Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of 'Star Trek TOS' – My Favorite Guest Stars (Part Two)

 

In my last post I shared a very subjective list of my favorite guest stars that appeared during the three season run of Star Trek: The Original Series. In this post I will share another list of my favorites in random order, except for the first one. He is my favorite one in this batch.

As I know many of you will have other favorites, I apologize in advance if your favorites do not appear here.

1. Ricardo Montalban

I greatly admire the actor who played Khan Noonien Singh in "Space Seed" (Season 1, Episode 22) for his impact not just on this series but also in the second movie Star Trek: Wrath of Khan. He looms above all the guest stars as the most memorable villain with a compelling and relatable back story. 

In "Space Seed" his charisma and physical power were obvious in every second he is on screen. He is a genetically enhanced super being, and Kirk (William Shatner) at times seems intimidated by him. 

They find him on a penal colony ship in stasis, but he thaws out quickly and cuts an impressive path across the episode. In the end Kirk barely defeats him and leaves Khan and his group on an uninhabited planet where he will stay until appearing in one of the greatest movies – not just Trek movie – you will be lucky enough to watch.

2. Diana Muldaur

Muldaur appeared in two episodes and played three characters. In "Return to Tomorrow" (Season 2, Episode 20) she played Science Officer Dr. Ann Mulhall and also the godlike Thalassa. The Enterprise goes to a planet where beings have no bodies, and they want to inhabit Kirk, Spock, and Mulhall's bodies so that they can exist again. 

In "Is There in Truth No Beauty?" (Season 3, Episode 5) Muldaur plays Dr. Miranda Jones, a blind telepath for Ambassador Kollos of Medusa. It works out for her because Kollos' appearance is so hideous that the sight of him drives people insane. 

Fun Fact: Star Trek: The Next Generation fans will also recognize Muldaur for playing Dr. Katherine Pulaski during season two. 

3. Frank Gorshin

Just like Yvonne Craig, Gorshin who famously played The Riddler on Batman, popped over to appear in one of the most amazing episodes of Trek. In "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" (Season 3, Episode 15) Gorshin is Bele, a prejudiced pursuer of supposed justice going after Lokai (Lou Antonio) because his black and white face is different than Bele's. 

Gorshin holds nothing back here as the trajectory of his abilities is unleashed. One moment he is mourning the extinction of his race, and in the next he goes into homicidal mode and tries to kill his prey. As I've noted before, Gene Roddenberry liked to send messages with his show, and this one rings true about the insanity of prejudice and the toll it takes is a heavy one, and in this case it involves the loss of a civilization.

4. Ted Cassidy

Cassidy's looming presence as Ruk in "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" (Season 1, Episode 7) scared me as a kid – even though I knew he was the giant, kind hearted Lurch from The Addams Family TV show (where he also played the role of Thing). In this episode he is an android doing the bidding of crazy Dr. Corby (Michael Strong) who happens to be the former love of Nurse Chapel (Majel Barrett). Corby wants to replace all humans with androids, and Kirk and Chapel are first on his list. 

The menace Cassidy brings to the role notwithstanding, Ruk eventually reveals a softer side as he describes what his creators did to his kind. This is another one of my favorite episodes, and although it was broadcast 60 years ago, it touches upon things that are currently causing concerns about AI and the sentience factor that is key to this episode.

Fun Fact: Cassidy also provided the voice of the scary Balok in "The Corbomite Maneuver" (Season 1, Episode 10) and the Gorn captain in "Arena"  (Season 1, Episode 18).

5. James Gregory

In "Dagger of the Mind" (Season 1, Episode 9) Gregory plays Dr. Tristan Adams as the director of a psychiatric unit that is well renowned. When one of his supposed patients escapes the facility, Kirk and company become suspicious, causing the captain and ship psychiatrist Dr. Helen Noel (Marianna Hill) to beam down to investigate.

They discover Adams is using a device called a "neural neutralizer" that he uses to help patients, but Kirk quickly discovers the device is actually a mind wiping device, and Adams is intent on using it on Kirk. Gregory delivers a creepy performance because he is so convinced what he is doing is right. That always makes maniacs all the more scary. 

