Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Nitcentral's Bulletin Brash Reflections: ClassicTrek: The Movies: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

By Will on Thursday, August 07, 2003 - 10:33 am:

I've always felt that some of Khan's followers, like Joachim and the cute woman at navigation were too young. 15 years prior to this movie they'd just be kids, and we didn't see any such indication that the Botany Bay had children on it. If it did wouldn't it be incredibly heartless of Kirk to 'maroon' them on Ceti Alpha V?
The whole Ceti Alpha V/VI problem is a mystery as to how the Reliant could be confused. My guess is that CA VI wasn't a big planet, maybe even smaller than Mercury, but close enough to affect CA V, as it broke apart and formed a loose asteroid belt. As CA VI was the last planet in the system, CA V could have been mistaken then as the outermost planet of Ceti Alpha.
Why were all of Khan's people outside? Maybe just a few were outside, saw Chekov and Terrel, warned Khan, and he had them leave to trap the visitors inside.
The ceti eels would have to leave the host human or animal at some time so they could breed. Why Chekov's chose that moment to leave is a mystery. Maybe the eel goes in and out of the host's head in search of water, or air? Obviously, Chekov isn't an airhead.
One of the coolest scenes of any Trek movie; the phasers shot into Reliant's warp engine, then a torpedo to smash it off. Loved the gasps and cheers that the audiences made when I saw the movie in '82 in the theater.
The near-miss collision of the Enterprise and Reliant was great, although we got an idea of what could have happened when Picard rammed the Enterprise-E into the Scimitar, another favorite scene of mine from the entire series.


By Darth Sarcasm on Thursday, August 07, 2003 - 1:51 pm:

I've always felt that some of Khan's followers, like Joachim and the cute woman at navigation were too young. 15 years prior to this movie they'd just be kids, and we didn't see any such indication that the Botany Bay had children on it. - Will

Then again, they were genetically engineered, so maybe they weren't kids, but just their aging process had been manipulated somehow, so they only looked like they might be in their 20's even 15 years later.


If it did wouldn't it be incredibly heartless of Kirk to 'maroon' them on Ceti Alpha V? - Will

Ceti Alpha V was hospitable. Why would it have been heartless for Kirk to leave their children? It would, however, have been heartless for 1996 humans to launch children into sleeper ships because their parents were criminals.


The whole Ceti Alpha V/VI problem is a mystery as to how the Reliant could be confused. My guess is that CA VI wasn't a big planet, maybe even smaller than Mercury, but close enough to affect CA V, as it broke apart and formed a loose asteroid belt. As CA VI was the last planet in the system, CA V could have been mistaken then as the outermost planet of Ceti Alpha. - Will

It is a problem... even if somehow, by some chance, Starfleet astronomers missed the planet's explosion, Reliant should have wondered why the fifth planet in the system was being called Ceti Alpha Six. Can't they count?


Why were all of Khan's people outside? Maybe just a few were outside, saw Chekov and Terrel, warned Khan, and he had them leave to trap the visitors inside. - Will

Who knows? Maybe they were out gathering water... or maybe they actually lived in nearby caves.


Obviously, Chekov isn't an airhead. - Will

Then again, Chekov was one of the ones who couldn't count the planets in the system.


By Sophie on Monday, August 11, 2003 - 2:47 am:

I found this at Amazon. Paraphrasing:

The dispassionate "needs of the many" reasoning could equally well have sanctioned Spock forcing someone else into the deadly radiation-flooded chamber. If Spock had held a phaser to Scotty's head and forced him into the chamber, we would surely not think his action so honourable, noble or moral.

Spock's Illogical Sacrifice

Of course, this interesting essay could simply be in the nitpicking tradition of reading far too much into somebody's words.

Or perhaps it is just ironic, and in character, for Spock to use flawed logic to justify a noble, human act.


