a decade of zanity

Monday, April 16, 2007

From hell's heart, I stab at thee. For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee.

Title: Star Trek: Wrath of Khan(1982)

Not just a classic because of its ending, but this movie gave us one of the best villains in history of cinema. Khan Noonien Singh, wonderfully played by Ricardo Montalban, is number 10 in the Top 100 favorite villains as compiled by the Online Film Critics Society. More notorious than Kahn himself is the rumour that proliferated around Ricardo Montalban wearing a fake breast plate to display Khan's super physique. The director's DVD cut seems to have answered the mystery.

Memorable scene:

Death of Spock at the end while Kirk and the others looked on helplessly from the other side of the glass door.

Noteworthy

Kirstie Alley as SaavikStar Trek II is also the first movie that Kirstie Alley made. She played the Vulcan Saavik. Possibly the hottest alien on the planet at the time.

Also, a few readers point out that Khan was quoting Captain Ahab in Herman Melville's Moby Dick for the titular quote of this post (see the comments). Makes sense since Khan was hunting down Captain Kirk for revenge since their encounter in the Star Trek TV episode, Space Seed.

Interestingly enough, Captain Ahab was played by Patrick Stewart in the 1998 TV movie, Moby Dick. Of course, we all know that Patrick Stewart is also Captain Jean-Luc Picard in, you know, STTNG.

Quotes from the movie:

"Scotty, I need warp speed in three minutes or we're all dead."

"Khan, I'm laughing at the "superior intellect."

"Lieutenant, you are looking at the only Starfleet cadet who ever beat the no-win scenario."

"I don't believe in the no-win scenario."

"Are you out of your Vulcan mind?"

"KHAAANNNN... KHAAANNNN!"

"From hell's heart, I stab at thee. For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee."

"To the last, I will grapple with thee. "

Spock: Don't grieve, Admiral. It is logical. The needs of the many outweigh...
Kirk: ...the needs of the few.

"I have been and always shall be your friend."

"Live long and prosper."

"We are gathered here today to pay final respects to our honored dead. But it should be noted that this death takes place in the shadow of new life, the sunrise of a new world; a world that our beloved comrade gave his life to protect and nourish. He did not feel this sacrifice a vain or empty one, and we will not debate his profound wisdom at these proceedings. Of my friend, I can only say this: of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most... human."

Ricardo Montalban is the linking actor from "Naked Gun". He's very entertaining in the villain role.

Did any of you catch references to this movie from JJ Abram's Star Trek 2009?

4 comments:

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Carl said...

It's probably worth mentioning that the quote in the title was originally from "Moby Dick."

Just saying.

Anonymous said...

Let's not forget that Khan was quoting Captain Ahab as he took his last strike at Moby Dick, his nemesis who eventually destroyed him and everyone else on the ship, "save one". Interestingly, the script for the movie "Moby Dick" with Gregory Peck as Ahab was written by Ray Bradbury and director John Houston.

Matt said...

In Abrams' 2009 Star Trek, the Centaurian Slug that Nero puts in Captain Pike's mouth to force him to answer questions is a clear homage to the Ceti Eel Khan puts in Chekhov and Terrell's ears to control them.