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Khan Noonien Singh

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Khan Noonien Singh (or simply Khan ) was an extremely intelligent and dangerous superhuman. He was the most prominent of the genetically-engineered Human Augments of the Eugenics Wars period on Earth . Khan was considered, by the USS Enterprise command crew, over three centuries later, to have been "the best" of them. Reappearing with a cadre of Augment followers in the 23rd century , Khan became a notorious enemy of James T. Kirk .

Khan's existence as an Augment served, as well, as a warning to society of the danger in attempting to create "supermen" through technological means. Ambassador Spock stated that he was the most dangerous adversary the Enterprise ever faced. ( ENT : " The Augments "; TOS : " Space Seed "; Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan ; DS9 : " Doctor Bashir, I Presume "; Star Trek Into Darkness )

• 1.1 20th century origins
• 1.2 21st century temporal changes
• 1.3.1 Second exile
• 1.3.2 The beginning of vengeance
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Appearances
• 3.2 Background information
• 3.3 Apocrypha
• 3.4 External links

Biography [ ]

20th century origins [ ].

One of the few historic pictures of Khan from the 1990s

Records of the period, including Khan's origins, are vague. Khan was born, or created in 1959 . ( Star Trek Into Darkness ) He was the product of a selective breeding or genetic engineering program called Project Khan , based on the eugenic philosophy that held improving the capabilities of a man improved the entire Human race. Augments produced by the program possessed physical strength and analytical capabilities considerably superior to ordinary Humans, and were created from a variety of Earth's ethnic groups. Khan's background was suspected by McGivers to be Sikh , from the northern region of India . ( PIC : " Farewell "; TOS : " Space Seed ")

Khan lived up to the axiom coined by one of his creators, "superior ability breeds superior ambition". By 1993 , a wave of the genetic "supermen," including Khan, had simultaneously assumed control of more than forty of Earth's nations. From 1992 to 1996 , Khan was absolute ruler of more than one-quarter of Earth's population, including regions of Asia and the Middle East . Considered "the best of tyrants "; Khan's reign was considered the most benevolent. His regime was free of much of the problems that plagued Earth history of that era – as Khan was never known for engaging in massacres, genocide or wars of aggression. However, the citizens of his regime enjoyed little freedom. Khan had little, if any, respect for individual liberty, which was also a key issue for Earth history. As such, personal initiative and financial investment were low, and scientific progress suffered as a result.

Khan aboard the Botany Bay

In the mid- 1990s , the Augment tyrants began warring among themselves. Other nations joined in, to force them from power , in a series of struggles that became known as the Eugenics Wars . Eventually, most of the tyrants were defeated and their territory recaptured, but up to ninety "supermen" were never accounted for.

Khan escaped the wars and their consequences along with eighty-four followers, who swore to live and die at his command. He saw his best option in a risky, self-imposed exile. In 1996 , he took control of a DY-100-class interplanetary sleeper ship he christened SS Botany Bay , named for the site of the Australian penal colony . Set on a course outbound from the solar system but with no apparent destination in mind, Khan and his people remained in suspended animation for Botany Bay 's centuries-long sublight journey. ( TOS : " Space Seed "; Star Trek Into Darkness )

21st century temporal changes [ ]

Khan as a child in 2022

Due to the changes caused in the timeline as a result of various Temporal Wars , the original events concerning the rise of Singh were pushed back, and events reinserted themselves at a later date in the timeline. According to Romulan temporal agent Sera , in a revised 2022 timeline, " And all this was supposed to happen back in 1992, and I've been trapped here for 30 years trying to get my shot at [Khan]. "

The Khan of this era lived in Toronto , Ontario , Canada , at the Noonien-Singh Institute for Cultural Advancement .

As a child in the revised timeline, he witnessed La'an Noonien-Singh shoot and wound Sera, his would-be assassin . La'an entered Khan's room and found her infamous ancestor cowering behind his bed. When Khan asked if she was going to kill him, she looked at the gun and sat it on the desk next to the bed. La'an assured him that she would not hurt him, as she proceeded to wipe Romulan blood from his face. Curious, La'an asked if he was alone, or if there were others like him. Khan gestured to a photograph on the wall of himself and six other children. He then asked if she was going to take him away. La'an told him that it may not make sense to him, then or maybe ever, but he was where he needed to be. She walked to the entrance of the room, activated the temporal transporter device in front of Khan, and returned to her own time period.

Khan’s legacy in the altered timeline was a history of torture, genocide, and his descendants.

In an alternate timeline , which was created from the revised timeline, Sera successfully assassinated Khan by blowing up a nearby fusion reactor (also destroying Toronto ) after a Federation Department of Temporal Investigations agent was shot and failed to protect Khan. As a result, a dark future for Humanity emerged in which Earth was nearly uninhabitable, Starfleet and Federation never formed, and the Romulan Star Empire was the dominant force of the region.

This timeline was averted after Khan's descendant, La'an, encountered the temporal agent aboard the USS Enterprise who directed her to return to the past, and with the help of James Kirk , from the, now, alternate timeline. The two time traveled to the past and La'an stopped Khan's assassination and restored the timeline to as she knew it. ( SNW : " Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow ")

23rd century return [ ]

Khan meeting James T. Kirk for the first time

The USS Enterprise discovered the Botany Bay in 2267 . The boarding party 's arrival and investigation of the Botany Bay activated Khan's stasis unit to revive him – but the ancient mechanism faltered. The decision of Captain James T. Kirk to remove him from the stasis chamber, and Dr. Leonard McCoy 's subsequent ministrations, saved Khan's life.

Twelve of the stasis units had failed during the voyage out from Earth. Kirk, and the Enterprise , taking the Botany Bay in tow, left the remaining 72 sleepers for disposition at Starbase 12 following their leader's successful recovery. The Botany Bay 's undocumented departure, and the fragmented records of the period, initially obscured the identity of the sleepers from the Enterprise crew – but the man with incredible recuperative powers in sickbay led Kirk to suspect their genetically-manipulated nature.

" Social occasions are only warfare concealed. "

Khan took advantage of Kirk's hospitality. He familiarized himself with his lost history by absorbing the ship's technical manuals. He discovered a weakness in the attraction he engendered from the pliant and submissive ship's historian , Lieutenant Marla McGivers . At a dinner given in Khan's honor, Khan regaled the captain's table with a romantic interpretation of the Eugenics Wars, until he was finally prodded by Kirk into declaring " We offered the world order !"

Khan sizes up Kirk at dinner aboard the Enterprise

Eventually, Kirk and Spock identified their guest as being the deposed tyrant from Earth's past. Khan was confined by Kirk to his quarters. Khan, however, soon began his takeover of the Enterprise , starting with his influence over McGivers. With her help, Khan escaped to the Botany Bay – and revived his followers, including Joachim , Joaquin , Kati , Ling , McPherson , Otto , and Rodriguez . Re-boarding the Enterprise , Khan took control of the Enterprise from engineering and cut life support to the bridge .

With the crew subdued and Kirk held hostage, Khan asked the officers to spare Kirk's life by joining him in his quest to take the Enterprise to a colony "willing to be led" by himself (more correctly, to be conquered by him, a task which the arsenal of the Enterprise would make most simple). The officers' recalcitrance led McGivers, unwilling to go so far as to participate in murder, to betray Khan and release Kirk. The Augments were disabled with anesthetic gas, but Khan was quick enough to avoid inhaling the gas by shutting himself in the Engineering section and isolating its atmospheric and life-support functions from the effects of the gas.

Khan attempted to destroy the Enterprise with a warp core overload as Kirk engaged the tyrant in physical combat. Although Kirk was a skilled opponent, Khan's superior strength enabled him to quickly outmatch the Starfleet officer. During the fight, Khan overconfidently boasted that he had five times the man's strength, ergo Kirk was no match for him. When it became clear that Kirk could not defeat Khan hand-to-hand, Kirk pulled loose a heavy flow-control rod and used it to subdue him.

Khan wearing a Starfleet uniform

Kirk retained some admiration for the determined, capable man of history. The prospect of imprisoning and rehabilitating the Augments seemed to Kirk to be unavailing to the Federation . Instead, Kirk granted an opportunity to Khan and his followers: colonize the dangerous but habitable nearby world of Ceti Alpha V . McGivers was given by Kirk the choice of facing court martial or joining the new colony. McGivers chose to go with Khan, and Khan took up Kirk's challenge to "tame a world", citing Milton 's Lucifer , " It is better to Rule in Hell, than Serve in Heaven. " ( TOS : " Space Seed ")

Second exile [ ]

Ceti Alpha V in 2285

With Starfleet -issue cargo containers for shelter, Khan and his people settled in to life on their new world. Only six months after their landing on Ceti Alpha V however, a cataclysm on Ceti Alpha VI shifted the system's orbits, causing massive ecological devastation on Ceti Alpha V.

Khan's ingenuity and the meager shelter of the cargo containers kept his people alive while most of the indigenous life perished. The rugged indigenous Ceti eels survived – and as the only hosts available for their young, Khan's people were beset by the creatures. Over time, Khan lost twenty of his people to the slow, maddening death caused by the eels, including his " beloved wife ."

Khan, after being discovered by Terrell and Chekov

Neither Kirk nor Starfleet followed up on the colony's progress, probably because Starfleet and Federation records never recorded the colony as official, and due Starfleet cover. The starship USS Reliant , attached to Project Genesis and tasked with finding a suitable proving ground for the device, finally arrived at the apparently lifeless world in 2285 .

Captain Clark Terrell and Commander Pavel Chekov , the latter of whom himself was a former Enterprise crewmember, beamed down to survey the planet they assumed to be Ceti Alpha VI , where they were captured by Khan. After using a pair of juvenile Ceti eels on his captives, Khan demanded to know the nature of their mission and the whereabouts of James Kirk.

The beginning of vengeance [ ]

Using his captives' vulnerability to suggestion, Khan and his followers hijacked the Reliant . Khan marooned the crew of the Reliant on Ceti Alpha V. With knowledge of the awesome potential of the Genesis project, he used Chekov to notify spacelab Regula I of Reliant 's pending arrival and their intention to retrieve all Genesis information, "as ordered by Admiral Kirk." Khan's lure proved successful. The Enterprise , engaged in a training cruise at the time, altered course to investigate the odd reports from Regula I.

Khan's lieutenant, Joachim , called out his superior on the beginnings of his obsessive behavior. Joachim suggested that he had already beaten Kirk by foiling Kirk's plans for him and the Augments. Khan's reply gave the first indication of the price that exile on Ceti Alpha V exacted on his ability to reason or – more accurately, to govern his overpowering passions:

Arriving at Regula I, Khan raged through the space station. He was seeking the now-missing Genesis data, and tortured those station crew members unable to escape the suspicious return of Reliant . When they proved uncooperative, Khan slaughtered them. He then left Terrell and Chekov behind, as they might prove a useful means to monitor Kirk's communications and follow his lead to Genesis, in the event that the Enterprise reached the station.

USS Reliant

Khan intercepted the Enterprise , which was en route to Regula I. Concealing her intent, Reliant approached, feigning communications trouble, and mounting a devastating surprise attack using the Reliant 's phasers to cripple the Enterprise . Khan hailed to gloat over his triumph and discuss terms of surrender. His only reward proved to be Kirk's initial open-mouthed stare of surprise.

The parley allowed the more experienced starship commander to override the Reliant 's tactical systems using the ship's prefix code to access them. With a few weak phaser shots from the Enterprise , the Reliant lost photon control and warp power (which would also disable the phasers), forcing Khan to retreat to Regula I.

After the Enterprise limped to the space station, a landing party led by Kirk rescued Terrell and Chekov from the storage locker in which Khan had imprisoned them. After Kirk discovered the Genesis device in the bowels of the Regula planetoid , Terrell contacted Khan, who beamed the device to the Reliant . However, Terrell, fighting the effects of the Ceti Eel, refused Khan's order to kill Kirk and instead committed suicide. Resisting the influence of his own Ceti Eel, Chekov collapsed unconscious and the eel crawled out of his ear to be immediately vaporized by a quick blast from Kirk's phaser.

Despite the turn of events, Khan felt some small satisfaction, since Kirk and his party were now marooned within Regula, and the Reliant was on its way to find and destroy the Enterprise . Khan calmly, but hatefully, sneered at Kirk that he had done far worse than simply kill Kirk, and that he would redirect Kirk defeating him last time by leaving him in the same situation that Kirk had left Khan all those years ago;

In an open communication with Kirk, Spock's simple coded message (beginning with the signal, " Hours would seem like days ") led Khan to believe Enterprise would need two days to effect basic repairs, unaware that Spock was actually telling Kirk that those repairs would be complete in two hours. After discovering his prey under way at full impulse power and bound for the obscuring clouds of the Mutara Nebula , Khan's pursuit faltered on the advice of Joachim, who knew that pursuing the Enterprise into the nebula would disrupt shield and sensor functions for both vessels. A surprise hail from Kirk, alive and taunting from the Enterprise bridge, threw Khan into a rage, and his passions overcame him. Ignoring the consequences of engaging his enemy on the level playing field of the nebula, Khan spurred the Reliant after Kirk.

" For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee… "

The Battle of the Mutara Nebula was the last action of Khan's life. The two starships, barely able to discern one another due to interference within the nebula, exchanged a series of near misses and solid blows, until the Enterprise caught Khan off-guard by descending and then rising to attack the Reliant from behind. Reliant was crippled and adrift with Khan's followers either dying or dead. Rather than surrender, Khan activated the Genesis device, hoping to take Kirk and the Enterprise along with him to oblivion. Unfortunately for him, Captain Spock managed to repair the damage to the Enterprise 's engines which allowed the starship to escape at warp seconds before the Genesis Device detonated, destroying the Reliant and Khan with it. ( Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan )

Khan had children who would continue his line after he left Earth. One of his descendants was Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh , chief of security of the USS Enterprise . ( SNW : " Ghosts of Illyria ")

The geneticist Arik Soong believed Augments like Khan could be created without exhibiting his more vicious, psychopathic or megalomaniacal instincts. Soong's "children", created from Augment embryos stolen in 2134 , failed to live up to the hopes of their "father". Soong believed Khan and the Botany Bay to be nothing more than a myth, although his "children" believed differently.

