says with a grim smile. “What do you think? They’ve killed twenty of my people, including my beloved wife…”

Now, if you happened to be (say) a nine-year-old kid growing up in the late ’80s, this was strong stuff already. We weren’t yet versed in the dark world of body horror. We hadn’t seen Alien , or The Exorcist , or any of those infamous movies of the ’70s, though we’d heard hushed stories about some of their more extreme moments. Okay, so we’d watched a bunch of Nazis’ faces alternately explode or melt at the end of Raiders Of The Lost Ark , but that was more a hide-behind-a-cushion scene – or, if you were feeling macabre, a cackling-with-glee moment.

This bit in The Wrath Of Khan , however, was something else. Even the suggestion of something from another planet burrowing into our ears wasn’t just shudder inducing, it was the out-and-out stuff of nightmares. Add to this the disgusting design of the creatures – all segmented bodies, leech-like movements and icky ooze – and the suggestion that Chekov, one of the sweetest characters in all of Star Trek , might succumb to one of these things, was terrifying.

Surely Kirk would sweep in at the last moment, brandishing a phaser and rescue Chekov and Terrell at the last moment. Wouldn’t he? Well, no. The space helmets are crammed onto the victims’ heads, and we’re forced to watch, in horrifying close-up, as the absolute worst happens: one by one, the eels slither across faces and burrow into ears. Chekov and Terrell scream.

Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!

The slug and the newspaper

Early in S tar Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan ‘ s production, the Ceti eels weren’t really eels at all. As originally written, the creature would control its hosts’ minds by attaching themselves to their necks – a plot point which might have been inspired by Robert Heinlein’s 1951 novel, The Puppet Masters . Producer Robert Sallin didn’t think much of this idea, however – it sounded too familiar, he thought – and so he resolved to come up with a better concept for a mind-controlling parasite.

The inspiration came from an unexpected angle: a newspaper lying outside his house one morning.

“I went out to pick up my newspaper,” Sallin told Cnet in 2013, “and there was a slug on the pathway. I thought, what if that slimy thing was able to go into the ear?”

The design of the Ceti eel came courtesy of ILM’s Ken Ralston, a visual effects supervisor charged with making the most of Star Trek II ‘ s relatively meagre budget; after the so-so performance of the incredibly lavish Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979, Paramount had decided to reign in its spending. Ralston came up with a range of concepts for the eel, some with legs, others with flowing tentacles.

The one Sallin ultimately chose was both the simplest design and the most abominable: a segmented, tough-looking creature which lay on its belly. In a masterfully brilliant touch, Ralston imagined that the eel’s larvae nested among the segments of its mother’s back, and had to be pulled free with a forceful yank from a pair of tongs.

The effects which brought the eels to life were simple and low-tech. The full-grown creature is simply a latex puppet, operated from below. The larvae which crawl across Chekov and Terrell’s faces are pulled along with a piece of monofilament. The close-ups of an eel crawling into the ear were created by fashioning an oversized portion of Chekov’s head from rubber. In a brilliantly nasty touch, the larval eels were slathered in a translucent substance to make them look more slimy and unpleasant. That substance was little more than raspberry jam.

It’s worth noting that Ralston and his designers were, whether they knew it or not, following in the footsteps of director David Cronenberg. Seven years earlier in 1975, he’d made his feature debut with Shivers , a low-budget horror in which a Canadian high-rise building is taken over by fleshy, slug-like parasites very like the ones in The Wrath Of Khan . Cronenberg had, like the makers of the Star Trek sequel, originally envisaged a more complex creature – something like a spider – but when he realized that would be too difficult, he came up with a more simple design instead.

Like Ralson, Cronenberg and his team fashioned the parasites out of latex and moved them around in front of the camera with thin, mostly invisible lengths of monofilament. The results, as creatures crawled into hosts through mouths (and other orifices), turning them into raving sex maniacs, was quite controversial at the time. One headline at the time read, “You should know how bad this movie is, you paid for it,” referring to the revelation that Shivers was funded at least in part by tax-payers’ money.

The obvious and major difference between Shivers and Star Trek II , though, was that the former was rated R while the latter was given a PG (at the time, PG-13 didn’t yet exist). When test audiences were shown an early cut of The Wrath Of Khan , they were left squirming in their seats; Sallin recalls that one audience member exclaimed, “That’s the grossest thing I’ve ever seen!”

Indeed, the original edit was reportedly considered slightly too gross, and was edited down slightly for Star Trek II ‘ s theatrical release. “I loved sitting in the theatres when everybody cringed,” Sallin admits.

No really, make it stop

Even in this form, the Wrath Of Khan ear scene is still a toe-curling moment. The joins in the special effects might be more glaring to modern eyes, but it hardly matters – what makes the sequence so effective is not only the sheer nastiness of the creature design, but the quality of the performances (look how coldly Khan stands there as Chekov and Terrell writhe in agony) and also the simple concept itself. There’s something about being powerless to stop a creature crawling in our ear that strikes at a primal, gut level.

Over 30 years later, the ear scene still works as an effective horror moment, and I’d argue that there’s an entire generation who’ve grown up with the after-image of the Ceti eel burned into their memories. The suffering that Khan meted out on two innocent space travellers – Terrell wound up obliterating himself with his phaser rather than kill Kirk; Chekov survived after the eel oozed out of his ear – set him up as one of cinema’s most imposing villains. The eels gave Star Trek II a horror edge which set it apart from the more stately Motion Picture .

Writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman were certainly affected by the Ceti eel, since they wound up putting a remarkably similar parasite – a Centaurian slug – in their 2009 Star Trek reboot. For pure shock value, nothing can beat the first appearance of Khan’s hideous eels in The Wrath Of Khan .

The beasts prompted horrified discussions at our school in the late 80s, and even now, we remain vaguely fearful of things crawling about in the dark, waiting for us to sleep, hoping to find somewhere warm to hide in our ears…

This article originally appeared on Den of Geek UK .

Ryan Lambie

Follow Polygon online:

• Follow Polygon on Facebook
• Follow Polygon on Youtube
• Follow Polygon on Instagram

Site search

• Manor Lords
• Dragon’s Dogma 2
• FF7 Rebirth
• Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Baldur’s Gate 3
• GTA 5 cheats
• PlayStation
• Dungeons & Dragons
• Magic: The Gathering
• Board Games
• All Tabletop
• All Entertainment
• What to Watch
• What to Play
• Buyer’s Guides
• Really Bad Chess
• All Puzzles

Filed under:

• Entertainment

Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan is getting an official prequel — in podcast form

Kirk and Khan’s story will be charted by director Nicholas Meyer

Share this story

• Share this on Facebook
• Share this on Reddit
• Share All sharing options

Share All sharing options for: Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan is getting an official prequel — in podcast form

Khan is returning to the Star Trek universe — you just won’t be able to see him.

Revealed during Paramount Plus’ Star Trek Day, Star Trek: Khan - Ceti Alpha V is a scripted podcast that will chart the events between the character’s appearance in the original series’ episode “Space Seed” and his vengeful emergence in the celebrated Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan . Nicholas Meyer, who directed Wrath of Khan , will spearhead the project, which will see Trek venture into the narrative podcast space for the first time.

Meyer’s storied career in the Star Trek universe only began with the Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan . After the movie’s box office success, Meyer stepped away to other projects, but found himself lured back as a co-writer for another celebrated installment: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Then, in 2016, Bryan Fuller recruited him to work on what would eventually become Star Trek: Discovery . The show saw its fair share of upheaval, with Fuller eventually departing the project and the Trek’s current overseer, Alex Kurtzman, using it to jumpstart an entire slate of franchise projects. And while Meyer was not involved with subsequent seasons of Discovery , Picard , or Strange New Worlds , he’s been lingering in the Trek quadrant; earlier this year, he told TrekMovie that he was actively working on a new Trek movie pitch , while also remaining in talks with Kurtzman. Whether the podcast is a new evolution of that pitch is unclear, but Meyer’s commitment to Trek is unquestionable.

“Nick made the definitive Trek movie when he made Wrath , and we’ve all been standing in its shadow since,” said Kurtzman in a statement. “Forty years have offered him a lot of perspective on these extraordinary characters and the way they’ve impacted generations of fans. Now he’s come up with something as surprising, gripping and emotional as the original, and it’s a real honor to be able to let him tell the next chapter in this story exactly the way he wants to.”

