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Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Admiral James T. Kirk is still in charge of a space fleet, but from behind a desk. Dr. McCoy and Mr. Spock convince him to take on a mission which sounds simple, but with the mysterious Khan, things get a little tricky. more

Admiral James T. Kirk is still in charge of a space fleet, but fr ... More

Starring: William Shatner Leonard Nimoy Ricardo Montalban

Director: Nicholas Meyer

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Admiral James T. Kirk is still in charge of a space fleet, but from behind a desk. Dr. McCoy and Mr. Spock convince him to take on a mission which sounds simple, but with the mysterious Khan, things get a little tricky.

Starring: William Shatner Leonard Nimoy Ricardo Montalban DeForest Kelley James Doohan

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Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

  PG | adventure | 1 HR 53 MIN | 1982

Admiral Kirk and his crew battle the villainous Khan, who stalks the galaxy with his ruffians, bent on revenge.

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Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

• Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert Although I liked the special effects in the first movie, they were probably not the point; fans of the TV series wanted to see their favorite characters again, and Trek II understood that desire and acted on it.
• Decent Films Steven D. Greydanus Has everything you could ask for in a good sci‑fi action-adventure: well-drawn heroes, a terrific villain, exciting outer-space showdowns… and a touch of reflective depth.
• New York Daily News Ernest Leogrande Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is the movie that should have been made the first time around.
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution Scott Cain Star Trek II tells a sock-'em story, which is more than can be said for the first Star Trek movie. Nicholas Meyer, an energetic director, is a master of narrative, and Star Trek II crackles with his wit.
• AV Club Keith Phipps Shatner and Montalban never share the same space, but their face-offs highlight the film, as they both wring every drop of drama out of their lines.
• New York Magazine/Vulture David Denby It's TV all the way: The actors race up and down plastic corridors in the same old story about the universe almost coming to an end.
• Associated Press Bob Thomas Director Nicholas Meyer handles the human factor as deftly as the space hardware.
• Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas A brisk, handsomely designed film in which its hardware, sturdy as it is, never overwhelms its humanity.
• TIME Magazine Richard Schickel There is something comfortable, even old-shoeish, about the new film, a sense, appropriate to its theme of coming to terms with middle age, that all aboard are pleasurably rediscovering their best selves.
• Variety Variety Staff Star Trek II is a very satisfying space adventure, closer in spirit and format to the popular TV series than to its big-budget predecessor.
• Chicago Reader Dave Kehr If only director Nicholas Meyer had grasped the implications of his tale more fully and enthusiastically, this might have become a classic piece of cornball SF poetry, but as it stands the tepid acting and one-set claustrophobia take a heavy toll.
• Austin Chronicle Austin Chronicle Staff Ricardo Montalban plays the badass Khan in one of the most commanding performances of his career.
• New York Times Janet Maslin Here comes a sequel that's worth its salt. The second Star Trek movie is swift, droll and adventurous, not to mention appealingly gadget-happy. It's everything the first one should have been and wasn't.
• New Yorker Pauline Kael Using the contrast between Ricardo Montalban's fiery Khan and William Shatner's pasty Captain Kirk as the psychological center, [director Nicholas Meyer] keeps the movie whipping from one incident to another.
• Deep Focus Review Brian Eggert The Wrath of Khan does something that movies based on television shows have tried to do, but have often failed to accomplish: the film elevates the material from TV to film with appropriate gravitas.
• L.A. Weekly F.X. Feeney In the end, it makes for a beautiful summary, an envoi from which one can circle back through the re-runs and consider Star Trek as a finished whole. Even if they never make another, the saga can stand complete.
• Tilt Magazine Stephen Silver The movie that may very well have saved the Trek franchise (40th anniversary)
• San Francisco Examiner Peter Stack Fans of the Starship Enterprise will be ecstatic while others will find in this production a certain sluggish pace amid rather fine special effects.
• Film Frenzy Matt Brunson Both pensive and action-packed.
• Orca Sound Carey-Ann Pawsey Bottom line is that they have returned to the things that made the series so successful for so long.

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Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

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Watch Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan with a subscription on Max, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

What to Know

Considered by many fans to be the best of the Star Trek movies, Khan features a strong plot, increased tension, and a sharp supporting performance from Ricardo Montalban.

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Nicholas Meyer

William Shatner

Admiral James T. Kirk

Leonard Nimoy

Captain Spock

Ricardo Montalban

Khan Noonien Singh

DeForest Kelley

Commander Leonard H. McCoy, M.D.

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Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

• 68   Metascore
• 1 hr 53 mins
• Drama, Suspense, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction

Another mission for the Enterprise pits them against a familiar enemy named Khan, who, while leading a crew of near-savage space prisoners, insinuates himself into the Genesis Project, which is designed to introduce living organisms on long-dead planets.

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0:30 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (35th Anniversary Fathom Events Trailer)

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William Shatner

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The Plot to Save Enterprise

What do you do when your intergalactic starship almost crashes and burns? After UPN came thisclose to canceling his space opera, Enterprise executive producer Rick Berman wisely reached back into the Star Trek franchise's glory days for inspirational fuel. And you won't believe what he dug up. Hold on to your phasers, Trekkers... Remember the Eugenic Wars that spawned the evil Khan (aka Ricardo Montalban) and his followers in the camp classic Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan? That ancient conflict is back. And for an extra bonus, so is Next Generation star Brent Spiner, who not only played the adorable android Data, but also his genius creator, Dr. Soong. In a three-episode story arc this season, Spiner will play Soong's great-grandfather, "an almost Hannibal Lecter-like bad guy," Berman previews. "He's a brilliant and dangerous scientist who messed with some genetically enhanced and outlawed Eugenic em

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Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

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Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Khan, a genetically enhanced “super man” from Kirk’s past, returns to seek revenge on now-Admiral Kirk, the man who banished he and his followers to a dying planet 15 years earlier.

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Admiral Kirk and his crew battle the villainous Khan, who stalks the galaxy with his ruffians, bent on revenge.

Cast and Crew

Starring: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , James Doohan , Walter Koenig , George Takei , Nichelle Nichols , Bibi Besch , Paul Winfield , Kirstie Alley , Ricardo Montalban

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Watch Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

• 1 hr 56 min
• 7.7   (128,292)

In 1982, the legendary Star Trek franchise released its second feature film called "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" starring William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock, and DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy. The film was directed by Nicholas Meyer and produced by Robert Sallin. The story of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" takes place several years after the events of the original TV series and the first Star Trek movie. The film opens with a mysterious and strange space vessel attacking a Federation starship. Captain Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise are called upon to investigate the attack and find out who is behind it. In the process, they discover that their old nemesis, the genetically engineered superhuman Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán), has escaped from his exile on Ceti Alpha V and is seeking revenge on Kirk.

As the plot unfolds, Khan's obsession to destroy Kirk and the Enterprise puts them all in great peril. After Khan hijacks the USS Reliant, he obtains access to a powerful weapon known as the Genesis Device, which is capable of destroying planets and creating new life forms simultaneously. Now, Kirk and his crew must find a way to stop Khan from unleashing the destructive power of the Genesis Device, which could lead to the ultimate destruction of the entire universe.

The film features a number of memorable scenes, including some of the most iconic battles in Star Trek history. The final showdown between Kirk and Khan is especially intense and dramatic, which has become widely recognized as one of the best moments in science fiction film history. The film also explores the themes of aging, mortality, and the meaning of life, which are more deeply explored through the characters of Kirk and Spock.

William Shatner delivers a fantastic performance as the iconic Captain Kirk, reprising his role with ageless charisma and energy. Leonard Nimoy is equally impressive as the logical and stoic Mr. Spock, who is forced to confront his own mortality and emotions in the face of danger. DeForest Kelley is outstanding as the irritable Dr. McCoy, who provides some of the film's most memorable and humorous moments.

Overall, "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" is an action-packed and intense science fiction adventure that takes the franchise to new heights. It features a gripping storyline, engaging characters, stunning visual effects, and a fantastic musical score by James Horner. The film has become a timeless classic and a benchmark for science fiction movies to come, leaving a lasting impact on pop culture and the Star Trek fandom for generations to come.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a 1982 action movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 56 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.7 and a MetaScore of 68.

• Genres Action Adventure Science Fiction Thriller
• Cast William Shatner Leonard Nimoy DeForest Kelley
• Director Nicholas Meyer
• Release Date 1982
• MPAA Rating PG
• Runtime 1 hr 56 min
• Language English
• IMDB Rating 7.7   (128,292)
• Metascore 68

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The starship Enterprise and its crew is pulled back into action when old nemesis, Khan, steals a top secret device called Project Genesis.

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The evil Khan, marooned on a planet, takes over a space ship and pursues his arch enemy, Captain Kirk and the Enterprise.

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Den of Geek

What Modern Star Wars Needs to Learn From Star Trek

It doesn't take the wisdom of a Jedi to see that Disney needs to take a page out of Star Trek's book to put Star Wars back on top.

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Way back in 2002, the excitement for Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones diminished somewhat. Late Night with Conan O’Brien sent Triumph the Insult Comic Dog to mock the fans lined up for the premiere, resulting in a segment in which comedian/puppeteer Robert Smigel launched nerd jokes at the assembly.

Most of the jokes were pretty obvious, including the last bit, in which a man cosplaying as Mr. Spock gained the knack for cursing and walked up and down the line with his middle finger extended. But while the perceived Star Wars vs. Star Trek rivalry has become an old toxic cliché at this point, the fact is that the two franchises don’t actually overlap very much in terms of their core missions. Trek favors optimistic philosophical inquiry and Wars emphasizes fantasy and adventure.

In fact, in their decades-long history, Star Wars and Star Trek haven’t actually directly clashed all that often (although the early ’80s of  The Empire Strikes Back followed by  Wrath of Khan  was undoubtedly a golden age for sci-fi movie nerds), and the two franchises rarely enjoy success at the same time, with the Star Wars movies usually debuting during a dry point for Star Trek , and Trek dominating television while Wars flounders.

Except for now. In the past few years, both Star Wars and Star Trek entries have hit theaters and televisions on a regular basis. And while the two franchises have had their respective highs and lows, Trek has hit a stride with Strange New Worlds , Lower Decks , and Picard ‘s third season while Wars has mostly been on a downward spiral in popularity and quality (except for Andor , of course) following the first two seasons of The Mandalorian .

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Of course, history shows the scales could tip the other way at any moment, but for those of us who want both franchises to do well (full disclosure: this author is far more of a Trekkie than a Wars fan), there are a few lessons that Wars could take from Trek ‘s recent success to bring the galaxy far, far away back to its former glory.

Serve More Than One Kind of Audience

Okay, before getting angry and going straight to the comments, there are absolutely examples of recent Star Wars entries that aren’t entirely focused on one kind of fan. Andor eschews much of the core fantasy element of the franchise for a more adult spy drama, while Young Jedi Adventures is aimed squarely at a new generation of fans. Meanwhile, the anthology series Visions lives up to its name by presenting radically different takes on the universe from fresh perspectives.

However, it’s also true that the majority of recent Star Wars output – Mando season 3, Ahsoka , Obi-Wan Kenobi , parts of Boba Fett , both Tales animated series, The Bad Batch , etc. – is pitched directly at a specific kind of fan with love for and extensive knowledge of the Prequels and The Clone Wars animated series. Those fans tend to be millennials of a certain age who grew up with those films and, unfortunately, almost nobody else. So while some viewers cheer when Bo-Katan becomes the lead of The Mandalorian because they know her history with the Darksaber and Mandalore, others despair that the Western/ronin motifs faded away for The Clone Wars lore. It’s not just that the latter fans have no attachment to these characters. It’s that The Mandalorian and its spinoffs don’t really work to ingratiate The Clone Wars characters to those unfamiliar with them, instead aiming the storytelling directly at those nostalgic for The Clone Wars days.

