Star Trek’s Eugenics Wars explain why genetic engineering is banned

In the Star Trek universe, humans once used genetic engineering to create people with exceptional strength and intelligence.

These enhanced people, known as Augments, became aggressive and seized control of parts of Earth.

Khan, one of the Augment leaders, ruled much of Asia and the Middle East, while other Augments took power elsewhere.

The resulting Eugenics Wars devastated Earth and killed millions, though the franchise gives differing accounts of how the fighting began.

After the wars, Earth began rebuilding, and engineer Zefram Cochrane later built its first faster-than-light engine.

Contact with passing Vulcans helped start a new chapter for humanity.

The history of the Augments is why Earth, and later the Federation, banned genetic engineering.

The story’s dates have shifted over time, and the exact chronology remains unclear.