To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh
Encyclopedia
To Reign In Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh, is the final book in a trilogy
of novels written by Greg Cox chronicling the life of the fictional Star Trek
character Khan Noonien Singh
. This final book deals with the life of Khan after he was marooned on Ceti Alpha V by Captain James T. Kirk
.
The book takes place between the original series
episode "Space Seed" and the motion picture Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
, and contains numerous retcon
references that seek to resolve discrepancies between the episode and the film.
Some time after arriving, the next planet in the Ceti Alpha system, Ceti Alpha VI, explodes and disrupts the orbit of Ceti Alpha V. This causes major climate changes and loss of plant and animal life. Khan and the supermen take refuge underground and Khan waits for Kirk to arrive and rescue him and his followers from the hell that has become of the planet.
After more time passes, several supermen do not wish to follow Khan any longer and try to assassinate Khan by placing a Ceti Eel in Marla McGivers' ear. This bizarre creature causes her to do whatever is commanded of her, and the men order her to kill Khan. Marla's love for Khan allows her to resist enough to instead kill herself. The eel emerges from her ear after her death and Khan sees the reason why she died.
After the failed assassination, the rebels leave the underground and form a new faction on the planet, taking control of the vital hot springs that provide the only water on the planet. Khan then battles them, losing many men and women, but winning in the end.
At the end of the novel a few years later, Khan sees two men in space suits materialize on the planet's surface.
Throughout the novel, Khan blames his hardships on James Kirk for stranding him on the planet and never checking on him again.
The untold chapter in the history of Star Trek
's most notorious villain, KHAN. Searing and powerful, To Reign in Hell masterfully bridges the time period between Khan Noonien Singh
's twenty-third-century revival in the Original Series
classic episode and his unforgettable return in the acclaimed feature film 2.
What truly transpired during Khan's long years of exile on the forbidding world of Ceti Alpha V, before the tyrant escaped to embark on a murderous campaign of vengeance against Admiral
James T. Kirk
? What horrific trials spawned Khan's insane lust for revenge?
Haunted by the memory of Khan's bitter accusations, Kirk now revisits Ceti Alpha V to discover for himself what ultimately drove Khan to madness. There, buried beneath the desolate surface of a dying planet, Kirk and his allies find the untold story of their greatest foe – and of the woman who loved him: Lieutenant
Marla McGivers of Starfleet
.
Along with Khan's genetically-engineered followers from the twentieth century, Khan and Marla are left on Ceti Alpha V with the hopes of building a new life together. Although the planet is savage and untamed, full of deadly predators and unexpected hazards, Khan dreams of carving out an empire even greater than the one he once ruled on Earth
.
But when catastrophe strikes, laying waste to the entire world, Khan and the others find themselves trapped in a desperate struggle for survival. Now Khan must use every ounce of his superhuman strength and intellect to wage a fearsome battle against the planet, his people... and the growing darkness in his own soul.
, Spock
, and Leonard McCoy
going to Ceti Alpha V after the events of the second, third
, and fourth
Star Trek movies had already taken place. Kirk is filled with guilt and wishes to find out more about Khan's life on the planet. He goes to the bunker that is shown in the second movie and finds Khan's diary. This is when the book moves into Khan's story.What truly transpired during Khan's long years of exile on the forbidding world of Ceti Alpha V, before the tyrant escaped to embark on a murderous campaign of vengeance against Admiral James T. Kirk? What horrific trials spawned Khan's insane lust for revenge?
Haunted by the memory of Khan's bitter accusations, Kirk now revisits Ceti Alpha V to discover for himself what ultimately drove Khan to madness. There, buried beneath the desolate surface of a dying planet, Kirk and his allies find the untold story of their greatest foe -- and of the woman who loved him: Lieutenant Marla Mcgivers of Starfleet....
To Reign in Hell describes the time period of Khan Nooien Singh and his genetically enhanced followers were exiled to the planet of Ceti Alpha V. Six months after their exile to Ceti Alpha V, Khan and Marla McGivers, along with many of the other colonists, were married. When Ceti Alpha VI exploded, the planet was devastated, and the colony on Ceti Alpha V barely survived the upheaval. McGivers was later killed by Harulf Ericsson, a jealous fellow superman, who placed a Ceti Eel in her ear and directed her to kill Khan. She went back to the quarters that she and Khan shared and she pulled out a knife, about to kill Khan, but resisted at the last moment and stabbed herself in the chest, giving herself a mortal wound. When Khan asked why she did what she did, she barely managed to utter that Ericsson had planted an eel in her ear and that she had no regrets going with Khan. She then died and although Khan would ultimately gain revenge against Ericsson, her death was still one of the reasons that Khan sought vengeance on James T. Kirk for not checking on their progress.
At certain points along the way and after Khan's story is complete, the book continues with Kirk's story. He and the rest of the party go into the underground tunnels that are beneath the bunker to learn even more about Khan's life but are captured by the children of the second faction on the planet who have taken over the bunker in Khan's absence. Kirk, "the Abandoner," is going to be killed because of what he did, but instead Kirk offers to take all of the supermen and women to Sycorax, a planet populated by genetically altered humans that is mentioned in the sidestory of the first two novels in this series. The supermen agree to go with Kirk and say that Kirk may not be "the Abandoner" after all.
