Star Trek: Strange New Worlds showrunner Akiva Goldsman has confirmed a key detail about one of the characters in the upcoming Paramount+ show. After it was announced that Christina Chong would be playing a series-regular character named La’an Noonien-Singh, fans began speculating that the role is somehow connected to Star Trek’s greatest villain — Khan Noonien Singh.

At the series’ Television Critics Association panel on Tuesday (via The Hollywood Reporter), the Strange New Worlds co-showrunner affirmed La’an’s link to Khan. “She’s related to Khan, for sure, and, uh, and the deal will unfold ...” Goldsman said.

However, she was a bit more tight-lipped when it came to the matter of whether or not Khan will make an appearance himself. “We don’t want to bring folks into the show to be splashy,” she continued. “We want to dig deeply into characters that are part of our ensemble and then, obviously, we’re open to getting our arms ... but right now, what you see is what you get.”

Since Strange New Worlds is a direct prequel to The Original Series — where Khan was first introduced — there is a possibility that the character could emerge at some point. Ricardo Montalbán portrayed the villain in the show as well as the 1982 movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. In 2013, Benedict Cumberbatch took on the role in Star Trek Into Darkness.

We'll see how La’an Noonien-Singh's story unfolds when Strange New Worlds premieres on Paramount+ on May 5.

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