Enterprise vs Reliant - Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan 

Factoid: Ricardo Montalban volunteered to discount his salary to 100K so the film's budget could accommodate all the expensive FX features it needed. He enjoyed playing Khan so much the role wasn't about money for him.

Whether you’re a Trekkie or not, I honestly believe this is one of the best movies ever made, an absolute masterpiece.

That epic score! R.I.P. James Horner. legend

Hard to believe Kirstie Allie is gone now. Love this movie.

Even after 40yrs this sequence raises the hairs on the back of my neck. And Kirks "here it comes" line so dryly delivered....just greatness.

Khan's crew looks like a 80s rock band.

By today's standards, this was filmed on a ridiculously small budget, yet it is widely regarded as the best Star Trek film ever made. There is a lesson to be learned here!

This movie is 40 years old this year....first movie I went to by myself and walked home....pure magic, favorite star trek movie by far.

Let’s not overlook the main lesson here: The entire event could’ve been avoided had Kirk simply raised the shields like regulations stated. Saavik was right. 😐

This is how you create drama. Instead of keeping secrets from the audience to try to surprise them, keep secrets from the characters to build the tension.

An unsung hero is James Horner’s score through this entire scene. It’s subconsciously telling us the story without any words. One of my favourite movie scores of all time.

This movie single-handedly saved the franchise

The best Star Trek movie ever. I found out recently that Ricardo shot all his footage in a totally different sound stage due to his Fantasy Island schedule being so tight. This plus the pay cut he took (that someone else mentioned) gives me loads of respect for the man.

Still the best of all Star Trek movies. Sorry J.J but this is the real Khan.

Sulu: "Sir, you did it." Kirk: "I did nothing. Just got caught with my britches down. Saavik, you go right on quoting regulations." Love that last line.

My favourite scene from this film is Kirk’s eulogy for Spock: “Of my friend, I can only say this. Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most human.” Shatner’s voice breaking in the last phrase was acting perfection.

As soon as Khan took command of the Reliant he upgraded the Captain's chair with Fine Corinthian Leather ;)

The music to this scene is incredible

Montalban was underrated as an actor, he was magnificent here.

When I watched this scene for the first time in a packed theater, everyone went nuts. It was an awesome moment.

RIP Ricardo Montalban, DeForest Kelley, and Leonard Nimoy :(

Ricardo Montalban gave a yeoman's performance as Khan. Excellent actor.

Horner's is on another level here. Just perfection of an score

Movies like this one prove that it is not required to have amazing special effects to make a great movie. All that is required are engaging characters and great storytelling.

Ricardo Montalban did not play Khan. He freakin' MADE Kahn and no matter what great (or horrible) actor you try to replace him with or how great (or awful) a script you give for him to be in, it will never be the same. RIP Mr. Montalban, you were underrated and amazing.

This is still my favorite Star Trek movie. Everything about it embodies an excellent drama. Even though I've seen this movie too many times to count, this scene still had me on the edge of my seat. I remember seeing this with my father in theaters when I was just a young pup.

"Stand by to receive our transmission" Kirk's smug grin when he says this is beautiful, he knows he's already won

Arguably the best Star Trek film. This scene is one of it's best moments.

I'd forgotten how achingly lovely Kirsty Ally was. What a beauty.

for 1982 this movie STILL kicks ass imo =)

A great depiction of Kirk's edge being dulled by sitting in an office for so many years. As soon as Spock said "Their shields are going up", Kirk should've seen what was coming and raised the Enterprise's shields. That small moment of indecision cost his crew a lot.

I remember watching this in a VHS cassette together with my dad back in the 80s ... And I recall how captivated my old man was by this scene with the Reliant and Enterprise going side to side so when captain Kirk says "raise shields" my father stood up from the chair shouting "too late you idiot! too late!!" :D ... oh well. R.I.P dad

An amazing fact is that Ricardo Montalban is saying all his lines to a script girl, he never was face to face with William Shatner in a single scene.

In my opinion, Wrath of Khan was the best Star Trek movie ever made.

i remember watching this in the theater in the early 80s, and the audience was literally on its feet shouting and cheering during this scene.. James Horner's score, like that of the original Star Wars, made this movie come alive..

The scene from 4:09 to 4:19, with the music as the Reliant is circling around, just leaves chills in me. Truly this fight is a classic submarine vs. submarine battle in space. Such an awesome scene in an awesome movie.

Makes me think of a sick day from school when I was in the 7th grade way back in 1984. I had the house to myself and this was on HBO around 10am. I wasn't that sick and enjoyed this movie thoroughly! Some good times back in the 80s!

I swear Montalban absolutely relished his part. When I was a little kid I saw Khan as a genuinely scary character. Looking at it with grown up eyes, you see how he really made this part his own.

"Khan, how do I know you'll keep your word?" "Oh, I've given you no word to keep, Admiral. In my judgement, you simply have no alternative."

I remember watching this with my mom as a kid dreaming of the future. I just want to go back to the past at this point

No body could deliver a line with as much threat, rage, and sheer class combined as Khan. Probably one of the greatest villains in SciFi history.

A big part of why that sequence works is James Horner's great music. It really builds the suspense and excitement: "Time's up Admiral!" "Here it comes." Looove it.

Masterclass in film making right here. Every part is expertly done- flawless. Even the special effects hold up to this day. Modern day Trek directors need to re-watch it (or watch it for the first time) and take notes...

38 years and I never get tired of this scene. The best part is the way the music comes in when Spock says "Reliant?"

3.08.. where the trainee is screaming he can't breath and you hear Scotty shouting 'Use your respirators' Love that little moment showing the difference between an untested trainee and a veteran.

Love the score in this scene. "And its very cold in space . . . ." Cuts to a shot outside of the ship in space, the horns and strings shriek so violently, makes the hairs on your arms stand up and gives you the chills.

8:13 "In my judgement you simply have no alternative" said with such charisma!

Unquestionably the best of the Star Trek films. This is the film that introduced the Kobayashi Maru scenario and this scene shows us Kirk's character and why he was given special commendation for cheating on the test: James T. Kirk never gives up. Here he is totally beaten in a surprise attack, forced to beg for mercy, but he's still fighting, still leading his crew, still trying to win. And then he does win and Khan is forced to retreat. When later Kirk says to Savok "I don't believe in the no-win scenario" the audience knows it's true, because we've seen it.

That head on close up of Reliant is stunning! These models were so well photographed by ILM in this film.

One of the finest film sequences of all time, a combination of an incredible music score and performances from all contribute to an amazing performance. The line "Here it comes" is delivered with chilling understatement...

No matter how many times i see this film, when spock calls kirk his friend, just before he passes away saving the enterprise always gets me, pure emotion, 😢

I still watch this in amazement to this day. I can recite this scene word for word before the words are spoken. This was perfect and the Score of this scene is also phenomenal. The music really builds the tension during Khan's attack. I have watched this many many times and I love it.

The best star trek movie of all. Epic.

Still one of THE best cinematic duels ever put to film.

My favorite sequence of any Star Trek production. The special effects were not as good as Star Wars at the time, but the intellectual battle, the exact detail that allowed the Enterprise to escape, and the subtleties of character make this sequence just epic. I loved it as a kid, and I still love it today. And the music - it could not have been better.

Despite being from 1983 this movie still absolutely stands up in the visuals. Ive always loved how star trek phasers look impacting a hull.

"Don't insult my intelligence, Kirk". Badass line and Ricardo's performance.

And just before he appeared on the viewer, Khan exhorted his crew, "Smiles, everyone, smiles!"

Y'know, the chaos in Engineering after the Reliant's first phaser hits on the Enterprise, the airtight bulkheads slowly closing, the engineering crew and Scotty donning respirators...it's among the most "naval-feeling" scenes in ST history. It's the engine-room crew of a World War II cruiser that's just taken a torpedo hit and is sealing off watertight doors to prevent flooding and struggling to keep up steam and electrical power and keep the ship afloat and fighting, while the men frantically scramble not to get caught on the wrong side of those doors lest they die. ST's very rarely gritty and realistic but that scene is about as close as they ever got.

Everything here is perfect. The performances, the dialogue, James Horner's absolutely brilliant score, etc. But, what I think really makes this, is the editing. The cutting is flawless. The seamless transitions, they perfectly highten the tension. Couple that with Horner's perfect score, and you have a damn near perfect scene. I especially like the shift in tone as Reliant's phasers start to slice open Enterprise's hull. Like her arteries are being opened. You can feel her bleeding.

Ricardo Montalban is amazing... And made this one of my favorite Star Trek movies ever... Epic!

"We are one big happy fleet".

I WAS 15 YEARS OLD WHEN THIS CAME OUT. I DREW THE ENTERPRISE ALL WEEK AFTER SEEING THIS MOVIE. THIS AND ST3 ARE AWESOME.

This whole scene is so perfect. The acting, the story, the effects, the brilliant score from James Horner.

0:37 when Reliant comes right at the screen with that furious music playing...absolute perfection!

I love it when Kirk tells Khan, "Here it comes." The ultimate wink and a nod FU.

The fact that it was Spock who shut down Saavik when she was quoting the regs is mind-blowing.

What a wonderful film. I saw an unfinished work print of it several months before it was released. Expectations were not high, given the mixed reception of the first film and the fact that this picture was on a lower budget. It had a temporary soundtrack, the viewscreens were all blue (or green, I can't recall exactly), it had a temporary soundtrack (Brainstorm, some Prokofiev, and even some Superman cues, if my memory is correct), and many special effects scenes simply had storyboard art in its place. At the time, the ending had not quite been worked out. At the point where Kirk tells Scottie that they've got two minutes before Geneisis blows (or whatever), the screen went blank. Only a few people were in attendance at the small screening room and all were blown away; we knew it was going to be a big hit. You can imagine, however, the anticipation of being teased with its incompletion and 15 minutes of its ending completely absent! The picture played alongside Rocky III and Firefox in the early part of what ended up being a fanstastic summer at the movies. It thrilled audiences who came back to see it multiple times and became one of the highest regarded films of the franchise. I still get chills seeing this scene.

