‘SPACE SEED’ (TOS)
Please feel free to comment on my review.
In this episode, the Enterprise discovers an old ship from the 1990s that is drifting in space. It’s called the Botany Bay and is a sleeper ship, containing genetically engineered and powerful superhumans.
One of these superhumans is Ricardo Montalbán as the evil Khan Noonien Singh. Captain Kirk and his crew recover him from the sleeper ship, till eventually Khan attempts to take over the Enterprise.
This is one of the best and well-remembered ‘Star Trek’ episodes ever made in the TV series. It features the first appearance of Khan in the series and is a gripping episode all the way throughout.
I was delighted to see Ricardo Montalbán in this ‘Star Trek’ episode. For me, I saw Ricardo before in two of the ‘Spy Kids’ movies. It was superb to see him in this episode and to be playing the villain.
Khan is a ruthless man, but he’s highly intelligent as well as having super-strength. Once he’s been revived from sleep, he gradually works his way to take control the Enterprise ship from Captain Kirk.
Kirk and the others suspect Khan’s motives, as they look him in the computer records about him and about the Eugenics Wars in the 1990s. Of course those wars never happened in our time, did they?!
It was interesting how the episode gradually develops, as Khan exhumes charm and menace at the same time. Ricardo Montalbán balances those aspects of the character in his performance very well.
Madlyn Rhue guest stars as Lt. Marla McGivers in this episode. McGivers is a historian aboard the Enterprise and she joins the away team with Kirk, Bones and Scotty when they visit the sleeper ship.
Aboard Botany Bay, they find Khan just as he’s about to revive out of his deep sleep for two centuries. McGivers is fascinated by Khan once she sees him, as it starts from her historical interest.
But when she meets Khan and interacts with him, McGivers is gradually seduced Khan and soon falls in love with him. I couldn’t help feel that McGivers fell in love with Khan a little too fast for my liking.
Eventually Khan reveals his plan to McGivers, telling her that he intends to take control of the Enterprise ship. McGivers reluctantly agrees as she helps him to wake the others aboard Botany Bay.
Very soon, the Enterprise ship gets taken over by Khan and his band of superhumans. Kirk is horribly thrown into a decompression tank by Khan, as he threatens the other crewmembers to follow him.
It’s interesting that McGivers quickly has a change of heart, as she betrays Khan and frees Kirk out of the decompression tank. This gives Kirk a chance to stop Khan and save the Enterprise and its crew.
The fight scene between Kirk and Khan is very engaging and gripping to watch in the climax of the episode. However, I could clearly see that it is stuntmen fighting each other and not the real actors.
Eventually, a hearing is given by Kirk on Khan, McGivers and their actions. Kirk makes a decision by sending Khan with McGivers and his superhuman band to a live a life on a planet called Ceti Alpha V.
‘Space Seed’ is a gripping ‘Star Trek’ episode from the TV series. It’s great featuring Ricardo Montalbán as Khan. It wouldn’t be the last of him, as Khan would make a return in ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’.
The DVD special features for this episode are as follows. On Disc 6 of both the original and re-mastered DVDs of ‘Star Trek: The Original Series – Season 1’, there is a preview trailer for this episode.
‘Space Seed’ (TOS) rating – 10/10
| The previous story
For ‘The Original Series’ was |
The next story
For ‘The Original Series’ is |
| Return to Star Trek | |
| Return to Sci-Fi |
Bradley's Basement 
Certainly interesting to reflect on Khan from classic Trek and the second movie after a particularly new episode in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. But I prefer not to spoil too much. Thank you, Tim, for your reviews of Space Seed and The Wrath Of Khan.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi scifimike,
Glad you enjoyed my reviews on ‘Space Seed’ and ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’. I’ve yet to see the ‘Discovery’ and ‘Strange New Worlds’ shows, so it’s interesting that there’s a Khan connection in a ‘Strange New Worlds’ episode recently. I wonder if it’s better than what was given to us with Khan in ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’.
Many thanks for your comments.
Tim 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
When you see it, I’ll think you’ll find it much more impactful.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi scifimike,
Thanks for letting me know.
Tim 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome. Although it may affect how fans, both old and new, look back on all the original impressions of characters like Khan or Harry Mudd from our classic era, whether it’s good or bad, I think that the creative efforts for good storytelling can for the best reasons keep fans tuning in. For Star Trek, Star Wars and Dr. Who’s, given a plenitude of areas for new fans to start with, it’s certainly most daring. That’s why it would be wise to choose carefully how we introduce new fans, including our kids as I’ve done with my nephew, to these sci-fi legacies.
Having naturally seen Space Seed, Genesis Of The Daleks and the original Star Wars trilogy first, it worked out okay for me. So the thought of how it would have worked out for me had I born in this century is certainly food for thought.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi scifimike,
I know what you mean. It’s the case for many audiences of different generations as to what they’re introduced to. Some would prefer the more darker ‘Star Trek’ shows of today compared to the more lighter ‘Star Trek’ shows in say the 1960s or 1990s. I prefer the more classic ‘Star Trek’ shows than the newer ones, but I try to be open-minded and see whether something good rather than bad can come out from watching the latest shows and movies.
Many thanks,
Tim 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It can be mixed for me regarding Star Trek and Dr. Who. Not so much for Star Wars because the original (and original edit of) the classic Star Wars trilogy is much more appreciable, even though I still enjoyed Rogue One and short Star Wars films like the fan-based Kenobi and Premonition. You certainly can’t beat original impacts but you may occasionally find the best-within-reason ways to improve on them.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi scifimike,
It can be frustrating sometimes when your views on how you percieve ‘Doctor Who’ are challenged now and again. I try my best to be open-minded when things change in shows like ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘Star Trek’ and quite often I express that to overcome my frustration in my story-writing, which I find refreshing and rewarding.
Many thanks,
Tim 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I make my share of effort to be open-minded too. But most of the time I just focus my attention on what I find most engaging in my favorite legacies and respect everybody else’s right to do the same. It’s another reason why I admire fan fiction. Because fans through their fan films can show the powers that be what fans would like to see more of.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi scifimike,
I’m looking forward to when I get around to reviewing ‘Doctor Who’ fan films like Ryan Hendrick’s ‘Besieged’ and Nick Scovell’s ‘Power of the Daleks’ to see how they did their interpetations of ‘Doctor Who’ compared to how the official TV show does things.
Many thanks,
Tim 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fan Film Spinoffs like Josh Snares’ Might Of The Daleks and Cory Phillips, The Soldier Stories (which only lasted two episodes unfortunately due to some legal trouble) are interesting ones too.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi scifimike,
Thanks for letting me know about those fan films.
Tim 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person