Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan Online Analysis

analysis
#102

Sorry for jumping in late, but I agree with lower left . Here’s my reasoning…

OS: Activity > Obtaining. The super humans want freedom from exile. They want a spaceship and the means to strike at anyone who might stand in their way. The crew of the enterprise wants peace and justice. The science team wants a safe planet on which to test their device.

MC: Situation > The Future. Kirk is haunted by a future where he’s no longer commanding a starship, no longer able to do what he does best. His birthday & eyeglasses are reminders of his ultimate decrepitude.

IC: Fixed Attitude > Innermost Desires. This is the quad that I think hints strongest at the issue for each through line, but let’s not jump ahead of ourselves. Spock’s main drive is to protect his cadets, his ship and his captain – as shown by the ultimate sacrifice he makes to do so.

RS: Manipulation > Changing One’s Nature. “I have been, and always shall be, your friend.” Over the course of the story, Kirk and Spock go from being Captain / Science Officer to lifelong friends saying farewell to one another.

Edit: Oh, and the main character is, in my opinion, a stop character. We’re waiting for him to stop feeling old / being morose about his situation. “Dammit, Jim, other people have birthdays. Why do we have to treat yours like a funeral?”

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#103

These all sound great to me! So, so far we have:

  • Change
  • Stop
  • Do-er
  • Linear
  • Action
  • Optionlock
  • Success
  • Good
  • OS Domain: Activity
  • OS Concern: Obtaining

Let’s try and get the OS Issue and MC Issue. Do any stand out? (You can use the elements below to argue your point). If not do any pairs stand out as being more problematic than others?

#104

Here’s my take.

OS: Activity > Obtaining > Approach: The Enterprise uses the Reliant’s access code to lower its shields. The Genesis device creates new worlds by destroying the planet’s original matrix. The super humans wreak destruction where ever they go, going so far as to leave the Captain of the Enterprise, “Buried alive… buried alive…”

MC: Situation > The Future > Openness: Kirk unlocks Federation records so they can understand what exactly is “Genesis.” Kirk invites Savik to, “Go right on quoting regulations.” Kirk invites Khan to take him and spare his crew. Kirk goes against common practice and hides the ship in a nebula to, “Even the odds.”

#105

For the OS Issue, Self Interest looks really good, viewing from below. Pursuit and Avoid are obvious, there is plenty of Control (Khan controls Terrell and Checkov, Kirk uses the prefix code to temporarily control Reliant, Kirk tries to control Khan by appealing to his need for revenge and his ego), and Khan himself is Uncontrolled in his wrath, the Genesis Wave can’t be stopped, and Spock sacrifices himself without discussion, even knocking out McCoy to do it.

I also like Delay for Kirk. He puts off the inspection to go on a “training cruise”, delays putting up Enterprise’s shields on first contact with Reliant, delays Khan until he can get Reliant’s prefix code, and he has constantly delayed facing death his entire life until now.

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#106

Wow, that’s really interesting, John. Great insight.

Jim, are we allowed to ask theory questions during the analysis, or should we do that in a separate thread?

#107

Now that I’ve got the software in front of me, it’s giving me the choices of Delay and Preconception for Kirk, given my earlier choice of Self Interest for the OS.

Preconception also works for Kirk, as under it we have Control, Help, Hinder, and Uncontrolled. It seems Kirk wants to Help Reliant with whatever the issue is, and thus does not raise shields as he should. When beaten, he wants to Control the loss of life by offering himself up, but when Khan demands Genesis, he decides to Hinder Khan from getting it. Finally, he lures Khan into the nebula, where their sensors and defenses are Uncontrolled.

The larger issue, of course, is Kirk’s Preconception that “galloping about the cosmos is a game for the young.”

#108

OS: Activity > Obtaining > Self Interest: Self Interest seems to be the Issue causing trouble. The genetically enhanced genius, with no consideration for what is best for his people, pursues his revenge on the captain of the Enterprise. The captain for the good of star fleet needs to put his Self Interest ahead of duty and take back command(control) of the Enterprise.
( Is the Kobayashi Maru an OS story point or just MC?) The captain has avoided the real lesson of the Kobayashi Maru.
The Genesis Project, which should be something for the good of others becomes a weapon to be used for one man’s interest in revenge.

MC: Situation > The Future > Preconception: Kirk’s Preconceived notions of getting older and needing glasses cause him problems. His preconceived notions that the Reliant is ‘okay’ causes him to ignore regulations and check it out properly causes problems. His son’s preconceived notions of star fleet and his father, Captain Kirk, causes Kirk problems.
Kirk’s Preconceived notions of his duty to be an Admiral cause him problems. As Admiral he seems unfocused, directionless. Kirk needs to take control (command) of the Enterprise.

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#109

Don’t forget Kirk’s Preconception that there is no such thing as the no-win situation.

This works for me.

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#110

I think the OS issue is Morality the area where every seems to be lacking. Kirk’s adventurous or rebellious nature tends to make him lean towards the outcome which is most accessible (temptation). Kirk also says many times that he prefers to believe in possibilities (faith).

Spock tries to guide him away from that thinking by giving him advice on doing what’s best for the many and not for the few (conscience) yet Spock also lacks morality when he is confronted with the idea of life being something that should not be taken lightly from Bones when he took up issue with how dangerous Genesis can be.

Saavik goes around quoting regulations with the intention of conveying that the rules are there for a reason, to ensure the safety of the entire crew (conscience) yet she also lacks morality in some scenes because despite there being a crisis about, she seems to only be interested in how Kirk beat the Maru test. She tends to bring it up at the most random times, maybe it was to make Kirk get off his high horse about it and confront the fact that he cheated and now he’s in a situation that he cant cheat his way out of.

Khan starts out as being someone who is perceived to be moral in that he gives off the impression he is doing what’s best for his crew and those Kirk left behind but when it came down to actually walking the talk he chose to act in his own self-interest to try and kill Kirk one last time.

For MC I feel Choice may be his Issue, I feel like what drives him are his feelings his feelings of being past his prime and old, his feelings about his estranged son and to add to that everyone who is only asking Kirk “how are you feeling?”

#111

I don’t see this at all. Khan is very clearly immoral from the moment we meet him. Chekov desperately tries to leave as soon as a realizes where he is. The first thing Khan does upon encountering Chekov and Terrell is put deadly creatures in their ears. The next thing he does is strand the crew of Reliant on Ceti Alpha V. Then he slaughters nearly everyone involved in Genesis to get his hands on it. Khan’s speech at the beginning is that of an immoral person trying to justify the actions he is about to take.

#112

The question I would ask you though is he doing immoral things based on judgements we are placing on him as an audience or does he himself as a character in this story consider what he is doing the moral thing? What’s best for his people.

#113

He’s doing immoral things based on the standards of others in the film. Khan murdered people who were already bound and were not a threat to his people. Khan’s Self Interest blinds him to what’s best for his people, and is thus the Issue.

I’d also like to note that Saavik at one point invents a regulation to get assigned to the away team, and doesn’t know that Kirk beat the Kobayashi Maru test until they are down on Regula. She asks about the test three times: immediately after taking it, in a chance encounter with Kirk on the turbolift (still not long after taking the test), and on Regula, when they have little to do – hardly random. She is bothered by the test, the same way Kirk was (he took it twice before cheating). His attempt to Control the test is a manifestation of his Issue of Preconception. On (or rather, under) Regula, she learns that he beat the test on his third attempt and how. This is hardly getting Kirk “off his high horse,” especially since immediately after, they are beamed back to Enterprise: “I don’t like to lose.” Control again.

#114

Immoral acts or the lacking of morals would still fall under the Morality Issue, you can do immoral things without acting in your own self-interest.

Since your going to have both Self-Interest and Morality battling it out to the end, I’ll take the ending as an example: Khan pursued the Enterprise into the nebula out of his own Self-Interest, his crew was shocked he would do such a thing. That to me meant that they felt he had their best interest at heart until that moment. Spock on the other hand did something in the best interest of the others and therefore that’s why the story ended in Success. Morality won over Self-interest.

As far as Kirk’s need to control the Maru test, that would be more of a MC throughline thing. He and he alone was the only one who cheated to win, i dont really see the connection to the overall story as far as the need to control his odds in that test to stopping khan, outside of what I already outlined earlier which was still a MC throughline thing.

Saavik doesn’t know that Kirk cheated or that he beat it but we as an audience do and we feel that her insistence on him divulging that information will bring into question his morality.

#115

The audience does not on first viewing. It’s revealed to us at the same time it’s revealed to Saavik. We’re only told that whatever Kirk’s final solution was, it was “unique”, having “the virtue of never having been tried.”

