Love Thy Enemy

By Carole Nichols

I loved him. I hated him. Ricardo Montalban became known to me in 1968. I'd seen him in a few shows and thought he looked fine, but never became "aware" of him as a man until he guest starred on the classic "Star Trek" series. I will never forget what he made me feel as a very young teenager...scary stuff when you believe you can only be hot if your under 30 or a Vulcan.

As I remember it, the Good Ship Enterprise comes upon a sleeper ship (a craft designed for lenghtly space travel in the days before warping was achieved) The sleeper ship was a derilect, so the brave Captain takes his lovely A & A Officer, Helen McGivers, aboard to look around. Khan was the first of the sleepers to awaken, blah, blah blah, and Dr. McCoy has to save his life. The lovely anthropologist was mesmerized by the very sensual Khan and fails to tell Captain Kirk that Khan is one a few demigods who had disappeared at the end of earth's third world war to escape execution for war crimes. After chewing her out, Kirk says, "and of course you think men of that era were more manly than today's man." She responds yes, and Kirk thanks her for being honest.



Helen sits with Khan as he sleeps in sickbay, and when he awakens he proceeds to seduce her with words and with domination. My heart is beating 90 miles an hour and I feel a distinct pulse that I'd never felt before. God, I wanted to trade places with her! Khan revives the rest of his crew and plans to take over the Enterprise; Kirk orders Helen to trick Khan so that he can be overwhelmed and locked up. Helen in his bedroom, tries to seduce him but chickens out because he overwhelms her by just his presence. He grabs her, kisses her, and when she pushes away from him, he says very rudely, "Go! or Stay! But do it because that is what you want to do." Poor Helen gets all weak and sobby and says, "I'll stay for a while." Khan, with his back to her and his nose in the air says, "Oh no, now you must ask me if you can stay." God, I wanted to kick his butt! But Helen asks him to please let her stay. With a smile of satisfaction he turns to her and she walks into his arms....fade to black, darnit.

After many cliff hangers, Kirk and crew prevail, save the ship, and decide to abandon Khan and his followers on a very lush, but dangerous planet. Khan is delighted to have a world to conquer. McGivers, given the choice of a court martial or going with Khan, chooses Khan. As they are led to the transporter room, Khan turns to Kirk and asks him..."Are you familiar with Milton, Captian." Kirk responds yes. After Khan is gone, Commander Scott remarks that he hates to admit it but he's not up on Milton." Kirk quotes from PARADISE LOST "It is better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven." I think I cried for a week until the next time Star Trek was on.

Star Trek was my life for 3 crucial years. It was my escape from tyranny, it was my safe haven and it promised me that things would get better. "Space Seed," was so highly thought of that when, at last, Star Trek made it to the big screen, Khan's role was reprised to show what his new world had done to him and his people in the course of 20 years. Of course, after the movie, I cried for another week.

Goodbye, Ricardo, Khan, Mr. Rourk....May the Great Bird of the Galaxy find you in rare form once more.



Copy and paste to watch the original Classic Star Trek episode SPACE SEED:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDboDUfbAe8