Star Trek II - IV: The Spock Trilogy - 10 Things You Never Knew

The Wrath of Khan had the largest Trek battle in the franchise to that point as the Enterprise and the Reliant engage in a dogfight in the Mutara Nebula. This came from Nicholas Meyer wanting to show the military capability of the Starfleet crew. Here was a group of veterans being threatened by a man who, while genetically superior, was nowhere near as experienced as them. Phasers were fired and parts of both ships exploded, killing many on both sides. Fires rage through torpedo bays and beams fall from bridge ceilings.

This was exciting Trek in a way that hadn't been shown before. The Motion Picture had opted for admittedly beautiful artistic shots but very little energy. The Original Series had always been hampered by its budget and so nothing on this skill could have been attempted. With the reuse of some shots from the previous film and the creation of new fly-bys, the Wrath of Khan remains one of the most striking films in the franchise.

And of course, Spock's sacrifice. While the ship has been almost crippled by Khan, and the Genesis device counts down, Nimoy gets his wish and Spock heroically sacrifices himself to save the ship. But, there was an issue. Nimoy requested Spock's death and then changed his mind. But the script had been written. So, a teaser ending was shot, showing Spock's casket resting on the surface of the newly created Genesis planet. Could we be seeing a return of the beloved character?