February 16, 1967 Episode of popular television show Star Trek entitled “The Space Seed” airs. During this episode Captain Kirk and his crew discover a twentieth-century spaceship containing people in suspended animation. Upon reviving one of them, they discover that he is Khan Noonien Singh – a “genetic superman” who escaped Earth after the Eugenic Wars of the twentieth-century.

Khan appears in further episodes and later in the Star Trek motion picture The Wrath of Khan. Throughout his appearances Khan embodies all the dangers of a genetically modified super human – he has advanced intelligence and strength but does not moderate them with human compassion. This story line is especially reflective of warnings that were beginning to be voiced in the mainstream media in the 1960s in response to eugenic programs.

As the Star Trek television series developed in later years, both through other series and through movies, eugenic themes continued to be explored. For example, the species of the Borg turn humans into cyborgs with a collective mind, and in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the recurring character of Dr. Julian Bashir is introduced as a genius created through illegal genetic manipulation. In more recent years, the movie Star Trek: Into Darkness(2013) re-introduced the character of Khan, continuing the exploration of eugenic themes.

-Leslie Baker and Colette Leung

• Roddenberry, G. (Creator), Wilber, C. (Writer), Coon, G.L. (Writer), & Daniels, M. (Director). (1967). Space Seed [Television series episode]. In G.L. Coon, R.H. Justman, & G. Roddenberry (Producers), Star Trek. Culver City, CA: Desilu Studios.