Though in development, the project was announced without a clear release date or any casting, which should leave Trek fans appropriately on edge. Though Ricardo Montalbán and William Shatner’s respective portrayals of Khan and Kirk remain iconic in their own right, they aren’t sacred ground; Benedict Cumberbatch portrayed a reimagined version of Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness , while Chris Pine has played Kirk in three rebooted Trek movies. A new version of Kirk, played by Paul Wesley, will be introduced in Strange New Worlds season 2. Anything goes in this new era of Trek.

Next Up In Star Trek

The next level of puzzles.

Take a break from your day by playing a puzzle or two! We’ve got SpellTower, Typeshift, crosswords, and more.

Sign up for the newsletter Patch Notes

A weekly roundup of the best things from Polygon

Just one more thing!

Please check your email to find a confirmation email, and follow the steps to confirm your humanity.

Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again.

Workers seek to alter the balance of power in Canadian video game industry

Legend of Zelda movie needs to be ‘grounded’ and ‘real,’ says director

Where to find Archie in Destiny 2

Call of Duty makes its return to the Xbox Showcase stage

Sea of Thieves’ newest update includes 7 hilarious tools

Do not let anyone spoil Sugar’s big twist for you

The 14 Dumbest Things In Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

The Wrath of Khan is arguably the greatest Star Trek movie, but it's far from perfect.

Many think this is the greatest Star Trek movie ever, but it's imperfect the way "most human" endeavors are. This is unsurprising given that when director Nicholas Meyer was offered the film there was—shades of The Motion Picture—no workable script.

In fact, THREE different scripts had been developed: The Omega System; The Genesis Project; and Samuel Peeples' The New Star Trek. But due to a deadline to get a visual effects bid from Industrial Light and Magic, they were under the gun, so Meyer and the producers identified all the bits they liked from all the scripts and Meyer wrote the first draft of a new script—titled The Undiscovered Country (eventually retitled The Vengeance of Khan and finally The Wrath of Khan before release)—in just under two weeks.

Many revisions followed, but time was wasting and money was tight. The script and resulting film were of astounding quality for such a crunch-time project, but in that hurry a fair amount of dumb things slipped through the cracks.

With that history in mind, let's place tongue firmly in cheek and have a bit of fun looking at 14 dumb things that happen in the film:

14. The Story Is Reliant Upon Incompetence

One thing that The Motion Picture had in spades but Khan lacked, was scientific advisors. Their absence becomes apparent very early in the story when the U.S.S. Reliant crew mistakes planet Ceti Alpha V for missing planet VI, and the titular villain explains the blunder to Terrell and Chekov:

KHAN: This is Ceti Alpha Five! ...Ceti Alpha Six exploded six months after we were left here. The shock shifted the orbit of this planet and everything was laid waste.

Admittedly, Khan’s perspective of this event is based on his subjective point of view and not on high tech scientific instruments. All he really knows is planet VI violently went bye-bye and his planet’s orbit got changed.

But at least one of these super geniuses ought to have known that planets don’t explode of their own volition, and that a “shock” can’t shift the orbit of a planet: shock waves don’t propagate in a vacuum, after all.

One can invent various scenarios to account of VI going “poof” and V’s orbit shifting (e.g. a rogue body slammed into planet VI, and a big chunk of resulting debris hit Khan’s planet with enough force to alter its orbit and wreck the environment…albeit this probably would have been unsurvivable), but the reality is that whatever object caused it should have been spotted by the Enterprise when they dropped off the supermen (don’t tell me Spock didn’t check for such a possibility), and the resulting debris from a cataclysm of this magnitude ought to have been plain as day to Reliant’s sensors even after decades.

That Reliant’s crew didn’t notice that an entire planet was missing, or that what they thought was planet VI wasn’t the same mass and diameter, atmospheric composition, or even in the exact orbit as previously charted, just makes Terrell and crew look like complete nincompoops.

Maurice is one of the founders of FACT TREK (www.facttrek.com), a project dedicated to untangling 50+ years of mythology about the original Star Trek and its place in TV history. He's also a screenwriter, writer, and videogame industry vet with scars to show for it. In that latter capacity he game designer/writer on the Sega Genesis/SNES "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — Crossroads of Time" game, as well as Dreamcast "Ecco the Dolphin, Defender of the Future" where Tom Baker performed words he wrote.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Stardate: 8130.3

OPENING CREDITS

IN THE 23RD CENTURY...

[Bridge simulator room]

Captain's log, stardate 8130.3. Starship Enterprise on training mission to Gamma Hydra, Section fourteen, coordinates twenty-two eighty-seven four. Approaching Neutral Zone, all systems normal and functioning.

SULU: Leaving Section Fourteen for Section Fifteen. SAAVIK: Stand by. Project parabolic course to avoid entering Neutral Zone. SULU: Aye, Captain. ...Course change projected. UHURA: Captain, ...I'm getting something on the distress channel. SAAVIK: On speakers! KOBAYASHI MARU VOICE: Imperative! This is the Kobayashi Maru, ...nineteen periods out of Altair Six. We have struck a gravitic mine and have lost all power. ...Our hull is penetrated and we have sustained many casualties. UHURA: This is the Starship Enterprise. Your message is breaking up. Can you give your coordinates? Repeat. This is the Starship... KOBAYASHI MARU VOICE: Enterprise, our position is Gamma Hydra, Section Ten. SAAVIK: In the Neutral Zone. KOBAYASHI MARU VOICE: Hull penetrated, life support systems failing. Can you assist us, Enterprise? Can you assist us? SAAVIK: Data on Kobayashi Maru! COMPUTER VOICE: Subject vessel is third class neutronic fuel carrier, crew of eighty-one, three hundred passengers. SAAVIK: Damn. Mister Sulu, plot an intercept course. SULU: May I remind the Captain that if a starship enters the Zone. SAAVIK: I'm aware of my responsibilities, Mister SULU: Estimating two minutes to intercept. ...Now entering the Neutral Zone. COMPUTER VOICE: Warning. We have entered the Neutral Zone. ...Warning. SPOCK: We are now in violation of Treaty, Captain SAAVIK: Stand by transporter room, ready to beam survivors aboard. UHURA: Captain, I've lost their signal! COMPUTER VOICE: Alert! Sensors indicate three Klingon Cruisers, bearing three one six, mark four, closing fast. SAAVIK: Visual! ...Battle stations! Activate shields! SULU: Shields activated! SAAVIK: Inform the Klingons we are on a rescue mission. UHURA: They're jamming all the frequencies, Captain. COMPUTER VOICE: Klingons on attack course and closing. SAAVIK: We're in over our heads. Mister Sulu, get us out of here. SULU: I'll try, Captain. COMPUTER VOICE: Alert! Klingon torpedoes activated. SAAVIK: Evasive action! (an explosion rocks the bridge) SAAVIK: Engineering! Damage report! SCOTT (OC): Main energiser hit, Captain! SAAVIK: Engage auxiliary power. Prepare to return fire! (another explosion rocks the bridge) CADET: Shields collapsing, Captain! SAAVIK: Fire all phasers! SPOCK: No power to the weapons, Captain. (yet another explosion rocks the bridge) SCOTT (OC): Captain, it's no use. We're dead in space. SAAVIK: Activate escape pods. Send out the Log Buoy. ...All hands abandon ship. Repeat, ...all hands abandon ship. KIRK (OC): All right, open her up. SAAVIK: Any suggestions, Admiral? KIRK: Prayer, Mister Saavik. The Klingons don't take prisoners. Lights! TANNOY VOICE: Motors on! KIRK: Captain! SPOCK: Trainees ...to the briefing room. TANNOY VOICE: Maintenance Crew! Report to the bridge simulator. KIRK: Physician, heal thyself. McCOY: Is that's all you gotta to say? What about my performance? KIRK: I'm not a drama critic. ...Well, Mister Saavik, are you going to stay with the sinking ship? SAAVIK: Permission to speak candidly, sir? KIRK: Granted. SAAVIK: I don't believe this was a fair test of my command abilities. KIRK: And why not? SAAVIK: Because ...there was no way to win. KIRK: A no-win situation is a possibility every commander may face. Has that never occurred to you? SAAVIK: No sir. It has not. KIRK: How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life, wouldn't you say? SAAVIK: As I indicated, Admiral, that thought had not occurred to me. KIRK: Well, now you have something new to think about. Carry on. McCOY: Admiral? Wouldn't it be easier to just put an experienced crew back on the ship? KIRK: Galloping about the cosmos is a game for the young, Doctor. UHURA: Now what is that supposed to mean?

