Summary
- Krall was once Captain Balthazar M. Edison & felt abandoned by the Federation.
- Krall sought revenge by draining lifeforce and plotting to wipe out the Federation.
- Despite his tragic end, Krall's character added depth to Star Trek Beyond.
Every great story needs a great antagonist and Star Trek is no exception. Even those unfamiliar with Trek know about Khan Noonien Singh, the Augment tyrant who would stop at nothing to seek revenge against Captain Kirk in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Then there's the all-powerful, god-like, mischievous Q, who has made appearances in The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Lower Decks, and Picard. Then there's the complex and twisted Cardassian warlord Gul Dukat from Deep Space Nine, one of the most terrifying villains to date. With these great antagonists under its belt, it can be difficult for a newer entry to craft one as iconic, but Krall from Star Trek Beyond fits the bill.
Star Trek Beyond, the third installment of the Kelvin movies and, as of writing, the last one, follows the crew of the USS Enterprise as they encounter a ruthless new enemy who strands them on a mysterious planet and forces them to confront their belief in the Federation. So who is this villain, Krall, and what is his problem with the Federation?
Krall Was Once Captain Balthazar M. Edison
Around a century before the events of Beyond, Balthazar M. Edison first served as part of the MACO branch of the United Earth Military. During his time as a soldier, he witnessed millions die during the Xindi and Romulan Wars. When the Federation was formed, he joined Starfleet and was the captain of the USS Franklin. In 2164, his ship encountered a wormhole and crash-landed onto Altamid. Only himself and two of his officers, Anderson Le and Jessica Wolff, survived. At the time of the crash, Altamid was uninhabited. However, the previous lifeforms that populated the planet left behind plenty of technology, including thousands of ships and a drone workforce and the three of them managed to survive.
Krall Felt Obsolete and Abandoned by the Federation
However, when Edison sent out his distress calls to the Federation, they went unanswered. Edison began to feel bitter. After all the sacrifices he had made in the wars, the death that he saw, he felt abandoned by the Federation and bitter at them for making him find peace with the alien civilizations that he had previously warred against. Then, Edison, Le, and Wolff came across energy transference technology. This allowed them to drain the lifeforce of other aliens after they raided their passing ships. This came at the expense of their humanity. They began to take on the physical characteristics of their alien victims and transformed into Krall, Manas, and Kalara. Jaylah and her father, who were imprisoned by the trio, had heard the screams of their victims at night. Not wanting to meet a similar fate, Jaylah and her father attempted to escape. In the end, Jaylah was able to make it out alive, but her father wasn't so lucky. This energy-draining practice also prolonged the trio's lifespans, which explains why they were still alive when the Enterprise crew came upon them during Beyond. With only revenge on their minds, the three of them set out to obtain the Abronath. After they acquired the bioweapon, their plan was take over the Yorktown space station. From there, they would attempt to wipe out the Federation completely.
Krall is Foiled
Near the end of Beyond, Krall takes on a more humanlike appearance as he's been training countless Enterprise victims. Because of this, Krall was able to disguise himself as a Starfleet officer. Although his Swarm ships' communications were disrupted by the use of the Beastie Boys "Sabotage" being blasted from a VHR radio, there was still a chance that he could use the Abornath in Yorktown. However, he was intercepted by Kirk who ultimately ejected Krall and the deadly Abornath into space. Ironically, despite his hatred for the Federation, he died in a Starfleet uniform and after the Abornath consumed him, only the insignia remained. Also, despite Krall's misgivings about the Federation, tangling with him allowed Kirk to gain new perspective on what he wanted. Although he started the film feeling uninspired as a captain, wanting to become a vice admiral, he ended up turning the position down. He felt a sense of renewal and purpose and chose to remain a captain because "admirals don't fly".
Star Trek has had its fair share of memorable antagonists over the years. Krall is no exception. He's an ex-Starfleet officer with understandable motivations and a quest for revenge that has left him to disregard his own humanity. Although his end caps off the tragedy of his character, that he could not see beyond his own hatred, it is unfortunate that viewers will not be seeing him in future installments. That said, his one appearance was certainly memorable, and he made a great foe to cap off the Kelvin films. (At least for now.)
- Created by
- Gene Roddenberry
- First Film
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- Latest Film
- Star Trek Beyond
- First TV Show
- Star Trek: The Original Series
- Latest TV Show
- Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
- Creation Year
- 1966
Star Trek is a space exploration franchise originally created by Gene Roddenberry. The series has spanned shows like The Original Series, The Next Generation, and Voyager. More recently, developer Scopely came out with Star Trek Fleet Command, a mobile title where you get to be captain of your own ship.
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Paramount is a fairly recent (2019 founding) mass media company that used to operate under the name ViacomCBS. They have grow into their own production company and are also producing original content via a streaming service called Paramount Plus.
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