The Star Trek film franchise has thirteen releases spanning 1979 to 2016, but there is one film often held up as the one of the best of the genre, 1982’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
And today the film picked up another major accolade, being named as one of the movies added to the National Film Registry for Preservation by the Library of Congress.
The National Film Preservation Board was established by Congress in 1988 and given a mandate preserve America’s cinematic heritage.
For more on the Film Registry visit loc.gov/film.
In their name and on behalf of current and future Star Trek creators, and on behalf of Star Trek itself and its message of optimism, I thank the Library of Congress for this lovely accolade.
The 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is frequently regarded as one of the best in the genre, despite the fact that the Star Trek film franchise had thirteen releases between 1979 and 2016. Additionally, the movie received another significant honor today when the Library of Congress announced it was one of the films added to the National Film Registry for Preservation.
Khan kept it alive for generations.
The 25 films being added to the National Film Registry for Preservation for 2024 were announced today by the Library of Congress. In order to preserve the country’s film heritage, films are selected for the registry “due to their cultural, historic, or aesthetic importance.”. The public is able to submit entries for consideration, and this year, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was one of over 6,700 entries.
“We chose Wrath of Khan in part because it is widely regarded as the best of the theatrical releases in the series,” said Stephen Leggett of the Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in a statement sent to TrekMovie. Additionally, the movie garnered a lot of public nomination support. The Wrath of Khan is among five of the films this year that have been added to the registry that are being praised for their representation of Hispanic artists and culture. According to the announcement, Mexican-American actor Ricardo Montalbán plays the lead antagonist in “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” one of the films with significant public nominations this year. “”.
This is the National Film Registry’s official listing for Star Trek II.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982).
James Horner’s moving score and Nicholas Meyer’s skillful direction elevate the always captivating “Star Trek” scripts, which are reminiscent of Gene Roddenberry’s vision, in “The Wrath of Khan,” which is frequently regarded as the best of the six original-cast Star Trek theatrical productions. The 1967 TV show “Space Seed” featured Kirk (played by William Shatner) and Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy) fighting the erratic and vicious Khan (played by Ricardo Montalban). “Wrath” brings back an old foe. With its testosterone-fueled alpha mano a mano fight between Kirk and Khan and its interstellar game of starship cat-and-mouse, the movie finds its full resonance when it delves into more significant social and personal themes, such as Spock’s selfless act of saving the Enterprise: “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few….”. or the one. “”.
The film was also nominated for eight Saturn Awards, including a Hugo Award in 1983, and was named to the National Film Registry as its most recent honor. Nicholas Meyer won Best Director and William Shatner won Best Actor. Khan Noonien Singh, played by Ricardo Montalban, is regarded as one of the best villains in film history, and The Wrath of Khan has been cited as a benchmark for the Star Trek series and beyond for many years. The movie has gained notoriety and is still relevant today, impacting pop culture. Seinfeld, as well as Wolverine and Deadpool this year, have all made references to the movie.
Out of the 900 films in the Trek franchise, The Wrath of Khan is the first to be added to the Registry. Along with some other well-known titles like The Social Network, Dirty Dancing, No Country for Old Men, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the Star Trek movie garnered “strong public support,” according to the Library of Congress. All three of the original Star Wars films are among the other genre films that are part of the complete Registry. Among the other 1982 movies on the Registry are E. T. Ridgemont High’s Fast Times and Extra-Terrestrial.
The National Film Preservation Board was created by Congress in 1988 with the goal of conserving the nation’s film history. Every year, 25 new movies are added to the Registry. Films must be considered “culturally, historically, or aesthetically” significant and be at least ten years old. After “consulting with a group of Library experts and the esteemed members of the National Film Preservation Board,” the Librarian chooses the annual registry. “”.
The Film Preservation Board claims that in order to guarantee that these movies are archived and kept for future generations, they work in tandem with studios and film archives. They have partnered with Paramount Pictures, who owns the copyright and all of the master elements for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, to handle the preservation work.
Loc . gov/film is the Film Registry’s website.
Nicholas Meyer’s response to praise.
Nicholas Meyer, the director of Star Trek II and an uncredited screenwriter, has issued a statement about the news.
Although I am incredibly honored and surprised by this recognition, I must also state that Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a tribute to the many people who helped make the movie and to those who came before it. They’re not here to accept their well-earned bows, unfortunately. In addition to many others, we must honor Gene Roddenberry, Gene Coon, Harve Bennett, Jack Sowards, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, Kirstie Alley, James Doohan, Merritt Butrick, Bibi Besch, Paul Winfield, Joe Jennings, Gayne Rescher, Bill Dornisch, Mike Minor, and many more. I express my gratitude to the Library of Congress for this beautiful honor on behalf of the present and future Star Trek creators, as well as on behalf of Star Trek and its hopeful message.
Khan’s book.
To delve deeper into the film, you can read Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – The Making of the Classic Film. John and Maria Jose Tenuto conducted extensive research for the coffee table book that was published last year. Meyers and other film crew members are featured in new interviews. The book is currently available on Amazon in hardcover and Kindle eBook formats, with full color illustrations.