After Khan's death, Captain Kirk, Captain Spock, Doctor McCoy, and Commander Hikaru Sulu returned to Ceti Alpha V in attempt to learn more about Khan's exile. In their search, they accidentally stumbled upon a sarcophagus for Marla that was built by Khan with Marla's mummified remains within. In another sarcophagus, likely meant for Khan, Spock found data tapes and records and Khan's personal journal. Before they left, the landing party were accosted by Ericsson's daughter and a few other surviving supermen and women who were exiled from the colony and demanded to know Khan's whereabouts, not knowing that he had left the planet and subsequently died. The young Ericsson also destroyed Marla's remains with a phaser she took from the landing party. Kirk managed to convince the young Ericsson that Khan was indeed dead and their fight was over. Then Kirk instructed Sulu to go back to the Mutara Sector, and he then beamed her ashes into the debris field created when the Genesis Planet exploded, so that that she and Khan could at least be together. Kirk also hoped that as husband and wife were reunited that somewhere, somehow, Marla McGivers and Khan Singh have both finally found peace
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
of novels written by Greg Cox chronicling the life of the fictional Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
character Khan Noonien Singh
Khan Noonien Singh
Khan Noonien Singh, commonly shortened to Khan, is a villain in the fictional Star Trek universe. According to backstory given in the character's first appearance, the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Space Seed" , Khan is a genetically engineered superhuman tyrant who once controlled more...
. This final book deals with the life of Khan after he was marooned on Ceti Alpha V by Captain James T. Kirk
James T. Kirk
James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. Kirk was first played by William Shatner as the principal lead character in the original Star Trek series. Shatner voiced Kirk in the animated Star Trek series and appeared in the first seven Star Trek movies...
.
The book takes place between the original series
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode "Space Seed" and the motion picture Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a 1982 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the second feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise. The plot features James T...
, and contains numerous retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
references that seek to resolve discrepancies between the episode and the film.
Plot summary
The book begins with Khan, Lt. Marla McGivers, and most of the other supermen and women that had been with him on the SS Botany Bay arriving on the planet Ceti Alpha V. Khan is given supplies and a phaser and begins to build a colony on the planet. Khan is challenged several times by his fellow supermen, but remains in control for the most part.Some time after arriving, the next planet in the Ceti Alpha system, Ceti Alpha VI, explodes and disrupts the orbit of Ceti Alpha V. This causes major climate changes and loss of plant and animal life. Khan and the supermen take refuge underground and Khan waits for Kirk to arrive and rescue him and his followers from the hell that has become of the planet.
After more time passes, several supermen do not wish to follow Khan any longer and try to assassinate Khan by placing a Ceti Eel in Marla McGivers' ear. This bizarre creature causes her to do whatever is commanded of her, and the men order her to kill Khan. Marla's love for Khan allows her to resist enough to instead kill herself. The eel emerges from her ear after her death and Khan sees the reason why she died.
After the failed assassination, the rebels leave the underground and form a new faction on the planet, taking control of the vital hot springs that provide the only water on the planet. Khan then battles them, losing many men and women, but winning in the end.
At the end of the novel a few years later, Khan sees two men in space suits materialize on the planet's surface.
Throughout the novel, Khan blames his hardships on James Kirk for stranding him on the planet and never checking on him again.
Summary
From the book jacket:The untold chapter in the history of Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
's most notorious villain, KHAN. Searing and powerful, To Reign in Hell masterfully bridges the time period between Khan Noonien Singh
Khan Noonien Singh
Khan Noonien Singh, commonly shortened to Khan, is a villain in the fictional Star Trek universe. According to backstory given in the character's first appearance, the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Space Seed" , Khan is a genetically engineered superhuman tyrant who once controlled more...
's twenty-third-century revival in the Original Series
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
classic episode and his unforgettable return in the acclaimed feature film 2.
What truly transpired during Khan's long years of exile on the forbidding world of Ceti Alpha V, before the tyrant escaped to embark on a murderous campaign of vengeance against Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
James T. Kirk
James T. Kirk
James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. Kirk was first played by William Shatner as the principal lead character in the original Star Trek series. Shatner voiced Kirk in the animated Star Trek series and appeared in the first seven Star Trek movies...
? What horrific trials spawned Khan's insane lust for revenge?
Haunted by the memory of Khan's bitter accusations, Kirk now revisits Ceti Alpha V to discover for himself what ultimately drove Khan to madness. There, buried beneath the desolate surface of a dying planet, Kirk and his allies find the untold story of their greatest foe – and of the woman who loved him: Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Marla McGivers of Starfleet
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
.
Along with Khan's genetically-engineered followers from the twentieth century, Khan and Marla are left on Ceti Alpha V with the hopes of building a new life together. Although the planet is savage and untamed, full of deadly predators and unexpected hazards, Khan dreams of carving out an empire even greater than the one he once ruled on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
.
