After Paul Giamatti’s Star Trek Villain Comment, I’m Convinced He’s The Khan Replacement The Franchise Has Needed For 43 Years

I was already excited about Paul Giamatti playing Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's villain but after his recent comments, I believe Paul could be the Khan (Ricardo Montalban) successor Star Trek has wanted since 1982. An A-list actor, Giamatti is a two-time Academy Award nominee, an Emmy winner, and a Golden Globe winner. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy casting Paul Giamatti as season 1's villain was a coup alongside Academy Award-winner Holly Hunter coming aboard as the series lead.

What's known about Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is exciting. Created by executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau, Starfleet Academy continues Star Trek: Discovery's 32nd century era. Starfleet Academy is filming on the largest sets ever constructed for Star Trek, with its setting split between San Francisco and outer space. And Starfleet Academy is bringing back several Star Trek legacy characters, including The Doctor (Robert Picardo) from Star Trek: Voyager. Yet Paul Giamatti's villain is Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's most intriguing aspect to me.

Paul Giamatti Is Playing The Villain In Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Details About Starfleet Academy Are Still Top Secret

Speaking to Collider, Paul Giamatti offered tantalizing hints about his unknown Star Trek: Starfleet Academy villain. While Paul offered no spoilers, his revelation that his big bad "takes great pleasure in being the villain" is a positive sign that evokes Khan Noonien Singh in Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Read Giamatti's quote below:

"He takes great pleasure in being the villain. He likes it. And it's very much a part of his thing that he's all 'Oh yeah, I'm the bad guy... "To my mind, it feels very, very old-school Star Trek. My character is a very fun villain; he reminds me of a combination of classic Trek villains. That's all I'll really say."

One of Khan's memorable traits is that he relished his "superiority" over Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Khan was genetically engineered to be stronger and smarter than other humans, and the charismatic despot was especially proud of his "superior intellect." While the species and abilities of Paul Giamatti's Star Trek: Starfleet Academy villain are under wraps, the Golden Globe winner has the acting chops to equal Ricardo Montalban's full-blooded vitality and menace.

Paul Giamatti Is A Lifelong Star Trek Fan Who Wanted To Join The Franchise

Giamatti Joined Starfleet Academy's Impressive Cast

Paul Giamatti grew up a Star Trek fan and harbored longtime hopes of joining the franchise, and this information took on a life of its own during the promotion for The Holdovers. Giamatti talked about his love of Star Trek and even spoke Klingon to Johan Albrechtsen of Moovy TV, which was reported by Screen Rant. Paul recalled how he found his way into Star Trek to Collider:

"It was the advantage of going through the awards thing and having people ask me about stuff I'd like to do. I was like 'Gosh, I love Star Trek,' and I think that actually must have worked for once in my life. I put it out in the universe and it came back. I'm not gonna say I'm a superfan or anything, but from the time I was a child, I've been a big Star Trek fan. I haven't watched all the iterations, but I've watched a lot of it, and I do really kind of love it.

Upon learning that Paul Giamatti wanted to be in Star Trek, Star Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman smartly seized the opportunity to cast Paul Giamatti as the villain of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Giamatti and Holly Hunter lead Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's stellar cast that includes young stars like Bella Shepard and Zoe Steiner, Star Trek legacy actors like Mary Wiseman and Tig Notaro, and guest stars including She-Hulk's Tatiana Maslany and WWE champion Becky Lynch.

Star Trek Has Looked For The Next Khan Since 1982

Many Of Star Trek's Super Villains Follow Khan's Mold

The potential for Paul Giamatti as Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's villain is out of this world, and he could be what Khan was to the current Star Trek generation. Khan's indelible impact on Star Trek cannot be measured. Ricardo Montalban's super villain was a standout in Star Trek: The Original Series, but it was 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan where Khan became the gold standard of Star Trek villains. For over 40 years, Star Trek - and the Star Trek movies, especially - have tried to replicate Khan with a slew of big bads.

From Nero (Eric Bana) and Krall (Idris Elba) in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies, to Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell) in Star Trek Generations and Shinzon (Tom Hardy) in Star Trek: Nemesis, and even Vadic (Amanda Plummer) in Star Trek: Picard season 3, Khan has been the mold for multiple Star Trek villains. Star Trek Into Darkness literally resurrected Khan with Benedict Cumberbatch, although he paled in comparison to Ricardo Montalban's original.

Whatever type of villain Paul Giamatti plays in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, the Oscar nominee is bound to bring his intensity, intelligence, and scenery-chewing charisma to the role. Even if Paul Giamatti's Big Bad turns out to be made in Khan's mold - or "a combination of classic Trek villains" as Giamatti described - there's every chance Paul will make his Star Trek heavy distinctive and memorable. I'm very much looking forward to seeing Paul Giamatti's Star Trek: Starfleet Academy villain threaten Star Trek's 32nd century future.