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Paramount Pictures
KHAAAAAAAAN!
He's "Star Trek's" most iconic individual villain, and the inspiration for one of the most famed one-word movie quotes in history. Ricardo Montalban made him famous. He's Khan Noonien Singh, best known as Khan, or, in Shatner-speak, "KHAAAAAAAAAAAN!"
Last week, a rumor began to circulate that Benicio del Toro would play Khan in the next "Star Trek" movie. Now New York Magazine's Vulture column says del Toro is out of the film over money issues.
But is Khan still in the running to be the villain, even if played by someone else? Hitfix contacted director and producer J.J. Abrams, who said "not true." Of course, this being "Star Trek," nothing is over until you hear the Klingon Death Scream. As Hitfix smartly points out, unless the new film, a sequel to the 2009 reboot, jumps waaaay far into the future, the events of the 1982 "Wrath of Khan" film aren't ready to happen.
The new film could, of course, feature an early Khan, as he was seen in "Space Seed," the 1967 episode that introduced the character. Or Abrams and crew could just bide their time and plan to introduce Khan later, because "Trek" sequels breed as fast as Tribbles. It may be early in the rebooted timeline now, but just wait a few years.
Or the films could do both -- introduce young Khan now, explain his exile, and pick up the "Wrath of Khan" events in a later film. It would reward both fans of the show and moviegoers who would see both Khan films. Plus the character in "Wrath" was so much more powerful because of his history with the Enterprise crew, and the time lapse between the episode and the movie paralleled Khan's own torturous exile.
What do you think? Would you like to see Khan return to the big screen? Any picks for who should play him? Tell us in the comments.
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I just wish there wasn't such a long wait between films!
Sounds like an interesting movie.
Please, no more Kahn. GAH.
Umm, no. Kahn's exile was explained already in the original series, he died in one of the movies, and seriously there are unlimited beings to have for good and bad guys. Why go get one that already did his thing and get someone else to play him?
I am a die-hard, from the time the show started fan, and I can tell you guys who are deciding these things that enough of Kahn. The reboot was hard enough on true fans in my personal opinion (I know some might have liked that though), and although I like to see some characters again, Kahn wasn't one of them. The movie with Kahn in it was good, but it is done. The best Trek movies are ones with some action, a great, great plot, and some great humor. No need for lots of gore since that wasn't what Trek was about, no need for sinister dark plots without balancing them with humor....this show had awesome plots and interaction between characters...ties that bind them. No more Kahn, please.
Absolutely.
The reboot, as it were, worked, because they did something completely different with it, without mucking the whole thing up. Rehashing the same old same old again... meh...
If you're going to reboot the franchise, then you need new stories and bad guys. Otherwise they should have just remade the original Star Trek, then reenact the same scripts.
I think that one of the primary benefits of this reboot is that you can tell the same stories, with different endings. This Enterprise is more powerful, this Kirk is more reckless, less experienced. This Spock has suffered extreme loss. And when all else fails, this univers has a Spock Prime that can hint at future problems to come.
No. I admit I was not a fan of the new Star Trek but that is not the discussion for now. But putting that opinion aside, Khan should not be in any of the new movies.
Khan was a great and iconic character. But even more than that, the fabulous acting and persona of Ricardo Montalban was responsible for bringing that character to life (both in the episode and in the movie).
With the new movie (and its obvious sequels) generations will grow up thinking that these people are the Star Trek crew and not the originals that we know and loved. Many will not even bother to watch the original Star Trek and leave the performances to rest on "a junk heap of the past." Even those that will watch the original will, after first watching the new, scoff at the original as being antiquated, cheap, technologically inadequate, cheesy, etc (as had been done by some who saw the original Planet of the Apes only after having first seen the 2001 remake).
Recasting Khan would only be, in my opinion, an insult to the memory of the power and performance of
Ricardo Montalban. Let both the character and the man responsible for him rest in peace.
With the entire universe of ideas to make a move about, rehashing a old idea is just plain stupid and lazy. If the next star trek movie has Kahn in it, I won't be going to see it.
The alternate universe Star Trek wasn't a very good movie. They did well casting Bones and Kirk but the rest were pretty bad.
I doubt I will see the next one.
recasting Kahn WOULD be an insult to the performance of Ricardo. I think his grasp of this character, from Space Seed to Wrath of Kahn, was unique, and there are great actors today, but I don't think anyone could really capture a character so smart and strong and yet arrogant and evil at the same time. I remember reading at the time the movie came out that he spent considerable time reviewing the Space Seed episode so he could recapture the essence of the character. It was spot on perfect, given that he felt he had been marooned unfairly and left to die by Kirk, while at the same time he was the one that wanted a "world to conquer." J.J., don't do it!!!!
Leave Khan dead. Leave the whole Trek thing dead. Time to move on.
Could be interesting...in the reboot, why are we to assume that how things played out in the original timeline would at ALL mirror the new timeline? Perhaps Kahn and crew is found and isn't actually a villain at first, and they aren't exiled, etc. Opens the door to a completely new storyline with Kahn.
And for the record, I loved the reboot, although I felt they took some liberties they shouldn't...such as being able to transport the way they did. It kind of eliminates the need for starships entirely!
Wasn't Khan set adrift in space in the year 1996?
Seems to me that that event WOULD have been preserved, as Kirk's birth waswhere the timeline was changed.
So, Khan is still floating around out there in cryosleep. Or perhaps he's been found and has caused other trouble. It's so hard to say.
Me, I'd like to see a good old fashioned Klingon war movie. Done right.
