This week we begin our spool-up to the awesome Trek XI with a re-watch of Trek II: The Wrath of Khan! We’re also joined by special guest Roger Nygard, producer/director of Trekkies and Trekkies 2. Highlights: we discuss the cultural differences between early Trek and TNG forward and the cultural significance of Trekdom, explain why TOS is still relevant regardless of dated SFX and hairstyles, hear the Audra hair report (think Whitesnake video), offer proper respect for Khan’s pecs, enjoy the inspiring depth of Kirk and Spock’s friendship, note that if Sean were transported to the Trek universe he’d be Bones, wonder again why the creature-in-the-ear scene is so disturbing, and encourage listeners to catch Trek III if possible even though we’re heading forward to IV next week.
Looking forward to listening to this!!
There is no other movie that I have rewatched more times that Wrath of Khan.
You may get the impression that Talos and I have the same affection for the material. 
It was a logical conclusion to draw :rolleyes:
I love Roger Nygard’s mention of Michael Apted’s documentary series, Seven Up! One of my absolute favorite documentaries. Hope he lives to make 56 Up.
Didn’t listen yet, but here’s a couple thoughts that came at me while watching…
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Wow, the Trek Universe is so small at this time. Like, there’s a whole other 'verse waiting out there.
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The pecs are def’nitely fake… I remembered what Chuck was saying a few casts ago, about Sean’s airbrushing experience, how real skin has pores. Unless Khan’s pec were genetically engineered to not have pores.
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Trek II rules.
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see #3.
IIRC from reading the novel for Wrath of Khan 27 years ago- it is explained that Savik is half Romulan. That is why she is emotional.
Second pilot. Wrath of Khan is not just my favorite Star Trek movie, but one of my favorite movies in general. The writing, pacing, music, even the effects hold up pretty darn well. A few things: in Star Trek VI, Spock tells Scotty that Klingons have no tear ducts, not Vulcans. Of course, in that same film we see Klingons with bright purple blood for the first and last time, while later in TNG and later Klingon blood seemed identical to human blood. In TNG, Troi comments that Vulcans “have the same basic emotions that we do, they’ve just learned to suppress them.” Finally, the much maligned Star Trek: Enterprise explains the discontinuity of Original Series Klingons looking different from The Motion Picture on Klingons through experimentation with genetic engineering leading to large groups of Klingons appearing more human and lacking the forehead ridges. Finally, I’m pretty sure we heard them speak Vulcan back in the Original Series, what jumps out in my memory is Amok Time, Spock’s Pon Far crisis episode.
Uh oh… I made this same claim a couple of years ago around here…
You’re on your own…
Cool! That explains a lot. Thanks for the info!
Thanks for the clarifications, mj! I remember Chuck saying at one point that the purple Klingon blood was done to maintain a PG rating for Undiscovered Country and isn’t considered part of the true canon.
I always wondered about the Klingon thing since I heard a while back that they addressed it in Enterprise. That’s the only Trek series I haven’t seen, unless you count a few TOS episodes I have yet to watch.
Like on Scrubs? But Pah is Bajoran for soul, right? That’s frakking hilarious. I like that about the purple blood; I always dug it, like Vulcan blood being green, but that sounds like the kind of work around they would’ve come up with. Enterprise kinda sucked, but I rather enjoyed Season 4, including episodes with gorn, the mirror universe, the ancestor of Data’s creator Noonien Soong, and the series finale which featured some Next Gen flava that many hated on but I found a highlight of the series.
loved it. I had something really important to tell you guys while I was listening to this at work, but that was 4 hours ago and since then, the thought has escaped me 
yes i have to say this is definately my favorite of the star trek movies and the music had a large part to do with that…krull, willow, BRAVEHEART, TITANIC all had their origins here lol!!! i watched the original star trek growing up, but this movie made me a trekkie!! tale of two cities meets moby dick…timeless themes of sacrifice and revenge! a freakin hot female vulcan(and kirstie alley was the only saavik IMO!!)
i never understood though why people needed an explanation as to the klingon appearance in the original series and in subsequent franchises…i always assumed it was because they didn’t have cool enough make~up techniques in the 1960’s to do the klingons how they wanted to and once the techniques were available they made em look right…i mean, in homer’s day, it was just him on stage reciting a poem…nowadays we get armand assanti and vanessa williams on blue/green screens!!
Regarding the whole Data/Khan relationship. You all should watch the first few episodes of the last season of Enterprise.
I know, I know, that show can be really not so great at times.
The last season is really fan service, which is where I started, and then worked my way backwards.
The arc in season four shows Arik Soong, and what happens with Khans peeps. You may realize that it’s not all bad.
Just started the cast…
I gotta admit Chuck…I’m going to have to get used to this new intro…
I miss the music!
Oh well of to listen to a cast for something I have yet to watch. (I know, I know, Don’t kill me.)
No one considers that canon, either.
Loved this one–it was the one that made me a Trek fan. Yes, I was the geek who bought all the tech manuals, read the novels, built the Enterprise models, etc. Kinda fell out of it on Voyager. But up until then…total Trek geek.
But Trek II was the start. The relationship between Kirk/Spock/McCoy was awesome to see. Spock was logic. McCoy was emotion. And Kirk took the best of the two.
And yeah, Spock dying still gets to me.
Tho the one thing that always bugged me…ok, Khan is on Ceti Apha 5, they want to do experiments on Ceti Alpha 6 with this device that may or may not work, etc. Now…genetically enginerred superdude with all his genetically engineered superfolks…right NEXT to that experiment?
Really?
Seriously?
Couldja not have funky experiments next to the plaent with the genetic superpeople? Shouldn’t there have been a little asterisk or something? Like"
Ceti Alpha 6 *
- next to Ceti Alpha 5…see “list of crazy genetic engineered folks who will take over your ship”…
BTW - the “A” on Khans medallion…Enterprise logo…(told you I was a Trek geek)
Just gotta say it was funny to hear Chuck feel the need to defend the Original Series. I guess, I’m just old enough to remember TNG needing to be accepted as a viable Trek…
I’ve also got to defend Audra, and agree it is really annoying for the special effects people to confuse the concha with the external auditory meatus…
Lastly, regarding the silliness of wrist watch TV, I must say that we found my wife’s iTouch quite a godsend on a couple recent cross-country flights. It was a great way to catch up on Dexter episodes and kill a few hours…
ExacTly! Took the words right out of my ear. 