By Will on Monday, August 11, 2003 - 11:17 am:

I noticed a strange discussion in Board 2, January 2000, of this movie between 'Anonymous', Chris Thomas, 'mf', and Benn Allen about what rank and position Chekov had on the Reliant.
Benn even states that he scanned parts with Chekov in it and ascertained that he wasn't first officer.
I should point out that he most certainly is First Officer. The first time we see the Reliant flying overhead and then towards Ceti Alpha V, Koenig's voice-over is;
"Starship log, stardate 8130.4. Log entry by First Officer Pavel Chekov." he then goes on to describe their mission in connection to Genesis. No rank stated, but definitely absolutely a position.
Someone even thought he said 'duty officer', but 'duty' and 'first' don't sound anything alike, not to mention one has one sylable and the other two.
Strange how the ears can play tricks on us.
And speaking of ears...
When the eel slithers out of Chekov's ear and is zapped by Kirk's phaser, I always considered the sound effect as that of the eel's remains bubbling away, not a screech from a non-existent lifeform.


By Will on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 10:49 am:

As much as I like the whole 'Have you ever piloted a starship out of spacedock before, Saavik/Would you like a tranquilizer?' scene for the laughs, it really doesn't make sense. Why should Kirk worry? Saavik issued a couple orders, and good ol' reliable expert Sulu piloted the ship out.

And why is it called 'spacedock' when that's the official name for the giant space station seen in Star Trek III? Wouldn't that confuse people who want go to 'Space Dock' but are taken to a DRY dock?

Pretty bad idea by the 'engineers who love to change things', by having shields activated on just one side at a time, until it comes full circle around your ship. I would think that that would be an extremely bad tactical idea, especially as the shields seem to activate starting near the rear, work around the front, and finish at the rear. Most of the time your enemy will start firing from in front of you.

Just prior to Kirk, McCoy, and Saavik beaming over to Regula 1, the station is seen in silhouette against what must be the star that becomes the sun of Genesis. There's no nebula in sight from that angle, just a brilliant light.

When the Reliant explodes the nebula instantly fades. Why? The nebula just evaporates before the explosion spreads out far enough to touch it.

The Reliant returns to Regula 1 to confront the Enterprise, but Khan only seens the station and the dead rock, presumably because we later find out that the Enterprise has been hiding at the bottom of the moon. But the Reliant approached from a great distance, and should have seen it sitting below the moon. I suppose somehow Spock knew enough to hide behind the moon.

Lucky for Kirk that his eyes never bothered him again in The Search For Spock, The Voyage Home, The Final Frontier, The Undiscovered Country, or Generations, despite the passage of many years.

And speaking of that, isn't McCoy a great practical joker? He gives Kirk eye glasses for his birthday and a bottle of Romulan ale. If Kirk wears his glasses and drinks too much ale, his vision will blur and he'll tell McCoy that his glasses don't work! One present helps his eyes, the other messes them up!

When the Enterprise is escaping from the Reliant during the Genesis countdown, they appear to be travelling at roughly an 80 degree angle from each other, nearly flying in the same direction. Shouldn't the Enterprise have left at a 180 degree angle, completely opposite of Reliant's course? That puny 4000 kilometers could have been more like 6000 at that rate.

That hunk of ceiling comes down on Joachim, and Khan picks it up, struggles with it, and tosses it away. HE TOSSES IT AWAY! I realize it was a way of showing the great strength that Khan possesses, but wouldn't it have been easier for Khan to just lift one edge up and off Joachim, and set it down away from the guy? Good thing he's not a furniture mover! He'd lift your couch up and throw it in the truck by himself!


By Derf on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 9:41 pm:

I accidentally posted this on the STTMP topic ... SO SUE ME!! (a recurring episode of a common nitpicker's ailment ... ineptpostitis)

Scene: Just After The Kobyashi Maru Test - Kirk Walking Down The Corridor Through Another Door And Encountering Spock ...

There is a sign posted in the corridor which reads:
Use Of This Facility With Authorized Supervision Only - Reservations Must Be Made 24 Hours In Advance With Master At Arms

I am curious about the officer's name and other writing at the bottom of the sign which is too small of print for me to read on the screen ... can anyone read that small?


By Jared on Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - 2:48 pm:

First of all, this is a great movie! Arguably the best Trek film(with First Contact not far behind).

Having said that, I wonder how Spock sticking his face in a fountain of radiation was supposed to repair the warp drive.


By Darth Sarcasm on Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - 6:35 pm:

Spock put on gloves and was doing something unseen inside.


