On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, director Nicholas Meyer said that having watched the film recently, "I was aware of the hairs rising on the back of my neck. I was genuinely thrilled as the Enterprise leaves spacedock. I was very excited and had a bag of popcorn in my hand and I don’t think my reaction was different than anyone else’s."

Speaking with TrekMovie.com, Meyer said that he was a bit more nervous when the film was new. After the head of Paramount saw lines around the block for a first Star Trek feature that he felt didn't deliver on its expensive budget, he ordered Meyer to make a movie that was less expensive, but allowed the director quite a bit of freedom. "All I was doing was making a movie the way I thought it should be made. Because all the studio cared about was that we weren’t breaking the bank," he explained.

Meyer worked on the screenplay for The Wrath of Khan but gave up a writing credit to avoid arbitration that might have delayed the film. Asked whether he would like to go back and make any changes, he said, "The only scene I would tinker with is there is a wide angle scene with them on the planet that is very hokey. We didn’t have the money to do it right...but I really think some of the charm about pieces of art is that they are from a certain time." He said he did not really believe in updating special effects for DVD releases, just as he does not believe that black and white films should be colorized. "It is like saying 'there are synthesizers now, we should take Beethoven’s Fifth and re-orchestrate it for synthesizer,'" he said. "I think works of art ought to have some kind of integrity ."

Star Trek XI director J.J. Abrams is the son of a friend of Meyer's and has said that the second Star Trek movie is his favorite. "I am glad he likes it," he said, suggesting that Abrams create a film with "men against the universe...a Howard Hawksian idea." He added he believes the optimism of Star Trek is what has kept fans coming back to it. Beyond that, his advice is, "Go with your gut."

The full interview, plus links to additional material on Meyer, is at TrekMovie.com.

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