Easily the darkest movie in the franchise, "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" is also my number-one "Star Trek" movie. A continuation of the plot from the television episode called "Space Seed," Kirk battles his toughest and most dastardly opponent.

During the episode "Space Seed," a man named Khan was discovered on a ship floating through space by Captain Kirk and his crew. After taking him in, Khan tried to steal the Enterprise and kill Kirk. As a result, Khan and his people were exiled to the planet of Ceti Alpha IV.

Years later, while conducting research for the project Genesis experiment, Commander Chekov and Captain Terrell of the USS Reliant accidentally land on Ceti Alpha IV, where the two are captured by Khan and his followers. Khan steals the Reliant and manages to steal the Genesis device, a device originally meant to create life, but also capable of destroying it.

Khan attacks Kirk by surprise, while he on a training mission, causing serious damage to the Enterprise. For the rest of the movie, Kirk and Khan match wits, tormenting one another until eventually Kirk defeats Khan.

The rivalry between Kirk and Khan is magnetic. Although neither actually appear on screen in the same place the energy between them is enormous. Kirk and Khan are dark, brooding, and deeply angry at the other's existence. Khan, who is played by Ricardo Mantalban, is the ultimate villain: vile, ruthless, and willing to take any risk to exact his revenge on Kirk.

Tragedy is another key aspect that makes this movie so powerful. Spock sacrifices his life to reactivate the warp drive and help the Enterprise escape from Khan. This moment carries an immense amount of weight because it profoundly affects Kirk, who has come to know Spock as his best friend and confidant. I remember being deeply sad as a kid to see Spock die, little did I know he would return in "Star Trek III" though.

Do you agree with my top five? What are your favorites? Are you planning to see the new movie? If you already saw it, what did you think?

Story by Starpulse contributing writer Evan Crean, a movie trivia guru and trailer addict with a practically photographic memory of actors and directors. Get a first look at the movies premiering each week, which which ones will be worth your $10, which ones you should wait to rent and which ones aren't worth your time.