By R on Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - 9:20 pm:

it was the folger's crystal chamber and he was suppossedly realigning them.


By R on Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - 9:22 pm:

And that was a joke it was the dilithium crystal chamber. Not sure why it was over there and not in the warp drive itself but then the way engineers like to change things who knows where things wind up between refits.


By Jesse on Monday, March 01, 2004 - 11:56 am:

Sulu, the experienced starship helmsman, shuttle pilot, and command-eligible officer, makes a rather interesting choice when he follows Kirk's order to "get us out of here." All the graphics show the Enterprise heading towards the camera with the Reliant heading to the right of the camera's field of view. If we assume that both ships started at the same point (i.e., the initial distance between Reliant and Enterprise was negligible), then the Reliant is heading along one leg of a right triangle and the Enterprise is heading along the other. If the Enterprise is traveling at speed E and the Reliant is traveling at speed R, then the distance beteen the two ships at a time t is z = t * (E+R)^1/2. (It's the Pythagorean Theorem, plain and simple; the distance between the two ships is the hypotenuse of a right triangle whose legs are the respective paths of the two ships.)

What's interesting is that, if Sulu had chosen instead to follow a heading that was the vector inverse (opposite) of Reliant's, the distance between the two ships at a time t would be z = t * (E+r). In other words, the Enterprise and the Reliant would have been farther apart at a given time traveling in this direction than the direction that Sulu chooses. To put some numbers down, if the Enterprise and the Reliant were traveling about the same speed (not impossible, based on the graphics), the method I suggested would put the Enterprise about 40% farther away from the Reliant than Sulu's method. The 4000km that Chekov reports would increase to around 5600km. Granted, this wouldn't have made any difference in the end, but Sulu doesn't necessarily know that, and in a situation like this, I'm sure everyone agrees that you play every card possible.

Nathan K: Except that quadrants didn't mean the same thing in the original series. They were used interchangeably with sectors (or if they were bigger, they weren't one quarter of the galaxy.
This seems true. In this movie, Sulu reports that the "Reliant is now in our section, this quadrant, and slowing." And in ST5, it is reported several times that the Okhrona, Klaa's ship, is "now entering the quadrant." (I believe Spock says it once and the computer screen shows it once, later on.) So quadrants don't appear to have the same meaning as the Quadrants (e.g., Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta.)

Joe Griffin: ...and of course, "First Contact" continues the grand tradition of NextGen ripping off TOS stories and characters by basing Picard's character on Ahab as well.
Wait a minute. Just because a character is blinded by revenge doesn't mean that it's a rip-off of Captain Ahab. Picard's blinding hatred for the Borg was well-established during the run of TNG. The fact that the writers chose to make a Moby Dick reference doesn't mean that FC ripped off STII.

KAM: Why is the flagship of the Federation being used to train cadets?
Who says the Enterprise is the flagship? Even if it was, at one point, that doesn't mean it's a permanent assignment.

KAM: Carol Marcus proposes Stage III on a Planetary scale, but her proposal demo shows a Moon being remade.
I noticed this too. I think that by "planetary scale" she was just referring to the size of the test planet. There could be a really large moon somewhere out there that's the size of a planet. Or this could be an actual planet that just looks like a moon.

ScottN: Also, in the simulations, it appeared that the wave was confined to the planetary surface. In the actual explosion, however, the wave expanded spherically, at a subtantial fraction of the speed of light (so that warp was needed to escape it). Wouldn't the wave expand spherically from an explosion point on a moon or a planet?
There's no canonical explanation for this nit, but the (noncanon) novelization explains that the Genesis device has several operating modes. There's a "terraforming" mode (which we saw in the simulation) and a "start from scratch" mode that collected the dust in the nebula and formed it into a planet, necessitating a much larger "explosion" to get the job done. (Btw, the novelization stated that, b/c there was no star for the new planet, the "star-forming subroutine" was activated to create a star out of the nebulaic dust.)


