Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 24: Space Seed [VHS]

When I saw this episode when I was a kid, I was hooked. I then watched all the other episodes. I must say that when I watched the other 78, none of them topped Space Seed. This is clearly the best episode. You have Khan, the best villain of Star Trek, a cool story, great acting, and a great prelude to the greatest Star Trek movie, The Wrath of Khan.

It seems like they don't make them like they used to. (5 stars).

This episode has become such a classic that I can't withhold the 5-star rating. In the end, it earns its rating because of the well-matched, carefully balanced antagonism between the two main opponents, Khan (the irreplaceable Ricardo Montalban) and Kirk (Shatner, of course). This is a showdown between a genetically-enabled Might Makes Right philosophy and the democratic ideals of the Scientific Enlightenment. Best of all is the fact that the "bad guy" is not superficial or one-dimensional. He says things like "We offered the world order" and "Join me. I will treat you well." He is not easily defeated by any means.

From the moment he is picked up by the Enterprise, Khan schemes to take over the ship. Born as a result of 20th-century experiments in genetics, Khan is physically and mentally superior. He believes that he can easily master the technical advances of the 23rd century and defeat Kirk. To some extent, he is right.

What do Kirk, Spock, and company have on their side? Nothing much, except their humanity. Khan, for all his superiority, represents a kind of Nietzschean "Superman" ideal that (in the view of Kirk and Spock) should have died with Hitler. Humanity wins out. To gain control of the ship, Khan seduces a pretty Enterprise officer (Madlyn Rhue), but his shocking brutality turns her against him in the end. Although the philosopher Nietzsche is never mentioned by name, the term "Superman" is frequently used in Nietzsche's sense of the word.

The episode is most famous, of course, for setting up Star Trek II. (Caveat: don't look for Chekov in this TV episode. You won't find him.) In that film, they defeat him again, but not without cost, which is appropriate. Kirk alone couldn't twice defeat Khan. Only with the help of Spock could he do so. It is interesting that Spock is something of a Superman himself, but his Buddhist-like Vulcan philsophy rejects the Will to Power of which Khan is the embodiment.

Two things to look for: 1) The hand-to-hand fight between Kirk and Khan is unintentionally hilarious, because if you watch carefully it's obvious these are two stuntment who look nothing like the actors. 2) On the plus side, the Milton quote at the end is smart, almost highbrow. The quote is not even explained until Scotty asks later, so that those who have an English degree can congratulate themselves on being ahead of the rest of the TV audience.

Very fast shipping. Product quality was above description. Appreciated the communication initiated by the seller before the product arrived.
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It is impossible to review this episode without thinking of the subsequent movie, "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan." I consider Ricardo Montalban to have been the best guest star to appear in the original series and in the sequence of movies extending the series. The Enterprise encounters an old Earth ship slowly making its' way through the stars. They board it and discover that it is a sleeper ship containing a group of people who left Earth in the late twentieth century. The leader of the group spontaneously awakens and is brought on board the Enterprise.
They discover that he is a human genetically engineered to have superior strength and mental ability. Eventually, they learn that he is Khan Singh, who was the absolute ruler of a large segment of Earth several centuries ago, when all leaders were genetically engineered tyrants. With the help of a traitorous female member of the Enterprise, Khan is able to get back to his sleeper ship, revive his comrades and take over the Enterprise. However, the female crewmember betrays Khan, rescuing Kirk and giving the Enterprise crew an opportunity to regain control of the ship. In one of the best endings in the original series, Kirk convenes a tribunal and gives Khan a choice. He and his group can either face charges or be marooned on a planet with a harsh climate. Khan's response is to refer to Milton, which Kirk immediately understands. Scotty then asks Kirk for the reference, which is "It is better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven."
Montalban is superb as Khan, arrogant yet compelling. He yields nothing to the crew of the Enterprise, having lost none of his confidence, despite being several centuries out of date. His personal power is clear, and his willingness to die rather than be defeated is consistent with his statement, "I have never been afraid." This is one of the best episodes in the original series, an excellent story, a powerful guest character and strong performances by all make it a joy to watch over and over again.

I've watched the entire Star Trek Original Series, and nothing compares to this. The Enterprise finds a sleeper ship, the Botany Bay, drifting in space. The crew beams aboard, and accidentally revives the leader, Kahn Noonien Snigh. His middle and last names are hard to pronounce. So then he comes awake, but is threatened by some rehabilition problem. Kirk breaks Kahn's sleeping chamber, and they take him to sickbay. Meannwhile, the crew beams more people over for treatment. And when the doctor is alone, examining Kahn, he goes to do some deskwork, and Kahn awakens. When he hears McCoy speaking, he quickly grabs a knife and attempts to injure the doctor. But the doctor is ready, and they settle down. There's too much else to say, and it's too good to spoil. So see the rest for yourself.