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The Battle of the Mutara Nebula - Best Sci-Fi battle ever?
Posted on 4/25/25 at 4:04 pm
Posted on 4/25/25 at 4:04 pm
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn is, to this day, the greatest Star Trek movie ever.
Where does the final battle between Kirk and Kahn rank among all the other great sci-fi battles, like the destruction of the Death Star in A New Hope, etc?
I don't think there's another battle I rewatch as much as this one.
The Enterprise, still crippled from the earlier battle, relying on the wits of Kirk, the intelligence of Spock, and the crew getting her as ready as possible vs the evil and unnaturally intelligent Khan, played to perfection by the late Ricardo Montalban.
The music, in particular, is 1000% perfection. The upbeat Enterprise theme as opposed to the dark Reliant theme, the highs and lows.
The strategy, both leaders getting the upper hand at different moments, would rank among peak Naval warfare movies if it were in that genre.
A sacrifice ending, and not by some minor character introduced in the same movie but by a beloved member of the franchise for nearly 20 years at this point.
The villain thinking he's managed to take out the hero before he dies, unaware his last gambit failed... and yet he managed to take away his nemesis' dearest friend in his pursuit of revenge.
Part 1 of the battle:
Where does the final battle between Kirk and Kahn rank among all the other great sci-fi battles, like the destruction of the Death Star in A New Hope, etc?
I don't think there's another battle I rewatch as much as this one.
The Enterprise, still crippled from the earlier battle, relying on the wits of Kirk, the intelligence of Spock, and the crew getting her as ready as possible vs the evil and unnaturally intelligent Khan, played to perfection by the late Ricardo Montalban.
The music, in particular, is 1000% perfection. The upbeat Enterprise theme as opposed to the dark Reliant theme, the highs and lows.
The strategy, both leaders getting the upper hand at different moments, would rank among peak Naval warfare movies if it were in that genre.
A sacrifice ending, and not by some minor character introduced in the same movie but by a beloved member of the franchise for nearly 20 years at this point.
The villain thinking he's managed to take out the hero before he dies, unaware his last gambit failed... and yet he managed to take away his nemesis' dearest friend in his pursuit of revenge.
Part 1 of the battle:
This post was edited on 4/25/25 at 4:20 pm
12
Posted on 4/25/25 at 4:04 pm to skrayper
Part 2
Posted on 4/25/25 at 4:08 pm to skrayper
Khan.
Posted on 4/25/25 at 4:10 pm to skrayper
I’ve loved this movie my entire life btw.
Posted on 4/25/25 at 4:12 pm to skrayper
Taught a generation to fight in 3 D.
Epic.
Epic.
Posted on 4/25/25 at 4:30 pm to Havoc
quote:
Khan.
Posted on 4/25/25 at 5:06 pm to skrayper
The Ceti ear worms gave 8 year old me nightmares for about 6 months.
Posted on 4/25/25 at 6:11 pm to skrayper
Battle for Cardassia | Star Trek DS9
Posted on 4/25/25 at 7:26 pm to skrayper
Perfection
Posted on 4/25/25 at 7:49 pm to skrayper
The key to this battle is that it doesn’t go too fast, and there’s not too much going on. It allows the tension to build and gives the actors and music their opportunities to have center stage at the right moments.
That’s a lost art in movies now. Everything is scaled up, moves too fast, builds no suspense. The camera shakes and the pan shots blur. The music is flat and generic. You would never miss it if it wasn’t there.
Here… the music and the volleys of fire are unforgettable. I could watch it over and over.
That’s a lost art in movies now. Everything is scaled up, moves too fast, builds no suspense. The camera shakes and the pan shots blur. The music is flat and generic. You would never miss it if it wasn’t there.
Here… the music and the volleys of fire are unforgettable. I could watch it over and over.
Posted on 4/25/25 at 7:52 pm to SpqrTiger
When they thought up the combat for the movie they wanted it to resemble a nautical battle. These huge ships shouldn’t be turning on a dime or having battles at light speed. It gives the scenes a realistic look and feel.
Posted on 4/25/25 at 8:10 pm to Madking
BSG has two that are better (and I love ST2):
This post was edited on 4/25/25 at 8:13 pm
Posted on 4/25/25 at 8:11 pm to bluestem75
Posted on 4/25/25 at 8:32 pm to skrayper
Every battle on DS9.
Posted on 4/25/25 at 8:32 pm to bluestem75
Very cool but not as tight imo. Fisk wandering down the hall and Apollo just take up unnecessary time. In Wrath you’re going head to head, genius and his capable acolyte in total control of a ship vs arch nemesis Kirk and his crew having to pull out all their wit to first get away from then defeat Khan, both at great cost. There isn’t a line or action wasted in the battles or the entire movie for that matter. It’s one of the tightest scripts you’ll ever see. I also just prefer the grounded visuals in Wrath, 1,000 foot ships in a battle that looks feasible in the future.
This post was edited on 4/25/25 at 8:37 pm
Posted on 4/25/25 at 9:13 pm to Madking
quote:
When they thought up the combat for the movie they wanted it to resemble a nautical battle. These huge ships shouldn’t be turning on a dime or having battles at light speed. It gives the scenes a realistic look and feel.
Agree totally from a cinematic view.
But scientifically, space propulsion and shite, wouldn’t the ships move much faster like say in The Expanse?
Posted on 4/25/25 at 9:33 pm to Havoc
The ships use two forms of propulsion in Star Trek. One for deep space travel, (warp speed), and one for orbital or combat speed. The one being use during the battles is called impulse power and it’s a fusion reactor generated exhaust propulsion.
This post was edited on 4/25/25 at 9:35 pm
Posted on 4/25/25 at 9:38 pm to skrayper
Absolutely great movie
Posted on 4/25/25 at 10:12 pm to SpqrTiger
quote:
The key to this battle is that it doesn’t go too fast, and there’s not too much going on. It allows the tension to build and gives the actors and music their opportunities to have center stage at the right moments.
100% agree. You just don't get these kinds of battles any more.
Even battles that SHOULD be like this (naval battles against slow moving ships) feature absurd numbers of canons being fired and ships moving in ways they can't.
Posted on 4/25/25 at 10:37 pm to skrayper
It's a great battle.
I do wish Kirk and Khan had confronted each other face to face in the film, but I wouldn't have wanted a fist fight like in ST III.
I do wish Kirk and Khan had confronted each other face to face in the film, but I wouldn't have wanted a fist fight like in ST III.
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