Seeing things from Khan's point of view...

[Mike Ram]

True, he was a ruthless killer and got what he deserved in the end, but in a way, don't you think that Admiral Kirk had a bit of the blame for driving him mad?

If Kirk (or anyone from Starfleet) had bothered to check up on him, perhaps they could have transported him and his people to another planet (surely their scanners could pick up the instabilities that cause Ceti Alpha VI to explode). Would Khan still have been seething with vengeance if he knew Kirk was looking out for him and keeping tabs on his progress? Or was Starfleet right in simply abandoning him to his fate?

It's not like the planet was out of their way - Regula I seemed pretty close to the system, and there was an episode of Enterprise where Archer and T'Pol (of an alternate future) end up there.

 

[NIUPonyBoy]

Khan was not marooned on Regula, but Ceti Alpha III wasn't it?

Furthermore, why the heck didn't Cpt. Kirk in Space Seed drop a sensor buoy to watch over the planet etc? As Khan himself said the whole system was changed, and Chekov should've know something when they re-entered the system.

 

[Creedence]

Khan was not marooned on Regula, but Ceti Alpha III wasn't it?

It was, in fact, Ceti Alpha V. Ceti Alpha VI exploded, shifting V's orbit, and everything was laid waste.

Screw Khan. He was a dickhead.

 

[Captrek]

Would Khan still have been seething with vengeance if he knew Kirk was looking out for him and keeping tabs on his progress?

Absolutely. War was Khan’s passion. He needed a mortal enemy to complete him, and Kirk would still have been the best candidate.

Remember, Kirk was looking out for Khan when Khan hijacked the Enterprise, tried to kill Kirk, threatened to kill the entire bridge crew, and ultimately tried to blow up the ship in “Space Seed.”

Khan would still have been the hateful psychopath depicted in that episode, and who better to target than the only man alive in the 23rd century who had beaten him?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

don't you think that Admiral Kirk had a bit of the blame for driving him mad?

No.

It was Khan's choice.

Why should Kirk have wasted time checking up on Khan? Kirk has a ship to run. Watching over every planet in Federation space isn't his job.

As for why Starfleet didn't notice what happened to Ceti Alpha V and VI...well, that's not Kirk's problem.

 

[Mike Ram]

It's been a long time since I saw "Space Seed," but did Kirk really have justification in marooning a group of people on a barren planet? Couldn't he have just locked them in the brig to later stand trial on a starbase or something?

 

[Mike Ram]

No.

It was Khan's choice.

Why should Kirk have wasted time checking up on Khan? Kirk has a ship to run. Watching over every planet in Federation space isn't his job.

As for why Starfleet didn't notice what happened to Ceti Alpha V and VI...well, that's not Kirk's problem.

He doesn't have to keep tabs on every planet in the Federation. Just one, where he left a genetically engineered human and his people to fend for themselves. Surely he had some free time in fifteen years to call someone and suggest a quick pass by the planet. Nothing special - just fly by, scan the surface for Khan's people and see if they really need help.

Then again, Chekov didn't notice that a whole planet was missing when Reliant entered the system, and he wasn't able to pick up the cargo base or Khan and his people on scanners when they reached the planet....

 

[Captrek]

It's been a long time since I saw "Space Seed," but did Kirk really have justification in marooning a group of people on a barren planet? Couldn't he have just locked them in the brig to later stand trial on a starbase or something?

Here’s a transcript of the relevant scene:

Captain's Log. Stardate 3143.3. Control of the Enterprise has been regained. I wish my next decisions were no more difficult. Khan and his people. What a waste to put them in a reorientation centre. And what do I do about McGivers?

[Briefing room]

(The senior staff are in dress uniform again.)

UHURA: Record tapes engaged and ready, Captain.

KIRK: This hearing is now in session. Under the authority vested in me by Starfleet Command, I declare all charges and specifications in this matter have been dropped.

MCCOY: Jim. Agreed you have the authority

KIRK: Mister Spock, our heading takes us near the Ceti Alpha star system.

SPOCK: Quite correct, Captain. Planet number five there is habitable, although a bit savage, somewhat inhospitable.

KIRK: But no more than Australia's Botany Bay colony was at the beginning. Those men went on to tame a continent, Mister Khan. Can you tame a world?

KHAN: Have you ever read Milton, Captain?

KIRK: Yes. I understand. Lieutenant Marla McGivers. Given a choice of court martial or accompanying them there.

KHAN: (gazing into her eyes) It will be difficult. A struggle at first even to stay alive, to find food.

MARLA: I'll go with him, sir.

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

KIRK: This hearing is closed.

