Highlights

  • Even though Kirk is credited with defeating Khan in Star Trek II, some fans argue that Spock deserves more recognition for his crucial observation.
  • Spock's strategic observation of Khan's ship maneuvers was key in defeating the villain, making the battle a team effort.
  • While the debate continues, Khan's complex legacy in the Star Trek universe lives on, with his unique origins providing endless storytelling potential.

While Khan is one of Star Trek's most iconic villains, and fans adore his appearances in the franchise, one Star Trek fan started a conversation about whether Kirk or Spock deserves credit for shutting down Khan.

First appearing in the original Star Trek series, Khan Noonien Singh was a genetically modified human who had been cryogenically preserved aboard a ship with his fellow survivors after action was taken against the Augments (as the genetically modified humans were known) due to their attempted conquest of Earth. After the crew of the Enterprise inadvertently free him and have to curtail his renewed attempts at taking control, Captain Kirk exiles Khan and his people to an uninhabited world, where the villain would remain until the events of Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan, a film popularly considered the best Star Trek movie.

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While the credit for Khan's defeat at the end of the film is generally accredited to Kirk, who was in command during the film's events, Reddit user Seraphim1982 thinks that the glory should go to someone else. On the site’s r/startrek subreddit, the user penned a short complaint under the header “History records the Kirk defeated Khan but really it was Spock,” and points out that it was Spock and not Kirk that made the all-important observation that Khan was maneuvering his ship as if it existed on a two-dimensional battlefield as opposed to the three-dimensional theatre of open space. This observation is the key to turning the tide against Khan and lets the heroes defeat him in arguably one of Star Trek's most important battles.

Going further, Seraphim1982 pointed out that if Spock had retained command during the encounter, he would have followed protocol and had shields up at the time of Khan's first surprise attack, which would have left Khan's commandeered starship Reliant in a losing battle with the Enterprise, which was the more powerful ship despite both being some of the best starcraft at that point in the Star Trek timeline. Other fans in the replies seem to agree with his assessment but pointed out that his and every other battle in the franchise was a team effort, and both characters deserve credit alongside everyone who participated in the hostilities on their side. As for the in-universe credit, one fan alluded to the ideas of General Chang, who once mentioned that the captain in charge was responsible for the crew’s mistakes and, as such, should also receive the credit.

Khan is iconic for a reason and was recently brought back uniquely in Star Trek: Brave New Worlds. Due to this popularity, details of his appearances will always be up for debate and rehashing by fans of the franchise, and the actual credit for his defeat seems interesting to go over. While Seraphim1982 makes significant points in support of seeing Spock as the one to do away with Khan, the villain himself is obsessed with and driven by his thirst for revenge against Kirk, who stranded him on the planet and (in Khan's eyes) caused the death of his wife and comrades. With this in mind, there’s no doubt that as far as the narrative and Khan himself are concerned, that was Kirk's victory.

While the discussion surrounding his defeat keeps resuming, Khan's complex legacy in the Star Trek universe has lived on beyond that point in time. With the plethora of science fiction plot devices available in the franchise, it's uncertain whether Khan can ever truly be defeated for good due to his unending popularity and the great potential for stories that his unique origins provide.

The Star Trek franchise is available for streaming on Paramount Plus.

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Source: Seraphim1982/Reddit