For an episode that produced two (IMO) really good movies, I always thought Space Seed wasn't very good. There were several things about the show I found really annoying. The fact that they didn't know who Khan was, and that despite this they freely let him read their manuals strikes me as really contrived. Also, Marla McGivers seemed to me like an old-timey stereotype of a woman who fawns over strong, powerful men.
Anyone else think Space Seed kinda sucked?
- Thread starter TalkieToaster
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Nah, essential, Top 10 Trekking (IMHO).
How would they have known who he was if there were 80 or 90 Khans involved in the wars of that period, and as Spock puts it 'records are fragementary at best' from those days.
On the other hand, you have a point : the lines later on about Khan being the biggest and best of the tyrants who controlled a quarter of the world make Spock seem a bit slow in figuring it all out.
As for poor Marla, well people fall in love at first sight- "Come sit and entertain me" - who could resist a line like that
How would they have known who he was if there were 80 or 90 Khans involved in the wars of that period, and as Spock puts it 'records are fragementary at best' from those days.
On the other hand, you have a point : the lines later on about Khan being the biggest and best of the tyrants who controlled a quarter of the world make Spock seem a bit slow in figuring it all out.
As for poor Marla, well people fall in love at first sight- "Come sit and entertain me" - who could resist a line like that
To be fair, it didn't seem that the Nu-Crew recognised him either. When NuKhan makes his big reveal in the brig, no one seemed phased. Even NuSpock used his call a friend lifeline to Spock Prime to get some info on him.
It was the 60's, dude. Whatcha gonna do.
Not just "old timey," in case you haven't noticed we girls still gravitate toward that kind of man. Masculine stud muffins are alway going to be uber sexy.
As far as not recognizing Khan initially, if the Czar of all the Russias from centuries past walked in the room in nondescript clothing, how fast would you identify him?
I personally count Space Seed as one of the better episodes.
By setting the Eugenics Wars only 30 years in the future, this episode reveals that Roddenberry and Co. had no idea that Star Trek would play so long and become so embedded in the culture.
"Space Seed" has some nice hardware scenes. The Enterprise pulls up right alongside the Botany Bay, which was a much bigger deal back when half the fx were stock footage from prior episodes. Kirk busting Khan out of suspended animation and later getting locked in a vacuum chamber were also pretty cool back then; the sets were usually economized as much as fx.
As for Kirk's climactic fight with Khan in Engineering, let's just say the better your TV, the more comical that scene becomes. A similar situation arises in "Court-Martial."
"Space Seed" has some nice hardware scenes. The Enterprise pulls up right alongside the Botany Bay, which was a much bigger deal back when half the fx were stock footage from prior episodes. Kirk busting Khan out of suspended animation and later getting locked in a vacuum chamber were also pretty cool back then; the sets were usually economized as much as fx.
As for Kirk's climactic fight with Khan in Engineering, let's just say the better your TV, the more comical that scene becomes. A similar situation arises in "Court-Martial."
LOST IN SPACE did the same thing: set events only a generation into the future so that the audience feels they may live to see it. In the case of "Space Seed," the story reaches almost a generation into the past. Perhaps the Eugenics Wars were a relapse of Nazi doctors hiding out in South America? If Khan had been born sometime in the late '50s to early '60s...
The Botany Bay, designed for interplanetary travel, was not listed in the library records. Odds are it was not stolen at the last minute when things turned against the "supermen." It was probably a planned last resort. Kirk was suspicious of the name, but Spock poo-pooed his conclusion. Nuclear engines of various designs (suitable for interplanetary travel) are not fictional, either. In fact, a US government-backed project was under way for almost two decades, with STAR TREK right in the middle of it.
The most speculative aspect of the story, aside from the world of the Federation and Starfleet itself, was the suspended animation technology.
One of Star Trek's best episodes.
All the crew were awesome in the face of imminent death especially McCoty. No one caved into Khan's demands other than McGivers and eventually she realised she was in the wrong.
Montalban was so cool.
And while it seems stupid to allow any stranger run-of-the-ship all the Captains did it. If security were competant on on Star Trek then we'd lose probably a quarter of the episodes.
All the crew were awesome in the face of imminent death especially McCoty. No one caved into Khan's demands other than McGivers and eventually she realised she was in the wrong.
Montalban was so cool.
