TMT: “The Wrath of…Who?”
This is the next entry in a Theatre… a Movie… and a Time, a series begun right here. As mentioned before, at one time I had a list of movies compiled with my initial, and usually, first-run experience with them. Turned out I didn’t need it. The internet would supply the impetus and order for bringing them forward. Yesterday, StarTrek.com did just that. By noting the 32nd year anniversary of what I believe is the best movie in their venerable Science-Fiction franchise.
“I have been and always shall be your friend.”
Theatre
Movie
Time
June 5, 1982: Having watched the Star Trek TV series as a kid, from its mid-60s inception, I’ve been hooked. The original, before they ever tagged descriptors at the tail end — The Next Generation this, Deep Space that, etc. No doubt nurtured by the classic Sci-Fi/Monster flicks of the 50s I’d watched on my grandmother’s black & white set in her living room whenever possible.
I’d even take in its Animated Series follow-up the next decade over, which played on Saturday morning television, a year after graduating high school. Such was my commitment to the breakthrough program. That, and the continual loop of syndicated reruns sealed my fate to Gene Roddenberry’s gem of an idea. I think my grandmother exasperatingly asked if I was watching the whole thing…yet again.
So by the time Paramount released Star Trek: The Motion Picture in ’79, you had to know where I’d be. Dragging she-whose-name-who-must-not-be mentioned to this. The R.N. I’d been dating at the time. Flash-forward three years, we’re now living together. Me attempting to cajole her into going on another Star Trek movie jaunt. “No.”, came her reply this time.
Deriding the whole Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan sequel endeavor (see title). Not wanting to stand in line once more for a two-hour plus movie she’d find boring. I assured her its runtime was less than that — having called the National Theatre‘s box office to verify. A venue I knew she enjoyed. My begging knew no bounds when it came to Star Trek. Or the Saturday night, after the film’s Friday release, I planned.
Promised her dinner anywhere in Westwood Village she wanted, quickly calculating the balance on my credit card as I said it. As long as we got there early enough to get into the ticket line, I added. There’s a mien she doled out that I’d grown accustomed to by now. The, You-Owe-Me-One, look, which resulted. She’d not complain about this Star Trek. Nor say anything about my eyes blinking back tears by the end.
Being a nurse and all, she probably was well aware of my darn Spring allergies, I reckoned.
The entire TMT series can be found here. If you’re interested how it’s put together, click here.
It Rains... You Get Wet 
14 Responses to “TMT: “The Wrath of…Who?””
So were you sitting in front of me or behind me. I was there on the Saturday the movie opened, in this theater, about the 20th row in the center. Tears were falling. It was one of the few times I ventured to Westwood for an opening weekend. Usually I was a Hollywood guy (Westwood being too close to that place-who-shall not-be-named).
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Wow! That’s great! We were near the back, by the left aisle. She-whose-name-who-must-not-be mentioned was running a little slow, so we were lined further back in the line on Gayley. Still my favorite ST movie! Thanks, Richard 🙂
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[…] Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – I gotta tell ‘ya, my throat was so sore keeping it together with my date at the time when I first saw this in theaters. And don’t get me started on what J.J. Abrams […]
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Damn those allergies! LOL
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True! 😉
Thanks, Fernando 🙂
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KHAAAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!!!
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And you’ve got to have William Shatner delivering that line! 😉
Thank you very much 🙂
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Man I still need to see this one! I was planning on it after seeing the last Star Trek movie. Fun story as always Michael!
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Oh, yes, Ruth. This remains my favorite of all the Star Trek films. Many thanks 🙂
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Never saw Wrath of Khan in the theater. However, my memory of the first Trek film in the theater is vivid. I actually won two free tickets to see an advanced screening of it from a local McDonalds.
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Wow! Now that was a great prize to win. ST: The Motion Picture was quite an event movie, especially for Star Trek fans. Welcome and thanks so much for the read and comment 🙂
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Great story and post! Still remember when I first saw it in The Bronx. I dragged my step-brother to go see it and he even enjoyed despite not liking Star Trek or Star Wars (It was too geeky for him, lol). Nice work 🙂
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Great to hear, Vic. It’s amazing how many times the people we drag to the movie theater actually enjoy themselves. Many thanks, my friend. 🙂
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[…] friend and blogger Richard Kirkham, who unbeknownst to me at the time was at the very same screening I attended in Westwood Village thirty-five years ago, wrote wistfully about then and of the most recent showing for the best Star […]
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