There you have it folks, our first real look at Benedict Cumberbatch in costume on the set of Star Trek 2 or whatever it will be called. This, as well as the photo at the link below, are also the first images from the film, albeit unofficial ones.
They were taken by a brave photographer as the cast and crew were filming some outdoor scenes in Los Angeles. Of course, I am sure team JJ is all in a fury over these unsanctioned images being spread across the internet. But hey, you can't keep it all under wraps forever JJ.
So now the question becomes, based on the above image, just who is Benedict Cumberbatch playing? Well first, it is clear that he is playing the villain in the film by the nature of this picture. Which means we can put that debate to rest.
It is clear he is wearing a Starfleet uniform undertunic as you can clearly see the outline of the Starfleet logo on it. He also is not Vulcan as some had speculated as I dare do not detect any points to his ears. My guess, if I were to hazard one, is that he is a human. But is he an advanced human being???hmmm...
There are a couple possibilities here:
1) He is indeed Khan Noonen Singh. The fact that Cumberbatch took over the role intended for Benicio Del Toro has me thinking that the role might be Khan. Del Toro looks like he could be Khan and now that we know the villain is human, you can eliminate any speculation that Del Toro would have played a Klingon. In addition, Cumberbatch plays the super genius quite well on his BBC show Sherlock. I could see him absolutely killing as Khan.
Plus, it jives with things said by the Supreme Court (i.e. JJ and his inner circle) that they took inspiration from Batman Begins for their first Star Trek film. If they are indeed following the model laid out by Christopher Nolan, then re-introducing an iconic villain from the franchise with a new take would make alot of sense.
Perhaps the Enterprise is not the ship that finds the Botany Bay? Perhaps it is the Klingons who find the ship and Kirk and crew rescue the survivors from them? The avenues they could take on this are pretty wide open. After seeing what Heath Ledger and Christopher Nolan did with the Joker in TDK, I am willing to give the Supreme Court the benefit of the doubt on this one if the villain is indeed Khan.
2) It could be Gary Mitchell, Kirk's childhood friend. Mitchell ends up being given God-like powers in the original series episode Where No Man has Gone Before. Kirk was forced in the end to fight his friend and kill him to save his ship and crew.
Mitchell would work well with the new universe they laid out in the first film. He could be used to allow the audience to learn more about this Kirk as he was growing up. It would also put some very high personal stakes on things for Kirk this time around.
But as many have pointed out online today, Mitchell's story has already been told in a IDW comic book set in the new universe. The comic books in that series are part of canon for the new film series and are being personally overseen by the writers of the films. So, if that story has already been told I can't imagine the Supreme Court wanting to revisit it.
3) It is a completely new character. Everyone in fan nation is so quick to want to make the villain Cumberbatch is playing be someone from the original series. What if his character is indeed an entirely new creation?
In truth, I could see the Supreme Court going this route. It allows them the freedom to do whatever they want with both the story and the villain and not be tied down to anything from the original series and their stories.
Could Cumberbatch be a command officer gone wrong? Could he be a captain who has went rogue and Kirk is tasked with bringing him, his vessel, and crew back to Starfleet?
Or as one crazy possibility, could he be Kirk's older brother Samuel?
In any event, we finally have gotten a look at the character Cumberbatch is playing and more importantly a look behind the curtain of JJ's super secretive project.
You can click on the source link below to see the other picture released today. One last thing but is it me or is Spock looking super pissed in the above photo? Maybe this Spock is alittle more angry? Losing your home planet can do that to a guy.
Source: MTV
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