Star Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2, episode 3 featured a fun-filled excursion through time. However, it also made a shocking change to well-knownStar Treklore.
TheStar Trekepisode brings up the significant historical event ofThe Eugenics War, a conflict that should have occurred between 1992 and 1996. Just as it sounds, the war centered around trying to harness the power of genetic engineering. Scientists attempted to improve the Human race by using augmentation and DNA tampering. One of these Augments was, of course, the iconicStar Trekvillain Khan, which resulted in the ultimate banning of selective breeding. But inStrange New Worlds, when La’an Noonien-Singh time traveled to contemporary Toronto with an alternate timeline Kirk, it appeared that the Eugenics War had not occurred yet. La’an ran into her ancestor, Khan, who was only a child.
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The bestStar Trekmovieestablished that Khan should have already gone through genetic augmentation, which started the Eugenics War in the first place. So what does this mean for the continuity of this event? Showrunner Akiva Goldsman sat down withCinemaBlendto further explain why they pushed the Eugenics War – andThe Wrath of Khan– further into the future. “We want Star Trek to be an aspirational future,” Goldsman told the publication. “We want to be able to dream our way into the Federation as a Starfleet. I think that is the fun of it, in part. And so, to keepStar Trekin our timeline, we continue to push dates forward.” Goldsman argued that if they set the Eugenics War in the ’90s, a contemporary audience would not find the story that they’re telling optimistic.
Strange New Worldsfurther hammers home this point when La’an has to decide whether to let the young version of Khan die in an assassination attempt or not. The Romulans sent back a time agent to kill a young Khan to stop humanity from progressing. ButThe Wrath of Khanviewers –and evenInto Darknessof theStar Trekrebooted series– understand what a monster he becomes. Faced with an impossible choice, La’an ultimately decided against killing the child. This, after all, is whatStar Trekis all about.
Star Trekis the one sci-fi franchise that is not a cautionary tale. As the title ofStrange New Worldsrefers to, Starfleet is all about going on exploratory missions. This universe has reached a generally utopian society. There is no need for money, and societal issues such as racism and sexism are a thing of the past. If ugly events like purposeful selective breeding happened in the ’90s, then a modern audience can’t be hopeful for the future. As difficult as it is, La’an understood that she cannot kill an innocent child, despitethe legacy of Khan. Similarly, Kirk made the ultimate sacrifice for what he believed in. And viewers didn’t have to think about a reality where a war surrounding eugenics happened in the ’90s.