After his imprisonment in 2154 , Soong, convinced by his creation's actions that his theory was dangerously wrong, redirected his efforts to the perfection of artificial Humanity . His descendant, Noonien Soong (possibly, given Arik's admiration for him, named after Khan Noonien Singh) continued the effort with the invention of Soong-type androids , including B-4 , Lore , and ultimately, Data . ( ENT : " Borderland ", " The Augments "; TNG : " Datalore "; Star Trek Nemesis )

Sera, a Romulan temporal agent from an unknown point in the future, told La'an that " Khan becomes a brutal tyrant. I mean, maybe humanity needs the dark age that he brings in to usher in their age of enlightenment. Or maybe it's just random. Doesn't really matter though, 'cause if I kill him, the Federation never forms, and the Romulans lose their greatest adversary. " ( SNW : " Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow ")

Khan's theft and premature detonation of the Genesis Device alarmed the Klingon Empire who mistakenly believed the device was the result of the Federation 's development of an "ultimate weapon", increasing tensions between the two powers until the détente of 2293 . Immediately, though, a group of renegade Klingons led by Kruge tried to steal the "Genesis torpedo" for themselves, but were unsuccessful. ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock ; Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ; Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country )

In 2368 , Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise -D agreed with faux historian Berlinghoff Rasmussen that saving an endangered planet could allow "the next Adolf Hitler or Khan Singh" to come into being. According to the captain, first year philosophy students had been asked the question ever since the first wormholes had been discovered. ( TNG : " A Matter Of Time ")

Khan and his Augment brethren were considered so dangerous that by the late-24th century, genetic engineering was banned throughout the United Federation of Planets (except as treatment for serious medical conditions) in order to avoid creating another tyrant like Khan, although Doctor Kingsley and her colleagues continued genetic engineering research in the 24th century. A black market in the genetic manipulation of children with limited abilities continued, however, resulting in the enhancement of Humans like Dr. Julian Bashir . ( TNG : " Unnatural Selection "; DS9 : " Doctor Bashir, I Presume ")

In 2380 , Ensign Beckett Mariner argued that Khan was "the all-time biggest badass" because he was "a genetically engineered supervillain ! Dude was a space seed !" Ensign D'Vana Tendi was also eager to discuss what she called "Khan and that thicc, thicc chest," but needed to pee . ( LD : " Veritas ")

In 2259 of the alternate reality , the USS Enterprise of that reality came into conflict with the Khan of that world who had been found and revived by Admiral Alexander Marcus as part of the militarization conspiracy . The Spock of that universe, concerned about Khan, contacted his prime universe counterpart to ask if he had ever encountered Khan in his world. Spock Prime told his alternate self he'd vowed never to disclose anything of his world but was alarmed enough by Khan's presence to tell Spock that Khan was the most dangerous enemy ever faced by the Enterprise and her crew and it took a great cost to defeat him.

In the alternate reality, the alternate James T. Kirk died in similar circumstances to Spock Prime while attempting to save his own Enterprise from the alternate Khan. The Khan of the alternate reality was spared after Doctor Leonard McCoy discovered that his blood could be used to revive Kirk. The alternate Khan was ultimately placed back in stasis with his crew. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

Memorable quotes [ ]

" 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 else? " " Khan. "

" 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 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. Many prefer it more honest – more open. "

" 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. "

" 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 thousand fold. 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! "

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

(to Captain Terrell) " I don't know you. " (to Commander Chekov) " But you… I never forget a face, Mister…Chekov, isn't it? I never thought to see your face again. " " Chekov, who is this man? " " A criminal, Captain! A product of late 20th century genetic engineering! "

" You lie! On Ceti Alpha V, there was life! A fair chance– " "THIS IS CETI ALPHA V!!! Ceti Alpha VI exploded six months after we were left here. The shock shifted the orbit of this planet and everything was laid waste . Admiral Kirk never bothered to check on our progress. It was only the fact of my genetically engineered intellect that allowed us to survive. On Earth… two hundred years ago… I was a prince… with power over millions. " " Captain Kirk was your host. You repaid his hospitality by trying to steal his ship and murder him! "

" He tasks me. He tasks me and I shall have him! I'll chase him round the moons of Nibia and round the Antares maelstrom and round perdition's flames before I give him up! "

" Ah, Kirk… my 'old friend'. Do you know the Klingon proverb that tells us revenge is a dish that is best served cold? It is very cold… in space. "

" All is well, sir. You have the coordinates to beam up Genesis. " " First things first, captain. Kill Admiral Kirk. "

" Khan, you bloodsucker! You're gonna have to do your own dirty work now! Do you hear me? DO YOU?! " " Kirk! Kirk, you're still alive, my old friend. " " Still – 'old friend'! You've managed to kill just about everyone else, but like a poor marksman, you keep missing the target! "

" I've done far worse than kill you. I've hurt you. And I wish to go on… hurting you. I shall leave you as you left me… as you left her . Marooned for all eternity in the center of a dead planet… buried alive. Buried alive. " "KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!! KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!"

" Impulse power restored. " " Excellent. More than a match for poor Enterprise ."

" Full impulse power. " " No, sir! You have Genesis! You can have whatever you–! " (grabs Joachim by the vest) " FULL POWER! Damn you! "

" No… no, you can't get away. From hell's heart, I stab at thee. For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee. "

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• TOS : " Space Seed "
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
• ST : " Ephraim and Dot "
• SNW : " Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow "

Background information [ ]

Khan was played by Ricardo Montalban , except in " Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow " where young Khan was played by Desmond Sivan .

In Carey Wilber 's original draft of " Space Seed ", the character that ultimately became Khan was of Scandinavian ethnicity and named Harold Erickson, and the backstory was slightly different in that he was placed in stasis aboard the Botany Bay as a means of getting rid of prisoners during an overpopulated era of Earth's history. Gene L. Coon 's rewrites then transformed the character into Ragnar Thorwald, the genetically-enhanced leader of the "First World Tyranny", who hides behind the pseudonym John Erickson.

The casting of Ricardo Montalban as Khan prompted the writers to change the character's name to Sabahl Khan Noonien, after Kim Noonien Wang, a friend of Gene Roddenberry during the Second World War. Roddenberry had lost touch with him and hoped that his friend would see his name on television and contact him. (This was also the origin of the name of Noonien Soong .) NBC suggested changing the character's name to Govin Bahadur Singh, due to the racial implications of the name "Khan", but Roddenberry insisted on keeping Khan and Noonien. [1] [2]

In the final draft script of Space Seed , Khan's name was noted to be pronounced, "KAWN". He was described as " an extremely handsome, well-built man. His face reflects the sun-darkened Aryian blood of the Northern India Sikh people, suggesting just a trace of the Oriental blood often found too. The features are intelligent, extremely strong, almost arrogantly so. "

The Space Seed script uses the spelling "Khan Noonien Singh", while the Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan script uses the spelling "Khan Noonien Singh".

After the release of The Wrath of Khan , Roddenberry (who disliked almost all of the film's many aspects) commented, " Khan was not written as that exciting a character, he was rather flimsy. The Khan in the TV episode was a much deeper and better character than the movie Khan, except that Montalban pulled it off. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages )

Khan's periodic quotations in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan were paraphrases, or direct lifts, from Herman Melville 's Moby Dick .

Khan recognizes Pavel Chekov in The Wrath of Khan, even though Chekov's first appearance on TOS was not until the show's second season. To resolve this discrepancy, a long-standing joke (as told by Chekov actor Walter Koenig ) postulates that, because Chekov left Khan waiting too long to use the bathroom, Khan vowed never to forget his face. ( citation needed • edit )

In "Space Seed", Khan is one of four Enterprise guests to be given a Starfleet uniform to wear during the course of TOS. (The others were Captain John Christopher in " Tomorrow is Yesterday ", Charles Evans in " Charlie X ", and Craig Hundley (a child's version) in a scene that was cut from " Operation -- Annihilate! "). In accordance with Khan's assertion that he was once "an engineer, of sorts," his uniform shirt is red.

A concept sketch of Khan's Star Trek II costume

The Starfleet insignia around Khan's neck in Wrath of Khan is a broken, movie-era Starfleet uniform buckle, although the necklace appears on Khan before he actually gets aboard the Reliant . It is known as the "Buckle Necklace", according to Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton.

The surname "Singh" suggests northern Indian ancestry (from the Sanskrit simha , "lion") and possibly roots in Sikhism (male Sikhs are obliged to assume the surname "Singh", regardless of their geographical or familial origins); while "Khan" ("ruler") is originally a title of central Asian origin and also a common name for Muslim men in South Asia.

Along with Harry Mudd , Khan is one of only two opponents to face Kirk more than once in live-action Star Trek productions.

At one point during the production of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , "a couple of years" before 1997, a cameo appearance of Khan was considered. However, the writers were told that Ricardo Montalban's health would not permit him to appear, and any plans to feature Khan were abandoned. ( AOL chat , 1997 )

Khan was again considered for return, teaming up with a collection of antagonists that also would have included Shinzon , in an ultimately never-produced fifth and final TNG film , which was conceived, during production on Star Trek Nemesis , by Nemesis co-writers John Logan and Brent Spiner . Khan and his villainous cohorts would have faced a heroic team-up involving Picard , Data , Kirk, Spock and Archer . [3]

Assessing the portrayal of Khan in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Nemesis Director Stuart Baird remarked, " Montalban played a pretty good bad guy. " ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 142 , p. 35)

The portrayal of Khan in The Wrath of Khan also immediately appealed to Alex Kurtzman . He later remarked about Khan, " Not only is he scary, but he has an extremely personal and specific agenda that was understandable despite being psychotic. I think anyone who loves Trek would immediately vault Khan to the top of the villain list. " [4]

When asked about the prime Khan being mentioned in Star Trek Into Darkness , Damon Lindelof said, " It would have been hubris for us to represent to the uninitiated that Khan was our idea and there was no one better [than Spock] to pop in briefly and say – 'Hey, these guys are just doing their own spin on a bad guy that was around a long time before they came along.' The minute we stop honoring, acknowledging and representing the original Trek , we are bound to lose sight of the enormous gift we have been given in sustaining it. " [5]

While filming that scene, Leonard Nimoy responded to Spock's line, inquiring how the prime reality Enterprise crew originally defeated Khan, by quipping, " We picked up a hammer… ", referencing how Kirk originally beat Khan into submission. ("Mr. Spock and Mr. Spock" featurette, Star Trek Into Darkness Blu-ray )

Nicholas Meyer wrote a script for a new, currently unproduced podcast Star Trek: Khan: Ceti Alpha V .

Apocrypha [ ]

A trilogy by author Greg Cox describes the other events of Khan's life. The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume One chronicles the genetic enhancement project that led to his birth, and shows some of his early childhood from the point of view of agents Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln in the 1970s . The sequel, The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume Two shows his rise to power and capturing Seven's technology, as well as how he was able to secretly control so much of the world without the average citizen ever knowing. The final part of the trilogy is To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh , which explains his life on Ceti Alpha V after being left there to fend for himself, his followers, and his wife, to the point where Chekov and Captain Terrell encounter him years later.

James Swallow wrote an alternate history novella entitled "Seeds of Dissent" for the Myriad Universes : Infinity's Prism anthology. In it, Khan won the Eugenics Wars and went on to establish an interstellar empire, eventually dying at the age of 213. The Botany Bay is then said to have been launched in 2010 by Wilson Evergreen and carrying Shaun Geoffrey Christopher , Shannon O'Donnel , and Rain Robinson to escape Khan's despotism.

In the Star Trek: The Next Generation novel Dark Mirror , it is also mentioned that the mirror universe Khan won the Eugenics Wars instead of being forced to leave the planet. In the Star Trek: Mirror Universe novel The Sorrows of Empire , the mirror universe counterpart of Colonel West mentions Ranjit Singh as a descendant of counterpart ( β ) and a potential prospect to replace Spock as Emperor of the Terran Empire , implying that Khan or someone of his bloodline ruled the Empire in the past.

Khan is the protagonist of the comic book Star Trek: Khan - Ruling in Hell , covering the same timeframe as To Reign in Hell .

The comic book series Star Trek: Khan portrays the Khan of the alternate reality following the events of Star Trek Into Darkness describing the history of the 20th century that lead him to his rise to power and the Eugenics Wars before ultimately escaping Earth aboard the Botany Bay.

In Star Trek Online , one of the Federation players' earliest foes is a descendant of Khan, Dr. Amar Singh, a scientist who leads a group known as the "Children of Khan" and conducts experiments in Augment enhancement for the Klingon Empire , combining Klingon , Gorn , and Augment genetics to create the ultimate superbeing. He is defeated and captured by Federation players, later appearing at the prison colony known as Facility 4028, where the Female Changeling is held.

Khan is portrayed as a cat in Jenny Parks ' book Star Trek Cats .

External links [ ]

• Khan Noonien Singh at StarTrek.com
• Khan Noonien Singh at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Khan Noonien Singh at Wikipedia

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http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekS1E22SpaceSeed

Recap / Star Trek S1 E22 "Space Seed"

Edit locked.

Original air date: February 16, 1967

The episode which was the basis for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan .

It all begins when the Enterprise comes across the S.S. Botany Bay , an apparent derelict from the 1990s , which the characters handily remind each other was when Earth was nearly destroyed in a world-wide war which was not World War III . This war was caused by scientists creating genetically-superior humans . These superhumans decided to Take Over the World , but ultimately ended up fighting amongst themselves.

Kirk, Bones, Scotty and Lt. Marla McGivers (Madlyn Rhue, our Girl of the Week ) beam onto the Botany Bay , finding it full of Human Popsicles . Ricardo Montalbán , who we're told is Indian , wakes up and McGivers falls in Love at First Sight . In Sickbay, he's discovered to be superhuman, holds a knife to McCoy's throat and says his name is " Khan ", but refuses to answer any other question. Kirk decides it's a good idea to let Khan look at all the technical information on the Enterprise . Meanwhile, McGivers gets to have a rather lame love scene with Khan in which we learn she wears her hair in a 1960s updo (which looks uncannily like a wig) because it's "comfortable."

Kirk and Spock question Khan some more and he as good as admits that he was one of the superhuman Evil Overlords from the '90s. McGivers takes Khan's side and apologizes to him for how rude everyone else was. He then manipulates her into agreeing to help him hijack the ship. With her help, he unfreezes his Evil Minions and takes over Engineering. It turns out he actually learned a bit from those tech manuals and cuts off life-support systems to the bridge. After everyone has passed out, he treats them to Kirk's torture in a decompression chamber, offering to let him live if someone joins him.

At this point, McGivers has had enough and sets Kirk free , begging him to let Khan live. This leads to Kirk and Khan's Stunt Doubles having a big Professional Wrestling -style fight which ends in Khan's defeat despite his superior strength due to Kirk breaking off a mechanical lever from the ship as an Improvised Weapon . Kirk and Khan agree that he and his followers will be dumped on the savage planet Ceti Alpha V, providing Khan the opportunity to build his own empire. McGivers decides to go with Khan rather than face court-martial. Kirk and Spock speculate about what will become of them:

Spock: It would be interesting, Captain, to return to that world in a hundred years and learn what crop had sprung from the seed you planted today . Kirk: Yes, Mr. Spock. It would indeed.

Space Tropes:

• All Girls Want Bad Boys : McGivers certainly does, which is how Khan is able to manipulate her.
• All There in the Script : In the original script, the Botany Bay's log stated that the ship was originally headed for the Tau Ceti star system. note  Which is 12 light-years away. Even after two centuries a ship would arrive there if it were traveling at only 6% the speed of light, which is slower than the fastest theoretical propulsion technology theorized by the time the actual '90s rolled around. Examination of the ship reveals a damaged steering system, which has sent the Botany Bay careening off-course into deep space.
• Admiring the Abomination : This seems to be the reason Kirk keeps underestimating Khan. In fact, while discussing Khan in the briefing room, Kirk, Bones and Scotty give Spock a good shake when they admit a certain admiration for Khan, even if they still acknowledge he's evil. Spock is vocally uncomfortable romanticizing Khan's history, and he's got good reason to be, considering what Khan's planning that very moment.
• Affably Evil : Khan. He's surprisingly charming and polite for being a former dictator. Or not, considering how many dictators have come to power through charm and charisma.

• Ambition Is Evil : As Spock describes Khan and his fellow augments, "Superior ability breeds superior ambition."
• Badass Bookworm : McCoy tells Khan to " make up [his] mind " how to kill him and even tells him the "most effective" way to do it . Even Khan is impressed. McCoy : Well, either choke me or cut my throat. Make up your mind. Khan: English. I thought I dreamed hearing it. Where am I? McCoy : You're in bed, holding a knife at your doctor's throat. Khan: Answer my question. McCoy : It would be most effective if you would cut the carotid artery, just under the left ear. Khan: (releases him) I like a brave man. [lowers the scalpel] McCoy : (humbly) I was simply trying to avoid an argument.
• Kirk. He beats the tar out of a supposed "superman" with nothing but his bare fists and a PVC pipe. Note that immediately before this, Khan tells Kirk he can't hope to win in a fistfight , "I have five times your physical strength." That makes Khan stronger than Spock , who we've seen hand Kirk his ass several times; Vulcans are about three times as strong as humans.
• Scotty scores a one-punch knockdown of one of Khan's henchmen, before escaping the briefing room.
• From Dr. Bashir I Presume? (DS9 5x16) : "Two hundred years ago, we tried to improve the species through DNA resequencing. And what did we get for our trouble? The Eugenics Wars. For every Julian Bashir that can be created, there's a Khan Singh waiting in the wings. A superhuman, whose ambition and thirst for power have been enhanced, along with his intellect. The law against genetic engineering provides a firewall against such men, and it's my job to keep that firewall intact."
• Born in the Wrong Century : Marla feels this of herself, preferring to be in the more "adventurous" 1990's.
• Catching Up on History : Khan does this by reading through the Enterprise's computer logs that contain the last 200 years of history that he missed.
• Clash of Evolutionary Levels : The genetically-engineered supermen certainly consider it their right, and in Khan's case even duty , to rule over humanity. Because they are superior.
• Death Glare : One of Khan's Mooks smacks Uhura when she hesitates to carry out Khan's order. Good thing Marla intervenes, because by the looks of Uhura's face, she was about to seriously beat that guy's ass.
• "Die Hard" on the Enterprise : The Ur-Example of this as far as the Star Trek franchise goes (and there would be a lot more examples - we're looking at you, Enterprise ). Kirk and his crew have to sneak through the Enterprise to undermine Khan and his followers.
• Diagnosis from Dr. Badass : Dr. McCoy , with a newly-awakened Khan holding a scalpel to his throat, merely tells him that the recommended procedure for a quick kill would be to sever the carotid artery. After Khan praises McCoy for bravery, he simply states that it would be a quicker death than the jugular vein that was Khan's initial target.
• The 1990s-set Eugenics Wars are described by Spock as, "your last so-called world war." From this, we can presume that the Eugenics Wars is the conflict that's meant when Spock mentions World War III in " Bread and Circuses ." Of course, this would be retconned by Star Trek: The Next Generation , which moved World War III to the mid-21st century.
• The fact that sleeper ships became obsolete in 2018 would seem to imply that that's the year that Faster-Than-Light Travel was invented. James Blish 's 1968 episode novelization outright states that, "they didn't have the warp drive until then," and as late as 1985, The Official Star Trek Quiz Book places the discovery of warp drive in 2018. This is, of course, at odds with current canon, in which the warp drive was invented in 2063. Michael Okuda's official Retcon is that sleeper ships were made obsolete by "advances in sublight propulsion technologies," which seems unlikely given the vast distances in space. It is possible Marla is only referring to Solar System planets, which do currently take multiple years for Earth spacecraft to visit.
• Khan is described as a leader in the Cryptic Background Reference of the Eugenics Wars and physically superior to any average man. Eugenics in general may be better understood as Survival of the Fittest, Selective Breeding and/or elimination of unwanted traits, thus Khan's abilities appear to be natural from birth and the Enterprise crew express modest admiration to who Khan is and the era he was from. It wasn't until the DS9 episode " Doctor Bashir, I Presume " that affirm the Eugenics Wars was related to Genetic Engineering Is the New Nuke and that Khan was basically a LEGO Genetics science project, and that resulted in vague No Transhumanism Allowed Federation laws (reiterated in some Star Trek: Enterprise episodes). Star Trek: Strange New Worlds then said that these laws were quite militant and Federation society in general had strong Fantastic Racism towards augmentation of any kind.
• The Eugenics Wars are not explained very clearly, said to be connected to Earth's last great war but the date of 1996 eventually caused the chronology to separate the Eugenics Wars of the 1990's with World War III in the 2050's. Khan was said to be one of several dictators in that war, and comparatively more moderate than his genocidal counterparts. Khan's infamy as a TV and movie villain caused him to be upgraded to being the only notable figure in the conflict and at its' center. By Star Trek: Strange New Worlds it affirms that there has been Time Travel messing with Khan's originally stated time period and moves him closer to the 2040's but the broad events will still result in a Close-Enough Timeline .
• Everyone Knows Morse : The Botany Bay is transmitting the letters "CQ", which Uhura recognizes immediately. To be fair, she is the Communications Officer, so knowing morse code is her job. However, Kirk appears to recognize Morse as well and even shuts Uhura down as she's translating it, saying "we're hearing it, Lieutenant" as if the entire bridge understands.
• Evil Counterpart : One of the reasons Khan became so popular; he is a perfect match for Kirk in both fighting prowess and strategic capability.
• Evil Overlord : Khan, with charisma to spare. You think this episode is bad, wait'll you see Wrath Of Khan!
• "Facing the Bullets" One-Liner : When Khan wakes up in sickbay, he purloins a scalpel; when Dr. McCoy returns he grabs him by the throat and holds it to his neck. Bones remains calm enough to respond, "Well, either choke me or cut my throat. Make up your mind!" Khan is impressed by his courage.
• One of the novels note  The two-volume The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh by Greg Cox makes a truly heroic effort to fit it into real history, explaining how the wars could have happened with no one knowing about them (however that requires omitting a lot of the history the episode recounts on this).
• The Star Trek: Khan comic miniseries goes the Alternate History route instead, depicting Khan and his followers nuking Washington DC and Moscow — in 1992!
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , meanwhile, suggests that the Eugenics Wars have been moved forward in time to the mid-21st century, overlapping with World War III, as a result of the Temporal Cold War. In the episode, " Tomorrow And Tomorrow And Tomorrow ", Khan is about 10 years old in 2022.
• This episode establishes that slower-than-light ships like the Botany Bay will be obsolete in 2018. In the actual year 2018, humanity did not have sleeper ships or even leave the solar system.
• Fangirl : McGivers is one for, as Khan puts it, "bold men from the past", such as Leif Erikson , Richard The Lion Heart , Napoléon Bonaparte , and Khan himself . She even draws Fan Art of them!
• Forced to Watch : In one of Khan's nastier moments, he makes the crew watch Kirk suffocate in an effort to force them to follow him. And he plans to break the crew by continuing to do so . Khan : Each of you in turn will go in there! Die, while the others watch!
• The fact that Khan's people are in stasis in a ship called the Botany Bay would raise alarm bells, as Botany Bay was a prison colony in Australia.
• Unintended at the time, but Spock's musing on what they would find upon returning to the planet on a later occasion essentially serves as a Sequel Hook leading into Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan .
• Freudian Slip : Marla tells Khan how fascinated she is by men of...that is, the world of the past.
• Godwin's Law : Conspicuously inverted. Khan is frequently compared to historical figures, but they're all pre-20th century figures with mixed historical reputations like Alexander and Napoleon. He is never compared to 20th century figures like Hitler and Stalin, whose reputations are more firmly negative. Presumably, that would have ruined the theme about Khan being somewhat romanticized.
• The Guards Must Be Crazy : Khan, a superstrong megalomaniac, is being held in a room with one guard outside the door. He busts out and flattens the guard in short order. At least in the resulting trial, the Red Shirt bailiffs are too smart to allow that stunt again and have multiple ones holding him at phaser point to make sure he behaves himself.
• High-Heel–Face Turn : McGivers , after a manner of speaking. She still loves Khan, but she is unwilling to watch him execute her captain and the other officers.
• "I Can't Look!" Gesture : Uhura turns off the viewing screen on which Khan is showing them Kirk suffocating.
• Hey Kirk, really think it's a good idea to let the superpowered stranger get complete access to the technical blueprints of the ship?
• Hey Kirk, do you think the girl who is enamored with the ambitious superman who is able to manipulate people should be allowed to hang out with him that much?
• Hey Kirk, why is only one guard watching a genetically-enhanced superhuman?
• Hey Khan, what compelled you to let the only non-genetically superior member of your team, who explicitly expressed discontent in watching her former captain die, to roam freely within the ship at that precise moment?
• However, fifteen years later, Khan returns as the villain in the second Trek feature film, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . Not only do the events in that film greatly influence the rest of the TOS-era movies, but the second , third , and fourth films are popular enough to convince Paramount to launch the TNG era , which continue today in the Nu-Trek era. "Space Seed" and TWoK also set up several plot points for both the subsequent TV installments and the reboot movies .
• Taken together, all of this makes "Space Seed" possibly the most important episode in Trek history, elevating Star Trek itself from a popular 1960's science-fiction series, to a multi-billion dollar, global franchise.
• Khan as a dictator during the Eugenics Wars mentioned in this episode was initially treated as a Cryptic Background Reference in the distant past, with later parts of the franchise having to shuffle around the continuity due to handily lasting the 30 years needed to reach Khan's stated time period. Eventually it conflated the Eugenics Wars as one aspect of World War III that nearly destroyed Earth but set the stage for First Contact , with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds stating that Khan was at the center of it all (while also saying various Time Travel adventures has altered the details ).
• Instantly Proven Wrong : When the Enterprise first approaches the Botany Bay , Spock says that the mysterious vessel couldn't be from Earth... until Uhura picks up an Earth Distress Call . Kirk: I thought you said it couldn't possibly be an Earth vessel. Spock: I fail to understand why it always gives you pleasure to see me proven wrong. Kirk: An emotional Earth weakness of mine.
• Instant Sedation : Of the Knockout Gas variety. Khan escapes the briefing room before it can affect him. Scotty also escapes, but clearly got a mouthful and is noticeably weakened. And of course, Starfleet hyposprays can put even a genetically-engineered superman under before they're done hissing.
• Kick the Dog : One of Khan's men slaps Uhura after she refuses to follow one of Khan's orders. She shoots him a Death Glare in response.
• Kirk, as usual. Not even a silly little thing like suffocation can stop Jimmy-boy from serving up the ham.
• Khan has all the pomposity and charisma you'd expect from an Evil Overlord . Especially when you upset him.
• Letting Her Hair Down : Marla does this for Khan after he criticizes her updo.
• A Lighter Shade of Black : While still an Evil Overlord , Khan is said to have been the most benevolent of all the genetic supermen, ordering no massacres and never waging wars until he was attacked.
• Meaningful Name : The Botany Bay is named after Great Britain's first penal colony in Australia.
• Meditation Powerup : Khan performs some brief breathing exercises when he first regains enough strength to stand up and just before he prepares to forcibly pull the door of the quarters he's confined in open.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast : Come on, Kirk, his name is Khan . Why Don't Ya Just Shoot Him?
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero : The ending becomes this in retrospect, as it sets up the events of The Wrath of Khan .
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished : Kirk takes in Khan and his men after he finds them floating in space and on the verge of dying when their ship systems fail. Khan returns the favor by attempting to kill Kirk and take over his ship . Much, much later, in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Chekov calls out Khan for this, pointing out that Khan and his people were marooned precisely because of this. Speaking of Kirk, not too much longer after said scene with Chekov, Kirk's son David gets murdered, immediately followed by the Enterprise 1701-nothing biting the dust. This all culminates in Kirk's demotion at the end of The Voyage Home.
• Pointed out by Spock In-Universe . The human command crew view Khan through distant centuries, remembering him from their history classes fondly as the least evil of the Eugenics Wars' genetic supermen and they have the impression he was 'firm but fair'. Spock has a different and, it turns out, more accurate perspective that Khan was still a ruthless tyrant. This is probably meant to reflect how people romanticize historical figures like Napoleon and, indeed, Genghis Khan, as well as the old saying that Mussolini 'made the trains run on time' (in fact, McGivers lovingly lists Napoleon as one of the figures whom Khan reminds her of).
• That said, Kirk argues that they may admire him on some level but are still aware of who he is. Given that episode ends with Kirk exiling him on a uncivilized planet, preventing him from harming anyone but still giving him a chance to create civilization on his terms, the story arguably supports his view of Khan more than Spock's (this also echoes what happened to Napoleon-he was exiled twice to different islands).
• Not Even Bothering with the Accent : Ricardo Montalban, a Spanish-Mexican actor, was playing a Punjabi Sikh, but made no attempt to sound like one.
• Obvious Stunt Double : The fight between Ricardo Montalbán 's stuntman and whoever was doubling for William Shatner (possibly Gary Combs).
• Obviously Evil : Khan might as well have "Supervillain" stamped on his forehead.
• Planet Baron : Khan becomes this after he is defeated but given a planet to colonize and rule, though we learn in The Wrath of Khan that the planet later died, prompting Khan to seek revenge on Kirk for marooning him there.
• Pride : Khan's Fatal Flaw .
• Prison Ship : Khan and his followers were put on the Botany Bay and launched out of the solar system. The ship is named after an Australian penal colony.
• Put on a Bus : Khan and his followers. It came back , though .
• Recycled Soundtrack : 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.
• Sacred Hospitality : Khan tramples all over it.
• Sealed Evil in a Can : Khan Noonien Singh and his cryogenically frozen followers.
• Sleeper Starship : Khan and his crew were kept in stasis aboard the Botany Bay due to it being launched before the warp drive was invented.
• Small Role, Big Impact : Within this episode Khan is a Villain of the Week , if quite a bit more complex and charismatic than most and concludes the story with a Worthy Opponent relationship with Kirk. This made him deemed viable to return as the Big Bad in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , which in turn has made him referenced in various forms across the rest of the franchise.
• Smug Super : Khan, full stop. He has no problem telling Kirk and Co. to their faces that they are "honestly inferior."
• The Social Darwinist : This is Khan full stop —and a large part of the reason he is so horrible.
• Stealth Pun : The Morse code signal that the Botany Bay is transmitting is "CQ" or "seek you." note  In ham radio circles this is a fairly standard way to request a conversation.
• Super-Speed Reading : One of Khan's powers, which he demonstrates by reading through over 200 years of history in the Enterprise's computer files in a matter of minutes.
• Super-Strength : To a minor degree. Khan brags that he has five times the strength of Kirk, a fit but average-sized man, and Bones says that in his professional medical opinion, Khan "can lift both of us with one arm." We see him pry knock out a guard in one punch, crush a phaser in his hands, pull open the door to his quarters on the Enterprise unaided, and effortlessly throw Kirk across the room.
• Sure, Let's Go with That : McGivers tells Khan, "I know exactly who you are," and Khan looks pretty worried until she continues, "Leif Ericsson, Richard the Lion-Heart, Napoleon..." and her other romanticized heroes, to Khan's immense relief.
• Take Over the World : Seemingly Khan's raison d'etre; in fact, he mentioned to his awakened followers that the entire universe could be theirs, once they have the Enterprise.
• Taking You with Me : With Khan's plan to take the Enterprise going south, he activates the Self-Destruct Mechanism , forcing Kirk to take him out and shut the sequence down.
• Temporary Substitute : Sulu doesn't appear in this episode. He was replaced by Makee K. Blaisdell as Lt. Spinelli.
• Too Annoyed to Be Afraid : After Khan wakes up, he grabs McCoy by the throat and holds a scalpel to his throat. McCoy shows no fear, tartly telling Khan to "either choke me or cut my throat, make up your mind".
• Übermensch : Khan and his followers are physically and mentally superior to ordinary humans.
• Virtue Is Weakness : When Marla McGivers asks to be excused from seeing her captain and the other officers executed, Khan comments "I had hoped you would be stronger."
• Would Hit a Girl : Khan and his underlings.
• The depiction is obviously cheesy, but the idea was that Kirk knew 23rd century fighting techniques far more advanced than anything Khan has ever seen. He's much stronger, but inexperienced.

