Space Seed

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Star Trek: TOS episode
"Space Seed"
Image:STSpaceSeed.jpg
"Will you open your heart to me?!?"
Khan Singh, Space Seed.
Episode no. 22
Prod. code 024
Remastered no. 11
Airdate February 16, 1967
Writer(s) Gene L. Coon
Carey Wilber
Director Marc Daniels
Guest star(s) Ricardo Montalban
Madlyn Rhue
Blaisdell Makee
Mark Tobin
Kathy Ahart
Joan Johnson
John Winston (actor)
Eddie Paskey
Bobby Bass
Joan Webster
Ian Reddin
Year 2267
Stardate 3141.9
Episode chronology
Previous "The Return of the Archons"
Next "A Taste of Armageddon"

"Space Seed" is a first season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, that was first broadcast on February 16, 1967 and repeated on August 24, 1967. It is episode #22, production #24, written by Gene L. Coon and Carey Wilber, based on a story by Carey Wilber, and directed by Marc Daniels.

The episode guest stars Ricardo Montalbán as Khan Noonien Singh, and Madlyn Rhue as Lt. Marla McGivers.

Overview: The crew of the Enterprise awakens a powerful dictator from Earth's war-torn past.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

On stardate 3141.9, the Federation starship Enterprise, under the command of Captain James T. Kirk, finds a derelict ship floating in space. The ship is a DY-100 class freighter that was modified as a sleeper ship for cryogenically-frozen passengers. Its hull identifies it as the SS Botany Bay, though there is no historical record of such a ship. It was launched from Earth sometime during the 1990s, in an era known as the Eugenics Wars.

Scanning for signs of life, Dr. Leonard McCoy confirms that there is something still alive on board, but is not quite sure if it is human. A landing party consisting of Captain Kirk, Dr. McCoy, Mr. Scott, and historian Lt. Marla McGivers, is formed and beamed over to the freighter. McGivers specializes in late 20th Century history and culture.

As expected, the landing party finds the cargo of 84 humans, 72 of whom are still alive, remaining in suspended animation. Despite being nearly 300 years old, they have not aged a day. McGivers finds the stasis tube that contains the body of who she believes may be the group's leader. Suddenly, the machinery of the capsule lights up and the male occupant inside appears to be reviving. McCoy realizes the life support system is failing and the occupant may die. Kirk breaks the glass door and pulls the man out to revive him. The man is taken back to the Enterprise for a medical examination.

Kirk has the Botany Bay taken in tow by a tractor beam, and the Enterprise sets course for Starbase 12, in the Gamma 400 star system. Meanwhile in sickbay, Lt. McGivers marvels over the man, who is a living relic from an era she has studied all her life. McCoy believes he will recover shortly, and should be well enough to answer questions. McGivers leaves sickbay, and suddenly McCoy finds a sharp scalpel at his throat, courtesy of the patient. The man is awake, and demands to know where he is. McCoy responds by suggesting that if the man is going to kill him, he should do so by cutting the carotid artery quickly and cleanly. Impressed with McCoy's bravery, the man puts the scalpel down and introduces himself as "Khan."

Mr. Spock discovers that Khan Noonien Singh and his people were products of the Eugenics Wars, where genetic supermen were bred as perfect soldiers. The soldiers instead became warlords and dominated over one-third of the Earth (including seizing power in some forty nations). Toward the end of the Eugenics Wars, between eighty and ninety of them were unaccounted for. Khan is recorded as being the most dangerous of these warriors, and alone he dominated much of the world.

In the meantime, Khan is given spacious quarters; however, he protests the armed guard and locked door. Lt. McGivers is sent to talk to him and debrief him on current events. It is clear that McGivers is falling in love with the handsome and powerful leader. Khan takes advantage of her overt kindness, and tells her that he plans to rule mankind once again, and needs her help to take over the Enterprise. At first McGivers refuses to help, but soon she falls more deeply for Khan's charms. Reluctantly, she tells Khan she will do whatever he asks.

Khan and McGivers secretly beam over to the Botany Bay and revive the remaining survivors among the Eugenic supermen. They return to the Enterprise in force and seize control. Khan cuts off life support to the bridge, and the command crew passes out. Khan later throws Kirk into a decompression tank, and threatens to slowly suffocate him unless Kirk's command crew promise to follow Khan. Feeling guilty for betraying her ship, Lt. McGivers relents, and frees Kirk from the chamber. Kirk then helps Spock escape his captors, and the two vent nerve gas throughout the entire ship to disable Khan and his hijackers.

