Star Trek: Khan Should Be The Definitive End To The Iconic Villain’s Story

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Warning: SPOILERS For Star Trek: Khan

It’s been 58 years since the character of Khan Noonien Singh (played by Ricardo Montalban) first appeared in the original Star Trek series, and now it’s time for the franchise to move beyond his story. All nine episodes of Star Trek: Khan, the first dramatic podcast from Star Trek, are available now. The podcast tells the story of what happened to Khan during his time in exile on the planet Ceti Alpha V.

Khan, famously played by Ricardo Montalban, has only appeared in three Star Trek stories. He first appeared in 1967 as part of the original Star Trek series in the episode “Space Seed,” then returned in the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. A younger version of Khan, portrayed as Desmond Sivan, also appeared in the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.”

The podcast Star Trek: Khan is considered part of the official Star Trek storyline. It tells the true story of what happened to Khan (Naveen Andrews), his wife Marla McGivers (Wrenn Schmidt), and their followers after Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and the Starship Enterprise left them stranded on the planet Ceti Alpha V.

The series Star Trek: Khan laid the groundwork for the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and also introduced the Elboreans, a new alien race with psychic abilities. Crucially, the series revealed that Khan and Marla had a daughter, Kali Noonien Singh, played by Sonya Cassidy, who survived the destruction of Ceti Alpha V and is now living under the name Dr. Rosalind Lear.

Star Trek: Khan Needs To Be The Last Khan Story

Star Trek: Khan fills in the gaps and revisits the story of Khan Noonien Singh, continuing from his introduction in the original Star Trek series and concluding after his defeat in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Because of this, it feels like the definitive and final chapter in Khan’s story.

With Star Trek: Khan, we’ve finally seen the complete story of this artificially created villain, allowing Star Trek to move forward. The film delved deeply into Khan’s mind, revealing his potential for kindness and affection, but ultimately showing how he consistently gives in to his violent impulses instead of choosing a better path.

The recent film Star Trek: Khan has finally provided a complete picture of Khan Noonien Singh, resolving all major questions about his story. His arc is now finished, and the movie effectively explained the origins of his intense hatred for Captain Kirk, which ultimately led to his defeat in Star Trek II. There’s no need to revisit this character further.

Trying to create more stories about Khan, such as a prequel showing his rise to power and escape from Earth during the Eugenics Wars, would be a misstep. Khan was a fantastic villain, and Star Trek: Khan finally gave him the backstory he deserved. His story is now complete, allowing Star Trek to move forward and focus on new adventures.

Why Star Trek Is Still Fixated On Khan Almost 60 Years Later

Khan became Star Trek‘s most famous villain and Captain Kirk’s greatest foe thanks to Ricardo Montalban’s powerful and dramatic performance in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. While he was a notable villain in Star Trek: The Original Series, the movie solidified his legendary status.

With Star Trek II, the character of Khan became truly iconic. Ricardo Montalban’s performance brought a powerful and unforgettable threat to the Star Trek universe, and significantly raised the bar for villains in the Star Trek films. From that point on, Star Trek movies were often built around villains modeled after Khan, for better or worse.

Many Star Trek movies have openly tried to recapture the magic of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Star Trek: Nemesis closely followed the same storyline, and Star Trek Into Darkness essentially retold The Wrath of Khan’s story with new characters. Fans didn’t respond well to either film. More recently, Star Trek: Khan attempted a return to the original concept, but without the iconic actor Ricardo Montalban.

Star Trek Only Sometimes Explores Khan’s Legacy

It’s probably time for Star Trek to stop revisiting the character of Khan, but he’ll always be a significant part of the franchise’s history in both movies and television. Recent series, like season 3 of Star Trek: Picard, have introduced new villains – such as Vadic (Amanda Plummer) – who, like Khan, are driven by revenge and enjoy dramatic, over-the-top performances.

Khan’s influence continues to be felt whenever Star Trek explores the complex ethics of genetic engineering within the United Federation of Planets. He’s the reason the Federation prohibits genetic modification, a rule that has directly affected characters like Lt. Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Lieutenant La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), a character in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, carries the burden of being descended from the notorious Khan, even though she doesn’t share his genetically engineered physical characteristics. The recent Star Trek: Khan series continues Khan’s story through his daughter, Kali.

While Star Trek sometimes explores the lasting effects of Khan on the Federation, these episodes – such as “Ad Astra Per Aspera” from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and “Dr. Bashir, I Presume?” from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – are often considered highlights of the series. However, Star Trek generally avoids directly addressing how the Federation handles genetically engineered humans (augments), except when it’s used to reinforce the positive portrayal of regular characters who are themselves augments.

While Star Trek has some established characters it could use to build on Khan’s story, the franchise should focus on developing new villains with unique and complicated reasons for their actions. After nearly 60 years since Khan first appeared in Star Trek: The Original Series, it’s time for Star Trek to move beyond this character for good.

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2025-11-14 13:10