Project Genesis Project Genesis was the code name for a classified scientific research project within the whose goal was to develop a process whereby uninhabitable planet s could be made suitable for humanoid life through a subatomic transformation . While the project was intended in part to combat overpopulation , the project became controversial when its destructive power became known . Ultimately , however , the project was deemed infeasible . The head scientist for the project was Dr . Carol Marcus who managed a large team including her son Dr . David Marcus on the station Regula I . There , they developed the Genesis Device , a torpedo - like technology which was the delivery mechanism that triggered the transformation dubbed the " Genesis effect " by the team . The process involved reducing the target space body to subatomic particle s , then reassembling them , according to the pre - programmed Genesis matrix . Project History . Dr . Marcus presented a proposal and demonstration of Project Genesis to the Federation on stardate 7130 . 4 . The project was conducted in three stages . The first was conducted in the laboratory on Regula I , the second in the underground of a lifeless environment , the Regula planetoid , and the third planned on a planetary scale . The Federation approved , provided funding and ordered logistical support from Starfleet . For the second stage of the project , the Starfleet Corps of Engineers spent ten months carving a cavern , base and tunnels deep under the surface of the Regula planetoid . In 2285 , the project team successfully conducted the underground Genesis experiment in a day . For the third stage of the project , Starfleet sent the , commanded by Clark Terrell , to search for a suitable planet . The planet had to be completely devoid of life and meet other factors , which made for a difficult search . Singh ' s attack . The " Reliant " had conducted several unsuccessful searches before arriving at the Ceti Alpha system . Terrell and first officer Pavel Chekov transported to the surface of Ceti Alpha V to investigate life sign s , but they were captured by Khan Noonien Singh , who had been marooned there by Admiral James T . Kirk 15 years before . Khan implanted mind - controlling Ceti eel s into them , and used them to get revenge on Kirk . Upon learning of the Genesis Project , he used Chekov and Terrell to claim that Starfleet , under orders from Kirk , wanted to take custody of the Genesis data and potentially " militarize " the project . The project team was outraged at the apparent takeover . Dr . Marcus attempted to contact Kirk to confront him , but Khan disrupted communications just after they saw each other . Starfleet then ordered the to investigate . Kirk briefed Captain Spock and Dr . Leonard McCoy about the project , screening a recorded classified briefing featuring Carol Marcus and computer - generated simulation imagery of the Genesis effect . Khan reached Regula I and killed several members of the research team while a few secretly beamed down to Regula to protect the Genesis Device . Not being able to find it , he left hurriedly and to intercept the " Enterprise " . Following a brief battle , " Reliant " was driven off and the crippled " Enterprise " limped to Regula I , where they found Terrell and Chekov . After beaming down to Regula , they found the rest of the team and the device . Unfortunately , Terrell and Chekov were still under the influence and allowed Khan to beam out the device . They were all left marooned . The " Enterprise " , hiding on the other side of Regula , was able to beam up the whole group . They confronted the hijacked " Reliant " , but was severely damaged in its attempt to stop Khan from fully exploiting the device and the project . However , despite Khan ' s intellect , his lack of experience allowed the " Enterprise " crew to lure him into a trap in the Mutara Nebula . Khan attempted to detonate the stolen Genesis torpedo to destroy the " Enterprise " , but the ship ' s warp engines were repaired just in time . Incidentally , Khan himself completed the third stage of the project , as the explosion formed the . ( ) Aftermath . After the detonation of the Genesis device , the project had become publicly known , and became a controversial subject in the Federation . The Federation Council then ordered Starfleet to squelch information regarding the project . As the " Enterprise " returned to Earth , Starfleet would not respond to their questions about the project . On their return , Starfleet Admiral Harry Morrow personally ordered the " Enterprise " crew to secrecy and had the crew monitored by Starfleet Intelligence and Federation Security . The Mutara sector was declared off - limits , and