Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan Online Analysis

analysis
#142

Well, my point is bigger than that. The problem is, though Kirk has lured Khan into the nebula to make them even, they can only fly around blindly trying to get a lucky shot in when they happen to come across each other – Pursuit is not a sound strategy. Spock analyzes Khan’s movements and suggests a way to Avoid Khan finding them so the Enterprise can get a clean shot before Khan knows they’re there.

But, the problem is Kirk’s Problem as MC is also Avoidance. That’s a trickier one. Kirk’s problem is that he is Pursuing his career according to conventional thinking, being promoted from captain to admiral and given the opportunity the shape the minds of the next generation (cough) of Starfleet officers. He must Avoid his retirement and return to his “first, best destiny” to gain peace.

Are we sure we don’t want to look at Preconception as the MC Issue again? I’m not really buying this.

#143

I would argue that the nebula sequence is not the climax of the story, so we’re still in the symptom / response mode. The climax is when Khan initiates the genesis device and they have to get out of the blast radius.

From my understanding, problem / solution only makes itself clear at the climax, at the moment of truth.

#144

Ha! I did get it but I got it too late.

#145

Don’t know if anybody else is interested, but I’d like to write up a complete Dramatica analysis of Wrath of Khan, going over all of the appreciations, down to the plot sequence, in an effort to get a better grasp of the theory. To that end, I’ve worked out some of the appreciations already and was hoping others might chime in to make the process less painful.

So far, this is what I have:

WRATH OF KHAN

CHARACTER DYNAMICS
Resolve: Change: In the opening scenes, Kirk feels old and doesn’t want to even think about his birthday. By the end, he feels young and full of possibility.

Growth: Stop: We’re waiting for Kirk to stop feeling old.

Approach: Do-er: Kirk is a man of action who shoots his way out of any problem.

Style: Linear: He is a linear thinker, working out problems step by step.

PLOT DYNAMICS
Driver: Action: The first step that puts the story in motion is the two start fleet officers running into the super humans and ends with the detonation of the genesis device.

Limit: Optionlock: The movie ends once they’re run out of options, once the leader of the super humans is dead.

Outcome: Success: The leader of the super humans is stopped and the science team successfully tests their device.

Judgement: Good: The main character overcome his personal problems.

OVERALL STORY
Domain: Activity: a space battle

Concern: Obtaining: The super humans seek to break free from exile. Their leader seeks revenge for the death of his wife by killing the man who cast them on the dying planet in the first place. The scientists seek to create habitable worlds for the federation. The cadets seek to earn the approval of their superiors.

Issue: Self Interest: Everyone in the story is interested in fulfilling their personal needs. The admiral wants to run a starship and feel good about himself. The leader of the super humans wants the satisfaction of seeing his life long enemy dead. The science team wants to find a suitable planet to test their device on. The cadets want to move up in starfleet ranks.

Problem: Pursuit: The science team insists on starfleet finding a suitable planet devoid of any life and will not rest until they succeed, leading two officers to run into their mortal enemy. The leader of the super humans seeks to find his life long enemy and ends up having to kill himself in the attempt. The engineering cadet holds his post while under attack and ends up dying because of it. The science team maintains the location of their research a secret and end up being slaughtered.

Solution: Avoidance: Had the science team eased off on their insistence on a perfectly dead planet, the two officers would never have run into their mortal enemy. Had the leader of the super human avoided pursuing his mortal enemy, he would’ve lived. Had the engineering cadet run when under attack, he would’ve lived to take over after his uncle retired. Had the science team avoided upsetting the leader of the super humans, there’s a chance he would’ve spared their lives. During the climax, the crew of the starship survives the wrath of the super human by running away.

Symptom: Control: The leader of the super humans takes control of the two starfleet officers by placing mind control bugs in their ears. The science team believes that starfleet, under orders of the admiral, is going to take over control of their research. The super humans quickly take the upper hand in the initial space battle and eventually take control of the science research.

Response: Uncontrolled: The crew of the Enterprise takes over control of the Reliant’s shields, rendering them vulnerable to attack. The starfleet officers speak in code, “by the book” as they scramble minutes into hours, hours into days, and days into weeks. The Enterprise enters a nebula and renders all of starship instruments inoperable.

Catalyst: Approach: The super human’s ruthlessness leads them to learn about the science project. Using trickery saves the crew of the enterprise. The methodical approach of the science team, building their project step by step, gives the starfleet officers a renewed sense of hope.

Inhibitor: Obligation: The starfleet officers and scientists keep their mouths shut when they first encounter the super humans. The admiral visits the wounded after the battle and watches a cadet die. The super humans question their leader’s actions and suggest a wiser course of action.