Video Example(s):

S.s. botany bay.

Captain Kirk, Dr. McCoy, Scotty, and Lt. McGivers investigate an old sleeper ship from the year 1996.

Example of: Sleeper Starship

• Star Trek S1 E21 “The Return of the Archons”
• Recap/Star Trek: The Original Series
• Star Trek S1 E23 "A Taste of Armageddon"

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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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About the author, product details.

• 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
• #14,654 in Space Operas
• #14,815 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction
• #23,428 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.

Gene Roddenberry

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All Roads Lead to Discovery: The Full Star Trek Timeline, Explained

Star Trek: Discovery takes place at the furthest point in the franchise timeline. Here is the stardate for each major entry in the series.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, the final season, is currently underway. The series debuted in 2017 and was used as the launch title for the streaming service CBS All Access, now rebranded Paramount+. It was also the first Star Trek series on television in 12 years following the conclusion of Star Trek: Enterprise back in 2005. While Paramount has spent nearly a decade trying to get Star Trek 4 out of development hell , the franchise has been going strong on Paramount+ with various series on the streaming service at different times of the year. Now, there is almost always a Star Trek series on the air at any given point.

Star Trek: Discovery is a fascinating case for the franchise, as it was originally conceived as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series , but following the conclusion of Season 2 and starting in Season 3, the series jumped far into the future, the farthest point in the franchise history. Star Trek: Discovery now takes place in a universe built on years of stories. Here is a breakdown of the Star Trek timeline across television and film and how it all leads to Star Trek: Discovery .

Star Trek: Enterprise (2151-2155)

Star trek: enterprise.

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The last television series on air before Star Trek: Discovery is also the first in the timeline as Star Trek: Enterprise takes place over 100 years before the adventures of Kirk and Spock in Star Trek: The Original Series . The series follows Jonathan Archer, the captain of the Enterprise NX-01 which was Earth’s first starship able to reach warp five. Major events in the series are around first contact with alien species like the Klingon and the Xindi. The series also featured the true formation of the United Federation of Planets.

The series also established the Temporal Wars, a conflict that stretched across time and space and resulted in the creation of multiple timelines as agents from various factions in the 32nd century were sent back in time to move history in their favor. This eventually resulted in an all-out war, and while it was resolved, it later had some major ramifications for the franchise. The first was that all-time travel technology became outlawed or destroyed in the 32nd century, so when the crew of Discovery jumped forward in time, they had no way of returning home. The other was a way for the writers to fix continuity errors , like moving up the date of Khan's rise and the Eugenics wars from the 1990s, as established in The Original Series , to the 2010s.

Star Trek: Discovery: Seasons 1 and 2 (2256-2258)

When Star Trek: Discovery first premiered, it was pitched as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series , taking place nine years before the events of the series. It introduced Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham, the never-before-mentioned adopted sister of Spock who ended up starting the war between the Federation and the Klingons, one that would have repercussions for the franchise for years. Star Trek: Discovery dealt with a threat from the Mirror Universe , a faction that would come into play in Star Trek: The Original Series , while season two brought on fan-favorite versions of characters from the original Star Trek pilot in the form of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Number One (Rebecca Romijln), and Spock (Ethan Peck).

Star Trek: Discovery season two ended with the crew of the Enterprise making the decision to jump forward 1000 years in the future to save the galaxy from an artificial intelligence threat. This resulted in Pike, Spock, and Number One telling Starfleet that Discovery was destroyed in the battle and vowing never to speak of it or the crew again to prevent another incident like the rouge AI Control from happening. This was done to explain why nobody in the later series of Star Trek mentioned any of the characters on Discovery or the advanced technology the ship had as the first and only one of its kind to use an experimental spore drive.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2259-TBD)

Star trek: strange new worlds.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is both a spin-off of Star Trek: Discovery , following Captain Pike and the crew of the USS Enterprise, introduced in that series, as well as a continuation of the original pilot for Star Trek: The Original Series "The Cage." Now that Captain Pike knows the fate that awaits him by the time Star Trek: The Original Series happens, he and the crew of the Enterprise begin exploring strange new worlds. The series is notable for featuring not only Spock but also his first-ever meeting with Captain Kirk (Paul Wesley) and the first missions of Uhurua (Celia Rose Gooding). Other members of the original crew, like Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) and Doctor M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun), while Season 2's finale introduces a young Scotty (Martin Quinn).

Star Trek Movies in Order: How to Watch Chronologically and by Release Date

It also adds a new wrinkle to the lore: La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), who is a descendant of villain Khan Noonien Singh. The series has so far fleshed out the alien race, The Gorn, and features the foundation of the Prime Directive rule, one that forbids a Starship from interfering with the development of an alien planet. It also features time travel in two key episodes. The first was when La'an and another version of Kirk traveled to 2020 Toronto, where La'an has a chance to kill a young Khan when he was just a boy but doesn't due to him not being guilty of any crime yet, and the other involved the crew of Star Trek: Lower Decks traveling back in time and arriving back 100 years before their time.

Star Trek: The Original Series (2265-2269)

The one that started it all, Star Trek: The Original Series , follows the crew of the USS Enterprise in their five-year mission to explore strange new worlds and go where no one has gone before. Under the guidance of Captain Kirk (William Shatner), his first officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and friend and ship doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelly), the crew of the USS Enterprise are the most important characters in the Star Trek franchise. Decisions and events here have major ripple effects on the entire franchise.

There are far too many to name, but the biggest ones include in 2267 when the crew finds and uncovers the body of Khan Nooniegn-Signh, and after he attempts a mutiny, they leave him on a planet to begin a new life, an action that will have repercussions decades later.

Star Trek: The Animated Series (2269-2270)

Star trek: the animated series.

Star Trek: The Animated Series was made in 1973, four years after Star Trek: The Original Series was canceled. It featured the continuing adventures of the crew of the Enterprise's five-year mission. It lasted for two seasons and helped round out the stories of Captain Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the USS Enterprise.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (2271)

Star trek: the motion picture.

While no official stardate is mentioned in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and is only identified as the 2270s, supplementary material for the film dates it one year after the crew of the Enterprise's five-year mission. The film sees the crew of the Enterprise reunite to investigate a mysterious and powerful alien cloud known as V'Ger, which is destroying everything in its path as it approaches Earth. While not stated in the film, subsequent Star Trek material has suggested that V'Ger is the progenitor of the Borg, one of the franchise's most popular recurring enemies.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (2285)

Star trek 2: the wrath of khan.

The most iconic Star Trek film, The Wrath of Khan , picks up 15 years after the events of the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Space Seed." The time since the planet Khan was marooned on , it became a wasteland after one of the planets near it was destroyed and altered the atmosphere. Khan now seeks revenge on Kirk and does so by going after the planet-terraforming machine called the Genesis device, a machine created by Kirk's ex, Carol Marcus, and his son, David Marcus. Kirk is able to defeat Khan but at a price, as Mr. Spock is forced to give his life to save the crew of the Enterprise. Spock's death will have major repercussions on the franchise that will be felt for years.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (2285)

Star trek iii: the search for spock.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock picks up just months after The Wrath of Khan , as the crew of the Enterprise discovers that there is a way to revive Spock. They go against Starfleet's orders and steal the Enterprise to return Spock's body and mind to Vulcan so that he can be reborn. The crew must also face off with hostile Klingons, led by Kruge (Christopher Lloyd), who is bent on stealing the secrets of the powerful terraforming Genesis.

