Nitpicks with the plot of Space Seed

[Myasishchev]

^Yep. It makes me wonder how Khan came to power in the first place. Seduce a low-level parliamentary functionary in New Delhi and then bust into the building with her claiming he was now king? "BUT HE WENT TO THE HALL OF RECORDS AND READ THE BUILDING PLANS!"

 

[Green Shirt]

You know what's bullshit?

I sat around for all of 1996 waiting for Khan to take over.

What a lazy ass.

Well, that's no worse that waiting for the Jupiter II take-off to show up on TV in Oct 1997.

 

[AtoZ]

One problem with Space Seed was not enough Eddie Paskey. Couldn't they have tried to slip him by us in the background as one of Khan's henchmen? I would have liked that!

 

[Wingsley]

"Space Seed" never gave me the impression that Khan and the rest of the Botany Bay crew were "god like". The characters were never presented that way in the story. Instead, they were presented as highly capable criminals that Kirk seriously underestimated.

I do not think this particular ep was either under- or overrated. I was a good ep. I did not have a problem with Kirk presenting the ship's library computer to Khan, either. Kirk did not know who Khan was, or what he was capable of. What threat could one man be? The only plot contrivances were (1: the speed with which Khan could digest all that information and put it to practical use in taking over the ship, as well as debriefing all his crew; and (2: how quickly he seduced McGivers.

 

[Timo]

Kirk did not know who Khan was, or what he was capable of.

I'm not sure I'd buy that. Kirk visibly had his suspicions about the identity of his new passenger, and OTOH he knew very well who Khan Noonian Singh, Prince of Millions, was.

Kirk's inquiries seemed to merely confirm what he already suspected. And significantly, his treatment of Khan did not change all that much with the confirmation: Khan had been under watch at sickbay originally, and was now placed under watch in his cabin, after spending a brief time dining with the Captain.

Which is consistent and believable if Kirk was such as fan of Khan as he claimed in the briefing room scene. He'd recognize what Khan was capable of, but he'd not see the superman as an immediate or direct threat, not when Kirk had the upper hand in intelligence (that is, Kirk knew who Khan was while Khan didn't really know who Kirk was).

Kirk misjudged - not Khan's character or abilities as such, but his persistence, his will to conquer and control, and the fact that Khan would choose to apply those attributes of his to Kirk's starship.

Timo Saloniemi