 Kirk has Botany Bay taken in tow by a tractor beam , and Enterprise sets course for Starbase 12 . In sickbay , the group 's leader awakens and attacks McCoy but , impressed by McCoy 's bravery , releases the doctor and introduces himself as " Khan " ( Ricardo Montalbán ) . Lt. McGivers marvels over Khan , a living relic from the 20th century , her field of interest . First Officer Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ) discovers that their guest is Khan Noonien Singh who , along with his people , are products of 20th @-@ century selective breeding designed to create perfect humans . The genetic superhumans instead became warlords and conquered more than a third of the planet , sparking the Eugenics Wars , Earth 's last major global conflict . Between eighty and ninety of the superhumans were unaccounted for at the end of the war ; Khan is listed as the most dangerous . 
