star trek tv series khan episode

Space Seed (episode)

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The Enterprise discovers an ancient spaceship carrying genetically enhanced supermen from late 20th century Earth and their enigmatic warlord leader: Khan Noonien Singh.

• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 2 Log entries
• 3 Memorable quotes
• 4.1 Story and script
• 4.4 Effects
• 4.6 Deleted scene
• 4.7 Reception
• 4.8 Continuity and trivia
• 4.9 Apocrypha
• 4.10 Production timeline
• 4.11 Remastered information
• 4.12 Video and DVD releases
• 5.1 Starring
• 5.2 Guest stars
• 5.3 Featuring
• 5.4 Uncredited co-stars
• 5.6 References
• 5.7 Deleted references
• 5.8 External links

Summary [ ]

The Enterprise encounters the Botany Bay

In 2267 , the USS Enterprise encounters a spacecraft floating in deep space, sending out a signal in Morse code . Captain Kirk recognizes it as being similar to the DY-500 class , but Spock points it out as being the much older DY-100 , built back in the 1990s .

Spock identifies the vessel from its outer hull markings as the SS Botany Bay , but finds no registry of the ship in the computer library; however, he points out that records of the era from which the ship was launched are fragmentary, as the 1990s was the era of the Eugenics Wars , a "strange and violent period in your history" as Spock puts it. Faint life signs are detected on board, and Kirk has the ship go to red alert as it closes in on the mysterious vessel to investigate.

Act One [ ]

Aboard the derelict vessel

The Botany Bay takes no action as the Enterprise approaches it, the only sign of life being the faint life readings. Now certain the ship is a derelict, Kirk orders Scott and Doctor McCoy to join an engineering party to board the ship and investigate the life readings. Kirk also requests the services of the ship's historian , Lieutenant Marla McGivers . In the transporter room , Scott takes note of the life support systems coming back on, as if the ship is expecting them to transport over. " Very interesting, " Kirk notes.

" A man from the 20th century coming alive… "

The landing party materializes on board the Botany Bay , and Scott confirms that the vessel is Terran in origin, using old style atomic power and computers with transistor units . He tells Kirk that he would " love to tear this baby apart. " McGivers speculates that the ship is a sleeper ship, designed for long periods of interplanetary travel due to the limits of space travel technology in that era until the year 2018 .

One of the life units is then activated, and Kirk asks McGivers if this could be the leader; the lieutenant does not reply immediately, seemingly smitten with the appearance of the man, but eventually answers that it's likely, as the leader would be awakened first to determine if circumstances warranted the reviving of the others. She also speculates that the man could be Sikh , from the northern region of India , noting that they were the most fantastic warriors. Scott then reports that there are 84 people held in suspended animation , all of varied ethnic origins.

The life support unit malfunctions , likely due to the accumulation of dust , and its occupant's life readings begin dropping. As McGivers begs Kirk to save him, he breaks the glass on the stasis unit to release him. Taking shaky breaths as he regains consciousness, the man asks in a hoarse whisper how long he had been asleep; Kirk estimates the time at two centuries. Kirk flips his communicator open to request that McCoy and the man be beamed aboard the Enterprise immediately for further medical attention. " Magnificent, " McGivers states.

Act Two [ ]

McCoy is conducting a medical analysis on the unidentified man at sickbay on the Enterprise . McCoy is amazed at the physical and recuperative power of the man.

" Well, either choke me or cut my throat! Make up your mind! "

Aboard the Botany Bay , Scott notes that twelve of the life units had failed and that their occupants have consequently died, leaving seventy-two alive from the 1990s, thirty of the survivors being women. Spock can find no record in the vessel in any of the computer libraries. Kirk suspects that since Botany Bay was the name of an Australian penal colony, this might have been a way to deport criminals.

Spock refutes this, as it would be a seeming waste of Earth's then most advanced spacecraft, but has no other explanation of his own, lacking sufficient facts. Spock also notes the extremely low probability that a vessel of this type could have survived for so long, and managed to leave Earth's solar system . Kirk orders Lieutenant Spinelli to have the Botany Bay put under tow, and to set course to Starbase 12 .

" Khan is my name. " " Khan – nothing else? " " Khan. "

In sickbay, Kirk arrives to speak to the man. McCoy notes his superior bodily strength and efficiency of his lungs , hinting at his Augment origin. McCoy estimates that the man could lift both he and Kirk with one arm. He tells Kirk that it would be interesting to see if the man's brain matches his body. McGivers arrives, while Kirk chides her on her performance on the landing party. She admits to finding the man fascinating, in a purely professional way, as her position aboard the Enterprise is historian. Kirk thanks her for admitting this, noting " If I can have honesty, it's easier to overlook mistakes, " then dismisses her.

Later, the man awakes from his slumber and goes through some exercises of Hatha yoga; then, hearing Dr. McCoy at work, the man notes a scalpel among a collection of antique medical instruments on the wall. He takes it, and moves back to his bed, feigning sleep. McCoy arrives to check his vital signs, and the man reaches towards McCoy's throat, threatening him with the scalpel. McCoy sarcastically, and in an admirable display of calm, tells him to make up his mind to choke him or cut his throat, adding that it would be best if he would cut the carotid artery , just under the left ear . The man says he admires such bravery, and lets McCoy take back the scalpel. McCoy simply and calmly tells him that he was just trying to avoid an argument. The man demands to speak to the captain of the vessel, and McCoy calls Kirk, saying he is a man with "many questions."

McGivers meets Khan

Kirk arrives, identifies himself as the captain, and asks the man his name. The man avoids the question, and asks what the ship's heading is. Kirk answers that it is Starbase 12, a planet in the Gamma 400 star system , the Enterprise 's command base in that sector . The man identifies himself simply as "Khan". Kirk attempts to question Khan further, but he declines to elaborate on his history, claiming he is "fatigued". He says that he was once an engineer of sorts, and would very much like to study the ship's technical manuals . Kirk and McCoy then show him how to use the computers to access such information. He is later visited by McGivers, asking her to "sit and entertain" him, rearranging her hairstyle to something more "attractive".

" Social occasions are only warfare concealed. "

In the officers' mess, the crew prepares a full-dress banquet, and McCoy wonders if the Enterprise is hosting a fleet admiral ; Kirk replies it was McGivers' idea to welcome Khan to their century . Dressed for the occasion, Khan meets with McGivers in her quarters, decorated with portraits of great conquerors of the past, including Richard the Lionheart , Leif Ericson , Alexander the Great , and Napoleon Bonaparte , as well as an unfinished portrait of Khan in the 20th century. Khan tells her he is honored, but cautions her "such men dare take what they want", before passionately kissing her, which she apparently doesn't mind.

McGivers' affection for Khan becomes apparent

At the banquet, Khan explains the nature of his journey from Earth, going in search of "adventure", believing there was nothing left on Earth. Spock comments on the Eugenics Wars as a conflict to end tyranny, while Khan replies that it was an effort to unite Humanity, calling his era "a time of great dreams, great aspirations"; while there were dozens of petty dictatorships, Khan declares one would have ruled eventually, like Rome under Caesar , " think of its accomplishments! ", he intones. Kirk bluntly asks why Khan fled, asking if he was afraid, goading Khan to declare, " We offered the world order ! " to which Kirk responds by asking "We?", noting Khan's reference to a master race. Khan congratulates Kirk on his discovery of Khan's intent, then says he says he is "fatigued" again, and returns to his quarters.

McGivers appears at Khan's quarters, and apologizes for how he was treated at the dinner; Khan comments their reaction is understandable, given that he is something of a "mystery" to them. McGivers confesses that she knows exactly who he is, and wonders if he is going to like living in her century, to which Khan replies that he will have to remold it to his liking. Showing the darker side of his nature, Khan tells McGivers he intends to take control of the Enterprise and demands her help, bullying her into submitting to his desire; unwilling to lose him, she promises to do anything he asks.

Act Three [ ]

" From 1992 through 1996, absolute ruler of more than a quarter of your world. "

In the briefing room , Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Scott consult the historical records and determine that their guest is Khan Noonien Singh , one of the genetically engineered tyrants of the Eugenics Wars, and the last to be overthrown. From 1992 to 1996 , he was absolute ruler of one quarter of the Earth, from Asia to the Middle East . Scott admits he's always held a "sneaking admiration for this one", with Kirk and McCoy adding that his rule lacked the usual massacres and internal wars endemic to tyrants; Spock counters that he also severely curtailed freedoms, and is alarmed at the romantic tone of the Humans towards a ruthless dictator. Kirk replies that they can be against him and admire him all at the same time. " Illogical, " Spock says. " Totally, " Kirk responds. The captain then orders security to place a 24-hour guard on Khan's quarters, effective immediately.

Khan, wearing a Starfleet uniform

Later, Kirk visits Khan in his quarters. Khan is wearing a Starfleet uniform , with a red shirt like that worn by the ship's engineers or security guards, and is "lost in thought". He comments on his door being locked from outside with a guard posted. Kirk admits it was "unusual treatment" for who he is, and wishes to know the truth about Khan's departure from Earth. Khan replies that he and his followers sought a new life and a chance to build a new world, plus "other things" he did not believe Kirk, who he considered mentally and physically inferior, would understand. Khan then comments on how little mankind has changed despite its technical advancements, and that he and his people would do well in this century. After Kirk leaves, Khan breaks out of his quarters by forcing the sliding door open with his bare hands, and then brutally knocks out the guard outside, taking his phaser . Meanwhile, McGivers holds transporter chief Kyle at phaser-point, beaming Khan over to the Botany Bay to revive his people.

Security alerts Kirk that Khan has escaped; shortly afterwards, communications become jammed, the turbolifts disabled, and life support on the bridge cut off. Kirk calls engineering to find out why, and is answered by Khan, who now controls engineering with his followers and has cut off life support — demanding that Kirk surrender the ship to him, or die of suffocation.

Act Four [ ]

The bridge crew watches as Kirk suffocates

The bridge crew suffocates to the point of passing out. Kirk and Spock are the last to fall unconscious; before passing out, Kirk, making a log entry, states he takes full responsibility for Khan taking over his ship. When the crew awakens, they are being held at phaser-point by Khan's men in the briefing room while Khan holds Kirk captive in McCoy's decompression chamber ; and the rest of the bridge crew in the briefing room , who watch helplessly as the video screen shows Kirk suffocating.

Khan threatens to kill the captain unless the bridge crew cooperates with the augments. None of the captive crew agree to join him and Khan becomes infuriated by their resistance, threatening them all with suffocation. McGivers then excuses herself, unable to watch the torture of Kirk and the brutal way that Joaquin , one of Khan's henchmen, treats Uhura — violently striking her across the face. As Khan continues to rage, the video screen goes blank as the channel to the decompression chamber is unexpectedly cut. Joaquin demands of Uhura how to regain the picture, but she refuses to respond and he prepares to strike her once again. Khan stops Joaquin with a gesture, telling the crew that Kirk is dead and Spock be taken in to die next.

Meanwhile, McGivers comes to Kirk's aid by using a hypospray to knock out the guard who was watching him in the decompression chamber. She frees Kirk from the chamber, and urges him not to hurt Khan. Spock and an augment arrive just then. Kirk surprises and confronts Khan's man who is subsequently incapacitated by Spock using a Vulcan nerve pinch .

In the briefing room, Khan realizes something is wrong when he cannot contact his men, specifically, Rodriguez , Ling , and McPherson . Kirk and Spock then succeed in flooding the ship with knockout gas , but Khan is able to avoid the gas by escaping to engineering and cutting it off, rigging the ship to blow up with an overload. Kirk rushes to stop Khan with a phaser, but Khan ambushes the captain and crushes the phaser with his bare hands, as easily as one would crumple a piece of paper. The two men come to blows in engineering, with Kirk eventually defeating the genetically engineered man by knocking him out with a makeshift club, and saving the Enterprise from destruction.

Later, at a formal hearing , Kirk drops all charges against Khan and his people, considering it a "waste" to put Khan in a penal colony, and gives him the offer of taming the uninhabited world of Ceti Alpha V an offer which Khan accepts referencing a quote from Milton's Paradise Lost that "it is better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven." Marla McGivers is given the option of court martial or accompanying Khan and his people. Khan warns her it will be difficult at first to survive, to find food, and Marla chooses to join Khan and his people. As soon as Khan and his people leave, Kirk and Spock express an interest in returning to Ceti Alpha V in a hundred years to learn "what crop will sprout from the seed they planted".

Log entries [ ]

• Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Memorable quotes [ ]

" I fail to understand why it always gives you pleasure to see me proven wrong. " " An emotional Earth weakness of mine. "

" Your attempt to improve the race through selective breeding. " " Oh, now wait a minute. Not 'our' attempt, Mr. Spock. A group of ambitious scientists'. I'm sure you know the type. Devoted to logic, completely unemotional… "

" Care to join the landing party, Doctor? " " Well, if you're actually giving me a choice… " " I'm not. "

" I signed aboard this ship to practice medicine, not to have my atoms scattered back and forth across space by this gadget. "

" Insufficient facts always invites danger, Captain. "

" Where am I? " " You're in … " (Khan squeezes McCoy's neck) " You're in bed, holding a knife at your doctor's throat. " " Answer my question. " " It would be most effective if you would cut the carotid artery just under the left ear. "

" Khan is my name. " " Khan, nothing more? " " Khan. "

" Superior ability breeds superior ambition. "

" Would you reveal to war-weary populations that some eighty Napoleons might still be alive? "

" Such men dare take what they want. "

" Tyranny, sir? Or an attempt to unify Humanity? " " Unify, sir? Like a team of animals under one whip? "

" You are an excellent tactician, Captain. You let your second-in-command attack while you sit… and watch for weakness. " " You have a tendency to express ideas in military terms, Mister Khan. This is a social occasion. " " It has been said that social occasions are only warfare concealed. "

" You fled. Why? Were you afraid? " " I've never been afraid. " " But you left at the very time mankind needed courage. " " We offered the world order ! "

" Go or stay, but do it because it is what you wish to do. "

" He was the best of the tyrants and the most dangerous. "

" There were no massacres under his rule… " " And as little freedom! " " No wars until he was attacked… " " …Gentlemen?! "

" We can be against him and admire him all at the same time. " " Illogical. " " Totally. "

" It appears we will do well in your century, Captain. "

" The trip is over. The battle begins again. Only this time it's not a world we win. It's a universe. "

" Your air should be getting quite thin by now. Do you surrender the bridge? " " Negative. " " Academic, Captain. Refuse and every person on the bridge will suffocate. "

" Nothing ever changes, except man. Your technical accomplishments? Improve a mechanical device and you may double productivity but improve man and you gain a thousandfold. I am such a man. "

" My vessel was useless. I need you and yours to select a colony planet, one with a population willing to be led by us. " " To be conquered by you… a starship would make that most simple, wouldn't it? "

" Each of you in turn will go in there! Die while the others watch! "

" It does not matter, the captain is dead. Take Mr. Spock next. "

" If I understood your manuals, that's an overload in progress. Your ship flares up like an exploding sun within MINUTES! "

" I have five times your strength. You're no match for me! "

" Those men went on to tame a continent , Mister Khan. Can you tame a world? "

" I will take her . And I've gotten something else I wanted. A world to win, an empire to build. "

" It is better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven. "

" It would be interesting, Captain, to return to that world in a hundred years and to learn what crop has sprung from the seed you planted today. "

Background information [ ]

Story and script [ ].

• "Space Seed" writer Carey Wilber used the 18th-century British custom of shipping out the undesirables as a parallel for his concept of "seed ships", used to take unwanted criminals out to space from the overpopulated Earth (hence the name " Botany Bay "). In his original treatment, the Botany Bay left Earth in 2096, with one hundred criminals (both men and women) and a team of a few volunteer lawmen aboard. ( The Star Trek Compendium , p. 57)
• Also in Wilber's original treatment, the Khan character was a Nordic superman named "Harold Erricsen". This evolved in the first draft, where the character first introduced himself as "John Ericssen" but was later revealed to be Ragnar Thorwald, who had been involved in "the First World Tyranny". Thorwald was more brutal in this version of the story, where he dispatched the guard outside his quarters with a phaser . ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 120 , The Star Trek Compendium , pp. 57-58)
• Gene Roddenberry questioned Wilber's notion of wasting a high-tech spaceship and expensive resources on criminals – just as Kirk and Spock pose the same question in the episode itself – and came up with the concept of "a bunch of Napoleons" sent to space in exile. ( These Are the Voyages: TOS Season One )
• James Blish , forced to work from non-final script drafts at the time, still used the name "Sibahl Khan Noonien" in his novella adaptation of the episode for the 1968 Bantam Books ' anthology Star Trek 2 , which indicated that the name change was a late decision.
• According to an archived version of StarTrek.com , the official Star Trek website, earlier versions of the script had the SS Botany Bay as a CZ-100 class ship, located by the USS Enterprise in the Coalsack Nebula , and the class designation nearly persisted into the final script. [1] The script Blish had to work with still contained the "CZ-100" designation, which made it into his novelization of the episode, though the reference to the Coalsack Nebula had been removed.
• A line to be said by Kirk at the end of the episode was scripted but cut from the filmed episode, saying he hoped Khan and his followers would not come looking after them. James Blish included this as the last line of his write-up of the episode in Star Trek 2 . [2]
• George Takei ( Sulu ) does not appear in this episode. Neither does Walter Koenig ( Pavel Chekov ), owing to Koenig not yet having joined the series.
• John Arndt ( Fields ) was a regular extra; he also played unnamed crewmen in " Miri " and " Dagger of the Mind ". When Arndt appeared in " Balance of Terror ", his character was named "Fields". His part seems to have been edited out of this episode. ( citation needed • edit )
• The background actor playing the Augment who is hypoed by McGivers in sickbay previously appeared as a member of the Alfa 177 science team in " The Enemy Within "; he went on to later appear as a Klingon in the final planet scene in Kor 's office in " Errand of Mercy " and as another Klingon in " Day of the Dove ". The identity of this extra is unknown.
• Although only one hallway of the Botany Bay is seen in detail, the design crew took the time and effort to build the beginnings of several other corridors with their own life support canisters, despite their only being seen for a few seconds.

Effects [ ]

• The Botany Bay model was actually designed by Matt Jefferies before he came up with the Enterprise . He described it as an "antique space freighter" and put it aside for a chance to use it in the series. ( These Are the Voyages: TOS Season One )
• The effects scenes featuring the Enterprise and the Botany Bay were filmed at Film Effects of Hollywood .
• The creation of this episode evidently reused a lot of music from earlier episodes. For instance, most of the music used in this installment was taken from " Charlie X ", composed by Fred Steiner . Some of Alexander Courage 's cues from " The Cage " were reused too, most notably the " Talosian illusion" theme. One piece of music from " Where No Man Has Gone Before " was reused in the climactic fight scene in Engineering between Kirk and Khan.

Deleted scene [ ]

• A scene featuring a female character named "Baker", who was a friend of Marla McGivers , was scripted and filmed, with Baker played by Barbara Baldavin (who previously appeared as Angela Martine in " Balance of Terror " and " Shore Leave "), but it ended up as a deleted scene . Several sources still claim Baldavin as appearing in this episode as "Baker". [3] Portions of this deleted scene are available to watch in Star Trek: The Original Series - The Roddenberry Vault .

Reception [ ]

• Jeff Russo cited this as one of his favorite episodes and scores from TOS . ("Standing in the Shadow of Giants: Creating the Sound of Discovery ", DIS Season 1 DVD & Blu-ray special features) Actually, this episode did not feature an original score, rather stock music from previous episodes, most notably " Charlie X " by Fred Steiner .
• The book Star Trek 101 (p. 17), by Terry J. Erdmann and Paula M. Block , lists this episode as one of "Ten Essential Episodes" from the original Star Trek series.

