That bald abstinent sex machine character in the pretty bad first Star Trek movie? The actress died 22 years ago, not counting that performance.
Ah, Persis Khambatta. Supposedly her untimely death was an Indian political hit-job.
I have to admit, I actually love the first movie. In fact, it’s my favorite of the whole franchise. I appreciate the slow pacing (compared to the nausea-inducing half-second cuts in films of the past 2 decades because audiences can’t stand anything slower) and Jerry Goldsmith’s magnificent score (one of the best ever done). The opening scene with the Klingon ships meeting V’Ger is worth the price of admission alone.
I met the director, Robert Wise, at a film lecture at Vanderbilt (he was not happy with it, though. It was acknowledged he did not have a grasp of the Trek universe, partially why the film was so heavy on drama and light on humor).
He wasn’t lacking for talent, because he had multiple Oscar wins (for “West Side Story” and “The Sound Of Music”) and was the film editor for arguably the greatest American movie ever made, “Citizen Kane.” He also directed what many consider to be the greatest sci-fi film ever made, “The Day The Earth Stood Still.” Aside from his negative experience with ST:TMP, I’d say the one where he was ordered by the studio to re-edit another film masterpiece, “The Magnificent Ambersons”, was the worst. Destroyed his relationship with Orson Welles.