As for Kirk’s Issue, yes, I was talking MC there.

#116

Maybe we should look at the IC Issue to help nail things down more concretely.

#117

Is the lack of Morality the problem or is too much Self Interest the problem? They are two sides of the same coin in this case. I guess I am seeing it as too much Self Interest.

If I choose Self Interest this gives me Commitment as the Relationship Issue. How is this a problem for the Kirk/Spock relationship. Even though they are friends in my mind from the TV series I really think whomever said their relationship moves from Captain/First Officer to a great Friendship hit the nail on the head for the progress of this relationship.

The problem arises when the Khan obstacle and the doomed Enterprise turn out to be impassable. At that point, they cannot achieve the goal. But since they are committed, they do not reevaluate and instead continue to seek a solution to this un-survivable situation.

Is this commitment the issue that brings them closer or does it get in the way of their friendship? I don’t know. I am exercising my Dramatica muscles here. Not really sure.

#118

I think the argument for self interest is stronger than for morality. Khan is not concerned with the safety and well being of his crew and there are two clear exchanges that illustrate this.

The first is when Khan’s lieutenant says something along the lines of, “You’ve escaped exile, you have a ship, you have genesis, why go after Kirk when we are free to go anywhere?” To which Khan replies, “He taunts me.”

The second time, after Kirk lowers Khan’s shields and fires at his ship, Khan wants to throw everything he has at Kirk, but the Lieutenant holds him back and states Kirk isn’t going anywhere.

In both instances, Khan exhibits little interest in the safety and well being of his crew. He’s only interest is in killing Kirk. Only at the end, when his lieutenant is dead, does he come close to remorse when he states, “I shall avenge you.” Here again, he’s not REALLY sorry for his act since he continues on the same destructive path, going so far as to kill himself in an attempt to get what he wants – Kirk’s death. <-- (side note) this is what makes Khan the best bad guy EVER.

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#119

What about the other option for Kirk?

MC: Situation > The Future > Delay When we first meet Kirk, he’s training cadets to take over after him, but he doesn’t seem particularly enthusiastic about it. Isn’t Kirk’s position as mentor a form of delay? He’s living vicariously his youth. He could retire, having saved the world countless times, but still wants to remain in the captain’s chair, or at least be close to it. In other words, he’s trying to put off the inevitable.

EDIT: I prefer this over preconception. I feel Kirk is dragging his feet, sticking around as long as he can, instead of being biased toward any notion of age. Preconception would work if he’d insist that these young cadets aren’t good enough for the job, or that Spock should be the one retiring.

#120

Whoa, whoa, whoa. I just took a look at Approach for an OS Issue, which forces Rationalization for a RS Issue. I was so hell bent on Preconception for Kirk that I wasn’t allowing myself to look at other choices.

Approach as an Issue works very well in the Overall Story.

APPROACH: one’s methodology of doing or being. [Variation].
Approach is the manner in which a character seeks the solution to a problem. It might be thought of as his style or modus operandi. It might be a specific method or just a general set of tools or guidelines that is consistently used. These tools can be physical or mental ones, depending upon the nature of the task and the intended outcome (if any).
SYNONYMS: method, procedure, style, manner, manner of doing, one’s own way.
DYNAMIC PAIR: Attitude, demeanor or outlook.

There is definitely an issue with the Protagonist and Antagonist approach. The Vulcan cadet is being tested on her approach at the beginning. How does one approach a no-win situation? How did the captain approach his test. Underneath Approach are the elements; Consider-weighing the pros and cons, Reconsider-thinking through again, Logic and Feelings.

Rationalization works for the relationship story. An attempt to have your cake and eat it too; an alternative explanation used to mask the real reason. Is honor and duty just an alternative explanation to mask that it is really their friendship that motivates them? Under Rationalization are the elements; Consider/Reconsider again and Oppose/Support.

Do these two choices ring for anyone else?

#121

Sam,

Doesn’t approach work better as a catalyst though? It’s lowering the shields that saves the enterprise, it’s entering the nebula that evens the odds. The manner in which they seek to solve their problems = cheating. I think approach is the catalyst, not the issue.

Also, Self-Interest as the OS Issue leads to Commitment as the RS Issue, “I have been, and always shall be, your friend.”

Rationalization would be, “Why can’t we both be friends and colleagues?”

No?