coming up on it fast, sir. are you certain of your sensor readings? definitely a space vessel of some type. ? unknown. it could hardly be an earth ship. there have been no flights into this sector for years. i'm picking up a signal, sir. captain, that's the old morse code call signal. thank you. c-q...c-q... we're reading it, lieutenant. i thought you said it couldn't possibly be an earth vessel. i fail to understand why it always gives you pleasure to see me proven wrong. an emotional earth weakness of mine.

an old earth vessel, similar to the dy500 class. much older-- dy100 class, to be exact. captain... the last such vessel was built centuries ago, back in the 1990s. then it's a derelict, its signal left on automatic. or an old earth ship being used by aliens. flector shields on maximum, phasers manned, sir. bio-scanners report. [mccoy] life science bio-scanners are picking up heartbeats from over there. can't be human, though. they're too faint and average only four beats per minute. sensor reading, captain. some sort of equipment functioning on that vessel.

space-- the final frontier. these are the voyages of the starship enterprise. its five-year mission-- to explore strange new worlds... to seek out new life and new civilizations...

captain's log, star date 3141.9-- a full hour has elapsed since interception of the strange vessel. our presence alongside is still being completely ignored. although our sensors continue to show signs of equipment and life aboard, there has been no indication of danger to us. weapons department-- maintain battle stations.

continuing to pick up some form of heart action over there-- very faint, very slow. seems to be coming from about 60 or 70 bodies near as i can make out. alien bodies? could be. there's no sign of breathing or other forms of respiration. hull surface is pitted with meteor scars. however, scanners make out a name-- s.s. botany bay. then you can check the registry. no such vessel listed. records of that period are fragmentary, however. the mid-1990s was the era of your last so-called world war. the eugenics wars. of course--your attempt to improve the race through selective breeding. oh, now wait a minute. not our attempt, mr. spock-- a group of ambitious scientists'. i'm sure you know the type-- devoted to logic, completely unemotional-- doctor, i would be pleased-- all right, gentlemen, as you were. rig for tractor beam, helm. lock onto that vessel. rigging for tractor beam, sir.

landing party? well, if you're actually giving me a choice-- i'm not. oh, i'll need somebody familiar with the late 20th century earth. here's a chance for that historian to do something for a change. what's her name... uh, mcivers? tenalieunt mcgivers. attention-- the following personnel report to transporter room-- engineering officer scott, lieutenant mcgivers. mcgivers. on my way. well, it looks like that ship is expecting us. we read heat coming on, complete oxygen atmosphere. very interesting. you ready, bones? no. i signed aboard this ship to practice medicine, not to have my atoms scattered back and forth across space by this gadget.

come on, lieutenant, uh... mcgivers, sir. energize. scotty? definitely earth-type mechanisms, sir. 20th century vessel-- old-type atomic power, bulky, solid... i think they used to call them transistor units. i'd love to tear this baby apart. captain, it's a sleeper ship. suspended animation. uh-huh. i've seen old photographs of this.

until about the year 2018. it took years just to travel from one planet to another. is it possible they're still alive... after centuries of travel? it's theoretically possible. i've never heard of it being tested for this long a period. what a handsome group of people. jim, i have a new reading. the lights must have triggered some mechanism. scotty? beats me what's happening. we've triggered something, all right. the heartbeat's increasing-- now passing eight beats per minute-- and there are some signs of respiration beginning. this one was probably programmed to be triggered first. could he be the leader?

nant? yes, sir. the leader was often set to revive first. this would allow him to decide whether the conditions warranted revival of the others. heartbeat now approaching 40 per minute. the respiration pattern is firming up. from the northern india area, i'd guess. probably a sikh. they were the most fantastic warriors. heartbeat now 52 and increasing. the others? no change, and they're mixed types-- western, mid-european, latin, oriental. a man from the 20th century coming alive. maybe. heartbeat dropping. circuit shorting. probably some dust. heartbeat now 30, dropping fast. there's a heart flutter. he's dying. do something, captain. can we? take an hour to figure out. what happens if we get him out of there?

.have you how...long? en sleeping? two centuries we estimate. landing party to enterprise. comeme in.

lock in on dr. mccoy's beam. he's transporting back with a casualty we discovered here.

captain's log, supplemental-- alongside the s.s. botany bay for 10 hours now. a boarding party of engineering and medical specialists e now completing their examination of the mysterious vessel. attempts to revive other sleepers await our success or failure with the casualty already beamed over. dr. mccoy is frankly amazed

kirk to boarding party. ott here. scotty, any records, log books of any kind? negative, captain. it appears they were in suspendedednimation when the ship took off. how many alive? 12 u uts have malfunctioned, leaving 72 still operating. 30 of those are women. kirk out. 72 alive... a group p people dating back to the 1990s. importance, mr. spock. there are a great many unanswered questions about those years. a strange, violent period in your history. i find no record whatsoever of an s.s. botany bay. captain, the dy100 class vessel was designed for interplanetary travel only. with simple nuclear-powered engines, star travel was considered impractical at that time. it was 10,000-t0-1 against their making it to another star system.

