Deep Geekery: Random Thoughts on Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan

[belmikey]

While showing queenfrizzle Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan the other night (she'd never seen it), I came to a disturbing conclusion as the opening credits rolled

Comments

[pisces3857]

but the trick is, and some of us have mastered it more so than others, to lose oneself in what is happening - step aside from reality as we know it and join the reality that they had then.

i never fail to have twinges of oh my God as the classic cast drops one after the other.

[belmikey]

Oh, I'm not saying it wasn't well done. But the impact is still not quite the same, at least, not for me, and not just because I know what happens.

Consider: the first time this hit the screens, every hint that would have given away that it was as simulation was buried in something that might simply be a change from previous stories. The uniforms were entirely new, so we had no way to know that Saavik was merely a cadet (whereas now, I know the red rank strap over her shoulder means 'cadet); we had no way to know that starships hadn't started having the computer give more of the event announcements (whereas later in the story it's clear that humans still do most of that work and would continue to do so right through TNG/DS9/VGR); we didn't even know how much time had passed.

I find it very difficult to let go of all the things that have happened SINCE TWOK and get back to that moment of, "They did what?!"

[polypolyglot]

Back in '82, I had spoiled it for myself by reading Vonda McIntyre's novelization before I actually saw the movie :/

Which is why the opening scene has never had the impact it's supposed to.

[elliesam]

I didn't even know that Merritt Butrick was dead. I remember his face from "Square Pegs" (geez I'm old) and "Next Generation", but never really thought about the fact that I haven't seen him do anything in years. Had to look up how he died. AIDS at 29 years old, very sad. :(

[readmore]

Frizz has, too, seen it before. More than once. She was merely too young to have remembered it. (smirk)

I never panicked over the start of the movie - I was too weirded-out over Kirstie Alley (Saavik) as a Vulcan.

23 years? Oh, man......

When Paul Winfield died, the family joke was that the cockroaches finally got him - anyone remember "Damnation Alley"?

[ysolt]

I remember it... and those cockroaches. *shivers*

Soly