I was already excited about Paul Giamatti playingStar Trek: Starfleet Academy’s villain but after his recent comments, I believe Paul could be the Khan (Ricardo Montalban) successorStar Trekhas wanted since 1982. An A-list actor, Giamatti is a two-time Academy Award nominee, an Emmy winner, and a Golden Globe winner.Star Trek: Starfleet Academycasting Paul Giamattias season 1’s villain was a coup alongside Academy Award-winner Holly Hunter coming aboard as the series lead.
What’s known aboutStar Trek: Starfleet Academyis exciting. Created by executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau,Starfleet AcademycontinuesStar Trek: Discovery’s 32nd century era.Starfleet Academyis filming on thelargest sets ever constructed forStar Trek, with its setting split between San Francisco and outer space. AndStarfleet Academyis bringing back severalStar Treklegacy characters, including The Doctor (Robert Picardo) fromStar Trek: Voyager. YetPaul Giamatti’s villain isStar Trek: Starfleet Academy’s most intriguing aspect to me.
Paul Giamatti Is Playing The Villain In Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
Details About Starfleet Academy Are Still Top Secret
Speaking toCollider, Paul Giamatti offered tantalizing hints about his unknownStar Trek: Starfleet Academyvillain. While Paul offered no spoilers, his revelation thathis big bad"takes great pleasure in being the villain"is a positive sign that evokes Khan Noonien Singh inStar Trek: The Original SeriesandStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Read Giamatti’s quote below:
“He takes great pleasure in being the villain. He likes it. And it’s very much a part of his thing that he’s all ‘Oh yeah, I’m the bad guy…“To my mind, it feels very, very old-school Star Trek. My character is a very fun villain; he reminds me of a combination of classic Trek villains. That’s all I’ll really say.”
One of Khan’s memorable traits is that he relished his"superiority"overCaptain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Khan was genetically engineered to be stronger and smarter than other humans, and the charismatic despot was especially proud of his"superior intellect.“While the species and abilities of Paul Giamatti’sStar Trek: Starfleet Academyvillain are under wraps,the Golden Globe winner has the acting chops to equal Ricardo Montalban’s full-blooded vitality and menace.
Paul Giamatti Is A Lifelong Star Trek Fan Who Wanted To Join The Franchise
Giamatti Joined Starfleet Academy’s Impressive Cast
Paul Giamatti grew up aStar Trekfan and harbored longtime hopes of joining the franchise, and this information took on a life of its own during the promotion forThe Holdovers.Giamatti talked about his love ofStar Trekand even spoke Klingonto Johan Albrechtsen ofMoovy TV,which was reported byScreen Rant. Paul recalled how he found his way intoStar TrektoCollider:
“It was the advantage of going through the awards thing and having people ask me about stuff I’d like to do. I was like ‘Gosh, I love Star Trek,’ and I think that actually must have worked for once in my life. I put it out in the universe and it came back. I’m not gonna say I’m a superfan or anything, but from the time I was a child, I’ve been a big Star Trek fan. I haven’t watched all the iterations, but I’ve watched a lot of it, and I do really kind of love it.
Upon learning that Paul Giamatti wanted to be inStar Trek,Star Trekexecutive producer Alex Kurtzman smartly seized the opportunity to cast Paul Giamatti as the villain ofStar Trek: Starfleet Academy. Giamatti and Holly Hunter leadStar Trek: Starfleet Academy’s stellar castthat includes young stars like Bella Shepard and Zoe Steiner,Star Treklegacy actors like Mary Wiseman and Tig Notaro, and guest stars includingShe-Hulk’s Tatiana Maslany and WWE champion Becky Lynch.
Star Trek Has Looked For The Next Khan Since 1982
Many Of Star Trek’s Super Villains Follow Khan’s Mold
The potential forPaul Giamatti asStar Trek: Starfleet Academy’s villainis out of this world, and he could be what Khan was to the currentStar Trekgeneration. Khan’s indelible impact onStar Trekcannot be measured. Ricardo Montalban’s super villain was a standout inStar Trek: The Original Series, but it was 1982’sStar Trek II: The Wrath of KhanwhereKhan became the gold standard ofStar Trekvillains. For over 40 years,Star Trek- and theStar Trekmovies, especially - have tried to replicate Khan with a slew of big bads.
6 Paul Giamatti Roles That Show He’s A Perfect Star Trek Villain
Paul Giamatti’s career as a character actor has prepared the Star Trek fan to fulfill an ambition with his villainous Starfleet Academy role.
From Nero (Eric Bana) and Krall (Idris Elba) in J.J. Abrams’Star Trekmovies, to Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell) inStar Trek GenerationsandShinzon (Tom Hardy) inStar Trek: Nemesis, and even Vadic (Amanda Plummer) inStar Trek: Picardseason 3, Khan has been the mold for multipleStar Trekvillains.Star Trek Into Darknessliterally resurrected Khan with Benedict Cumberbatch, although he paled in comparison to Ricardo Montalban’s original.
The Borg Queen (Alice Krige/Susanna Thompson/Annie Wersching) is one of Star Trek’s successful super villains who is markedly different from Khan.
Whatever type of villain Paul Giamatti plays inStar Trek: Starfleet Academy, the Oscar nominee is bound to bring his intensity, intelligence, and scenery-chewing charisma to the role. Even if Paul Giamatti’s Big Bad turns out to be made in Khan’s mold - or"a combination of classic Trek villains"as Giamatti described - there’s every chance Paul will make hisStar Trekheavy distinctive and memorable. I’m very much looking forward to seeing Paul Giamatti’sStar Trek: Starfleet Academyvillain threatenStar Trek’s 32nd century future.