Might be the best 10 minutes in Science Fiction film history.

Khan's face when their shields are lowered.

Absolutely the best 10 minutes in Star Trek history....

To this day, the score for this movie still gives me chills! A true masterpiece of a film with an epic score

Be FAR and STILL the best Trek film to day, why the hell can't they get it right now???? RIP James Horner - Should of got an Oscar for this score.....

I don't care if Ricardo was over the top. He was awesome.

This scene is an all time favorite. Excellent actors. Compelling storyline. Building up of tension. Amazing music perfectly captures the mood or feel of the scene.

Almost ten minutes of goosebumps, from the acting to the twists and Horner's superb score. This bit sums up what makes Star Trek's space battles so fun.

ricardo montalban shouldve got 500 oscars for this role

I cannot watch this enough. This movie rocked!

One of the greatest movies ever made , sci-fi or otherwise.

The scariest part is, I read that Ricardo M. was NOT wearing a muscle suit. That was his real physique.

Best of the Trek movies. The great, suave, foreign (and thus, to Americans, innately sinister) actor Ricardo Montalban chews up the scenery as 20th-Century megalomaniac Khan Noonien Singh. Seeing he and Shatner together on-screen is a real treat.

Despite it's slow tempo, this is one of the tensest moments in all of Star Trek.

I love this scene. No matter what anyone says about these ships you can see that they serve double-duty as WARSHIPS. Both ships have a great deal of toughness and firepower.

What I loved is how it showed that raw intelligence isn't a substitute for training and experience. Khan knows what he should be doing at the strategic level, but he has no real clue how Reliant really works. An new, but experienced captain might have changed the prefix codes, and known how to override the console to get Reliant under control. Khan didn't even realise that it was possible to using the computer to take over another Starfleet computer. He didn't realise that every second he gave Kirk was one more second for Kirk to get Enterprise to do things still beyond the obvious weapons/running, and every second was a second that Scotty could use for damage control. If Khan had more experience, he would have realised just what a dedicated Starfleet engineering team could do. In contrast, once they get their heads back in the game, Kirk, Spock and Sulu quickly understand what the plan is and how to execute it.

James Horner's score to the scene elevated it to classic status for sure.

One of the cool things in this battle is the way the ships are capable of taking abuse. Even with the shields down they don't just blow up. It takes sustained damage to disable them, making it a battle of tactics and attrition.

I was born in 1999 I will always love this version of khan better. Old star trek just had the best stories and great acting by actors.

I remember how awesome it looked on the theater screen when Reliant passed over Enterprise, seeing the shadow passing over the saucer section almost made me flinch. BEST TREK MOVIE EVER!!!!!

i remember the feeling in the theater when the enterprise started firing it was a feeling of elation it was like everybody knew the franchise was back BIGTIME THIS WAS STAR TREK THE WAY IT SHOULD BE

What can you say, such a tight piece of film making. Shatner the Ham putting in his most subtle performance (despite the KHAAAN!) and Montalban chewing the scenery in all right places. Its a real theatrical film. Its what annoys me about the efforts to recapture it (Nemesis, Into Darkness) they attempt a literal translation of a space battle in a nebula and a grudge without bothering to consider the emotional motivation. That and Montalban quoting Moby Dick and Paradise Lost is just badass.

There's Star Wars, then there's Star Trek. There's just something about Star Trek that clearly overpowers anything Star Wars can throw.

This is perhaps the absolute best scene of any Trek story, and one of the best battle scenes of all time. Never give up, never surrender.

One of the best space battles ever put to film.

What's great about this scene is seeing two old adversaries using their cunning and experience to get the better of each other rather than just slugging it out. Each one makes moves and mistakes that are understandable and not plot contrivances. Kirk is too trusting at the beginning and gets hit whereas Khan in his haste for revenge overlooked changing the codes or learning everything about his commandeered ship.

This movie is simply perfection!. From the story telling, to the acting, to the special effects, to James Hormers Incredible score!. This is how you make a Star Trek movie and to introduce a forgiving villain!.

I love how they ended this scene with “Enterprise will wait... she’s not going ANYWHERE!”. That really re-emphasizes for the audience, after Kirk’s comeback, just how badly damaged the ship is.

GOD DAMN! One of the best space battles ever put to film.

Khan: "Oh Kirk, dear Kirk...don't you know I've already won? Because I am the MOST MEMORABLE VILLIAN IN ALL OF STAR TREK!"

"Time is a luxury you don't have unlike Rich Corinthian Leather, which is very luxurious."

The musical score for this movie, and Star Trek III, is incredible.