Here’s How Much Each Star Trek Movie Made at the Box Office Upon Release

The film features some major hallmarks of the franchise. The first is the destruction of the Enterprise, a ship that had been with the franchise for years and would be absent in the following film. The second was establishing the core characters as fugitives from the United Federation of Planets, which would set up clearing their names in the follow-up. It also featured Spock being resurrected but at another cost for Kirk, the death of his son, which would begin to drive Kirk's prejudice against Klingons for many films.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (2286 and 1986)

Star trek iv: the voyage home.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home sees the former crew of the USS Enterprise discover that Earth is in grave danger from an alien probe attempting to contact now-extinct humpback whales. The crew travels to Earth's past to find whales who can answer the probe's call. The first and final part of the movie takes place one year after The Search for Spock , but the majority of the movie takes place in 1986, the present day for moviegoing audiences. While Star Trek had done time travel stories before, this one set a template for future entries in the franchise. By the end of the film, Kirk and his crew had been reinstated and cleared of all charges.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (2287)

Star trek v: the final frontier.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier deals with the crew of the new USS Enterprise-A as they confront renegade Vulcan Sybok, who is searching for God at the center of the galaxy. Sybok is Spock's half-brother , and he is from his father's previous relationship with a Vulcan woman. This makes the second chronological secret member of Spock's family and the first introduced in the series in order of release.

Sybok's presence was actually hinted at in the series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds when his lover, Angel, attacks his half-brother's ship. The entry is also the first to allude to a higher power in the Star Trek franchise, and while God would not be revealed in the series, the idea of someone being the creator of life in the galaxy would be picked up years later in Star Trek: The Next Generation and is now the main storyline for the final season of Star Trek: Discovery.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (2293)

Star trek vi: the undiscovered country.

The final time the entire crew of the USS Enterprise would be together was in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . The Klingons seek to form an alliance with the Federation after years of fighting due to their planet suffering a major catastrophe, but Kirk is still bitter after the death of his son at the Klingon's hands in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock . Kirk and Bones are framed for the murder of a high-up Klingon official, which threatens the peace accords, and they, alongside the rest of the crew of the Enterprise, must work to clear their names.

This final entry for most of the original cast marks a turning point in the franchise. It marked the end of the Federation and Klingon conflict, setting up Star Trek: The Next Generation , featuring the character Worf in a prominent role as part of the crew. The film takes place 28 years after Star Trek: The Original Series, and through one live-action show, an animated series, and six films, audiences saw a massive epic unfold for these characters, but the story was far from over as a new era began for the franchise and the next generation began.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (2364-2370)

Star trek: the next generation.

Star Trek: The Next Generation takes place a century after the events of Star Trek: The Original Series . The series follows Captain Jean Luc-Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D as they continue to explore strange new worlds and seek out new life and new civilizations. For many audiences, this was their Star Trek and introduced a whole new host of concepts to the franchise, with the most iconic being the villain, The Borg.

Star Trek: The Next Generation might be one of the most important in terms of how it connects to Star Trek Discovery. The first is the episode "Unification," in which Spock looks to bring peace between the Vulcans and Romulans. Not only is this paid off as Spock's vision of a united Romulus and Vulcan comes true in the form of the planet Ni'Var in Star Trek: Discovery , but his work with the Romulan people will lead to the events that create the alternate Kelvin timeline of Star Trek , Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond .

Yet the most important element is in the episode "The Chase," which reveals that the reason various alien life in the galaxy looks so similar is due to sharing a common ancestry from an ancient species that crafted life in their image. This revelation forms the backbone of Star Trek: Discovery 's final season as the crew looks to find the technology of the species that created life, now dubbed the Progenitors. The episode debuted in 1993, and now, 31 years later, the series is finally going to delve into some answers.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (2369-2375)

Star trek: deep space nine.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine broke from franchise conventions as instead of being focused on a starship, it was set on a space station Deep Space Nine, located adjacent to a wormhole connecting Federation territory to the Gamma Quadrant on the far side of the Milky Way galaxy. The series begins one year before the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation come to a conclusion and is firmly connected to the events of that series as Benjamin Sisko, head of Deep Space Nine, is mourning the death of his wife, who was killed by the Borg at the Battle of Wolf 359 seen in the episode "The Best of Both Worlds Part II" from The Next Generation and has a difficult time seeing the face of Jean-Luc Picard as that was the face he saw leading the Borg that lead to the death of his wife.

The biggest event of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is The Dominion Wars, a massive story arc that ran over the course of the series. It involved all major powers of the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants, organized into two opposing military alliances, the Federation Alliance and the Breen-Dominion Alliance, which resulted in the deadliest conflicts in the galaxy. It would begin the drive for the Federation to become a more militarized organization.

Star Trek Generations (2371)

Star trek: generations.

Star Trek: Generations occupies an interesting place within the timeline. It is set one year after the events of The Next Generation and two years into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in the year 2371. Yet the film's beginning takes place shortly after the events of Star Trek VI: The Final Frontier, which sees Captain Kirk stuck in a pocket dimension, allowing him to meet Captain Jean-Luc Picard of The Next Generation nearly a century later into his future. This film marked the death of Captain Kirk , who died the way he lived, a man of adventure.

Star Trek: First Contact (2373)

Star trek: first contact.

Star Trek: First Contact is another time travel movie, similar to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home . Set six years after being assimilated by the Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation , Captain Picard and his crew travel through a time portal to pursue the Borg to April 4, 2063. This is the date before the historic warp drive flight that leads to humanity's first encounter with alien life, and the Borg are looking to alter the future so humans never make contact. The film's date of April 5th has now become an unofficial Star Trek holiday known as First Contact Day .

Star Trek: Insurrection (2375)

Star trek: insurrection.

Star Trek: Insurrection is notable as the film is set in 2375, the same year as the final season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Trying to take the renegade Starfleet team element from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , the crew of the USS Enterprise -E rebels against Starfleet after they discover a conspiracy with the Son'a species to steal the peaceful Ba'ku's planet for its rejuvenating properties.

Star Trek: Voyager (2371-2378)

Star trek: voyager.

Star Trek: Voyager begins in 2371, the same year as Star Trek: Generations . It follows the adventures of the USS Voyager as it attempts to return home to the Alpha Quadrant after being stranded in the Delta Quadrant on the far side of the galaxy. This entry is key for introducing two characters to the franchise that will play major roles in future installments. The series introduced Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the first female Captain in the franchise, who will later have a major role in Star Trek: Prodigy .

The second is Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), a former Borg drone that was born Annika Hansen before being assimilated by the Borg at age six in 2356, eight years before the start of Star Trek: The Next Generation . Seven of Nine plays a major role in Star Trek: Picard as the series delves more into the Borg's history and culture.

Star Trek: Nemesis (2379)

Star trek: nemesis.

Star Trek: Nemesis takes place fifteen years after the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation and deals with a threat from a clone of Captain Picard named Shinzon (Tom Hardy), who has taken control of the planet Romulus and was created by the Romulan Empire originally to create a spy within the Federation but the plans were abandoned likely due to the events of "Unification" and the clone child was left on die as a slave on the Romulan controlled planet Remus. The film marked the final film for the crew of The Next Generation as it marked many landmarks, including the wedding of Commander Will Ryker and Deanna Tori and the death of Data, all elements that lead into Star Trek: Picard .

Star Trek: Lower Decks (2380-TBD)

Star trek: lower decks.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is a comedic spin on the Star Trek franchise . This animated adventure follows the low-ranking support crew of the starship Cerritos and begins one year after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis . Star Trek: Lower Decks crossed over with Star Trek: Strange New World in that series' second season episode, "Those Old Scientists," which saw Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid get the chance to play their roles of Beckett Mariner and Brad Boimler, respectively, in live-action.

The series just announced its fifth and final season, meaning both it and Star Trek: Discovery will come to a close in 2024, and fans are certainly hoping to hear a mention of the characters of Lower Decks in Discovery just to know these lowly crew members did become big names with the Federation history.

Star Trek: Prodigy (2383-TBD)

Star trek: prodigy.

Star Trek: Prodigy was an attempt to create a new starting point for young kids to get into the Star Trek franchise. Set in 2383, it follows a group of young aliens from the Delta Quadrant who find the abandoned starship Protostar and learn about Starfleet with the help of the ship's computer, an AI of Captain Janeway from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . This young crew of kids makes their way to the Alpha Quadrant while discovering what it means to be a crew and what being part of Starfleet is all about.

The series features plenty of cameos and references to the past Star Trek series but does so in a way that invites the young viewer to learn more about them. The series was canceled at Paramount+ after one season but was then picked up by Netflix, where it will have a second season.

Kelvin Timeline (2387, 2255 - 2263)

This is where things get a bit tricky. In the year 2387, a supernova destroys the planet Romulus. For those in the original timeline, the destruction of Romulus kicks off the events of Star Trek: Picard, but a major event happens that none of the characters are aware of at the time: the creation of a new timeline.

In an attempt to stop the supernova, an elder Spock launches a piece of red matter into the supernova that creates a black hole that sucks both him and the Romulan villain Nero (Eric Bana) through it and back in time. Nero arrives first in the year 2233, which results in the destruction of the USS Kelvin and the death of Geroge Kirk on the birth of his son James T. Kirk's birth, creating a new branching timeline that is the Kelvin timeline, which is where the events of Star Trek , Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond take place. This means that while the events of the Kelvin timeline take place earlier, they are doing so in a separate timeline that is built off the events of the prior stories. So 2009's Star Trek is both a reboot, a prequel, and a sequel to the franchise.

Due to the timeline changing, the events of the Kelvin timeline actually take place earlier than in Star Trek: The Original Series . 2009's Star Trek takes place in 2255, while Into Darkness takes place four years later in 2259, and Beyond is set in 2263, roughly four years into the crew's five-year mission. This is notably two years before Star Trek: The Original Series begins. By the 31st century of Star Trek: Discovery season three, the Prime Timeline is aware of the Kelvin timeline. They established a Starfleet officer named Yor, a time soldier who originated from another timeline and referenced the events of 2009's Star Trek .

Star Trek: Picard (2399-2402)

Star trek: picard.

Star Trek: Picard takes place 20 years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis in the year 2399. In the years since the series concluded, the Federation has become more isolationist. Following the destruction of Romulus, the Romulan people have become scattered; meanwhile, an attack on a Starfleet operation has led to a ban on synthetics. Season one focuses on Picard discovering more about the syncs with the discovery of Data's daughter Soji while also exploring more into the Borg culture as Romulans have begun mining Borg technology.

Season 2 takes place two years later, in 2401, and sees an old adversary named Q, an extra-dimensional being, traping Picard and his new crew in an alternate reality which forces them to travel back in time to Los Angeles 2024 to save the future while exploring more about Picard's own family origin. Finally, season three takes place one year later, in 2402, as Picard reunites with his old crew from The Next Generation , as well as his long-lost son, for a final showdown with the Borg.

Star Trek: Discovery: Seasons 3-5 (3188-TBD)

Now, finally, it's time to loop back to Star Trek: Discovery . Season 3 sees the crew of Discovery travel to the year 3188 to discover the Federation fragmented and investigates the cause of a cataclysmic event known as the "Burn" as they attempt to rebuild Starfleet. Burnham is promoted to captain at the end of the season, and in season four, the crew helps rebuild the Federation while facing a space anomaly created by unknown aliens that causes destruction across the galaxy, similar to the plot of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

The fifth and final season sees Discovery faced with its biggest task yet. They embark on a journey to uncover the mystery of The Progenitors, the species that The Next Generation revealed created multiple sentient lifeforms in the universe. The final season of Star Trek: Discovery , the series set furthest in the Star Trek timeline, is now taking the franchise to answer the oldest question in the cosmos: where do we come from, and what is our purpose?

With humans making first contact with aliens on April 5, 2063, to the events of Star Trek: Discovery in 3188, the story of Star Trek is one that spans 1,125 years. It is an epic tale filled with heroes, villains, and worlds filled with imagination and hope. Star Trek continues forward as there are plenty more stories to tell.

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Explore the stars of Star Trek from your backyard

By far, however, the TV show that gave the most astronomy buffs their start exploring space was Star Trek , which began a three-season run at 8:30 P.M. EDT on Thursday, Sept. 8, 1966. This groundbreaking television show was followed by Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), Star Trek: Voyager (1995), Star Trek: Enterprise (2001), Star Trek: Discovery (2017), and Star Trek: Picard (2020), along with various movies, animated series, and lots of books and comics.

During the five and a half decades that followed the first show, now often referred to as The Original Series, the Enterprise has visited hundreds of planets. Of course, each one originated in some writer’s imagination. But I wondered how many of those destinations were placed in a star system visible in our sky. A lot, it turns out. I stopped counting at 50.

What follows is a list that combines some of the brightest stars in our sky with several not-so-bright ones, all of them important in the Star Trek universe. The next time you look at one of these stars, let your mind drift back to 1966, when people — through their television sets — voyaged to distant worlds. Indeed, with all the recent exoplanet discoveries, it’s not hard to imagine that an alien civilization might exist where no one has gone before, on a planet revolving around one of the stars of Star Trek .

Strange new worlds

Besides Earth, probably the most important planet in Star Trek is Vulcan, homeworld of Mr. Spock. Early on, some official reference books listed magnitude 3.7 Epsilon (ε) Eridani as the star around which it orbited. During an episode of Enterprise , however, Chief Engineer Tucker states that Vulcan is 16 light-years from Earth. And Epsilon Eri is only 10.5 light-years away.

Current Trek star maps place Vulcan in the Omicron 2 (ο 2 ) Eridani system. This triple star, also known as Keid and 40 Eri, is some 16.3 light-years from Earth. Its primary glows at magnitude 4.4. To find it, look 15° west of Rigel.

The brightest star visited by any Star Trek crew on television or film is Canopus (Alpha [α] Carinae), which observers can spot from the southernmost states. Shining at magnitude –0.7, it’s the second-brightest star in our night sky. It featured in The Original Series episode “The Ultimate Computer.” In the episode, which takes place in 2268, the scientist Richard Daystrom installs a tactical computer aboard the Enterprise . The device can control the ship with some 5 percent of its normal crew. Its first task is to survey the inhabited planet Alpha Carinae II.

Note that the brightest nighttime star, Sirius (Alpha Canis Majoris), also has a planetary system whose members served as settings for stories, but only in Star Trek books or video games.

The third-brightest star in our sky, Alpha Centauri , is a triple system that’s famous as the nearest star system to our own. It’s also famous in the Star Trek universe, hosting no less than 22 planets. Thirteen of them circle Rigil Kentaurus (Alpha Cen A), five orbit Alpha Cen B, and four more travel around Proxima Centauri (Alpha Cen C).

What’s more, three of these planets are populated. Including outposts and space stations, this system supports some 21 billion inhabitants. When you spot Alpha Centauri (only visible from latitudes south of 30° north), imagine how cool it would be if, in reality, any planets around those stars contained the simplest form of life, let alone intelligent life.

Our next entry is one that requires some searching to see. In the Star Trek universe, more than 150 planetary civilizations belong to a democratic society known as the United Federation of Planets. Such a body often needs neutral ground for negotiations: a planet named Babel, which orbits the star Wolf 424 . This star, also known as FL Virginis, is a system of two red dwarfs a bit more than 14 light-years away that together glow just brighter than a meager 13th magnitude. You’ll need an 8-inch or larger scope, a dark site, an excellent star chart (or software), and lots of patience to track it down. But for a true fan of Star Trek , that’s a small price to pay to spot a star whose planet has two episodes — “Journey to Babel” and “Babel One” — named for it.

The stellar moniker Menkar may not be familiar to Star Trek fans. But call this star Ceti Alpha , and it will immediately conjure up the image of Khan Noonien Singh. This character first appeared in The Original Series episode “Space Seed,” and then in the movies Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek Into Darkness .

Though referred to in Star Trek as Ceti Alpha, a luminary that has at least six planets in orbit, it’s more correct to call this star Alpha Ceti. However, Star Trek’s writers aren’t the only ones to break convention regarding the star’s designation. The alpha star is usually the brightest star in a constellation. Not in Cetus the Whale, though. That honor goes to Diphda (Beta [β] Ceti), which, at magnitude 2.0, is 58 percent brighter than magnitude 2.5 Alpha. Both stars are easy to spot in the Northern Hemisphere’s autumn sky.

Three to beam up

A triad of stars well known to amateur astronomers is the Summer Triangle: Vega (Alpha Lyrae), Altair (Alpha Aquilae), and Deneb (Alpha Cygni). In Star Trek , Vega hosts at least nine planets, the main one being Vega IV with a mostly human colony of nearly 5.8 billion inhabitants. This system is referenced in The Original Series episode “Mirror, Mirror.” Captain James T. Kirk learns that one of the first actions his mirror counterpart took after assuming command of the Enterprise (via assassination) was to execute 5,000 colonists on Vega IX.

Now, on to Altair. The most famous planet in the Altair system is Altair VI. In The Original Series episode “Amok Time,” the Enterprise is headed to this planet to attend the inauguration of its new president when it has to divert to Vulcan for Spock’s mating ritual.

In Star Trek , the name Deneb is used to refer to the “true” Deneb (Alpha Cygni) and also as shorthand for Deneb Kaitos, which is another name for the star Diphda in Cetus. The latter has no less than six planets, while the former hosts nine planets, the most important of which are Deneb II and Deneb IV. This second world is the site of Farpoint Station, where the crew in the very first The Next Generation episode, “Encounter at Farpoint,” meets the ultra-powerful being known as Q.

Tribbles, the Borg, and Denobulans, oh my!

Midway on the sky between the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and the Pleiades (M45), you’ll find the tiny constellation Triangulum. Of its three brightest luminaries, the least apparent is 4th-magnitude Gamma (γ) Trianguli. In The Original Series , the Enterprise visited the planet Gamma Trianguli IV during the episode “The Apple,” finding a civilization controlled by a supercomputer named Vaal.

Every Star Trek fan — and probably most non-fans — have heard of Tribbles, which debuted in “The Trouble With Tribbles” in the second season of The Original Series . Brought aboard the Enterprise by merchant Cyrano Jones, they nearly overwhelmed the ship’s operations. The homeworld of the furry creatures is Iota Geminorum IV, whose central star, Iota (ι) Geminorum , glows at magnitude 3.8 about 4.5° from both Castor and Pollux.

On the other end of the brightness spectrum from most of the stars I’ve mentioned, Wolf 359 is incredibly faint. Although it lies less than 8 light-years away, this red dwarf glows meekly at magnitude 13.5. Wolf 359 lies in southern Leo, almost directly on the ecliptic. In The Next Generation two-part episode “The Best of Both Worlds,” a disastrous battle takes place in this star system between the Federation and the Borg. The real kicker is that the Borg ship is under the guidance of Locutus — formerly the Enterprise ’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard, who was captured and assimilated into the Borg collective, losing his individuality and prior allegiance in the process.

Only an observer familiar with the series Enterprise will know the planet Archer IV, named for the captain of the NX-01. It’s an important one, however: the first M-class (meaning Earth-like and habitable) planet discovered by humans. To see the luminary around which this fictional world revolves, look toward the southernmost part of the constellation Ursa Major. There, you’ll find the Sun-like star 61 Ursae Majoris , glowing at magnitude 5.3 — just bright enough to spot without binoculars from a dark site.

Enterprise also gave us the wonderfully named Denobula Triaxa, the star we know as Iota Boötis . In fantasy, this is a triple star, but reality shows it is binary. Its components glow at magnitudes 4.8 and 8.3. You can spot them easily through any size telescope because their separation is a worthy 39″. They also show a nice color contrast, with a yellow primary and the secondary a blue-white. In Enterprise, this system is notable as the homeworld of Chief Medical Officer Dr. Phlox.

Resistance is futile

As you can see, a lot of stars in our sky — some familiar, some not — have found their way into the lore of Star Trek . The next time you encounter one, let your mind wander a bit and consider that the prospect of life in the universe is a lot more possible now than it seemed in 1966. Live long and prosper!

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Star Trek's Time Travel Rules Aren't Nearly as Confusing as They Seem

Over the six-decade history of Star Trek, there's been a lot of time travel and, confusing it as it may seem, there're clear rules about how it works.

• Star Trek time travel operates with genuine logic, impacting the past and future consistently within the narrative framework.
• Major series and films heavily rely on time travel, introducing rules like the "slingshot" effect and parallel realities.
• Changes in the past affect the future of the Prime Timeline, except for the creation of the Kelvin Timeline as a parallel reality.

As a mainstay of science fiction for six decades, Star Trek is no stranger to time travel stories. On the surface, it may seem as if the rules of time travel are loose in Gene Roddenberry's universe. The first chronological use of time travel comes at the end of Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1, Episode 6, "The Naked Time," when the USS Enterprise is sent three days back in time. Since then, every major Star Trek series has featured time travel, with some even relying heavily on the convention.

Time travel also shows up in the films, from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home to Star Trek: First Contact . The 2009 reboot Star Trek movie by J.J. Abrams also relies on time travel to create its brand-new universe. Star Trek also uses parallel realities, such as its famously evil Mirror Universe. While there are rules in its universe, the real-life way Star Trek time travel works is, essentially, narrative convenience. What the storytellers want to happen is what happens, but through these choices made by disparate storytellers, a framework emerges.

Time Travel in Star Trek: The Original Series Set the Tone

Star trek has been quietly influencing one of the most popular franchises of all time.

"The Naked Time" and the Enterprise being flung into the past was meant to be the first part of a two-part story. The second part was "Tomorrow Is Yesterday," eventually the 21st episode of the first season. In this story, the USS Enterprise is accidentally flung back to 1969. This episode developed the "slingshot" effect, in which the ship warps around the sun and uses that to break the "time barrier." In this story, the Enterprise is able to successfully erase its presence in the past by undoing the changes they made. In Season 2, Episode 26, "Assignment: Earth," The Enterprise is again in the past on what's supposed to be a "routine" observation mission. Instead, they help Gary Seven -- a mysterious human called a Watcher" -- prevent a nuclear detonation.

In that episode, Spock discovers the Enterprise was always supposed to be a part of the events that day. This is a closed time-loop in which the presence of time travelers was always part of what happened . However, in the famous episode "City on the Edge of Forever," a crazed Doctor McCoy accidentally goes back in time through the "Guardian of Forever" gate and changes history. The USS Enterprise disappeared, but the away team on the planet did not. This was the first time that changes in the past were immediately reflected in the timeline, which is the de facto way time travel manifests in Star Trek . Similarly, in Star Trek: The Animated Series , the Guardian of Forever is used to correct a mistake that erased Spock from history.

In "City on the Edge of Forever," proximity to the Guardian prevented the crew from being affected by the changes. Yet, in "Yesteryear," the crew by the Guardian were not immune, not recognizing Spock when he emerged. Lastly, in Star Trek IV the crew changes the past , but its effects are left vague. Scotty gives a random manufacturer the formula for transparent aluminum, while Chekov leaves behind his communicator and phaser when captured by the US military. How these changes affected the future are not known, but it's presumed that they would have been both instantaneous and unnoticeable upon the Enterprise's return to their present.

How The Next Generation Era Solidified Star Trek Time Travel Rules

One of star trek's best new characters reclaimed a problematic trope.

There were a number of episodes in the second wave of Star Trek that dealt with time travel, including its consequences on the future. In a Star Trek: Voyager two-parter, Ed Begley, Jr. played an important character who was, essentially, responsible for the 1980s and 1990s computer age the Star Trek: The Originl Series storytellers didn't see coming. In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's "Past Tense," Captain Sisko has to step in for historical figure Gabriel Bell in the "Bell Riots," an important historical event. Also, Deep Space Nine revealed that Quark, Nog and Rom were the "Rosewell aliens" thanks to a time travel snafu. However, one episode further solidified how changes to the timeline worked.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation 's third season episode, "Yesterday's Enterprise," the USS Enterprise-C was displaced from its time into the 24th Century. The moment it arrived there, the timeline changed and none of the Enterprise-D crew was the wiser. Only Guinan was subtly made aware of these changes due to her El Aurian ancestry. When the Enterprise C went back into the temporal rift, that reality snapped back not just to normal but the moment it first emerged. This was despite the fact that days passed in the alternate present the ship's arrival created. This matches how the temporal changes in the sequel series worked as well. Sometimes other characters were exempt from the changes, and while there were sci-fi reasons given, it was, again, narrative convenience.

In Star Trek: First Contact , the Borg successfully altered the past when it sent a sphere back to 2063. The USS Enterprise-E was immune from the timeline changes because of its proximity to the temporal singularity that eventually allowed them to follow . Since the version of Zefram Cochrane that appeared in The Original Series was ignorant of the Federation, it's safe to assume the presence of The Next Generation 's characters changed that past from what it once was. When they returned to their present, presumably, any permanent changes to the present were, again, unnoticeable.

Star Trek: Enterprise and the Kelvin Timeline Changed Time Travel Rules Further

Star trek: discovery fixed one big mistake the kelvin timelines movies made.

The idea of a temporal war was introduced in Star Trek: Enterprise , again suggesting the version of events viewers saw was not the history the characters in the past series knew. From the war with the Xindi in Season 3 to the various temporal incursions in the earlier seasons, the NX-01 Enterprise experienced a different history than it should've. This suggests that every time travel adventure in Star Trek changed the past, save perhaps for the events in "Assignment: Earth." However, that episode is an outlier because it was conceived as a backdoor pilot for a spinoff starring Gary Seven. At some point, according to both Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , the Temporal War went from "cold" to "hot," resulting in even more significant changes.

Still, in almost all cases, changing something in the past affected the future of the Prime Timeline. There is one notable exception, which also exists for narrative convenience. When Ambassador Spock and the Narada traveled into the past after the destruction of Romulus, it created an alternate timeline that became a parallel reality running concurrent with the Prime Timeline . Unlike other time travel events that changed Star Trek canon , the Kelvin Timeline continued forward without undoing the events in the Prime Timeline. Star Trek: Picard Season 1 proved this by confirming the destruction of Romulus. And, when those characters time traveled in Season 2, the changes in the past were again reflected in the Prime Timeline's future rather than creating a branch reality.

For those looking for a sci-fi reason for this, one could say that the mysterious "Red Matter" Spock used had something to do with it. However, the Kelvin Timeline isn't necessarily the only parallel reality created by time-travel. In Star Trek: Discovery , the Guardian of Forever implied to Philippa Georgiou that there was a period in the Mirror Universe's past where it was the same timeline as the one fans know. Though, Enterprise showed that divergence happened, at least, as far back as Vulcan First Contact. Still, save for it and the Kelvin Timeline, Star Trek 's rules of time travel suggest changes in the past affect the future of the Prime Timeline.

There Are Still Unanswered Mysteries About How Time Travel Works in Star Trek

The new star trek series could erase the kelvin timeline, but shouldn't.

When it comes to the real-world story reasons for creating an alternate timeline versus a parallel reality, it's all down to narrative needs. The Kelvin Timeline needed a future unencumbered by existing canon, thus it existed without changing the Prime Timeline. However, most of the time travel incursions in the Star Trek universe don't work that way. Yet, events change for other, inexplicable reasons such as the birth and rise of Khan Noonien Singh . In "Space Seed," the The Original Series Season 1 episode that introduced the character, his reign of terror happened in the 1990s . Yet, Strange New Worlds fixed that in Season 2.

Khan's descendent, La'an Noonien Singh, was recruited by a Temporal Agent to fix an attack in the past. When he passed his Time Gizmo to her, the timeline changed around her, including erasing the Temporal Agent's body. While in the past, she encountered a Romulan temporal soldier sent back to the 1990s to kill Khan. Without him, Starfleet and the Federation would never form. Yet, when she got there, she found no evidence of Khan's existence. Eventually, she discovered him as a child in the mid-21st Century. She implied to La'an that certain "canon events" will happen regardless. Perhaps because of the changes made to the time in Voyager , Khan's creation didn't happen until later.

