Trekkies know that the Ceti eels killed 20 of Khan Noonien Singh’s people, including his wife, Marla McGivers. However, until the new podcast Star Trek: Khan came along, fans were left to wonder why and when the former USS Enterprise historian faced her fate. After her death, the grieving leader of the Augments stewed in his anger until the opportunity to avenge himself upon James T. Kirk came along when they met again in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). Was Khan right to take revenge against the Starfleet captain-turned-admiral who marooned him on Ceti-Alpha V, though? Well, the actor who portrays Khan in the new audio drama, Naveen Andrews, weighs in on the issue. Andrews said in an interview via TrekMovie.com:
“In his own mind, yes [he should have taken his revenge], in his mind. But then, we could look at [King] Lear. Was he right to divide up [his] kingdom at the start of the play? Was that a huge mistake? Or were his intentions good? I only mentioned that because, of course, Khan is the kind of renaissance man. He’s certainly well read.”
In both the Star Trek: The Original Series season 1 episode “Space Seed” and The Wrath of Khan, the beloved character is clearly the villain. However, the audio drama gives Trekkies a chance to see the tyrant from the Eugenics Wars through the eyes of his people — the Augments — and even more intriguingly by his beloved Marla. When asked if he thought Khan was the hero of Star Trek: Khan, Andrews replied by saying:
“Well, it depends on how you want to describe the heroic, for want of a better term. The idea of a superbeing that is flawed is a little bit more complex, I would have thought, than just hero villain. It’s precisely what makes him interesting to me, the fact that, yes, sensibly he’s a superbeing, but he’s flawed in the most human of ways.”
Currently, Khan has his hands full on Ceti-Alpha V as he and his people have already stumbled upon the dreaded Ceti eels well before Ceti Alpha VI explodes and lays waste to the so-called paradise the Augments are trying to adapt to. Khan’s love for his people clearly paints him as more of a savior than the power-hungry tyrant Trekkies witness in “Space Seed” and The Wrath of Khan. As a result, the audio drama is a wonderful character study, which does allow Khan’s humanity to be seen by the fandom. But is he a hero? Well...
Have you listened to the Star Trek: Khan podcast yet? What do you think about this version of Khan we are presented with on Ceti Alpha V versus the monster he is in The Wrath of Khan. Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!