Classic Star Trek icon confirmed to be joining the cast of Star Trek: Khan
The audio drama is set between the villain's debut in The Original Series and his 1982 return.
An original member of the Star Trek cast will reprise their role for an upcoming audio drama exploring the untold backstory of iconic villain Khan.
Lost and The Dropout star Naveen Andrews has been cast as the cunning adversary to Captain Kirk, who has previously been played in live action by Ricardo Montalban (in The Wrath of Khan) and Benedict Cumberbatch (in Star Trek Into Darkness).
The story is set between the events of Khan's debut in The Original Series episode Space Seed, which aired in 1967, and his devastating return in the second Star Trek feature, some 15 years later.
Thanks to the specificity of that timeframe, Star Trek icon George Takei is reprising his role as Hikaru Sulu for the podcast series, with his involvement being confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend.
Takei can be heard in a full-length trailer for the audio drama, found below, in addition to fellow franchise favourite Tim Russ, who returns as Tuvok from television iterations Star Trek: Voyager and Picard.
The synopsis for Star Trek: Khan promises to explore "the untold events on Ceti Alpha V" – a planet where Khan and his associates were exiled by Captain Kirk in Space Seed – chronicling his descent from a "superhuman visionary" to a "vengeful villain".
Wrenn Schmidt co-stars opposite Andrews as Marla McGivers, a former lieutenant on Kirk's starship, who decides to betray her crew in order to be with the enigmatic Khan.
The supporting cast includes Sonya Cassidy as Dr Rosalind Lear, Olli Haaskivi as Delmonda, Maury Sterling as Ivan, Mercy Malick as Ursula and Zuri Washington as Madot, with Kirsten Beyer and David Mack on scripting duties.
The writing duo are adapting a story penned by The Wrath of Khan scribe Nicholas Meyer, which should hopefully ensure that their audio drama is a fitting prologue to that 1982 sci-fi classic.
The podcast will premiere on Star Trek Day – so called as it marks the anniversary of the first episode of The Original Series – which is celebrated on the 8th September for the uninitiated.
Star Trek: Khan premieres on podcast platforms on Monday 8th September 2025. New episodes weekly.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