[Corridor outside bridge simulator room]

KIRK: Aren't you dead? I assume you are loitering here to learn what efficiency rating I plan to give your cadets. SPOCK: I am understandably curious. KIRK: They destroyed the simulator room and you with it. SPOCK: The Kobayashi Maru scenario frequently wreaks havoc with students and equipment. As I recall you took the test three times yourself. Your final solution was, shall we say, unique? KIRK: It had the virtue of never having been tried. Oh, by the way, ...thank you for this. SPOCK: I know of your fondness for antiques. KIRK: 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times' ...Message, Spock? SPOCK: None of that I'm conscious of ...except, of course, happy birthday, ...surely the best of times. TANNOY VOICE: Captain Spock, Captain Spock, space shuttle leaving in fifteen minutes. KIRK: Where are you off to, now? SPOCK: The Enterprise. I must check in before your inspection. And you? KIRK: Home.

[Kirk's apartment]

KIRK: Why! Bless me, Doctor! What beams you into this neck of the woods? McCOY: 'Beware Romulans bearing gifts.' Happy Birthday, Jim. KIRK: Romulan Ale! Why, Bones, you know this is illegal. McCOY: I only use it for medicinal purposes. I've got a border ship that brings me in a case every now and then across the Neutral Zone. Now don't be a prig. KIRK: Twenty-two, eighty-three. McCOY: Yeah well it takes this stuff a while to ferment. Here now, gimme. ...Now you open this one. KIRK: I'm almost afraid to. What is it? Klingon aphrodisiacs? McCOY: No. KIRK: Oh. ...Bones, this is ...charming. McCOY: For most patients of your age, I generally administer Retnax Five. KIRK: I'm allergic to Retnax Five. McCOY: Exactly. Cheers! KIRK: Cheers! ...Aahh! McCOY: Happy Birthday! KIRK: I don't know what to say. McCOY: Well you could say thank you. KIRK: Thank you. McCOY: Damn it, Jim, what the hell's the matter with you? Other people have birthdays. Why are we treating yours like a funeral? KIRK: Bones, I don't want to be lectured. McCOY: What the hell do you want? ...This is not about age, ...and you know it. This is about you flying a goddamn computer console when you wanna be out there hopping Galaxies. KIRK: Spare me your notions of poetry, please. We all have our assigned duties. McCOY: Bull. You're hiding ...hiding behind rules and regulations. KIRK: Who am I hiding from? McCOY: From yourself, Admiral! KIRK: Don't mince words, Bones, What do you really think? McCOY: Jim, I'm your doctor and I'm your friend. Get back your command. Get it back before you turn into part of this collection. Before you really do grow old.

Starship log, stardate 8130.4. Log entry by First Officer Pavel Chekov. Starship Reliant on orbital approach to Ceti Alpha VI, in connection with Project Genesis. We are continuing our search for a lifeless planet to satisfy the requirements of a test site for the Genesis Experiment. So far no success.

[Reliant bridge]

TERRELL: Standard orbit please. Mister Beach. Any change in the surface scan? BEACH: Negative. Limited atmosphere, dominated by craylon gas, sand and high velocity winds. It's incapable of supporting lifeforms. CHEKOV: Does it have to be completely lifeless? TERRELL: Don't tell me you've found something. CHEKOV: We've picked up a minor energy flux reading on one dynoscanner. TERRELL: Damn! Are you sure? Maybe the scanner's out of adjustment. CHEKOV: I suppose it could be a particle of preanimate matter caught in the matrix. TERRELL: All right, get on the Comm-pic to Doctor Marcus. KYLE: Aye sir. TERRELL: Maybe it's something we can transplant. CHEKOV: You know what she'll say.

[Regula I space laboratory]

CAROL (OC): Now let me get this straight. Something you can transplant? CHEKOV (OC): Yes, Doctor.

[Regula I lab]

CAROL: Something you can transplant? I don't know. TERRELL (on viewscreen): It might only be a particle of preanimate matter. CAROL: Then again it may not. You boys have to be clear on this. There can't be so much as a microbe or the show's off. Why don't you have a look? But if it is something that can be moved I want... TERRELL (on viewscreen): You bet, Doctor. We're on our way!

[Regula I corridor]

DAVID: Well, don't have kittens. Genesis is going to work. They'll remember you in one breath with Newton, Einstein, Surak. CAROL: Thanks a lot. No respect from my offspring. DAVID: Par for the course. Are you teaming up with me for bridge after dinner? CAROL: Maybe. ...What is it? DAVID: Every time we have dealings with Starfleet, I get nervous. ...We are dealing with something that could be perverted into a dreadful weapon. Remember that overgrown Boy Scout you used to hang around with? That's exactly the kind of man... CAROL: Listen, kiddo, Jim Kirk was many things, but he was never a Boy Scout!

[Reliant orbiting Ceti Alpha V]

RELIANT VOICE: Captain Terrell, stand by to beam down.

[Surface of Ceti Alpha V]

TERRELL: Chekov, are you sure these are the correct coordinates? CHEKOV: Captain, this is the garden spot of Ceti Alpha Six. TERRELL: I can barely see it. CHEKOV: There's nothing here. The tricorder must be broken. TERRELL: Chekov, over here. Those look like cargo carriers. Hey, give me a hand.

[Cargo bay]

TERRELL: What the hell happened? If they crashed, where's the rest of the ship? (looking at a tank with moving sand) TERRELL: What the hell is that? CHEKOV: Botany Bay. ...Botany Bay! ...Oh no! We've got to get out of here now! Damn! TERRELL: What about the... CHEKOV: Never mind! Hurry! Hurry! TERRELL: Chekov, what's the matter with you? ...Chekov! CHEKOV: Come on! Hurry!

(outside they are confronted by a group of hooded figures)

KYLE: Starship Reliant to Captain Terrell, ...this is Commander Kyle. Will you please respond, Captain? Captain Terrell, respond please. BEACH: Let's give them a little more time.

CHEKOV: Khan! KHAN: I don't know you. ...But you, ...I never forget a face, Mister ...Chekov. Isn't it? I never thought to see your face again. TERRELL: Chekov, who is this man? CHEKOV: A criminal, Captain, ...a product of late twentieth century genetic engineering. TERRELL: What do you want with us? Sir, I demand... KHAN: You are in a position to demand nothing, sir. I, on the other hand, am in a position to grant ...nothing. What you see is all that remains of the ship's company and crew of the Botany Bay, marooned here fifteen years ago by Captain James T. Kirk. TERRELL: Listen, you men and women, you have a... KHAN: Captain! Captain! Save your strength. These people have sworn to live and die at my command two hundred years before you were born. Do you mean he never told you the tale? To amuse your Captain? No? Never told you how the Enterprise picked up the Botany Bay, lost in space in the year nineteen hundred and ninety-six, myself and the ship's company in cryogenic freeze? TERRELL: I've never even met Admiral Kirk. KHAN: Admiral? Admiral! Admiral... Never told you how Admiral Kirk sent seventy of us into exile on this barren sand heap with only the contents of these cargo bays to sustain us? CHEKOV: You lie! On Ceti Alpha Five there was life, a fair chance. KHAN: This is Ceti Alpha Five. ...Ceti Alpha Six exploded six months after we were left here. The shock shifted the orbit of this planet and everything was laid waste. Admiral Kirk ...never bothered to check on our progress. It was only the fact of my genetically engineered intellect that enabled us to survive! On Earth, ...two hundred years ago, ...I was a prince, ...with power over millions. CHEKOV: Captain Kirk was your host! You repaid his hospitality by trying to steal his ship and murder him. KHAN: You didn't expect to find me. You thought this was Ceti Alpha Six! Why are you here? ...Why are you here? ...Why? ...Allow me introduce you to Ceti Alpha Five's only remaining indigenous lifeform. ...What do you think? They've killed twenty of my people, including my beloved wife. ...Oh, not all at once, ...and not ...instantly, to be sure. ...You see, their young enter through the ears ...and wrap themselves around the cerebral cortex. This has the effect of rendering the victim extremely susceptible to suggestion. Later, ...they grow, ...follows madness. ...And death. CHEKOV: Khan, listen to me! KHAN: These are pets, of course. Not quite domesticated. CHEKOV: Khan! Captain Kirk was only doing his duty! TERRELL: No! No! CHEKOV/TERRELL: (screams of pain) KHAN: That's better! Now tell me ...why you are here? ...And tell me where I may find James Kirk.

