The Best Star Trek Musical Can’t Be Found On TV

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 1 hour ago

Among certain fans of the franchise, “Star Trek musical” is a relatively dirty phrase. After all, the first thing it makes you think of is the Strange New Worlds episode “Subspace Rhapsody,” which is the first and (so far) only official Trek musical. The story was weak, and the songs were weaker, which is why it is the lowest-rated episode of Season 2 and generally considered a harbinger of Season 3’s obsession with sillier stories. All of that is to say that if you hated “Subspace Rhapsody,” you’re in good company and would probably be happy to never see another Star Trek musical onscreen.

Offscreen, though? That’s a different antimatter altogether! Beginning in 2023, a group of superfans premiered Khan!!! The Musical! as an off-Broadway production. This Wrath of Khan parody got killer reviews and soon grew in popularity, making an increasing number of appearances at Star Trek conventions around the world. With this musical set to beam down to Star Trek: Las Vegas this year, now is the perfect time for you to learn about this wildly popular, wildly quirky musical take on the greatest sci-fi franchise ever created.

Yes, They Khan

What is Khan!!! The Musical! actually about? It surprisingly takes place in the era of Star Trek: The Next Generation, where Data is (in a truly meta twist) putting on a holodeck musical about the events of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, one in which, as the site says, “the bloodthirsty Khan vows revenge on a washed-up James T. Kirk.” As a side effect of this play-within-a-play concept, Data ends up playing multiple roles as he did in the episode “A Fistful of Datas.” Also, because Data is an AI, “his writing style accidentally borrows moments and tropes from shows like Rocky Horror, Chicago, and Les Misérables.”

As you might imagine, Khan!!! The Musical! is styled as a comedy, and it’s genuinely very funny. The major reason for this is that it was created by fans who have both immense knowledge and a major passion for all things Trek. In this way, it’s very much in the spirit of Lower Decks, a show that relentlessly mocked the franchise without ever seeming truly mean-spirited or cruel. Khan!!! takes aim at some familiar targets like William Shatner’s stilted delivery, but it was clearly made by fans who absolutely love The Wrath of Khan from beginning to end. 

Music is the beating heart of any musical, and I’m happy to report that Khan!!! The Musical! is full of certified bangers, many of which you can listen to via YouTube. Your mileage may very, but I found these songs to be much catchier and much, much more infectiously funny than “Subspace Rhapsody.” That Strange New Worlds episode pumped out mediocre music to tell a story that alternated between absurdity and seriousness. By comparison, Khan!!! leans fully into camp from the very beginning, mixing genuinely solid numbers with visuals and references sure to leave any Star Trek fan howling with laughter.

Care to experience this passionate love letter to The Wrath of Khan for yourself? Be sure to check out the official calendar to see if Khan!! The Musical! will be beaming down to a venue near you. As an added bonus, they’ll be making multiple Star Trek convention appearances this year, including one in Riverside, Iowa, which is the future birthplace of James T. Kirk. That way, you can enjoy the musical madness surrounded by fellow nerds in full Starfleet gear. Careful, though, because you might run into one of those pesky General Chang cosplayers who believes Khan!!!, like Hamlet, is best enjoyed in the original Klingon.