Entertainment Weekly Star Trek Into Darkness Issue
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In this week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly, Star Trek into Darkness is featured.
Five new photos from the movie are included in the issue, including J.J. Abrams and Alex Kurtzman, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch with redshirts, Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, and Kirk in danger!
“We give you an exclusive first look at the space age sequel that has geekdom waiting with bated breath,” said a press release for EW. “Star Trek Into Darkness, due May 17, has sparked feverish online speculation since the day it was announced — most of it about whether or not the film’s resident baddie, John Harrison, played by Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch, is actually the infamous super villain Khan.
“Unsurprisingly, the ever-secretive Abrams wouldn’t answer that question — star Chris Pine calls his director a ‘benevolent dictator’ when it comes to spoiling plot lines — but the cast did spill some details about what we can expect from Darkness: namely, a lot more action.”
To purchase the issue, which sells for $4.99, head to the link located here.
The five pictures can be seen at the referring site.
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I do not know if Harrison is going to be “Khan”, but I do hope the story is about eugenics–a superman. I think the story would be far more powerful than a “Gary Mitchell gets superpowers” rehash.
As an episode of Enterprise showed, as even more so the one of DS 9 where Bashir was found to have been enhanced by his father–its all well and good to say no eugenics–something I think I would initially agree to–and quite another to figure out what to do with any enhanced persons who somehow appear. Because they have done no wrong merely by existing. So what do you do with them? How harsh do you wish to be? Hiw much do you throw them out of society?
I think that would be a powerful story.
I have long felt that Star Trek II has more depth to it than believed, even if the scriptwriters of it or “Space Seed” did not so intend. The following may have been explored by someone else before, but taking the episode and film as “real”, then in the real world of the 23rd century it is entirely plausible to think that the minute Khan got on-board ship and reviewed the library record “tapes”, he realized his kind were not wanted, as a result of the Eugenics Wars and post-war laws, and would be perhaps exiled (I think the Federation would not have had standing to try Khan for any of the events of the 20th century). If we take the Noonian Sigh arc from Enterprise as even remotely canon, then Khan–who had committed no crime in the 23rd century up until his takeover of the ship–would have been able to claim extenuating circumstances at trial–fear of racial persecution. And surely at least some of his Botany Bay crew would have been acquitted, or not even charged. Then they would be free. Perhaps a nightmare scenario for those of the Federation always trying to stomp out use of enhancing technologies (think of our drug wars, or China’s “one-baby” policy).
What to do?
It is then not impossible to believe that *Khan* at least thought he had been exiled to the planet he had been exiled to so that the Federation could kill him without actually killing him itself.
And then it makes sense that Khan would have thought Kirk knew, and did it deliberately–an act of genocide against his people.
And who knows–maybe Kirk in fact knew. In real life, similar things have been done before, and we never think about it, but the number of *existential* threats the Federation faced, seemingly on a daily basis, and human memories of the nuclear catastrophes, may have caused a certain ruthless “never-again” sentiment to develop, the way Rome became very preemptive after winning the Second Punic War.
Is Shatner’s James T. Kirk a man ruthless enough to come up with this “ideal” solution himself, and suggest it to Star Fleet?
I say “yes”, he is. In spades. For the greater good.
One possible take, at any rate. I leave it to others to reconcile Chekov not knowing where Khan was–but honestly, sometimes a crew doesn’t know everything that happens aboard ship. Plus, its just a movie. I’m not one who feels it necessary to reconcile canon if it doesn’t fit.
Along those lines, and I apologize for the stream of consciousness–the Kobayashi Maru test comes to get young folks weaned from the idea they can somehow always win, that failure is not an option. That sometimes they might have to fight against hopeless odds. Will they collapse, or fight to the last? It’s is supposed to start them preparing themselves for staying to their duty when it seems best to panic. To fight her till she sinks, and to realize she may in fact sink. “how will you behave then. When the moment comes, will you be ready?” That’s why Kirk got a commendation for original thinking. He didn’t give up when it seemed impossible.
These are indeed very intriguing thoughts. One would hope that K&O+L would follow ideas through in such detail, though their work to date leaves this very much in doubt. Still, it’s a line of reasoning well worth exploring. Might I suggest writing a bit about it yourself?
So, is it maybe that the guy all decked-out with the longer hair shown standing in the transporter is actually Khan, and Harrison is a descendant of one of the eugenic villains? Harrison is the original focus throughout the beginning of the movie, as he joined Starfleet, but had joined up with Khan once Khan is unfrozen? This would allow for an easy mini misdirect for Abrams, and set this apart from the original II movie by focusing on someone else from Khan’s party, saving the big reveal of Khan for later in the movie. Just a thought…
Oh, I’ve thought of it before–“Why Star Trek II Makes Real World Sense”, something like that. One day, perhaps. Think it and I need a little more sea time first.
I could see it being a quest to find the mythical Khan and his followers, missing somewhere in space, the Holy Grail of those who believe in eugenics, or those who have become genetic supermen, or who are sympathetic to their plight.
Lance Armstrong shows how hard it is to police this stuff. In the future, who knows what the cycle between enhancement and detection would be. Wars always see ying-yangs between offense and defense, whether real wars, or metaphorical.
The title “Into Darkness” is still consistent with a “Gary Mitchell” scenario, though, or with a Khan-less “let my superman people go” terrorism/freedom fighter theme.
Good thoughts, Ben. By the way, your “Holy Grail” phrase makes me wonder if the film will open with a giant trojan rabbit flying towards earth?;)
“It’s only a model.”