So much of 'Star Trek' is assumed to be technical nerd-speak, or only made for Trekkies. I do enjoy the occasional technical nerd-speak, but I'm not quite a Trekkie. Ok, so *maybe* I've been to two Trek conventions, which is one more than I've been to Star Wars conventions. (Don't tell George) Sure, I've owned Trek action figures. Ok, fine. Maybe I'm a *bit* of a Trekkie- but I don't love it all. Some 'Star Trek' content rises above the level of science fiction procedural, specifically with the franchise's crown jewel in 'Wrath'. Sure, 'Star Trek VI' may have had a Klingon general literally quoting Shakespeare, but 'Wrath' is as close to a bard-like tragedy as science fiction can be.
You're unlikely find more effective, emotional performances in any other version of the franchise, and I'd daringly offer in most science fiction. Simply, it's a masterpiece of cinema, not just Trek- a film rife with franchise lore, to be sure, but also themes of death and rebirth, family dynamics, bold actions and consequences, and the responsibility of science to humanity. We're taken to planets both old and desolate, and new, teeming with fresh life. We're shown gruesome creatures, some used in such a way that caused us to forever be freaked out by earwigs. We're given a full-fledged diabolical villain, not only emergent from the franchise lore, but a true yin to Shatner's yang, both aged thespians outdoing themselves with pomp and circumstance.
Perhaps most importantly, this story introduced to me as a child a foundational philosophy for humanity, originating with Captain Spock. Leonard Nimoy was always, and always shall be, the perfect vessel for the role, and with 'Wrath' his arc ends (and begins?) in the most poignant of fashions. With zero hesitation, he fully embodies the "Needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" mantra. To this day, 42 years after my first viewing, Spock's sacrifice resonates within every core value I've developed regarding the human race.
Not nearly enough credit is ever given to the writing for many 'Star Trek' projects, but Jack Sowards gave us poetry with 'Wrath'. There is plenty of action, to be sure, but I focus on the sheer volume of emotion, tragedy, wit, and gamesmanship in the film as a testament to how well it has held up. Khan and his motley crew cultists literally murder and deceive their way across the stars and bring our beloved characters to the brink time and time again. Our heroes, having saved the day so many times before, are left without their technological supremacy, and must rely on their own chess moves to overcome the literal wrath of Khan Noonien Singh. Even then, they're at death's door near the end, facing doom at the hands of a...doomsday machine in the 'Genesis' device. As Dr. Marcus says herself, it is literally "...life from lifelessness". Holding that kind of power is something many science fiction films aim to show us, and rarely does it bite the protagonist(s) so hard in the ass as it does here. Genesis isn't merely a MacGuffin, it's symbolic of Starfleet *not* employing the 'needs of the many' philosophy it believes it has.
As I concentrated on writing a piece demonstrating my admiration for 'Wrath', I was reminded of how many moments of sheer film joy it offers. There's plenty of humor for those familiar with the Enterprise Crew chemistry and banter, plenty of quotable moments, and certainly an abundance of emotion. 'Wrath' is the first film that I remember crying to, sitting in the living room one summer afternoon in 1984. If you've spent any time with these characters, Admiral Kirk's eulogy for his friend is perhaps the best of its kind for all film. Go ahead, tell me which film better showcases a friendship bid adieu than 'Wrath'. I don't think it exists, or at least as I've experienced.
In spite of such painful moments near the end, Director Nicholas Meyer, aided by James Horner's incredible score, manages to turn our gaze toward hope. As Kirk quotes Dickens at the conclusion, "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." Amen to that. What a perfect film, even if it resonates more deeply for both Trekkies and guys that aren't Trekkies but have certainly been to conventions.