“We have always believed that The Wrath of Khan is the fulcrum movie upon which Star Trek turned.”
I think that this cannot be overstated. TMP did not get the reception, recognition, and bucket loads of money, the studio was banking on. It no doubt took a lot of work, and luck, to get the studio to back a second Star Trek film, even with its much lower budget. There are many reasons we have the current choices of Star Trek series and movies, but I don’t underestimate how vital TWoK’s success is with the situation. This sounds like a fascinating book, and is definitely on my “I want” list.