Khan is the quintessentialStar Trekmovie villain, but every time the franchise has tried to replicate his success, it has failed miserably. Following the lackluster performances ofStar Trek: The Motion Picture, it was clear that the burgeoning film franchise needed something special for the sequel.The Wrath of Khanarrived, and improved upon its predecessor in every way.
Borrowing a character from one ofThe Original Series' most beloved episodes,Star Trek IIwas a sequel with stakes, and the storytelling was light years beyond the first film. It deftly balanced a dour tone alongside the hopeful utopian message of the franchise, and saw the characters grow and mature through their experiences.
It’s difficult to overstate the importance ofTheWrath of Khan, because it not only jump-started the movie series, but also gave the franchise a road map for future films. Compelling villains is what the originalStar Trekmovies do best, and some of the sequels took the right lessons from Khan and his revenge-fueled motivations.
Unfortunately, Khan also proved to be an extremely popular villain, so laterStar Trekmovies couldn’t help but copy some elements of the character for future antagonists. These never worked out well, and they were often downright laughable.Khan isStar Trek’s signature antagonist, but his magic could never be replicated in another movie.
Khan Isn’t Just A Great Villain, He’s Also An Interesting Character
Khan’s Revenge Ties Into Kirk’s Story Arc
A good villain thinks they’re the hero of their own story, andStar Trek IIhas a great antagonist in that respect. IntheTOSepisode, “Space Seed”, Khan attempted to seize theEnterpriseand was banished to a lush planet. However, the movie reveals that his paradise became a nightmare when the climate shifted on Ceti Alpha V.
This gives Khan all the reasons he needs to despise Kirk, and in his own eyes,he’s justified in seeking revenge against the Starfleet veteran. Kirk’s short-sightedness is to blame for Khan’s plight on Ceti Alpha V, and the Federation also let Khan down by never following up on the castaways.
What’s more,Khan’s motive for revenge ties back into Kirk’s character arc, andThe Wrath of Khanis all about the freewheeling Starfleet Captain finally learning that he’s fallible. Khan represents one of his greatest failures, and the outcome of Khan’s revenge wounds Kirk in a way that no villain had been able to do before.
Khan represents one of his greatest failures, and the outcome of Khan’s revenge wounds Kirk in a way that no villain had been able to do before.
Khan’s revenge storyline works so well because he has a point, butit is his undoing because he takes things too far.The Wrath of Khandraws from classic literature, and the villain’s rise and fall is directly paralleled to that of Captain Ahab fromMoby Dick.
Plenty of antagonists are motivated by revenge, but few stories give so much time to build up the villain as a character. He isn’t some contrived nuisance to terrorize the heroes, but is actually a part of their emotional fabric.Khan and Kirk need each other forStar Trek IIto work, and he couldn’t be replaced by another baddie.
Shinzon Was Just Too Goofy To Ever Be Effective
Shinzon Isn’t Just A Clone Of Picard, He’s Also A Copy Of Khan
The final film in theStar Trek: The Next Generationcycle,Nemesisattempted to go out with a bang. TheEnterprisecrew is drawn into a diplomatic mission with the Romulan Empire, but soon learn thatthe new Praetor is actually a clone of Picard. Shinzon is hellbent on revenge against Picard, blaming him for his horrible upbringing on Remus.
ThoughStar Trek: Nemesishas all the flash and spectacle of other movies in the franchise, it is resoundingly hollow. Even earlier lackluster movies likeGenerationsorInsurrectionhad a bit of that oldStar Trekcharm, butNemesisdidn’t.One of the biggest reasons for its hollowness is its villain, and Shinzon is one of the franchise’s worst.
Star Trek: Nemesisis the lowest-rated film of theTNGera with a 38% score onRotten Tomatoes.
It isn’t just that the character is a ripoff of Khan; it’s thatNemesisdidn’t bother to copy his best qualities.Shinzon’s reasons for hating Picard are flimsy, and his convoluted plan to destroy Earth makes no sense. Khan had reason to hate Kirk, but Shinzon is only somewhat related to the man he’s so determined to destroy.
Too many things in the movie’s plot are utterly contrived, andShinzon’s final retribution (that being Data’s death) holds none of the weight of Spock’s sacrifice inStar Trek II.Furthermore, Shinzon himself is just kind of goofy, and he’s shaved his head bald even though it’s well-established that Picard didn’t lose his hair until he was in middle age.
Khan From Into Darkness Was A Poor Replacement For The Original
Since the Kelvin trilogy is set in an alternate timeline, that gave them the opportunity to pick and choose which parts of theTOSera happened in both universes.Star Trek Into Darknessfeatured a secret terrorist villain who was eventually revealed to be Khan.The new Khan has a new plan, and it completely diverges from the Prime Universe.
Just as wrathful as before, it seems as ifthe Kelvin Khan is an amalgamation of his persona in “Space Seed” and decades later inStar Trek II. Despite a strong performance from Benedict Cumberbatch, the new Khan has lost all of his bite becausehe’s seeking revenge against other characters that are tangentially connected to theEnterprisecrew.
Kirk is mostly caught in the crossfire, andKhan’s revenge has none of the same emotional weightas it did originally. His motivations make more sense than Shinzon’s, but it is less focused than the one-on-one battle between Kirk and Khan inStar Trek II. Without a history between the two characters,Star Trek’s second Khan replacement is lackluster.
