So, I woke up thinking about late sequels, remakes and reboots and came to a slight realization about THE WRATH OF KHAN and why it was such a brilliant way to bring a 1960s television show into the cinematic world.

(Disclosure: TOS is my favorite Trek.)

I've noticed a pattern emerging that cannot be accidental with new reboots:

Stuff the first movie or episode with every reference under the sun, especially deep cuts.

That guy who showed up in just one ep? Name drop him. That famous green dress? Show a picture of it.

This creates an easy connection to the old material and it confuses the old fandom enough to make them ignore the deeper structural issues. (The 2009 STAR TREK did not understand the Kirk/Spock dynamic at all but darn it, they name-dropped that beagle from ENTERPRISE!)

But when you think about WoK, there are very few references to the original series. The cast make reference to how long they have worked together and the necessary SPACE SEED recaps. They don't stumble over a Tribble plushie on their way to paint half their faces white.

What the filmmakers do instead, which is smarter and more difficult, is examine the tropes of a 1960s adventure hero ("I don't like to lose" "I cheated death") and then force the hero to confront the inevitable result of a flippant end-of-episode solution.

Because the "bury them in references!" thing will work for one movie and maybe one season but eventually, you need to show that you know what you're talking about.

The character beats in WoK are true to the original, they're just reframed in a more cinematic setting.

Anyone can drop references. Just scour social media of fandoms and be prepared to take notes. Understanding the appeal of the characters, what makes them tick and how to approach them with fresh eyes? That is where the skill and perceptiveness come in.

I am using Star Trek as an example because it's very much my wheelhouse and I have no issue throwing the modern crew under the bus (Google "Walter Mosley, Star Trek") but this is not unique to Star Trek. I have seen it in a few other series and now I'm like "Wait a sec..."

I have absolutely been taken in my the "wave of references" thing too but once you recognize it for what it is, it ceases to impress. It's not the sign of deep knowledge or love. It's a cynical ploy that simulates deep knowledge in love and it honestly kinda annoys me now.

Movies that just gather references as window dressing will fade but WoK gets better and deeper every time I watch it and that's where doing the work pays dividends.

And they absolutely did do the work. No wonder Nicholas Meyer wasn't welcome in this brave new world.

Look, I warned you I was a Trekkie. I warned you! You thought I was kidding but I warned you.

Here are my rewatches of all of the Star Trek shows (except the Animated series) graded by emoji: https://twitter.com/MoviesSilently/status/965435950913306624

(Counts down to someone saying "But that's just TOS, TNG and DS9 and you said 'all the Star Trek shows' so I can smile and say: "Exactly.")