Also, on one of the archived boards, I posted a nit about the timing of the battle and Khan's interrogation of Regular's people. My nit was that, based on various pieces of evidence, it was impossible for Khan to have attacked Regula, killed everyone, gone out to fight with Kirk, and limp back, all before rigor sets in on the dead Regula researchers. The suggested anti-nit was that Khan called Regula, then fought Kirk, and then raced to Regula and tortured the scientists just before Kirk got there. This would clear up the nit I raised.

However, I dispute this interpretation. First of all, Terrell says that Khan had "to leave in time to blow you [Kirk] to bits." This shows that the battle with the Enterprise took place after Khan killed the researchers. Yes, Terrell could have been lying, but what purpose would this lie serve? Also, if this were true, why were there researchers still on the station? As I pointed out in my original nit, it must be weeks between the first Ent/Reliant fight and the Enterprise making it to Regula. If the anti-nit is correct, there should have been plenty of time for the researchers to all flee to safety. The only way their presence on Regula One makes sense is if Khan lied about arriving in three days and got there before his fight with Kirk, as the researchers are frantically scrambling around trying to get everything below ground.


By Darth Sarcasm on Monday, March 01, 2004 - 7:09 pm:

Sulu, the experienced starship helmsman, shuttle pilot, and command-eligible officer, makes a rather interesting choice when he follows Kirk's order to "get us out of here."... - Jesse

You forget that they're still inside the nebula... sensors worked sketchy, at best. For all we know, Sulu tried to plot a course directly opposite Reliant's trajectory (which was virtually motionless, anyway). Or he could have plotted a course that took them away from the battle scenes where they may inadvertently run into stray debris (like Reliant's nacelle).


By Justin ODonnell on Saturday, March 13, 2004 - 2:17 pm:

When Spock was dying, he told Kirk he had never taken the Kobyashi Maru test until now. I found that very odd. Its been implied that cadets who have any hope of being a command officer must take this test at least once. Spock has been a command level officer for many years, having served as first officer of the Enterprise, and as of this movie is serving as its Captain! How did he manage to avoid taking this test?


By LUIGI NOVI on Saturday, March 13, 2004 - 4:39 pm:

Perhaps Kirk majored in command, and Spock in the sciences?


By Justin M on Saturday, March 13, 2004 - 8:53 pm:

but it seems to me that the test is required of command level personnel. That would imply that someone who hasn't taken the test should not be in the chain of command. Clearly Spock is in the chain of command, being captain of the Enterprise, and first officer before (and after) that. It seems much like Troi's situation in the 7th season of TNG (don't remember the ep name) where she took the command tests to become a commander (and, despite the events of Disaster, to enter the chain of command). Come to think of it, I don't think we saw Troi take the Kobayashi Maru test. That would have been pretty interesting to see how the test had changed since the era of STII, especially since there would be no Klingon Neutral Zone any longer (perhaps the KM would be in the Romulan Neutral Zone?)

Also, it doesn't really make sense for someone to "major" in command in the Academy. That would be like a trainee at a company only working on good CEO skills and not on the basic skills required to get there. Command is a good goal, but you need a lot more to get there than just the goal.


By LUIGI NOVI on Saturday, March 13, 2004 - 9:47 pm:

So there is no differentation curriculum-wise among cadets who want to go into different departments? Perhaps the KM test is not given to officers already serving in Starfleet (perhaps because it is figured that they have already lived through life-threatening situations?), and Spock, like Troi, switched to Command sometime after his graduation.


By R on Saturday, March 13, 2004 - 10:16 pm:

According to the FASA RPG The Academy has a Command level training course sort of a post graduate level of special training for those cadets that are going to be command branch. And remember the academy only generates officers the regular boot camps are what give you ncos and enlisted personnel. All other cadets are not given the kobyashi maru as it is expected that before they are placed in a command level decision they will be given some field experience and training to go with their basic command type training at the academy.


By NGen on Thursday, April 15, 2004 - 7:30 am:

The training exercise in the 'Enterprise' mock-up seems a bit old fashioned. Wouldn't a virtual reality simulation for each trainee be more realistic for the 23rd century?


By Benn on Thursday, April 15, 2004 - 9:37 am:

Like a holodeck? Those were never established as existing in Kirk's time.

Live long and prosper.


