Movies News Talk
In the venerable Star Trek: The Original Series, gifted actress Sarah Marshall—who had a great career—played Janet Wallace, one of Captain James T. Kirk's several romantic interests. Although Kirk's travels on the USS Enterprise brought him personally with many fascinating women, Janet Wallace is one woman who particularly helped shape the storyline of the episode "The Deadly Years." Though not a regular character, her appearance in this episode had great weight and stayed with Star Trek viewers.
Renowned endocrinologist and cell structural expert Janet Wallace was assigned to the USS Enterprise on a mission to Gamma Hydra IV in the "The Deadly Years." This mission saw Captain Kirk and his away team's life seriously threatened by a mystery radiation. This episode reveals that Janet Wallace and Kirk had a romantic past in 2261 but finally gave their careers top priority, so ending their relationship. But Janet Wallace's knowledge proved absolutely vital in saving the crew. Her scientific background enabled her to create a cure for the fast aging virus afflicting the crew, so reversing the effects of the radiation in time for Kirk to retake control of the Enterprise.
Experienced actress Sarah Marshall had a remarkable career spanning decades before she made Star Trek debut. Her performance in the 1960 drama "Goodbye, Charlie" brought praise and a nomination for Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) at the Tony Awards. She wed Christopher Held in 1964; he also starred Lindstrom in the Star Trek episode "Return of the Archons." Marshall showed her flexibility and skill by appearing in a variety of movies and television shows over her career, including unforgettable guest parts in classic series including "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "The Twilight Zone," and "Cheers."
Even after her one appearance in "The Deadly Years," Sarah Marshall's Janet Wallace became a major player in the Star Trek universe. Though these ideas were eventually shelved, there were first plans to bring her back in next Star Trek films. But her persona had a long-lasting effect on the series and connected a future character—Dr. Carol Marcus.
Gary Mitchell notes in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before," "a little blond lab assistant," who was formerly engaged to Kirk. Janet Wallace's appearance in "The Deadly Years" seemed to imply that she was the lab assistant Gary Mitchell was referencing. But the arrival of Dr. Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch) in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" gave this link still another degree of complexity.
Early "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" versions had Janet Wallace as the head of the Omega System, a potent weapon. Later versions, though, replaced Wallace with Carol Marcus and the Omega System with the Genesis Device. This change in story gave the relationship between these two people a fascinating turn-about.
There was more to connect Sarah Marshall's Janet Wallace with Carol Marcus than just the early "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan drafts. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve) first appears in the movie "Star Trek into Darkness," as Carol Wallace, substituting her mother's birth name for her father's surname. Given that "Star Trek into Darkness" came out in 2012, the same year Marshall made her last screen appearance in the movie "Bad Blood," this subdued nod to Sarah Marshall's Star Trek: The Original Series character added a moving touch. Sadly, Sarah Marshall passed away two years later. She left behind a legacy of remarkable performances, including her unforgettable portrayal of Janet Wallace in "The Deadly Years," one of Captain Kirk's most enduring ex-girlfriends.