Mad Science in Star Trek: Khan, Bashir and the Eugenics Wars

About this episode

This episode explores the theme of genetic engineering in the Star Trek universe, focusing on its implications and historical context.

This week on Journey Through Sci-Fi , we head into the Star Trek universe to explore one of its most enduring mad science taboos: genetic engineering. From Space Seed and the rise of Khan to Enterprise's Augments arc and Deep Space Nine's shocking Bashir reveal, we trace how Star Trek keeps returning to the dangers of trying to "improve" humanity. Along the way, we get into the Eugenics Wars, creator-creation relationships, scientific hubris, and why a utopian future still casts a long shadow over forbidden science. Plus: Brent Spiner being superbly awful, Bashir's identity crisis, and why this theme runs through Star Trek for more than 200 years of in-universe history. Episodes discussed: Star Trek: The Original Series — "Space Seed" (S1E22) Star Trek: Enterprise — "Borderland" (S4E04), "Cold Station 12" (S4E05), "The Augments" (S4E06) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — "Doctor Bashir, I Presume?" (S5E16) Also referenced: Star Trek — "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" Star Trek: The Next Generation — "The Schizoid Man" Star Trek: Voyager — "Tuvix"

People in this episode

Host: James Payne

Topics covered

• genetic engineering
• mad science
• Eugenics Wars
• Star Trek
• scientific hubris
• creator-creation relationships

Keywords

• Star Trek
• genetic engineering
• mad science
• Eugenics Wars
• Bashir
• Khan
• scientific hubris

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager

More episodes of Journey Through Sci-Fi: Science Fiction Film History

• Disclosure Day: Spielberg and the Return of Friendly Aliens · June 24, 2026 · 8 min
• The Mad Science Movie Awards: 58 Films, So Many Bad Ideas · May 6, 2026 · 1h 34m
• Frankenstein (2025) & The Bride! (2026): Mad Science Comes Full Circle · April 9, 2026 · 1h 32m
• Get Out (2017) & Possessor (2020): Losing Control of Your Own Body · March 26, 2026 · 1h 7m
• The Human Centipede (2009) & Tusk (2014): Turning People into Monsters · March 12, 2026 · 1h 1m
• Hulk (2003) & Iron Man (2008): When Scientists Become the Experiment · February 26, 2026 · 1h 8m