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Star Trek's vision for the future has always been one supported by a memorable soundtrack. From Alexander Courage to Jerry Goldsmith, sweeping themes of hope, tension, and inspiration set the mood for each show.

Another memorable element of Star Trek was Ricardo Montalban, who played the genetically-engineered warlord Khan Noonien Singh in both the TOS episode "Space Seed" as well as the second feature film, The Wrath of Khan. Sadly, Mr. Montalban passed away earlier this month, joining Mr. Courage and Mr. Goldsmith in that great celestial temple in the sky.

So this video seems a fitting and timely tribute. What you are about to see is only half of a three-minute clip that aired this past weekend as part of Robot Chicken Season 4, Episode 8. Without further ado, I give you The Wrath of Khan — The Opera:

Hat tip to Dayton Ward and TrekMovie.com. Follow the latter link for an extensive compilation of Star Trek appearances on Robot Chicken.

The June/July issue of Geek Monthly has a cover story on what a great year 1982 was for geeks. We may not have noticed it at the time, but it is astonishing what a plethora of great sci-fi films came out all in that one year. Unfortunately, some of these films I did not see upon their initial release, and some are not as great today as they were 25 years ago. Nonetheless, here in brief is my rundown of their list:

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Considered "the zenith of the Trek feature films", I agree this film began the even-numbered successes that persisted until Nemesis. The tie-in to the original series, Ricardo Montalban as the villain, and the ending were all fantastic facets… but for all that, I still think I prefer the more lighthearted The Voyage Home.

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