Ricardo Montalban miscast in ST2:TWOK

“Ceti Alpha Six…exploded six months after we arrived.” (Yes I’ve seen the move a … few times. :slight_smile: )

I read a (non-canon) short story that told how Khan’s people engaged in dangerous mining on C-A VI in order to regain interstellar travel, and they themselves blew up the planet accidentally. I like that in that Khan blames Kirk for what he himself did. It fits his psychology.

In the same story, Khan was also the one that put the eel in McGivers, deliberately to punish her. He enjoyed driving her mad, watching her suffer. And then he blamed Kirk for that.

Was it ever going to be a plot point that the aliens in ST TNG Conspiracy looked exactly like C-A eels? Like they were the sentient version? I always wanted something to come from that. Alas, they just…forgot.

How in the hell did they get to Ceti Alpha Six to do the mining? They were marooned on Ceti Alpha 5 (with only the contents of the containers to keep them alive).

IIRC, they were interrupted by a Writers’ Strike. When they resumed production, the existential threat from outside the Federation became the Borg.

They were superhuman. They could find a way to do anything!

Theirs is…the superior intellect. [drops dead]

I always wondered about that line.

Reproach? “I thought you were smarter than this.”

Confusion? “You’re smarter! How did they do that?”

Affirmation? “Never mind the fact that we’re fucked, you’re still smarter.”

Resistance is Futile!

KHAN: It’s the first book in the Bible, but that’s not important right now.

It’s a 20th century rock and roll group. Kinda. Eh, don’t worry about it.

I always took it to be mocking.

“You thought you were smarter, ha! fat lot you know.” I think Joaquin was getting sick of the whole white whale hunt by then. And then Khan misses his point.

You other choices could be right, too.

I defaulted to figuring it was — well, his default? Like, he’d been saying it while believing it for a long time, and, now, as he’s dying, he effectively utters his catchphrase because it’s his catchphrase: not with mockery or confusion or anything other than unthinking force of habit?

Could be!

Reading between the lines, Khan does not tolerate even minor disagreement with his decision making. So always defaulting to subservience is safer!

I moved to Champaign-Urbana in 1974 when I started college at U of I. But I didn’t have a TV. I do remember seeing Roddenberry give a talk there and show a ST blooper reel. That must have been in 1974 or 1975.