Movie Wednesday: Comparative Analysis with Star Trek - A Brave Writer's Life in Brief A Brave Writer's Life in Brief
  • Start Here
    • For Families
      Multiple Ages
    • Ages 5-7
      Beginning Writers
    • Ages 8-10
      Emerging Writers
    • Ages 11-12
      Middle School Writers
    • Ages 13-14
      High School Writers
    • Ages 15-18
      College Prep Writers
  • Digital Products
    • Core Products
    • Bundles
    • Literature Singles
    • Practice Pages
    • Homeschool Help
    • Special Offers
  • Online Classes
    • Class Descriptions
    • Class Schedule
    • Classroom
    • How Our Classes Work
    • Our Writing Coaches
    • Classes FAQ
  • Community
    • Brave Learner Home
    • Blog
    • Podcast
    • Calendar
    • Brave Writer's Day Off
  • Cart
  • My Account
    • My Online Classes
    • My Account
  • My Account
    • My Online Classes
    • My Account
  • Start Here

    If you’re new to Brave Writer, or are looking for the best products for your child or family, choose from below:

    • For Families
      Multiple Ages
    • Ages 5-7
      Beginning Writers
    • Ages 8-10
      Emerging Writers
    • Ages 11-12
      Middle School Writers
    • Ages 13-14
      High School Writers
    • Ages 15-18
      College Prep Writers
  • Digital Products

    If you’re already familiar with Brave Writer products, go directly to what you’re looking for:

    • Core Products
    • Bundles
    • Literature Singles
    • Practice Pages
    • Homeschool Help
    • Special Offers
  • Online Classes
    • Class Descriptions
    • Class Schedule
    • Classroom
    • How Our Classes Work
    • Our Writing Coaches
    • Classes FAQ
  • Community
    • Brave Learner Home
    • Blog
    • Podcast
    • Calendar
    • Brave Writer's Day Off
  • Search
  • Cart

Search Bravewriter.com

  • Home
  • Blog

A Brave Writer's Life in Brief

Thoughts from my home to yours

Movie Wednesday: Comparative Analysis with Star Trek

Movie Wednesday Comparative Analysis with Star Trek

by Amy Frantz, Brave Writer alum

After returning from what was meant to be a simple mission, in which he saved his friend but violated the Prime Directive of Starfleet, hotshot Captain James T. “Jim” Kirk is stripped of his command of the star ship USS Enterprise. Kirk is not allowed to brood for long, however. A Starfleet agent named John Harrison has gone rogue and attacked Starfleet facilities.

Kirk is reinstated to his command and he, along with the Enterprise crew, are tasked with finding Harrison and bringing him to justice, a mission which takes them into the dangerous Neutral Zone. But when Kirk catches Harrison, he is confronted with Harrison’s true identity. His real name is Khan, a genetically engineered being from centuries past, who has been awakened from stasis and forced to use his superior intellect to build weapons for Starfleet with the lives of his crew used against him as blackmail.

With these revelations, suddenly the lines between enemies and allies become blurred, and Kirk finds himself thrust into a maelstrom of chaotic events.


[This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you click on those links to make purchases,
Brave Writer receives compensation at no extra cost to you. Thank you!]


2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness is the standalone sequel to 2009’s Star Trek, but it can also serve as a reimagining of a much earlier film in the franchise, the 1982 film The Wrath of Khan.

Long before the 21st century reboot films, Star Trek came to the big screen in the 1970s and ’80s starring the cast of the original television series.

In 1982’s The Wrath of Khan, Jim Kirk has given up his command of the Enterprise because he has been promoted to Admiral. While he oversees cadets training to take over the crewing of the Enterprise, another Federation vessel encounters a planet where Khan, a genetically engineered being, along with his crew, were stranded some years earlier by Kirk. Khan, bent on vengeance, will stop at nothing in his pursuit of Kirk, who must resume command of the Enterprise and her young crew if there is any hope of stopping Khan’s bloody rampage.

The Wrath of Khan pulls heavily from classic literature for its thematic richness, but perhaps most noticeably from Moby Dick, the famous story of Captain Ahab’s obsession with vengeance upon the white whale who maimed him. This is paralleled by Khan’s fixation with avenging himself on Kirk, eventually leading to Khan’s own ruin. To emphasize this connection, Khan even directly quotes Ahab towards the end of the film: “To the last I grapple with thee…” And for the really observant viewer, you can even find a copy of Moby Dick inside the dwelling of Khan and his crew at the beginning of the movie.

