The U.S.S. Reliant (NCC-1864) was a Miranda-class starship commanded by Starfleet Captain Clark Terrell in the 23rd century. Launched in 2264, the Reliant remained in active service for two decades before being assigned to support the burgeoning Project Genesis. At the request of Doctor Carol Marcus, the Reliant was tasked with seeking out a lifeless planet that would serve as the testing ground for the latter stages of Project Genesis. It was during this mission that the Reliant would mistake its intended destination, Ceti Alpha VI, for its sister planet, Ceti Alpha V. There, among the barren sands of this desolate planet, Captain Terrell and Commander Chekov, his first officer, would encounter the exiled tyrant Khan Noonien Singh and his devoted Augment followers. This fateful encounter would set Khan on the path of vengeance by granting him the tools necessary to exact the revenge he long desired - the approximate location of Admiral James T. Kirk, and the means by which to reach him. The U.S.S. Reliant was no longer a ship under Starfleet's control - it was now a vessel of retribution, commanded by a madman who would stop at nothing to settle a score with an old nemesis.