Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan Ending Explained (In Detail)
The Wrath of Khan is a sequel to "Space Seed," one of the most beloved episodes of the original Star Trek series. In "Space Seed," Kirk and the Enterprise crew find adrift Khan Noonien Singh, the perpetrator of Star Trek's Eugenics Wars in Earth's past, and after trying to welcome Khan and his followers into the 23rd century find that his need for power is too strong; after Khan attempts to take control of the Enterprise and fails, Kirk maroons him and his crew on the uninhabited garden world of Ceti Alpha V and go about their merry way.
The Wrath Of Khan Is A Story About Vengeance And Legacies
It's Also A Story About How Leaving Your Greatest Foe Alive Might Not Be A Good Idea
Khan’s Plan To Strand Kirk’s Away Team On The Genesis Asteroid Fails From The Beginning
All Of Khan's Scheming And Boasting Proves To Be No Match For Spock's Ability To Improvise
Spock reported that main power would take two days to restore, noting cryptically that they would be doing those repairs by the book, and that "by the book, hours would seem like days."
Kirk's dramatic responding shriek of "Khan!" is one of the Star Trek movie's most memorable quotes, but all the memes and references to it forget the fact that Kirk, angry as he is, knows he still has a trump card. Before beaming down to Regula, Kirk and Spock had discussed the status of the repairs to Enterprise; Spock reported that main power would take two days to restore, noting cryptically that they would be doing those repairs by the book, and that "by the book, hours would seem like days."
As Kirk explains to Saavik and David after he tells the story of how he cheated to win the Kobayashi Maru simulation, he doesn't believe in no-win scenarios, but he does believe in Starfleet Regulation 46A – no uncoded messages are to be transmitted on an open channel in a combat situation. With that, he hails the Enterprise, and Spock reports that main power was indeed restored in the two-hour window his quickly improvised code had promised. With that, Kirk and the others beam back to the Enterprise and begin planning how to disable Khan and the Reliant.
Kirk Proves Himself The Superior Tactician In The Battle In The Mutara Nebula
Khan may be a genetically engineered military genius, he built his empire entirely within Earth's gravity well, and he has no concept of how to battle in three dimensions.
This proves to be just the spark Kirk needs to pull a Phyrric victory out of his hat; he has the Enterprise leave the plane on which they've been battling with Reliant, and waits until Reliant passes by before dropping down behind and crippling Khan's ship with a barrage of phasers and torpedoes. Khan's crew are dead and the tyrant himself is left crippled and alone on Reliant's bridge, with only the Genesis control console for company.
Spock’s Final Sacrifice Saves The Enterprise Because The Needs Of The Many Outweigh The Few
Spock's Belief In Logic Is In Direct Conflict With Kirk's Refusal To Believe In No-Win Scenarios
As Spock reaches the reactor chamber, Dr. McCoy, who has been treating Scotty and the other engineers for radiation poisoning, tries to stop him, pointing out that the radiation in the chamber means certain death, even with Spock's resilient Vulcan physiology. Spock, as always, refuses to listen to the doctor, rendering him unconscious with a nerve pinch, and then, almost as an afterthought, mind-melds with McCoy for just a moment before entering the chamber.
Despite the massive amounts of radiation, Spock is able to repair the reactor in time, and with only seconds to spare, Sulu kicks the Enterprise into warp drive. They clear the nebula just as Genesis detonates, consuming Khan, the Reliant, and the nebula itself in a titanic explosion that then coalesces as the Genesis matrix recombines the matter into a pristine new planet. Yet Kirk can't enjoy the sight, as his call to Engineering to congratulate Scotty on yet another miracle is instead answered by McCoy, who implores him to get down there as soon as possible.
The Genesis Planet Isn’t The Only New Life The Enterprise Leaves Behind
The Genesis Planet's Soil Would Prove To Be Fertile Ground For A Sequel
Wrath of Khan's funeral scene is inspired by real-world naval traditions for a burial at sea. Director Nicholas Meyer specifically drew from English novelist C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower series for much of Wrath, from shipboard procedures to the new uniforms.
As the Enterprise begins to limp away from the Genesis Planet, Kirk, McCoy, and Carol stand at the viewscreen, watching the planet shrink away, and Kirk finally begins to understand what Spock was trying to say with the gift. He quotes the last lines of A Tale of Two Cities with a wry smile:
It is 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.
The Wrath of Khan's Legacy Is Still Felt In Star Trek Films Today
From The Undiscovered Country To Star Trek Into Darkness And Beyond
Since then, however, Wrath has become enshrined in Trek canon as an event that has rippled throughout the multiverse. J. J. Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness inverted the plot twists of Wrath, throwing Khan into the timeline of the Narada Incursion, where this time Kirk was the one who died in the reactor chamber (although McCoy resurrected him thanks to some of Khan's blood and a tribble). Every film villain since has been held to Khan's gold standard, although Trek writer Ronald D. Moore pointed out the darker side of this trend.
