The debate may continue to rage as to whether or not it made sense to cast Benedict Cumberbatch in a role originated by Ricardo Montalban, given their differences in ethnicities, but the fact remains that Star Trek: Into Darkness did a big bit of business, and there are many ladies out there who want more Cumber in their Batch. The man’s voice is undeniable.
To that end, IDW will be bringing us Star Trek: Khan this October, a six-issue series from writer Mike Johnson, artist Claudia Balboni and “overseer” Roberto Orci (the screenwriter for the new-school Trek films) that will detail the origins of Khan.
“We’re traveling back in time to show Khan’s rise to power and give fans their first look at the legendary Eugenics Wars,” says Johnson. “As the series unfolds, we will see the events that led to Khan leaving Earth aboard the Botany Bay, and then jump forward to witness his awakening in the future by Admiral Marcus.”
“Much like the way the Star Trek: Countdown comic book and our follow-up Nero miniseries helped flesh out that character after the first Star Trek movie,” said Chris Ryall, IDW’s Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief, “Khan will add dimension and depth to this new iteration one of the most classic villains in all of Star Trek lore.”
Therein lies the rub for longtime Trek fans, though. Ostensibly, given the events of the first J.J. Abrams reboot film, the new-school Trek timeline only diverged from the classic Trek history at the point of the death of Jim Kirk’s father. Given that Khan and his people had been in stasis for about centuries or so, wouldn’t that mandate that Khan’s origin remains exactly the same as it’s always been? Then again, we’ve got Cumberbatch instead of Montalban, so the lip service toward continuity only goes so far.
Still. KHAAAAAAAAN!
