Star Trek films on DVD

I actually held out on buying Trek DVDs until a couple of years ago when I found nearly all of the special edition DVDs on sale for $5 each at WalMart.

Above: ST:TMP Director's Edition, released in November 2001 and features various changes (improvements!) supervised by director Robert Wise including a new cut and new special FX.

Above: ST:TWOK Director's Edition, which features a few minor tweaks versus the theatrical release and previously-released DVD. Released in August 2002.

Above: ST:TSFS Special Collector's Edition, released in October 2002.

Above: ST:TVH Special Collector's Edition, released in March 2003.

Above: ST:TFF Special Collector's Edition, released in October 2003.

Above: ST:TUC Special Collector's Edition, released in January 2004.

Above: ST:Generations Special Collector's Edition, released in September 2004.

Above: Star Trek: First Contact Special Collector's Edition, released in March 2005.

Above: ST:Insurrection Special Collector's Edition, released in June 2005.

Above: ST:Nemesis. Strangely, I think this was the ONLY Star Trek movie I owned on DVD for several years. This is the original 1-disc release from May 2003.

The Star Trek Encyclopedia

Another 90s purchase was The Star Trek Encyclopedia, compiled by Michael Okuda, Denise Okuda, and Debbie Mirek.

This tome has also been issued in three editions to date; my copy is from the first edition, which was published in April 1994 and covers TOS, 6 seasons of TNG, 1 season of DS9, and the first 6 Trek films. My copy is from the first printing.

ST:TWOK on video & TV

Prior to the 1980s, television was the primary avenue to watch films after their theatrical run. With the introduction of the videocassette in the early 1980s, a new and lucrative industry was born, one that continues to thrive to this day in the form of DVD and Blu-Ray releases. My diary entries document my eagerness to watch Wrath of Khan on these two media.

18 February1983: "Today I watched Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan twice on the VCR we rented for the weekend."

19Feburary1983: "I watched Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan two more times."

18September1983: "Today I taped Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan from First Choice Pay-TV network. Unfortunately we don't get that channel, thus the picture is distorted, in black-and-white, and with brightness reversed, dark is light, light is dark. At this very moment (I'm watching it now) Kirk, McCoy, and Saavik have beamed aboard the Regula space station to check for survivors."

6November1983: "Today I rented out Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and watched it four times -- grreat!"

14March1984: "Today I watched Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan twice after watching it once yesterday on videocassette."

26February1985: "Two days ago, Star Trek 2 premiered on TV, and I of course taped it. The TV version added several scenes not in the theatre [sic] release."

ST:TWOK Expanded Soundtrack

An expanded soundtrack for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was released on Retrograde Records (affiliated with Film Score Monthly) in 2009. It contains additional, never-before-released soundtrack music from the film. I ordered a copy of the CD via the Screen Archives Entertainment website on 20 July 2009.

The CD includes a very informative insert booklet. I no longer have a decent turntable so it was doubly exciting for me to not only have music that wasn't on the original record but to also be able to hear the soundtrack with digital clarity for the first time.

ST:TWOK postcard

This is a postcard, as yet unsent, featuring poster art for the film.

ST:TWOK Publicity Still

I got my hands on a Wrath of Khan black & white publicity still, probably at a convention. It features Ricardo Montalban's Khan.

ST:TWOK Read-Along (Cassette)

In addition to the Read-Along book with record, Buena Vista also released a Read-Along book with tape for Wrath of Khan.

The front and back cover of the book were adjusted to reflect the media type; otherwise the two books were identical.

ST:TWOK Read-Along (Vinyl)

As was the case with the first movie, Buena Vista Records put out a Read-Along book for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. I bought this on 16 June 1984 for $2.98.

This shot nicely captures the fantastic work done by ILM on the film.



A sample page. This is a pretty decent adaptation, and features wonderfully sharp full colour stills from the film.

ST:TWOK Making Of

I love making-of books, so was overjoyed to find that one was available which covered the 2nd Trek film. It was published in October 1982.

My copy is from the first printing, and was purchased on 26 November 1982. Here's part of my diary entry for that date: "Today I bought The Making of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan which gives a detailed account of the stars and the movie itself. I spent 2 hours reading the entire book as soon as I got home. The book cost $7.95 for 222 pages, but it was a bit of a larger size and it contained some excellent black and white photos."

ST:TWOK Trading Cards (1982, FTCC)

Fantasy Trading Card Company produced a set of thirty Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan large-format (5"x7") trading cards in 1982. I bought five of the cards at a card store in Ottawa (either Capital City Card or Arthur's Place) on 3 September 1983.

I've always found the oversized cards quite striking.


For a while I kept some of the cards in picture frames. Here are a couple displayed on the bookcase in my room during my annual "showcase" event circa 1984.


The card backs weren't too interesting, however -- each card had the same title graphic as above.

Lastly, the front and back of the two plastic sleeves which came along with the cards.

ST:TWOK Movie Magazine

Starlog Press published a magazine specifically devoted to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. I believe it was first available around the time of the movie's release in June 1982.

I sent off an order form for this magazine on 19 July 1983, and it finally arrived on 4 October of that year. I have several impatient exclamations in my diary through the months of August and September lamenting the slowness of its arrival!


Here's a great shot of Kirstie Alley's Saavik. I loved the Saavik character in the second film, and far prefer Alley's performance to that of Robin Curtis in films three and four.


A few storyboards from the film.


A behind-the-scenes peak at the Genesis cave set.