Benchmark: Doing: As the admiral and leader of the super humans duke it out, their crews and starships take a beating.

Next up is Main Character…

#146

Wow @Jerome that is a crazy amount of work! Thanks!! I would hold off one second as @JSensebe still doesn’t buy into the argument yet.

John, could you make your counter argument where Kirk’s Issue is Preconception rather than Delay? And when doing it can you make the argument for what his Problem and Solution elements would be and how those coincide with the same elements in the Overall Story? I’m guessing you’re going to argue Control and Uncontrolled in both…can you pick which one is the Problem and which one is the Solution in each Throughline?

#147

Well, I do have an argument for Avoidance as the MC’s Solution above, but it doesn’t sit quite right with me. I’m not sure I have a better one for Control/Uncontrolled either, but yeah, that’s the way I would go with an Issue of Preconception.

I’m looking at the MC Symptom/Response of Support/Oppose as well, trying to figure that out. Does Kirk really think he can solve his problems by indirectly hindering an effort? I just don’t see that. But Help/Hinder doesn’t seem to work too well, either, although it’s more direct, which seems more in Kirk’s style.

#148

@jhull & @JSensebe, can the argument work for Kirk if he is reacting to others Support with Oppose sort of like -

Like I said, this is sort of a negative argument but does it work?
I think when Kirk is in his element battling Khan, as a do-er, and he has no time to think or worry about getting old, he seems to be his ‘young’ self again. It isn’t until he faces Spock’s death that he is forced to Stop Avoiding death. He is face to face with it and he has overcome his personal problem.

#149

Has anyone looked at the signpost order yet with this Storyform? I like the Overall Story Signpost order. And I love that Kirk’s last signpost is Past with fate and destiny

#150

A friend of mine in Asheville posted this yesterday. There is a reason this film is a touchstone for Star Trek and not the first “motion picture"

Charles
13 hrs · Asheville, NC ·
One of the true joys of being a dad that I never anticipated until it happened…sharing Wrath Of Khan with the kids. Multiple times.

#151

Well, I think Star Trek: The Motion Picture probably has a working storyform, but its pacing is abysmal. It’s like a house where all the rooms are the wrong size.

@SPotter, you touched on one of my problems with the Problem/Solution combo. It seems backwards, like Kirk is Avoiding most of the movie and needs to Pursue. But, if it’s valid that he needs to stop Avoiding what everyone is telling him to do, that could work for me.

Could we paint it as Avoiding the path that he is on, leading to obsolescence and retirement, the slow march towards death?

#152

It now occurs to me that Kirk doesn’t need to actively Pursue, because all of his friends are pushing him towards the right direction. He needs to stop Avoiding it.

Why doesn’t Kirk raise shields upon meeting Reliant? He knows he should, yet he doesn’t. He says later that they only escaped because he knew something Khan didn’t. I think that has to play into his Symptom/Response. Keeping the shields down is a show of intent. His intent is to Help, not Support indirectly. His solution was to Hinder Khan but this only gives Kirk a breather, the ability to regroup. He keeps trying to Control the situation, to keep Khan focused on him so Khan doesn’t get away. The Solution is Uncontrolled. Kirk coaxes Khan into the nebula, where the ships are lacking targeting and shields. Finally, Spock sacrifices himself without consulting the admiral, so is an Uncontrolled element.

#153

Critical flaw of denial? Denial: “the refusal to admit to oneself or others that a previously held view is no longer true”

The Reliant is a Federation ship. Federation ships are run by Starfleet officers. The Reliant informs the Enterprise they are having technical difficulties. Spock states their claims are false. Kirk continues to believe the Reliant is not a potential threat. Saavik quotes regulations, but Kirk continues to ignore the signs. It is, after all, the Reliant!

#154

McCoy offers Kirk a birthday present, later a sedative, Kirk refuses. Spock offers Kirk a birthday present, later his starship, Kirk refuses. Saavik quotes Kirk regulations, basically telling his to raise the shields, Kirk ignores her.

I don’t recall any scene where Kirk asks anyone to leave him alone. Kirk loiters on the Enterprise, doing on inspection (which he doesn’t even enjoy) just so he can watch the cadets take the ship out of dock and fly it around the solar system. I think you’re mixing up the Kirk from Wrath of Khan with the Kirk in Generations. In that one, he’s “leave me alone, I’ve done my bit and now I’m going upstairs to get into bed with the love of my life.”

