Title: Space Seed
Airdate: 2/16/1967
Plot Summary
The Enterprise finds a long lost sleeper ship with 72 genetically engineered superhumans from the 20th century. Their leader, Khan attempts to take over the Enterprise and start his rule again over the human race, and federation.
Risk is our Business
Kirk is onto to Khan fairly quickly. He does have a certain fascination with him, as well as Scotty and Bones. He finds that genetic engineering can’t overcome a well-placed clubbing.
Kirk upbraids McGivers’ performance however he respects she’s honest with him. One of the many facets of Kirk that makes him an excellent Captain, knowing when to come down on a crewman and when not to.
Logical
Spock is shocked to see how humans can revere monsters. He really should not time travel to 2024, it’s gotten weird and culty more than we imagined.
He’s Dead Jim
Bones is an absolute Chad here when Khan holds a scalpel to his neck, instructing him on to kill him quickly. He claims he was just wanting to avoid an argument. Bad ass doc.
Canon Maker
So much canon here. Khan’s supermen become a thing that resonates throughout Trek. The Augments would be back in Enterprise as another set of supermen based on Khan. Of course it also begets the best Star Trek movie still to date, Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan.
We also discuss the eugenics wars in the 1990s and a lot of contortions and several writers who had nervous breakdowns dealing with the fact the 90’s came and went.
We also see that sleeper ships are thing, in this case to escape capture. We would also see it again in The Next Generation with a group of people who are decidedly less super.
Khan greets Joachim, a character that would carry over to the movie, though obviously recast.
Canon Breaker
McGivers mentioned sleeper ships were needed until about 2018 because space travel took so long. This would be contradicted somewhat with First Contact and Zefram Cochrane breaking the warp barrier in 2063.
Man It Feels Bad To Be a Red Shirt
Amazingly, no one dies in this one.
Technobabble
The Botany Bay is identified as a DY100 vessel, launched in the 1990s. Weird, I figured it would’ve been in all papers but I don’t remember anything about it back then.
This is the first time we find the Enterprise can be flooded with neural gas. It would change to anesthezine gas later.
The decompression chamber makes its first appearance.
I know that guy:
Madeline Rhue plays McGivers. It’s a shame she got very sick by the 80s or else she would’ve been in the movie. As such, her character’s necessary death probably gave Khan a good motivation for his obsession.
And of course, the great Ricardo Montalban plays Khan. He absolutely owns the role and chews into it with gusto.
What it means to be human – Review
Well what can I say about Space Seed that you don’t already know. One thing that probably surprises me is that as good as Wrath Of Khan is, it could’ve been an easy sequel for a so-so episode. But this is an excellent episode. It works not only as a great Star Trek episode but knowing what comes later makes it all the more better.
There’s a lot of interesting interactions in this episode that fascinate me. Kirk, Bones, and Scotty embracing their savage history while at the same time condemning, to Spock’s utter confusion and dismay. Even after all Khan has done, he dispenses mercy of sorts to Khan and his followers. (He could not have known what would happen later.)
Khan and Kirk’s discussions at dinner are just pure awesome. Playing the conversation like a chess game, with Khan making the mistake and slipping up on who he really was.
Bones and Spock each have a moment, though I have to give it to Bones, impatiently telling Khan “Well either choke me or slit my throat, make up your mind!”
Scotty has a baller moment, when the gas comes in the conference room, he takes a second to sock on of the superman in the face.
Uhura takes a genetically enhanced slap across the face with defiance. You knew then she was more than a comm officer. (Yes we knew that before but not like that.)
Then there’s McGivers. She is probably the most underrated character in this whole thing. Her complete fascination and love of Khan causes her to betray her ship. But she cannot cross the line and ends up thwarting Khan.
It’s interesting as a metaphor, she more than anyone is someone who is incredibly tempted by our barbaric past but civilization wins out with her. Khan may have been attracted to her but it’s unclear if she was anything more than a useful fool to take the ship. However when she acts against him and stands up for herself by rescuing Kirk, it’s like Khan found a new respect for her. He ends up marrying her and taking her to the planet. I find that whole arc fascinating. She starts out an immature fangirl, but grows into an adult worthy of Khan’s attention by stopping him.
At least that’s how I saw it, what say you?
In any case this is a true classic, one I didn’t appreciate as much when I was younger and there were no Star Trek movies. My appreciation has grown and it’s a testament to this episode that, on the surface, a far better movie treatment of the character does not diminish this episode in the slightest, but makes it better.