(Khan and McGivers are escorted out.)

SCOTT: It's a shame for a good Scotsman to admit it, but I'm not up on Milton.

KIRK: The statement Lucifer made when he fell into the pit. 'It is better to rule in hell than serve in heaven.'

SPOCK: It would be interesting, Captain, to return to that world in a hundred years and to learn what crop has sprung from the seed you planted today.

KIRK: Yes, Mister Spock, it would indeed.

Kirk was doing Khan a favor by dropping him and his people off on Ceti Alpha V instead of locking them in the brig to later stand trial on a starbase or something. At the time, Khan seemed to appreciate it, and this was without Kirk promising to call the babysitter every couple of hours to check on him.

 

[Mike Ram]

Thanks, captrek.

I guess hindsight is 20/20. Nobody could have guessed what would happen to that planet in just a few years...

 

[Timo]

Even if Kirk and Khan had known in advance that the planets would shift, they might still have come to agreement about marooning Khan there. That would still have been preferable to handing him to UFP justice - Khan was ready to face hardships and keen to tame a world. The challenge would have been a bit greater, but let's face it, Khan did come out victorious against the elements. He survived for fifteen years in that hellhole, raised a new generation of supermen, and was still going strong when Terrell and Chekov came. That's not really different from the original deal he was given by Kirk...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Captrek]

He survived for fifteen years in that hellhole, raised a new generation of supermen, and was still going strong when Terrell and Chekov came.

What “new generation”? There was a baby in the shooting script, but he was nowhere to be seen in the final cut of the film.

Terrell’s line, which sounds something like “But what about the tricorder?” is a nonsensical dub. The line, when shot, was “But what about the child, Chekov?” When they cut the child from the movie at the 11th hour, they had to do something with that scene, and made the questionable decision of dubbing that line with something nonsensical.

 

[Anwar]

The Supermen with Khan in WOK were all young Aryans who looked just barely into their 20s. Those with him in Space Seed were all multicultural and adults in their 30s. So where did the younger Aryans come from?

 

[sbk1234]

The Supermen with Khan in WOK were all young Aryans who looked just barely into their 20s. Those with him in Space Seed were all multicultural and adults in their 30s. So where did the younger Aryans come from?

Hollywood!


As for Khan, he was a narcosistic sociopath. He would have never taken any responsibility for his actions. and, no, Kirk wasn't responsible for checking up on him. That was never a condition of the agreement, nor was giving Han to that bounty hunter!,,

...uh, sorry.
Back to topic.

Khan would not have wanted to be checked up on. He wanted his own world to conquer, and the ability to have all the power he craved.

 

[SeerSGB]

I always figured that Starfleet, not Kirk, abandoned Kahn. We know there were laws against and fear about Augments and Kahn was the baddest of the bad. So Starfleet simply sad "fuck him, he's locked up on Planet "XYZ", he can't get off, seal the records and let the bastard rot in hell." If Kirk ever asked about them he would have got "Oh we sent <insert science ship>, they're fine. Now go handle this Klingon raiding force in sector...."

 

[Anwar]

I have to wonder why McGivers' family never bothered asking Starfleet to send a ship to at least check up on HER.

 

[barnaclelapse]

I don't think Khan was completely in the wrong to be grouchy, but he still made his own choices.

 

[DonIago]

^^Perhaps she didn't have any.

 

[Anwar]

Well, it would've been nice to have mentioned that at one point. Heck, the "no family" thing could have been used in Space Seed as another part of her flimsy attraction to Khan/betrayal of everyone.

 

[PhasersOnStun]

I always figured that Starfleet, not Kirk, abandoned Kahn. We know there were laws against and fear about Augments and Kahn was the baddest of the bad. So Starfleet simply sad "fuck him, he's locked up on Planet "XYZ", he can't get off, seal the records and let the bastard rot in hell."

That was basically my feeling.

Clearly, Kirk logged everything he did, so Starfleet was completely in the know.

Starfleet should have picked up on what happened to Ceti Alpha V, and sent a probe or something to check out what was going on there. I'm assuming Kirk was busy flying around the galaxy and getting promoted to Admiral in the intervening 15 years to be held responsible for supervising what should be normal Starfleet follow up.

 

[PSGarak]

This is where I actually strongly disagree with Starfleet idealism. I think it is far more destructive to society as a whole to let sociopaths like Khan, not only psychologically flawed, but a genius and physically enhanced, live than to protect society from them and destroy them. No, don't dump them off on some environmentally hostile planet so they can nurse a grudge and train super-soldiers. Kill them and be done with it. Then things like what happened in The Wrath of Khan wouldn't happen in the first place.