I am greatly dismayed at the prospect of JJ Abrams re-utilising Khan as villain for his follow-up to 2009’s Star Trek. The idea of catering for the masses is not new but the legacy of Star Trek deserves a whole lot more than a rehashing of ideas. Orci, Kurtzman and Abrams are working with the proverbial blank slate. The possibilities which they can explore are practically as vast as the Universe itself. The very essence behind Star Trek presented us with new discoveries and ideas. The recycling of Khan is hardly anything new and begs the questions: will we see the Enterprise’s intrepid crew seek out new life and new civilizations? Will they boldly go where no man has gone before? Well, if Khan is indeed the villain, then both answers get an emphatic NO. Therefore, scornfully, I must say, “Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt”.
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This brings me to another quandary: Turning the new Star Trek franchise into a action series is so unbecoming to the legend of Star Trek and the ideas that Gene Roddenberry proposed. I was gladly enthralled by the action presented in Star Trek and I completely expect the same for the sequel. However, it would be wise for JJ to remember that what made Star Trek great in the first place was not purely action.
What I suggest is the development of the friendship between Kirk and Spock; an infusion of science, theoretical physics and action; the wonders of the Universe in real 3D; the passion for adventure. Evil does not have to be embodied by a physical person/alien. It could come in the form opposition of ideas, beliefs, the burden of knowledge, the impact of technology on humanity, the effects of one civilization on another, the Prime Directive etc.
Star Trek is meant to be inspirational and there is seems to be no inspiration behind JJ’s choice of villain. Following Nero’s actions and presence, there is logical reason to include either or both the Klingons and the Romulans. Nero is responsible for the destruction of 47 Klingon warbirds. Revenge is a dish best served cold. The latter sentence is a Klingon proverb (at least according to Quentin Tarantino’s
Kill Bill). Now revenge as a premise has been used countless times before in movies and therefore I must categorically state that I think it should not be the sole governing force behind the motives of the Klingons (if they indeed were utilised in the sequel). Also, as much as there is reason to include Romulans, it would mean that the last 3 Star Trek movies featured Romulans i.e. Star Trek: Nemesis’ Shinzon and Captain Nero.
The Wrath of Khan (TWOK) is considered as a firm fan favourite. Reusing the same villain will draw comparisons to TWOK. Besides, whoever plays Khan better have the abs to do so. It is ireful for Orci, Kurtzman and Abrams to not think out the box on this one. Are they lazy or just too busy with other projects to think creatively?
The point at which the time-line changes in the new alternate universe relative the original Star Trek time-line has little if no effect on Khan at all up until that point. Even so, Khan’s course should hereto be the same as it was in the original universe’s time-line. Also, bare in mind that Khan and what invokes his wrath was setup in an episode of the original series entitled “Space Seed”. JJ’s movie does not have the same luxury. TWOK was essentially the continuation of events from that episode of TOS. The Star Sequel would have to introduce Khan, his ship (The Botany Bay) and the concept of eugenics.
Now there is a particular breed of humanoids who can make for formidable protagonist – I am talking about the inhabitants of Kronos. The Klingons not only whole pose a far more imposing threat to Kirk and The Federation than does Khan, but they are also more intimidating and intriguing. Khan and Kirk’s rivalry is legendary, but cannot the same be true for a new villain? There is no guarantee that Khan will be as iconic a villain in the new sequel as he was in TWOK. Kirk is not nearly as experienced in the rebooted movie series as he was in TOS. Any Kirk/Khan rivalry simply would not have the same impact as William Shatner’s Kirk and Ricardo Montalban’s Khan.
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JJ’s 2009 movie reignitied a spark for Star Trek and the smart thing to do would be to continue to surprise fans with something new and fresh. They set the ball rolling in 2009 with the alternate timeline and therefore have boundless alternate narratives and villains to explore. Emphasis on the word “explore”.
Therefore, I am going to settle with the possibility that Roberto Orci is sitting and smiling at the heated speculation he has caused and that hopefully tribbles will overrun the Alpha Quadrant (because tribbles are far more intimidating than Klingons).