They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but for "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" director Nicholas Meyer, having another movie pay direct homage to his work was more irritating than flattering. In an interview with Midnight's Edge in 2018, Meyer revealed that he had some pretty complicated feelings about the 2013 J.J. Abrams film "Star Trek Into Darkness," which took more than a little inspiration from "The Wrath of Khan." Despite a marketing campaign that tried to hide the fact that Benedict Cumberbatch was playing a version of Khan Noonien Singh, the genetically-enhanced tyrant previously portrayed by Ricardo Montalbán, audiences soon realized that "Into Darkness" is almost an explicit riff on "The Wrath of Khan" right down to its tragic ending, albeit with a bit of a twist.

"Into Darkness" is the second "Star Trek" film set in the Kelvin timeline, which split from the original series...