[Space shuttle]

ENTERPRISE VOICE: Enterprise to Admiral Kirk's shuttle. You're cleared for docking. Approach portside torpedo bay. SULU: Enterprise, this is Admiral Kirk's party on final approach. ENTERPRISE VOICE: Enterprise welcomes you. Prepare for docking. KIRK: I hate inspections. SULU: I'm delighted, any chance to go aboard the Enterprise. KIRK: Well, I for one am glad to have you at the helm for three weeks. I don't think these kids can steer.

[Enterprise docking bay]

(an ensign sounds a bo'sun's pipe) SPOCK: Open the Air Lock. KIRK: Permission to come aboard, Captain? SPOCK: Welcome, Admiral. I think you know my trainee crew. Certainly they have come to know you. KIRK: Yes, we've been through death and life together. KIRK: Mister Scott, you old space dog. You're well? SCOTT: I had me a wee bout, sir, but Doctor McCoy pulled me through. KIRK: Oh? A wee bout of what? McCOY: Shore leave, Admiral. KIRK: Ah. And who do we have here? PRESTON: Midshipman First Class Peter Preston, engineers mate, sir! KIRK: First training voyage, Mister Preston? PRESTON: Yes sir! KIRK: Well, ...shall we start with the Engine Room? SCOTT: We'll see you there, sir, and everything is in order. KIRK: That'll be a pleasant surprise, Mister Scott. SPOCK: I'll see you on the bridge, Admiral. Company dismissed! SAAVIK: (in Vulcan) He's never what I expect, sir. SPOCK: (in Vulcan) What surprises you, Lieutenant? SAAVIK: He's so ...human. SPOCK: (in Vulcan) Nobody's perfect, Saavik.

[Enterprise engineering]

KIRK: Well, Mister Scott, are your cadets capable of handling a minor training cruise? SCOTT: Give the word, Admiral! KIRK: Mister Scott, the word is given. SCOTT: Aye sir. McCOY: Admiral, what about the rest of the inspection? KIRK: Later.

[Enterprise bridge]

STARFLEET VOICE: This is Starfleet Operations. Enterprise is cleared for departure. SULU: Admiral on the bridge! SAAVIK (OC): Running lights on. SPOCK: Very well, Mister Saavik, you may clear all moorings. SAAVIK: Aye sir. ...All moorings are clear, Captain. SPOCK: Thank you. ...Lieutenant, have you ever piloted a starship out of Spacedock? SAAVIK: Never, sir. SPOCK: Take her out, Mister Saavik. SAAVIK: Aye sir. SPOCK: For everything there is a first time, Lieutenant. Don't you agree, Admiral? KIRK: Mmm. SAAVIK: Aft thrusters, Mister Sulu. SULU: Aft thrusters. McCOY: Would you like a tranquilliser? SAAVIK: Ahead one-quarter impulse power. SULU: Ahead one-quarter impulse power. (the Enterprise leaves Spacedock) SULU: We are clear and free to navigate. SAAVIK: Course heading, Captain? KIRK: Captain's discretion. SPOCK: Mister Sulu, you may ...indulge yourself. SULU: Aye sir.

DAVID: Does that about do it? CAROL: I don't think there's another piece of information we could squeeze into the memory banks. Next time, we'll design a bigger one. DAVID: Who'd wanna build it? JEDDA: Doctor Marcus, Comm-pic coming in on hyperchannel. ...It's the Starship Reliant. CAROL: On the screen, please, Jedda. CHEKOV (on viewscreen): Come in, please. This is Reliant calling Regula I. Repeat. This is U.S.S. Reliant. CAROL: Commander, we are receiving. This is Regula I. Go ahead. CHEKOV (on viewscreen): Ah! Doctor Marcus, ...good. We're en route to you and should be there in three days. CAROL: En route? Why? We weren't expecting you for another three months. Has something happened? CHEKOV (on viewscreen): Nothing has happened. Ceti Alpha Six has checked out. CAROL: Then I ...I don't understand why you're coming... CHEKOV (on viewscreen): We have received new orders. Upon our arrival at Regula I, all materials of Project Genesis will be transferred to this ship for immediate testing at Ceti Alpha Six. DAVID: (and others) Who the hell, do they think they are? CAROL: Will you please be quiet! Commander Chekov, this is completely irregular. CHEKOV (on viewscreen): I have my orders. DAVID: Pin him down, Mother. Who gave the order? CHEKOV (on viewscreen): The order comes from Admiral James T. Kirk. DAVID: I knew it! I knew it! All along the military has wanted to get their han... CAROL: This is completely improper, Commander Chekov. I have no intention of allowing Reliant or any other unauthorised personnel access to our work or materials. CHEKOV (on viewscreen): I'm sorry that you feel that way, Doctor. Admiral Kirk's orders are confirmed.

CHEKOV: Please prepare to deliver Genesis to us upon our arrival. Reliant out. KHAN: Well done, Commander. CHEKOV: You realise, sir, they will attempt to contact Admiral Kirk and confirm the order.

[Enterprise turbolift]

SAAVIK: Hold please! ...Thank you, sir. KIRK: Lieutenant, are you wearing your hair differently? SAAVIK: It is still regulation, Admiral. ...May I speak, sir? KIRK: Self-expression doesn't seem to be one of your problems. ...You're bothered by your performance on the Kobayashi Maru. SAAVIK: I failed to resolve the situation. KIRK: There is no correct resolution. It's a test of character. SAAVIK: May I ask how you dealt with the test? KIRK: You may ask. ...That's a little joke. SAAVIK: Humour. It is a difficult concept. ...It is not logical. KIRK: We learn by doing. McCOY: Who's been holding up the damn elevator? SAAVIK: Thank you, sir. McCOY: Did she change her hairstyle? KIRK: I hadn't noticed. McCOY: Wonderful stuff, that Romulan ale. UHURA (on intercom): Admiral Kirk. KIRK: Kirk here. UHURA (on intercom): I have an urgent Comm-pic from Space Lab Regula I for you, sir. Doctor Carol Marcus. KIRK: I'll take it in my quarters, Uhura. UHURA (on intercom): Aye sir. McCOY: It never rains but it pours. KIRK: As a physician you of all people should appreciate the danger of re-opening old wounds. McCOY: Sorry.

[Kirk's quarters]

CAROL (on viewscreen): Jim, can you read me? KIRK: I can hear you, Carol. What's wrong? What's the matter? CAROL (on viewscreen): Why are you taking Genesis away from us? KIRK: Taking Genesis? Who's taking Genesis? Who is taking Genesis? CAROL (on viewscreen): I can see you but can't hear. KIRK: Carol! CAROL (on viewscreen): Jim, did you give the order? KIRK: What order? Who's taking Genesis? CAROL (on viewscreen): Please help us. I will not let them have Genesis without proper authorisation! KIRK: Have Genesis? Who gav... CAROL (on viewscreen): On whose authority can they do this? KIRK: No one's authority. CAROL (on viewscreen): Please do something. KIRK: Uhura! What's happening? Damn it. UHURA (on intercom): Transmission jammed at the source, sir. KIRK: Alert Starfleet Headquarters. UHURA (on intercom): Aye sir. KIRK: I want to talk to Starfleet Command.

