Star Trek can't escape the 'other guys', can they? Even after all these years, the only true rival to Star Trek's dominance across the decades with regard to the sci-fi realm is Star Wars. The Disney-owned property may have more casual fans and stronger support for their film releases, but the quality is constantly in dispute. Both brands offer up some exciting and fresh stories regardless of the decade and both have some flops we wish didn't exist.
Yet, these are not just two brands bound together due to decades of existence next to one another. No, not at all. They share more than just the first name of their franchise. They share an interwoven fate that seems to have affected one another on a regular basis.
In one of the more noteworthy moments, comes the story of how Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi caused Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan to change its name. Screenrant recently brought this story back to the zeitgeist and we're glad they did because this story is a bit wild when you think of it.
For those who want a quick summary, Star Trek's second film had trouble finding a name to go with it. The film name for the sixth film, "The Undiscovered Country" was the idea that Star Trek II director Nick Meyer wanted, but the studio eventually went with "The Revenge of Khan".
At the time, the third Star Wars film was further into production than the second Star Trek film and the rumor around the dirt sheets was that it was to be titled "Revenge of the Jedi". Fearing there'd be too much brand confusion, Star Trek changed the name of their film to "The Wrath of Khan", only to later find out that Star Wars changed their title as well to "Return of the Jedi".
Brand recognition is such a major aspect of promotion and Star Trek did the right thing to pre-emptively change the name of their. So many times people confuse the two franchises by accident, just the same way a confused parent could call an Xbox or PlayStation a "Nintendo" just because of brand recognition.
Heck, I bet someone you know today asked someone they knew to hand them a Kleenex. It's what people call them, even though their proper names are 'facial tissues'. Brand recognition matters when promoting products, even films. Star Trek was smart to deviate from the title for the sake of some individuality, and not try to compete directly with Star Wars.
Because of that, I do think the title convinced fans to check out the film. Moreover, it allowed Star Trek to easily refer to the film as just "Wrath of Khan", instead of something more obtuse like The Second Star Trek Motion Picture. It was a good idea then and should the issue ever emerge now, it's a good idea now.
Some will be mad that Star Trek 'bowed' to Star Wars popularity, but they are a bigger franchise on occasion than Star Trek. Maybe it doesn't have the same sustaining power week to week that Star Trek has, but a Star Wars film used to be a monumental, social event, that touched billions.
One can't say the same for Star Trek. So knowing that and being willing to change things like that is and will always remain a good thing.