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Will Khan Appear In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds? Creator Responds
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds co-creator and showrunner, Akiva Goldsman, recently addressed the possibility of Khan Noonien Singh appearing in the show. Strange New Worlds is the latest critically-acclaimed series in the science-fiction franchise following its rebranding led by Alex Kurtzman. Set five years before Star Trek: The Original Series, when Captain James T. Kirk will take command of the USS Enterprise, Strange New Worlds centers on Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and his crew on the Federation flagship.
First introduced in Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, epsiode 22, "Space Seed," Khan subsequently reappeared as the lead antagonist of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan as well as Star Trek Into Darkness. A highly-intelligent and cunning villain, Khan was a genetically-engineered Human Augment who ruled one quarter of the Earth's population during the Eugenics Wars of the late-20th century. As nations fought back, Khan was forced into exile from Earth and departed the planet in stasis aboard a star ship. He was subsequently revived in the 23rd century by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the USS Enterprise.
In a recent interview with THR, Goldsman discussed the possibility of the popular Star Trek villain Khan appearing in Strange New Worlds. When reminded that Khan was mentioned in both Star Trek: Picard and Strange New Worlds, Goldsman replied jokingly. He said he could not confirm or deny anything in fear of swift retribution from Paramount. Read what he writer-producer said below:
Quote:
"The Paramount rep on the line has an electric staple in my tongue, and I give a wrong word — well, that’s bad for me."
As with most popular franchises, such as the MCU and Star Wars, any details regarding possible major spoilers of upcoming projects are withheld and are typically covered under a binding non-disclosure agreement. As pointed out, the Picard season 2 finale hinted at Khan when Adam Soong (Brent Spiner) picks up a file labeled "Project Khan: 1996," referencing the character's origins. Strange New Worlds also features a nod to the villain through a Starfleet Lieutenant named La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), a direct descendant of Khan, so his appearance is entirely possibly despite Goldsman's vague response.
Although no details of Khan's involvement in Strange New Worlds have been confirmed, CBS previously planned a limited series centered on Khan called Ceti Alpha V, named after the planet in which Khan and his followers were left in "Space Seed" and recovered in Wrath of Khan. Due to the timeline of Strange New Worlds, it does not appear possible to include the character without interrupting the Prime timeline. During the events of the show, Khan would still be in stasis waiting for Kirk's arrival. However, as previous Star Trek entries have shown, Khan can be introduced through various alternate dimensions or diverging timelines. Barring any new information about Khan's reintroduction into the Star Trek franchise, audiences can only speculate if he will appear in Strange New Worlds season 2 when it releases.