By anonholoman on Thursday, April 15, 2004 - 9:30 pm:

Except on the anime version of trek


By Benn on Thursday, April 15, 2004 - 10:15 pm:

Yeah, well, the Animated version of TREK (anime?!) isn't generally considered canon.

Live long and prosper.


By NGen on Friday, April 16, 2004 - 6:12 am:

The Filmation series from the seventies is in such limited animation that some might barely consider it 'animated'.


By Torque, Son of Keplar on Friday, April 16, 2004 - 11:18 am:

The training exercise in the 'Enterprise' mock-up seems a bit old fashioned. Wouldn't a virtual reality simulation for each trainee be more realistic for the 23rd century?- NGen

Like a holodeck? Those were never established as existing in Kirk's time. -Benn


Actually, I think it was established that it didn't exist in Kirk's time in a Voyager episode. I can't for the life of me remember which one, but I think Janeway was telling someone how it she thinks it might have felt...


By LUIGI NOVI on Friday, April 16, 2004 - 2:46 pm:

"Flashback", perhaps? I believe she mentioned that starships were "half as fast," and maybe something about phaser power, but I think the holodeck comment, if it was in that scene, may have been uttered by Kim.


By R on Friday, April 16, 2004 - 9:44 pm:

Hey I still say the Animated was filmed it was there and all but that is an argument for another board. But all the canon shows says that the holodeck didnt come about until after Kirk and co. And it was Kim if I recall correctly who did say something about it in an episode.


By John A. Lang on Wednesday, May 05, 2004 - 7:47 am:

In an interview with Montalban, Entertainment Tonight asked how he prepared to revive his role as Khan for STII. He told the lady, that he was so used to playing Mr, Roarke on "Fantasy Island", he had to go back * re-watch "Space Seed" in order to remember the character of Khan. The lady also asked Montalban: "Is that your real chest that we see in the movie?" Montalban answered, "Yes. I believe in keeping myself in good shape" Needless to say, the lady was quite impressed.


By Vortaka on Wednesday, May 05, 2004 - 6:32 pm:

Some unkind fans have refered to his chest as "man boobs".
Is it muscle or fat?


By John A. Lang on Wednesday, May 05, 2004 - 7:33 pm:

Muscle. He works out.


By Dot Warner on Wednesday, May 05, 2004 - 8:29 pm:

It's Ricardo Montalban and his plastic chest!


By Adam Bomb on Thursday, May 06, 2004 - 10:48 am:

Even Nimoy said in his book I Am Spock that Mr. Montalban's chest was real, not some fake breastplate.


By Adam Bomb on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 11:33 pm:

The lone bagpipe player, playing "Amazing Grace," was done at the funeral of President Ronald Reagan on June 11, 2004, just before he was laid to rest in California.


By ScottN on Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 1:15 am:

It's pretty much traditional at any military funeral. Cops too.


By Adam Bomb on Saturday, June 12, 2004 - 9:47 am:

Thanks, Scott. As I said a few years ago, my Uncle Jimmy had a bagpipe player at his funeral, too. Quite moving.


By Butch Brookshier on Monday, June 21, 2004 - 6:26 pm:

A while back, Will wrote:
As much as I like the whole 'Have you ever piloted a starship out of spacedock before, Saavik/Would you like a tranquilizer?' scene for the laughs, it really doesn't make sense. Why should Kirk worry? Saavik issued a couple orders, and good ol' reliable expert Sulu piloted the ship out.

That scene always bothered me too. Kirk's reaction would have made sense if Saavik had taken Sulu's place at the helm.


By John A. Lang on Thursday, July 01, 2004 - 7:33 am:

Speaking of Saavik, if the tabloids are correct, Kirstie Alley is now up to 302 lbs.

SOMEONE needs to see Jenny Craig!


By Treklon on Thursday, July 01, 2004 - 1:44 pm:

Is that the same tabloid with a picture of Martha Stewart looking like a blimp? I don't believe it. At least Kirstie ain't getting the "Jeri Ryan" treatment with details about her sex life being dragged into public.


By ScottN on Thursday, July 01, 2004 - 2:42 pm:

with details about her sex life being dragged into public.

No, she already did that at the Emmys one year.


