Space Seed is perhaps the best known episode of TOS. Fifteen years after this episode came out there would be a follow up: The Wrath of Khan. Of course when this episode was written there was no notion at all that this would happen.
One thing I really appreciate about TOS is that they do villains well. From the the Romulan Commander in ‘Balance of Terror’, to Kor, at the end of this season, and even the Gorn captain in ‘Arena’ it is never as simple as just someone being the bad guy. Khan is no exception.
Of course it helps that Khan is played by Ricardo Montalban who does a great job with this character. So without further ado lets get into the episode.
We get right into the action with the Enterprise coming across an Earth ship.
The ship is identified as SS Botany Bay. While Spock can’t find a record of the ship specifically he does know that the last one of this class was built in the 1990s.
Looking at this in 2023 (now 2024 because I am so slow) it is strange that they put such a specific date in the script. The invention of Stardates was supposed to hide what century we were in. This episode would suggest the 22nd century – other episodes suggest later – but eventually 2267 was settled on as the year of season 1. Star Trek is wildly inconsistent.
The landing party includes a new character Lieutenant McGivers – or, to borrow from Amanda Tapping, Lieutenant McUseless.
McGivers is the ship’s historian. I am not sure why the Enterprise would need an historian. It would seem Kirk agrees. He comments that this will be an opportunity for her to do some work and also he can’t remember her name.
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McGivers seems to spend most of her free time painting. She particularly likes painting powerful men from history.
This feels like an odd thing for a 23rd century woman to admire. Wouldn’t she see such men as barbaric? Today we might recognise the achievements but would not add reverence to that.
Take the British Empire for example.
George, the British Empire at present covers a quarter of the globe, while the German Empire consists of a small sausage factory in Tanganiki.
Blackadder (Blackadder Goes Forth)
Britain is a tiny country and yet it was once a global superpower. Notwithstanding the awful things we did that is an impressive achievement. However I don’t think many today would talk of the leaders of the Empire as something to aspire to. I should note that my knowledge of the British Empire is patchy at best. I know most about the Klingon Empire.
We get a nice character moment establishing Dr McCoy’s dislike of using the transporter. I always appreciate these little moments where characters talk and it is not integral to the plot.
Once aboard Scotty gets his moment. Growing up Scotty was always my favourite character in TOS. As I got older Spock became my favourite. Nevertheless I love Scotty’s enthusiasm for the ship. He wants to learn. And not because of duty or necessity but just to learn and that, to me, is a most admirable quality.
The Botany Bay is a sleeper ship. McGivers gives 2018 as the date where FLT, or at least faster ships, happened. So it may or may not be a retcon when, much later, we learnt of 2063 being the the date of Earth’s first warp flight
The systems of the vessel start to come on. McGivers is so distracted by Khan, immediately finding him attractive, that she barely hears Kirk’s questions. She does soon confirm that, on this type of ship, the leader would be awoken first. That way they can determine if the situation warrants waking the others.
Ten hours later…’He’s alive, Jim.”
Khan awakens and takes a scalpel off the wall. I believe this is the only episode where McCoy has a scalpel on the wall. Very convenient. Khan holds it to McCoy’s throat and grabs his neck. I love McCoy in this scene.
Well, either choke me or cut my throat. Make up your mind.
Doctor McCoy (Star Trek: the Original Series – Space Seed)
McCoy refuses to answer any questions until Khan releases him. He even goes so far as to tell Khan the best place to cut his throat. Khan stands down and clearly respects McCoy’s bravery.
Kirk comes to sickbay. He tells Khan that the rest of his people will not be revived till they reach starbase. I mention this because it is good to see caution being employed. All too often in Star Trek the characters blunder in and don’t take enough precautions.
The exposition in this episode is given out in small chunks so as not to be overwhelming. We learn a little more from Spock about the genetic engineering of the 20th century and perhaps the most important line of the episode.
Because the scientists overlooked one fact. Superior ability breeds superior ambition.
Spock (Star Trek: The Original Series – Space Seed)
It makes me wonder what a genetically engineered introvert would be like. My ambition is mostly to be left alone!
Lieutenant McGivers comes to visit Khan. However he is more interested in her hair than in talking about his ship and its mission.
Here I have a question. Was Khan actually interested in her or did he notice her attraction and realised he could use her to take over the ship? The answer could be both. I do find it interesting to think about. On the other hand, I think I have three hands at this point, he could just be trying to get rid of her.
McGivers suggests a formal dinner to welcome Khan to the, what I am going to call, the 23rd century. First Khan visits her in her quarters.
Khan is honoured to have been included in her paintings of dictators. Clearly McGivers already knows who he is. He kisses her and she responds. Apparently that is all it takes for her to betray her crew. Can you imagine Captain Sisko’s reaction if Eddington’s motivation had been because of some beautiful Marquis woman? I am getting ahead of myself. We are a long way off covering DS9.
The dinner scene is short. Spock is quickly able to get Khan to reveal himself as one of the dictators of 1990s Earth.
Khan (Star Trek: the Original Series – Space Seed)
One man would have ruled eventually. As Rome under Caesar. Think of its accomplishments.