6. Terri Garr

When I watched Terri Garr in "Assignment: Earth" (Season 2, Episode 26) as a kid, I fell in love with her. Watching the show again as an adult, I can understand why. She plays secretary Roberta Lincoln as a pretty, frazzled, and a little overwhelmed by her work for Gary Seven (Robert Lansing) who is not just some executive but a being from the future concerned with a launch of a NASA spacecraft.

Kirk and Spock beam down and interact with Roberta (Spock has his ears covered with another ridiculous hat), but Garr shines in the role and makes it one of the most memorable performances in Trek's three seasons. 

Fun Fact: This episode was meant to be an attempt to be a pilot within the series for a "Gary Seven" TV series, but the network did not pick it up. That's a shame because with Lansing and Garr involved it would have been a great show!

7. Don Marshall

Appearing as Lt. Boma in the amazing "The Galileo Seven" (Season 1, Episode 16), Marshall stands out as the most excited and worried of the stranded passengers on a hostile planet. The way he pushes back on Spock's stoic handling of what is a dangerous situation with large, violent aliens outside the crippled shuttle craft is very impressive.

Marshall's performance is outstanding. He not only questions Spock's authority but encourages the other passengers to rebel. When one of the crew is killed by the aliens, Boma demands that he get the dignity of a burial, but Spock feels that it's too dangerous. The conflict between Boma and Spock is so interesting to watch.

It's just a terrific episode, and Marshall shines as a person who maybe a little prejudiced toward alien Spock, but the layers in his performance also show his belief in humanity and the preciousness of life.  

Fun fact: This is the first appearance of a shuttle craft designed by Matt Jeffries (who also designed the U.S.S. Enterprise) in the series. 

8. Julie Newmar

Newmar – whom I loved as Catwoman on Batman – plays Eleen in "Friday's Child: (Season 2, Episode 11). Eleen is the pregnant wife of leader Akkar (Ben Gage) who wants the Capellans to side with the Federation, but he is murdered by rival Maab who favors a Klingon alliance. This causes Kirk, Spock, and McCoy to take Eleen and run away in fear that Maab will kill her because she's pregnant with the rightful leader of Capella.

There is such a difference in how Newmar plays this role, making her totally opposite of how we know her on Batman. Yet her beauty shines through as well as her maternal instinct, making this one of the more memorable guest appearances in Trek. In the end everything works out. Eleen gives birth to a son, and she will act as his Regent – which means she will rule until he comes of age. 

Fun Fact: Eleen names her child Leonard James Akaar. Spock's reaction to this is priceless. 

9. Vic Tayback 

In "A Piece of the Action" (Season 2, Episode 17) Tayback takes his Brooklyn born accent to new heights, playing gruff gangster Jojo Krako. Set on a planet run by 1920s style gangs – where a Federation vessel was reported missing 100 years ago. The Enterprise gets a message from a rival gangster and requests help. 

Before we know it, Kirk and Spock are thrown into the middle of a gang war. Seeing Spock and Kirk in suits and spats is hilarious, and despite Spock's worries about the Prime Directive, Kirk barrels ahead and breaks the rules. Tayback's performance is brilliant, chewing the scenery along with his cigar. 

It seems everyone was having a blast making this episode, and Tayback's Krako makes this a memorable one indeed. 

10. Michael J. Pollard

Pollard plays teenager Jahn in "Miri" (Season 1, Episode 8) and immediately makes an impression. He leads a group of children who live in an abandoned city that looks like it is 1960s Earth. Kirk and company (including Grace Lee Whitney as Janice Rand) discover young Miri (played by a terrific Kim Darby) and she tells them that all the "grups" (grownups) have died from a disease. McCoy notices that the kids have lesions and are dying too. Soon the crew has signs of the disease forcing McCoy to find a cure.

Pollard is outstanding as the leader – he's menacing, determined, and dangerous – but it's also obvious that he didn't want the leadership that was thrust upon him as the oldest of the kids – who are really 300 years old!  While this episode is not usually mentioned in lists of favorites, I really liked it. When I first saw it as a kid, I identified with Miri and her friends. As an adult, I empathize with the adults as they struggle to save the kids from this deadly illness.

Fun Facts: Pollard was 27 years old when filming this episode playing a teenager. Sadly, this was also Whitney's last Trek episode.  

What's Next?

In my next post, I will taking a look at the main cast members. Until next time, Live Long and Prosper!

Please check out this scene from "Space Seed" to see Khan in action!