Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Theme of Friendship

We don't tune in to see vast star fields or alien planets, or even spaceships blasting each other into dust. We watch it to see these great characters have an adventure together.

In order words, Star Trek is about a great group of friends, and The Wrath of Khan is nothing if not a celebration of just how far these friends will go for each other. They even have a couple of new buddies along for the ride. They may have some Wrath to face, but you can be 100% sure they're not facing it alone.

Questions about Friendship

  1. How does the friendship of the Enterprise crew counteract Khan's authoritarian power structure?
  2. How are Saavik, Terrell and Dr. Marcus (both of them) friends to the classic Trek crew in this movie?
  3. In what ways does friendship make our heroes stronger? In what ways does it make them more vulnerable?
  4. How do we see friendship on display in the film's dialogue, not just the action?

Chew on This

Take a peek at these thesis statements. Agree or disagree?

Friendship is what finally allows the crew of the Enterprise to defeat Khan.

Friendship makes the Enterprise more vulnerable and leaves them unprepared for Khan's assault.