To be sure, Star Trek has its own arcane references, as the opening shot of Picard ‘s premiere shows or the name “ Sybok ” coming up on Strange New Worlds . However, the most recent crop of Star Trek shows work because they aim for a wide range of audiences.

Prodigy is a kid’s show that picks up on plot threads from Voyager but primarily deals with a group of young aliens from different cultures learning to work together. Discovery is all big adventure and operatic emotion for fans whose introduction to the franchise was the J.J. Abrams movies. Strange New Worlds features classic characters from The Original Series and a return to philosophical conundrums, while Lower Decks makes in-jokes for long-time fans.

With the announcement of a Rey movie , Star Wars is taking steps in the right direction by making something for younger fans who grew up with the Sequel Trilogy , while The Mandalorian & Grogu is positioned to bring back to the big screen the Western aesthetic Original Trilogy fans loved so much from the first two seasons of the show. However those movies turn out (if they come out at all), the franchise would do well to remember its audience doesn’t consist of just one type of fan.

Star Trek TV creative head Alex Kurtzman said it best when talking about that universe’s approach to catering to different types of fans: “Our biggest thing has honestly been we don’t ever want our  Star Trek  shows to feel repetitive. We don’t want you to think that by watching  Discovery , you shouldn’t watch any of the other shows because you’re getting everything from that one show. Each show is different,” Kurtzman continues. “So for us, it’s not about doing one show that pleases everybody because that’s the surefire way to please nobody. It’s more about doing a bunch of different shows that speak to specific sections of the demographic.”

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Be Careful With Nostalgia

However, while Star Wars would do well to build on the worlds of all three trilogies, it should not simply focus on nostalgia. Yes, that does sound like a laughable suggestion from a Trek perspective, given the third season of Picard . However, Picard worked because it used nostalgia in exactly the same way that Star Wars fans rejected. When Luke Skywalker tosses the lightsaber at the start of The Last Jedi , he appalled many older fans of the Original Trilogy.

And yet, that’s very similar to how Star Trek treated Jean-Luc Picard in the widely-acclaimed final year of his solo series. While the first two seasons leaned too hard into tearing down the one-time paragon, the third season found the perfect balance. On the USS Titan, Picard showed signs of the leadership and wisdom that made him great on The Next Generation , but he also showed maturity and a willingness to learn. Throughout the third season, characters such as Geordi and Ro Laren aired reasonable grievances with Picard. And by hearing them and admitting his faults, faults that once made TNG audiences cheer, Picard grows into a more interesting character.

It was a pitch-perfect send-off that also gave way to the potential future of the franchise, with a new Enterprise christened and ready to set off on a new voyage. And it did what the Sequel Trilogy hoped to do: effectively passed on the torch to a new generation of Starfleet officers.

Contrast that treatment of Picard to one of the least controversial callbacks in recent Star Wars history. When Rey and Finn board the Millennium Falcon in The Force Awakens , they’re greeted by Han and Chewie, back to being the scoundrel smugglers they were in Episode IV , zero growth or change on display besides their age. Sure, Han will later briefly apologize to Kylo Ren for his failures as a father, but that’s never expressed visually on screen. And as nice as it is to see Harrison Ford call up the charisma that makes him great, his older Han is a cypher, just one more callback to the original Star Wars in a movie that plays like a cover song.

If Star Wars intends to build out its universe on the bones of the Skywalker Saga, then it needs to acknowledge that its popular characters have to grow and change over time. Rian Johnson had the right approach with Luke in The Last Jedi , whether certain fans warmed to the character’s new status quo or not. Of course Luke had to change, grow, and embrace new lessons, that’s how characters work, especially when the mission was clearly to pass the torch to the next trio of heroes. It’s too bad The Rise of Skywalker went back to playing the hits and embedding its next generation of heroes in a Star Wars story that had already been told countless times before.