By Josh M on Friday, July 02, 2004 - 12:58 am:

A while back, Will wrote:
As much as I like the whole 'Have you ever piloted a starship out of spacedock before, Saavik/Would you like a tranquilizer?' scene for the laughs, it really doesn't make sense. Why should Kirk worry? Saavik issued a couple orders, and good ol' reliable expert Sulu piloted the ship out.

That scene always bothered me too. Kirk's reaction would have made sense if Saavik had taken Sulu's place at the helm.


Yeah, Phil mentions this one in the Original Series Guide. It always makes me smile whenever I read it. "What's the big deal? Sulu's at the helm, and he's the one who's actually working the controls. He's not going to ram the ship into anything."


By Anonymous on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 7:22 am:

without referring to any of my Trek Technical Manuals ...

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.


Another "made-up" system that may interrupt communications from ship-to-ship, or does this coil have a 'genesis' in real life? (nyuk-nyuk) It sounds like the creators are referring to a person who discovered some relationship between ordinary "radio" communications and communications that are at large fractions of the speed of light. (Much like the NextGen folk who wove-in the "Heisenberg Compensators" into a story) - indicating a mechanism to overcome the effects of the Heisenberg Principle.


By Anonymous on Sunday, October 31, 2004 - 7:51 pm:

Dr. McCoy's Undoing ...

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 any more! 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.


Perhaps McCoy's undoing came to fruition during ST5: The Final Frontier when he faced off against Sybok and after seeing the vision of his dying father was overcome with passionate emotion ... so much so that he believed Sybok and was willing to follow him until Kirk refused.


By Adam Bomb on Monday, November 01, 2004 - 1:53 pm:

Kirstie Alley is starring in a TV project called Fat Actress. Enough said.


By LUIGI NOVI on Tuesday, November 02, 2004 - 8:31 pm:

Ah, but it's not just any watch. It uses time to measure how over the hill he's gotten since the TV show.
In The Star Trek Communicator #152, Rob Lee points out that after Khan has the brainwashed Chekov tell Carol that Reliant will be by to take Genesis, Kirk enters the turbolift, and is visibly wearing a wristwatch on his left hand. It's also visible when he exits it.


By Darth Sarcasm on Wednesday, November 03, 2004 - 3:06 pm:

Can't Kirk (fond of antiques) wear a watch? And doesn't Kirk look at his watch while marooned on Regula?

David: "We can't just sit here."
Kirk (checks his watch): "Yes, we can."

At least that's how I remember the scene playing.


By Rene on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 - 11:33 am:

Ok, about the Sulu promotion scene that was cut because "Shatner kept screwing it up"...

I don't get it. So Takei wanted Sulu to be a captain who continues to be helmsman of the Enterprise? I find that weird. Just as weird as Scotty being made "captain of Engineering" in the next movie. So did the Enterprise-A have 4 Captains in Star Trek IV and V?


By Darth Sarcasm on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 - 1:46 pm:

Captain is just a rank. Just because you get promoted to captain doesn't mean you automatically get a ship... depending on how many people are enlisted (and how many are promoted to the captaincy) you can have more people than ships available.

In the case of Sulu... memory has it that he was supposed to captain the Excelsior from way back in ST2... but the Excelsior was sabotaged and the transwarp program possibly scrapped after ST3, so maybe the ship wasn't available for a time.

Spock died and was restored to life. And he wasn't quite himself even during ST5. Frankly, I wonder whether he should have even been put back on duty so soon afterwards. But it would have been unconscionable for Starfleet to put him in command of a vessel without some period to establish that he was in fact fit to command.


By Fkidd on Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 11:00 pm:

During the opening scene, we find this exchange of dialogue:
Uhura: Captain, I'm getting something on the distress channel.
Saavik: On speakers.
Kobayashi Maru: ... this is the Kobayashi Maru, nineteen periods out of Altair VI. We have struck a probisic mine, and have lost all power ...
The dialogue goes on to describe the vessels position to be at Gamma Hydra, Section 10, at which Saavik mutters to herself, "The Neutral Zone". The looming question now arises ...

The star Altair is known to be approximately 17 light-years away from Earth, soooo ... does that mean that the border of the dreaded neutral zone is less than 20 light years away from Earth?