Continuity and trivia [ ]

• The preview trailer for this episode has the stardate as 3142.3.
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a sequel to this episode, while Star Trek Into Darkness portrays a different set of events leading to Khan's introduction to the 23rd century .
• In this episode, Spock is shown using the Vulcan nerve pinch in sickbay on one of Khan's Augments. When Spock tries using the same technique on Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness , however, it doesn't work. One explanation is that Khan found a way to make himself immune to it.
• The Eugenics Wars , and the notion of genetically augmented Humans, also served as background for TAS : " The Infinite Vulcan " as well as several fourth season episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise : " Borderland ", " Cold Station 12 ", and " The Augments ".
• In "The Augments", Khan and his followers are referenced by Malik .
• When he accepts the choice of living on the planet, Khan alludes to the rebellious angels' exile to Hell in John Milton 's Paradise Lost . Kirk clarifies by quoting part of Satan's speech: " Here we may reign secure; and in my choice / To reign is worth ambition, though in Hell: / Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven " (Book 1, 261-63).
• This episode contains several references to future Earth history that created issues when real life caught up with the mid-1990s timeframe of the so-called "third world war" mentioned by Spock. Specifically, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: First Contact (the latter of which was coincidentally released in 1996 , the supposed year of the Botany Bay 's launch) established that the third world war actually occurred in the first half of the 21st century, and the Eugenics Wars of the 1990s were a different conflict. Finally, SNW : " Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow " established that due to multiple time travel incursions over the years, history was changed so that the conflict, which originally occurred in the 1990s, was not only delayed until the first half of the 21st century as part of the world war, but that Khan himself would not even have been born yet by 1996, instead being a young child in the early 2020s.
• Although the character of Chekov had not yet been created by the time of this episode's making and therefore does not appear in this installment, Khan remembered him years later, in The Wrath of Khan .
• This is the only appearance of Transporter Chief Kyle in which he has no dialogue.
• At the banquet, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Scott are the only officers wearing dress uniforms.
• This is the only episode in which Scott wears his dress uniform without his ceremonial tartan kilt.
• Lieutenant McGivers wears no braid on the sleeves of her uniform.
• Khan goes through a record five changes of costume for a male cast member of the original series. Firstly, he is draped in gold mesh when he is brought back to consciousness; he is then in a short-sleeved sickbay tunic while recuperating; during his scene with McGivers in her quarters and while at dinner, he is seen in a jacket with oval patterns; while consulting with Kirk in his quarters, he is in an Enterprise engineering tunic; and finally, when he returns to the Botany Bay , he wears the red jumpsuit of his fellow exiles.
• In this episode, " The Menagerie, Part I ", and " The Menagerie, Part II ", one can see the other end of the briefing room set – a wall with a viewing screen was added in. Usually, the room is only seen from the end nearest to the door. The rotating viewer, usually seen on the top of the table, is missing here.
• One of the instruments on the back wall of the Botany Bay eventually found its way to the transporter room, as a scanner (with an added viewer that was similar to the one on Spock's science station) in the second season .
• The unique engineering "clubs," one of which Kirk used to subdue Khan during their fight, were never used or even seen in another episode, nor is the collection of ancient medical instruments that adorns the wall of sickbay. The mirror that figures during McGivers' hairdo scene is seen again in " The Deadly Years ".
• The cryogenic chambers from the Botany Bay were recycled and built into the sickbay set from season 2. Also, one of them served as the decompression chamber in " The Lights of Zetar ".
• Footage of the Botany Bay was later recycled as the ore freighter Woden in " The Ultimate Computer ".
• Kirk's phaser is accidentally knocked off his belt when he smashes the glass to free the reviving Khan aboard the Botany Bay . The phaser can be seen falling to the floor (when viewed in slow motion) as Kirk uses the flashlight (that Scotty had been carrying in his right hand) on the window. Scotty can be seen grabbing the flashlight off the transporter console just before they beam over.
• There is a fairly egregious continuity error in this episode. In the transporter room, Scott (wearing a red shirt) and Kyle (wearing blue) are manning the controls at the beginning of the scene. Scott leaves to join Kirk, McCoy, and McGivers on the transporter pad, presumably leaving Kyle to operate the controls. Yet, the red-sleeved arm of Scott is seen activating the transporter (via recycled footage from " The Enemy Within ").
• When William Shatner accidentally knocks his phaser prop off his belt as he breaks the glass to Khan's cryogenic chamber, DeForest Kelley can be seen glancing down toward it and then up again several times. Presumably, he was not sure if the take had been ruined or was expected to continue. Given the time that would have been involved in replacing the glass, he appears to have erred on the side of caution.
• One questionable take from this episode occurs when the camera pans over the mostly unconscious bridge crew as Kirk records his captain's log with commendations for the fallen crew. There are seven visible people on the bridge, but there seem to be eight in total (with the navigator, later seen in Khan's prisoner's row but not in the bridge sequence). From the beginning of the pan, it shows Spock, Uhura, Brent (played by Frank da Vinci ), Leslie (played by Eddie Paskey ), a red-shirted extra (played by Ron Veto ), Spinelli , and then Kirk. Kirk reads off the names of only five crew members: Uhura, Thule , Harrison , Spinelli, and Spock. It seems that one reference is intended to be to the Eddie Paskey character, but that is unlikely since Kirk mentioned both with the rank "technician first class" and the Leslie uniform has lieutenant stripes. While it is odd that Leslie (and the unnamed-in-this-episode navigator who is sometimes referred to as " Hadley ") was skipped in the mentions, it leads to the conclusion that the red-shirted man was Harrison (or possibly Thule, who remains unseen, unless it was meant to refer to blue-shirted Brent).
• The conversation between Khan and Kirk in sickbay is reprised in the ST : episode " Ephraim and Dot " (incidentally giving the Enterprise sickbay a previously unseen window).
• The changes to the timeline established in SNW : " Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow " also serve as rationale for Spock and Uhura and Kirk being unaware of who Khan is, despite all having served with La'an Noonien-Singh and SNW : " Ad Astra per Aspera " indicating Khan's name was well-known by the TOS era.

Apocrypha [ ]

• Although Kirk inquires as to the exact date of the launch of the Botany Bay , he never receives an answer. The novel The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume Two revealed that it was launched from Earth on January 5 , 1996 and began its journey through space six days later, though decades later, the episodes " Farewell " and " Strange New Worlds " would imply this dating to be implausible.
• There are several non-canon explanations for the fact that, even though Chekov doesn't appear in this episode, Khan remembers him, in The Wrath of Khan , from the timeframe of this episode. All of these explanations point to some off-screen contact between the two characters. In To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh , for example, it is revealed that Chekov led a failed attempt to retake Engineering from Khan.
• A cat version of "Space Seed" was featured in Jenny Parks ' 2017 book Star Trek Cats .

Production timeline [ ]

• Story outline "Botany Bay" by Carey Wilber : 29 August 1966
• Revised story outline "Space Seed": 1 September 1966
• First draft teleplay by Wilber: 26 October 1966
• Second draft teleplay: early- December 1966
• Revised teleplay by Gene L. Coon : 7 December 1966
• Final draft teleplay by Coon: 9 December 1966
• Revised final draft teleplay: 12 December 1966
• Second revised final draft teleplay by Gene Roddenberry : 13 December 1966
• Day 1 – 15 December 1966 , Thursday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Bridge
• Day 2 – 16 December 1966 , Friday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Bridge , McCoy's office , Sickbay
• Day 3 – 19 December 1966 , Monday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. McGivers' quarters , Wardroom (redress of Briefing room ), Briefing room
• Day 4 – 20 December 1966 , Tuesday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Briefing room , Khan's quarters , Corridors
• Day 5 – 21 December 1966 , Wednesday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Corridors , Transporter room , Engineering
• Day 6 – 22 December 1966 , Thursday – Desilu Stage 10 : Int. Botany Bay ; Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Decompression chamber
• Original airdate: 16 February 1967
• Rerun airdate: 24 August 1967
• First UK airdate (on BBC1 ): 27 September 1969
• First UK airdate (on ITV ): 31 January 1982

Remastered information [ ]

• "Space Seed" was the eleventh episode of the remastered version of The Original Series to air. It premiered in syndication the weekend of 18 November 2006 . For the revamped episode, a highly detailed model of the Botany Bay was created, aged and weathered appropriately.
• The next remastered episode to air was " The Menagerie, Part I ".

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• " Space Seed " is released on Super 8 film, 1970s
• RCA CED Videodisc released Space Seed & The Changeling 1981
• UK VHS release ( CIC-Arena Video ): catalog number VHL 2057, April 1983
• Original US Betamax release: 1985
• UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 13 , catalog number VHR 2306, release date unknown
• US VHS release: 15 April 1994
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 1.9, 30 December 1996
• Original US DVD release (single-disc): Volume 12, 23 May 2000
• As part of the TOS Season 1 DVD collection
• As part of the TOS Season 1 HD DVD collection
• As part of the TOS Season 1 Blu-ray collection
• As part of the Star Trek: The Original Series - Origins Blu-ray collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• William Shatner as Kirk
• Leonard Nimoy as Spock

Guest stars [ ]

• Ricardo Montalban as Khan
• Madlyn Rhue as Marla

Featuring [ ]

• DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy
• James Doohan as Scott
• Blaisdell Makee as Spinelli
• Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
• Mark Tobin as Joaquin
• Kathy Ahart as Crew Woman
• John Winston as Transporter Technician

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• Barbara Baldavin as Baker (scenes deleted)
• Bobby Bass as a Enterprise security guard
• William Blackburn as Hadley
• Robert Buckingham as Human Augment
• Dick Cangey as Otto
• Frank da Vinci as Brent
• Joan Johnson as Human Augment
• Robert H. Justman as Security Guard (voice) [4]
• Eddie Paskey as Leslie
• Jan Reddin as an Enterprise operations table attendant
• Frieda Rentie as a Enterprise lieutenant
• Ron Veto as Harrison
• Joan Webster as a Enterprise nurse
• Elite Guards 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , and 7
• Enterprise command crew woman
• Enterprise command table attendant
• Enterprise crewman 1
• Enterprise crewman 2
• Enterprise crew woman
• Gary Combs as stunt double for William Shatner
• Chuck Couch as stunt double for Ricardo Montalban

References [ ]

20th century ; 1990s ; 1992 ; 1993 ; 1996 ; 2018 ; ability ; absolute ruler ; adventure ; air ; Alexander the Great ; ambition ; " ambitious scientists "; anesthesia gas ( neural gas ); animal ; answer ; area ; argument ; arm ; armory ; Asia ; atom ; atmosphere ; atmospheric controls ; Australia ; authority ; barbarism ; battle stations ; beats per minute ; bed ; bioscanners ; bioscanners report ; boarding party ; body ; " Bones "; Botany Bay ; Botany Bay , SS ; Botany Bay sector ; brain ; bust ; Caesar, Augustus ; carotid artery ; century ; Ceti Alpha V ; Ceti Alpha star system ; chance ; charge ; choice ; choke ; circuit ; colony planet ; commendations ; communication channel ; communications officer ; compliments ; computer system ; conclusion ; contact ; continent ; convalescence ; courage ; CQ ; crew woman ; crop ; curiosity ; dark ages ; DY-100-class ; DY-500-class ; danger ; date ; death ; deck ; decompression chamber ; deportation ; dictator ; dictatorship ; dinner engagement ; doctor ; door ; dozen ; dream ; dust ; ear ; Earth ; efficiency ; emotion ; empire ; engineer ; engineering officer ; engineering section ; engineering specialist ; English language ; Ericson, Leif ; error ; estimate ; Eugenics Wars ; European ; evolution ; expedition ; exploding sun ; fact ; failure ; Flavius ; formal hearing ; fleet admiral ; freedom ; French Army uniform ; full alert ; gadget ; Gamma 400 star system ; genetics ; gladiator ; group ; hair ; heading ( course ); heart ; heartbeat ; heart flutter ; heart rate ; heart valve ; heat ; Heaven ; Hell ; historian ; history texts ( history books ); hobby ; hour ; hull ; Human ; Human history ; idea ; inch of mercury ; India ; intruder control circuit ; intruder control system ; irritation ; knife ; landing party ; Latin ; leader ; library tape ( record tape ); light ; Life Sciences ; life support system ; life support canister ; liftoff ; Ling ; log book ; logic ; Lucifer ; lung ; lung efficiency ; malfunctioned ; manual ; massacre ; marooning ; McIvers ; McPherson ; mechanical device ; medical specialist ; medicine ; mercury ; meteor ; Middle East ; Milton, John ; military terms ; mind ; minute ; mistake ; Morse code ; name ; Bonaparte, Napoléon ; nation ; nature ; nuclear power ( atomic power ); Oriental ; overload ; oxygen ; Paradise Lost ; patient ; penal colony ; penal deportation vessel ; percent ; permission ; person ; photograph ; physical power ; planet ; pleasure ; population ; power ; product ; productivity ; profession ; programming ; psychologist ; question ; rebirth ; record ; recuperative power ; registry ; regulations ; relay junction ; reorientation center ; respiration pattern ( breathing ); Richard the Lion Heart ; Rodriguez ; romance ; romanticism ; Rome ; savage ; scalpel ; scar ; scientist ; Scotsman ; second ; second-in-command ; section ; Sector 25712 ; security alert ; seed ; selective breeding ; sensor ; shore ; short circuit ; Sikh ; sleeper ship ; social occasion ; space ; space vessel ; specimen ; spray bottle ; standby alert ; Starbase 12 ; Starbase 12 planet ; starship ; star system ; strangulation ; strength ; suffocation ; supermen ; surrender ; suspended animation ; tactician ; technical library ; technical manual ; technician first class ; theory ; thing ; thousand ; throat ; Thule ; towing ; tractor beam ; training ; transistor units ; transporter beam ; transporter technician ; treatment ; turban ; turbo elevator ; tyrant ; universe ; voice ; Vulcan neck pinch ; war ; warrior ; weapons department ; whip ; world war ; year

Deleted references [ ]

Baker (deleted material) ; Hanson ; physics lab ; rec room

External links [ ]

• " Space Seed " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " Space Seed " at Wikipedia
• " Space Seed " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• " Space Seed " at the Internet Movie Database
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)
• 3 Calypso (episode)

Star Trek: The Original Series

Cast & Crew

Ricardo Montalbán

Madlyn Rhue

Blaisdel Makee

Kathy Ahart

Information

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55 Years Ago: ‘Star Trek’ Fans Meet Supervillain Khan

On Feb. 16, 1967, Star Trek fans met possibly the most convincing villain of the entire franchise when the first-season episode “Space Seed” aired.

The USS Enterprise encountered a drifting ship, seemingly at least 200 years old, with confusing life signs detected within. Beaming across, Captain Kirk and his party discovered a crew of 84 humans in suspended animation, all but 12 of whom remained alive. Kirk rescued the leader from his failing life-support unit, and Khan Noonien Singh made his first impression in Gene Roddenberry’s universe.

Seeking at first to hide his identity, one of Khan’s first acts was to threaten the life of Dr. McCoy. Suspicions aroused, Kirk and Spock established that Khan was the leader of a genetically modified race of humans that ruled a large part of the world as a dictatorship during the eugenics wars of the 1990s, then escaped their fate on their sleeper ship, the Botany Bay .

After coming close to killing Kirk and briefly taking command of the Enterprise , Khan was finally captured and a trial was held aboard the ship. Kirk decided on leniency, offering Khan the chance to build a new society on an uninhabited planet. Agreeing to take historian Lt. Marla McGivers with him after she’d fallen under his spell and tried to help him steal the Enterprise , Khan accepted the offer by referring to a John Milton line: “Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n.” As the war criminal left to begin a new life, Spock observed, “It would be interesting, Captain, to return to that world in 100 years and learn what crop had sprung from the seed you planted today.” Kirk replied: “Yes, Mr. Spock, it would indeed.”

Watch Khan Threaten McCoy on 'Star Trek'

The episode rates highly among fans and critics, and Ricardo Montalban’s performance as Khan retains a sharp tone all these years later. It does have its flaws, notably the way McGivers is depicted as a pushover for Khan, the fact that super-intelligent advanced humans can take over a starship but don’t know how to operate a viewscreen and the fight scene between Kirk and Khan where the stunt doubles’ faces are visible.

But in other terms, it delivers strongly. The respect shown between Kirk and Khan is notable, as is the development of the Kirk-Spock relationship, especially when the Vulcan expresses amazement that his shipmates admire their enemy and to be told by Kirk that humans “have a streak of barbarism in us,” whether they like it or not. It’s also the first episode where Scotty, played by James Doohan, began to become a main character in the show.

Watch Khan Argue With Spock on 'Star Trek'

“I don’t know how I was cast, except at that time they knew I had a fairly good physique,” Montalban said later , adding that there was a requirement for someone who had “proven he could act” but also had the appearance of a superman. He added that it was essential for him to understand the intent of writers Gene L. Coon and Carey Wilber - namely that Khan’s mission was “to conquer the Enterprise and rule the world.” “One of the most difficult things for an actor to do is what we call exposition – setting the stage … you have to use [your] humor, energy, inventiveness so that people don’t go [ yawn ]. And for seven years all I did on Fantasy Island was exposition. Setting the stage for somebody else. … There was never any emotion. That’s why, when I did Khan, I was able to really put the emotion out there!”

His emotion was so effective that, 15 years later, Montalban was invited to play the character again in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , which is generally regarded as the best of the original cast movies. “They went through all the villains,” Montalban recalled, explaining that after the mixed response to Star Trek: The Motion Picture , the producers knew they needed an enemy with more character than a computer. “When they came to mine, they said, ‘Wait a minute. It would be interesting to see what happened to him on that planet.’”

It was indeed, to the extent that it’s arguable that Star Trek could have permanently ended if the return of Khan wasn't such a success. The character returned in 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness – played by Benedict Cumberbatch  this time – and he’s been referred to in several spin-off series.

Watch Khan and Kirk Fight It Out on 'Star Trek'

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40 years later, Star Trek will finally solve a classic Khan mystery

What happened on Ceti Alpha V after the Enterprise left?

Khan is back! After several years of speculation and rumor , a prequel series all about the Star Trek villain's exile on Ceti Alpha V is finally happening. But the format might not be what fans expected. Here’s what to know about what to expect from the Wrath of Khan prequel series, and how it's poised to answer a burning Trekkie question four decades in the making.

On Star Trek Day 2022, Nicholas Meyer — director of The Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country , and consulting producer on Discovery Season 1 — made a surprise announcement: The infamous Star Trek supervillain Khan Noonien Singh will finally get his own series. But it will happen in the form of a limited-run scripted podcast.

According to Paramount:

“The scripted podcast will examine what happened in the years after Captain Kirk left Khan on the untamed world of Ceti Alpha V and tells the story of Khan and his followers prior to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. ”

What does this all mean? Let’s dive in.

Khan: Ceti Alpha V timeline, explained

In between the Star Trek episode “Space Seed,” and the return of Khan in The Wrath of Khan , 18 years pass. So in theory, the new Khan series will explore the time between 2267 and 2285. The large question the series will answer is: what exactly happened during that time ?

But that question also leads to several other smaller questions fans have had for years. Such as:

• When did Khan’s wife pass away?
• Where did his younger followers come from?
• Why didn’t Starfleet send another ship to check on Khan?
• How could the Reliant have confused Ceti Alpha VI for Ceti Alpha V?
• How did Khan get that sweet necklace? (Okay maybe this question doesn’t need to be answered.)

Nicholas Meyer onstage for “Star Trek Day,” announcing Star Trek: Khan.

Star Trek: Khan , explained

According to Paramount, the series will be produced by Alex Kurtzman, Aaron Baiers, Trevor Roth, and Rod Roddenberry . However, sole writing credit seems to be going to Nicholas Meyer, the visionary behind The Wrath of Khan . Back when rumors of a Khan miniseries first started circulating in 2017, Meyer wrote to Inverse jokingly saying “I khannot possibly comment” on the existence of the concept, which pretty much confirmed it was in development. But now, what’s great is that it seems that Meyer will get to write what is basically a radio play entirely on his own.

