Based on a story by Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan's director Nicholas Meyer and written by Kirsten Beyer and David Mack, Star Trek: Khan is billed as a direct sequel to Star Trek: The Original Series season 1's episode, "Space Seed," which introduced Khan. In "Space Seed," Khan was revealed as the genetically engineered former ruler of Earth in the 1990s who was ousted by the Eugenics Wars.
Khan and his followers were in cryo sleep for centuries before they were awakened by the USS Enterprise. Khan immediately set about taking over the starship and tried to kill Captain Kirk. Ultimately, Kirk prevailed and banished Khan and his people to the planet Ceti Alpha V. It would be nearly 20 years before Khan escaped to seek revenge on Kirk in Star Trek II. However, Star Trek: Khan can get deeper into Khan's mindset and answer questions that the villain's prior Star Trek appearances did not.
5 Does Khan Remember Meeting La’an In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds?
Will Star Trek: Khan Delve Into His Childhood?
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 3, "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" featured the first canonical appearance of Khan Noonien Singh since Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, but with a twist: It was a young Khan (Desmond Sivan) who meets Lieutenant La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong). La'an time traveled to 21st-century Toronto, Canada, with an alternate reality version of Captain Kirk (Paul Wesley) to fix Star Trek's broken Prime Timeline.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds established that La'an is Khan's ancestor, which haunted La'an throughout her life. Strange New Worlds' retcon of Khan in "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" also established that the Noonien-Singh family was prominent in the field of genetic enhancement. As a young boy, Khan lived at the Noonien-Singh Institute for Cultural Advancement in Toronto, which is where La'an found him.
La'an ultimately protected Khan from assassination.
Will Star Trek: Khan touch upon the fact that Khan briefly encountered La'an in his youth? Although La'an never identified herself to her ancestor, it may be a memory that Khan carried with him into adulthood. La'an ultimately protected Khan from assassination by a Romulan time agent named Sera (Adelaide Kane), but it's unclear whether Khan learned the full story of meeting La'an in Toronto on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
4 Will Star Trek: Khan Reflect Strange New Worlds’ Changed Timeline?
The Eugenics Wars Timeline Has Been Retconned
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' series premiere introduced a retcon of Star Trek's 20th and 21st century timeline. According to Star Trek: The Original Series, the Eugenics Wars and Khan fleeing Earth happened in the 1990s with World War III following in the 21st century. As Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) explained to the people of Kiley 279, Star Trek's timeline has been revised, conflating the Eugenics Wars and World War III to both occur in the 21st century.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" explained that the timeline alterations were the result of the Temporal Wars. Star Trek: Khan is a direct sequel to Star Trek: The Original Series' "Space Seed," but it could incorporate Strange New Worlds' retcon of the Star Trek timeline. This would mean Khan was a boy and fled Earth in the mid-21st century, which would be before First Contact with the Vulcans on April 5, 2063.
April 5, 2063, is known as First Contact Day in the Star Trek universe, with April 5 also known as the same in the real world.
3 How Long Did Khan’s Wife Marla McGivers Survive On Ceti Alpha V?
Khan Experiences The Loss Of His Love
By Khan's own description in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the destruction of Ceti Alpha VI happened six months after Captain Kirk sent Khan and his followers to Ceti Alpha V. Ceta Alpha V's orbit was shifted, turning what was a harsh but bountiful world into a desert wasteland where the only indigenous survivors were the Ceti eels. Those very eels took the life of Khan's beloved wife, Lt. Marla McGivers (Madlyn Rhue).
Lt. Marla McGivers was the Starship Enterprise's historian who had an affinity to strongmen conquerors from Earth's past, especially Khan Noonien Singh. McGivers quickly succumbed to her attraction to Khan and helped him hijack the Enterprise, although Marla also helped to enable Captain Kirk to defeat Khan and take back his ship. McGivers volunteered to join Khan on Ceti Alpha V. Star Trek: Khan will shed light on their relationship and should reveal when, exactly, Marla died.
2 How Does Khan Remember Chekov Since They Didn't Meet In Star Trek: The Original Series?
There Are Explanations To How Khan Knows Chekov
Star Trek: Khan can also potentially provide the answer to an enduring plot hole from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: How did Khan recognize Commander Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig)? Khan told Chekov "I never forget a face," but Pavel was not in Star Trek: The Original Series season 1. Walter Koenig wasn't cast as Ensign Chekov until Star Trek: The Original Series season 2.
Essentially, Star Trek II retconned TOS so that Khan recognized Chekov in "Space Seed." The simplest explanation is that Ensign Chekov was already aboard the Enterprise. It's possible Khan perused the Enterprise's personnel records to facilitate his takeover, and he recalled Ensign Chekov. After all, Khan has a genetically engineered intellect. Star Trek: Khan could go into further detail about when Khan tried to steal the Enterprise and possibly give a definitive answer to how he knew Chekov.
1 When Does Khan Start To Blame Kirk For Never Checking Up On Ceti Alpha V?
Maybe Khan Thinks Kirk Knew Ceti Alpha VI Would Blow Up
Star Trek: Khan can give deeper insight into the enmity Khan felt for Captain Kirk, especially after the destruction of Ceti Alpha VI. At the end of Star Trek: The Original Series' "Space Seed," Khan accepted his banishment to Ceti Alpha V because he was excited about a new world he could tame. Almost 20 years later, Khan blamed Kirk for every tragedy and calamity that occurred, and Star Trek: Khan can reveal how Noonien Singh fixes on Kirk as the source of his misery.
Star Trek: Khan has the opportunity to break down how Khan grows to blame Kirk.
While Captain Kirk - later Admiral Kirk - seemingly forgot all about Khan in the years before Star Trek II, Khan only grew more obsessed with exacting revenge on Kirk. Star Trek: Khan has the opportunity to break down how Khan grows to blame Kirk, and perhaps he may even believe the Captain of the Enterprise knew Ceti Alpha VI would explode before banishing Khan to its neighboring planet.
