Star Trek quietly shelved its best Khan variant years ago for no real reason. Few Star Trek villains exert as large a hold over the franchise as Khan Noonian Singh. A genetically-engineered tyrant from Earth’s dark past, Khan is ruthless and cunning. Yet, in Star Trek #50, a decidedly different Khan debuted, but then quickly disappeared.
Star Trek #50, first published by IDW, was written by Mike Johnson and drawn by Tony Shasteen.
Set in the Kelvin Timeline, the Enterprise crew are whisked away to what seems to be the Mirror Universe, where they meet a Khan variant who bills himself as a “man of peace.”
Khan is a Star Trek Icon, and One of Its Biggest Villains
Khan Taps Into Real World Concerns About Genetics and Eugenics
Originated by Ricardo Montablan in the classic Star Trek episode “Space Seed,” Khan Noonian Singh would become one of the franchise’s biggest and best known villains. As related in “Space Seed,” Khan and his genetically-enhanced followers, known as “Augments,” once controlled Earth in the wake of the catastrophic “Eugenics Wars.”
Even though humans overthrew Khan and the Augments, their evil continued to perpetuate. They escaped Earth in suspended animation, but were awakened in the 23rd century by Captain Kirk. Khan and the Augments tried to hijack the Enterprise, but Kirk foiled them, and at the end of the episode, they were exiled to Ceti Alpha V.
Star Trek fans know the rest. Khan escaped Ceti Alpha V and went looking for Kirk, who he blamed for the deaths of his wife and the other Augments, all of which were chronicled in The Wrath of Khan. Kirk once again defeated Khan, but it came at the price of his best friend’s life.
Why is Khan One of Star Trek’s Best Villains?
There Have Been Multiple Depictions of Khan In Star Trek
The Star Trek franchise tends to eschew singular villains like Khan. Instead, it focuses largely on political concerns among the galaxy’s various races. More Star Trek stories have been centered around the machinations of the Romulans or the Cardassians as opposed to the actions of one person, which makes villains like Khan actually stand out further.
Even though Khan’s story came to an end, he continues to exert an influence over generations of later Star Trek creators. Khan was name checked in various other Star Trek shows, and Enterprise even fleshed out the Augments’ lore, even going so far as to give them their actual name.
Perhaps the best example of how Star Trek cannot let Khan go came in 2013’s Into Darkness. Like its predecessor, 2009’s JJ Abrams’-helmed Star Trek, the film was set in the Kelvin Timeline, which should have allowed for new types of stories to be told, but instead the filmmakers decided to rehash The Wrath of Khan.
The film took a critical thrashing, largely because of how it handled Khan’s character. Khan was intended to be Southeast Asian, but the producers “whitewashed” the character by casting Benedict Cumberbatch in the role. If Into Darkness was an attempt at a homage to The Wrath of Khan, then it failed miserably.
Nevertheless, Into Darkness showed there was still interest in Khan, even after his seeming death. Khan’s backstory, and his Ahab-like quest for revenge against Kirk, made for some of Star Trek’s finest hours. Montablan’s magnetic performance as Khan cannot be discounted either, as he and William Shatner act circles around each other in Wrath of Khan.
The Star Trek Comics Have Also Taken a Crack at Khan
Hell’s Mirror Is One of the Best Khan Stories Ever
The Star Trek comics have also taken turns telling new stories about Khan. IDW released a miniseries about the Augment’s leader, set around the time of Into Darkness and using Benedict Cumberbatch’s likeness. The mini tried to reconcile some of the canon discrepancies created by Into Darkness, such as Khan’s ethnicity.
IDW also released a miniseries, titled Reign in Hell, that followed Khan’s exile on Ceti Alpha V. It showed many of the events alluded to in Wrath of Khan, such as the death of Khan’s wife and his discovery of the Ceti Alpha eels. Reign in Hell showed the beginning of Khan’s quest for revenge.
Perhaps the most intriguing Khan variant came in the Hell’s Mirror one-shot, also published by IDW. Set in the Mirror Universe, a rebel faction awakens Khan to help them overthrow the Empire. Even Khan is repulsed by the Terran Empire and what humanity has become. The one-shot concludes with Khan dying, a man broken by the Empire.
The “Man of Peace” Khan is Vastly Different Than His Prime Counterpart
This Khan Variant Was a Great Leader, and a Great Person
The Khan variant Kelvin Kirk and his crew meet in Star Trek #50 is vastly different than any other seen before. Prime Timeline Khan was a genocidal warlord who butchered millions. In the Prime Timeline, Khan is remembered alongside other dictators such as Hitler. By the time Kirk and company found Khan, his name was mud.
Yet the Khan Kelvin Kirk encounters in Star Trek #50 calls himself a “man of peace.” Indeed, this Khan variant seems to exude tranquility and inclusiveness. He welcomes an understandably shocked Kirk to his “Augment Colony.” Kirk and the away team brace for the worst, but are quickly stunned to see that Khan truly is peaceful.
The Khan variant paints a dire picture of his galaxy. The Terran Empire of Star Trek’s Mirror Universe is at war with Khan and his colony of Augments. When the Enterprise arrives at Ceti Alpha V, the Augments, not aware of the ship’s true identity, plead for mercy with Kirk.
Unfortunately, this unique Khan variant did not stick around too long. After debuting in Star Trek #50, he would appear for the duration of the storyline, which ran through issue 52. Along the way, fans saw this “man of peace” was totally capable of defending himself and his Augments from the Empire.
This Khan variant was truly “the best of both worlds.” He was super strong and super-intelligent, just like Prime Khan. Yet he had channeled his gifts into far more productive ends, such as trying to overthrow a brutal galactic regime. Khan proved an effective foil for the Terran Empire.
Will Khan Return to Star Trek Again?
The Man of Peace Khan Should Return Too
Today, Khan continues to show up in the Star Trek franchise. A Khan audio drama, released on podcast platforms and starring Naveen Andrews in the title role, just wrapped up its first season to great acclaim. Khan will no doubt return to Star Trek at some point, as he is too great a villain.
Yet the “man of peace” Khan deserves a comeback too. This variant offers a unique perspective on this iconic Star Trek villain, showing a fascinating road not taken, one that dared ask what Khan might have been like had he been one of the good guys. The result was perhaps the coolest Khan variant.