In a similar way to how The Wrath of Khan borrows thematically from the classics, Into Darkness borrows heavily from The Wrath of Khan. But Into Darkness doesn’t simply recycle elements verbatim; in many cases, it inverts them.

Some examples include:

  • Kirk loses command of the Enterprise by being promoted in Khan and demoted in Darkness.
  • Kirk’s characterization is inverted. In Khan, he is “old and wise” but experiences rebirth through facing death. In Darkness, Kirk is “young and dumb” but gains maturity through taking on self-sacrifice.
  • In Khan, Kirk encounters his nemesis for the last time. In Darkness, Kirk encounters him for the first time.
  • A similar reversal is used with Kirk and Carol Marcus. In Khan, they are reunited after years apart. In Darkness, they’ve just met.
  • In the climactic scenes of each film, a main character sacrifices himself to save the ship because “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” But which character actually commits the act is reversed.

Those changes impact everything from character development to plot. Being able to note these differences and see how they alter each film is a form of comparative analysis.

Comparing and contrasting, either two texts or in this case two films, is a useful academic skill, but it’s also a lot of fun! So, bust out some popcorn and maybe a notepad and pen, and settle in for a day of comparing and contrasting Star Trek movies!


A note to parents: The Wrath of Khan and Into Darkness are rated PG and PG-13. We recommend looking up the films on sites like Common Sense Media before deciding if they are right for your family.


Discussion Questions

  • Do you think Into Darkness misses one of The Wrath of Khan‘s main thematic points about facing death by bringing Kirk back at the end? Or do you think it’s enough that Kirk intended to sacrifice himself? Explain your answer.
  • Other than the ones listed above, have you found any other instances of Into Darkness reversing or inverting something from The Wrath of Khan? List your answers.
  • The two films were released in 1982 and 2013. That’s roughly a 30 year gap! Audience demographics and expectations surrounding science fiction films have changed a lot in that time. Do you notice any differences in the way each film is made that reflect that? Explain your answer.

Additional Resources

DIY Star Trek badges

The Star Trek TV shows (Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise) are all available currently on Netflix.

Movie Discussion Club

This entry is filed under Wednesday Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

« Brave Writer Podcast: Developing Cultural Literacy & Empathy Through Books with Sarita Holzmann
Blog Roundup: May 2018 »

Comments are closed.

  • Search the Blog

  • Julie Bogart
  • Welcome, I’m Julie Bogart.

    I’m a homeschooling alum -17 years, five kids. Now I run Brave Writer, the online writing and language arts program for families. More >>

    IMPORTANT: Please read our Privacy Policy.

  • New to Brave Writer? START HERE

  • FREE Resources

    • 7-Day Writing Blitz
    • Brave Writer Lifestyle Program
    • Brave Writer Sampler: Free Sample Products
    • Freewriting Prompts
    • Podcasts
  • Popular Posts

    • You have time
    • How writing is like sewing
    • Best curriculum for a 6 year old
    • Today's little unspoken homeschool secret
    • Do you like to homeschool?
    • Don't trust the schedule
    • You want to do a good job parenting?
    • If you've got a passel of kids
    • You are not a teacher
    • Natural Stages of Growth in Writing podcasts
  • Blog Topics

    • Brave Learner Home
    • Brave Writer Lifestyle
    • Classes
    • Contests/Giveaways
    • Friday Freewrite
    • High School
    • Homeschool Advice
    • Julie's Life
    • Language Arts
    • Movie Wednesday
    • Natural Stages of Growth
    • One Thing Principle
    • Our Team
    • Parenting
    • Philosophy of Education
    • Podcasts
    • Poetry Teatime
    • Products
    • Reviews
    • Speaking Schedule
    • Students
    • Writing about Writing
    • Young Writers
  • Archives

  • Brave Writer is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees (at no extra cost to you) by advertising and linking to amazon.com

    Content © Brave Writer unless otherwise stated.

What is Brave Writer?

  • Welcome to Brave Writer
  • Why Brave Writer Works
  • About Julie
  • Brave Writer Values
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Speaking Schedule

Brave Writer Program

  • Getting Started!
  • Stages of Growth in Writing
  • The Brave Writer Program
  • For Families and Students
  • Online Classes
  • Brave Writer Lifestyle

…and More!

  • Blog
  • Classroom
  • Store
  • Books in Brave Writer Programs
  • Contact Us
  • Customer Service
© 2025 Brave Writer
Privacy Policy
Children's Privacy Policy
Help Center