botanynyay... that was the name of a penal colony on the shores of australia, wasn't it? if they took that name for their vessel... if you're suggesting this was a penal deportation vessel, you've arrived at a totally illogical conclusion. oh? your earth was on the verge of a dark ages. whole populations were being bombed out of existetee. a group of criminals could have been dealt with far more efficiently than wasting one of their most advanced spaceships. yes. so much for my theory. i'm still waiting to hear yours. even a theory requires some facts, captptn. so far... i have none. and that irritatat you, mr. spock. irritation? yeah.

my a alogies, mr. spock. you suspect some danger in them? insufficient facts always invite danger, captain. well, i'd better get some facts. rig for towing. aye-aye, sir. make course for starbase 12. aye, sir. that will be all. bones? but my compliments. not that good. there's something inside this man that refuses to accept death. now, look at that-- even as he is now, his heart valve action hahatwice the power of yours and mine, lung efficiency 50% better.

was all about. i'd estimate he could lift us both with one arm. doctor, will he live? it appears he will, lieutenant. i'd like to talk to you. if i were to rate your performance as a member of the landing party today-- lieutenant, at any one time, the safety of this entire vessel might depend on the performance of a single crewman aboard, and the fact that you find a man strangely compelling to you personally-- not personally, captain. professionally. my profession is historian, and to find a specimen from the past alive-- i mean, the sheer delight of examining his mind. and men were more adventuresome then... bolder, more colorful?

good. if i can have honesty, it's easier to overlook mistakes. that's all. yes, sir. a pity you wasted your life on command, jim. you'd have made a fair psychologist. fair?

anything new on those bios? they all came out fine, doctor. good. mccoy out. well, either choke me or cut my throat. make up your mind. english. i thought i dreamed hearing it.

holding a knife at your doctor's throat. answer my question. it would be most effective if you would cut the carotid artery just under the left ear. i like a brave man. i was simply trying to avoid an argument. you're aboard the united spaceship enterprise. your vessel is in tow. i remember a voice... did i hear it say i had been sleepepg for two centuries? that is correct. where is your captain?

bridge. i have a patient here with many questions, captain. on my way. james kirk, commanding the starship enterprise. i see. and your n ne? i have a few questions firs what is your heading? our heading is starbase 12, a planet in ththgamma 400 star system-- our command base in this sector. is that of any use to you? and, um... my people? 72 of f ur life-support canisters

you will revive them. as soon as we reach starbase 12. i see. and now... khan is my namam khan--nothing else? khan. what was the exact date of your lift-off? we know it was sometime in the early 1990s. i find myself growing fatigued, doctor. may we continue this... questioning at some other time? the facts i i ed, mr. khan, will take very little time. for example, the nature of your expedition-- jim... a little later might be better. captain, i wonder if i could have something to read during my convalescence. i was once an engineer of sorts. i would be most interereed in studying

yes, i understand. you have 200 years of catching up to do. precisely. they're available to any patient on the viewing screen. dr. mccoy will show you how to tie into the library tapes. thank you, captain. you are very cooperative. this khan is not what i expected of a 20th century mama i note he's making considerable use of our technical library. common courtesy, mr. spock. of he's gonna spends in our time, it's only decent to help him catch up. would you estimate him to be a product

there is that possibility, captain. his age would be correct. in 1993, a group of these young supermen did seize power simultaneously in over 40 nations. well, they were hardly supermen. they were aggressive, arrogant. they began to battle among themselves. because the scientists overlooked one fact-- superior ability breeds superior ambition. true. they created a group of alexanders, napoleonon i have collected some names and made some counts. by my estimate, there were some 80 or 90 of these young supermen unaccounted for when they were finally defeated. that fact isn't in the history texts.

ship's historian, lieutenant-- marla mcgivers. i am told you participated in my rebirth. in a small way. i've been reading up on starships, but they have one luxury i don't understand. a beautiful woman. my name is khan.

i'd like some historical information about your ship, its purpose and-- and why do you wear your hair in such an uncomplimentary fashion? it's comfortable. but it's not attractive. there... soft... natural... simple. mr. khan, i'm here on business. you find no pleasure here? my interest is scientific. men of-- that is, the world of the past-- i'm sure you understand to actually talk

simple... soft... please remember. perhaps some other time, when you feel more like talking about the past. i'm glad you came. please do it again. very impressive. are we expecting a fleet admiral for dinner? lieutenant mcgivers' idea to welcome khan to our century. just how strongly is she attracted to him? well, there aren't any regulations against romance, jim.

well, he has a magnetism, almost electric-- you felt it-- and it could overpower mcgivers with her preoccupation with the past. thank you. i hoped, uh, you might guide me to our dinner engagement. very good. fine technique. it's a gladiatat named flavius. he once--- excellent. all bold men from the past. richard, leif ericson, napoleon.

thank you. but t caution you. such men dare take what they want. forgive my curiosity, mr. khan, but my officers are anxious to know more abobo your extraordinary journey. and how you managed to keep it out of the history books. adventure, captain. adventure. there was little else left on earth. there was the war to end tyranny. many considered that a noble effort. tyranny, sir?

i know something of those years, rememeer. it was a time of great dreams, of great aspiration. under dozens of petty dictatotohips. one man would have ruled eventually, as rome under caesar. think of its accomplishments. then your sympathies were with-- you are an excellent tactician, captain. you let t ur second-in-command attack while you sit and watch for weakness. you have a tendency to express ideas in military terms, mr. khan. this is a social occasion.