This key art for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (STII or TWoK) is by one of the all-time great movie poster artists, Bob Peak (artist
signature on the upper right side of the image). This art was used for several of STII’s theatrical poster campaigns outside the US (many of which you can view here),
as well as for newspaper ads, movie tie-in merchandise, and the
covers/sleeves for various home video releases. Be sure to click the images above and below for hi-resolution versions!
Alternate Version
Peak's portraiture from this key art seems to have been re-painted at some point for the STII newspaper ad campaign. Below, an uncut printer's proof showing a large ad for this movie, designed to be split across two facing newspaper pages (click to enlarge), followed by an image of a similar layout (with different ad copy) in use.
While the Enterprise and Regula I remain identical to Peak's key art, the character faces have been altered to more closely resemble the actors. Khan's chest and arms appear to have been untouched. See my comparison images below.
I have no info on the artist responsible for this re-paint / re-touch, or why it was done.
In this next newspaper ad, Peak's rendering of the Enterprise has been isolated, and "USS Enterprise" has been added to the rim of the saucer section (click to enlarge). [Image source.]
Other Concepts
Peak explored other concepts for the STII poster art. This sketch features a more enigmatic Khan — in the face mask he wears briefly on Ceti Alpha V — looming over a glowing Genesis device and bust portraits of Kirk, Spock, and Saavik. This large (32" x 40") mixed media original piece sold at auction in 2018 for $14,400.
This next sketch moves closer to the imagery of the final poster — though Khan is still masked, Kirk and Spock are shown in more active poses, and we now see the inclusion of the Enterprise, which seems to be under fire from the Regula I space station (something that never happens in the film, though it may have been part of the plot at some point) — note the explosions on top of the Enterprise's saucer section.
The third preliminary sketch again prominently and fully features the Genesis device, an image that is entirely absent from the final poster art as we know it. Khan is unmasked, Admiral Kirk is armed with a flashlight this time, and the Enterprise is again under fire from Regula I. (In the final poster art, it is the ship that is firing on the station, which is an event that, again, does not occur in the film.)
In
discussing this artwork, we must also recognize Spiros Angelikas,
designer and owner of the Spiros Associates design firm, for his art
direction. Art like this for a major studio production is typically a
collaborative process, and Angelikas worked alongside Bob Peak on the
poster art and design for the first several Star Trek films and many
others. For further reading on Mr. Angelikas, check out this post at TrekCore.
Merchandise
Unlike Peak's key art for Star Trek: The Motion Picture, this art was not used for the contemporary soundtrack LP album art, nor the novelization cover. The art was later used for certain VHS, LaserDisc, DVD, and blu-ray case sleeves / inserts.
