I picked up a few theories in the Star Trek sub reddit which honestly fit well, one I had already considered. In the interest of less obvious potential spoilers up front, I will drop them in between Episode 7 and 8 below.
Episode 7
I feel like I missed something in the flow of the Present Day events because Tuvok and Lear discuss how Delmonda gave her logs, but also they got the Logs from the planet, where she wanted to remain to listen to the logs, but now she is on the ship? I think maybe. I think more likely I just forgot that she had some of the logs. Also, Tuvok is very suspicious of her story more and more.
Back in the past, Khan and Marla discuss their child, a girl, and the upcoming birth and plans for the colony. Ivan has been locked up for killing the Elborian. I am still not quite sure if that is right or not. Anyway, meanwhile, some of the younger of Khan’s people are making friends with some of the Elborians. There also seems to be growing dissent about how Khan has basically gotten them all stranded and now killed by trying to take over The Enterprise. The Elborians also end up disclosing the existence of the escape ship, which so far has been kept a secret from Khan and his people.
Khan and Delmonda discuss Ivan’s fate, Khan think he should be killed, Demonda encourages rehabilitation. Khan sides with Delmonda, but Ivan isn’t happy about it and tries to poison Khan. Basically, Ivan is angry that his great leader has become a wimp from the influencr of his wife Marla and the aliens. Khan forgives him for the assassination attempt, but exiles him from the camp anyway, sealing his fate to death, or so its presented that way at least. We also get Ivan yelling “KHHHAAAAANNNNN” in Classic Khan fashion.
We also get to another known milestone. Marla is dead, killed by the Ceti Eels. Which Khan mentions to Chekov in Wrath of Khan. Well, not quite dead, put into a coma until the child is born.
Which leads me to the theories. Dr Lear, eager to clear Khan’s name, is Khan and Marla’s daughter.
Possibly. Delmonda provided the logs when rescuing her with the ship they are building, as a baby. It fits pretty well and connects these two past and present moments. Its the right time frame too.
The other one, which I had already considered, the Elboreans are an early version of The Borg. They communicate telepathically and work very much as a hive mind of sorts. The problem is that this does not fit well with what we already know about The Borg.
But we shall see where things go.
Episode 8
I have to admit, this thing is… kind of losing my interest. But I have come this far, so I will push on. Not much super new revealed here, just plot moving along. Time makes a bit of a jump, Khan’s daughter is a little girl and speaking etc now (having just been born last episode). The escape ship has been finished. It only holds four people. The aliens were supposed to use it and send back help. Khan confronts them about why they insist on helping, basically, he really does not believe in altruism, and they admit that they had accidentally destroyed Ceti Alpha VI.
Khan also reveals his plan to basically take the ship himself, with his daughter. Which basically upsets everyone. Its also revealed Khan does not plan to actually come back. This problem is compounded by Khan’s people not really having enough supplies remaining to survive more than a month or so, since the surface has become rather harsh. And they don’t have the supplies to support the aliens at all.
We kind of know everyone is going to die, and we are quickly getting there.
Its still not real clear what the connection to the “present” is yet, and there is one more episode to find out.
Episode 9
“Surprise”, Ivan isn’t dead and has been surviving in the wilderness by eating the Ceti Eels. Ok, its not really a surprise honestly, Khan is essentially the hero of this story, good or bad in the end, and Ivan is basically the closest thing there is to an antagonist from a story telling perspective.
I also made a mistake previously about these people not being in Wrath of Khan. A few are. But they were “uncredited” so I had them confused with different characters. I guess it ultimately shows how forgettable the rest of Khan’s crew were in the movie and tv episode.
Anyway, Ivan, and a few of the other named people, all basically know Khan does not intend to return, and they decide to stop him and take the ship. There is a struggle and Khan starts the launch of the ship, with his daughter inside. The Elborians protect the ship as it launches. Ivan tries to fight them but Ursala phasers him, before pleading for Khan to take Madot (Ursala’s girlfriend) with him.
They board the ship, and as they are about to launch, they hear a recording of her mother that his daughter Kali is playing where Marla calls Khan a selfish coward. This brings a change of heart from Khan, who bids his daughter farewell, and leaves the ship, leaving Kali in the care of Delmonda.
But not before a last final one on one showdown with Ivan, who is still alive, again. Well, until he gets stabbed. Afterwards Khan is informed that the rest of his people saw the rocket fall out of the sky and not escape the planet.
Fast forward to the future with Tuvok and Dr Lear, who still hasn’t quite found what she was looking for. Tuvok reminds her that Khan wasn’t very accurate or good in his record keeping, and brings one last log entry by Khan. Khan lamenting his lost daughter and his desire to avenge himself upon Kirk.
Tuvok also basically goads Lear into admitting she is Khan and Marla’s daughter, raised by Madot. And she was indeed trying to find the true nature of her father’s true nature. Just a side note, another tell here is that she is likely named after King Lear, the Shakespeare play, and Star Trek often references Shakespeare. Lear wants to stay behind now that she has been outted, because no one will accept her as an Augment descendant, and especially not as Khan’s daughter, but Tuvok basically assures her that will work to make sure that she is treated well.
Overall
Now that its over, whats the verdict. It was… ok, I suppose. I found an article around the last episode that talks about some of the rocky build up to this show, which prI picked up a few theories in the Star Trek sub reddit which honestly fit well, one I had already considered. In the interest of less obvious potential spoilers up front, I will drop them in between Episode 7 and 8 below.
Episode 7
I feel like I missed something in the flow of the Present Day events because Tuvok and Lear discuss how Delmonda gave her logs, but also they got the Logs from the planet, where she wanted to remain to listen to the logs, but now she is on the ship? I think maybe. I think more likely I just forgot that she had some of the logs. Also, Tuvok is very suspicious of her story more and more.
Back in the past, Khan and Marla discuss their child, a girl, and the upcoming birth and plans for the colony. Ivan has been locked up for killing the Elborian. I am still not quite sure if that is right or not. Anyway, meanwhile, some of the younger of Khan’s people are making friends with some of the Elborians. There also seems to be growing dissent about how Khan has basically gotten them all stranded and now killed by trying to take over The Enterprise. The Elborians also end up disclosing the existence of the escape ship, which so far has been kept a secret from Khan and his people.
Khan and Delmonda discuss Ivan’s fate, Khan think he should be killed, Demonda encourages rehabilitation. Khan sides with Delmonda, but Ivan isn’t happy about it and tries to poison Khan. Basically, Ivan is angry that his great leader has become a wimp from the influencr of his wife Marla and the aliens. Khan forgives him for the assassination attempt, but exiles him from the camp anyway, sealing his fate to death, or so its presented that way at least. We also get Ivan yelling “KHHHAAAAANNNNN” in Classic Khan fashion.
We also get to another known milestone. Marla is dead, killed by the Ceti Eels. Which Khan mentions to Chekov in Wrath of Khan. Well, not quite dead, put into a coma until the child is born.
Which leads me to the theories. Dr Lear, eager to clear Khan’s name, is Khan and Marla’s daughter.
Possibly. Delmonda provided the logs when rescuing her with the ship they are building, as a baby. It fits pretty well and connects these two past and present moments. Its the right time frame too.
The other one, which I had already considered, the Elboreans are an early version of The Borg. They communicate telepathically and work very much as a hive mind of sorts. The problem is that this does not fit well with what we already know about The Borg.
But we shall see where things go.
Episode 8
I have to admit, this thing is… kind of losing my interest. But I have come this far, so I will push on. Not much super new revealed here, just plot moving along. Time makes a bit of a jump, Khan’s daughter is a little girl and speaking etc now (having just been born last episode). The escape ship has been finished. It only holds four people. The aliens were supposed to use it and send back help. Khan confronts them about why they insist on helping, basically, he really does not believe in altruism, and they admit that they had accidentally destroyed Ceti Alpha VI.
Khan also reveals his plan to basically take the ship himself, with his daughter. Which basically upsets everyone. Its also revealed Khan does not plan to actually come back. This problem is compounded by Khan’s people not really having enough supplies remaining to survive more than a month or so, since the surface has become rather harsh. And they don’t have the supplies to support the aliens at all.
We kind of know everyone is going to die, and we are quickly getting there.
Its still not real clear what the connection to the “present” is yet, and there is one more episode to find out.
Episode 9
“Surprise”, Ivan isn’t dead and has been surviving in the wilderness by eating the Ceti Eels. Ok, its not really a surprise honestly, Khan is essentially the hero of this story, good or bad in the end, and Ivan is basically the closest thing there is to an antagonist from a story telling perspective.
I also made a mistake previously about these people not being in Wrath of Khan. A few are. But they were “uncredited” so I had them confused with different characters. I guess it ultimately shows how forgettable the rest of Khan’s crew were in the movie and tv episode.
Anyway, Ivan, and a few of the other named people, all basically know Khan does not intend to return, and they decide to stop him and take the ship. There is a struggle and Khan starts the launch of the ship, with his daughter inside. The Elborians protect the ship as it launches. Ivan tries to fight them but Ursala phasers him, before pleading for Khan to take Madot (Ursala’s girlfriend) with him.
They board the ship, and as they are about to launch, they hear a recording of her mother that his daughter Kali is playing where Marla calls Khan a selfish coward. This brings a change of heart from Khan, who bids his daughter farewell, and leaves the ship, leaving Kali in the care of Delmonda.
But not before a last final one on ome showdown with Ivan, who is still alive, again. Well, until he gets stabbed. Afterwards Khan is informed that the rest of his people saw the rocket fall out of the sky and not escape the planet.
Fast forward to the future with Tuvok and Dr Lear, who still hasn’t quite found what she was looking for. Tuvok reminds her that Khan wasn’t very accurate or good in his record keeping, and brings one last log entry by Khan. Khan lamenting his lost daughter and his desire to avenge himself upon Kirk.
Tuvok also basically goads Lear into admitting she is Khan and Marla’s daughter, raised by Madot. And she was indeed trying to find the true nature of her father’s true nature. Just a side note, another tell here is that she is likely named after King Lear, the Shakespeare play, and Star Trek often references Shakespeare. Lear wants to stay behind now that she has been outted, because no one will accept her as an Augment descendant, and especially not as Khan’s daughter, but Tuvok basically assures her that will work to make sure that she is treated well.
Overall
Now that its over, whats the verdict. It was… ok, I suppose. I found an article around the last episode that talks about some of the rocky build up to this show, which probably explains a lot of the unevenness. They wanted to do a sort of, 3 part mini series, but it wasn’t enough for Paramount + and they tried some other angles, and ended up with the audio drama version. Which suggests this is a story someone wanted to tell. Though I am not sure why exactly, there have been I think a comic or a book or both set in this time frame. Maybe this will serve as a prequel for something later? It could tie into Strange New Worlds with La’An, who is a descendant of Khan from when he was still on Earth.
I do like the idea of more Trek Audio shows like this. I think in general I am just, not that interested in Khan or Khan lore. Wrath of Khan is good. But it doesn’t really need more.
