Simon, I could kiss you right now.
After months of incessant, obnoxious, unfounded internet speculation, Simon Pegg – who co-stars as Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott – has finally put to bed the long-gestating rumor that iconic villain Khan will appear in J.J. Abrams‘ untitled sequel to 2009’s Star Trek.
When asked about the film’s antagonist in an exhaustive interview/profile in Telegraph (which I recommend reading in full if you’re a fan of the actor), Pegg states:
“It’s not Khan,” replies Pegg, annoyed. “That’s a myth. Everyone’s saying it is, but it’s not … I think people just want to have a scoop. It annoys me – it’s beyond the point to just ferret around for spoilers all the time to try to be the first to break them … It just spoils the film … It masquerades as interest in the movie but really it’s just nosiness and impatience. You just want to say, ‘Oh f— off! Wait for the film!'”
So with one of the film’s lead stars saying, flat out, that the villain is not Khan, can we finally shut up about all this?
My sentiments on the matter are in perfect alignment with Pegg’s. I don’t understand the fanboy culture that demands every possible rumor must be a news story, and I really cannot fathom why the concept of Khan appearing in Star Trek 2 has been blown to such extreme proportions over the last few months. Pegg’s right – it’s nothing more than impatience, and it spoils the experience for those who would like to learn about the villain when they finally sit down, in a theatre, to watch the new movie.
With all that in mind, the cynic in me doubts that internet speculation will cease. It didn’t die when J.J. Abrams himself denied the Khan rumor, it didn’t perish when Benedict Cumberbatch – a man who is certainly not of Mexican descent like original Khan actor Ricardo Montalban – was cast as the film’s villain, and Pegg’s words probably won’t kill the rumor either. We can only hope, I suppose.
Factual details on Star Trek 2 have been very scarce so far, which is a good thing. I look forward to finally watching a blockbuster that hasn’t been completely spoiled by the time I buy a ticket.
The film arrives in theatres May 17th, 2013.