If it is Khan, then I want to see Khan's full character shown, and even grown on, in a new story. In "Space Seed," we learn that although there was little freedom, there were also no massacres under his rule, and people seemed to be better off.
That would be Khan's own assessment of his time on Earth, but clearly in Treklore, we know that genetic enhancement of humans was subsequently banned (Bashir -DS9) and that the people of Earth felt so blessed that they sent this avatar of human prosperity and his followers into a ship named for the final destination of convict transports and shot them out into space. The physical fact of Khan's exile would suggest that much of his backstory was, in fact, delusional, along with evidence of his behaviour on board Kirk's ship which he tried to take over - ending in his second exile to Ceti Alpha! Yep, a real feel-good dude!
QUOTE
Its clear that Kirk and company (Spock excluded) admired this guy, even if they didn't approve of his methods.
Ah, well, the clue there was that Spock wasn't impressed - even by Khan's objective aims. Kirk might well have been impressed by Khan initially, and it's plain that Khan had considerable personal charisma, along with the delusion that he was some kind of "prince", but at the end of the day, the only person who remained impressed enough by Khan to crumble under his influence was historian Marla McGivers who had a somewhat romantic yearning for past times. If you recall, Kirk actually reprimanded McGivers for her lack of focus on the mission, and let's face it, when she first clapped eyes on Khan's recumbent form on the
Botany Bay, realised that she was gazing upon a figure from history and he was FIT - her reason plunged from her brain to her panties!!
I really don't think that Kirk was all that impressed by Khan, especially as what he stood for was diametrically opposed to Kirk's own moral compass.
QUOTE
Perhaps a story about Khan being unable to come to grips that Earth Society has matured to the point where the problems he sought to correct when he was last awake no longer exist and his methods of Government no longer necessary, and this fuels the conflict between Kirk and Khan. Perhaps this would make an interesting story. Or does it sound like a deeper synopsis of "Space Seed?" Perhaps thats what the movie should be after all? Take the synopsis of "Space Seed" and take it to deeper levels?
Why do I suddenly get the impression that a lot of people here will groan collectively at a deeper synopsis of
Space Seed??!! You know, your miniskirts, fisticuffs and phaser gang don't do "deep", and I don't think that Orci and Kurtzman exactly specialise in deep analysis and intelligent script!
And I speak as one who simply LOVES in-depth analysis!!
I think that you have perhaps read the Eugenics Wars novels and have internalised some of its content. Remember that not even all Trekkers have read this series (I haven't) and while Orci and Kurtzman relied heavily upon the
Countdown series of comics to prop up their own improbable plot for the movie, they can't assume an audience to be familiar with Khan's history. To a lot of casual Trekkers and mainstream audiences he was simply some movie villain played by that bloke from
Fantasy Island!
Nemesis relied too heavily on Trekkers being steeped in TNG lore, because you had to know Picard's personal background to get the most out of what having a clone of him would mean. While intrigiung, intelligent, and deeply Gothic in mood,
Nemesis tanked in part because it failed to make sense to more casual Trekkers - let alone a mainstream audience - and that was before even Baird stuck his knife and fork into the footage and made a dog's dinner out of it!!
There was enought in Montalban's rendering of Khan in TWOK to make writers want to explore that character more, and there were glimpses of tenderness in his portrayal - alhtough he used his tender feelings towards his dead wife (presumably Marla McGivers, although that is not made explicit in the film), as an excuse to cause mayhem and murder and steal an invention to turn into a weapon. Likewise, Shinzon could invoke feelings of compassion because of his creation and situation as a victim of the corrosive effects of racism and slavery (something Nero singularly failed to do in his loss of spuse and child!), but a movie that tries to suggest that draconian measures to "improve" human society by interfering with nature will grate with large portions of the viewing public who might be reminded of Stalin, Chairman Mao, and Hitler.
It might indeed make for a challenging debate a la NuBSG, but not in the hands of Orci and Kurtzman whose lack of subtlety will simply produce an obnoxious movie very far removed from Trek's purpose.