"Space Seed" is an episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. First broadcast by NBC on February 16, 1967, it 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 starship USS Enterprise. In the episode, they encounter a sleeper ship holding selectively bred superhumans from Earth's past. Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán) attempts to take control of Enterprise with the help of Marla McGivers (Madlyn Rhue). Montalbán, the casting director's first choice, described the role as "wonderful". The script changed many times during preproduction, in part to reduce costs, but the special sets and shots using starship miniatures took the show over budget. Although the episode did not win its time slot on its first run, it has been named one of the best of the series by Cinefantastique, IGN, and other publications. The 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan serves as a sequel to "Space Seed", and plot elements from both were used in the 2013 film Star Trek Into Darkness.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Seed

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1249:

Louis IX of France dispatched André de Longjumeau as his ambassador to the Mongol Empire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_de_Longjumeau

1804:

United States Navy Lieutenant Stephen Decatur led a raid to destroy the captured USS Philadelphia in Tripoli, denying her use to the Barbary States in the First Barbary War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Philadelphia_(1799)

1918:

The Council of Lithuania signed the Act of Independence, proclaiming the restoration of an independent Lithuania. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_Independence_of_Lithuania

1943:

World War II: Norwegian commandos destroyed a factory to prevent the German nuclear weapon project from acquiring heavy water. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_heavy_water_sabotage

1996:

Two trains collided in Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S., killing 11 people and leading to the creation of comprehensive federal rules for passenger car design. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Maryland_train_collision

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

Shih Tzu: A small dog breed which originated in China; a dog of that breed. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Shih_Tzu

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight — it's the size of the fight in the dog.   --Dwight D. Eisenhower https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower