Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is one of the most well-loved films in the entire original series franchise, and for good reason. The return of Ricardo Montalban as Khan, a mature, confident Admiral Kirk, and that ending? No Star Trek fan can watch it without tearing up!
While the teaser at the very end of the film hints at a sequel (and how great is it to listen to Leonard Nimoy speak the Star Trek intro? I always get chills), and we fans knew we’d see Spock again, there’s a B plot that should have continued on in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock—Pavel Chekov’s trauma with the Ceti eels.
There was time during The Search for Spock
During the first quarter of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, the B plot seems to center around Savvik, David, and regenerated Spock. Then the focus shifts to the crew stealing the Enterprise. Instead of giving Chekov nothing to do but say “wessel” and dress him like a choral member from Anastasia, they could have layered this thin story by sharing his trauma with Sulu, Uhura, or even both.
A great deal of Star Trek’s ideals lie in the human condition and the human experience. The tension of stealing the Enterprise is great cinema, but it doesn’t say much about how Starfleet officers carry the pain, grief, and fear they accumulate during their careers.
Who was that guy? (Or, where in the galaxy is Pavel Chekov?)
I suppose all the characters in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan walked away with their fair share of pain: Scotty loses his young nephew, and Enterprise cadet Peter, when Khan attacks them with the Reliant, Chekov loses his friend, the captain, and his ship, where he was first officer, and everyone loses Spock. But for him to never mention the experience with the Ceti eels again? It creates a distance between the two movies for me and drains Chekov of his personality—almost anyone could have filled his role.
I know, I know: The screenplay writers can’t possibly include everything, and that’s what fanfiction is for. Perhaps I’m a bit biased because I’ve always had a soft spot in my fandom heart for Pavel Chekov, and to deny him any story continuity feels disrespectful.
Do you have a different opinion? Come on over to our Facebook and let us know!