Star Trek: Khan - Naveen Andrews on Audio Drama Expanding Khan Story

Posted in: Audio Dramas, Star Trek, TV | Tagged: lost, Naveen Andrews, Star Trek: Khan

Star Trek: Khan – Naveen Andrews on Audio Drama Expanding Khan Story

Naveen Andrews (Last Days) spoke with Bleeding Cool about his role in the audio drama Star Trek: Khan, expanding Khan's legacy, and more.

Published Mon, 08 Sep 2025 16:37:03 -0500
by Tom Chang
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Article Summary

• Naveen Andrews discusses taking on the iconic role of Khan in the Star Trek: Khan audio drama series.
• The series bridges the gap between "Space Seed" and "The Wrath of Khan," expanding Khan’s story.
• Andrews shares insights on honoring Ricardo Montalban’s legacy while making the character his own.
• The actor reflects on adjusting from onscreen roles to the immersive audio drama podcast format.

Khan is one of the most fearsome and charismatic antagonists in Star Trek history. Originally brought to life by the late Ricardo Montalban in The Original Series season one episode "Space Seed," the genetic augment became one of the most feared tyrants of the 20th century in the Trek canon and solidified his legendary status in the 1982 film Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. While the character has been revisited twice on screen with Benedict Cumberbatch playing his Kelvin Universe counterpart in 2012's Star Trek: Into Darkness, and Desmond Sivan, playing a far younger, pre-tyrant in the time travel-themed episode of Strange New Worlds, Naveen Andrews is tasked to fill a major piece of history in the character in the audio drama Star Trek: Khan, which bridges the gap between "Space Seed" and TWOK, thanks to original film director Nicholas Meyer and co-writers Kristen Beyer and David Mack. Andrews spoke to Bleeding Cool about bringing the character to life, his Trek past, trying to transition from an onscreen role to the podcast format, and reflecting on his time in the ABC supernatural mystery series Lost, and which season resonated with him the most.

Star Trek: Khan Star Naveen Andrews on Building on Khan's Legacy

What intrigued you about 'Star Trek: Khan', and how did you get involved?

I was vaguely aware of who Khan was, and having grown up in England in the 1970s, with Star Trek in a way, because it was on all the time in those days. I'd been aware that Ricardo Montalban had been Khan with that episode, 'Space Seed'.

Why do you think the character has endured so long among the Star Trek community?

I have no idea. I can't speak for them, but for me at least, he seems to be a very attractive, powerful sort of figure.

How did you make Khan your own? Did Ricardo's influence your take, and did you want to avoid sounding like you're trying an impression?

Oh, no, I didn't want to do an impression of Ricardo, but I certainly wanted to respect what he had done in that one episode, the impact I felt that he'd made.

In this audio drama, we get a chance to see a side of Khan that goes beyond his antagonistic role that we've seen in 'The Original Series' and 'The Wrath of Khan.' How do you tackle that challenge, and how does a role like this compare to what you've done before?

Well, it is a very different form, the idea of a podcast. To me, it's closest to radio. I was brought up listening to Radio 4 in England, and the idea that a story can be told using the audience's imagination, the listener's imagination. It's a completely different medium, one that's very interesting nonetheless, in terms of what you can achieve.

Did you meet Wrenn [Schmidt] or any of the other co-stars during the recording, or were you by yourself?

They recorded us all separately, I'm afraid. I would have liked to have done it, though.

What was it like working with Nicholas, Kirsten, and Davi creatively?

It was great, because we started very well, I thought, where you basically work out that the piece has a certain rhythm and pace. We established that early on, so it was an easy working process.

Did they talk to you about maybe sometime down the line? I know, since this is strictly involving the character's time on Ceti Alpha Five, perhaps a future project where we actually learned about what Khan did before the events of 'Space Seed?'

No, they didn't, but I'm excited to hear that, because that would be good, wouldn't it?

I agree. My final question concerns your time on 'Lost. ' Given how it's been received since then and how it's still being talked about in the streaming era, what do you remember best about the show and your legacy on it?

What I recall with the most affection is the first season. The first season stands up at any time, and that's a good thing.

The premiere episode of Star Trek: Khan, which also features the voices of Wrenn Schmidt, Sonya Cassidy, Tim Russ, Olli Haaskivi, Maury Sterling, Mercy Malick, Zuri Washington, and George Takei, is now available. New episodes air Monday through November 3rd.

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