While these aren't the clearest rules, time travel can explain many things, including Strange New Worlds ' advanced technology . These changes alter the look and capabilities of Star Trek 's future, but the "big" things still happen. Christopher Pike captains the Enterprise and is debilitated in an accident. James T. Kirk replaces him, preventing a Romulan war. This can also mean that time travel events that don't happen on screen can also change the timeline in ways the characters (and the audience) would never realize . In fact, all these various stories told by different generations of storytellers over decades fit together even this neatly is a kind of miracle in itself.

Star Trek's series and Kelvin Timeline films are available to stream on Paramount+, while the first 10 films stream on Max. All are available to own on DVD, Blu-ray and digital.

The Star Trek universe encompasses multiple series, each offering a unique lens through which to experience the wonders and perils of space travel. Join Captain Kirk and his crew on the Original Series' voyages of discovery, encounter the utopian vision of the Federation in The Next Generation, or delve into the darker corners of galactic politics in Deep Space Nine. No matter your preference, there's a Star Trek adventure waiting to ignite your imagination.

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Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 8 Review – Labyrinths

The Discovery crew is on the hunt for the Progenitors' final puzzle piece in the library of our dreams, but to find it Michael must first look inward.

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This Star Trek: Discovery review contains spoilers.

Having fun isn’t hard if you’ve got a library card on the latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery , which sees Captain Michael Burnham and company visit the Eternal Gallery and Archive, a mobile knowledge bank that is, hands down, the absolute coolest of the five locations we’ve visited on this season-long clue hunt. To be fair, “Labyrinths” isn’t an episode where all that much happens, but its premise still makes for a surprisingly satisfying hour, and the slow-moving approach of the Breen adds some nice tension to Michael’s vision quest into her own psyche. 

Full of one-of-a-kind manuscripts, rare artifacts, and other priceless items from cultures both present and lost, the Archive is exactly the kind of location that fits the adventure-themed feel of the season. It also looks cool as hell, packed to the gills with books and viewing rooms holding various priceless items from long-dead cultures. Arriving within it basically feels like the sci-fi version of that bit from Beauty and the Beast where Belle discovers all the books she now has access to, and if someone wanted to make an entire spin-off focused on the mysteries of this place and the people who came to visit it I would be glued to the screen every week. 

The Archive is currently located in the Badlands, an area that will be intimately familiar to Star Trek fans as it has important connections to both Deep Space Nine and Voyager , though for some reason Discovery does almost nothing with that fact. (Sorry folks on the lookout for some version of a famous space station, I guess.) The still-raging plasma storms that once caused such trouble for Voyager do make the Archive more difficult to find and offer it a modicum of protection. The site is currently run by Hy’rell, an Efrosian librarian who is one of the most entertaining supporting characters Discovery has introduced in some time. Almost passive-aggressively cheerful, her relentless friendliness makes her iron spine about the Archive’s rules and mission, and it’s always fun to watch Micahel go up against someone who doesn’t immediately give her what she wants. Hy’rell feels an awful lot like the Star Trek version of The Guide from What We Do in the Shadows , is what I’m saying. (Also, I love her.) 

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Burnham uses the library card she and the crew deciphered last week to access the last remaining copy of Labyrinths of the Mind , a text left behind by Betazoid scientist Marina Derex that’s meant to point the way to the final clue to the location of the Progenitor technology. But it turns out the book itself doesn’t really have all that much to do with the final test—it’s merely a case for another card, one that, upon touch, launches a program that takes Michael into a mindscape version of the Archive’s library. There, she must find the location of the last clue to access it in the real world. Like the other tests that Burnham and the Discovery crew have encountered, it’s tied to exploring a specific facet of the participant’s worthiness to access the information they’re seeking and whether they’re the sort of person who will properly use something so powerful as whatever it is the Progenitors left behind.  

The idea that Michael finds the answer only when she admits and confronts her deepest fears—of failure, both professionally and personally, in terms of letting down those she cares about—is peak Discovery , the sort of endless navel-gazing these characters are constantly asked to engage in. On some level, this particular test might have been more interesting if someone other than Michael had been forced to take it. We’re all well acquainted with her failings and flaws at this point, and I don’t know that anyone is going to be shocked to learn that she’s got a perfectionism complex a mile wide, no matter how strong a performance Sonequa Martin-Green gives in this moment (which, by the way, is very good).

The only interesting part of this is that it finally gives us a little clarity about her feelings for Book, and how much she regrets pulling away from him. It’s a nice bit of emotional work for the romantic reunion that the show is so clearly telegraphing. Bonus points to David Ajala for pulling double duty this week as both Book and the AI administering Michael’s test, which she sees in his form. The uber-dramatic outfit and quiet sarcasm are quite fun and make for a very different vibe between the actors.

Elsewhere, the Breen are hot on Discovery’s heels, especially once Moll convinces them all that she’ll be able to resurrect L’ak once they track down the Progenitor tech. Unsurprisingly, Primark Ruhn is less enthused about restoring the life of a dead scion of the Breen Imperium than he is about finding a weapon powerful enough to allow him to claim the throne for himself, so it’s not all that much of a shock that he spends the bulk of this hour betraying and threatening people.

That he blackmails Michael into handing over the completed map is probably the least surprising thing to happen this entire season, though the idea that the hour ends with Moll killing the Primark and taking charge of his faction thanks to her role as L’ak’s wife is almost hilariously ridiculous. Thanks for making sure he didn’t destroy the Archive first though, I guess? We know so little about Moll outside of her relationship with L’ak that it’s easy for Discovery to make her character be whatever it needs to be at any particular moment, but she certainly never seemed like someone who would care all that much about the destruction of valuable cultural artifacts. (Or even innocent lives, come to that.) Oh, well, at least Hy’rell is safe!! 

With two episodes left to go in Discovery’s run, it’s anybody’s guess how this is all going to end. Oh, we can likely figure out some of it: the race to the location of the Progenitors’ supposedly life-restoring tech is on, but it’s almost certainly not going to turn out to be what any of the people chasing it expect. Will it even be real? Or is this going to be one of those stories where the journey was always more important than the destination?

Lacy Baugher

Lacy Baugher is a digital producer by day, but a television enthusiast pretty much all the time. Her writing has been featured in Paste Magazine, Collider,…

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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.

• Gene Roddenberry
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• Leonard Nimoy
• DeForest Kelley
• 277 User reviews
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• 16 wins & 31 nominations total

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• Trivia In the hallways of the Enterprise there are tubes marked "GNDN." These initials stand for "goes nowhere does nothing."
• Goofs The deck locations for Kirk's Quarters, Sickbay and Transporter Room vary (usually between decks 4-7) throughout the series.

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.
• Connections Edited into Ben 10: Secrets (2006)
• Soundtracks Star Trek Music by Alexander Courage

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One of the “Best Worst” ‘Star Trek’ Episodes Recreates the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

Join the Enterprise in an adventure to Tombstone, Arizona.

The Big Picture

• An outlandish storyline tests the crew's limits in Star Trek: The Original Series when Melkotians send Kirk and crew to O.K. Corral, Old West.
• Spock's mind meld convinces the crew that bullets are illusions, saving them in the gunfight.
• Kirk's refusal to kill during the shootout impresses the Melkotians, leading to Federation unity.

Many television shows have filler episodes or episodes that just don't land with audiences. It happens to the best of them. Friends, Gilmore Girls , Charmed , and Supernatural all have episodes that didn't rate well with their substantial audiences. Even shows with a massive following, like Star Trek , have episodes that have silly plots with a hint of something fascinating hidden within them. Honestly, with plots that are so far-fetched, people love them and continue to come back to them over and over again. The Season 3 episode of Star Trek: The Original Series , entitled "Spectre of the Gun," is noted as one of Star Trek's best worst episodes, which depicts the famous gunfight at O.K. Corral .

Even the toughest episodes have little gems fans are always searching for. In a franchise with a huge cult following, like Star Trek, people often discuss episodes and why they love them or can't stand them. Fans will always find something to enjoy, whether it is an idea within the storyline, a character arc, or a performance by one of the actors. And that's why it's called the best worst episode. With a cast of such iconic characters like Spock , Bones, Kirk, and Uhura, it's hard not to find something to love about the episodes.

Star Trek: The Original Series

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.

What Happens In 'Spectre Of The Gun'?

In this infamous episode of The Original Series , the USS Enterprise heads into Melkot space. They're greeted by one of the Melkotians who tells them to leave and never return, and that will be their only warning . But of course, being Starfleet, the crew will do anything to prove they come in peace. The starship gets to the planet where Captain Kirk ( William Shatner ) , Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ), Dr. McCoy ( DeForest Kelley ), and Chekov ( Walter Koenig ) go on an away mission to befriend the Melkotians. Things don't go as planned when the Melkotians send the crew to the Old West—specifically, Tombstone, Arizona, on October 26, 1881, on the historical day at O.K. Corral. The crew assumes that the violence of Kirk's heritage is to be the pattern for their execution. Like the historical event, it is the Earps versus the Clantons and McLaurys -the Starfleet officers represent the latter two families- as they duke it out for O.K. Corral via gunfight. However, in not wanting to participate in a shootout, Kirk does everything in his power to convince everyone around him that he isn't one of the Clantons.

Still, no one believes in his wild tale. So, Spock and Bones decide to make some alternate weapons to aid in their advantage because in the original O.K. Corral shootout, the Earps win, and the crew doesn't think the story can be altered. Little do they know that it can be changed. Unfortunately, they find out after Chokov is shot and killed when, in real life, his persona is the only one that survives. They also figure out any devices they create won't work, and if they try to avoid the gunfight, they'll just be transported to the spot. That's when they put the pieces together. Spock says that "where the laws do not operate, there is no reality," meaning that nothing is real; if they don't believe the bullets are real, they can't be killed. Spock also speculates that it was Chekov's mind that killed him, not the bullets. He believed the bullets would kill him, so they did. But how can they go into the shootout with absolute certainty that the bullets won't kill them? The answer is simple. They can't without the help of a mind meld from Spock. So, that's what they do. Spock convinces them with ultimate certainty that nothing is real. Nothing happens to them when they're in the midst of the shootout; then, they get into an all-out brawl before the Melkotians tell Kirk to kill them. Kirk refuses, and the Melkotians see that Starfleet might not be so bad after all. In fact, they are impressed and want to unite with the Federation.

Hidden Gems In One Of The Best Worst Episodes

The outlandish storyline makes you question why—after Kirk and crew intrude into Melkot space—if the Melkotians are so powerful, why don't they smite them where they stand instead of sending them to the O.K. Corral in the Old West? They could have so easily obliterated the Enterprise if they didn't want to make contact at all. However, it was a good idea if they wanted to test the crew. It seems like an outlandish kind of test, but what can you expect? Everyone thinks differently.

But the episode also has some fascinating nuggets, like when Spock's mind melds with everyone to make them believe the bullets of the Earp gang are nothing but an illusion with absolute certainty. This gives the crew members no fear when dealing with the Earps, whereas before, Bones was convinced there was no way they would be able to get through the fight with absolute certainty. Bones is usually the most skeptical with Spock, but he has no problems doing the mind meld, which saves their hides in the end.

Another excellent example of fascination in one of the best and worst episodes is how Kirk and the crew finally get through to the Melkotians by showing they won't kill for revenge , no matter how much they're pressured into it. Just when you thought Kirk might break and kill the Earp brother, he doesn't. Spock even comments on it later on. Kirk responds by saying humans have evolved past the need for violence , which is hopefully the case 100 years in the future. The Melkotians appreciated the gesture and became friends with the Federation.

It's also interesting to note that the budget for this episode was lower than usual. Walter Koenig reminisced that the network had been spending too much money , as seen in the half-built Old West sets, which perfectly fit in with the storyline. Koenig loved the episode for what it gave his character : he gets the girl, dies, and comes back to life all in one episode. Chekov doesn't get the girl often but makes it work in this episode as he soaks up every moment of being fawned over and having someone to fawn over.

Star Trek: The Original Series is streaming on Pluto TV in the U.S.

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Star Trek's Infamous Spock's Brain Episode Was A Sneaky Dig At NBC Itself

O ften considered one of the worst episodes of "Star Trek," "Spock's Brain" (September 20, 1968) boasted a story wherein a species of low-intelligence aliens infiltrate the U.S.S. Enterprise, sedate everyone on board, and steal the grey matter belonging to Spock (Leonard Nimoy) for nefarious purposes. It will later be revealed that Spock's brain was required to power a super-computer on a nearby planet and that the computer could temporarily inject complex information and skills into people's heads. The crew of the Enterprise outfit Spock's brainless body with a temporary brain-like machine, and they can pilot him via remote control. 

Eventually, Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) will be injected -- via the supercomputer -- with knowledge of how to surgically return Spock's brain to his body. When McCoy runs out of knowledge partway through the operation, the now-conscious Spock talks him the rest of the way through. "Spock's Brain" is farfetched and silly, even by Trek standards. 

"Spock's Brain" was directed by Marc Daniels, and he is not particularly proud. In the oral history book "Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages" edited by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, Daniels and longtime Trek writer David Gerrold talked about "Spock's Brain" and they concluded that the episode was meant to function as a wry satire, a goose to the serious-minded NBC execs -- or perhaps Gene Roddenberry himself -- who were all taking the show too seriously. William Shatner also noted the episode's symbolism in his 2009 autobiography "Up Till Now."  Surely, Shatner thought, something was being stated outright in a story about a machine searching for a brain. 

Read more: 12 Reasons Why The Original Series Is The Best Star Trek Show

The Silliness Of Spock's Brain Might Have Been The Point

Daniels noted that the first draft of the "Spock's Brain" teleplay left Spock on the Enterprise while the other characters located his missing brain. Daniels was the one who decided to turn Spock into a mechanical zombie who came along. "Then the concern was whether or not he would look like a zombie walking around. Thankfully Leonard was able to pull it off." And, yes, Nimoy wasn't a stiff-armed zombie, although he did still look a little silly. 

And, according to Gerrold, the silliness might have been the point. Gerrold suspected that the episode's writer, Gene L. Coon (credited as Lee Cronin) was trying to confront Gene Roddenberry's tendency to take "Star Trek" seriously to the point of it being no fun. Gerrold posited: 

"I suspect [...] that 'Spock's Brain' was Gene L. Coon's way of thumbing his nose at Roddenberry or something. If not Roddenberry, he was thumbing his nose at how seriously the show was taking itself. I suspect what had happened is that they were a little panic-stricken because there weren't a lot of scripts to shoot. The history of 'Star Trek' is management by crisis. I think somebody called up Gene L. Coon and said, 'We need a script in a hurry, can you do it?' And he did it under a pen name, and I don't think he deliberately set out to write that show seriously." 

As such, Gerrold laid out what he suspected was Coon's thought process: "I don't think there's any way you can take that episode seriously. You've got to take it as a joke. What's the stupidest science fiction idea to do? What if somebody stole Spock's brain?" This was a premise that could have been cribbed from a low-budget sci-fi horror thriller from 1953. 

Star Trek Was Suffering At The Time

Gerrold felt that Coon definitely would have tried something that playful, saying: "I think Gene L. Coon had that kind of sense of humor to do that kind of impish stuff. He had an irreverent sense of humor, and I think he wanted to poke 'Star Trek' because someone was taking it too seriously. " Possibly Roddenberry, but also possibly the NBC higher-ups. It's okay to have fun. "Maybe it was his way of not buying into it," Gerrold said. 

Shatner's memories of "Spock's Brain," meanwhile, were an indicator of the show's suffering. He recalled that "Star Trek" was moved to a Friday 10 p.m. timeslot, which is death for any series. Shatner was, at the very least, jocular about the plight, writing: 

"Our first show that third season might have been a tribute to the NBC executives who so mishandled this show: it was about a society in desperate need of a brain. It was entitled 'Spock's Brain' and took place on Stardate 5431.4. I don't know what day of the week that would have bee, but I can assure you it was not a Friday night at ten o'clock. Because even aliens are busy Friday nights at ten o'clock." 

Shatner also tells a cute (made-up) story of how Nimoy was lying on his operating gurney during the episode's final surgery scene, only to open his eyes in surprise, and, in a panic, yell "Friday night at 10 o'clock??" "Perhaps he didn't," Shatner impishly wrote, "But it was true, of course." 

Trek struggled through its third season with a slashed budget, forcing them to eliminate guest stars and location shoots. After its third season ended, "Star Trek" was no more. 

It's possible, however, that "Star Trek" lived on somewhere. 

Read the original article on SlashFilm

Screen Rant

10 star trek aliens who don't look human.

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Every Upcoming Star Trek Movie & TV Show

Star trek: strange new worlds season 3 - everything we know, everything we know about star trek: prodigy season 2.

• Many Star Trek aliens look humanoid due to the practical and budgetary limits of producing TV series.
• Not all aliens resemble humans in Star Trek, such as silicon-based creatures like the Horta and mysterious interdimensional beings like the Kerkhovians.
• Star Trek explores a wide range of intriguing and unique alien species, from incorporeal beings like the Organians to gas giant inhabitants like Species 10-C.

Many of Star Trek 's most well-known aliens look basically human, but sometimes Starfleet encounters truly alien creatures who do not resemble humanity at all. Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 20, "The Chase" provided an in-universe explanation for why so many Star Trek aliens look like humans with bumpy foreheads. Billions of years ago, a humanoid species now referred to as the Progenitors seeded planets across the galaxy with DNA that would evolve into lifeforms similar to themselves. Star Trek: Discovery season 5 has provided more insight into these mysterious ancient humanoids and their technology.

The practical reason that so many Star Trek aliens are humanoid is, of course, that all actors are human, and, as a television series, there were practical and budgetary limits to how Star Trek could create aliens. More than a few energy-based beings popped up on Star Trek: The Original Series , but they often possessed humanoid hosts or shifted into a human shape so that actors could portray them. Even the Q and the Changelings, who could take nearly any form, take humanoid forms when interacting with humans. In modern Star Trek , humanoid aliens remain the norm, even as make-up and special effects technology has advanced. But it's always fascinating to see Star Trek aliens who bear little to no resemblance to humanity.

Star Trek is ending series like Discovery and Lower Decks but renewed Strange New Worlds while setting up new streaming and theatrical movies.

10 The Horta

Star trek: the original series season 1, episode 25 - "the devil in the dark", star trek: the original series.

In one of Star Trek: The Original Series' most iconic episodes , Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the USS Enterprise travel to a mining facility to investigate a series of deaths. Once there, they find a strange subterranean creature that is a silicon-based lifeform. When Spock (Leonard Nimoy) mind-melds with it, he discovers that the creature is called the Horta and only killed the miners to protect its eggs.

"The Devil in the Dark" contains the first use of the phrase, "I'm a doctor, not a...," when Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) says, "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer!"

At the end of Star Trek 's "The Devil in the Dark," the miners agree to leave the Horta and its eggs alone, and after the new Horta hatch, they help create tunnels within the mine. While the Horta may look like nothing more than a moving molten rock, it remains one of Star Trek's most unique aliens. With its classic Star Trek premise, "The Devil in the Dark" remains one of the franchise's most memorable episodes.

9 The Kerkhovians

Star trek: strange new worlds season 2, episode 5 - "charades", star trek: strange new worlds.

When Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) and Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) do a flyby of the Kerkhovian moon in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , their shuttlecraft gets pulled into a dangerous vortex. While Chapel is unhurt, Spock has been turned completely human . Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) then contacts the Kerkhovians who "repaired" Spock, but they say that since "remediation" was made, no further contact will be necessary.

The Kerkhovians once built a civilization on the moon of the planet Kerkhov but later moved to interdimensional space. As powerful non-corporeal beings, the Kerkhovians were able to repair the shuttle and heal Spock , but they were confused by Spock's combination of Vulcan and human DNA. Chapel eventually flew a shuttle into interdimensional space and convinced the Kerkhovians to return Spock to his proper half-Vulcan/half-human state.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 ended with an epic cliffhanger and here's everything known about when it will be resolved in season 3.

8 The Tholians

Star trek: the original series season 3, episode 9 - "the tholian web" & star trek: enterprise.

The Tholians are a crystalline species with a hard outer carapace and six legs who thrive in an extremely hot environment. After Starfleet became aware of the Tholians in 2152, they had several conflicts with one another over the next century . In the Star Trek: The Original Series episode, "The Tholian Web," Captain Kirk and his crew answer a distress call from the USS Defiant only for the Tholians to show up and order the Enterprise to leave their system.

Tholian vessels can weave an energy web to entrap much larger ships.

Governed by the Tholian Assembly, the Tholians are incredibly territorial and are known to kill outsiders for tresspassing in their space. Although small, Tholian vessels can weave an energy web to entrap much larger ships. The Star Trek: Enterprise season 4 two-parter, "In a Mirror, Darkly," reveals that the Defiant crossed over to the Mirror Universe and was salvaged by the Tholians before being stolen by the Terran Empire.

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 20 - "Tin Man"

Star trek: the next generation.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "Tin Man," the Betazoid Federation emissary Tam Elbrun (Harry Groener) comes aboard the USS Enterprise-D to initiate First Contact with a sentient spaceship referred to as Tin Man. When Elbrun communicates with Tin Man, he discovers that the creature is called Gomtuu and that it may be the last of its kind. After its crew was killed, Gomtuu wandered the galaxy for millennia before eventually deciding to end its own life.

With a hard and protective outer shell, Gomtuu can grow furniture and equipment inside to support a carbon-based crew. Gomtuu possesses powerful defensive abilities and the ability to transport people even through shields. At the end of TNG' s "Tin Man," Elbrun decides to join Gomtuu, and the two depart to explore the galaxy. As Elbrun has spent his life feeling overwhelmed by his strong telepathic powers, he finds peace with only Gomtuu as a companion.

6 The Organians

Star trek: the original series season 1, episode 26 - "errand of mercy" & star trek: enterprise season 4, episode 11 - "observer effect".

In Star Trek: The Original Series' "Errand of Mercy," the USS Enterprise travels to the planet Organia, which lies near the Klingon border. Captain Kirk and Spock head down to the planet to convince the Organians to resist the Klingons, but the Organians refuse any kind of violence. The Organians then reveal themselves to be advanced incorporeal beings capable of incapacitating both the Federation and the Klingon ships.

"Errand of Mercy" features the first appearance of the Klingons and also introduces the Klingon Kor (John Colicos), who will later appear in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Although the Organians had once been humanoid, they now existed as pure thought and their actual appearance remains unknown. In Star Trek: Enterprise's "Observer Effect," two Organians possess various members of the Enterprise NX-01 crew as they observe humanity to determine whether they are ready for First Contact. Impressed by the crew's compassion, the Organians heal everyone that was sick and erase all memories of the encounter from the crew's mind.

5 The Ba'Neth

Star trek: voyager season 6, episode 6 - "riddles", star trek: voyager.

Little is known about the reclusive Delta Quadrant species known as the Ba'Neth, and they were even once regarded as a myth. In 2376, the USS Voyager's Delta Flyer shuttlecraft encountered a Ba'Neth, which attacked the mind of Lt. Commander Tuvok (Tim Russ) . As Voyager's crew works with a Kesat investigator named Naroq (Mark Moses) to help Tuvok, they learn that the Ba'Neth render themselves invisible using cloaking technology.

Ba'Neth were known to have tentacles and possessed a large fleet of ships.

Although they typically remained cloaked, the Ba'Neth were known to have tentacles and possessed a large fleet of ships. Tuvok eventually remembers the cloaking frequency used by the Ba'Neth, and Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) uses it to find a Ba'Neth space station. After the Ba'Neth admit to attacking ships to assess potential threats, Janeway negotiates with them for information to help Tuvok recover.

4 The Medusans

Star trek: the original series season 3, episode 5 - "is there in truth no beauty" & star trek: prodigy, star trek: prodigy.

The Medusans made their first appearance on Star Trek: The Original Series when Ambassador Kollos visited the USS Enterprise with a human engineer, Larry Marvick (David Frankham), and a human telepath, Dr. Miranda Jones (Diana Muldaur) . As a non-corporeal Medusan, Kollos had to travel within a special transport chamber, and the appearance of Medusans drove humans and other corporeal beings mad on sight.

Medusans were extremely skilled navigators and possessed telepathic abilities. Zero (Angus Imrie) in Star Trek: Prodigy was a Medusan who escaped from The Diviner (John Noble) and made a makeshift containment suit for themselves. Zero helped fellow prisoner Dal R'El (Brett Gray) steal the USS Protostar and assisted the make-shift crew in their subsequent adventures and attempt to join Starfleet.

Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 will stream on Netflix after the animated series was canceled by Paramount+, with 20 brand new episodes coming in 2024.

3 The Pah-Wraths

Star trek: deep space nine.

As enemies of the Bajoran Prophets, the Pah-wraiths became major players in the final episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . The Pah-wraiths were incorporeal like the Prophets, but they more regularly possessed people to accomplish their own ends. The Pah-wraiths seemed to feel only negative emotions and those possessed by them often felt lingering rage and hate.

In one of DS9's most tragic moments, the Cardassian Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) released a Pah-wraith, which then possessed him and killed Lt. Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) . This Pah-wraith attacked the Bajoran wormhole, leading to a war between the Prophets and the Pah-wraiths. Dukat began working with the Pah-wraiths in their plan to destroy the universe, but Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) managed to stop him by sealing the Pah-wraiths within the Fire Caves.

2 The Sheliak

Star trek: the next generation season 3, episode 2 - "ensigns of command".

In Star Trek: The Next Generation' s "The Ensigns of Command," the mysterious Sheliak contact the Federation asking them to remove human colonists from one of their planets. Although the Federation has had dealings with the Sheliak in the past, they have struggled to find common ground. Not only are the Sheliak non-humanoid, but their language has proven impossible for Federation scientists to translate.

The Federation eventually established the Treaty of Armens with the Sheliak, a 500,000-word treaty that took 372 Federation legal experts to write. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) finds a loophole within the treaty that gives him the time he needs to evacuate the colonists. The Sheliak have not been referenced on screen since TNG, but they remain a fascinating and complex alien species, despite their belief that humans are lower lifeforms.

1 Species 10-C

Star trek: discovery season 4.

As the USS Discovery searches for the cause behind the Dark Matter Anomaly (DMA), they discover the existence of a species located beyond the Galactic Barrier known as Unknown Species 10-C. After their gas giant planet became uninhabitable, Species 10-C created an advanced hyperfield that protected them. They created the DMA to harvest boronite, which they needed to power their hyperfield.

Species 10-C are aliens unlike any other.

After Discovery crossed the Galactic Barrier , they eventually found a way to communicate with Species 10-C with lights and emotion-conveying hydrocarbons. Once Species 10-C understood that their mining device was destroying sentient beings, they agreed to stop using it. With their atypical way of communicating and their existence as a linked whole, Species 10-C are aliens unlike any other. Hopefully, Star Trek will continue to incorporate unique non-humanoid aliens into its vast universe of species and cultures.

All of the above Star Trek shows except Star Trek: Prodigy are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Prodigy is available to stream on Netflix.