And while it seems stupid to allow any stranger run-of-the-ship all the Captains did it. If security were competant on on Star Trek then we'd lose probably a quarter of the episodes.
As a standalone episode, it's okay but not great IMO. It's legendary status comes as non-essential) Wrath of Khan backstory.
And Khan was never a Sikh. No beard, waxed chest, no turban (and never wore one after being defrosted)... flat-out ignorant writing. Marla must be the worst historian in Starfleet to look at a guy like that and say "Sikh"
And Khan was never a Sikh. No beard, waxed chest, no turban (and never wore one after being defrosted)... flat-out ignorant writing. Marla must be the worst historian in Starfleet to look at a guy like that and say "Sikh"
I'm convinced, personally, that Harve Bennett's choice to utilize Khan for STAR TREK II, really came out of the simple fact that Ricardo Montalbán had a successful show still running on television, at that time. The general public knew what FANTASY ISLAND was, even if they were kind of vague about STAR TREK, outside of "the man with the pointy ears." SPACE SEED is certainly a solid episode for TOS, in the best season it ever had.
Its only real flaw is how Kirk overcomes and defeats Khan. Did Khan flee earth because he was being chased by somebody trying to flog him with a paper towel holder? I mean ... how brilliant a resolution is that to an episode? ... I don't have any REAL problem buying Marla's relatively easy betrayal of her ship. But, without making comparisons to the evil people do in the real world, her mutiny still seems to need something more to help sell it, I'm sorry. Aside from these two shortcomings, for Sixties television, it's not too bad.
Its only real flaw is how Kirk overcomes and defeats Khan. Did Khan flee earth because he was being chased by somebody trying to flog him with a paper towel holder? I mean ... how brilliant a resolution is that to an episode? ... I don't have any REAL problem buying Marla's relatively easy betrayal of her ship. But, without making comparisons to the evil people do in the real world, her mutiny still seems to need something more to help sell it, I'm sorry. Aside from these two shortcomings, for Sixties television, it's not too bad.
Word.
If I were to rank TOS episodes into three categories, Space Seed would go in the middle one.
It had some great lines, concepts, and scenes, the dining room scene, the briefing room scene, and the trial at the end among them. Montalban was a pleasure to watch, as usual for him.
But the episode had some pretty big problems, too. Marla's behavior wasn't well conceived; that's just one example.
It's really all-in-all typical of TOS.
It had some great lines, concepts, and scenes, the dining room scene, the briefing room scene, and the trial at the end among them. Montalban was a pleasure to watch, as usual for him.
But the episode had some pretty big problems, too. Marla's behavior wasn't well conceived; that's just one example.
It's really all-in-all typical of TOS.
I think "Space Seed" is one of TOS' best. I also prefer it over TWOK by some margin.
The less I say about STID the better for all around.
What I thought of it last time I watched it.
The less I say about STID the better for all around.
What I thought of it last time I watched it.
"Space Seed" *****
The Enterprise encounters a shipload of fugitives from the 20th century.
"Excellent. Excellent."First season Star Trek stays on a roll with yet another impressive piece of storytelling. I definately find this more satisfying then the movie that will be spun off it fifteen years later. It's a pure joy to watch Khan Noonien Singh and James T. Kirk square off. And I just love the after dinner rec croom scene---Excellent. This is good writing and solidly acted from all involved.
I also really like that beautiful early shot of the Enterprise pulling alongside the Botany Bay. Sweet!
Two little things I noted in "Space Seed" and "A Taste Of Armageddon" before it." In "Space Seed" when Joachim is about to slap Uhura for a second time it looks like Uhura is getting up ready to take him on. Cool. In "A Taste Of Armageddon" Yeoman Tamura looks like she's got spunk and like she means business when she stands guard over Mea 3. (-:
I can't stand this episode, it all but ruined TWOK for me when I watched them back to back five years ago. I enjoyed TWOK a lot more when I watched it last week, without watching SS. Marla gave me the creeps. Sure, strong men who are secure in their identity are usually more attractive than the other sort, but few things in a man put me off as much as overweening arrogance, and Khan had that in spades.
I put it somewhere in the middle third of my personal TOS episode rankings. As others have mentioned, the real value of the episode is that it gave us "The Wrath of Khan".
You win just for using the word "overweening".
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