SS Botany Bay
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The SS Botany Bay is a spaceship in the fictional universe of Star Trek. It is a pre-warp, DY-100 class, cargo vessel modified as a sleeper ship that was in operation during the time of the Eugenics Wars of late 20th century Earth.
Background
In 2268 the Starship Enterprise found the Botany Bay damaged and adrift in space. The dictator and genetically modified human Prince Khan Noonien Singh and his 72 surviving followers were found in stasis pods aboard the ship. Several other pods had malfunctioned during the time that the Botany Bay was adrift; those within the malfunctioning pods had died. Khan was revived and taken aboard the Enterprise for medical examination. Enterprise crew member Lt. Marla McGivers, a specialist on Earth's 20th Century, became infatuated with Khan; she was fascinated with him because he represented Earth's history during her era of expertise. As her obsession with the dictator grew, Khan easily charmed Lt. McGivers into helping him escape.
Later, Khan, with the help of McGivers and several of Khan's revived followers, forcibly took control over the Enterprise in an attempt to steal the ship and kill Captain Kirk. Domination of the human race was their eventual goal. Khan was later defeated and his followers captured, but Captain Kirk decided to allow Khan and his people to live in exile on the planet Ceti Alpha V, a lush world which Khan could rule over in peace. Instead of standing court-martial for attempted mutiny, Lt. McGivers was allowed to join Khan in exile. Parts of the Botany Bay were converted into shelters for Khan and his people.
This story was the premise behind the second Star Trek movie, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
The ship made an appearance in the Star Trek episode "Space Seed." The model of the ship has also been reused several times and seen as background elements in various other Star Trek episodes.
The vessel may have most likely been named after Botany Bay, in Sydney, Australia, the originally intended site for the penal settlement established in Port Jackson and which remained a colloquial term for penal transportation for some time. This hypothesis was put forth by Kirk and Spock in the actual episode.
Notes
In a series of non-canon novels by Greg Cox, it is revealed that the Botany Bay was a top secret project of the United States government. It's further revealed that the ship, which was unnamed at the time, was stolen by Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln and launched into Earth orbit. Seven persuaded Khan and his followers to enter into hibernation on board the ship while the Botany Bay was put on course to a class-M world about 100 light years from Earth. Before entering hibernation, Khan was asked what he wanted to name the ship, and he chose the name Botany Bay.