Star Trek: Strange New Worlds producer Akiva Goldsman discusses whether or not Khan will appear on the show. Strange New Worlds is the latest new Star Trek series and it is set to follow the adventures of Captain Pike and his crew prior to the events of 1966's Star Trek: The Original Series. The show is set to premiere on May 5th and will be the fifth ongoing Star Trek show alongside Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks, and Prodigy.
The series boasts an impressive cast, carrying over Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, and Ethan Peck from their time on Discovery's second season as Captain Pike, Number One, and Spock, respectively. It also includes new faces to Star Trek, like Celia Rose Gooding, who will be playing a young Uhura, and Babs Olusanmokun, who takes on the role of Dr. M’Benga. Unlike the aforementioned members of the cast, Christina Chong will be playing a new character who Star Trek fans haven’t seen on-screen before, named La'an Noonien-Singh. Goldsman confirmed La'an is related to classic Star Trek villain Khan, so, naturally, the question of whether Khan will appear on the show also came up.
During a Television Critics Association panel (via THR), after confirming La'an's connection to Khan, Goldsman hinted that Khan could eventually appear on Strange New Worlds. Though his comment is somewhat vague, it seems like Goldsman wants to establish the new ensemble before adding anyone else to the cast, but the creative team is "open" to bringing in other characters later in the series. Check out Goldsman's full response below:
“We don’t want to bring folks into the show to be splashy. We want to dig deeply into characters that are part of our ensemble and then, obviously, we’re open. … But right now, what you see is what you get.”
Khan is known by Star Trek audiences primarily for his starring role in 1982’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The character battled with Admiral Kirk throughout the events of the film, though the two never came face-to-face. Khan’s actions throughout the film eventually led to the death of the Enterprise’s Captain Spock. Audiences will, therefore, be keen to learn exactly how the new character of La’an Noonien-Singh relates to Khan, and whether or not her presence opens the door to an appearance from the antagonist himself.
As the show predates the events of The Wrath of Khan, Strange New Worlds has a unique chance to shape part of the villain's backstory. The show also has a new actor to take on the role of Captain Kirk, adding another layer of complexity to La'an's character and seemingly setting up a perfect situation for an appearance from Khan. Familiar faces will excite a portion of the Star Trek fanbase who are always eager to see old characters return. However, audiences will also be hoping that Strange New Worlds’ storytelling can stand on its own feet to explore new characters, planets, and alien species, without becoming reliant upon the wave of call-backs and cameos that appear likely.
Source: THR