Don’t Be Precious

For as much as it’s important to respect the growth of legacy characters over time, it’s also important to remember that these franchise are fundamentally fun and silly. Sure, we all have deep feelings about the interior lives of Morn from Deep Space Nine and Dexter Jettster from Attack of the Clones , but, you know, one is a Cheers nod and the other is a classic hash-slinger. So lighten up a bit.

Star Wars has certainly poked fun at itself with the Family Guy Blue Harvest episodes and Lego Star Wars specials. But the unaired Star Wars Detours still stands as a missed opportunity to indulge in the nerdy stuff while showing the funnier side of all that lore. If that’s a name you haven’t heard for a long time, Detours was a collaboration between Lucasfilm and the Robot Chicken team, resulting in the same irreverent but knowing humor of the latter show. Although the team completed 39 episodes, the series was “paused” in 2013 with none making it to air.

Many Star Wars fans consider Detours a lost grail, a feeling only increased by the success of Star Trek: Lower Decks , which makes fun of every single part of Trek lore, from the franchise’s tendency to set episodes in nondescript caves to the strange relationship between the reboot movies and the rest of the show. Absurd things that Star Trek would rather forget, including dumb merchandise and reusing actors for major roles, appear in Lower Decks .

Lower Decks has a great voice cast and strong storytelling beyond its gags, but it also works because the humor rewards people obsessed with Star Trek . There’s a communal aspect to getting a joke about Kzinti posture or cheering whenever Kurtwood Smith or J.G. Hertzler make a vocal appearance. It turns what could be one of the most toxic parts of fandom into something celebratory.

It could definitely be argued that certain Star Wars fans are perhaps a little too hung up on taking “the canon” seriously. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could also have a laugh about it every once in a while? Lower Decks shows that making fun of its universe is just another form of love.

Do a Musical

Quick, what’s the best Star Wars song? It’s probably “Yoda” by Weird Al Yankovic , maybe “The Saga Begins,” right? Something by Nerf Herder? The Yoda “Seagulls” song?

Now, what’s the best official Star Wars song? If we’re not counting the legendary John Williams scores, the possibilities get slim right away. I’m sure there are some real “jizz” music fans out there, but it doesn’t have the wider appeal of, say, a musical.

Look at the critical acclaim Star Trek received with its musical episode “ Subspace Rhapsody ” from the second season of Strange New Worlds . In that episode, an alien transmission forces the crew to sing out all of their thoughts, resulting in unlikely musical numbers, including Klingons doing their best BTS impression.

Even those who didn’t love “Subspace Rhapsody” (this writer, for example) have to admit that the episode did a lot to push the franchise into new territory with a completely different flavor of storytelling, all while highlighting a cast that includes Tony-nominated and Grammy-winner Celia Rose Gooding. “Subspace Rhapsody” further proves that Trek can handle a wide range of genres.

As a space opera, Star Wars lends itself to the over-the-top emoting that makes for a great musical. And while horrid entries, such as “Jedi Rocks” from the special edition of Return of the Jedi and “I’m Han Solo” from Kinect Star Wars Dancing , still haunt the nightmares of fans, it’d be nice to see the galaxy far, far away pull off something this bold in the future.

Return of the Good Sci-Fi

While it’s true we’ve largely favored Trek over Wars here, the fact of the matter is that the success of and shortcomings of the other are only temporary. Wars seems poised to right the ship by putting a Mandalorian movie in theaters, hopefully returning the focuse on breakouts Din Djarin and Baby Yoda. Moreover, Paramount seems to have nothing but terrible ideas in store for the future of Star Trek , including canceling Lower Decks , learning too heavily on the Section 31 corner of the universe, and making a wrongheaded origin film .

To be clear: neither franchise is inherently better than the other, and both have to deal with boardrooms whose pursuit of money can lead to terrible storytelling decisions. But some of the best entries in either franchise have come when one universe learns from the other, as demonstrated by the adventure-heavy Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and the philosophically-rich Andor .

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So as the fortunes of each franchise continue to change, we can only hope that the creatives behind our favorite stories will learn from each other. That’s the only way we’ll get more great art, whether we have to boldly go to find it or search a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

Joe George | @jageorgeii

Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!

