The identity of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Star Trek Into Darkness villain has been an obsession for fans and the media – even before he was cast. Speculation didn’t stop when his character finally got a name and in a new interview, co-writer/producer Damon Lindelof is fueling the speculation fire even more.



Lindelof hints John Harrison is just a cover

Officially Benedict Cumberbatch’s villain in Star Trek Into Darkness has been identified as John Harrison, a "terrorist" from "within Starfleet." But that hasn’t stopped speculation that there is more to him than that. And in an interview with the LA Times, co-writer/producer Damon Lindelof seems to confirm there is more to the character, even joking "“Benedict doesn’t even know who he’s playing.” More seriously, Lindelof explained why they are being tight-lipped about Harrison….

“The audience needs to have the same experience that the crew is having,” Lindelof explained. “You’re Kirk, you’re Spock, you’re McCoy, so if they don’t know who the bad guy is going to be in the movie, then you shouldn’t know. It’s not just keeping the secret for secrecy’s sake. It’s not giving the audience information that the characters don’t have.”

Lindelof went on to say he is going to great lengths to keep the secret, even from collaborators on other secret projects.



Benedict Cumberbatch’s John Harrison faces Chris Pine as Kirk in "Star Trek Into Darkness"

The writer also talked about how there is even more pressure in the sequel to find a way to make their new movie fit in with Star Trek’s history, telling the LA Times…

“If anything, we’ve become more terrified,” he said. “We kind of got it right the first time, [we thought], ‘Let’s really not screw it up this time.’ You really have to honor the 40-plus years of canon and legacy that this amazing franchise had before we put pen to paper.”

For more from Lindelof, read the full interview at the LA Times Hero Complex.