No-one saw this twist coming. It's been two years since the release of JJ Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness, a sequel that incensed fans before it even opened due to the shady marketing ploys adopted by its creative crew. Remember, no-one would admit that Benedict Cumberbatch was playing Khan?
Time, being the healer of all wounds, seems to have brought one of the film's screenwriters to their senses. In a recent interview Damon Lindelof confessed that the decision to keep Cumberbatch's true identity under wraps well and truly backfired.
"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." It's hard to argue with his admission because, really, who thought "John Harrison" was a legit ruse?
What's most telling about the whole fiasco is what it's taught its creators, Lindelof going on to praise his buddy Abrams for how he's handled The Force Awakens. He's "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'.”
