That J.J. Abrams’ reboot of the “Star Trek” franchise did $76.5 million in its opening weekend should come as no surprise to anyone who’s been reading the reviews of the film and seeing the near-universal praise it’s been receiving. Also no shock: a sequel is already in the works…though, quite frankly, it received the green light several weeks prior to the debut of “Trek.” (That’s how much confidence Paramount had in the film.) It would be all too easy, however, to offer up a new “Star Trek II” and have the villain be the genetically engineered superman known as Khan Noonian Singh. That, and it would also be tempting fate. After all, Abrams just succeeded in the impossible by making a “Trek” film that pleased both the masses and the Trekkies. Why alienate them so quickly by attempting to reconceive the most iconic baddie in all of Trek-dom? Instead, here are a few alternative ideas for the sequel that can be found within the original “Star Trek” television series, as well as a few non-Khan concepts to steer clear of.
1. Trelane (“The Squire of Gothos”). A brash and impetuous being in possession of incredible power…like, on the level where he can pop onto an uninhabitable planet and create not only a bubble of breathable atmosphere but his very own mansion. So, y’know, he’s basically a proto-Q for the original Enterprise crew. After toying with Kirk and company and using them to play his own spin on “The Most Dangerous Game,” it’s revealed that, amongst his race of beings, he’s but a child, and his parents swing by to chastise their kid for acting out of turn.
This would actually be the perfect opportunity to tie in the original universe of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” since it’s long been suggested amongst the various aspects of “Trek” fiction – most notably in Peter David’s novel, “Q-Squared,” that Trelane was actually a member of the Q Continuum. Given how much fun John de Lancie always seemed to have when he was playing Q, it’s hard to imagine that he wouldn’t want to join in the fun and play in Abrams’ new universe, especially since the character’s powers are so limitless that he could still be the same Q, thereby allowing him suggest that he’s just checking out this new parallel universe while still making reference to Picard and company.