Kirstie Alley Acted Unprofessionally On Star Trek II And She Knew It

N icholas Meyer's 1982 sci-fi flick "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" was the first major acting gig for Kirstie Alley. Up to that point, Alley had only appeared on the sci-fi sitcom "Quark" as well as a few game shows like "Match Game." Alley wasn't even wholly devoted to acting at that stage, treating it more like a side-hustle than a career. It wouldn't be until she started auditioning for "Star Trek II" that she decided to focus on acting exclusively.

The circumstances surrounding Alley's audition are rather tragic , sadly. In the middle of the process, her mom was killed in a car accident and her father was left seriously injured. She stayed next to her father's bedside and Paramount, rather surprisingly, let her take all the time she needed. She spoke to her comatose father every day, telling him all about how she wanted to be an actor now, and even showed him headshots she had made. In a miraculous twist, Alley's father not only pulled through but called her from the hospital one night to say he was proud she was going to be an actor.

Alley completed the audition process and secured the role of Saavik, the half-Romulan, half-Vulcan helm officer on the U.S.S. Enterprise and protégé of Spock (Leonard Nimoy). She was over the moon.

But when the day came to report to the set, Alley suddenly realized that she was just an amateur. She was surrounded by Nimoy and William Shatner, two professionals who had been acting for decades. They always had their lines memorized and always hit their marks. Alley, on the other hand ... didn't always do that. She spoke with StarTrek.com in 2016 , revealing how unprofessional she was during shooting (and how embarrassed she was about it).

Read more: The 21 Best Star Trek Original Series Episodes, Ranked

Kirstie Alley Was 'Unprepared' For Star Trek

The embarrassment didn't mean that Alley hated being there. Far from it. She enjoyed meeting her co-stars and acting across such an outsize personality as William Shatner. But acting with such pros highlighted how ill-prepared Alley was for performing professionally . In her own words:

"Well, I loved it. Bill is a mixed bag of tricks, which is funny. I think he thought at one point, 'Why the hell did they hire this girl, who's never done anything?' I wasn't so good at my lines, I will tell you. The repercussion for me never having acted before was that I wasn't the world's best at learning lines. And I was sort of irresponsible. I mean, if you want to know the honest truth, I would go out every night and celebrate that I got a job in a movie. So I would stay out too late, and then I would come in, let's call it 'unprepared.' That might be a polite way to say it."

While one can relate to Alley's impulse to have a celebratory cocktail every night (she landed a gig on "Star Trek" after all), it certainly wasn't a wise course of action for an actor who is playing a pretty large role in a major Hollywood production. Saavik was more than a mere supporting player, and Alley had many, many scenes. She learned the hard way that a time had to come to put down the cocktail shaker and actually delve into the script.

Alley's Costars Inspired Her To Step Up Her Game

Luckily, Shatner, Nimoy, and the rest of the "Star Trek" cast had been playing their parts since the '60s, and their assurance inspired Alley to step up. As she put it:

"[T]hey were all such pros. They know what the hell they're doing. Bill ... he's Captain Kirk, for God's sake. And Leonard was Spock. So they knew exactly what they were doing. Everyone was professional, probably except me."

Alley availed herself incredibly well. Saavik returned in "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" in 1984, but Alley was replaced by actor Robin Curtis . It seems that Alley was offered a chance to appear in "Star Trek III" but turned it down because Paramount offered her less money than she got for "Star Trek II." This was on top of the fact that Saavik's role was much larger in "Star Trek III." Alley didn't like the offer and walked away.

In 1983 and 1984, however, Alley's acting career took off in a big way. She appeared in films like "Champions," "Blind Date," and the sci-fi film "Runaways," while also securing a leading role on the short-lived TV series "Masquerade" and the miniseries "North and South." Then, 1987 saw her landing her sizable gig on the hit sitcom "Cheers," followed by her role in Amy Heckerling's mega-hit 1989 comedy "Look Who's Talking." She also worked with Carl Reiner, John Carpenter, and Woody Allen, and eventually produced her own hit TV series "Veronica's Closet." Alley had a wonderful career before passing away in 2022 at the age of 71.