By KAM on Friday, January 21, 2005 - 1:10 am:

No, because Gamma Hydra (actually Gamma Hydrae) is 115 light years from Earth.

What's more interesting is that the constellations Hydra & Aquila (Altair is Alpha Aquilae) are not even near each other.

That "nineteen periods" is obviously writer's gobbledegook to cover their *Ahem*s.


By Nove Rockhoomer on Saturday, January 22, 2005 - 11:34 am:

I think it was a gravitic mine.


By LUIGI NOVI on Saturday, January 22, 2005 - 12:58 pm:

What in the world is a probisic mine, anyway?


By Butch Brookshier on Saturday, January 22, 2005 - 5:12 pm:

A mine with a 'nose' for the enemy? :)


By KAM on Sunday, January 23, 2005 - 1:27 am:

Maybe it's a mine in favor of Bisic?

"Are you Pro-Bisic or Con-Bisic?" ;-)

Or maybe it's a Bisic Mine that's gone Professional? ;-)

BTW Hydra & Aquila are on opposite sides of the northern sky.


By Fkidd on Thursday, January 27, 2005 - 12:01 pm:

After careful and repeated review of the opening sequence, the Kobayashi Maru actually says (to the best of my listening ability) "vermisic" mine.

The word "vermis" has this definition:
The region of the cerebellum lying between and connecting the two hemispheres, or the narrow middle zone occurring between the two hemispheres of the cerebellum.

I wonder how a mine like that would appear, and how a spacecraft could be caught by it.


By Snick on Thursday, January 27, 2005 - 2:10 pm:

From the actual script of Star Trek II:

SAAVIK

On speakers!

MAN (V.O.)

(filtered, distorted)

Imperative! This is the Kobayashi
Maru, nineteen periods... out of
Altair Six. We have struck... a
gravitic mine,... and have lost
all power.


By Fkidd on Thursday, January 27, 2005 - 3:17 pm:

I did find gravitic mine in my Star Trek Encyclopedia, so I stand corrected. For the life of me, though, it sounds like the Kobayashi Maru said anything BUT "gravitic". Besides, a mine that might split a cerebellum in half would keep the ship intact for the users of the mine to exploit!


By Influx on Friday, January 28, 2005 - 8:12 am:

Nevertheless -- I learned a new word today...


By Principal Skinner on Friday, January 28, 2005 - 12:18 pm:

Who says Nitcentral ain't educational?


By Kent Brockman on Friday, January 28, 2005 - 12:41 pm:

Gravitic is a perfectly cromulent word.


By Homer Simpson on Friday, January 28, 2005 - 2:51 pm:

Does it have anything to do with donuts?


By Anonymous on Tuesday, February 01, 2005 - 11:24 am:

...so, any chance Kirstie can come back to the movie as a Jabba the Hutt-ess?


By roger on Wednesday, February 02, 2005 - 5:58 pm:

Do a search on Yahoo for "dictionary.com" and the word you're looking for, and it takes you right to the definition for that word. dictionary.com has a definition for cromulent but not for gravitic. Just so you know. Nothing to do with donuts.
Or doughnuts. Or dounuts. Or doghnuts.
Or lugnuts.

http://dictionary.reference.com/


By ScottN on Wednesday, February 02, 2005 - 6:36 pm:

roger, that was a Simpsons joke.


By Fred W. Kidd (Fkidd) on Friday, February 25, 2005 - 12:12 pm:

Okay ... here's the definitive list of books to have on your shelf if you want to compete with Khan's 2-dimensional intellect ...
eight books make the grade: the term "obscured" refers to the fact that in the scene a supporting metal band on the shelf covers the words or names of the books in question ...

(taken from the scene where Chekov grabs the botany bay belt and the camera surveys the books on the shelf)

1. King Lear - William Sheakespeare
2. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
3. The Inferno - Dante Alighieri
4. Paradise Lost - John Milton
5. Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained - John Milton
6. Statutue Regulating "Obscured" Commerce - Unknown
7. Holy Bible - I am assuming the King James Version
There is one other book on the shelf whose title is totally obscured by the metal support band on the shelf.


