Writers: John and Marie Jose Tenuto / Titan Books / HC
18th December 2023 (Released 5th September 2023)
Review by Paul Dunne
The Pitch: Forty years ago, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan saw Kirk and the U.S.S. Enterprise crew face one of the greatest foes in Star Trek history, Khan Noonien Singh, as well as the death of Spock. Celebrate this landmark anniversary by taking a deep dive into the stories behind this iconic science fiction classic. This beautiful coffee-table book is full to the brim with rare and previously unpublished archival material, behind-the-scenes photography, production art, cut scenes, script extracts, and much more, alongside new and exclusive interviews with the creatives, including director Nicholas Meyer.
Call yourself what you like: Geek, nerd, or fan: regardless of how you label yourself or which pool of obsession you Stan in, some things are just universally true. Han should always shoot first, Year One is the best-ever Batman storyline, and...
The Wrath of Khan is the best Star Trek film.
Look, I don't make the rules. It's a natural law. 41 years on from its release, fans are still in love with this film. With each new generation that sees it, the admiration for TWOK (as those of us in the know call it, honest) just grows and grows. I'm not sure I've ever met a Star Trek fan that doesn't love it. And hey, I've worked in two comic shops - I've met A LOT of Star Trek fans! I'm a fairly casual Trek fan myself, but I like the movies. And I watch this at least once a year. It's the perfect boys-own adventure, a mix of sci-fi, moral exploration, and nautical leanings. It just hits so many of the right notes for science-fiction buffs.
Over the years, the enthusiasm I have for the film has been renewed and revivified many times over, first through meeting other fans, then via different editions of James Horner's incredible score being released. Later, the release of the Director's Cut caused a lot of excitement, at least in my house amongst, well, me. And I often find myself looking through magazine back issue bins searching for articles on the making of the film. Although, with the release of this book, I think I can finally give up that part of my hobby. And with good reason.
The Tenuto's may have written one the best 'Making Of' books in the history of the medium. Obviously, the passion fans share for the subject matter goes part of the way to helping that. But their writing on this is excellent. Over the book's hefty 192 pages, they present a complete and thorough history of the film. As I mentioned before, I've been collecting trivia, lore, and information on this film for years, and the Tenuto's have turned up so much new material on this, they could have filled twice the page count. Their style is depth of information, but brevity of flourish. They don't waste time inserting their viewpoint. They give you facts in a warm, interesting voice that clearly loves the subject they're chronicling. They have a knowledge of sci-fi and the ephemera it generates and as I understand it, are foremost experts on the Star Wars radio dramas. They bring a scholarly insightful tone to this book that makes it a breeze to get through.
The book settles long-standing misconceptions about the film, including answering the mystery of its origins as a TV Film. The early drafts of the script are given a detailed synopsis, allowing us to get a glimpse of how the ideas evolved. Nicholas Meyer was working from several different versions of the script, honing the ideas and working in the nautical references that made this film so unique, exciting, and comforting. What is most striking is the idea that the film's creation was built on a shoestring, yet every single person involved aspired to create art out of a kind of austerity. And that's the kind of art you get when there is real passion behind the project.
And passion is certainly something that shines through in this book. There's a genuine sense of enjoyment across the board with the cast and crew. Whilst it is more for Trek fans than film fans – you do need to have a sense of what Trek is about before diving into something of this level of detail, the Tenuto's make it easy to get to grips with the key players and events. There's still time to get this for Christmas, so start dropping hints now, or just treat yourself. This, like the film it chronicles, is something you'll return to for years to come.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – The Making of the Classic Film is available from Amazon now in the US and Canada, from Mighty Ape and Booktopia in Australia and New Zealand, and from Forbidden Planet in the UK and the rest of the world.