Read the original article on SlashFilm

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‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Costume Designer Breaks Down Wedding Outfits, Progenitors Looks and New Starfleet Uniforms

By Scott Mantz

Scott Mantz

• ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Costume Designer Breaks Down Wedding Outfits, Progenitors Looks and New Starfleet Uniforms 1 week ago
• ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Team Built a ‘Museum Quality’ Enterprise D to Make Things as ‘Cinematic as Possible’ 1 year ago
• How ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Created the High-Tech Bridge of Its Newest Starship 1 year ago

After 65 episodes, “ Star Trek: Discovery ” boldly wrapped up its ambitious five-season run with “Life, Itself,” in which Captain Michael Burnham ( Sonequa Martin-Green) finally found the technology of the Progenitors that she and her crew had searched for, only to let it stay hidden after deeming that it too powerful to be in the hands of one civilization.

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After they were first introduced in a 1993 episode of “The Next Generation,” the Progenitors were finally revealed in “Life, Itself,” though with updated attire. As Tran explains, “I think costumes from the older shows look like they’re from the time from when the show originated, so our Progenitor had to feel a bit more ethereal. It became a lot about the materials we used, which had some metallic flax in it. That made it feel kind of amorphous, and the way it was cut was meant to be modern with a little cape, which also made it feel a little angelic. But the overall goal was just to make it feel as timeless as possible.”

As for the royal 32nd Century wedding between Saru and T’Rina, Tran found inspiration from another royal wedding, this one from the 20th Century. “My main reference point was Grace Kelly’s wedding to Prince Rainier. He was wearing his traditional thing, and then she came from Hollywood wearing her traditional thing.”

When it came to T’Rina’s wedding gown, which weighed 27 pounds, Tran went much further back into “Star Trek’s” past. “We looked at Vulcan weddings from ‘Star Trek’ canon. We looked at T’Pring times two. There’s T’Pring from ‘The Original Series’ [from the 1967 episode ‘Amok Time’] and there’s T’Pring from ‘Strange New Worlds’ [from the 2023 episode ‘Charades’]. In the ’60s show, there was a metallic trim that ran down her dress, and then a similar idea that was updated for “Strange New Worlds.”

Tran further explains, “We also looked at ‘Enterprise,’ where the character T’Pol also had a Vulcan wedding [in the 2004 episode ‘Home’]. She had a veil perched on her head, but our version is much more dramatic and sculptural, and we used tent wire to make it as big as possible. Otherwise, the dress was very much inspired by Grace Kelly’s wedding dress. It’s just the 32nd Century version of that mixed with Vulcan.”

Soon after filming wrapped on the fifth season in November of 2022, Tran got a call from “Discovery” showrunner Michelle Paradise. “She said that this is going to be our final season, but we’re coming back, and we’re shooting this coda that will flash forward to the future. I’m going to send you the script pages, and then you’ll get to work. I had a little over a month to prep for that.”

About a third of Tran’s 65-person wardrobe department returned for the coda, which was filmed over just three days in the spring of 2023. A new time frame meant new Starfleet uniforms for now-Admiral Michael Burnham and her son, Captain Leto. “You can’t alter the look of the uniforms too much, and you can’t really change the color,” says Tran. “You also can’t do much with the silhouette. The shape is what it is, so it became more about putting it together in a way that felt interesting.”

Tran did just that by drawing inspiration from the look of two classic “Star Trek” eras. “We really wanted to honor ‘Discovery,’ but we also wanted to pay tribute to the ‘Star Trek’ legacy as a whole, so I looked at other uniforms. One was from ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,’ those red uniforms. That was definitely the reference for Burnham, and we wanted it to be as bold as possible. We did two shades in our version. One is a darker shade, and there’s a lighter shade, just to give it some contrast, especially with the way we were sewing it.”

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