CAROL (OC): We must have order here. This has to be some sort of mistake. DAVID: Mistake? We're all alone here. They waited until everyone was on leave to do this. Reliant is supposed to be at our disposal, not vice-versa. MADISON: It seems clear that Starfleet never intended that. CAROL: I that know, but... DAVID: I've tried to tell you before. Scientists have always been pawns of the military. CAROL: Starfleet has kept the peace for a hundred. I cannot and will not subscribe to your interpretation of this event. JEDDA: You may be right, Doctor, but what about Reliant? She's on her way.

[Spock's quarters]

KIRK (OC): We've got a problem. Something may be wrong at Regula I. We've been ordered to investigate. SPOCK: If memory serves, Regula I is a scientific research laboratory. KIRK (OC): I told Starfleet all we had was a boatload of children but ...we're the only ship in the Quadrant. Spock, these cadets of yours, how good are they? How will they respond under real pressure? SPOCK: As with all living things, each according to his gifts. Of course, the ship is yours. KIRK: No, that won't be necessary, just get me to Regula I. SPOCK: As a teacher on a training mission, I am content to command the Enterprise. If we are to go on actual duty, it is clear that the senior officer on board must assume command. KIRK: It may be nothing, ...garbled communications. You take the ship. SPOCK: Jim, you proceed from a false assumption. I am a Vulcan. I have no ego to bruise. KIRK (OC): You're about to remind me that logic alone dictates your actions. SPOCK: I would not remind you of that which you know so well. If I may be so bold, it was a mistake for you to accept promotion. Commanding a starship is your first best destiny. Anything else is a waste of material. KIRK: I would not presume to debate you. SPOCK: That is wise. In any case, were I to invoke logic, logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. KIRK: Or the one. SPOCK: You are my superior officer. You are also my friend. I have been and always shall be yours.

KIRK: Stop energisers. SULU (OC): Stop energisers. KIRK: Prepare speakers. ...An emergency situation has arisen. By order of Starfleet Command, as of now, eighteen hundred hours, I am assuming command of this vessel. Duty officer so note in the ship's log. Plot a new course, for Space Laboratory Regula I. Engine room. Mister Scott! SCOTT (on intercom): Aye sir. KIRK: We'll be going to warp speed. SCOTT (on intercom): Aye sir. SULU: Course plotted for Regula I, Admiral. KIRK: Engage warp engines. SAAVIK: Prepare for warp speed. SULU: Ready, sir. KIRK: I know that none of you were expecting this. I'm sorry. I'm gonna have you to ask you to grow up a little sooner than you expected. Warp five. SULU: So much for the little training cruise.

KHAN'S NAVIGATOR (OC): Course to intercept Enterprise ready, sir. KHAN: Helmsman? JOACHIM: Sir. May I speak? ...We're all with you, sir, but consider this. We are free. We have a ship and the means to go where we will. We have escaped permanent exile on Ceti Alpha Five. You have proved your superior intellect, and defeated the plans of Admiral Kirk. You do not need to defeat him again. KHAN: He tasks me. He tasks me and I shall have him. I'll chase him round the moons of Nibia and round the Antares maelstrom and round perdition's flames before I give him up. ...Prepare to alter course.

UHURA: Space Station Regula I. Please come in. Doctor Marcus. Please respond. This is Enterprise call... It's no use, there's no response from Regula I. SPOCK: But no longer jammed? UHURA: No sir. No nothing! SPOCK: There are two possibilities. They are unable to respond. They are unwilling to respond. KIRK: How far? SPOCK: Twelve hours and forty-three minutes, present speed. KIRK: Give up Genesis, she said. What in God's name does that mean? Give it up to whom? SPOCK: It might help my analysis if I knew what Genesis was beyond the biblical reference. KIRK: Uhura, have Doctor McCoy to join us in my quarters. UHURA (OC): Aye sir. KIRK: Mister Saavik, you have the con.

McCOY: Well, I've got the sick bay ready. Now will someone please tell me what's going on? KIRK: Computer. Request security procedure and access to Project Genesis Summary. COMPUTER VOICE: Identify for retina scan. KIRK: Kirk, Admiral James T. COMPUTER VOICE: Security scan approved. KIRK: Summary, please. CAROL (on viewscreen): Project Genesis. A proposal to the Federation. SPOCK: Carol Marcus. KIRK: Yes. CAROL (on viewscreen): What exactly is Genesis? Well, put simply, Genesis is life from lifelessness. It is a process whereby molecular structure is reorganised at he subatomic level into life-generating matter of equal mass. Stage One of our experiments was conducted in the laboratory. Stage Two of the series will be attempted in a lifeless underground. Stage Three will involve the process on a planetary scale. It is our intention to introduce the Genesis device into the pre-selected area of a lifeless space body, such a moon or other dead form. The device is delivered, instantaneously causing what we call the Genesis Effect. Matter is reorganised with life-generating results. ...Instead of a dead moon, a living, breathing planet, capable of sustaining whatever lifeforms we see fit to deposit on it. SPOCK: Fascinating! CAROL: (on viewscreen) The reformed moon simulated here represents the merest fraction of the Genesis potential, should the Federation wish to fund these experiments to their logical conclusion. When we consider the cosmic problems of population and food supply, the usefulness of this process becomes clear. This concludes our proposal. Thank you for your attention. SPOCK: It literally is Genesis. KIRK: The power of creation. SPOCK: Have they proceeded with their experiment? KIRK: Well, the tape was made about a year ago. I can only assume they've reached Stage Two by now. McCOY: But, dear Lord, do you think we're intelligent enough to... Suppose, what if this thing were used where life already exists? SPOCK: It would destroy such life in favour of its new matrix. McCOY: It's new matrix? ...Do you have you any idea what you're saying? SPOCK: I was not attempting to evaluate its moral implications, Doctor. As a matter of cosmic history, it has always been easier to destroy than to create. McCOY: Not anymore! Now we can do both at the same time! According to myth, the Earth was created in six days. Now, watch out! Here comes Genesis, we'll do it for you in six minutes. SPOCK: Really, Doctor McCoy, you must learn to govern your passions. They will be your undoing. Logic suggests... McCOY: Logic? My God! The man's talking about logic! We're talking about universal Armageddon, you green-blooded, inhuman... SAAVIK (on intercom): Bridge to Admiral Kirk. Admiral, sensors indicate a vessel in our area, closing fast. KIRK: What do you make of her? SAAVIK (on intercom): It's one of ours, Admiral. ...It's Reliant. KIRK: Reliant!

KIRK: Try the emergency channels. ...Picture, Mister Saavik.

KHAN: Slow to one-half impulse power. Let's be friends. HELMSMAN: Slowing to one-half impulse power.

SULU: Reliant in our section, this Quadrant, sir, and slowing. SAAVIK: Sir, may I quote General Order Twelve, 'On the approach of any vessel, when communications have not been established... SPOCK: Lieutenant, the Admiral is well aware of the Regulations. SAAVIK: Aye sir. KIRK (OC): Is it possible that their Comm system has failed? SPOCK (OC): It would explain a great many things.

JOACHIM: They're requesting communications, sir. KHAN: Let them eat static! JOACHIM (OC): They're still running with shields down. KHAN: Of course. We're one big happy fleet. Ah, Kirk, my old friend, do you know the Klingon proverb that tells us 'Revenge is a dish that is best served cold?' It is very cold ...in space.

KIRK: This is damned peculiar. ...Yellow Alert. SAAVIK: Energise defence fields. UHURA: I'm getting a voice message. They say their Chambers coil is overloading their Comm system. KIRK: Spock? SPOCK: Scanning. Their coil emissions are normal.

JOACHIM: They still haven't raised their shields. KHAN: Raise ours. JOACHIM: Their shields are going up KHAN: Lock phasers on target. JOACHIM: Locking phasers on target.

SPOCK: They're locking phasers! KIRK: Raise shields!

KHAN: Fire!

(explosions rips through the Enterprise)

KIRK: Sulu! Get Those shields up. SULU: Trying, sir! (scenes of chaos in engineering) SULU: I can't get power, sir! KIRK: Scotty! Uhura, turn off those damn channels! UHURA: Mister Scott on the screen, sir.

SCOTT: We're just hanging on, sir. The main energisers out. KIRK (on intercom): Try auxiliary power. SCOTT: Aye sir.