Starfleet sent the to investigate the newly - formed planet with David Marcus and Lieutenant Saavik . They found that the planet was unstable ; instead of life , it caused death and destruction . During the development of the Genesis matrix , Dr David Marcus , Carol Marcus ' son , had used protomatter , a dangerous and unstable compound , to complete the process . As a result , animals were mutated , weather was bizarre , and earthquakes , fires , volcanic eruptions , and windstorms , along with the unstable core , tore the planet apart , blocked out the sun , and caused the planet to age rapidly to the point that it destabilized completely . However , exposure to the Genesis energies did have the unexpected side - effect of restoring the body of the deceased Spock and then accelerating his aging so that he was the same age he had been when he died . ( ) Klingon plot . The Klingon Empire had come to learn about the project and Genesis ' destructive potential . A Klingon spy named Valkris had secretly managed to obtain Kirk ' s classified briefing of the Genesis Project and transmitted it to Commander Kruge . Kruge destroyed Valkris ' s transport vessel , the freighter " Merchantman " , after she admitted to Kruge having seen the contents of the briefing . Kruge then went to the Genesis planet to capture scientists with knowledge of the project . His gunner accidentally destroyed the " Grissom " in their attempt to disable the vessel , however , they found the away team consisting of Saavik and Marcus . Kruge captured them and demanded that they help him understand the technology , and didn ' t believe Marcus when he explained that the process didn ' t work . The " Enterprise " arrived , pirated by Kirk and his crew , to find Spock whose body had been restored to life by the Genesis effect . Kruge demanded project information from the " Enterprise " ' s library , and had Marcus killed to show he was serious . Kirk and crew prevented Kruge from accessing the Genesis project files by destroying the " Enterprise " in the process , while appropriating Kruge ' s Bird - of - Prey for themselves . ( ) After the Genesis planet destabilized , Klingon ambassador Kamarag used Kirk ' s briefing of Project Genesis , along with images of the destruction of " Enterprise " , when he spoke before a session of the Federation Council . The ambassador demanded Kirk ' s extradition by the Federation to the Klingon Empire , to be punished by the Klingons for the deaths caused when he ordered the self - destruct of " Enterprise " . He vilified Project Genesis , characterizing it as a weapon created by the Federation in order to bring about the annihilation of the Klingon people . However , Ambassador Sarek , in an immediate rebuttal , added that the Klingon ship had destroyed the " Grissom " and killed Kirk ' s son , David , in an illegal attempt to possess the secret of Genesis . ( ) Appendices . Background information . The Genesis Project music was created by Craig Huxley and was released on CD ( it is not on the original " Star Trek II " soundtrack release , but on the Film Score Monthly re - release . ) . The Genesis simulation graphics sequence was created for " Star Trek II " by Lucasfilm ' s Graphics Group . The footage was later reused in " Star Trek III " and " Star Trek IV " . The Project Genesis simulation or demonstration graphics sequence , has been invariably referred to ever since as the " Genesis Demo " by production staff and reference authors alike . ( " American Cinematographer " , October 1982 , pp . 1038 ) Apocrypha . The ( non - canon ) further suggests that the planet and system may have been unstable due not only to the inclusion of protomatter in the matrix , but also to being formed entirely from the matter of the Mutara Nebula rather than having been detonated on a pre - existing world , as originally intended . The " Genesis Wave " series of novels ( set in the 24th century and featuring the crew of the ) expand upon this premise , noting that the Genesis Cave continued to exist inside the Regula One planetoid ( which contradicts the movie novel , which shows that the plants inside the cave had mutated into something completely different than what they had started out as ) , and features some insight as to what happened after the events of " The Wrath of Khan " , including the revelation that Carol Marcus survived into the twenty - fourth century , although kept in secret due to the danger of her knowledge of the Genesis Project . According to the novel " The Sorrows of Empire " , the first two stages of Project Genesis were carried out in a similar manner in the mirror universe . However , funding for further research was denied by Emperor in 2284 , effectively ending the project .