Star Trek Into Darkness
By using Anton Yelchin ’s Chekov sparingly inStar Trek Into Darkness , the pic in reality offered a utterly subtle reference toThe Original Series . The second celluloid in J.J. Abrams ' rebootedStar Trekmovie franchise , Star Trek Into Darknesscontinued the story of the Kelvin Timeline ’s Enterprise and its bunch . By introducing the alternate timeline version of one of Kirk ’s most dangerous adversaries , Star Trek Into Darknesswas capable to amply institute the tone of the alternate universe in which its report takes place .
AlthoughStar Trek Into Darknesschanged Khan fromTOS , his worldwide backstory was essentially the same , as the most significant aspects occur before the timeline branched off at the beginning of 2009’sStar Trek . First put in in the classicThe Original Seriesepisode " Space Seed " , Khan Noonien Singh returned forStar Trek II : The Wrath of Khan , becoming one of the dealership ’s most iconic baddie . His portrayal inStar Trek Into Darknesswas essentially the same : a Human Augment from the recent twentieth century , Khan ’s superhuman military capability and intelligence make him one of the initiative ’s most famed booster .
Related : Star Trek : How Roddenberry ’s Changes Saved Khan & Created Kirk ’s Greatest Villain
Star Trek Into Darknesscombined elements of " Space Seed " with some ofThe Wrath of Khanin order to in good order introduce Khan inStar Trek ’s Kelvin Timeline . Anton Yelchin ’s Chekov spent much of the movie mold in engineering as opposed to his usual position on the nosepiece , which in reality serves as a insidious reference to " Space Seed " . The episode air as part ofThe Original Seriesseason 1 , in which Chekov did not come out , as the character was n’t introduced until season 2 .
By having Chekov wreak in another part of the ship , the Kelvin Timeline managed to incorporate its own sanctioned cause why Khan and Chekov never encountered one another . While this may seem largely insignificant , it ’s a clever way to pay homage toThe Original Seriesand the character of Chekov . By minimizing the chances that Chekov and Khan suffer on - screen , Star Trek Into Darknessdraws parallels with " Space Seed " while skirting aroundThe Wrath of Khan ’s Chekov plot hole .
Interestingly , inStar Trek : The Wrath of Khan , Khan and Chekov are able-bodied to make up for having not encounter one another inThe Original Series . In the film , Chekov is the only member of the endeavor ’s crew that Khan actually directly interact with . This makesStar Trek Into shadow ' use of Chekov ’s character both a source to " Space Seed " and an inversion ofThe Wrath of Khan , as Benedict Cumberbatch ’s Khan interacts with almost every other member of the crew besides Chekov .
While the estimation behind the Kelvin Timeline was for the movies not to be bound by the weight ofStar Trek ’s tenner - longsighted canon , Chekov inInto Darknessis a canny way of referencing the events ofThe Original Series . WhileStar Trek ’s Kelvin Timelinehas changed a figure of things in the alternate creation ’s canon , keeping the nature of Khan and Chekov ’s relationship is a nice touch . By making a small and subtle source toThe Original Series , Star Trek Into Darknesshelps the Kelvin Timeline to feel like a more legitimate part of the wide-eyed franchise .
Next : Star Trek involve To Move On From Kirk & Wrath Of Khan