KIRK: Damage report. SPOCK: They knew exactly where to hit us. KIRK: Who? Who knew just where to hit us? And why? SPOCK: One thing is certain, we cannot escape on auxiliary power. KIRK: Visual! ...Sulu, divert all power to phasers. SPOCK (OC): Too late. KIRK: Hang on! (the Enterprise bridge is hit as the Reliant circles) KIRK: Scotty, ...what's left? SCOTT (on intercom): Just the batteries, sir. I can have auxiliary power in a few minutes. KIRK: We don't have a few minutes. ...Can you give me phaser power? SCOTT (on intercom): A few shots, sir. SPOCK: Not enough against their shields. KIRK: Who the hell are they? UHURA: Admiral! The commander Reliant is signalling. He wishes to discuss terms of our surrender. KIRK: Visual on screen. UHURA (OC): Admiral? KIRK: Do it, while we have time. UHURA (OC): On screen, sir. KIRK: Khan! KHAN (on viewscreen): You still remember, Admiral. I, of cannot help but be touched. Of course, I remember you. KIRK: What is the meaning of this attack? Where is the crew of the Reliant? KHAN (on viewscreen): Surely I have made my meaning plain. I mean to avenge myself upon you, Admiral. I've deprived your ship of power and when I swing round I mean to deprive you of your life. But I wanted you to know first who it was who had beaten you. KIRK: Khan, ...if its me you want, I'll have myself beamed aboard. Spare my crew! KHAN (on viewscreen): I make you a counter-proposal, I will agree to your terms, ...if, ...if in addition to yourself, you hand over to me all data and material regarding the project called ...Genesis. KIRK: Genesis, what's that? KHAN (on viewscreen): Don't insult my intelligence, Kirk. KIRK: Give me some time to recall the data on our computers. KHAN (on viewscreen): I give you sixty seconds, Admiral. KIRK: Clear the bridge. SPOCK: At least we know he doesn't have Genesis. KIRK: Keep nodding as though I'm still giving orders. Mister Saavik, punch up the data charts of Reliant's command console. SAAVIK: Reliant's command... KIRK: Hurry! COUNTDOWN VOICE: Forty-five seconds. SPOCK: The prefix code? KIRK: It's all we've got. SAAVIK: The chart's up, sir. KHAN (on viewscreen): Admiral! KIRK: We're finding it. KHAN (on viewscreen): Admiral! KIRK: Please, please ... give us time, ...the bridge is smashed, computers inoperative. KHAN: Time is a luxury you don't have, Admiral. KIRK: Damn! KHAN (on viewscreen): Admiral! KIRK: It's coming through now, Khan. SPOCK: Reliant's prefix number is one six three zero nine. SAAVIK: I don't understand. KIRK: You have to learn why things work on a starship. SPOCK: Each ship has its combination code. KIRK: To prevent an enemy do what we're attempting. Using our console to order Reliant to lower her shields. SPOCK: Assuming he hasn't changed the combination. He's quite intelligent. COUNTDOWN VOICE: Fifteen seconds. KIRK: Khan, how do I know you'll keep your word? KHAN (on viewscreen): Oh, I've given you no word to keep, Admiral. In my judgment, you simply have no alternative. KIRK: I see your point. Stand by to receive our transmission. ...Mister Sulu, lock phasers on target and await my command. SULU: Phasers locked. KHAN (on viewscreen): Time's up, Admiral. KIRK: Here it comes. Now, Mister Spock.

JOACHIM: Sir! Our shields are dropping! KHAN: Raise them. JOACHIM: I can't! KHAN: Where's the over-ride? The over-ride?

KIRK: Fire! ...Fire!

KHAN: Fire! Fire! JOACHIM: We can't fire, sir! KHAN: Why can't you? JOACHIM: They've damaged the photon-control and the warp drive. We must withdraw. KHAN: No! No! JOACHIM: Sir, we must! ...The Enterprise can wait. She's not going anywhere.

SULU: Sir, you did it. KIRK: I did nothing ...except get caught with my britches down. I must be senile. Mister Saavik, you go right on quoting regulations! In the meantime, let's find out how badly we've been hurt. (Scotty stands in the turbolift doors holding the body of Midshipman Preston)

[Enterprise sickbay]

PRESTON: Is the word given, Admiral? KIRK: The word is given. Warp speed. PRESTON: Aye. SCOTT: He stayed at his post ...when the trainees ran. SPOCK (on intercom): Admiral, this is Spock. KIRK: Yes, Spock. SPOCK (on intercom): Engine room reports auxiliary power restored. We can proceed at impulse power. KIRK: Best speed to Regula I. Kirk out. McCOY: I'm sorry, Scotty.

[Regula I space laboratory - exterior]

SULU (OC): Approaching Regula and Space Lab Regula I. UHURA (OC): Space Station Regula I, this is Starship Enterprise. Please, come in.

UHURA (on viewscreen): Space Station Regula I. Do you read? ...Space Station Regula I, this is Enterprise. Please acknowledge.

UHURA (OC): This is Enterprise. Do you read me? ...Space Station Regula I, do you read? Please come in.

UHURA: No response, sir. KIRK: Sensors, Captain? SPOCK: Scanners and sensors still inoperative. There's no way to ascertain what's inside the station. KIRK: And no way of telling if Reliant is still in the area. SPOCK: Precisely. KIRK: What do you make of the planetoid beyond? SPOCK (OC): Regula is class 'D'. It consists of various unremarkable ores. Essentially, a great rock in space. KIRK: Reliant could be hiding behind that rock. SPOCK: A distinct possibility. KIRK: Engine room. SCOTT (on intercom): Aye sir. KIRK: Mister Scott, do we have enough power for the transporters? SCOTT (on intercom): Barely, sir. KIRK: I'm going down there. McCOY: Khan could be down there! KIRK: He's been there, hasn't found what he wants. Can you spare someone? There may be people hurt. McCOY: I can spare me. SAAVIK: Begging the Admiral's pardon, General Order Fifteen. 'No flag officer shall beam into a hazardous area without armed escort.' KIRK: There is no such regulation. ...All right, join the party. Mister Spock, the ship is yours. SPOCK: Jim, be careful! McCOY: We will!

SAAVIK: Indeterminate life signs. KIRK: Phasers on stun. ...Move out. (a rat startles Bones. When he turns back, he bumps into bodies hanging by their feet) McCOY: Jim! ...Well rigor hasn't set in. This couldn't have happened too long ago, Jim. KIRK: Carol?

UHURA: This is Enterprise calling Space Lab Regula I. Respond please.

SAAVIK: Admiral! Over here. UHURA (on intercom): Doctor Marcus, come in please. (Kirk opens a locker) KIRK: Oh, my God!

UHURA: Please acknowledge signal. Please... SAAVIK (on intercom): Commander Uhura, this is Lieutenant Saavik. We're all right. Please stand by. Out.

CHEKOV: Oh, sir! It was Khan! We found him on Ceti Alpha V. ...He... He ...put ...creatures in our bodies to control our minds,... McCOY: It's all right. You're safe now. CHEKOV: ...made us say lies, ...do things. ...But we beat him. ...He thought he controlled us, but he did not. The Captain was strong. KIRK: Captain. Where's Doctor Marcus? Where are the Genesis materials? TERRELL: He couldn't find them. Even the data banks were empty. KIRK: Erased? TERRELL: He tortured those people. But none of those people would tell him anything. He went wild. He slit their throats. He wanted to tear the place apart, but he was late. He had to get back to Reliant in time to blow you to bits. SAAVIK: Where is the Reliant crew? Dead? TERRELL: Marooned on Ceti Alpha Five. He's completely mad, Admiral. He blames you for the death of his wife. KIRK: I know what he blames me for. ...The escape pods are all in place. Where's the transporter room?