Khan manages to escape the gas and heads down to Engineering, where he attempts to destroy the Enterprise, but Kirk runs in and a brawl ensues. It looks at first that Kirk is overmatched, but he manages to pull a tool from a console, and using it as a weapon, knocks Khan out.

When Khan and the hijackers are rounded up, Kirk holds a hearing to decide their fate. Kirk decides that Khan and his followers should be exiled, and picks Ceti Alpha V, a lush but treacherous world that Kirk believes would be perfect place for Khan to start his kingdom over again. Life on Ceti Alpha V will not be easy, but Khan, impressed with the idea, claims he is up to the challenge and accepts Kirk's offer. Instead of a lengthy court martial for Lt. McGivers, Kirk allows her to go into exile with Khan.

Spock makes a statement at the end, saying that he'd like to see what Khan makes of Ceti Alpha V in 100 years. However, the crew of the Enterprise would meet Khan again far sooner than anyone anticipated, as chronicled in the motion picture Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] 40th Anniversary remastering

This episode was remastered in 2006 and first aired November 18, 2006 as part of the remastered Original Series. It was preceded a week earlier by "Mirror, Mirror" and followed a week later by "The Menagerie, Part I". Aside from remastered video and audio, and the all-CGI animation of the USS Enterprise that is standard among the revisions, specific changes to this episode also include:

  • The Botany Bay is now rendered as a CGI effect with more surface detail and smoother integration into the scene with the Enterprise.

Space Seed side-by-side comparisons

[edit] Trivia

  • In writer Carey Wilber's initial story treatment and in early drafts of the script, the Khan character is a Nordic superman named Harold Erricsen. As Harulf Erickson, this character later appeared in the novel To Reign In Hell: The Exile Of Khan Noonien Singh as one of Khan's opponents.
  • The nature of Khan's genetically enhanced followers would be explored further in a three-part episode arc on Star Trek: Enterprise in 2004. Taking place a century before the events of "Space Seed," the episodes ("Borderland", "Cold Station 12", and "The Augments") featured a group of people from the same genetic experiment that produced Khan and his people. These people come to be referred to as Augments, although this term is not used in this episode to describe Khan and his men. The human augments in Star Trek: Enterprise seem to be aware of the Botany Bay, but their human leader (and criminal) Arik Soong assures them that it's a myth. This is a joke because although Enterprise is set earlier in history than "Space Seed," it was produced later.
  • In the James Blish-written novelization of this episode, after Spock mentions returning to the planet in 100 years to see what has sprouted from the seed he had planted, Kirk responds, "Let's just hope in 100 years that [crop] doesn't come looking for us." This was a basis for the plot of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. This line is based on dialogue that appeared in the episode's shooting script, but which ended up being cut from the final episode.

[edit] Bloopers

  • In The Wrath of Khan upon encountering Pavel Chekov and Clark Terrell, Khan immediately recognizes Chekov from his time on board the Enterprise, even though Chekov's character is not introduced until the next season.
  • Lt. Marla McGivers' Starfleet uniform is missing the lieutenant's rank braid on the sleeves. Kirk, Spock and Khan all refer to her as a lieutenant. A similar error occurred with the uniform of Lt Masters in The Alternative Factor.
  • During the climactic fight between Kirk and Khan in the Enterprise engine room, it is obvious that stunt doubles are being used for William Shatner and Ricardo Montalban at many points during the fight. In one particular sequence, Kirk grabs the grill in front of the reactor and lifts his legs in a choke-hold around Khan's neck. In the initial long-distance shot, the hands of Shatner's stunt double are to the right of a vertical bar supporting the grill, but when the camera shifts to a close-up of Shatner, his hands are to the left of the bar.
  • When Kirk breaks the glass in order to free Khan from the sleeping chamber, his phaser falls off his belt, but moments later, the phaser reappears on his belt.

[edit] External links


Last produced:
"A Taste of Armageddon"		 Star Trek: TOS episodes
Season 1		 Next produced:
"This Side of Paradise"
Last transmitted:
"The Return of the Archons"		 Next transmitted:
"A Taste of Armageddon"
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