As Star Trek producer Alex Kurtzman put it:

“Nick made the definitive ‘Trek’ movie when he made ‘Wrath,’ and we’ve all been standing in its shadow since. Forty years have offered him a lot of perspective on these extraordinary characters and the way they’ve impacted generations of fans. Now he’s come up with something as surprising, gripping and emotional as the original, and it’s a real honor to be able to let him tell the next chapter in this story exactly the way he wants to.”

Star Trek has never done this before. An in-canon scripted podcast is officially a new venture for the franchise. Although the official Trek podcast, The Pod Directive — hosted by Tawny Newsome and Paul F. Tompkins — has been around since 2020, a scripted fictional podcast is bold new territory for the final frontier.

Do we know the Star Trek: Khan release date and cast?

Khan in “Space Seed.”

So, when do we get to hear Khaaaaaan? Well, right now, there’s no release date. The Pod Directive will return in early 2023, but we’re just going to have to wait a little longer for Khan . There’s also no voice cast, yet. Ricardo Montalbán, who played Khan in “Space Seed” and The Wrath , passed away in 2009. Benedict Cumberbatch played the alternate Khan in 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness , but it feels unlikely he’d voice the character for this project.

At this point, we don’t know. But when it comes to Khan, Trek fans can wait. It’s already been 40 years. What’s a few more months?

This article was originally published on Sep. 8, 2022

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The genetically-engineered superhuman Khan Noonien Singh first entered the Star Trek universe in the classic Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Space Seed", originally a one-off villain that presented a formidable challenge for the crew of the Enterprise. Khan, and the episode itself, proved so popular that he reappeared, and continues to appear, directly or indirectly in almost all the Star Trek franchise’s movie and television properties. The question is, how does an antagonist who first appeared 55-years ago stand above other threats to the Federation?

Episode 22 of Star Trek: The Original Series' Season 1, "Space Seed" introduced actor Ricardo Montalban as Khan Noonien Singh, one of the first human villains in the series. Rescued by the Enterprise from the 200-year-old derelict ship SS Botany Bay, Khan is wakened from suspended animation. Despite Spock's ( Leonard Nimoy ) research that identifies Khan as a product of selective breeding, an augmented human who had helped conquer a third of the Earth in the Eugenics Wars of the 1990s, the rest of the command crew are captivated by their guest. His true nature is revealed when he coerces Lieutenant Marla McGyvers ( Madlyn Rhue ) into helping him waken the rest of his crew aboard the Botany Bay and take over control of the Enterprise. Kirk ( William Shatner ) eventually takes Khan out, regaining control of the Enterprise. He holds a hearing to judge the fate of Khan and his followers, but in a shocking turn he drops all charges, unwilling to see their potential wasted. He offers Khan a choice: join society as a commoner, or settle on the uninhabited, fertile planet Ceti Alpha V. Opting for the latter, Khan, his crew, and Lieutenant McGyvers are transported to the planet.

RELATED: How 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan' Is the Franchise's Most Human Story

Nothing that happens in the episode is believable without Montalban. He infuses Khan with a depth over and above that of a standard villain. He is charming and mysterious, selling his enchantment of the Enterprise crew with more than mere words. He is sly and intelligent, with Montalban's voice invoking a soothing tone atop a hint of malice. You believe Khan is more than a mere man, and you sense an air of authority about him.

And when Khan was brought back for 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Montalban gave the performance of his life, hearkening back to the qualities he brought from "Space Seed" and more. Ceti Alpha V had been rendered uninhabitable due to a cataclysmic event on Ceti Alpha VI, taking the lives of many, including his wife. This Khan was outraged over the loss of his wife, furious that no one thought to check on their welfare, but still calculating, taking control of the USS Reliant and plotting his vengeance on Kirk in cold detail. His thirst for vengeance, and his rage at being thwarted by Kirk, would lead to his death. In bringing Khan back, Star Trek II single-handedly rescued the Star Trek movie franchise that started off with the disappointing Star Trek: The Motion Picture , delivered a fan-favorite entry that to this day tops many lists as the best of the Star Trek films, and brought, "It is very cold... in space" and "KHAAAAAAN!" to the movie-quote lexicon. Whoever didn't know Khan from his first appearance certainly knew, and flat-out loved, Khan now.

But, now he was dead. Short of turning the character into some sort of Federation Freddy Krueger, this great rival of Kirk and the crew was inaccessible. The successful reboot of the franchise with 2009's Star Trek led to hopeful speculation the character would be revived in the follow-up Star Trek: Into Darkness , and he was, but actor Benedict Cumberbatch is no Montalban. Apart from the controversial whitewashing of Khan, Cumberbatch just didn't have the same draw, the same charisma that was brought to the villain by Montalban, disappointing the fan base.

Yet Khan is now so iconic, his legacy withstood the setback of Darkness to open up story possibilities and pique interest in other Star Trek properties, with the mere mention of his name laying a foundation of exposition going in. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has a character named La’an Noonien Singh ( Christina Chong ), security officer, and the name alone has stirred up postulations on how the two are connected. Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard ended with Dr. Adam Soong ( Brent Spiner ) revealing a file labeled “Project Khan”, leading to even more hypotheses, and a subdued hope that maybe this opens the door for an actual encounter between Khan - maybe a clone or other similar augmented warlord — and Picard ( Patrick Stewart ).

The Star Trek universe is filled with a deep history of enemies that have risen to challenge Starfleet. The Klingon Empire, first introduced in the original series episode "Errand of Mercy" and a continual presence throughout Trek history. The Borg, who entered the franchise in Season 2 of Star Trek: The Next Generation (and the antagonists in Star Trek: First Contact , arguably the best of the TNG films). Gul Skrain G. Dukat ( Marc Alaimo ), the Cardassian that plagued Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . It's easy, though, to make aliens the enemy. There's already an inherent distrust of the unknown, so the mere suggestion that an alien is anything less than noble and honest makes for a quick trip down that rabbit hole. Additionally, time and time again the villains of the franchise are shown to be allies of the Federation when faced with a common threat, or become full-fledged members of Starfleet at some point in the franchise. Worf ( Michael Dorn ), the Klingon Chief Security Officer on board the USS Enterprise-D, or former Borg drone Seven of Nine ( Jeri Ryan ) all come to mind.

Khan, however, stands alone. His humanness is relatable. His charisma draws you in. His thirst for vengeance a cause for fear. Khan is irredeemable, but you believe in his desire to better the situation for those in his care. He continues to impact the world of Star Trek because Trek needs him to. Khan's history is a known history, and anything that touches on that history is guaranteed to capture the imagination of even the most casual of Trekkers in a way that others simply can not.

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Star Trek: The Original Series: Khan #3: To Reign in Hell Paperback – May 23, 2006

• Book 3 of 3 Star Trek: The Eugenics Wars
• Print length 384 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Star Trek
• Publication date May 23, 2006
• Dimensions 4.5 x 1.25 x 7 inches
• ISBN-10 0743457129
• ISBN-13 978-0743457125
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Star Trek (May 23, 2006)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0743457129
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0743457125
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.5 x 1.25 x 7 inches
• #17,791 in Space Operas
• #20,133 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction
• #29,089 in Science Fiction Adventures

About the authors

Greg Cox (born 1959) is an American writer of science fiction, including works that are media tie-ins. He lives in Oxford, Pennsylvania.

He has written numerous Star Trek novels, including The Eugenics Wars (Volume One and Two), The Q Continuum, Assignment: Eternity, and The Black Shore. His short fiction can be found in such anthologies as Star Trek: Tales of the Dominion War, Star Trek: The Amazing Stories and Star Trek: Enterprise logs. His first "Khan" novel, The Eugenics Wars: Volume One, was voted best sci-fi book of the year by the readers of Dreamwatch magazine. Cox can be found in a bonus feature on the "Director's Edition" DVD of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

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Characters / Star Trek: The Original Series - Khan Noonien Singh

Edit locked, khan noonien singh.

Played by: Ricardo Montalbán , Desmond Sivan (child, Strange New Worlds )

Dubbed in french by: françois chaumette (star trek ii), dubbed in brazilian portuguese by: darcy pedrosa, appearances: star trek: the original series | star trek ii: the wrath of khan | star trek: strange new worlds.

Khan: Khan is my name. Kirk: Khan, nothing else? Khan: Khan.

A 20th-century genetically-engineered tyrant who ruled a quarter of the world in the 1990s. As his fellow "supermen" (or Augments) were overthrown, Khan and roughly 80 of his followers launched themselves into space in cryogenic sleep before being found by Kirk. With his weakness being his ambition, Khan then tried to seize control of the Enterprise with the help of Marla McGivers , the Enterprise ship historian whom he managed to seduce. It failed thanks to the crew's opposition and an attack of conscience from McGivers . Kirk then exiled Khan, his followers, and Marla to a remote but hospitable planet as an act of mercy, giving them the chance to build a new society. Unfortunately, not long afterwards, the planet suffered a catastrophic ecological disaster and, being completely forgotten by Kirk, Khan grew vengeful toward the man who cast judgement on him...

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• A Father to His Men : He saw his fellow super humans as a family, to the point where he vowed to avenge Joachim when he died following a crippling blast on the Reliant .
• Affably Evil : In his first appearance, Khan's pretty charming, polite, and a bit of a rogue, just like Kirk. However, come Wrath of Khan and Khan is just losing it.
• Alas, Poor Villain : At the end of Wrath of Khan , he's lost everything, including his beloved wife as well as his people, along with any hope of being able to establish a society for them. As he's left to die in the exploding Reliant , he remains Defiant to the End , reciting dialogue from Captain Ahab in Moby-Dick before the Reliant explodes. All that potential he had as a superhuman was essentially wasted out of a desire for control and revenge.
• Ambiguously Brown : He's a genetically-augmented human from some point in the late 20th century. Culturally, he's a North Indian Sikh, but as he is also a genetically-engineered human, his DNA could contain many different genetic traits (his Mexican accent, however, is difficult to explain - especially after the effects of various Temporal Wars caused his birth to be bumped a half century later ... and to Canada ).
• Anti-Villain : Cruel and immoral his actions may be, he wants a society that he and his people can thrive in, no matter how many others have to suffer for it.
• Arch-Enemy : More than a hundred years later , Spock would credit him as being "the most dangerous adversary the Enterprise ever faced."
• Ascended Extra : Goes from a random Villain of the Week to the main antagonist of The Wrath of Khan and one of the franchise's most iconic villains.
• A tie-in comic to Star Trek Into Darkness addresses Trek 's Alternate History directly, starting with Khan nuking Washington, D.C. in 1992 .
• The final episode of Star Trek: Picard Season 2 implies and the first episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds confirms that under the Alex Kurtzman production umbrella the Eugenics Wars are being moved from the 1990's to the 2030's, with the implication that the 1990's is when the technology to create Khan was developed. This could be explained as Spock getting the dates wrong due to incomplete records, if it weren't for one line from The Wrath of Khan in which Khan himself states he departed Earth in 1996.
• The third episode of Season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds untangles the thread by revealing that Khan is responsible for bringing humanity to a dark age, which ultimately brings humanity to eventually form the Federation and Starfleet. Khan himself is the target of a temporal war to prevent this from occuring, which only succeeds in delaying his rise from the 1990's to the 2030's. His failure to rise culminates in humanity failing to progress beyond their own Solar System, having failed to ally with other species such as the Vulcans who are eventually wiped out in a war with the Romulans.
• Bread and Circuses : His ruling style back when he was a dictator over a fourth of Earth, at least compared to his competitors, which was enough to give him a legacy as "the best of tyrants." Notably, there were no massacres under his rule, and he didn't involve himself in the Eugenics Wars until after his territory was attacked. On the other hand, the people under his rule were reduced to subjects with few freedoms.
• Breakout Villain : Originally just a Villain of the Week . Ever since Wrath of Khan , he's arguably the most highly-regarded villain in the entire franchise.
• Character Catchphrase : He has a particular way of saying "Admiral" he develops once he learns Kirk has gotten a promotion. At least one interpretation is Khan thinking Kirk got that for dumping him on Ceti Alpha V (because why wouldn't it be about Khan?), and raging jealousy that that's what he got while Khan got the shaft.
• Classic Villain : Khan represents a nice combo of Pride and Wrath .
• Control Freak : Khan demands absolute obedience from everything. While some of his followers can object, none of them will sway him from his course.
• Damned by Faint Praise : He is seen as "the best of tyrants" in regards to the Eugenic Wars.
• Dramatically Missing the Point : A fan of Moby-Dick , Khan sees himself as Captain Ahab and Kirk as his White Whale. Khan seemed to have forgotten how Ahab's quest for vengeance ended. Not just self destruction - he understands and accepts that - but that Ahab didn't even get a chance to make sure he succeeded.
• The Dreaded : Even a century after his death, Starfleet is still terrified of him. It's outright said that the main reason the Federation still has a No Transhumanism Allowed policy in the Star Trek: Prodigy era is because they're scared of a new Khan rising from the ashes. His reputation even extends into a new timeline: When young Spock asks for information about Khan, Spock breaks his own oath not to tell him about the future to warn him about how dangerous Khan is, outright saying that he's the most dangerous enemy the Enterprise ever faced.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones : While he started manipulating Marla McGivers to betray Starfleet as a tool to escape, he came to passionately love her after she joined him in exile. He forgave her betrayal of him to her old crew, and she ruled as his queen. Her death on Ceti Alpha V - more than that of his other loyal followers - is what drives the man who once conquered a quarter of Earth.
• Evil Overlord : Back in the day, anyway. He tries to give it another go in "Space Seed" but is thwarted and offered the opportunity of becoming one to an abandoned planet. But when the planet unexpectedly suffers a catastrophe that devastates him and his followers , he settles on a simpler motive.
• Joachim begs Khan to ignore Kirk and exploit Genesis. Khan shoves him aside and orders the Reliant to follow the Enterprise into the Nebula.
• Faux Affably Evil : Becomes one in The Wrath Of Khan , blinded by his desire to get revenge on Kirk. That doesn't undermine his intelligence, though.
• Genius Bruiser : A Superhuman with immensely powerful physical and mental capabilities.
• Glass Cannon : Has the physical strength to bend a phaser in half with his bare hands and effortlessly lift a spacesuit-wearing Chekov with one arm, but gets taken down by Kirk with a pipe.
• Greater-Scope Villain : Arguably his interactions with the Enterprise are much smaller in significance compared to how much his role as a 20th Century Dictator defines and causes the creation of the Federation.
• Heinousness Retcon : In Space Seed , and to a lesser extent Wrath of Khan , Khan is introduced as a 20th century dictator, but otherwise fairly little is made of him. It's in fact noted that he's only one of several dictators active at the time - if the strongest of them. He's otherwise unremarkable and obscure enough that unraveling his identity is a huge chunk of the episode, and the crew need a briefing to explain who the man was. Scotty, and later Kirk even confesses having a degree of admiration for the man. Bones even mentions in slight defense of Khan that "there were no massacres" in his rule, though Spock immediately states, "and little freedoms." Later series would characterize Khan as basically Trek's version of Hitler ( with Captain Picard alluding to both of them in the same breath ). A man whose name is a byword for evil and death, and whose actions are so despicable, the Federation centuries later is still sort of processing the trauma of them, and has laws on the books to stop a man like him from ever being made. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds even had admirals admit that these laws are draconian and discriminatory but humans are still so sensitive about what Khan did that repealing them is unthinkable.
• Hero Killer : He was directly responsible for Spock's death in the second movie. Hard to fit the trope more plainly when you've done that .
• Hitler's Time Travel Exemption Act : His descendant La'an Noonien-Singh has to save his life as a child in 2022, not just so she will be born but also as Romulans had sent an agent back in time to kill him. It turns out that without the Eugenics Wars to make humanity want to be better, whilst humanity will still reach space they will become the isolationist United Earth Fleet an easier smaller target amongst many rather than the alliance that is the Federation.
• In Love with the Mark : He started off manipulating Marla, but quickly came to genuinely love her.
• Karma Houdini : He was this In-Universe for his crimes during the Eugenics Wars. While all the other superhumans were implied to have been killed or imprisoned, Khan managed to escape on the Botany Bay . Even when he's later released by the Enterprise crew, there's no serious talk of putting him on trial and he's eventually given a whole planet of his own to rule. Then Ceti Alpha VI exploded , depriving Khan of his beloved wife and sentencing him to a hellish existence on a Death World .
• Know-Nothing Know-It-All : Khan will be the first to point to his intelligence and superiority, but he's got a complete blind spot when it come to stuff from the 23rd century. His is best seen in Wrath of Khan When he gloats over how he perceives Kirk to be helpless, unaware that the Enterprise can just lower Reliant's shields and he doesn't know where the override command is. Similarly Spock notes that Khan is inexperienced in space combat and fails to consider that it's 3 dimensional space.
• Morality Pet : His possible son Joachim, who he genuinely loves and cares about.
• Motive Decay : Initially, all he wants is to create a society where he and his people can thrive, but by the time of The Wrath of Khan , all he wants is revenge against Kirk.
• Mr. Fanservice : He's almost always wearing an outfit that displays his muscular chest and great physique.
• My God, What Have I Done? : Khan's final moments include one of these with the death of Joachim, who may very possibly be his biological son and almost certainly is his adopted son. Realizing he got him killed doesn't deter him from further actions, though.
• Navel-Deep Neckline : A Rare Male Example , his pecs are well displayed.
• No Shirt, Long Jacket : In the movie (though the jacket is quite damaged), to show off Montalban's great shape.
• No Transhumanism Allowed : In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , it's explained that Khan is the reason the Federation prohibits genetic modification or engineering.
• Photographic Memory : Implied to be one of his genetically engineered gifts, and stated explicitly in the novelization of Wrath of Khan and the expanded universe's "Khan trilogy". He tells Chekov he never forgets a face, and even after 15 years he still seems to have the Enterprise 's technical specifications committed to memory, given that he still has perfect knowledge of the ship's weak points.
• Pride : He has oodles of it.
• Reasonable Authority Figure : At least to his fellow superhumans. His interactions with Joachim in Wrath of Khan show that his followers are comfortable enough with him to give him critical feedback without any hesitancy, although in the end his own authority is absolute.
• Vaguely justified in that Khan and Singh are both overwhelmingly common Indian names, however.
• Revenge Before Reason : He will do anything to kill Kirk, no matter how self-destructive. Even when Kirk is clearly baiting him into an obvious trap, Khan seems physically incapable of resisting the urge to roar into it, so fervent is his hatred. Khan: No... you won't get away. From Hell's heart, I stab at thee. For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee...
• Revenge Myopia : Khan ignores Chekov's observation that he attacked Kirk after the latter had taken in him and his crew.
• Rule of Symbolism : Much of the conflict between Kirk and Khan plays out like Paradise Lost , with Kirk as God and Khan as Lucifer . Khan even lampshades this in "Space Seed." In The Wrath of Khan , he has two copies of Paradise Lost on his bookshelf (one which included Paradise Regained ).
• Sanity Slippage : By the time of The Wrath of Khan , he’s lost it thanks to being stranded on Ceti Alpha V and the death of his wife and most of his followers.
• Sealed Evil in a Can : He and his cryogenically-frozen followers, in the episode " Space Seed ." And again in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , when he's abandoned on Ceti Alpha V (which the crew of the Reliant mistake for Ceti Alpha VI after a natural disaster alters its orbit and destroys its environment).
• Sequel Adaptation Iconic Villain : Star Trek: The Motion Picture had the crew of the Enterprise confront V'ger as the antagonist. Wrath of Khan brought Khan back and more dangerous than ever.
• Silver Fox : For a man who was stranded on a nightmare planet for two decades, Khan still managed to age pretty damn well, and he clearly knows it. Check out them pecs, for one.
• Skilled, but Naive : Other than his pride and ambition, one of Khan's greatest weaknesses is that, despite his incredible intellect, all his knowledge and experience is that of a 20th century man, and he lacks the decades of experience in space that Kirk has. This shows when he's unable to quickly find the Reliant 's command console override despite having memorized Starfleet's standard starship technical specifications, and when he fails to consider that space is three-dimensional during starship combat. Spock: He's intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two-dimensional thinking.
• Soft-Spoken Sadist : In Wrath , at least regarding Kirk and all collateral damage. Khan: I've done far worse than kill you. I've hurt you... and I wish to go on hurting you.
• Stalker with a Crush : Meyer confirmed that the Foe Romance Subtext between Khan and Kirk was intentional, and Khan twists Moby Dick lines to “he tasks me, he tasks me and I shall have him.”
• Star-Crossed Lovers : He and his wife, a crewman on the Enterprise who suffered from Heel–Face Revolving Door Syndrome.
• Suddenly Shouting : "This is Ceti Alpha Five!!
• Why Khan wants Project Genesis. With his homeworld destroyed and his people dwindling in numbers, he feels that terraforming a planet is the only way to ensure his and his people's continued existence.
• In "Space Seed", Khan makes it clear he believes that he would have been the eventual victor of the Eugenics Wars if things had gone differently (" One man would have ruled eventually. As Rome under Caesar, think of its accomplishments!")
• The Bad Guy Wins : Yes, Khan is killed by the end of The Wrath of Khan , but what happens after that? Spock — Kirk's closest friend — dies painfully as a result of radiation poisoning in his efforts to repair Enterprise enough to escape the Genesis Device detonation . Then as a result of his quest to bring his friend back from the dead , Kirk loses not only his beloved Enterprise but also his son. Ultimately, Khan has done far worse to Kirk than kill him — he hurt him.
• Took a Level in Jerkass : Khan becomes far more ruthless and unhinged in The Wrath of Khan , thanks to his Sanity Slippage and single-minded vendetta against Kirk.
• Tragic Keepsake : Khan wears a Starfleet emblem on a chain around his neck, strongly implied to have been part of Marla McGiver's uniform. note  It's also a continuity problem: The insignia is similar to the belt buckle worn as part of the movie uniforms, however was not actually present on the uniform McGivers would have worn.
• Tragic Villain : Subverted. Khan has all the hallmarks of a tragic character, having suffered a great loss that drives him to committing evil, but while he is sympathetic, he was a ruthless dictator even before this. The only thing it really changed was how evil he was, causing him to go from Affably Evil to a spiteful, unhinged demagogue.
• Trouble from the Past : He perfectly embodies both the modern age's charismatic daring and its prideful ambition, transported through time almost 300 years to menace the utopian future of the 23rd century, which he comes to believe is ill-prepared to resist himself and his crew of supermen. Kirk ultimately proves him wrong on that account.
• Ungrateful Bastard : Kirk and company find a stasis ship just in the nick of time, as Khan's own capsule is about to fail, revive him and his followers, and treat him with frankly undue courtesy given who he is— so Khan decides to steal his ship. Then Khan resents Kirk leaving him and his people on Ceti Alpha V, even though that was more lenient than taking him back to Earth, where he would have been prosecuted as a war criminal.
• Justifies his quest to Take Over the World as an attempt to unify humanity during a time of war.
• Subverted by the movie, in which it becomes abundantly clear he isn't as interested in conquering as he is in killing one man over a grudge.
• Wicked Cultured : His Final Speech comes from Moby-Dick , he mentions Paradise Lost before Kirk exiles him, and the Botany Bay appears to have other classic books. Part of his obsession with Moby-Dick in particular seems to be because Khan was stuck on Ceti Alpha V with only a handful of books to read, leading him to read them over and over again.
• Young Conqueror : Both Expanded Universe versions of his Origin Story (the 2001 novels by Greg Cox and the 2014 comic book tying in to Star Trek Into Darkness ) place him as being either in his early or late 20's during the Eugenics Wars. The novels indicate that faster-than-normal maturation is part of his genetic modifications.