Khan seems quite pleased at having been rumbled. This is what I meant about Star Trek villains having nuance. Being discovered like this is hardly going to help Khan’s plans. Nevertheless Khan is pleased. Why? I think Khan likes the idea of a worthy adversary. There is no glory in defeating an enemy with no cunning or skill.
In Khan’s quarters Khan tells McGivers his intention to take over the ship. When she doesn’t immediately agree to help him he squeezes her hand and forces her down to her knees. It is a rather uncomfortable scene to watch. She agrees to help him.
This is a difficult topic to cover. It might be easy to come down against McGivers. She is betraying her ship and crew just because Khan is her ideal man. On the other hand this could also be seen as an abusive relationship with her as a victim. I would tend to fall down on this side of things. Which makes Kirk’s actions at the end of the episode questionable at best.
Help me out here. We now get to part of the story that doesn’t make much sense. Up till now there has been some question as to who Khan is. However all the staff know the name Khan Noonien Singh – and they even comment on him. Shouldn’t they have been able to put two and two together a bit sooner? They have a picture of him.
It is tricky to put this into modern terms because cryogenic freezing doesn’t exist. So lets pretend that Admiral Nelson hadn’t died at the Battle of Trafalgar but had in fact gone missing. Then in 2005 a man named Nelson was found in a 19th century naval uniform in some sort of preservation box. I realise I am struggling for a metaphor here. My point is that this ‘mystery’ of Khan’s identity doesn’t feel like it completely holds up to me.
Khan is able to get the door to his quarters open, because he is just that strong, and get passed the security guard. Although circumventing starfleet security is not exactly hard.
Meanwhile McGivers has a gun on the transporter operator. Khan comes in, knocks the poor dope out, and he and McGivers set to work freeing the rest of Khan’s people.
It seems to be a fairly typical story beat in TOS that the ship is taken over. This one is a little better than most. At least hear Khan had help from the inside and is shown to be a good tactician – it makes far more sense than a hippies or mind-controlled children!
Kirk quickly loses control of his ship. Khan and company make it to engineering. They disable the anti-intruder systems and switch off the oxygen on the bridge. Kirk decides to use up what remains of the air to record commendations for the crew. Perhaps doing it in text would have been better.
The senior staff, plus some other personnel, are taken from the bridge and brought to the briefing room. All except for Kirk. Kirk is placed in a medical decompression chamber.
Khan demands that a colony planet be selected for his people to rule. Naturally the crew do not acquiesce to Khan’s demands. He selects Spock to go into the chamber next – perhaps he is planning to go through the crew in rank order.
McGivers has finally come to her senses. She incapacitates the guard and frees Kirk from the chamber. She asks Kirk not to kill Khan. I really don’t understand this woman.
Kirk orders all decks to be gassed, except for the one they are on, so that the enemy is contained. I don’t know that this is the best strategy – the Enterprise crew still outnumber the invaders even if they are very strong.
It soon comes down to just Kirk and Khan – and if you were expecting anything else you don’t know this show well. Khan boasts that he has five times Kirk’s strength but Kirk wins the day – it is his show after all.
After all is said and done Kirk, for no conceivable reason, drops all charges and decides to maroon Khan and his people on Ceti Alpha V. Since they were en route to a starbase they could have incarcerated them properly. My guess is that Kirk felt it was too much of a risk to do otherwise.
Then there is the question of what to do with McGivers. Kirk gives her the choice of going with Khan and his people or being court martialed. She chooses to go with them. An odd choice given that prisons in the Federation (not named as such yet) have been described as being ‘like resort words.’ They’re probably akin to Norwegian prisons in the modern world.
Khan has already committed actions that McGivers deemed to be unacceptable. So I am wondering why now she would choose to stay with him and his people.
I am also doubting if Kirk made the right decision – at least in regard to McGivers. Traitor or not she is still a member of his crew and his responsibility. Do Starfleet captains have the authority to maroon an officer on a barren planet?
I have no answer to that question.
Khan references Milton when asked how he feels about this situation. Kirk explains it to Scotty and the rest.
The statement Lucifer made when he fell into the pit. ‘It is better to rule in hell than serve in heaven.’
Captain Kirk (Star Trek: The Original Series: Space Seed)
The final word of this story goes to Spock – well technically Kirk – you’ll see what I mean.
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.
Kirk and Spock (Star Trek: The Original Series: Space Seed)
Yes, Mister Spock, it would indeed.
As we now know it would not take more than 15 years to discover the crop. And six months later the neighbouring planet exploded – I…I don’t know how that happens.
Space Seed is a classic episode of TOS. Even if The Wrath of Khan didn’t exist it still would be. It is amazing that that film is so good when obviously this episode wasn’t written with any thought of a conclusion in mind.
Khan is a great villain. He is a credible threat to Kirk. I would question how Kirk was able to get the upper hand. Then again I do know that when it comes to hand-to-hand combat strength is not everything.
Minor quibbles aside this is a great episode. It certainly qualifies as one of the best in the series.
I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors.
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SDuKYJBkJm
Unstable Orbit 