10 Star Trek Villains Who Were Actually Right

4. Khan (Into Darkness)

Star Trek Khan Spock
CBS

Khan Noonian Singh, played by Benedict Cumberbatch in Star Trek Into Darkness, was a far cry from the obsessed maniac who stole the USS Reliant. This Khan, while still holding on to that tendency to dominate everyone, seemed to be far more pragmatic.

He was discovered, floating in deep space with the rest of his crew, by Admiral Marcus. Revived, he was forced to work on a plan to build up Starfleet's armada, while also instigating Marcus's war with the Klingons. He was effectively woken from sleep and deposited into slavery.

To make matters worse, Marcus ensured his compliance by threatening the lives of his entire crew, thereby forcing Khan into action. From Khan's point of view, attacking Starfleet Headquarters made perfect sense, as it was they who attempted to subjugate him.

He was then betrayed by Kirk while aboard the Vengeance, before finally turning his full rage on Marcus. This Khan may have been a bit more brutal than the other iteration, but when one is pushed against the wall like that, there's certainly room for a discussion on the topic.

 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"