Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan remains a staple of the franchise over 40 years after its release. It showcased the true pinnacle of what a Star Trek film could be when given a chance to flex its muscles. It started a run of pretty successful films that would last until 2016. Not every film was as good as Wrath of Khan, though a few came close or nearly surpassed it.
Others have their own charm, even if they aren't the most loved films in the franchise. Still, even if you think a film or two has surpassed Wrath of Khan, what can't be denied is that Wrath of Khan established a proof of concept for how to succeed with Star Trek films. It was so important to the franchise and entertainment as a whole, that it's going into the Library of Congress's National Film Registry.
So in honor of that unique distinction, we're going to run through five things you probably didn't know about the film.
Saavik was supposed to be half-Romulan
In The Wrath of Khan, Kirstie Alley played Saavik, a half-Vulcan, half-Romulan character. Her existence alone could have caused some concern with the continuity, as only a few decades earlier did Starfleet and presumably Vulcans find out that Romulans were related to Vulcans genetically. Making it a stretch that she would've been conceived in the first place.
Still, that's not why director Nicholas Meyer cut the revelation. Instead, so the story goes, Meyer didn't believe her being half-Romulan added anything to the character, nor did the revelation make anything matter more. Which is actually fair. The revelation that she was half-Romulan was in a now-deleted scene in which Spock addresses her early in the film. It was a relatively lowkey line that didn't add much to the way of the character of the plot.
Still, there's something to be said about a story involving that twist but handled in a more significant manner that bears being revisited.