@jhull I think it’s critical that more in-depth analyses of stories be conducted in order to get a better grasp of the theory. It’s the holes in my knowledge that holds me, and I would imagine others, back and makes things more confusing than they need be. (Not that I’m stating we should do it right now, more as a future reference.)

#155

Yes he never actually says that. I guess I was thinking about Bones when he says, “Why are we treating your(birthday) like a funeral?” (sic) I was imagining what Kirk must be thinking. I have to admit I was trying to be inside Kirk’s head. The movie isn’t on ‘instant’ at the moment so I am shooting from a month old memory.
How do you @Jerome illustrate Kirk’s MC Pursuit and Avoidance Problem and Solution respectively? in a way that can convince @JSensebe

#156

Oh I agree with you about the in-depth analysis and what I’m hoping to do is to take everything written here and make it an example storyform for Dramatica. I just want to make sure everyone is on board first with the same storyform before we get into the detail.

Critical Flaw of Denial sounds really good btw.

#157

@SPotter & @JSensebe, at this point, maybe one of the problems is that Dramatica doesn’t offers the four appreciations of problem, solution, symptom and response in the order in which we experience them while watching a movie or reading a book. So lets see if this helps:

Kirk Problem: Kirk wants to save the day, he wants to be the hero, the guy who makes a difference. Also, Kirk will pursue any and all solution to his problem, even if it means cheating.

Kirk Symptom: Everyone wants to hold Kirk’s hand while he crosses the street. Bones offers his sedatives, Spock offers him his ship, Saavik offers him starfleet guidelines, Scotty offers him a tour of what, previously, was his own ship.

Kirk Response: Kirk turns down their offers because they go against how he perceives himself. He’s the guy who can do it all, be the center of attention and save the day. He doesn’t need their help, they need his, right?

**Kirk Solution:**Kirk runs to the engine room where he can no longer save the day, no longer be the hero. Just as before he would’ve jumped in to save the day, cheating death by any means necessary, now he must hold himself back and allow himself to lose.

Does that help?

#158

I kind of agree with the general idea here, but Spock doesn’t offer Kirk the Enterprise to hold his hand. He does, however, suggest strategy at several key points. He comes up with the code in the status report, and he comes up with the analysis of Khan’s movements in the nebula. He even rebukes Saavik for quoting regulations instead of letting Kirk do it.

I take Symptom/Response as what the character is thinking through most of the movie, and Problem/Solution to be what the character actually needs to grow. The order doesn’t really matter. The key for me is that Kirk doesn’t see his Problem. He only sees the Symptom. If he saw the Problem early in the story, he’d Solve it, and the movie would be over. Instead, he Responds.

I like the way you framed the Solution, though. But does Kirk have to know he’s Avoiding? Spock gives himself up without giving Kirk a chance to order him do it. (This is assuming that fixing the warp core was something only Spock could do.) He doesn’t even realize Spock’s gone until after the crisis has passed, and then it’s too late to even save Spock. Maybe Kirk is Avoiding thinking the unthinkable, ordering his best friend to his death. He seems to figure out what happened pretty fast when he sees the empty chair. Perhaps he knew this solution was available, but wouldn’t take it?

#159

That’s true, Spock hands Kirk the Enterprise because he doesn’t want to run a starship, it’s never been his desire to do so (Fixed Attitude / Innermost Desires anyone?).

Kirk, nevertheless, turns down his offer, but when Spock insists, Kirk states it’s probably nothing and promises to hand the ship back as soon as they’ve figured out what happened with the science team. This back and forth between Kirk and Spock falls under the Relationship Through line which has a catalyst of… Rationalization!

He knows he’s not going to be able to find a solution to this problem and doesn’t try. His acceptance that he’s lost, which flies straight in the face of his opposing the notion that there are no win scenarios, forces him to stop looking for a solution. Avoidance might not be the best word here, but there’s no “letting go” to fill the gap.

#160

OK. So, here’s the million-dollar question. Is Kirk’s acceptance of his fate described better as Avoidance or as Uncontrolled? I would say that Kirk has been trying to Control the situation until now, and now has to sit and watch as the timer counts down. Once Spock is dead, Kirk’s view of the world has changed; he is unguided in this new world where great loss is possible, Uncontrolled. He has thrown the shackles of his Preconception of age. He feels young.

#161

John,

Sorry, but I think you’re mixing up MC with OS. The genesis device is part of the OS throughline, not the MC’s. The crew of the Enterprise has to escape the blast radius, not just Kirk. Kirk believes Scotty is going to pull a rabbit out of his hat, like he always does, and get them out of there in the nick of time. He thinks he’s going to cheat death one more time and is unaware of what Spock’s doing.