No
NO!!!! I hate the Khan character/story/episodes.
I, for one, liked the reboot. It provided a whole new timeline with endless possibilities without destroying the canon of the original.
That being said, I think Khan should remain in the original timeline and NEVER make an appearance in the new movies. There really is no reason to go there when they have so many other opportunities to create new villains.
So, if you were Spock Prime, wouldn't you let someone know where Khan was? Done and done. No adventure, just jail time. How about tribbles? Let's go see some tribbles, eh?
YES. And I'm a fan of TOS from watching it in syndication on UHF.
The new movie saved the franchise, which has been getting more hokey with every film since the 3rd. After Khan, Generations was the only other really GOOD film, though The Voyage Home was fun. The rest? Meh.
The new film is nothing like Phantom Menace is to Star Wars, it was a serious, well done reboot and deserves every chance to save Trek from becoming the next Space:1999.
As Spock prime, he knows that nothing is truly as it was since their timeline has changed so Khan may never be encountered. He wouldn't have done anything wrong at this point. He's just out there in his spaceship.
No tribbles. I think we could all do without those. I wouldn't want them to revisit the space hippies either! LOL.
Sorry LAX Mom, but there was ALREADY a tribble. Go to the scene where we first see Scotty. Check out the cage on top of the cabinet. There is a TRIBBLE in it. :)
As a person who watched the original Star Trek series and the films I would love to see another iteration of Khan. It could be done in a way that wouldn't impact those who never saw the original episode or the earlier film.. Maybe as a memory piece in a later scenario... For those of us who are 'still around' and have seen the evolution it is fun to reconnect, though most of the films and later series do stand on their own in many respects. Just as I was introduced to Metallica in 1992 on the Metallica/Metallica album and searched out the earlier work which I now enjoy tremendously, the same could happen to many who like the concepts in the later Star Trek incarnations have gone back to the original to understand and appreciate the depth of inspiration and details of the creators.
Your supposition is the most ridiculous evar.
Every Star Trek episode and movie is on DVD, so it's there for anyone to see. You don't have to make a new movie showing the same thing when you can just watch the originals.
Loved Kahn, great character and perfectly over acted by Ricardo. How about you create a new and interesting character instead of always dipping in the well of the past? Abrams can do it so why drag up old characters who confuse what the original series has already dealt with.
At some point they need to revisit the Iotians to get their "cut" from "A Piece of the Action" episode, and see what they have done with McCoy's communicator in the mean time. The Khan story line was played out already.
With the two Spocks alive, old Spock needs to have new Spock watch some of the episodes, like in Space Balls. "When will then be now?" "Soon!"
I'll never forget the reviewer in 1982 who complained that Ricardo Montalban was a horrendous choice to play Khan.
That said, why would you blow two movies reliving the encounters with a character that this Enterprise crew may or may not ever run into. Abrams' Star Trek created a different timeline, a different universe, which means that Kirk, Spock and the rest have a lifetime of NEW adventures to experience. What's the point of doing all that and then going back to the same villains? Who knows? This time around Kirk might not even have a son worth revenging.
No. Just no.
I love the reboot and am very much looking forward to the next one. (2013? Really!? Agh!) The point of the reboot is that we can look at the characters with fresh eyes, and move away from having to force new adventures to fit into the old timeline. For that reason, I would prefer that the reboot team focus their creative energies on creating a new and equally impressive villian, rather than attempting to shoehorn Kahn into our new alternate timeline. I would much prefer a new adversary over a "new" Kahn.
I am a long time Trek fan. Now that they have rebooted/invalidated all Star Trek episodes & movies, I could think of nothing more boring or unimaginative than a regurgitation of all the story lines they invalidated. Having said that, "The Wrath of Khan" was by far my favorite because of the ship-to-ship seek & battle.
I've been a Star Trek fan since birth. And I'm not ashamed to say that the first memory in this life I can remember is seeing the Enterprise in the final scene of STIV. I agree with many fans here: Don't bring back Khan. Please, for the love of God, don't bring him back. He's more sinister the way he is. There are few villains in Sci-Fi that you shouldn't mess with because their evil is already pure enough as it is. This would be a huge slap in the face to Ricardo Montalban if they decide to mask his performance with another actor whom they think can do better. I'm sorry, but you just can't beat his heated passion. It would be too similar to George Lucas' decision to super impose Hayden Christensen as the Force reincarnated Anakin Skywalker on the most recent ROTJ DVD. It totally undermines the performance of Sebastian Shaw, who played Anakin in that film. I'm not a huge Star Wars fan, but even I know that was a mistake. If you want to be loyal to the fans, then listen to the fans. We're saying please don't bring back Khan. You're putting yourself in way too much risk if you do.
But, if you're looking for suggestions, I think it would be cool to explore the Genesis phenomena like John Vornholt did in his novels. They were spectacular.
Think about it.
You mean like turning the most bad-ass villain of the galaxy into an angsty teen that's nickname is "Annie"? -- I'm talking to you George Lucas!
Personally, I'd like to Capt. Kirk have a spaz out moment where he turns to the camera and says "....SPOCK!!.... BONES!! WHERE...DID...I...PARK...THE...SHIP?"
Then again, thats just me.....
Leave Khan alone. New ideas please!
No Khan. No original show, next generation or original film characters or story lines. If you're going to do more Trek films, be original and creative, don't continue to change what you didn't like about what's already been done. Move on JJ.
It's sad to think that J. J. Abrams has to go back and try out an old (but very good) idea from the original series. Can't he think of something new? I mean, he's J.J. Abrams.
My opinion? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!