Among Trek fans, there's a well-known bit of lore called the "Star Trek Movie Curse": namely, that even-numbered installments in the franchise are usually great, and odd-numbered installments unspeakably awful. A bit of a blanket statement? Sure. But it's also mostly true.

1 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

James T. Kirk' old foe Khan escapes exile and steals the Genesis Device, a planet-terraforming tool that handily doubles as a superweapon. The Enterprise eventually blows up Khan' ship, but unluckily loses warp power just as Khan, with his dying breath, triggers a thermonuclear bomb. Spock fixes the warp drive just in time, but having stupidly not bothered to don any protective gear beyond a pair of gloves, dies of radiation poisoning. Kirk and a radiation-suit-wearing Scotty (ah, so that's what happened to it) watch safely from behind a plexiglass wall. Kirk's pretty broken up about it-not broken up enough to go in and help him, of course, but still.

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Why You Should See It

"KHANNNNNNNNN!" The producers learn from the mistakes of the dull first Trek film, packing in enough action-packed fun and excitement here for three movies. Plus, Spock' tragic death scene alone is worth the price of admission. That said, Kirk' eulogy-"Of all the souls I've encountered in my travels, his was the most ... human"-is a lot less touching when you remember that Spock' usual reaction to being called human was to arch an eyebrow and get all pissy about it. Kirk's a bit of an ass.

Why You Shouldn't

Hardcore Trek continuity freaks may have difficulty accepting that Khan and Chekov recognize each other, as the original episode with Khan aired the season before Chekov joined the show. But really, if that's the most you can quibble about, you need to get out of the house more.

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Impact on the Franchise

Spock dies! For an entire movie, even! Plus, the consequences of Kirk' legendary cocksmanship among the many fine green-skinned ladies of the galaxy finally rear their ugly head here, with the appearance of a heretofore-unknown son (the ensuing paternity suit should have been the plot of the sequel).

Celebrity Cameos?

A bare-chested, mulleted Ricardo Montalban chomps his way through the scenery in just about every scene he's in, either quoting Moby Dick and Shakespeare or just staring longingly into a viewscreen while saying "Kirrrrrk..." Also look for a young, hot, pre-Fat Actress Kirstie Alley as Spock' protÃ©gÃ© Saavik.

