Khan Confirms Tragic Death Of Original Series Character

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Warning: SPOILERS For Star Trek: Khan Episode 7 – “I Am Marla”Star Trek: Khan confirms the death of a Star Trek: The Original Series character, and reveals the tragic circumstances that Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalnban) spoke of in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Star Trek: Khan episode 7 depicts the heretofore unknown events on Ceti Alpha V soon after the neighboring Ceti Alpha VI exploded, plunging Khan’s (Naveen Andrews) adopted world into an unavoidable global catastrophe.

Psychic aliens called the Elboreans crashed on Ceti Alpha V and forged an uneasy alliance with Khan, promising the chance for survival by building a starship that could lead to the rescue of Khan’s people and the Elboreans.

However, Khan also contends with the betrayal of Ivan (Maury Sterling), his loyal follower who killed one of the Elboreans in Khan’s name. Ivan represents Khan’s worst instincts as the genetically engineered warlord struggles to trust the Elboreans’ leader, Delmonda (Olli Haaskivi).

Meanwhile, Khan is also a newlywed with Lieutenant Marla McGivers (Wrenn Schmidt), who is also pregnant with a daughter they named Kali, after the Hindu goddess.

Marla led some of Khan’s augments into what she believed was the safety of Ceti Alpha V’s underground sulfur caves in when tragedy struck in Star Trek: Khan episode 7.

Star Trek: Khan Reveals How Marla McGivers Died

Star Trek Ceti Alpha Eel — Image of the Ceti Alpha Eel from Star Trek 2 the Wrath of Khan.

In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Commander Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Captain Clark Terrell (Paul Winfield) found Khan and his followers on Ceti Alpha V, which the Starfleet Officers mistakenly believed was Ceti Alpha VI.

Khan told the USS Reliant’s command team that his “beloved wife” died from the deadly Ceti eels. Of course, Khan was speaking of Lt. Marla McGivers, who joined the genetically engineered warlord’s exile on Ceti Alpha V.

The pregnant Marla was relaxing in Ceti Alpha V’s sulfur caves when she was infected by a Ceti eel.

Star Trek: Khan episode 7 reveals that Khan was neither lying nor exaggerating: the pregnant Marla was relaxing in Ceti Alpha V’s sulfur caves when she was infected by a Ceti eel. It wasn’t long before the eel burrowed through Marla’s ear canal and wrapped itself around her cerebral cortex,

Neither Khan’s medical technology given to them by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) from the USS Enterprise nor the Elboreans’ psychic abilities could save Marla’s life. But they could keep Marla alive long enough for their daughter, Kali, to be born.

What Marla’s Death Means For Khan In Star Trek

In Star Trek: Khan episode 7, Ivan accused Khan of being “different” since arriving on Ceti Alpha V. This has, indeed, been the case thanks to Marla. Khan’s beloved wife could appeal to his best instincts and temper his ruthless instincts.

Khan grieving Marla at the end of Star Trek: Khan episode 7 is truly heartbreaking. Never has Khan been so distraught and vulnerable as he was when he lost his new bride. This is also a huge turning point for Khan, who will start to fully blame Captain Kirk for his tragedies.

With only two episodes of Star Trek: Khan left, the distraught augmented conqueror may wallow in his grief and rage, making an untenable situation on Ceti Alpha V worse.

However, Star Trek: Khan also introduced a new retconned X factor: Khan and Marla’s newborn daughter, Kali. What happens to Kali, who was born in 2267 and is never mentioned in Star Trek II? Star Trek: Khan may have already revealed the answer.

Star Trek Theory About Khan’s Daughter Is Now More Likely

Star Trek: Khan‘s most prevalent fan theory is that Dr. Rosalind Lear (Sonya Cassidy) is the adult Kali, who is investigating the truth about mother’s death on Ceti Alpha V and her father, Khan’s, demise in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Although Ensign Tuvok (Tim Russ) hasn’t indicated if he suspects Dr. Lear’s true identity yet, Rosalind being the grown-up Kali is logical. It’s possible Kali was able to leave Ceti Alpha V with the Elboreans while Khan stayed on the dying planet.

Star Trek: Khan also has another detail to expand upon: what caused Ceti Alpha VI to explode?

Further, Dr. Lear confessed to Tuvok that she was given historical audio logs about Ceti Alpha V from Delmonda, and that she wrote her graduate thesis on the United Federation of Planets’ ban on genetic engineering. Kali may be part augment if she is, indeed, Khan’s daughter.

If Dr. Rosalind Lear is secretly Kali, Khan and Marla McGivers’ daughter. Kali would be about 25 in 2293. Lear as Kali would also explain her animosity towards Captain Kirk, and she would share Khan’s blame towards Kirk for everything that happened to her parents.

The theory that Dr. Rosalind Lear is Khan and Marla McGivers’ retconned daughter, Kali, is logical. Even if Star Trek: Khan’s final two episodes reveal it to be true, there are still more twists and further tragedy to come for Khan Noonien Singh after Star Trek: The Original Series.