Paramount Will Khan somehow appear on “Strange New Worlds?”
The most significant announcement of the past few weeks was when Paramount+ finally told fans when the newest “Star Trek” show would begin airing. It was just January 18, 2022, when the studio shared that “Strange New Worlds” would start streaming on their platform on May 5, 2022.
Even though little is known about the show, fans know a few things, like how long it will last — 12 weeks, from May 5 to July 7, 2022. They do know the show will likely explore Captain Pike’s love of horses, which can be seen in the new teaser poster — and in the original Trek pilot, “The Cage.” And finally, fans already know the crew’s makeup of this new version of the U.S.S. Enterprise.
While most of the new crew were expected to be there — except for Nyota Uhura, who will be played by Broadway star Celia Rose Gooding — there is one crew member whose name has been ruffling feathers.
It is the character named La’an Noonien-Singh, played by actress Christina Chong. Her name made most fans think of the arch-rival of Captain James T. Kirk and the object of one episode of “The Original Series” and two feature films — Khan Noonien-Singh.
Announcing the Crew
When the actors and their titles were announced in a video on September 8, 2021, fans learned of Chong’s role, but little else. All Chong said was that she was excited to “become a part of this amazing, diverse universe.”
But thanks to new reporting from The Hollywood Reporter, fans know that the connection between La’an and Khan is real.
“She’s related to Khan, for sure, and, uh, and the deal will unfold —” show co-creator Akiva Goldsman said during a Television Critics Association panel talk.
“We don’t want to bring folks into the show to be splashy. We want to dig deeply into characters that are part of our ensemble, and then, obviously, we’re open. … But right now, what you see is what you get.”
Khan and Time
Since this new show happens before the events of “The Original Series,” Khan should still be in suspended animation aboard the S.S. Botany Bay. Trek fans recall that Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew faced Khan in the year 2267. “Strange New Worlds,” according to calculations by Inverse, will probably take place in 2258.
Khan only appears in “Star Trek Into Darkness” because Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller) found the Botany Bay in the Kelvin Timeline before Kirk found him in the Prime Timeline.
Then will Khan appear at all in the show, or will he eventually get his own show?
Ceti Alpha V — the Show
This could all be a clever way for Paramount to give fans a show all about Khan. In fact, Nicholas Meyer, the writer/director who gave us “The Wrath of Khan” and “The Undiscovered Country,” has been working on something just like that for a while.
“I was commissioned to write a 3-hour or 3-night event, and that’s what I did,” Meyer told the podcast Midnight’s Edge. “It’s called Ceti Alpha V, and I don’t know the current status. It’s been up in the air.
“Partially, there was a lot of confusion between CBS, and there were big upheavals at CBS, and while they sort of didn’t know who was in charge, they also didn’t know what they were going to do with Ceti Alpha V,” Meyer said. “I’m not exactly sure what’s happened. I haven’t heard from them in some time.”
Ceti Alpha V is the planet where Kirk marooned Khan after the events of “Space Seed.” Paramount might use this new character as a bridge between “Strange New Worlds” and a “Ceti Alpha V” series.
In fact, the show name “Star Trek: Ceti Alpha V” was copyrighted by CBS in 2018. The U.S. Patent Office and Trademark site notes that the title is still “live,” which means that CBS could potentially do something with this property.
There are numerous stories about how Khan rose to power, most notably, the “Eugenics Wars” series by author Greg Cox.
As Inverse speculated, “Strange New Worlds” could be full of flashbacks, which could allow for some scenes with La’an Noonien-Singh exploring her familial past. Or, she could be a genetically modified super-human, bent on finding her frozen relative on the S.S. Botany Bay.
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