By Kinggodzillak on Friday, August 26, 2005 - 3:15 pm:

I've always thought that it was unlikely Khan would completely miss what that 'hours would seem like days' thing so obviously meant...


By Zarm Rkeeg on Friday, August 26, 2005 - 6:25 pm:

Well, you know, hours DO seem like days to those 2-dimensional thinkers- they get all confused.

But yeah, I used to wonder about that, too.


By Adam on Saturday, August 27, 2005 - 1:09 pm:

What??? Kahn has "The Inferno" but not the rest of "The Divine Comedy???" He truely is an evil bloke.


By Kinggodzillak on Saturday, August 27, 2005 - 1:28 pm:

It would have been cool if he had worked it out. I don't think it would have made much difference...


By Zarm Rkeeg on Saturday, August 27, 2005 - 11:12 pm:

As Kirk and company look on in horror, the Reliant comes out from behind the planet, all phaser blasting. The Enterprise shudders as barely repaired wounds are re-opened. The ship limps towards the Mutara nebula as Kahn's grinning visage appears on the screen.
"Ah, Kirk, my old nemesis... so simple a code- did you think me a fool?"
Sqirming uncomfortabl in his chair, Kirk bore the iron scrutiny of his genetically enhanced foe.
"Well, actually..."


By Benn on Saturday, August 27, 2005 - 11:39 pm:

You know, I've always figured that Khan was so maniacally fixated on obtaining the Genesis device and getting his revenge against Kirk that he wasn't thinking clearly. Later parts of the movie, such as his argument with Joaquim about entering the Mutara, indicate that this may be the situation. (Or maybe Khan was just plain crazy from his years on Ceti Alpha.)

Live long and prosper.


By Adam Bomb on Sunday, August 28, 2005 - 1:57 am:

Or maybe Khan was just plain crazy from his years on Ceti Alpha.

Wouldn't you become crazy as well, if you had nothing but sandstorms to look at for 15 years?


By Anonymous on Thursday, March 30, 2006 - 11:07 am:

Why does scotty bring the wounded cadet to the bridge? Wouldn't sick bay be more appropriate?


By Benn on Thursday, March 30, 2006 - 11:19 am:

Not that it explains anything really, but one of the things left out of the theatrical release of the film is that the cadet was Scotty's nephew. So maybe it was the shock of losing a member of his family that caused Mr. Scott to act in such an irrational manner?

Live long and prosper.


By R on Thursday, March 30, 2006 - 5:25 pm:

I have seen it somewhere (web or book or magazine) that with the damage and scotty's inability to be coherent the turbolift took him to the bridge and not sickbay on its own.


By Hes dead Jim on Thursday, March 30, 2006 - 7:39 pm:

I think Star Trek 2 the novel I bought long long ago in a Galaxy far far away- Scotty had his nephew on the Enterprise- my sister's youngest


By Simon Maxwell on Sunday, October 15, 2006 - 3:30 pm:

One goof regarding this film is not actually in the film itself. It's in the Okudas' two books (the Chronology and the Encyclopedia). They put Space Seed in 2267 and then (for some reason) put The Wrath of Khan in 2285 (18 years later). Now, despite the fact that it is mentioned several times in the film that Kirk and Khan last met 15 years earlier, the Okudas' '18 years' mistake has become accepted as 'canon'.


By Josh M on Sunday, October 15, 2006 - 9:25 pm:

Khan could just be estimating. 15 years on Ceti Alpha V, he may have lost track of time. That, and we don't know how the years on Ceti Alpha V even compares to whatever standard the Federation uses for their dates (I assume Earth years, but I'm not sure that has ever been stated).


By Benn on Sunday, October 15, 2006 - 9:34 pm:

Kirk also used the 15 years interval when talking about Khan. And I don't think he got the number from Khan, either.

Live long and prosper.


By Simon Maxwell on Tuesday, October 17, 2006 - 10:34 am:

Look at the first quote from the film on this page. (You'll have to scroll down a bit.)

The actual line is "He wants to kill me for passing sentence on him 15 years ago." Kirk can clearly be heard to say "15 years". And yet, whoever submitted this line to this site changed the "15" to "18".