The SS Botany Bay

The SS Botany Bay is a starship in the fictional Star Trek universe. 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.

In 2268 the Starship Enterprise found the Botany Bay damaged and adrift in space. The dictator known as Prince Khan Noonien Singh who is a genetically modified human, and 72 of his surviving followers were found in stasis aboard the ship. Khan was revived and taken aboard the Enterprise for medical examination. Enterprise crew member Lt. Marla McGivers, a specialist on Earth's 20th Century era, became infatuated with Khan, who in her eyes was a living relic from a time of Earth's history she was obsessed with. Khan easily charmed McGivers into helping him escape, and relive his plans of ruling mankind once again.

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 James T. Kirk. Khan was later defeated and his followers captured, but Captain Kirk agreed to allow Khan and his people to live in exile on the planet Ceti Alpha V, a lush world where Khan could rule over in peace. Instead of standing court martial for attempted mutiny, Lt. McGivers was allowed to join Khan in exile.

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" and interior shots were seen in the 1982 motion picture Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. 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 the Australian suburbs Botany Bay, the originally intended site for the penal settlement established in Port Jackson and which remained a colloquial term for penal transportation for some time.