But when catastrophe strikes, laying waste to the entire world, Khan and the others find themselves trapped in a desperate struggle for survival. Now Khan must use every ounce of his superhuman strength and intellect to wage a fearsome battle against the planet, his people... and the growing darkness in his own soul.
Secondary plot
The book also has a secondary plot with James T. Kirk, SuluHikaru Sulu
Hikaru Sulu is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by George Takei in the original Star Trek series, Sulu also appears in the animated Star Trek series, the first six Star Trek movies, one episode of Star Trek: Voyager, and in numerous books, comics, and video games...
, Spock
Spock
Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek...
, and Leonard McCoy
Leonard McCoy
Leonard "Bones" McCoy is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by DeForest Kelley in the original Star Trek series, McCoy also appears in the animated Star Trek series, seven Star Trek movies, the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and in numerous books,...
going to Ceti Alpha V after the events of the second, third
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is a 1984 motion picture released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the third feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise and is the center of a three-film story arc that begins with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and concludes with Star Trek IV:...
, and fourth
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is a 1986 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fourth feature film based on the Star Trek science fiction television series and completes the story arc begun in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and continued in Star Trek III: The...
Star Trek movies had already taken place. Kirk is filled with guilt and wishes to find out more about Khan's life on the planet. He goes to the bunker that is shown in the second movie and finds Khan's diary. This is when the book moves into Khan's story.What truly transpired during Khan's long years of exile on the forbidding world of Ceti Alpha V, before the tyrant escaped to embark on a murderous campaign of vengeance against Admiral James T. Kirk? What horrific trials spawned Khan's insane lust for revenge?
Haunted by the memory of Khan's bitter accusations, Kirk now revisits Ceti Alpha V to discover for himself what ultimately drove Khan to madness. There, buried beneath the desolate surface of a dying planet, Kirk and his allies find the untold story of their greatest foe -- and of the woman who loved him: Lieutenant Marla Mcgivers of Starfleet....
To Reign in Hell describes the time period of Khan Nooien Singh and his genetically enhanced followers were exiled to the planet of Ceti Alpha V. Six months after their exile to Ceti Alpha V, Khan and Marla McGivers, along with many of the other colonists, were married. When Ceti Alpha VI exploded, the planet was devastated, and the colony on Ceti Alpha V barely survived the upheaval. McGivers was later killed by Harulf Ericsson, a jealous fellow superman, who placed a Ceti Eel in her ear and directed her to kill Khan. She went back to the quarters that she and Khan shared and she pulled out a knife, about to kill Khan, but resisted at the last moment and stabbed herself in the chest, giving herself a mortal wound. When Khan asked why she did what she did, she barely managed to utter that Ericsson had planted an eel in her ear and that she had no regrets going with Khan. She then died and although Khan would ultimately gain revenge against Ericsson, her death was still one of the reasons that Khan sought vengeance on James T. Kirk for not checking on their progress.
At certain points along the way and after Khan's story is complete, the book continues with Kirk's story. He and the rest of the party go into the underground tunnels that are beneath the bunker to learn even more about Khan's life but are captured by the children of the second faction on the planet who have taken over the bunker in Khan's absence. Kirk, "the Abandoner," is going to be killed because of what he did, but instead Kirk offers to take all of the supermen and women to Sycorax, a planet populated by genetically altered humans that is mentioned in the sidestory of the first two novels in this series. The supermen agree to go with Kirk and say that Kirk may not be "the Abandoner" after all.
After Khan's death, Captain Kirk, Captain Spock, Doctor McCoy, and Commander Hikaru Sulu returned to Ceti Alpha V in attempt to learn more about Khan's exile. In their search, they accidentally stumbled upon a sarcophagus for Marla that was built by Khan with Marla's mummified remains within. In another sarcophagus, likely meant for Khan, Spock found data tapes and records and Khan's personal journal. Before they left, the landing party were accosted by Ericsson's daughter and a few other surviving supermen and women who were exiled from the colony and demanded to know Khan's whereabouts, not knowing that he had left the planet and subsequently died. The young Ericsson also destroyed Marla's remains with a phaser she took from the landing party. Kirk managed to convince the young Ericsson that Khan was indeed dead and their fight was over. Then Kirk instructed Sulu to go back to the Mutara Sector, and he then beamed her ashes into the debris field created when the Genesis Planet exploded, so that that she and Khan could at least be together. Kirk also hoped that as husband and wife were reunited that somewhere, somehow, Marla McGivers and Khan Singh have both finally found peace
See also
- The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien SinghThe Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien SinghThe Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh is a two volume set of novels written by Greg Cox about the life of the fictional Star Trek character Khan Noonien Singh. He is often referred to as simply "Khan" in the Star Trek episode "Space Seed" and in the Star Trek movie Star Trek...
- the two volume novel written by Greg Cox that tells the story of the Eugenics Wars, creation of Khan, and his rise to power.