Who played Khan Noonien Singh in 'Space Seed'?

Ricardo Montalban played Khan Noonien Singh in “Space Seed.” The Star Trek: The Original Series episode introduced Khan as a genetically engineered superhuman and first aired on February 16, 1967.

The Enterprise discovers the SS Botany Bay, a sleeper ship carrying survivors of the Eugenics Wars. Khan had ruled more than a quarter of Earth before being defeated and placed in suspended animation with his followers. Once revived, he attempts to seize control of the Enterprise and rebuild his power.

Montalban was the casting team’s first choice for Khan. His performance made the character memorable without requiring the actor to match Khan’s fictional ethnic background; the production deliberately treated the future as less bound by conventional casting expectations.

The role became even more famous when Montalban reprised Khan in the 1982 film “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.” A common mix-up is associating the character with Benedict Cumberbatch, who played an alternate-universe version in “Star Trek Into Darkness.”