Expectations are incredibly highly for J.J. Abrams' Star Trek sequel.  Re-launching the franchise was no small task, but now he, along with writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, must keep the series flying high.  One of the major questions is who will be the villain?  Here's what Kurtzman said regarding that topic and whether Chris Pine may be shouting "KHAAAAN!":

Starting at a premise of what you want to see and then working a story around it is not how we do it. You have to start with what is the right story. And that if you can say "That’s a story that Khan fits into", that’s how you get to that. Not deciding on a menu list of items and then seeing if you can’t string them all together.

Hit the jump for more on the villain (including my thoughts on why it shouldn't be Khan), Klingons, and the tone of the sequel.

I don't think Khan should be the villain in Star Trek 2 because:

A)     Khan only brings his wrath because of Kirk's actions in the original series' episode "Space Seed".  Those events never take place within the new movies because they're an alternate universe.  The alternate universe Trek of the new movies is a smart idea because it doesn't disrupt canon, however, the flipside is that it doesn't get to play with it.

B)     Fanboys who want Khan as the villain shouldn't be afraid of creativity. Let Abrams and co. create a new baddie.

C)     The only way for Abrams' Trek to truly step out of the shadow of the original Trek is to boldly go into new storylines, rather than trying to match their Khan movie to Wrath of Khan (a battle Abrams' sequel will almost surely lose).

Back to their interview in SFX Magazine [via TrekMovie.com], here's what Orci said regarding the villain:

Introducing a new villain in the sequel is tempting because we now have this incredible new sandbox to play in. On the other hand, some fans really want to see Klingons and it’s hard not to listen to that. The trick is not to do something that’s been seen before just because you think it will be a short cut to likeability.

Finally, regarding the tone of the sequel, the pair said that it will be similar to the first film.  Says Kurtzman:

The first one had dark elements, but was ultimately very warm. We’d hope to strike a similar balance [in the sequel].

And Orci adds:

Humor is part of the franchise and I think it’s critical, certainly to the Bones-Spock relationship. It’s definitely a big part of the Bones-Kirk relationship. So, I don’t see any world where humor doesn’t play a part.

So what do you think: should Khan be the villain in Star Trek 2?  Should the villain be a Klingon?  Sound off in the comments section.