
226 – Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a Shakespearean Epic
From The Children's Literature Podcast by T.Q. Townsend
February 10, 2026 · 36 min · Season 1 · Episode 226
About this episode
This episode explores the Shakespearean elements of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and its potential to introduce children to epic literature.
Star Trek is what first introduced me to Shakespeare, and I wanted to visit the most Shakespearean of all Star Trek productions, which is Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. This film is Shakespearean in its structure, characters, plot, and themes, and can be a great way to introduce kids to some truly epic literature. This episode is a trimmed down version of a livestreamed episode that I did. If you want the full version of that with live chat comments, you can watch that here:
People in this episode
Host: T.Q. Townsend
Topics covered
- Star Trek
- Shakespeare
- children's literature
- film analysis
- epic literature
Keywords
- Star Trek
- Shakespeare
- Wrath of Khan
- children's literature
- film analysis
- epic themes
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Shakespeare
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