Star Trek Reveals A Big Twist Between Captain Kirk & His Greatest Enemy

Star Trek: Khan reveals a surprising twist between Captain James T. Kirk's (William Shatner) and Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) after Star Trek: The Original Series.

Directed by Fred Greenhalgh and written by Kirsten Beyer and David Mack, based on a story by Nicholas Meyer, Star Trek: Khan tells what happened to Khan and his followers after Captain Kirk left them behind on Ceti Alpha V.

Star Trek history records Khan as a genetically augmented tyrant, a villain, and Captain Kirk's greatest enemy. Indeed, in Star Trek: The Original Series' "Space Seed," Khan attempted to hijack the USS Enterprise and kill Kirk. 20 years later, Khan returned to exact vengeance on Kirk in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

In Star Trek: Khan, which takes place in 2293, 8 years after Khan's death, a Starfleet researcher named Dr. Rosalind Lear (Sonya Cassidy) acquires Khan's personal logs left behind on Ceti Alpha V. What Lear discovers changes what audiences thought they knew about Kirk and Khan after their conflict in Star Trek: The Original Series season 1.

Star Trek Reveals There Was More Respect Between Captain Kirk & Khan Than We Knew

Star Trek: Khan's flashbacks to Ceti Alpha V begin not long after Khan Noonien Singh (Naveen Andrews) and 70 of his followers are left on Ceti Alpha V by Captain Kirk and the Starship Enterprise in 2267. Star Trek: Khan reveals that Captain Kirk offered Khan and his people more assistance than Star Trek: The Original Series indicated.

Captain Kirk gave Khan a medlab from the Starship Enterprise to handle the Augments' medical needs. Khan also received a year's supply of Starfleet food rations, although Khan and his people immediately set out to harvest the resources of Ceti Alpha V for their sustenance.

Star Trek: Khan also reveals Capain Kirk's logs from Star Trek: The Original Series are not in Starfleet's official records.

Captain Kirk's generosity and compassion towards Khan shows that despite his enemy's nefarious attempt to kill him and steal his starship, Kirk rendered more support towards the Augments than previously known.

In turn, Khan has a surprisingly high opinion of Kirk after the Captain releases him onto Ceti Alpha V, telling his followers, "Kirk did us a favor." This is a sharp contrast to his seething hatred of Admiral Kirk in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Star Trek: Khan Adds Another Twist To Khan & His Wife

At the end of Star Trek: The Original Series' "Space Seed," Lieutenant Marla McGivers (Madlyn Rue) joins Khan and his followers on Ceti Alpha V. It always seemed that Marla joined Khan because she was in love with him. Star Trek: Khan adds new complexities to McGivers' relationship with Khan.

Star Trek: Khan reveals that Marla McGivers (Wrenn Schmidt) went to Ceti Alpha V partly out of her sense of duty as a historian to record Khan building a new civilization. Marla also had second thoughts soon after landing on Ceti Alpha V, and she tried to contact the Starship Enterprise, which incensed Khan.

Further, McGivers learned that Augment women were created to be infertile, and Kirk's medlab was partly an effort for Khan's followers to solve this problem. Marla quickly began to fear that Khan brought her to Ceti Alpha V as "plan B" if the Augments' fertility problem couldn't be solved.

Star Trek: Khan shows that Khan's relationship with his future wife was also far more nuanced than audiences previously understood from Star Trek: The Original Series.

Will Pedro Pascal Be In The Last Of Us Season 3?

The Last of Us season 3 is set to continue adapting The Last of Us Part II, but this also puts the return of Pedro Pascal's Joel up in the air. The Last of Us season 2 saw Joel get killed by the show's new antagonist, Abby, in episode 2. While she avenged her father's death in the process, her actions also kickstarted Ellie's quest for revenge. While season 2 has mostly focused on her and Dina's journey to Seattle, The Last of Us season 2, episode 6 was a flashback episode, featuring Pascal's Joel once again.

The episode offered more context as to why there was so much tension between Ellie and Joel before the latter's death. This included him killing Eugene after he got infected with Cordyceps, despite him having time to say goodbye to his wife, Gail. But it also involved her learning Joel killed all the Fireflies at the end of The Last of Us season 1. Their final scene together packed an emotional punch, a bittersweet conversation about the potential of moving past what happened in Salt Lake City. But it also signified whether Pascal will return as Joel in season 3.

Joel's Flashback Episode In The Last Of Us Season 2 Is Being Referred To As Pedro Pascal's Final Episode

Behind-The-Scenes Developments Hint Season 2, Episode 6 Is His Ending

Season 2, episode 6 may have brought Pascal back into the role of Joel, but it appears to be the last time he'll be portraying the former protagonist onscreen. Multiple outlets have been referring to season 2, episode 6 as the actor's last episode on the show. One report from Variety directly acknowledges the latest episode as Pascal's final episode, with series creator Neil Druckmann talking about what it was like filming the actor's swan song for the show.

This is compounded by multiple videos and social media posts from cast and crew, honoring how much Pascal has contributed to the series. The beginning of Max's behind-the-scenes video for season 2, episode 6 sees Pascal saying goodbye to the cast and crew, addressing a lage crowd of people who worked on the series. This emotional farewell is capitalized by the actors' own confirmation that this is going to be the end of his time as the drama's lead. It confirms that, while other characters in The Last of Us will live on, Joel's time has come to a close.

The Last Of Us Season 3 Won't Include Any Joel Flashbacks (Unless There's A Surprise)

Season 3 Will Have A Very Different Focus From Season 2

Season 2, episode 6 adapted most of Joel's flashbacks from The Last of Us Part II, meaning there aren't any more the series can pull from to bring Pascal back. While it's possible there could be some surprises that allow him to return, the end of the latest episode covered the most important flashback from the 2020 video game. Ending his time on the show with that level of finality is fitting, and makes sense given prior confirmation indicating this is the actor's last episode.

The Last of Us season 3 is going to have a very different focus, with Abby taking the spotlight.

In addition, The Last of Us season 3 is going to have a very different focus, with Abby taking the spotlight. It's already been confirmed that the new antagonist will be the focus of season 3, which will adapt her portion of the video game. This means an explanation surrounding what she's been doing since killing Joel, alongside an expanded focus on Seattle. It doesn't leave room for any flashbacks or new scenes with Joel in them, especially since it will be from the perspective of a character who only met him once.

Could Pedro Pascal Return As Joel Before The Last Of Us Ends For Good?

Is His Presence On The Show Really Over?

Given how much the show has pulled from The Last of Us Part II so far, it seems unlikely Joel is going to come back before the series ends. The ending of The Last of Us season 2, episode 6 adapted a flashback that happens at the very end of the video game, with other scenes throughout getting pulled from various points in the source material. This makes it unlikely that Pascal is going to reprise his role in the future, as the show has already covered all his biggest points from the original game.

However, since The Last of Us is already shaking up the structure of its adaptation, it's possible Joel does make a surprise return in the future. This would likely be in the form of an original flashback, given the show has already adapted the major ones present in the source material. When it comes to Pascal's potential return as Joel in season 3, however, it seems like the actor will not be coming back, making season 2, episode 6 his final episode for now.

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