"KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHN!"
The one and only Ricardo Montalban died yesterday at the age of 88.
Even so, he shall live forever, taunting James T. Kirk, “I shall leave you as you left me…marooned for all time in the center of a dead world…buried alive…buried alive…” and being a cocky, rubber-chest-wearing* asswipe right up until Kirk goes all Kobayashi Maru on his ass, then spending his final moments quoting “Moby Dick.”
With the possible exception of the Borg, Kahn Noonien Singh (Noonien?) remains THE “Star Trek” villain, because “Space Seed” remains one of the all-time classic episodes and The Wrath of Kahn is far and away the best of the “Trek” movies.
It was, I think, Montalban’s memorable delivery of the line that, no matter the actual origin of the phrase, has made the world believe that “Revenge is a dish best served cold” is, in actuality, an ancient Klingon proverb. I’ve heard that it’s Sicilian, I’ve heard that it’s Japanese, but we all know the truth – “bortaS bIr jablu’DI’ reH QaQqu’ nay’.”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAAl2zfk684]
* I know, I know…he didn’t actually wear a rubber chest, and as we all know, Ricardo Montalban es mas macho de todos. Still, damn if those big pecs don’t look fake.
Ricardo Montalban epitomized the suave host image; i just recently found out he starred in the Wrath of Khan too, crazy