 " Space Seed " is an episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek . It is the 22nd episode of the first season and was first broadcast by NBC on February 16 , 1967 . " Space Seed " was written by Gene L. Coon and Carey Wilber and directed by Marc Daniels . Set in the 23rd century , the series follows the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk ( William Shatner ) and his crew aboard the Starfleet starship USS Enterprise . In this episode , the Enterprise crew encounter a sleeper ship holding selectively bred superpeople from Earth 's past . Their leader , Khan Noonien Singh ( Ricardo Montalbán ) , attempts to take control of Enterprise . The episode also guest stars Madlyn Rhue as Lt. Marla McGivers , who becomes romantically involved with Khan . 