Commander John Harrison/Khan Noonien Singh (Kelvin Timeline)

Played by: Benedict Cumberbatch

Dubbed in french by: pierre tissot, dubbed in brazilian portuguese by: ronaldo júlio, appearances: star trek into darkness.

Starfleet's top agent, before a perceived betrayal by his superiors sent him on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge against the entire Federation command structure.

• The Ace : As Harrison himself claims, he is simply "better" at everything . Justified, as he is genetically designed to be so.
• Adaptational Jerkass : The original Khan was in no way a nice person, but he was Affably Evil , at least in "Space Seed", and had an entertainingly hammy persona. This one is far more cold blooded and stoic.
• Adaptational Villainy : As seen above, in Space Seed Khan had committed no massacres in his reign. Here Spock accuses him of planning to commit mass genocide on any being he deems "less than superior".
• Aesop Amnesia : Openly vows to resume "the work" he and his crew had done prior to banishment. Despite having failed in his despotism in the Eugenics Wars, he still hopes to start right over.
• He also has a spinoff comic. See Villain Episode .
• Alternate History : The Villain Episode tie-in comics tackle the Failed Future Forecast issues around the Eugenics Wars head on... by showing Khan nuking Washington D.C. and Moscow... in 1992 .
• The Antichrist : He's not supernatural, of course, but the tie-in comics use a fair share of "The Beast of Revelations" imagery when describing his rise to power during the Eugenics Wars.
• Arch-Enemy : For Kirk, much like Nero for Spock in the last film . And well, himself for Kirk in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan .
• Boasts about his superhuman abilities. Harrison: I am better. Kirk: At what? Harrison: Everything. note  In the novelization , the tone of voice he says this with isn't that of a boast, but a simple statement of fact by a man who knows that it's true.
• Boasts about how he's going to end you. Harrison: I will walk over your cold corpses.
• Badass Longcoat : Sports a black trenchcoat with a hood. He even steals one off a chair towards the end of the film to replace it. Presumably, this was to help disguise him to some extent.
• Benevolent Boss : Zig-zagged between this and Bad Boss . While he does seem to truly care for his crew, he was also a ruthless tyrant and war criminal 300 years prior. Harrison: My crew is my family, Kirk. Is there anything you would not do for your family?
• Berserk Button : Threatening his crew or implying that they're dead is a seriously bad idea. Admiral Marcus found that one out the hard way.
• Big Bad : A Starfleet agent with superhuman abilities turned terrorist. He's really Khan Noonien Singh, an infamous war criminal working for Starfleet under an assumed identity.
• Big Bad Ensemble : Serves as Into Darkness 's main antagonist, alongside Admiral Marcus . Towards the climax, however, Khan kills Marcus , establishing himself as the sole Big Bad .
• Big "NO!" : He yells "No" when he thinks that his crew has been killed after the torpedoes explode on his ship.
• Bio-Augmentation : Genetically engineered for superhuman strength, endurance and intelligence.
• Bullying a Dragon : Nice job trying to force a 300-year-old superman stronger, smarter and more ruthless than you to do your dirty work by threatening to kill his crew (which is essentially his family), Marcus .
• Byronic Hero : A Villainous example. He fits the bill in a few ways: Brooding, charismatic, sympathetic and physically attractive but also incredibly vengeful, prideful and was once an Evil Overlord back in the day.
• Canon Character All Along : This is one of Into Darkness 's main twists. John Harrison is revealed to be none other than Kirk's Arch-Enemy Khan Noonien Singh.
• Canon Foreigner : Subverted. He's actually Khan Noonien Singh.
• The Chessmaster : Most of the events of Into Darkness are the result of Harrison's planning and manipulations.
• Chewing the Scenery : While there is some mugging during "annoyed/angry exposition" , when he gets furious, Evil Is Hammy gets into full force. You should have let me SLEEP!
• Commanding Coolness : Harrison's falsified rank in Starfleet was Commander.
• Cool Starship : The USS Vengeance , a jet black Federation dreadnought that Harrison helped design and later steals after killing Admiral Marcus .
• Creepy Monotone : Making him even more scary. And a complete inversion of Ricardo Montalban's hammy original. Benedict Cumberbatch 's performance just drives the whole thing home since you really can't watch him like this without shuddering at least once.
• Dark Is Evil : Dresses exclusively in black clothing. Benedict Cumberbatch also dyed his hair black for this film again. Also, the Vengeance , a pitch-black monster of a warship, was his design, and he takes command of it near the climax of the film.
• After Kirk's utterly ineffective beatdown on Kronos, Harrison contemptuously repeats Uhura's invocation of Kirk's rank. Harrison : Captain .
• During his conversation with Spock after Harrison hijacks control of the Vengeance . Spock : You betrayed us . Harrison : Oh, you are smart , Mr. Spock.
• Death Seeker : When he thinks his crew is dead, Khan has shades of this when he attempts to ram The Vengeance into Starfleet Headquarters. Harrison : SET DESTINATION: STARFLEET HEADQUARTERS! Vengeance's computer system : Engines compromised. Cannot guarantee destination. Confirm order. Harrison : Confirm.
• Despair Event Horizon : He crosses it when he believes his beloved crew to have been killed. After that, Khan stops caring if he lives or dies, setting the Vengeance on a suicide run to Starfleet Headquarters.
• Do Not Taunt Cthulhu : As he notes, Starfleet really should have kept him asleep .
• Dragon-in-Chief : Marcus forced him to help design the USS Vengeance for Starfleet but he is a much more direct threat to the heroes than the Admiral and only serves him to save his crew, and Harrison shows himself to be the more competent villain when he kills Marcus to commandeer the Vengeance .
• The Dreaded : Spock Prime's encounters with Harrison/Khan's prime universe counterpart are enough to convince him to give Spock information about him, despite his previous pledge to let Spock walk his own path.
• Driven to Villainy : Subverted. While his present motivations are to get back at Starfleet for Admiral Marcus for holding his family hostage, Khan was a war criminal before being frozen, and was specifically defrosted for both his intellect and his willingness to use it aggressively .
• Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette : He has dark hair, retains his actor's pale complexion and serves as a contrast to Kirk and Admiral Marcus .
• Emperor Scientist : In the tie-in comics it's indicated that this was his ruling style after he accomplished his initial conquests.
• Empowered Badass Normal : Being a bio-engineered super-human, he's a Nigh-Invulnerable One-Man Army Evil Brit in a Badass Longcoat . Not even an extremely angry Vulcan on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge was enough to stop him without help.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones : Wants to save his former crew who were on board the SS Botany Bay . Harrison: Is there anything you would not do for your family?
• Evil Brit : Retains the accent of his actor, the British Benedict Cumberbatch .
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good : His terrorist attacks are motivated by his suspicions that Starfleet has already killed his crew, mainly because that's exactly what he would have done in their place. Later, after the torpedo incident, he again assumes that his enemies have killed off his crew and decides to make the Vengeance 's name very literal. One gets the impression that Khan just can't wrap his head around other people not being as murderous and willing to kill for convenience as him.
• While Harrison/Khan displays similar mannerisms to that of Spock in his initial appearance, the differences in their character increasingly become apparent following The Reveal . Khan actually goes so far as to distinguish himself from Spock by pointing out that he indulges and takes pride in his savagery while Spock suppresses such emotions. Harrison: Intellect alone is useless in a fight, Mr. Spock. You, you can't even break a rule. How could you be expected to break bone ?
• Evil Is Hammy : Even when he's not raising his voice, he is full of Cold Ham with the way he overenunciates his words.
• Evil Is Not a Toy : Starfleet really shouldn't have tried to manipulate or threaten him.
• Evil Is Petty : Being shunned after helping Marcus with his warmongering plans is as bad for him as the fact the admiral kept his "family" hostage.
• Evil Overlord : Ruled over a quarter of Earth centuries ago.
• Evil Sounds Deep : Benedict Cumberbatch plays the character with a deep baritone voice.
• Fantastic Racism : He finds being at the beck and call of the genetically "inferior" humiliating.
• Face–Heel Turn : He went from a decorated member of Starfleet to a terrorist trying to destroy it. Only not; the John Harrison identity was created for him when he was thawed, and the closest he came to working for Starfleet was his unwilling stint making weapons for Admiral Marcus.
• Fallen Hero : Subverted. He was a bad guy long before his falsified past.
• Fatal Flaw : Pride . While his original timeline version was more defined by the It's Personal nature of Wrath pushing him to obsessively pursue Kirk in Revenge Before Reason , here, his condescending contempt for Kirk’s crew manifests as arrogance bordering on blindness— in particular, he seems incapable of conceiving that Spock could have the cunning to match him even briefly, or meet Khan’s savagery with his own. The first costs him his ship, and the second leads to a brutal fist fight with the half-Vulcan that is more than even Khan could have predicted.
• A Father to His Men : He genuinely cares about his crew and will do anything to protect them. Harrison : My crew is my family, Kirk. Is there anything you would not do for your family?
• Faux Affably Evil : Though Harrison genuinely cares for his crew, the politeness he demonstrates towards Kirk and others is relatively fake. Once his nominal allies have outlived their usefulness , he'll have no hesitation about killing them.
• First-Name Basis : Upon the revelation of his true identity, he's addressed solely as "Khan". Only Spock Prime even mentions the rest of his name.
• Genetic Engineering Is the New Nuke : Harrison is a One-Man Army created through genetic manipulation. It turns out to be the first hint of his true identity.
• Genius Bruiser : He's incredibly intelligent ( within a year, he learned enough about 23rd century technology to design advanced weaponry, as well as the nigh-unstoppable USS Vengeance ) and extremely strong (enough so to crush a man's skull with his bare hands ).
• Guns Akimbo : For the shootout with the Klingons, he wields a phaser rifle in one hand and a Chainsaw-Grip BFG in the other.
• Hannibal Lecture : Delivers several speeches while captured over the heroes' shortcomings.
• Healing Factor : Heavily implied but not seen. Harrison's blood allows his cells to heal at an astonishing rate, which he uses to heal a sick girl in the beginning in exchange for a favor. Later, Bones revives a dead tribble with it, and then uses it to save Kirk .
• The Heavy : Harrison's actions are what set off and move along the plot of Into Darkness .
• Heel–Face Brainwashing : The tie-in comics show that after they found the Botany Bay , Section 31 gave Khan extensive plastic surgery, a memory wipe, and a fake life history in an attempt to turn him into John Harrison, Hero of the Federation . After he finds out what was done to him, he's understandably pissed.
• Hero Killer : This guy has killed a whole bunch of Starfleet officers, including Pike . Near the end of Into Darkness , Khan's attack on the Enterprise manages to kill Kirk himself, although the crew do manage to save their captain.
• Human Popsicle : Was cryogenically frozen for about 250 years. He ends the film this way, too .
• Icy Blue Eyes : Which serves to highlight his cold, calculating personality.
• Implacable Man : Over the course of the film, Harrison withstands a ( completely ineffective ) beating from Kirk, stunning shots from a phaser, an explosion that cripples the Vengeance , and the Vengeance crashing into San Francisco, all of which barely slows him down. Exaggerated during his fight with Spock, where he forces his way through a Vulcan nerve pinch and takes roughly a dozen stun shots from Uhura's phaser without going down. Ultimately, it takes Spock beating him nearly to death to subdue Khan .
• In a Single Bound : The first time we see him, he jumps an enormous distance into battle and lands perfectly.
• In Spite of a Nail : No matter the universe, Khan and Kirk will always end up at each other's throats.
• Ironic Echo : He does underestimate Spock somewhat, telling him that intellect alone is useless in a fight and that Spock "can't even break a rule. How would [he] be expected to break bone ?" Guess what, Spock manages to do exactly that just fine to him in a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown at the climax of the film.
• Taunts Kirk as he destroys the Enterprise. Harrison: No ship should go down without her captain.
• Taunts Admiral Marcus as he crushes his skull. Harrison: YOU SHOULD HAVE LET ME SLEEP.
• Taunts Kirk while securely imprisoned. Harrison: Captain, are you going to punch me again, over and over and over , until your arm weakens? Clearly you want to.
• Karmic Death : Marcus was planning one of these for Harrison when you take into account that he was to be killed by the torpedoes he designed, which also contained his crew. Luckily, Kirk didn't go through with that plan and opted to arrest him. Even better, Harrison surrenders himself the moment he finds out about the number of the torpedoes.
• Kick the Dog : Right before he kills Admiral Marcus , he stomps on Carol's leg hard enough to break it.
• Knight of Cerebus : If you thought Nero was nasty, he pales compared to this guy.
• Kubrick Stare : Harrison occasionally tilts his head down and to the right and then angrily stares up to look more threatening.
• Late-Arrival Spoiler : Subsequent release materials, his Villain Episode comic mini-series, and even the DVD/Blu-ray cases of Into Darkness make no secret of the fact that Benedict Cumberbatch's character is, in fact, Khan.
• Leitmotif : Besides the main theme, Khan's theme is the most noticeable leitmotif in the movie. It's oddly heroic, which makes sense when you look at the movie's symbolism and realize he's not so much meant to be Osama Bin Laden as he is meant to be Leonidas .
• Lightning Bruiser : The thing that stands out most about his fighting style is just how damn fast he is. The second thing is how strong he is, to the point that he can carry a cannon with one hand or squash people's skulls like melons. The third thing is how he can withstand multiple punches and phaser stuns without slowing down.
• Love Makes You Evil : Played with. He was certainly evil before, but his actions in Into Darkness are driven almost entirely by his love for his crew.
• One-Man Army : Harrison is a "one-man weapon of mass destruction" who takes on entire Klingon security teams by himself. Admiral Marcus : For reasons unknown, John Harrison has just declared a one-man war against Starfleet.
• Manipulative Bastard : He cures Thomas Harewood's comatose daughter to manipulate him into suicide-bombing a Starfleet records office. This in turn causes most of the Starfleet officers to gather in one place, where he promptly tries killing most of them.
• Manly Tears : When he talks about his crew during his capture on-board the Enterprise , tears are seen streaming down his face while he looks away from Kirk and Spock the entire time.
• Meaningful Re Name : The Villain Episode tie-in comics reveal that his birth name was Noonien Singh; he named himself Khan after completing his conquest of the Middle East and Central Asia.
• Mirror Character : As he points out to Kirk, both of them would do anything to protect their respective crews .
• Moral Myopia : Genuinely cares for his former crew and is distraught and furious when he thinks they've been harmed, and while his actions toward Starfleet and the Enterprise crew may possibly be justified, in his mind they were unlawfully kidnapping him for justified actions, his other actions make it clear that he barely considers the rest of the genetically inferior population to even be people. In fact, Spock mentions that Khan was accused of practicing eugenics in Earth's past.
• More Dakka : His attack on the meeting at Starfleet Headquarters basically consists of him shooting the crap out of his target. He doesn't exactly skimp on bullets when it comes to fighting the Klingons, either.
• Downplayed. When Kirk confronts him over his massacre of Starfleet officers, he indignantly protests that Marcus was holding his crew hostage. In his eyes, they weren't innocent civilians, as Kirk claims, but military personnel that Khan believes killed his defenseless crew, so he sees it as a case of Pay Evil unto Evil .
• He also claims that he was labeled a criminal and exiled from Earth, ignoring his actions as a tyrant.
• When he threatens to kill everyone on the Enterprise if Spock does not return his crew, he says he "will have no choice" but to do it if Spock defies him. However, it was Kirk and Scotty who double-crossed him by having him stunned once they had taken the Vengeance , so in Khan's eyes, the crew is not entirely innocent and have proven untrustworthy, which is solidified when Spock double crosses him again by arming the torpedoes.
• Takes a huge pounding over the course of the movie, and only ever shows a few scratches.
• Faked being stunned by a phaser shot at point blank range .
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown : He delivers a pretty vicious one to Spock during the finale of Into Darkness . Once Uhura arrives and Spock manages to recover, Khan finds himself on the receiving end.
• No-Sell : Takes a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown from Kirk, and only registers some mild annoyance. He also manages to shrug off the Vulcan nerve pinch, albeit with some pain, but considering most beings crumple after being subjected to it...
• Not So Stoic : At three points of Into Darkness : he sheds a tear as he reveals his story to Kirk and Spock, dissolves into sheer rage while beating Kirk and killing Admiral Marcus, and loses it completely during his Villainous Breakdown .
• Older Is Better : When Kirk wonders what possible value a man who's been frozen for the past 250 years could be to the leader of Starfleet, Harrison implies that he was awakened to help militarize Starfleet because as a conqueror from the savage 20th century he has a better understanding of combat and warfare than the more peaceful, evolved humans of the 23rd century. His 20th century genetic enhancements also make him far stronger and smarter than any 23rd century human.
• One-Man Army : Takes out an entire squad of Klingon commandos and several of their gunships by himself, wielding an assault rifle and a beam cannon .
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business : Inverted: the only scene in which he is not menacing is pure comedy, with him giving Kirk a shocked look at Kirk's casual reply to their imminent space jump.
• Papa Wolf : He's completely bent on recovering and protecting the rest of his people, and his Roaring Rampage of Revenge is mostly because he thinks they're all dead ( twice ) . He even refers to them as his family— see Even Evil Has Loved Ones .
• The Paragon Always Rebels : Harrison was Starfleet's best agent before he rebelled. Subverted, however. While he could be considered a "paragon" in the sense of his physical and mental abilities, Khan was never truly a Starfleet agent (or if he was, it wasn't by choice); that position, like the entire identity of "John Harrison", was nothing but a lie fabricated by Section 31.
• Depending on how you look at it, using his blood to cure Lucille Harewood of her illness could count at this. Granted, Harrison was most likely manipulating her father's desperation to get him to agree to carry out a terrorist attack for him, but even so, he could have found someone easier to coerce.
• Also, his saving Uhura from the Klingons by attacking before they kill her. She was distracting them from him while alive, but her death itself would have been just as good. And sure, it was probably in his favor to keep all of the Starfleet officers alive, since a MORE pissed-off Kirk might have been less receptive to what he had to say, but it's not like Harrison needed a communications officer alive to carry out his plans.
• Poisonous Captive : The Enterprise crew manage to shut Harrison in the brig, only to receive a withering Hannibal Lecture from him.
• Pride : His defining character trait is his certainty in his own superiority. The hell of it? He's not even wrong. This is a man so ridiculously good at literally everything that he nearly single-handedly designed an entire militarized sub-Starfleet and then nearly destroyed the entire Starfleet / Federation edifice on his own , with no help from anyone else.
• Race Lift : He goes from being played by the brown-faced make-up-wearing , Mexican Ricardo Montalban to the white-skinned, British Benedict Cumberbatch. And Khan is meant to be Indian, which neither men are. The tie-in comics detailing his youth and origins reveal that he is really Indian. It's shown that Admiral Marcus gave him extensive plastic surgery along with a memory wipe in an attempt to recruit him as a Section 31 super-operative.
• Really 700 Years Old : The guy's been in cryo for 300 years.
• Retired Monster : He wanted to be this... but they wouldn't let him sleep.
• The Reveal : His true identity is Khan Noonien Singh, of Space Seed and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , a genetically modified superhuman who had been awoken after centuries of cryosleep by Admiral Marcus and forced to develop advanced weapons.
• The Rival : While he shares several traits with Spock, he and Kirk's relationship has a somewhat competitive edge to it. What did you expect? It's Kirk vs. Khan the remake. They also have a pretty clear understanding of each other, and both are cunning enough to prepare for their inevitable betrayal during an Enemy Mine . And without his revenge hard on from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Khan proves the victor, because he is "better."
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge : Is out to take revenge on the entire Federation for what he believed was the murder of his beloved crew .
• Rogue Agent : Was Starfleet's best agent before a perceived betrayal by his superiors sent him on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge against the entire Federation. It's a cover story for his work at Section 31 and his true identity.
• Rogues' Gallery Transplant : Khan, in a change up from the original chain of events, ends up with Spock as his primary adversary in this film. He lacks the grudge that defined him from being marooned by Kirk in the prime-timeline, and ends up spending more time in an Enemy Mine with Kirk than he does fighting him, since without that glaring flaw of It's Personal with Kirk, he can make wiser decisions around him. Kirk still seems to gain his respect as a Worthy Opponent with a similar care for his crew, but this movie might be called Wrath of Spock once Kirk's Almost Dead .
• Sealed Evil in a Can : A former Evil Overlord accused of war crimes, cryogenically frozen for centuries in a derelict ship... until Starfleet Intelligence found him. He ends the film this way, too.
• Self-Serving Memory : Khan described himself and his followers as being meant to "lead others to peace in a world at war" before being branded as criminals and forced into exile. While it's likely that this genuinely is how Khan sees himself, he conveniently leaves out the minor detail that he and his crew were war criminals who did everything in their power to take over the world. This is quite similar to the scene in Space Seed where Khan gives another romanticized description of the Eugenics Wars, stating that he and the other supermen "offered the world order" and an attempt to unify humanity.

• Shrouded in Myth : His reputation as Starfleet's top agent precedes him. In his past life, he was also an infamous superhuman tyrant, who was so feared that by the 24th century of the origin timeline his name was apparently on par with Hitler's as shorthand for ultimate evil.
• Smug Super : Harrison is well aware of his superhuman abilities and makes no effort at false modesty. Harrison: I am better. Kirk: At what? Harrison: Everything .
• The Social Darwinist : Implied. Spock says that he intends to destroy those he deems inferior. Khan doesn't confirm it, but he doesn't deny, either. The tie-in comics show that Khan genuinely saw himself as humanity's savior and that (unlike some of the other Augment rulers) he explicitly wanted to rule, not destroy. However, the methods he employed to achieve his goal (including nuking Washington D.C. and Moscow) would certainly justify humanity recording in their history that he was an Omnicidal Maniac .
• Spared by the Adaptation : Khan notably died at the end of his outing in The Wrath of Khan , but was simply put back on ice in Into Darkness — definitely a kinder fate.
• The Spock : To Admiral Marcus's Kirk . Cold, calculating, and brilliant.
• The Spook : He worked for Section 31 before the film started.
• The Stoic : He's usually very calm and calculating.
• Superhuman Transfusion : Being injected with Harrison's bio-augmented blood temporarily grants others his Healing Factor .
• Super-Toughness : Barely even flinches when Kirk tries beating on him as hard as he can. Also, nothing seems to be able to incapacitate him for more than a few moments. It takes a Vulcan nerve pinch, a dozen or so point-blank stun phaser hits, a vicious Tap on the Head , then an arm-break, all in rapid succession to finally stun him enough for Spock to get the upper hand.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute : Shares a number of character traits with Khan Noonien Singh from Space Seed and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . That's because he is Khan.
• Tom the Dark Lord : "John Harrison" isn't an impressive name for a villain. Subverted, as it's actually an alias disguising his true identity as A Villain Named Khan .
• Tragic Villain : To an extent. See Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds .
• Transhuman : Harrison has gained superhuman abilities thanks to a little genetic engineering , including a decent Healing Factor , Super-Intelligence , Super-Strength and Super-Toughness .
• The Unfettered : Khan would do anything for his crew, and after believing them dead, would do anything to avenge them.
• Villain Episode : Like Nero, he stars in a comic book mini-series exploring his background. The Race Lift issue is brought up on the very first page, with Kirk pointing out at his trial that "Harrison" looks nothing like the very Indian Khan.
• Villain Respect : As expected from Khan, he gains some genuine, if condescending, admiration of Kirk, especially during their Enemy Mine , and even seems intrigued by Kirk’s reference to his adventure in the preceding film. However, without the It's Personal nature of their feud in the original timeline, Khan is more of a No-Nonsense Nemesis towards Kirk here, and wastes no time in incapacitating him without any fanfare when their alliance is done.
• Villainous Breakdown : After believing that his crew had been killed, Khan seems to decide "screw it all" and sets the fatally damaged Vengeance on a collision course with San Francisco. The breakdown continues during his fight with Spock. Any emotional control he'd had before is gone , and he brutally pummels Spock in sheer, undiluted rage.
• Hell, most of the DVD's, Blu-Rays, and even a few digital services outright state who he is.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist : Believes he's ultimately doing what's best for humanity, regardless of what they think.
• Wham Line : "My name is Khan."
• Wicked Cultured : Harrison is pretty well spoken for a madman and even paraphrases Moby-Dick (a book that Khan loved in the Prime timeline) at one point when he beams Kirk, Carol and Scotty off of the Vengeance and back onto the Enterprise . Harrison : No ship should go down without her captain .
• Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds : He may be a bit of an asshole, as well as a ruthless killing machine, not to mention an Evil Overlord at one point, but he's been frozen for 250 years, then turned into a killing machine by the Federation, then tried saving his crew only for Admiral Marcus to take them away from him once again. It's a bit hard not to feel sorry for him.
• Would Hit a Girl : Breaks one of Carol Marcus' legs.
• Your Head A-Splode : He can do this with his bare hands and seems to reserve it for people who have really pissed him off. Just ask Admiral Marcus . He also tries to do the same to Spock during their fight and would have succeeded if Uhura hadn't beamed down.
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Nicholas Meyer Gives Update On ‘Star Trek: Khan – Ceti Alpha V’ And Why Making It An Audio Drama Is “Perfect”

| November 25, 2023 | By: Aaron Bossig 84 comments so far

On Star Trek Day last year, Wrath of Khan writer/director Nicholas Meyer officially announced that his “Ceti Alpha V” project exploring the exile of Khan Noonien Singh was finally happening, with the surprise twist it was being transformed into a scripted podcast for Paramount+. Things have been mostly silent regarding Star Trek: Khan – Ceti Alpha V since then, but Meyer just gave a status update, along with his hopes that a successful podcast might eventually lead back to a filmed version of Khan’s story covering the span of time between being marooned by Captain Kirk at the end of “Space Seed” in Star Trek: The Original Series and his escape in Star Trek II .

Khan audio drama may lead to the screen… but there’s no timetable

Nick Meyer sat down with Larry “Dr. Trek” Nemecek for a special  “open house” celebrating the 8th anniversary of his Portal 47 subscription service . They discussed various aspects of Meyer’s career, including his work on Star Trek II , Star Trek IV and Star Trek VI , and he also talked a bit about how Ceti Alpha V would play out. Originally, the project was written as a three-part miniseries , with the podcast version widening the scope slightly. Making it clear the project was still alive and well, Meyers explained:

“It’s now being worked as a radio play: nine or ten half-hour episodes. I guess the thinking is, if it is successful, then we go back to making it something on film.”

Pressed to give specifics on what kind of production values could be expected for a Star Trek audio drama, or even who would be considered for casting, Meyer declined to speculate, although he did confirm that yes, the project was still on track. Carefully, he cautioned that some behind-the-scenes issues had to be worked out before proceeding with casting, seeking musical talent, and so on. His protective words to Portal 47 were:

“This is a show, all I can tell you about it, and I have no wish to be indiscreet, that has a kitchen filled with cooks.”

Acknowledging that the series has been retooled and that the timetable has slipped, especially after the twin Hollywood strikes that delayed everything, Meyer was frank, telling Nemecek:

“Whatever timeline we had went out the window some months ago.”

Official announcement title graphic from Paramount+

Why radio play format is “perfect”

Although Ceti Alpha V is now being developed as a scripted audio drama podcast, Nick Meyer hesitated to call the project a “podcast,” preferring “radio play.” Meyer has a particular fondness for the format going back to when he directed several radio plays in his college days. When asked if he felt  Ceti Alpha V would be diminished as a result of it being a radio play, Meyer was quick to counter that he felt the format was ideal. On Portal 47, he elaborated:

“I really love radio plays, and I’ll tell you why I think they’re cool… I believe that all great artistic media, with one arguable exception, rely for their success on something that they leave out. Paintings do not move. Music possesses no intellectual content. Words are just code on a page… It is the imaginary contribution of the audience… that puts this all together.”

Calling the work a “radio play” compares the upcoming scripted podcast to the pre-television era of entertainment, when stories would be performed by actors and enhanced by music and audio special effects to make up for the absence of visuals. Fans of audio performances sometimes refer to it as “theatre of the mind,” and it is this ability of the audience to fill in the missing visuals that Meyer wants to use:

“When I’m looking for a movie, I’m looking for what I want to leave out. Radio is perfect because it’s all your imagination. Imagination is perfect because it doesn’t need to be trained.”

Nicholas Meyer announcing his Ceti Alpha V project at the Star Trek Day 2022 event in Los Angeles

The history of this project goes back to when Nicholas Meyer was brought in as a consulting producer for the first season of Star Trek: Discovery . At the Star Trek Day event in 2022, he explained how Ceti Alpha V had evolved over the years:

“Alex Kurtzman made an interesting suggestion to me. He said, ‘I wonder what happened during those 15 years’ that Khan was marooned or exiled or transplanted, take your pick, to Ceti Alpha V, which was at the time of flourishing planet. I thought that was a really cool idea. I wound up writing three one-hour episodes for a Star Trek television show that for reasons beyond Alex or my control hasn’t been made until now. So it’s going to be a podcast. It’s going to start life as a podcast. I will take those scripts, adapt them, expand them, and as with all writing, get a chance to make them better. So I hope you’ll all tune in for them.”

There have been a number of Star Trek audio productions in the past, but they have primarily been done as audiobooks or were recordings of live performances . Last year, Simon and Schuster Audio released the original audio drama Star Trek: Picard: No Man’s Land . Ceti Alpha V would be the first official scripted Star Trek podcast; scripted podcasts are growing , some even attracting high-profile talent like Batman: The Audio Adventures ‘ large cast that includes Brent Spiner .

During Meyer’s time on Portal 47, there was no discussion regarding how the podcast would fit into Star Trek canon. Trek showrunners have long held that any event that appears in a TV show or movie is considered canon, while stories from novels and comic books are not. It is unclear where officially produced podcasts would fall under that distinction.

Khan’s story in exile has been told before, most recently in IDW’s 2020 comic book mini-series Star Trek: Khan – Ruling in Hell .

The story of Ceti Alpha V has been touched before, but never by the man who wrote Star Trek II.

The full video with Meyer was livestreamed to subscribers of Portal 47 , a live/online monthly package of features spotlighting and hosting the often unheralded backstage creators of Trek from author/host, speaker and behind-the-scenes archivist Larry Nemecek.

This is another developing story so stay tuned for the next update on Ceti Alpha V .

UPDATE: Watch full Meyer interview 

The full interview has now been released on Nemecek’s Trekland YouTube page.

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Wrath of Khan screenplay completed in 12 days.

Khan audio production completed in 12 years?

But years can seem like days!

Seriously, I am looking forward to this and I hope it will be available on Audible.

Ha, nicely played, sir.

And I’m looking forward to it, too. Sounds like a fun idea.

Khan’s screenplay was cut and pasted by Meyer in 12 days.

I hope so cause I wanna listen to it on my way to work and back

As an avid listener to BBC Radio 4, and scripted podcasts like “Alan Partridge: From the Outhouse”, I welcome this being a fully-fledged radio play!

Truly hope this happens and hope it bursts the door open for more Star Trek audio plays.

By the way Nicholas Meyers narration of and his book The View From the Bridge is great.

I’m interested in our Starfleet heroes; spending time with Khan and his followers without Starfleet present sounds depressing.

It would be interesting to go back and forth between KHAN and Starfleet, and eventually find out what caused the latter the disregard or forget about Ceti Alpha V.

I have always been under the impression that Kirk purposely buried the report on Khan, et al. because he knew what a threat he could pose to the galaxy if released from Cetus Alpha V. The line he says to Terrell in WOK, “I know what he blames me for,” alluded to that, has been my thinking all these years. So Starfleet may have never known he was there at all…

Sorry, but that would be kind of stupid. If nobody knows there’s a dangerous threat on Ceti Alpha V it’s only a matter of time until somebody stumbles across it by accident, and likely unprepared.

There’s a conceit like this in FEDERATION, where we find out Kirk and co cover up Z. Cochrane’s existence, only to have it bite them in the ass in a big way a couple months later.

The problem with that is there were too many people on the enterprise who knew about it.

I assume it was just the same thing that Captain Freeman is always complaining about. Starfleet does a bad job of checking in on planets after their initial contact. Even in Space Seed, Spock suggested that they wait a century before checking on Khan.

Yeah that’s a great point which LDS pointed out again when it visited Ornara in season 3. That was the former drug addicts the Enterprise D encountered nearly 20 years ago. They actually turned out fine but the fact no one bothered to see how they were doing could’ve been disastrous for that planet and it could’ve torn itself apart.

I do think on one hand, it’s pretty realistic that Starfleet isn’t doing a lot of follow up when you have thousands of ships in the fleet and making first contacts with so many planets; especially the vast distances many are in that and too far or isolated that starships haven’t been back to for years or ever. Same time, some of the more ‘problematic’ ones should at least be flagged or checked on. It’s odd they don’t have any system in place to do that with even by the 24th century.

Honestly I’m curious what the story is going to be here. Khan had no enemies or anything like that while exiled. Sure he had climate issues and such but that doesn’t necessarily sound fun. Having said that, I have faith in Meyer to turn out a good story. Specifically I would love to know how Khan blames Kirk for the death of his wife.

I always thought it was just because Kirk left them there.

Sure I guess that’s true. But honestly the only story I can see here is a climate story when the planet goes out of orbit and becomes inhabitable.

As Jack says, I always figured it was just because Kirk left them on the planet.

Yuppers. I know. I’m just saying a classic story has a protagonist and antagonist. I don’t see both here. But like I said, I trust Meyer to turn out a good story :)

Miss you btw!

No enemies that we know of, officially. It’s been a while since I read it, but I seem to remember the Greg Cox book depicting Khan’s people descending into infighting.

Kirk left him on Ceti Alpha V where Khan encountered the Ceti bug that he eventually used on Chekov and Tyrell.

I believe he says that it killed many of his crew “including his beloved wife” as he introduces the bug to them.

He also blames Kirk because “nobody bothered to check on their progress”.

I’m down for it, because it seems like it could be a worthy side story. It’s not something you can build a franchise up with… but could be like Andor is to Star Wars… an interesting and very specific corner of the universe that can be told differently. Where you can play with varying ideas of what Star Trek is. Rather than a mainstream series / movie.

Rather let’s take some from cues from Star Trek into Darkness and blame Section 31 instead.

They deliberately deleted certain details of Kirk’s encounter with Khan, knowing that Khan and his followers may be weaponised.

Then the fact that Ceti Alpha VI exploded without anyone from Starfleet noticing that… Surely the Reliant’s navigational charts couldn’t have been so out of synch to mistake an entire planet for another?

All this smells of a massive cover-up from within Starfleet ;)

Ah, but I hate Section 31 and wish they left it with DS9…

How does s31 work it so Chekov doesn’t recognize the name of the star system they are in or its importance till he reads ‘botany bay’ on the seatbelt? Prosaic as it must have been, Sowards’ original story supposedly actually had Chekov reading up on Khan before they meet up on the planet. That DOES sort of trash the big reveal though.

It’s just the kind of minutiae I’m willing to overlook and not need a specific explanation of. sure.. he knew Khan, but doesn’t remember the name of the ship.

Oh my gosh me too. I hate what Discovery did with S31 and As much as I like Michelle Yeoh I wish that movie would not happen!

You’re definitely on to something here, and I think that is a more than plausible explanation.

Not only the navigational charts would make no sense, where were is all the debris of a planet that blew up? That should be everywhere but oddly not even a chunk of the planet floating anywhere.

Maybe a black hole just swallowed it up. ;)

I’m sure some will complain, but considering how successful the Darth Vader synthesized voice was on Obi-Wan Kenobi, I would love to hear a version of this with a Ricardo Montalban voice. He really cannot be equaled. Even Benedict Cumberbatch failed.

Cumberbatch sounded like an A.I. chatbot if it went evil.

Cumberbatch was the most racist casting ever.

Many things make that movie suck, but that casting is at the top of the list.

I’m genuinely surprised that this isn’t discussed more. The way they whitewashed the character was galling.

Agreed. And the entire Khan debacle is why JJ Abrams should stay faaaaaar away from doing Star Trek ever again. This was a guy, I know it’s crazy to imagine this now, that many fans were truly excited for to be making Star Trek because they oddly believed he was a huge TOS fan and if anyone could get stay true to canon, it was him. Instead he took one of Trek’s most iconic characters, one of the very few even non fans may have heard of and just took a huge dump on him. Just did not remotely care, simply wanted the name ‘Khan’ in the movie. And that’s literally all we got, his name, because that ‘character’ could’ve been anybody else…or it should have been.

It is still one of the most tone deaf castings in movie history a decade later.

Along with Chuck Connors as Geronimo.

Benico Del Toro or Javier Bardem wouldve been ‘excellent’ casting (unfortunately Bardem had signed up to play a similar character for Skyfall around the same time, and they wouldn’t pay BDT his asking price) Antonio Bandarus wouldve been good (but possibly too old) , and I wonder if even Johnny Depp would’ve considered it? (obviously too expensive and in demand back then, but it’d have been a change for him to be a villain and get pumped up etc, and he’s probably a ToS fan)

Alternatively once they couldn’t get a suitable actor they couldve simply changed ‘Khan’ to a random augment (Joachim?) and had Cumberbatch play that. and then the big reveal he’s been trying to free Khan who’d be hidden away in a s31 secret base (we’d see CGI 1966 Montalban as Khan at the end in a cryopod)..but then maybe that would’ve all been too ‘deep dive’ for audiences idk

My first thought when I read this was “Oh, I hope they get Benedict Cumberbatch to voice Khan again….joking, of course.

Well, let’s face it, Cumberbatch was cast in large part because he was the flavor of the month at the time. It’s not like there aren’t a ton of great voice actors they could use for this particular project.

But we’ll never know if actors like James Earl Jones and Ricardo Montalban can’t be equaled if we don’t give other actors a bloody chance to work at it. Emphasis on work. You know? Earning a living. Getting ahead. Having a career. A human career that we as fans can follow and support.

The one thing I’m glad about, is they didn’t try to have him match Montalban. There was no good way to do that after casting Cumberbatch. As much as I disagree with how that character was written and portrayed in that film, it would have been a bigger disaster to have someone try to imitate. I prefer to let Montalban’s performance stand on its own. Vader’s voice is its own thing.. it was always a voice over. But for an audio book / podcast / radio play.. I’m just not sure how I’ll feel hearing his voice because it might be a distraction? but I have to admit, if there is a reason to do it, maybe that’s the only format it could work in.

I love how everyone is concerned with Vader’s voice when only David Prowse brought Vader his stature, his height, his might and awesomeness. Not Hayden who wasn’t tall enough or imposing. Yes James Earl brought the finishing touches. He was the voice.

The man in the suit is not much concern because it’s still… a man in a suit.

Eh…sounds good.

If not LIVE ACTION, then an animated movie or mini-series would have been welcome ( think of some the animation studios producing work for Netflix and suchlike ).

A missed opprtunity methinks.

It was originally written as a miniseries, but that plan died when Discovery went into a nosedive and Meyer and the rest of the original writers got ousted.

This is Ceti Alpha V!

Six months in it’s going to get a bit monotonous, no?

I’m curious if the recent retcon of Khan (hah!) will play into this at all.

Sandblasted white, maybe?

Yikes I hope not. I was more referring to the fact that Khan was now born in 2014 or so rather than the 1990’s.

I have to repeat what is one of my favorite lines from all of Star Trek: “And this was all supposed to happen in 1992!” If you’re not a real Trekkie, you just won’t get that one. The way the Romulan assassin is in the middle of a rant when she gets to that, shrieking by that point, just makes it more perfect.

(I think my all time favorite line is from T’Ana: “Hey! Migleemo! Read the f***in’ SIGN!”)

Lest you be mistaken, I do not only know the newer versions of Trek.

Same. The writers failed to understand that this wasn’t needed. Star Trek’s History is not our history. It’s a fictional world, and doesn’t need to be shoehorned into ours.

Altman and Gross did a book on the history of the Bond films and I was fascinated to read Meyer’s account of his involvement on TOMORROW NEVER DIES. He was part of a writer’s room, but then delivered pages that took the idea in a direction nobody else could stomach, and when he defended it on the grounds that ‘you pay me to deliver genius,’ ms. Broccoli really cut him down to size and sent him packing. I have to say, I loved his idea — that the villain was going to orchestrate a war between China and India with the main goal being to reduce overpopulation in the world, and that he apparently succeeds in winning Bond to this cause as a humanitarian effort. It’s actually not too far from part of a Bond idea I’ve been writing on sporadically for the last year and a half (not that I think I’ll have a chance to present it.)

What’s weird is that Meyer’s premise about overpopulation would never play in today’s political climate. Even given that we have more people than ever before, and no real understanding of our planet’s carrying capacity, the fears about overpopulation seem to have been replaced by those about demographics, where there won’t be enough consumers and taxpayers to support us old folks and keep civilization running.

Wow, you’re totally right. Of course that might make it work better for a Bond villain, because it wouldn’t seem a popular or trendy choice so much as a far-thinking necessary one.

Meyer’s conceit is that the guy would do the usual trying to kill Bond 11 different ways before saying, that was all a test to see if you were good enough to become my guy in trying to save the world, and Bond would seem to go along with it for a time while I guess eventually routing the guy from within the organization, a la LICENCE TO KILL.

Bond films try to stay apolitical (outside of LIVING DAYLIGHT’s fling with taliban-esque forces, something Rambo also fell prey to back when certain seemingly lost causes had a romantic feel to them), but if this baddie was today trying to say we should be limiting the consumers and taxpayers to make sure this brand of civilization does NOT continue, that might make for a bold-ass statement.

My Bond story, such as it is, makes introducing a new Bond a feature and exists in pieces, where I’ve got, in my humble opinion, an amazing first 12 pages (pre-title-sequence and first scenes) that could work as a period piece or contemporary (just by varying the gadgets, like aerial mines for period and programmable drones a la INSURRECTION if contemporary), two different possible finales (one inspired by the novel DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER’s train climax, a sequence that in my mind would absolutely require the ‘007 theme’ — as opposed to ‘The James Bond Theme’, a tune that hasn’t turned up in the films since an anemic version dribbled out in MOONRAKER) and the idea that the main antagonist would have a kind of Lord Summerisle / WICKER MAN presence, which would justify including something like the Blofeld ‘Disneyland of Death’ garden in the YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE novel, something Eon has been thinking about using for years but still hasn’t really gone there. I even manage to work in P aymaster Troop, who is mentioned once or twice in the novels as the office nuisance at BritIntel, mainly so I can have Bond make a throwaway line about how he never, in the office or the field, ever makes a point of wanting to mind his Ps and Qs.

I don’t think I’ve ever been so hooked by a notion that has no practical way forward, not since the early 90s when I felt compelled to come up with a pre-FIREFLY FIREFLY-esque universe, but that was back when I was still trying to make zero-budget films myself. I’ve never been into fanfiction, writing or reading, but I guess that is what this amounts to. Might just post it on a Bond fan site in partial form, because I can’t see any other way to get it noticed, and since the work thus far is something I feel strongly about, it differs from some of my other scripting tries, like TNG specs, where I wasn’t even all that personally attached to my own writing.

edit addon: apropos of nothing at all, I just read that JUGGERNAUT is finally coming out on blu-ray, which made me think back to the first time I heard the title as a teen, when I figured it ought to be the name of a Russ Meyer movie about big-breasted astronauts. Don’t know how that notion slipped through the cracks of history.

Well, it seems to me that the message of SKYFALL as enunciated by Madame Densch was in fact pretty damned political: those we entrust with our safety sometimes have to operate in some pretty dicey gray areas to get the job done, and we’d best leave them to it if we know what’s good for us. Which, I suppose, has the ring of truth about it, like all the best lies.

(And I know SKYFALL may not even count as Bond for you as you despise the Craig movies. I don’t, but I’m not a Bond-o-phile, so it’s not a big deal to me either way.)

The fact I don’t even remember her saying that gives some idea about how little regard I have for SKYFALL (along with NO TIME TO DIE and probably SPECTRE and CASINO, movies I will almost certainly never see again — and it isn’t just Craig, as I’d have VIEW TO A KILL and TOMORROW NEVER DIES on that list as well) but I have to concede that it sounds like you have a valid point.

As much as I’m anti-prequel these days, particularly with Star Trek, I’d make an exception for this to be done in live action. Mostly because Meyer is involved. I’ll take whatever we get, but to think this got shelved over the dreck that Secret Hideout is making is actually shocking.

“Whatever timeline we had went out the window some months ago.”

I wonder if he’s just referring to the strikes or if maybe this project is being re-assessed as part of the belt-tightening going on in the streaming world.

The strikes. Some re-assessment, sure, but if CA5 wasn’t alive he wouldn’t have talked publically about it.

That is awesome! The Star Wars franchise has had some phenomenal audio dramas, but the Star Trek universe has unfortunately few entries in the radio play genre, despite immense potential there. I’d love to finally have Star Trek break into the audio drama realm!

Nicholas Meyer is one of the nicest, most talented people I have ever met and I am so glad that he is doing more Star Trek.

this is never coming out…

“ Alex Kurtzman made an interesting suggestion to me. He said, ‘I wonder what happened during those 15 years’ that Khan was marooned or exiled or transplanted, take your pick, to Ceti Alpha V, which was at the time of flourishing planet.”

– this statement is why I don’t buy Kurtzman as being the Dave Filoni-esque uber fan to run the franchise. We already know the answer to that question via two pretty well-known books….sigh. This isn’t to say I’m not looking forward to seeing what Meyer has come up with but it’s annoying when people run around saying ‘oh I’m such a huge fan, put me in charge’

let’s be honest, 99% of the fanbase has never read those books or any other Trek books.

The vast majority of the fanbase only watches the shows and movies

I count myself as never read a Star Trek book in my life even though I been a fan since the 70s. I’ve only read one comic book series and that was the Picard Countdown comic book because I was so excited to know what was happening in the 24th century by that time.

The only books of interest to me in the early years of TOS on network and early syndication (having been a “fan” since before the airing of The Man Trap on NBC) were the Blish LOG books, just to refresh my teenage memory of the episodes I had already seen.

PS: Before The Man Trap? Yes, I was hooked from catching the promo ads before the premiere on NBC.

I’m currently rereading the Greg Cox novel To Reign in Hell (detailing the Ceti Alpha V years) and its really good, the IDW comic version is fun too.

That’s beta cannon. “pretty well known” trek books doesn’t mean much. There are entire live action shows and movies some people have never heard of.

The irony to your point is a lot of Star Wars fans have criticized Dave Filoni because he apparently ignores or just overwrites all the books and comics to fit his own stories too.

Lucasfilm’s fault for their marketing speak that all the Disney era tie in fiction is canon. When everyone knows the tv series and movies are not beholden to some comic, video game or book. I mean they didn’t care for the rules of the Star Wars universe going back to Force Awakens, why bother with canon. JJ didn’t care and Rian didn’t care. I think Dave actually does for the most part, he has reverence for George.

I am very curious about the radio play format, but I think this could well be a movie for streaming, following Section 31. (By the way, those two are the Trek projects from Alex that seemed to be stuck forever in development hell. S31 is now moving forward, in a new format. Here’s for Ceti Alpha V following suit!

Agreed. As with Sec 31, I wouldn’t be interested in a series about CAV, but a film would be just fine.

Terry Matalas actually explained in an interview he was originally suppose to be the one to make Ceti Alpha V as a show runner. But when they decided to do Picard, it was cancelled because they simply didn’t have the money for both. And it was not even a question which one the fanbase would be more excited for so that one got cut.

My guess that literally happened with Section 31 and was basically cancelled when SNW became a thing and they only had enough money to do one of them. The better, more popular idea just won out.

And it proves while we’re getting more Star Trek today, it’s not infinite either. It’s probably the same reason we’re not getting a Legacy show (yet) since SFA was already being developed and that’s probably much cheaper to make. But Section 31 is probably only happening as a TV movie because Yeoh has been pushing for it, but it’s better than nothing. And it gives both people who wanted more Georgiou (and the people who didn’t) a good compromise.

They really could take inspiration from Big Finish Production’s Doctor Who audio dramas and partner with them or someone similar to go all in on audio dramas/radio plays for Star Trek. Paramount could raise the profile by officially putting their stamp of approval on it and making the stories canon, although that wouldn’t necessarily be needed. I do think it would raise the profile of the productions, though.

They could be promoted through their socials. I listened to a series of audio dramas on SiriusXM a while back involving Marvel Comics and their Wastelanders interconnected stories. They were internally consistent with each other, so those stories were their own continuity. Paramount could do something similar with ST stories.

I think Department of Temporal Investigations would be a great topic for a series of audio dramas. With time travel, they have the option of not only new characters, but also visiting known characters who could guest for an episode or three.

I think a podcast is beneath him. I’d rather see the man who directed Time After Time, STII, STVI, and The Day After, writing and directing a Star Trek streaming movie or mini series.

It sounds like they don’t want him anywhere near live action Trek again. He was unceremoniously booted off Discovery after just one year (but yet Michelle Paradise, worst Trek show runner ever, manages to keep her job for three seasons) and he wrote a Trek movie two years ago and even pitched it to Paramount and they never called him back.

Fans have to accept while many still see Meyer as the darling of Star Trek the studio seems to think his days are far over.

And while a podcast isn’t exactly top tier filmmaking, you’re still going to be able to at least hear the story he directly wrote, the first since TUC. Just think of it more as an audiobook. Come to think of it, maybe they should consider making it into a novel as well.

Yes it’s quite unfortunate that the studio has chosen the flagrantly incompetents to head the franchise while the talented people are ostracized. Michelle Paradise being a prime example of in with the bad, out with the good. That’s what happens when TPTB are too cowardly to stand against the tide of social media hysterics and opt to please the screaming hordes instead.

That’s what happens when TPTB are too cowardly to stand against the tide of social media hysterics and opt to please the screaming hordes instead.

Sorry but that’s nonsense. There was never social media hysterics asking for Nick Meyer to be removed from Discovery. Nor was there ever social media hysterics asking for Michelle Paradise to work on the show. Actually, if TPTB were “opting to please the screaming hordes” as you claim, Paradise should have been fired years ago.

My post went over your head. Forget it.

has anybody ever heard her account of the experience? Could call it THIS SIDE OF PARADISE.

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20 best episodes of star trek in tv history, ranked.

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Every Soong Character Brent Spiner Plays In Star Trek

Star trek guest star had 1 big problem with cardassian role on ds9, a ds9 classic sisko episode owes a weird debt to batman.

• The best Star Trek episodes balance social messaging with entertaining genres like comedy, horror, and romance.
• "Far Beyond the Stars" reflects on Star Trek's power to change societal attitudes about racial equality.
• "Darmok" is a profound story about communication and cultural connection.

With hundreds of episodes across 11 different TV shows, it's a tall order to pick just 20 of the best Star Trek episodes of all time. For almost 60 years, the Star Trek franchise has held a mirror to contemporary society with powerful stories that challenge audiences to do better. While that approach can sometimes run the risk of being too worthy, the best episodes of every Star Trek TV show strike a perfect balance between social messaging and populist entertainment.

Indeed, the Star Trek franchise's secret weapon is that the format enables writers to tell stories from a variety of genres, which is one of many reasons why Gene Roddenberry's vision endures to this day. The best episodes of Star Trek can be mini-movies, outlandish comedies, horror stories, or doomed romances. Across all these disparate genres, Star Trek 's best episodes are defined by a hopeful vision for the future, and a message of peace, love, and understanding between alien cultures.

The Complete Star Trek Timeline Explained

From James T. Kirk to Jean-Luc Picard, from Kathryn Janeway to Michael Burnham, we're breaking down the full chronological timeline of Star Trek.

20 "Species Ten-C"

Star trek: discovery, season 4, episode 12.

Star Trek: Discovery often struggled to live up to its potential, but "Species Ten-C" is one of its finest hours . Star Trek is at its best when it's about the lead characters trying to form a connection with strange new life. This is particularly apparent in "Species Ten-C" in which the USS Discovery go beyond the Galactic Barrier to negotiate with the enigmatic aliens behind the Dark Matter Anomaly. Heavily riffing on Denis Villeneuve's 2016 movie Arrival , the scenes where Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) try to piece together the mystery of Species Ten-C are compuslive viewing.

Star Trek: Discovery

*Availability in US

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Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.

Star Trek: Discovery was never tired of telling people to " connect " with each other, but it has actual meaning in "Species Ten-C". It's only by finding a common language that the USS Discovery crew can avert a catastrophe. As an hour of TV, "Species Ten-C" is the perfect distillation of Discovery 's strengths, and adds one of the strangest ever alien creations to the Star Trek canon.

19 "Year of Hell"

Star trek: voyager, season 4, episodes 8 & 9.

"Year of Hell" puts the crew of the USS Voyager through the wringer in ways that the franchise had never done before . Pitted against the tyrannical temporal scientist Anorax (one of Kurtwood Smith's four Star Trek roles ), Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and the crew of Voyager are pushed to the very brink. The time travel elements of "Year of Hell" mean that audiences know none of the damage done to characters like Lt. Tuvok (Tim Russ) will be permanent, but the strength of the performances means that the anguish still feels real.

Star Trek: Voyager

The fifth entry in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Voyager, is a sci-fi series that sees the crew of the USS Voyager on a long journey back to their home after finding themselves stranded at the far ends of the Milky Way Galaxy. Led by Captain Kathryn Janeway, the series follows the crew as they embark through truly uncharted areas of space, with new species, friends, foes, and mysteries to solve as they wrestle with the politics of a crew in a situation they've never faced before. 

"Year of Hell" is a grueling Star Trek: Voyager movie that gets to answer the question of what happens when our heroes lose. With such a high death toll, and impossibly high stakes for the entire space-time continuum, it's one of the more ambitious of Voyager 's two-parters. It's not the sort of thing that fans want from a Star Trek show every week, but for a two-part epic, it really works and gives the Voyager cast a chance to flex their acting muscles.

18 "Those Old Scientists"

Star trek: strange new worlds, season 2, episode 7.

At its core, "Those Old Scientists" is a joyous celebration of what it means to be a Star Trek fan . Transporting Ensigns Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Mariner (Tawny Newsome) to the 23rd century version of the starship Enterprise allows Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to explore the idea of fandom and legacy. In the wrong hands, Boimler and Mariner's hero worship of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and his crew would be grating, but writers Bill Wolkoff and Kathryn Lyn never lose sight of how that impacts the Strange New Worlds characters.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

A spin-off of Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a television series that takes place before the events of the original series and follows Captain Christopher Pike as he mans the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise. The show focuses on this previous crew of the Enterprise as they explore the galaxy with returning characters from Discovery.

"Those Old Scientists" is a warm and funny treatise on what it means to meet one's heroes. One of the best scenes in the episode is the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds characters' recognizing their own heroes, a joyous way to honor the legacy of previous Starfleet legends. "Those Old Scientists" is warm, funny, and has a touching story to tell about legacy and the pressures of living up to the expectations of others. It's also packed full of jokes that reward multiple rewatches, making it an instant classic.

17 "The Trouble With Tribbles"

Star trek: the original series, season 2, episode 15.

Occasionally, and generally to its detriment, Star Trek forgets that it's allowed to be funny. There's a long tradition of the Star Trek comedy episode that begins with David Gerrold's "The Trouble With Tribbles" back in 1967. The classic Star Trek: The Original Series episode finds Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) dealing with a grain crisis. While that sounds painfully dull, Gerrold's script introduces the Tribbles, cute fluffy aliens that breed incessantly. So embedded in the cultural zeitgeist is "The Trouble with Tribbles" that it surely inspired the plot of Joe Dante's Gremlins .

Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek: The Original Series follows the exploits of the crew of the USS Enterprise. On a five-year mission to explore uncharted space, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) must trust his crew - Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Forest DeKelley), Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (James Doohan), Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Sulu (George Takei) - with his life. Facing previously undiscovered life forms and civilizations and representing humanity among the stars on behalf of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, the Enterprise regularly comes up against impossible odds and diplomatic dilemmas.

"The Trouble With Tribbles" doesn't have the thematic heft or dramatic stakes of other classic Star Trek episodes, but its cultural impact transcends all of that. David Gerrold's classic comedy is one of a handful of Star Trek episodes that has entered the popular imagination , breaking through into wider cultural conversations. Almost everyone knows what a Tribble is, even if they couldn't point to Sherman's planet on a star chart.

Star Trek: Discovery Explains Season 5’s Tribble Is Not A Threat

A Tribble was sighted aboard the USS Discovery, which should be alarming, but Star Trek: Discovery season 5 explains this Tribble is no trouble.

16 "Lower Decks"

Star trek: the next generation, season 7, episode 15.

"Lower Decks" is one of the standout episodes in Star Trek: The Next Generation 's final season . As well as inspiring Mike McMahan's Star Trek: Lower Decks , the episode also provides a new perspective on TNG 's cast of characters , courtesy of the USS Enterprise-D's lower deckers. Centering on a group of lowly ensigns, "Lower Decks" reveals the harsh realities of what it means to be a Starfleet officer. By allowing an audience to get to know Ensign Sito Jaxa (Shannon Fill) before she is brutally killed by the Cardassians, TNG puts the old redshirt trope to bed once and for all.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation is the third installment in the sci-fi franchise and follows the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew members of the USS Enterprise. Set around one hundred years after the original series, Picard and his crew travel through the galaxy in largely self-contained episodes exploring the crew dynamics and their own political discourse. The series also had several overarching plots that would develop over the course of the isolated episodes, with four films released in tandem with the series to further some of these story elements.

The lack of the series regulars in "Lower Decks" may put people off, but in reducing their presence, the episode gets to provide an outsider's perspective . Audiences love Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) but to the officers that serve under him, he can sometimes be a cruel taskmaster. Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) may be a stoic Klingon warrior, but his mentorship of Ensign Sito allows him to show his vulnerable side. The final scene where Worf lets his guard down and shares a drink with the Lower Deckers is profoundly moving. It's the perfect way to keep the characters fresh in TNG 's home stretch.

15 "Scorpion"

Star trek: voyager, season 3, episode 26 & season 4, episode 1.

There are a lot better Star Trek episodes that deal with the difficult decisions faced by a Starfleet captain than "Scorpion". However, Star Trek: Voyager 's season 3 finale is the closest the show ever got to recapturing the thrill of watching Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "The Best of Both Worlds" . "Scorpion" is a hugely important two-parter in the development of Voyager , as it introduces the groundbreaking Species 8472 villains and debuted Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine. While Seven would endure far longer than Species 8472, they were still a landmark Star Trek creation.

"Scorpion" is a great Star Trek episode because it reveals that the franchise's heroes are fallible and capable of making mistakes . Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) makes a deal with the Borg Collective, because she understandably believes that Species 8472 pose a huge threat to the galaxy. The rug pull that Species 8472 were simply defending themselves is devastating and defines Janeway's mission going forward, as she seeks to atone for her mistake by ultimately bringing the Borg Collective to their knees.

9 Versions Of The Borg In Star Trek

So many versions of the Borg Collective exist in Star Trek, from TNG's original cybernetic villains to Voyager's offshoots and Picard's revivals.

14 "The Last Generation"

Star trek: picard, season 3, episode 10.

Star Trek: Picard 's finale was the final Star Trek: The Next Generation movie that the cast deserved, a fitting send-off that brought their characters' stories to a satisfying conclusion. "The Last Generation" is bigger than any Star Trek finale before or since ; an apocalyptic battle for survival that ultimately boils down to a father's love for his son. While Admiral Janeway weakened the Borg in the Star Trek: Voyager finale, it's only right that Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) gets to finish the job, resolving his decades-old trauma in the process.

Star Trek: Picard

After starring in Star Trek: The Next Generation for seven seasons and various other Star Trek projects, Patrick Stewart is back as Jean-Luc Picard. Star Trek: Picard focuses on a retired Picard who is living on his family vineyard as he struggles to cope with the death of Data and the destruction of Romulus. But before too long, Picard is pulled back into the action. The series also brings back fan-favorite characters from the Star Trek franchise, such as Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), Worf (Michael Dorn), and William Riker (Jonathan Frakes).

"The Last Generation" is everything fans could want from a final Star Trek: The Next Generation movie . There's the strong familial bond between Picard and his crew, thrilling action sequences such as the Enterprise's flight through an exploding Borg Cube, bags of humor and wit, and a handover to the Next Generation 's next generation. The only reason that Star Trek: Picard 's finale isn't higher on the list is that, as the conclusion of a ten-part story, it lacks the standalone appeal of other classic Star Trek episodes.

13 "Living Witness"

Star trek: voyager, season 4, episode 23.

"Living Witness" is an inventive episode of Star Trek: Voyager that brilliantly questions the role of Starfleet in the Delta Quadrant . Awakening in a museum in the far-future, the Doctor (Robert Picardo) is horrified to discover that the history of Voyager doesn't reflect his own experiences. "Living Witness" is an incredibly smart Star Trek episode about how unreliable narrators shape our understanding of history. Although "Living Witness" is a star vehicle for Robert Picardo, the rest of the Star Trek: Voyager cast also get their chances to shine.

"Living Witness" was the only episode of Star Trek: Voyager to be directed by Tuvok actor Tim Russ.

Star Trek: Voyager could sometimes take itself too seriously, so it's refreshing to see the cast let their hair down and play exaggerated versions of their characters. The comedy inherent in these exaggerations helps to emphasize the inaccuracies created by a lack of rigorous historical research. "Living Witness" is a classic Star Trek episode that uses a brilliant sci-fi concept - the futuristic museum - to discuss a huge philosophical point about understanding the past.

Star Trek: Voyager’s 15 Best Doctor Episodes

Star Trek: Voyager's holographic Doctor was one of the series' most popular characters, with a cadre of stellar episodes focusing on him.

12 "The Devil in the Dark"

Star trek: the original series, season 1, episode 25.

Nothing quite sums up the core ethos of Gene Roddenberry's vision like Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, episode 25, "The Devil in the Dark." An episode about the importance of not judging other species by appearances, "The Devil in the Dark" is remarkable for making an audience care about a pile of rocks. It's testament to the power of Leonard Nimoy's performance as Spock that the scene where he mind melds with the Horta doesn't feel remotely ridiculous .

"The Devil in the Dark" has the dubious honor of being the only Star Trek episode that has no female speaking parts, something that Gene Roddenberry noted in a letter to writer Gene Coon after he reviewed the episode.

"The Devil in the Dark" establishes many elements that would go on to become Star Trek tropes in the decades that followed. From setting the framework for Star Trek episodes set in caves to the central idea of seeing beyond appearances to discover the emotional truth of apparent foes, "The Devil in the Dark" cements much of the franchise's core ethos. It's also a tremendous showcase for William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and DeForest Kelley as Kirk, Spock, and McCoy.

11 "The Measure Of A Man"

Star trek: the next generation, season 2, episode 9.

After a bumpy first season, "The Measure of a Man" is when Star Trek: The Next Generation starts to come into its own. An early showcase of Brent Spiner's abilities as an actor, "The Measure of a Man" puts the focus on Data, as he's forced to fight for his individuality. A hugely influential episode, Data's fight for his rights would later be echoed in the struggle of Star Trek: Voyager 's Doctor and Seven of Nine's battle to be accepted by Starfleet. Tackling huge themes like individuality, and what it means to be human, "The Measure of a Man" is a classic Star Trek morality play .

Writer Melinda Snodgrass was an attorney, and she used her experiences in the legal profession to write "The Measure of a Man".

Fighting Starfleet's desire to study Data's android body in more detail is Captain Picard, which gives Patrick Stewart an incredible opportunity. The courtroom setting is perfect for Stewart's background on the stage, and he appears to relish the opportunity to deliver big speeches about humanity. The central performances and philosophical questions are just two of many reasons that "The Measure of a Man" continues to be so influential on Star Trek .

Besides playing Data and all of his siblings in Star Trek, Brent Spiner portrayed the android's creator as well as various other Soongs in history.

10 "Balance of Terror"

Star trek: the original series, season 1, episode 14.

Another hugely influential Star Trek episode is "Balance of Terror", which had a considerable bearing on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1. One of Captain Kirk's best episodes , "Balance of Terror" depicts a Starfleet vessel facing off against a Romulan Bird-of-Prey for the first time in a century. While "Balance of Terror" rightly gets plaudits for its tense submarine movie-style atmosphere, there's also much richer material in this classic Star Trek episode.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' season 1 finale, "A Quality of Mercy" replayed the events of "Balance of Terror" but with Captain Pike in command of the USS Enterprise.

"Balance of Terror" also has an astute point to make about prejudice and racism, as some Enterprise crew members let their historic hatred of Romulans impact their relationship with Spock. This would have been particularly pertinent in the decades following World War 2, and is still relevant now. Not only that, but while Star Trek: The Original Series had a reputation for its disposable "redshirt" characters, "Balance of Terror" kills off a minor character and gives the death some genuine dramatic heft.

9 "Duet"

Star trek: deep space nine, season 1, episode 19.

An early indicator of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's promise, "Duet" is a powerful two-hander between Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) and a suspected Cardassian war criminal, played by Harris Yulin. Kira's determination to prove that Aamin Marritza is actually Gul Darhe'el is compellingly played by Nana Visitor, and Harris Yulin proves to be an incredible foil. The moment where he tells Major Kira that for him, genocide is " a day's work " is utterly chilling.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.

"Duet" is one of Major Kira's best DS9 episodes , but it's also demonstrable of what made Star Trek: Deep Space Nine so unique. There was a darker tone to DS9 's treatment of morality, and Marritza's motivations for pretending to be Gul Darhee'l are fascinating to pick apart. "Duet" is a powerful statement about the need to punish war criminals, and whether true justice can ever be found for historical horrors.

Harris Yulin played Cardassian Aamin Marritza in one of DS9's best early episodes, "Duet", but there was 1 problem Yulin had with his Star Trek role.

8 "Yesterday's Enterprise"

Star trek: the next generation, season 3, episode 15.

"Yesterday's Enterprise" is an incredible episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that takes place in an alternate timeline where the Federation is still at war with the Klingon Empire. TNG never did a Mirror Universe episode , so this is the closest that they come to giving audiences the USS Enterprise-D's darkest timeline. The cause of the timeline being changed is the disappearance of the USS Enterprise-C, commanded by Captain Rachel Garrett (Tricia O'Neill). The Enterprise-C was supposed to be destroyed above a Klingon colony, proving to the Empire that the Federation fought with honor.

A younger Rachel Garrett, played by Kacey Rohl, will appear in the upcoming Star Trek: Section 31 movie on Paramount+.

"Yesterday's Enterprise" is an episode about destiny and personal sacrifice that also gives Denise Crosby's Lt. Tasha Yar a more meaningful death . By accepting their fate and returning through the temporal anomaly, the crew of the USS Enterprise-C sacrifice themselves for the future peace of the galaxy. Sacrificing the needs of the one for the needs of the many; there's nothing more Star Trek than that.

7 "The Best of Both Worlds"

Star trek: the next generation, season 3, episode 26 & season 4, episode 1.

"The Best of Both Worlds" is the gold standard of Star Trek 's season finales, ending on the greatest cliffhanger of all time. Revealing the full extent of the Borg threat. "The Best of Both Worlds" assimilated Captain Jean-Luc Picard and turned him against his former crew. "The Best of Both Worlds" is widely regarded as the moment when Star Trek: The Next Generation finally escaped the shadow of TOS , and it's easy to see why. The blockbuster stakes are like nothing that Star Trek: The Original Series could have achieved .

Between parts 1 and 2, rumors emerged that Patrick Stewart would be leaving Star Trek: The Next Generation , which only helped to promote TNG 's season 4 premiere even further.

By establishing the high-stakes season finale, "The Best of Both Worlds" changed the game for the Star Trek franchise. While the resolution may not live up to the set-up of the first episode, the assimilation of Picard, and the Battle of Wolf 359 had a lasting impact on the Star Trek universe. The iconic cliffhanger ending, where Riker orders the Enterprise to fire on its former captain, continues to be influential to this day.

6 "In The Pale Moonlight"

Star trek: deep space nine, season 6, episode 19.

Some of the best episodes of Star Trek question the cost of maintaining the utopian ideals of Starfleet and the Federation . This is best realized in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "In the Pale Moonlight", which forces Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) to make a very tough call. At the height of DS9 's Dominion War , Sisko realizes that the Federation needs an ally like the Romulan Star Empire, and he'll stop at nothing to convince them to join the war effort.

"In the Pale Moonlight" was named after the quote from Tim Burton's Batman movie.

Sisko breaks several Starfleet regulations and actively engages in criminality in his attempts to convince the Romulans to join the Federation Alliance. However, Sisko's actions are done in pursuit of the greater good, proving that Gene Roddenberry's binary vision of a peaceful utopia is a great idea in theory, but doesn't always hold in practice. By upturning Star Trek 's core ethos, "In the Pale Moonlight" demonstrated how important it was to preserve Roddenberry's utopia by whatever means necessary .

One of the greatest Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes, "In The Pale Moonlight," owes its title to Tim Burton's 1989 Batman movie.

5 "The Visitor"

Star trek: deep space nine, season 4, episode 3.

More than any other Star Trek show, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine explored the realities of balancing family duty with a commitment to Starfleet. The most powerful depiction of family and fatherhood in all of Star Trek is "The Visitor" , which depicts an entire alternate timeline in which Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton) loses his father. While there's a strong sci-fi idea at its heart; a man scattered across time due to a temporal accident, "The Visitor" is really about the way that grief can take over our lives.

The balance of high-concept sci-fi with emotional realism in "The Visitor" is something that all the best Star Trek episodes aspire to, but rarely achieve.

Jake Sisko's obsession with answering the question of what happened to his father completely changes the course of his life. Jake turns his back on a promising career as a writer to pursue his father across time, building to a devastating sacrifice. The older Jake Sisko is the best of Tony Todd's Star Trek roles , as the actor responds beautifully to the script. The balance of high-concept sci-fi with emotional realism in "The Visitor" is something that all the best Star Trek episodes aspire to, but rarely achieve.

4 "The Inner Light"

Star trek: the next generation, season 5, episode 25.

"The Inner Light" is another Star Trek episode that beautifully balances a high-concept sci-fi idea with something deeply profound and human. Captain Picard's encounter with an alien probe allows him to live through the dying days of an extinct civilization as Kamin, a humble iron weaver on the planet Kataan. It's never made clear whether Kamin was a real person, or if he was an amalgam of experiences assigned to Picard. Whatever the truth, Picard's experiences as Kamin have a profound effect on him, represented by his Ressikan flute.

"The Inner Light" has so many layers to it, making it one of the most thematically rich episodes of Star Trek ​​​​​​​ of all time.

Kamin's ambiguity gets more compelling when rewatching "The Inner Light", because it casts doubts on Picard's assertions that he never wanted a family. If Kamin is a simulation specifically designed for Picard, then the iron weaver's loving family reflects something Jean-Luc felt he could never have . "The Inner Light" has so many layers to it, making it one of the most thematically rich episodes of Star Trek of all time.

3 "City on the Edge of Forever"

Star trek: the original series, season 1, episode 28.

"City on the Edge of Forever" is an astonishing episode of Star Trek: The Original Series that still holds up nearly 60 years later. It's a classic butterfly effect conundrum, with Kirk and Spock traveling back to 1930s America to stop Dr. McCoy changing the course of history. However, "City on the Edge of Forever" is so much deeper than that, as it quickly becomes a romantic tragedy. Joan Collins' Edith Keeler is the most important of Captain Kirk's love interests , because you genuinely believe in their romance.

"City on the Edge of Forever" is a romantic tragedy that taps into the unique responsibilities of being a Starfleet officer to heartbreaking effect.

So it's devastating when it becomes apparent that Kirk's love interest and the march of history are on a collision course with each other. The climax of "City on the Edge of Forever", when Kirk is forced to stop Bones from saving Edith's life, is devastating. Kirk's inability to look at the accident is an astute acting choice by William Shatner, who turns in one of his finest Star Trek performances. "City on the Edge of Forever" is a romantic tragedy that taps into the unique responsibilities of being a Starfleet officer to heartbreaking effect.

2 "Far Beyond The Stars"

Star trek: deep space nine, season 6, episode 13.

"Far Beyond the Stars" is a powerful depiction of racism that doesn't rely on the usual Star Trek allegories. Directed by Avery Brooks , Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's finest hour reflects on how far society has come since TOS tried to depict a racially diverse future, and how far it still needs to go to achieve it. "Far Beyond the Stars" doesn't shy away from racial slurs, or gut-wrenching violence to make the point that the dark days of segregation may be gone, but racist attitudes still persist.

It's often said that the past is another country, but in Star Trek terms, the racist 1950s are another planet for Captain Sisko.

In 2024, "Far Beyond the Stars" has lost none of its power, which says a lot about how far from reach Gene Roddenberry's utopia still is . It's often said that the past is another country, but in Star Trek terms, the racist 1950s are another planet for Captain Sisko. "Far Beyond the Stars" dispenses with the sci-fi allegories to give us an unblinking representation of racist violence in America's recent history, which proves that Star Trek 's message of acceptance and understanding is still as vital as ever.

1 "Darmok"

Star trek: the next generation, season 5, episode 2.

"Darmok" is the greatest episode of Star Trek of all time, because it's a profound mediation on communication and commonality. While it's technically a remake of Star Trek: The Original Series ' "Arena", retooled for Shakespearian actor Patrick Stewart, "Darmok" has much more to say about the need to find common ground. Star Trek always relies heavily on the universal translator technology, so "Darmok" flips that on its head by introducing the Tamarians, an alien species whose language doesn't reflect the universal dominance of American English .

The quest for deeper cultural understanding and relating to species that are unlike our own is pure Star Trek...

It's revealed that Star Trek 's Tamarians communicate via culturally specific metaphors. Therefore, Picard, Data, and Counselor Troi have to properly understand Tamarian culture to translate their language. The quest for deeper cultural understanding and relating to species that are unlike our own is pure Star Trek , which is why "Darmok" represents the franchise's finest hour in its near-60 year history.

All episodes of Star Trek are available to stream on Paramount+.

Den of Geek

Discovery Season 5 Just Brought Back a Lost Piece of Star Trek Voyager Canon

The Breen have really taken over Star Trek: Discovery at this point, which is why it might be time to revisit Deep Space Nine.

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This Star Trek: Discovery article contains spoilers.

Since its inception in 2017, Star Trek: Discovery has been compared to various aspects of the Star Trek franchise. But, perhaps the show it most closely resembles, at least tonally, is Deep Space Nine , the gritty ‘90s spin-off of The Next Generation . And, with its fifth and final season, it feels like Discovery knows it’s the Deep Space Nine of modern Trek , and has leaned into that feeling more than ever.

The series has also taken on the mantle of being the new DS9 by simply making a ton of references to that series, as well as continuing huge storylines from that series. In the 7th episode of season 5, “Erigah,” Discovery makes a ton of references to the breadth of the Trek canon, with a specific focus on DS9 . Here’s all the best easter eggs and shout-outs you might have missed.

The Return of Nhan 

At the top of the episode, we get the first appearance of Rachael Ancheril as Nhan since season 4 episode “Rubicon.” Nhan’s journey is unique within Star Trek , and Discovery specifically. Originally a part of the crew of the USS Enterprise under Pike, Nhan joined the Discovery in season 2 during the search for the Red Angel. She stayed with the crew when they jumped to the future in season 3, making her seemingly the only Enterprise crew member from the 23rd century who now lives in the 32nd century . Nhan is from Barzan II, a planet established in the TNG episode “The Price.”

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Dominion War Medical Research 

Culber says he’s doing a deep-dive into Dominion War medical research, in order to learn more about the Breen, noting, “We don’t know much about Breen physiology.” This is accurate since, although the Breen appeared for the first time in DS9 , they never took their helmets off in that series. Culber’s deep dive into Dominion War research is also interesting in light of Star Trek: Picard season 3. It was in that season that we learned Starfleet was secretly experimenting on Changelings. Did Culber stumble on any of that research?

“Never Turn Your Back on a Breen”

Reynar reminds President T’Rina of the Romulan saying, “Never turn your back on a Breen.” This comes from the DS9 episode “By Inferno’s Light,” and was uttered by an unnamed Romulan prisoner. Although T’Rina is seemingly Vulcan, the Vulcans and Romulans are essentially the same people in the time of Discovery . As revealed in season 3’s “Unification III,” all Vulcans and Romulans live together on the planet Ni’var, previously known as the planet Vulcan.

Breen Attack on the Federation 

In this episode, we’re reminded that “the last time the Breen paid a visit to the Federation, they destroyed an entire city.” This references the Deep Space Nine episode, “The Changing Face of Evil,” in which the Breen attack Starfleet Headquarters on Earth, directly, and nearly destroy all of San Francisco. Most of the city was rebuilt by the time of the Picard flashbacks in season 1 of that series, and certainly, is fully rebuilt by seasons 2 and 3 of Picard . But, it seems like the Federation has not had a direct battle with the Breen in Federation space since the DS9 era.

Tilly Is Worried About Her Cadets

In another reference to DS9 and “The Changing Face of Evil,” Tilly expresses concern about her cadets safety if the Breen attack Federation HQ. In the DS9 era, Starfleet Academy was still located in San Francisco, though now it’s at Fed HQ. That said, the upcoming show, Starfleet Academy , set in the Discovery timeline, will move the Academy back to Earth, and San Francisco.

We learn in this episode that the next piece of the Progenitor puzzle is a book called Labyrinths of the Mind , a Betazoid manuscript written by Dr. Marina Derex. “Marina” is almost certainly a reference to Marina Sirtis, the beloved actress who has played the half-Betazoid character Deanna Troi in all of The Next Generation and Picard , a few cameos on Voyager , and the Enterprise finale.

The book was also written in 2371, which is the same year that the USS Voyager left space station Deep Space 9 for the Badlands. It’s also the same year that Thomas Riker stole the USS Defiant from the same station. It’s also the year that the USS Enterprise-D crash-landed its saucer section on Veridian III in Star Trek Generations , which also means it’s the same year that a time-displaced Captain James T. Kirk was killed. Big year!

Seven of Limes 

Reno mentions a cocktail called “Seven of Limes.” This can only be a reference to Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), the former Borg drone turned Fenris Ranger and Starfleet Captain. Because Discovery is set several centuries beyond Picard Season 3, we can only assume that Reno and the crew now have knowledge of events well beyond the early 2400s.

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“A Holodeck Adventure for the Littles”

Reno jokes that the entire premise of the current clue—connected to a library card—makes everything sound like “something out of a holodeck adventure for the littles.” The most prominent holodeck adventure for children that we’re aware of in Trek canon is The Adventures of Flotter , which first appeared in the Voyager episode “Once Upon a Time.” In Picard season 1, Soji had a Flotter lunchbox.

The Badlands 

By the end of the episode, the Eternal Gallery’s location—and thus the location of the book  Labyrinths of the Mind —is revealed to be in the Badlands. This is an unstable area of space that was first mentioned in…you guessed it… Deep Space Nine ! Although the Badlands is most famous as the area where the USS Voyager went missing in its 1995 debut episode, “Caretaker,” the concept of the Badlands was introduced about a year earlier in 1994, during DS9’s second season, specifically in the episode “The Maquis Part 1.”

The Badlands is located near what used to be Cardassian space, so in its next episode, Discovery will literally be traveling directly to the neighborhood of Deep Space Nine . We have no idea if the wormhole is still there in this time period, or if that old station is still kicking. But, as Discovery continues to drop surprises in its final season, we can all keep our fingers crossed for a glimpse of a very special space station.

Ryan Britt is a longtime contributor to Den of Geek! He is also the author of three non-fiction books: the Star Trek pop history book PHASERS…

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In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets. In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets. In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.

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• Trivia In the hallways of the Enterprise there are tubes marked "GNDN." These initials stand for "goes nowhere does nothing."
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Dr. McCoy : "He's dead, Jim."

• Crazy credits On some episodes, the closing credits show a still that is actually from the Star Trek blooper reel. It is a close-up of stunt man Bill Blackburn who played an android in Return to Tomorrow (1968) , removing his latex make up. In the reel, He is shown taking it off, while an off-screen voice says "You wanted show business, you got it!"
• Alternate versions In 2006, CBS went back to the archives and created HD prints of every episode of the show. In addition to the new video transfer, they re-did all of the model shots and some matte paintings using CGI effects, and re-recorded the original theme song to clean it up. These "Enhanced" versions of the episodes aired on syndication and have been released on DVD and Blu-Ray.
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Star Trek needs less logic and more crying

Thankfully, Star Trek: Discovery is doing just that

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“Who do we want to be?”

Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) poses that question to the United Federation of Planets council at the climax of “… But to Connect,” the seventh episode of Star Trek: Discovery ’s fourth season. The council has convened to address the presence of a new species whose arrival in the galaxy has planet-destroying consequences, perhaps intentionally. Some council members consider an aggressive response, but Burnham urges diplomacy, recognizing a unique first contact opportunity.

Disagreements such as these are hardly new to Star Trek. In fact, the paradigmatic Star Trek scene involves a group of people peacefully debating possible complicated issues. But Discovery takes a decidedly unique approach to this trope. The camera glides around Burnham as she speaks, capturing every creased brow and pleading smile, underscoring her feelings even more than her words. Martin-Green pours herself into the moment, lowering her voice to a whisper when being sincere and raising it an octave when marshaling hope. She finishes the speech a near wreck, barely fighting back tears.

For its detractors, scenes like this are everything wrong with the series. Over its 3 ½ seasons, Discovery has established itself as the most openly emotional Star Trek series, in which characters talk about their trauma, give each other meaningful hugs, and shed tears in nearly every episode. Discovery explores pathos more thoroughly than any other series in the franchise. In doing so, it underscores an important aspect of humanity, one too often downplayed by the franchise.

Michael Burnham is hardly the first Trek character to shed tears on the final frontier. After all, who can forget William Shatner stifling a cry during Captain Kirk’s eulogy for Spock (Leonard Nimoy) in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan ?

Right from the start of Star Trek, Doctor McCoy (DeForest Kelley) was there at Kirk’s side, countering Spock’s cold logic with a passionate outburst. Many of the all-time best Star Trek episodes mine the emotional core of their characters, letting them be messy and human instead of demanding that they adhere to logic in every moment. The Deep Space Nine episode “ The Visitor ” captures the longing and joy Jake Sisko feels as he grows to an adult, only seeing his time-displaced father in short intervals every few years, while the bittersweet final moments in the life of George Kirk reverberate not only throughout 2009’s Star Trek , but all three reboot films.

But as powerful as these moments may be, Trek usually treats empathy as a challenge, a problem to overcome for the greater good. Take the classic episode “ The City on the Edge of Forever ”, in which a delusional McCoy disrupts the timestream, inadvertently preventing the death of social worker Edith Keeler, thus allowing her to found a humanitarian movement. But her work has the unintended consequence of delaying the U.S. entry into World War II, which allows the Nazis to kill far more people than they otherwise would have. As Spock describes it in his characteristically blunt manner, “Edith Keeler must die.”

To be sure, the death scene honors the pain and sorrow Kirk feels as he prevents McCoy from saving Keeler. But the message is clear: Because the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, Kirk’s emotions take a back seat to demands of logic.

Similar plots reoccur throughout the franchise, a fact that can be traced back to Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. Roddenberry imagined an ideal future for humanity , which had evolved past issues such as capitalism or racism and sexism. While Roddenberry didn’t explicitly outlaw emotion, he did reject plots that dealt with emotional issues, including interpersonal conflict, irrational responses to trauma, and grieving death. In a world where everyone could heal themselves and survive without struggle, he thought, logic would — and should — always win out.

Even when Trek series attend to the feelings, they either mishandle it or lose interest. As an empath and ship counselor, Deanna Troi seemed primed to fill the McCoy role on The Next Generation ( TNG ) , but the writers too often relegated her to describing other characters’ obvious feelings. By the time Voyager ’s Neelix matured from a manipulative coward into an empathetic morale officer, the show had turned its attention to hologram The Doctor and ex-Borg Seven of Nine. The same problem plagues Enterprise ’s genial Captain Archer, who was often overshadowed by the Vulcan T’Pol.

After Roddenberry died, the Star Trek shows were able to let emotions build up more throughout their shows. Deep Space Nine let its protagonists carry traumas and have romances. It even takes a nuanced look at the feelings associated with 20th-century racism (“ Far Beyond the Stars ”) and PTSD (“ It’s Only a Paper Moon ”).

The other three current ongoing Trek series each embrace emotion more consistently than their predecessors. Picard uses audience nostalgia for the title character as a contrast to Starfleet’s callous bureaucracy, while the young Delta Quadrant outcasts in Prodigy bubble over with childlike wonder as they become the crew of the abandoned USS Protostar. Lower Decks finds comedy not just in references to the goofier parts of Trek lore, but also in the foibles of its neurotic ensigns.

In each case, these series work precisely because it counters the franchise’s usual focus on logic over emotion. Picard becomes the principled leader that we know from TNG when he defies the Federation pragmatism to help synthetics by assembling a new crew. As much as Holographic Janeway tries to get the Prodigy kids in shape, the pleasure of the series comes from watching them learn how to make Starfleet regulations meaningful for themselves. Lower Deck s is funny precisely because its characters undercut the standard image of the constantly professional Starfleet officer. But because these series go in a new direction with its characters, they end up being exceptions that prove the rule. Picard’s rag-tag crew, the kids on the USS Protostar, and the Lower Decks goofballs indulge their feelings; members of the real, proper Starfleet do not.

Of the current ongoing Star Trek series, these “real, proper” Starfleet personnel can only be found on Discovery . And in many ways, the actions of Captain Burnham and her crew carry more weight than those of even Enterprise Captains Kirk or Picard, as the USS Discovery-A plays a central role in rebuilding the United Federation of Planets in the 32nd century. It’s a flagship vessel, both for the show and the greater series. Viewers have to take notice when Discovery breaks from the standard Star Trek portrayal of human emotion.

One of the clearest examples of the difference in Trek’s approach to emotional issues can be found in the season 2 TNG episode “ The Measure of a Man .” Taking the form of a courtroom drama, the episode centers around a debate about Commander Data’s personhood status, prompted when Starfleet defines him as mere property. Captain Picard argues for Data’s sentience, while Commander Riker has been ordered by Judge Advocate General Phillipa Louvois to contend that Data is property, fit for experimentation by Commander Bruce Maddox.

Unruly feelings abound: Riker feels guilty for prosecuting his crewmate, Picard and Phillipa Louvois have complicated feelings from a past romance, and Maddox has aspirations for his experiments. During the trial, Picard passionately states his case, with Patrick Stewart bringing Shakespearean gravitas to the speeches he delivers. “Starfleet was founded to seek out new life,” he declares in his booming baritone, pointing at Data; “ Well, there it sits! ”

But while Picard states his case lovingly and movingly, it’s a fundamentally logical argument that he wins with. If Starfleet defines life according to forms it knows and if Starfleet exists to seek out new forms of life, then it must alter its definition according to those new forms. Moreover, everyone involved must overcome their own emotions to accept Picard’s claim. Arguably the first great episode of TNG , “The Measure of a Man” chrystialized the focus on logic found in TOS and the early movies. From that episode forward, Trek would make explicit what was often implied: evolved humans do not use feelings to solve their problems.

The Discovery episode “ …But to Connect ” has clear parallels to “The Measure of a Man,” but the more recent episode emphasizes feelings over reason. Once again, the characters debate the distinction between personhood and property when Discovery’s computer Zora gains sentience, and Adira even echoes Picard when they call Zora an “entirely new lifeform.” But while there is certainly a logical structure to the various positions, director Lee Rose focuses on emotions. Arguing they should follow Starfleet protocol and put Zora into a new form, Stamets recounts the fear and mistrust he feels when she refuses a direct order from Captain Burnham to protect the crew. Contending that Zora should stay in Discovery, Adira and Gray relate their own feelings of rejection and acceptance for failing to fit social standards. Even Zora describes her affinity toward the crew and her worries for their safety.

In fact, Zora and her supporters win the debate not with a steel-tight syllogism, but with an ethos appeal. While investigating Zora’s memory structure, Adira finds a new section, which they identify as Zora’s subconscious. Within this field are images of Discovery ’s crew, connecting with and caring for one another. In part, this fact wins over Stamets and Kovich because the existence of a subconscious means that Zora cannot be considered artificial intelligence. But as the music and camera movements make clear, empathy for Zora drives Stamets’ decision.

For some of Discovery ’s critics, this plot resolves too easily, the equivalent of “hugging it out” instead of facing the issue (if they apply the same level of rigor to the fallacies in “The Measure of a Man”, I cannot say). But that reading misplaces the focus of the Zora debate. The goal of the debate isn’t to comb through legal proceedings, but to allow the participants to have their feelings recognized and validated. “It feels marvelous … Being seen,” Zora says after her official status is changed.

In these scenes, Discovery revises the utopian future that has always been at the heart of Star Trek. The humans of the future reach their best selves not by overcoming their emotions, but by recognizing them and caring for them, in themselves and others. Discovery insists that empathy is an effective way to seek out new life and new civilizations.

Michael Burnham asks the Federation council “Who do we want to be?” Discovery answers, boldly, firmly — and, yes, tearfully — “Fully human, both logical and emotional.”

Star Trek: Discovery tore itself apart for the good of Star Trek’s future

Star trek: discovery boldly goes where no trek has gone before by saying religion is... ok, actually, star trek: discovery is cracking open a box next gen closed on purpose.

Top 5 Most Terrifying Star Trek Episodes Ever, Ranked

T he iconic space station-centered series “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” provided a different setting compared to its predecessors, situated not on a vessel but on a station that orbited the planet Bajor, a world that has recently emerged from the clutches of the oppressive Cardassian occupation. Dublining as a repurposed Cardassian station formally known as Terok Nor, Deep Space Nine served as the backdrop for many thrilling narratives.

In the chilling season 5 installment titled “Empok Nor,” the DS9 crew faces a particularly harrowing ordeal as they require spare parts which are unavailable through typical Starfleet channels. Enter Chief Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney), who spearheads an expedition to salvage from the desolate sister station Empok Nor, enlisting the aid of Garak (Andrew Robinson), a Cardassian ally with enough savvy to deactivate the station’s numerous security measures. However, among the hazards are dormant Cardassian warriors.

Playing out akin to a classic horror film, “Empok Nor” thrusts its characters into the shadows of the facility’s narrow passages and dim ambiance (a logical consequence of the station’s power outage), methodically stalking and eliminating crew members in a fashion reminiscent of famed movie psychopaths such as Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees. The episodic trope of expendable Redshirts gains a new dimension of terror in this narrative, intertwining with familiar genre conventions.

The portrayal of Garak in “Empok Nor,” however, can be seen as the episode’s shortcoming. The narrative unusually positions him as an antagonist, attributing this turn to a substance designed to intensify their inherent xenophobia — effectively, a drug that instigates heightened racial intolerance. Garak’s antagonism is linked to previous interactions between O’Brien and the Cardassians, specifically referencing O’Brien’s combat experiences from “The Wounded,” an earlier “The Next Generation” episode. Despite this, O’Brien must strip away his peacetime persona and confront Garak in battle, echoing their peoples’ historical enmity. Regrettably, the episode doesn’t quite capitalize on Garak’s charismatic and enigmatic character as one might expect.

FAQs About Star Trek’s Horror Episodes

Which star trek series features the episode “empok nor”.

The episode “Empok Nor” is featured in “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” specifically in the fifth season.

What is the central plot technique used in the episode “Empok Nor”?

The episode leverages a horror motif, similar to a slasher film, creating tension and fear as characters navigate through the dimly lit and confined spaces of the abandoned station while being hunted.

Who leads the salvage mission in “Empok Nor”?

Chief Miles O’Brien, portrayed by Colm Meaney, leads the mission to salvage parts from Empok Nor.

Does the episode “Empok Nor” fit the typical Star Trek theme?

While Star Trek is known for its science fiction and exploration themes, “Empok Nor” demonstrates the series’ ability to delve into horror, expanding the scope of environments and scenarios within the Star Trek universe.

Is Garak usually portrayed as a villain in “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”?

Garak is generally characterized as a complex figure with ambiguous morals, rather than a straightforward villain. His role in “Empok Nor” as an antagonist is a divergence from his usual portrayal.

‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Costume Designer Breaks Down Wedding Outfits, Progenitors Looks and New Starfleet Uniforms

By Scott Mantz

Scott Mantz

• ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Costume Designer Breaks Down Wedding Outfits, Progenitors Looks and New Starfleet Uniforms 1 week ago
• ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Team Built a ‘Museum Quality’ Enterprise D to Make Things as ‘Cinematic as Possible’ 1 year ago
• How ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Resurrected an Iconic Set 1 year ago

After 65 episodes, “ Star Trek: Discovery ” boldly wrapped up its ambitious five-season run with “Life, Itself,” in which Captain Michael Burnham ( Sonequa Martin-Green) finally found the technology of the Progenitors that she and her crew had searched for, only to let it stay hidden after deeming that it too powerful to be in the hands of one civilization.

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After they were first introduced in a 1993 episode of “The Next Generation,” the Progenitors were finally revealed in “Life, Itself,” though with updated attire. As Tran explains, “I think costumes from the older shows look like they’re from the time from when the show originated, so our Progenitor had to feel a bit more ethereal. It became a lot about the materials we used, which had some metallic flax in it. That made it feel kind of amorphous, and the way it was cut was meant to be modern with a little cape, which also made it feel a little angelic. But the overall goal was just to make it feel as timeless as possible.”

As for the royal 32nd Century wedding between Saru and T’Rina, Tran found inspiration from another royal wedding, this one from the 20th Century. “My main reference point was Grace Kelly’s wedding to Prince Rainier. He was wearing his traditional thing, and then she came from Hollywood wearing her traditional thing.”

When it came to T’Rina’s wedding gown, which weighed 27 pounds, Tran went much further back into “Star Trek’s” past. “We looked at Vulcan weddings from ‘Star Trek’ canon. We looked at T’Pring times two. There’s T’Pring from ‘The Original Series’ [from the 1967 episode ‘Amok Time’] and there’s T’Pring from ‘Strange New Worlds’ [from the 2023 episode ‘Charades’]. In the ’60s show, there was a metallic trim that ran down her dress, and then a similar idea that was updated for “Strange New Worlds.”

Tran further explains, “We also looked at ‘Enterprise,’ where the character T’Pol also had a Vulcan wedding [in the 2004 episode ‘Home’]. She had a veil perched on her head, but our version is much more dramatic and sculptural, and we used tent wire to make it as big as possible. Otherwise, the dress was very much inspired by Grace Kelly’s wedding dress. It’s just the 32nd Century version of that mixed with Vulcan.”

Soon after filming wrapped on the fifth season in November of 2022, Tran got a call from “Discovery” showrunner Michelle Paradise. “She said that this is going to be our final season, but we’re coming back, and we’re shooting this coda that will flash forward to the future. I’m going to send you the script pages, and then you’ll get to work. I had a little over a month to prep for that.”

About a third of Tran’s 65-person wardrobe department returned for the coda, which was filmed over just three days in the spring of 2023. A new time frame meant new Starfleet uniforms for now-Admiral Michael Burnham and her son, Captain Leto. “You can’t alter the look of the uniforms too much, and you can’t really change the color,” says Tran. “You also can’t do much with the silhouette. The shape is what it is, so it became more about putting it together in a way that felt interesting.”

Tran did just that by drawing inspiration from the look of two classic “Star Trek” eras. “We really wanted to honor ‘Discovery,’ but we also wanted to pay tribute to the ‘Star Trek’ legacy as a whole, so I looked at other uniforms. One was from ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,’ those red uniforms. That was definitely the reference for Burnham, and we wanted it to be as bold as possible. We did two shades in our version. One is a darker shade, and there’s a lighter shade, just to give it some contrast, especially with the way we were sewing it.”

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