First it was Khan, then Gary Mitchell. The speculation is running rampant about just who Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch will play in the new film. Sure, it could be Gary Mitchell. It’s not hard to imagine him with silver eyes, levitating coffee cups and creating George R Kirk (yes, he wasn’t just a loopy Starfleet guy, apparently he was a dyslexic one too) tombstones out of thin air. But they did want Benicio Del Toro originally, and he’s more like Khan, and changing the villain would mean an entire rewrite, so all bets are off. Now we have seen the first trailer there are even more questions…
Of course, both of those villains may be a fake-out. So in order to make this easier for every rampaging Trekaholics, let’s play another game. Just put a photo of BC’s face on a bottle, and these ten choices of alternate villain from season 1 of the original series on the floor. Spin the bottle and see if you can predict the future…
1)Trelaine from The Squire Of Gothos: Some fans have speculated over the years that he’s the son of Mr and Mrs Q, last seen in Voyager. It’s a retconning that could be made even easier given the new alternative timeline, and BC could play this sort of role with a real twinkle in his eyes. Phenomenal cosmic power and a pompous attitude? Ooh yeah. Just don’t challenge him to a duel, he plays dirty!
2)The Gorn from Arena: Okay, so it may be a stretch to just put BC in a rubber suit and not have him say anything, but the Gorn is a classic character that Kirk had to take on bare-handed. If anybody has the skills to make the Gorn work as a slippery powerhouse that you just want to crush with a rock, Cumberbatch can. Also we get to see if Kirk can construct a rudimentary lathe.
3)Dr Tristan Adams from Dagger Of The Mind: One of the most despicable characters in Trek history, this psychotic psychologist not only took over a prison and created evil duplicates with his mad Dabo wheel, he even made an evil Kirk. He’s one of the most underrated villains ever, and one that BC could put on the map. With a story as creepy as the villain, this could be a great Kirk-style sucker punch to the jaw of the fans.
4)Commander Kor from Errand Of Mercy: We’ve seen the Romulans in the last film, can the Klingons be that far behind? Kor and Kirk were willing to go to extreme levels to prove their respective sides were superior, in an obvious cold war analogy. There are few villains that could push Kirk to the limit where he’d be willing to start an interstellar war, but in typical Klingon fashion Kor can be just as stubborn and gung-ho as he is. In a battle of wills, BC could take Chris Pine any day of the week.
5)The Salt Vampire from The Man Trap: This could be a bit of a challenge for BC, playing a young woman, an older woman, a security officer, an engineer, an older woman again and then finally a creature from the X-Files with seaweed hair. But dammit Jim, Benedict Cumberbatch is an actor, not a performer on X Factor. If you want someone mysterious, spooky, iconic and adaptable, he’s your man. Just remember that if you meet him his love bites can be lethal, so keep a bag of chips handy at all times.
6)Irradiated Plants from This Side Of Paradise: Another stretch of acting ability for BC, this one would require him to dress up as a series of irradiated plants, spread out his finger-petals and infect the Enterprise crew with spores, making them act all happy-happy. While this may not be the villainous role of choice, he can still make Spock do gymnastics and get frisky, have Bones make a round of drinks, and frustrate Kirk into packing his bags. Passive-aggressive or what?
7)Finnegan from Shore Leave: On a world that’s like a giant holodeck, Kirk gets into a classic fight against his own personal devil, a bully who made his life hell at Starfleet Academy. Constantly taunting him, Finnegan may not be the most likely candidate for a film villain, but if they expanded the role a bit then Cumberbatch could have something to sink his teeth into. Just hang in there, Jimmy Boy!
8)Kodos The Executioner from Conscience Of The King: With a name like that, what more could you want? In the original story he’s a governor who slaughtered his own people to save them from starvation, who may or may not be posing as a Shakespearean actor. We could buy into BC playing both roles with ease. Given the altered history he could be just the guilt-ridden genocidal madman to give Kirk a run for his money.
9)The Horta from Devil In The Dark: The Horta wasn’t really a villain, and the quest to track down a moving carpet through some mining tunnels may not be the stuff of epic movies, but it’s still a classic killer. Talented actors train at playing animals when learning their craft, and it’s not hard to believe that Benedict Cumberbatch could wear a carpet and be top of the class. Just keep any scenes of him laying eggs on the cutting room floor.
10)Bin-liner Parasite from Operation: Annihilate: Don’t discount these creatures as useless alien jellyfish, they killed kirk’s brother and took over a planet, followed up by a hostile takeover of Spock. BC can easily handle a role like this, and lend some dignity and a face to these creatures. Just as long as there is a warning at the end of the film that urges kids not to play with plastic bags…
December 6, 2012
I love it, Rick. You covered some great characters, and still left us wondering if BC is really going to end up being Losira from the Kalandan outpost, who, like Khan and Gary Mitchell, is “That Which Survives.”
Or if you prefer, BC could be playing Tiberius Kirk from the mirror universe, upset with our own Jim Kirk because, during his brief visit to the other side, he put strange ideas into Marlena’s mind, such as tenderness, fairness, and mercy. If that is the case, why doesn’t Tiberius look like Jim? Well, perhaps Tiberius is not the son of George Kirk but Richard Robau, instead. That would at least explain the darker hair.
Third, what if BC is really the anti-Lazarus from “The Alternative Factor,” who is upset because either Kirk has already foiled his plan, or because he perceives that Kirk is going to prevent him from destroying the universe with his evil plan. Instead, he manages to kill the real Lazarus and then comes through into our universe, cutting a swath of destruction wherever he goes. Remember in the TOS episode, he was a pretty tough guy.
Finally, what if he is Stonn, from “Amok Time,” who discovered that Kirk really did not die in his fight-to-the-death with Spock. Spock lost interest in T’Pring, who ended up with the man she really wanted, Stonn. If that sounds like a happy ending, let’s not forget that though Vulcan women are logical, there is nothing to say that they don’t nag their spouses. Besides, maybe she can’t cook!
Rick, you and I have just barely scratched the surface here, and we haven’t even gotten started on the Scalosians, from “Wink of an Eye.”