Star Trek writer admits Khan twist was a ‘mistake’

Before Star Trek: Into Darkness was released, everyone knew Benedict Cumberbatch was playing Khan but the filmmakers refused to admit it. The film’s screenwriter Damon Lindelof has now admitted that he regrets the secrecy.

“When we did Star Trek Into Darkness for example, we decided that we weren’t going to tell people that Benedict Cumberbatch was playing Khan” Lindelof told Variety. “And that was a mistake, because the audience was like, “We know he’s playing Khan.” That was why it was a mistake. But J.J. [Abrams] is telling us nothing about the new Star Wars movie and we love it. I’ve not come across a single person who’s like, “I wish I knew a little bit more.” We are like, ‘Thank God he’s protecting us from all the things that will be revealed in the movie theater.”

The film’s director J.J Abrams expressed similar views.

“The truth is I think it probably would have been smarter just to say upfront, ‘This is who it is,’” Abrams said of the mystery. “It was only trying to preserve the fun of it, and it might have given people more time to acclimate and accept that’s what the thing was.”

A third Star Trek movie Star Trek: Beyond is currently in production and is due to hit screens in July 2016.