Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Features The Franchise’s Greatest Villain?
During the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Television Critics Association panel on Tuesday, series showrunner Akiva Goldsman said the show will have a significant link to the franchise's greatest villain
This article is more than 2 years old
This year’s Television Critics Association press tour shared a lot of new information about the shows we love and new ones we’re excited to see. And somewhere in the mix was Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – a series that will take the Paramount+ Star Trek universe to a new frontier. But it seems like the show might take a trip down nostalgia lane too. During the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Television Critics Association panel on Tuesday, series showrunner Akiva Goldsman said the show will have a significant link to Khan – the franchise’s greatest villain.
Fans have been speculating about this ever since Christina Chong was cast as La’an Noonien-Singh. Because every Trekkie knows that Captain Kirk’s most iconic nemesis was called Khan Noonien Singh.
When Goldsman was asked if it’s safe to assume that Chong’s new character for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is related to the infamous villain he said, “She’s related to Khan, for sure. And the deal will unfold.” He added that the creative team isn’t doing this to be splashy. They want to dig deep into characters that are part of their ensemble. After that, they’re open to anything. “We’re open to getting our arms… But right now, what you see is what you get,” Goldman said via The Hollywood Reporter.
Although Goldman’s comment is a little guarded, it does suggest that Khan will be making an appearance in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds eventually. But it will only be after the main cast is established. A great place for his introduction would be during the season one finale. Especially since this method of bringing in epic characters has worked well for shows like Star Trek: Discovery in the past.
Moreover, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a direct prequel to The Original Series which first introduced audiences to Khan, so the timeline would definitely work. Khan first appeared as the main bad guy in a 1967 episode of Star Trek: The Original Series called Space Seed. He was portrayed by Ricardo Montalbán, who reprised the role for the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The character was also played by Benedict Cumberbatch in 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness.
Created by Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, and Jenny Lumet, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is billed as a return to the classic planet-of-the-week space exploration format of the original Star Trek series. The story follows Captain Christopher Pike as he leads the U.S.S. Enterprise, s they explore new worlds throughout the galaxy during the decade before Captain Kirk.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds stars Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, and Ethan Peck as Captain Christopher Pike, Number One, and Science Officer Spock respectively – reprising their roles from Discovery. These characters were introduced in the original Star Trek series, and these actors were cast in the roles for the second season of Discovery in 2019.
The show also features the talents of Babs Olusanmokun as M’Benga, Christina Chong as La’an Noonien-Singh, Celia Rose Gooding, Jess Bush as Christine Chapel, Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas, and Bruce Horak as Hemmer. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds debuts on May 5 on Paramount+. A second season has already been confirmed.