[Regula transporter room]

KIRK: Did he make it down here? CHEKOV: It was not my impression. He spent most of his time trying to wring information out of the people. SAAVIK: Anything? KIRK: The unit's been left on. Which means that nobody remained to turn it off. McCOY: Those people back there bought escape time for Genesis with their lives. SAAVIK: This is not logical. These coordinates are deep inside Regula, ...a planetoid we know to be lifeless. KIRK: If Stage Two was completed, it was going to be underground. ...It was going to be underground, she said. SAAVIK: Stage Two of what? KIRK: Kirk to Enterprise. SPOCK (on intercom): Spock here. KIRK: Captain Spock, damage report. SPOCK (on intercom): Admiral, if we go by the book, like Lieutenant Saavik, hours could seem like days. KIRK: I read you, Captain. Let's have it. SPOCK (on intercom): The situation is grave, Admiral. We won't have main power for six days. Auxiliary power has temporarily failed. Restoration may be possible in two days, ...by the book, Admiral KIRK: Meaning you can't even beam us back? SPOCK (on intercom): Not at present. KIRK: Captain Spock, if you don't hear from us within one hour, your orders are to restore what power you can, take the Enterprise to the nearest Starbase and alert Starfleet command as soon as you're out of jamming range. UHURA (on intercom: Sir, ...we won't leave you behind! KIRK: Uhura, if you don't hear from us, there won't be anybody behind. Kirk out. ...Well, gentleman can stay here, or... TERRELL: If it's all the same, Admiral, we'd like to share the risk. KIRK: Right! Let's go. ...Saavik. McCOY: Go? Where are we going? KIRK: Where they went. McCOY: Suppose they went nowhere. KIRK: Then this'll be your big chance to get away from it all.

[Regula I cavern]

SAAVIK: Admiral... McCOY: Genesis, I presume. JEDDA: Phasers down! DAVID: You! (Kirk and David fight) KIRK: Where's Doctor Marcus? DAVID: I'm Doctor Marcus! CAROL (OC): Jim! KIRK: Is that David? DAVID: Mother! He killed everybody we left behind. CAROL: Oh, of course he didn't. David, you're just making this harder. TERRELL: I'm afraid it's even harder than you think, Doctor. Please ...don't move. KIRK: Chekov! CHEKOV: I'm sorry, Admiral. TERRELL: Your excellency, have you been listening?

KHAN: I have indeed, Captain. You have done well. DAVID: I knew it! You son-of-a-bitch! (Terrell fires, vaporising Jedda) TERRELL: Don't move ...anybody!

KHAN: Captain, ...we're waiting. What's the delay?

TERRELL: All is well, sir. You have the coordinates to beam up Genesis.

KHAN: First things first, Captain. ...Kill Admiral Kirk.

TERRELL: Sir, that it is difficult. I ...try to obey, but...

KHAN: Kill him.

TERRELL: I... KHAN (on intercom): Kill him, Terrell, now! (Terrell vaporises himself. Chekov collapses) McCOY: God's sakes! What is it? (Kirk vaporises Chekov's Ceti eel) KIRK: Khan, you bloodsucker.

KIRK (on intercom): You're gonna have to do your own dirty work now. Do you hear me? Do you? KHAN: Kirk! Kirk, you are still alive... my old friend.

KIRK: Still, 'old friend'. You've managed to kill just about everyone else, but like a poor marksman, you keep missing the target.

KHAN: Perhaps I no longer need to try, Admiral.

DAVID: No! ...He can't take it! KIRK: Khan! Khan, you have Genesis, but you don't have me!

KIRK (on intercom): You were going to kill me, Khan. You're going to have to come down here! You're going to have to come down here! KHAN: I've done far worse than kill you, ...I've hurt you. And I wish to go on ...hurting you. I shall leave you as you left me. As you left her. Marooned for all eternity in the center of a dead planet, ...buried alive. Buried alive!

KIRK: Khan! Khan!

SAAVIK: This is Lieutenant. Saavik, calling Enterprise. Can you read us? ...This is Lieutenant. Saavik, calling Enterprise. Can you read us? McCOY: He's coming around. KIRK: Pavel? SAAVIK: Can you read us? It's no use, Admiral, they're still jamming all channels. McCOY: If Enterprise followed orders she's long since gone. If she couldn't obey, she's finished. DAVID: So are we, it looks like. CAROL: I don't understand. Who's responsible for all this? ...Who is Khan? KIRK: Well, it's a long story. DAVID: We appear to have plenty of time. KIRK: Is there anything to eat? I don't know about anyone else, but I'm starved. McCOY: How can you think of food at a time like this? KIRK: First order of business, survival. CAROL: There is food in the Genesis cave, enough to last a lifetime, ...if necessary. McCOY: We thought this was Genesis. CAROL: This? It took the Starfleet Corps of Engineers ten months in space suits to tunnel out all this. What we did in there ...we did in a day. David, why don't you show Doctor McCoy and the Lieutenant our idea of food? DAVID: We can't just sit here! KIRK: Oh, yes we can. DAVID: This is just to give us something to do, isn't it? ...Come on. SAAVIK: Admiral? KIRK: As your teacher Mister Spock is fond of saying, 'I like to think there always are ...possibilities.' (Saavik leaves) KIRK: I did what you wanted. ...I stayed away. ...Why didn't you tell him? CAROL: How can you ask me that? Were we together? Were we going to be? You had your world and I had mine. And I wanted him in mine, not chasing through the universe with his father. ... Actually, he's a lot like you. In many ways. Please tell me what you're feeling. KIRK: There's a man out there I haven't seen in fifteen years who's trying to kill me. You show me a son that'd be happy to help him. My son. ...My life that could have been, ...and wasn't. And what am I feeling? ...Old. ...Worn out. CAROL: Let me show you something ...that'll make you feel young as when the world was new.

JOACHIM: Impulse power restored. KHAN: Excellent! More than a match for poor Enterprise.

[Genesis cave]

KIRK: You did all this in a day? CAROL: The matrix formed in a day. The lifeforms grew later at a ...substantially accelerated rate. McCOY: Jim! This is incredible. Have you ever seen the like? CAROL: Can I cook or can't I?

KHAN: Where is she?

SAAVIK: Sir, may I ask you a question? KIRK: What's on your mind, Lieutenant? SAAVIK: The Kobayashi Maru, sir. KIRK: Are you asking me if we are playing out that scenario now? SAAVIK: On the test, sir, will you tell me what you did? I would really like to know. McCOY: Lieutenant, you are looking at the only Starfleet cadet who ever beat the no-win scenario. SAAVIK: How? KIRK: I reprogrammed the simulation so it was possible to rescue the ship. SAAVIK: What? DAVID: He cheated! KIRK: I changed the conditions of the test. I got a commendation for original thinking. ...I don't like to lose. SAAVIK: Then you never faced that situation, ...faced death. KIRK: I don't believe in a no-win scenario. ...Kirk to Spock. It's two hours. Are you about ready? SPOCK (on intercom): Right on schedule, Admiral. Just give us your coordinates and we'll beam you aboard. KIRK: All right. I don't like to lose.

[Enterprise transporter room]

SAAVIK: But the damage report? ...We were immobilised. Captain Spock said it would be two days. KIRK: Come, come, Lieutenant, you of all people go by the book. Spock! You remember Doctor Marcus. SPOCK: Why, of course. CAROL: Hello, Mister Spock. McCOY: I'm taking this bunch to sickbay. SAAVIK: By the book? KIRK: By the book! Regulation forty-six A, 'If transmissions are being monitored during battle...' SAAVIK: '...no uncoded messages on an open channel.' ...You lied. SPOCK: I exaggerated. KIRK: Hours instead of days, Saavik, now we have minutes instead of hours.

[Enterprise corridors]

SPOCK: They're inoperative below C-deck. KIRK: What is working around here? SPOCK: Not much, Admiral. We have partial main power. KIRK: That's it? SPOCK: Best we could do in two hours.

SULU: Admiral on the bridge. KIRK: Battle stations. ...Tactical. ...Uh oh. SPOCK: She can out-run us and out-gun us. But there is the Mutara Nebula at one five three mark four. KIRK: Scotty, can we make it inside? SCOTT: The energiser's bypassed like a Christmas tree, ...so don't give me too many bumps. KIRK: No promises. On your way. SAAVIK: Trouble with the nebula, sir, is all that static discharge and gas clouds our tactical display. Visual won't function and shields will be useless. SPOCK: Sauce for the goose, Mister Saavik. The odds will be even. (the crew prepare the Enterprise for battle)

KHAN: There she is! There she is! ...Not so wounded as we were led to believe. So much the better.

