In this week’s episode of Star Trek: Khan, fate catches up with Marla McGivers (Wrenn Schmidt). We also see further political maneuvering between Khan (Naveen Andrews) and Delmonda (Olli Haaskivi). And within Khan’s ranks, loyalties continue to fracture and betrayal rears its head. Wrapped around this, years in the future, is Doctor Rosalind Lear’s (Sonya Cassidy) continued efforts to uncover the truth. But it seems even she has secrets of her own…
Episode 7 is an emotional rollercoaster that sets up the series’ endgame. It is a story of love, tragedy, and betrayal. Here are the highlights of ‘I Am Marla’.
WARNING – Spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Khan Episode 7, ‘I Am Marla’.
The Plot Thickens
‘I Am Marla’ kicks off aboard the USS Excelsior. Tuvok (Tim Russ) and Lear are sharing tea while discussing the logs she has analyzed so far. The Ensign questions how and why Delmonda (Olli Haaskivi) gave the logs to her. Lear explains that her senior thesis focused on the Federation’s ban on genetic engineering, which made her the perfect recipient.
However, this is where the tone of the conversation suddenly shifts 180 degrees. Tuvok notes that, where certain details are obviously true, much of the story Lear is telling him is most likely a lie. He explains that Vulcans, as a species, find it extremely difficult to lie. However, this trait in turn makes them exceptionally good at knowing when they are being lied to. Tuvok goes on to advise that he’ll be reviewing all the recently discovered logs. So, by their next conversation, he’ll be much more aware of the material, and hopefully Lear will be more inclined to share the truth.
Once Tuvok leaves, we see a new side to Lear. She goes into a mild panic and audibly tries to calm herself down. We hear her taking a deep breath, regaining her composure, before beginning playback of the next of McGiver’s logs. But what is Lear hiding from Tuvok and Sulu (George Takei)? What is so bad that the notion of them discovering the truth is sending Lear into a panic? We’ll need to wait to find out, as the rest of this episode is centred on two pivotal moments on Ceti Alpha V…
Ivan’s Betrayal
The first of these two key plot points during ‘I Am Marla’ explores the aftermath of Ivan’s (Maury Sterling) betrayal and his subsequent fate. In Episode 6, the augment attacked and murdered a lone Elborean in cold blood. This led to a confrontation between Khan and Elborean leader, Delmonda, nearly destroying the tentative peace between them. What saved this peace was the revelation that the Elboreans were creating a spacecraft for a few of Khan’s people to escape and find help. Due in part to this, Khan agrees to decide Ivan’s fate in collaboration with Delmonda.
Back to this episode, we find Ivan confined to his tent and drunk on vodka. He’s visited by Ursula (Mercy Malick), who partakes in a drink and asks what’s next for him. Ivan describes a scene where he begs forgiveness from Khan, swearing to never act without order or permission again. Then the pair toast the resolution, Khan unaware that his drink is laced with cyanide. The leader dies and Ivan takes his place, before killing and enslaving the Elboreans.
“If you strike at a king, you’d best not miss.”
Ursula (Mercy Malick) in Star Trek: Khan Episode 7 ‘I Am Marla’
Cut to the actual meeting between Khan and Ivan, and everything appears to go as Ivan expected. Until Khan reveals he knows his drink is poisoned, and Ivan attacks. Khan quickly overpowers him, accusing Ivan of betrayal and explaining that his compromise with the Elboreans is a deception to secure their survival. The score underpinning this entire scene adds to the emotional weight of Ivan’s betrayal and Khan’s loss of a close friend. Ivan’s screams of Khan’s name as he leaves, mirroring that infamous scene in The Wrath of Khan, is the cherry atop the cake.
A Deadly Spring
Parallel to Ivan’s story, we have fate rearing its head in ‘I Am Marla’. Its target is none other than the author of the logs Lear is analysing, Marla McGivers. Yes, this episode marks the point of no return for Khan’s wife. And we finally find out exactly how the infamous Ceti Eels get her – while she’s relaxing in a hot spring. Not long after she enters, she’s attacked and bitten by the creatures. The news reaches Khan as he leaves his confrontation with Ivan, and he rushes to his wife’s side.
The following scene is heartwrenchingly emotional, a perfect blend of stunning acting and a beautiful score. The larva has already wrapped itself around McGivers’ cerebral cortex, and Khan is left with the choice of saving her or their unborn child. McGivers begs him to save the baby, which means she needs to be placed into a sleep she’ll never wake up from. Ursula encourages Khan not to leave McGivers to go through this alone. This showcases her development from hating McGivers at the start of the series to respecting her now.
Khan accepts this encouragement and reassures his wife as Ursula sends her into a deep sleep. The pain and heartbreak you can hear in Naveen Andrews’ performance, reciting Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem ‘Kubla Khan’, leaves tears in your eyes. Combined with an equally emotional performance from Wrenn Schmidt as McGivers shares her last caring words with her husband. Wrapped around all of this is the soft, sombre music that crashes into the crescendo of Khan’s theme as McGivers falls asleep. And Khan breaks down in grief and anguish.
The Birth of a Madman?
We’ll have to wait until Episode 8 to find out, but the end of ‘I Am Marla’ feels like the breaking point for the Khan we’ve seen in Star Trek: Khan. There’s been a very different side of the character explored in the last seven episodes. But we’ve seen these more benign qualities cracking under the pressure. The loss of life due to alien fauna and internal betrayals in earlier episodes. The realisation that Ceti Alpha V is not the paradise they sought, as its sister planet exploded and doomed them all. And now the double-whammy of Ivan’s betrayal and the tragic loss of McGivers.
This is a lot for anyone to go through. And this final loss could be what tips the knife’s edge. We’ve also got the questions surrounding Doctor Lear. Why is she lying to Sulu and Tuvok? What is she hiding? We’ve only got two episodes left till the series ends, and there’s a lot left to unpack!
Be sure to catch each episode of Star Trek: Khan, released every Monday on YouTube and wherever you listen to your podcasts. And continue to tune into Trek Central for the latest news, reviews, and lore!
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