Damon Lindelof Admits Keeping Khan a Secret in Star Trek Into Darkness Was "A Mistake"
Damon Lindelof has been contending with controversy surrounding "reveals," or lack thereof, ever since he worked on Lost. Now, the second season of The Leftovers, while still somewhat divisive, is getting great reviews, in large part because it hasn't hesitated nearly as much to allow the answers to mysteries to unfold. Speaking to Variety, Lindelof said he partially learned that lesson from Star Trek Into Darkness, and the whole "Benedict Cumberbatch is totally not playing Khan" debacle.
But, that being said, he also acknowledges that at certain times there is great value to keeping secrets from the audience. For example, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has refrained from revealing too many spoilers (although still more than we would like):
"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. And that was a mistake, because the audience was like, 'We know he's playing Khan.' That was why it was a mistake."
But, that being said, he also acknowledges that at certain times there is great value to keeping secrets from the audience. For example, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has refrained from revealing too many spoilers (although still more than we would like):
"...J.J. [Abrams] is telling us nothing about the new 'Star Wars' movie and we love it," Lindelof said. "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.'"