SPOCK: Estimating nebula penetration in two point two minutes. Reliant is closing. KIRK: Steady as you go.

JOACHIM: If they go in there we'll lose them. KHAN: Explain it to them.

SAAVIK: That was close. KIRK: They just don't want us going in there. SPOCK: One minute to nebula perimeter.

KHAN: Why are we slowing? JOACHIM: We daren't follow them into the nebula, sir, ...our shields will be useless.

SPOCK: they are reducing speed. KIRK: Uhura, patch me in. UHURA (OC): Aye sir. ...You're on, Admiral.

KIRK (on intercom): This is Admiral Kirk. We tried it once your way, Khan. Are you game for a rematch? ...Khan! I'm laughing at the 'superior intellect'. KHAN: Full impulse power! JOACHIM: No sir! You have Genesis. ... You can have whatever you ... KHAN: Full power, damn you!

KIRK: I'll say this for him, he's consistent. SPOCK: We are now entering the Mutara Nebula. KIRK: Emergency lights.

KHAN: Tactical! JOACHIM: Inoperative. KHAN (OC): Raise the shields. JOACHIM: As I feared, sir. Not functional. I'm reducing speed. (Enterprise passes above the Reliant at right-angles and starts to turn downwards)

SULU: Target, sir? Phaser lock inoperative, sir. KIRK: Best guess, Mister Sulu. Fire when ready.

KHAN: Aft-torpedoes ...fire!

KIRK: Hold your course. ...Evasive starboard! (Enterprise takes phaser fire from Reliant)

KIRK: Fire! (Reliant suffers damage)

KIRK (on intercom): Damage, Mister Scott? SCOTT: Admiral, I've got to take the mains off the line. The radiation... McCOY: Scotty!

KHAN: Joachim! JOACHIM: Yours ...is ...the superior... KHAN: I shall avenge you.

CHEKOV: Could you use another hand, Admiral? KIRK: Man the weapons console, Mister Chekov. ...Spock? SPOCK: Sporadic energy readings port side, aft. Could be an impulse turn. KIRK: He won't break off now. He followed me this far, he'll be back. But from where? SPOCK: He's intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates ...two-dimensional thinking. KIRK: Full stop. SULU: Full stop, sir. KIRK: Zee minus ten thousand metres. Stand by photon torpedoes. (Enterprise again passes above Reliant and circles to come up behind her) CHEKOV: Torpedoes ready, sir. KIRK: Look sharp. ...Fire! ...Fire! (Reliant is hit and loses its port nacelle)

KIRK: Uhura, send to Commander, Reliant, 'Prepare to be boarded'. UHURA: Aye sir. ...Commander, Reliant, this is Enterprise...

UHURA (on intercom): ...Surrender and prepare to be boarded. Enterprise to Reliant, you are ordered to surrender your vessel. Respond. ...Reliant! Come in, Reliant. You are ordered to surrender your vessel.

UHURA: Enterprise to Reliant, you are ordered to surrender your vessel. Respond.

KHAN: No, Kirk. ...The game's not over. ...To the last I will grapple with thee! (Khan activates the Genesis device)

SPOCK: Admiral. Scanning an energy source on Reliant. A pattern I've never seen before. DAVID: It's the Genesis Wave! KIRK: What? DAVID: They're on a build up to detonation! KIRK: How soon. DAVID: We encoded four minutes. KIRK: We'll beam aboard and stop it. DAVID: You can't! KIRK: Scotty, I need warp speed in three minutes or we're all dead! UHURA (on intercom): No response, Admiral. KIRK: Scotty! KIRK: Get us out of here, best speed possible! SULU: Aye sir. (Spock leaves the bridge)

(Spock arrives in engineering. Scott and an engineer are slumped on the floor) McCOY: Are you out of your Vulcan mind? No human can tolerate the radiation that's in there! SPOCK: But, as you are so fond of observing, Doctor, I'm not human. McCOY: You're not going in there! SPOCK: Perhaps you're right. What is Mister Scott's condition? McCOY: Well, I don't think that he... (Spock administers a Vulcan nerve pinch on McCoy) SPOCK: I'm sorry, Doctor. I have no time to discuss this logically. ...Remember! SCOTT: Spock! Get out of there! Spock!

[Enterprise reactor room]

SCOTT (OC): Spock! Get out of there!

KIRK: Time from my mark. SAAVIK: Two minutes, ten seconds. KIRK: Engine room! What's happening?

SCOTT: You dumb ninny! Get out of there! ...No, God, don't!

KIRK: Time? SAAVIK: Three minutes, thirty seconds. KIRK: Distance from Reliant. CHEKOV: Four thousand kilometres. SULU: We're not going to make it, are we?

KHAN: No! ...No! You can't get away. ...From Hell's heart, ...I stab at thee. For hate's sake I spit my last breath ...at thee.

CADET: Sir! The mains are back on line! KIRK: Bless you, Scotty. Go, Sulu! (Regula I explodes as Enterprise flees the radiating Genesis rings)

KIRK: My God, Carol. Look at it. ...Engine Room. Well done. Scotty? McCOY (on intercom): Jim, I think you'd better get down here. KIRK: Bones? McCOY (on intercom): Better hurry! KIRK: Saavik, take the con.

McCOY: No! You'll flood the whole compartment! KIRK: He'll die! SCOTT: Sir! He's dead already. McCOY: It's too late, Jim. KIRK: Spock! SPOCK: Ship ...out of danger? KIRK: Yes. SPOCK: Don't grieve, Admiral, ...it is logical. The needs of the many ...outweigh KIRK: ...the needs of the few. SPOCK: Or the one. ... I never took the Kobayashi Maru test ...until now. What do you think of my solution? KIRK: Spock! SPOCK: I have been ...and always shall be ...your friend. ...Live long ...and prosper. KIRK: No!

[Torpedo bay]

KIRK (OC): We are assembled here today to pay final respects to our honoured dead. And yet it should be noted that in the midst of our sorrow, this death takes place in the shadow of new life, the sunrise of a new world, a world that our beloved comrade gave his life to protect and nourish. He did not feel that sacrifice a vain or empty one... and we will not debate his profound wisdom at these proceedings. Of my friend, I can only say this. Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, ...his was the most ...human. SULU (OC): Honours, ...hup! (bagpipes play 'Amazing Grace' as the torpedo coffin is fired)

KIRK: Come. DAVID: I don't mean to intrude. KIRK: No, not at all. ...I should be on the bridge. DAVID: Can I talk to you for a minute? KIRK: I've poured myself a drink. Would you like it? DAVID: Lieutenant Saavik was right. You never have faced a death. KIRK: No, not like this. I haven't faced death. I've cheated death. I tricked my way out of death ...and patted myself on the back for my ingenuity. ...I know nothing. DAVID: You knew enough to tell Saavik that how we face death is at least as important as how we face life. KIRK: Just words. DAVID: But good words. That's where ideas begin. Maybe you should listen to them. I was wrong about you and I'm sorry. KIRK: Is that what you came here to say? DAVID: Mainly. ...And also that I'm ...proud, ...very proud ...to be your son.

Captain's log, stardate 8141.6. Starship Enterprise departing for Ceti Alpha Five to pick up the crew of the U.S.S. Reliant. All is well. And yet I can't help wondering about the friend I leave behind. 'There are always possibilities' Spock said. And if Genesis is indeed 'Life from death', I must return to this place again.

McCOY: He's really not dead. As long as we remember him. KIRK: 'It's a far, far better thing I do than I have ever done before. ...A far better resting place that I go to than I have ever known'. CAROL: Is that a poem? KIRK: No, no. Something Spock was trying to tell me. On my birthday. McCOY: You okay, Jim? How do you feel? KIRK: Young. I feel young.

(the torpedo coffin lays in a clearing in the new, verdant forest on the Genesis planet)

Spock's Voice: Space, the final frontier. ...These are the continuing voyages of the Starship Enterprise. ...Her ongoing mission, to explore strange new worlds, ...to seek out new lifeforms and new civilisations. ...To boldly go where no man has gone before.

END CREDITS

<Back to the films list

Star Trek ® and related marks are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc . Copyright © 1966, Present. The Star Trek web pages on this site are for educational and entertainment purposes only. All other copyrights property of their respective holders.