This article contains a reference to sexual assault.
Summary
Since its female characters are a testament toStar Trek’s commitment to representation,Star Trek: Strange New Worldscan save aStar Trek: The Original Seriescharacter and finally portray her in a three-dimensional way. Some ofStrange New Worlds' best episodes of its first two seasons involve Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), and Lt. Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijin), proving the prequel’s dedication to elevating classicStar Trekcharacters. Even new characters who weren’t inTOS, like Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia) and Lt. La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), show the series' ability to foster compelling female character development.
With its reputation for bringingStar Trek: The Original Seriescharacters into its modern production,Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' impressive castof characters has become a modern staple ofStar Trek.Many ofStrange New Worlds' female characters have benefited from a contemporary twist to their one-dimensionalTOSarchetypes— they now have new and exciting backstories and compelling character traits and contribute to nuanced relationships with other crew members on board the USS Enterprise. Because itportrays its female characters as the driving force of the show,Strange New Worldshas the chance to bring back and redeem another femaleStar Trek: The Original Seriescharacter.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 - Cast, Story, Trailer & Everything We Know
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 ended with an epic cliffhanger and here’s everything known about when it will be resolved in season 3.
Strange New Worlds Can Fix Star Trek’s Janice Rand After 58 Years
Rand can be the Star Trek character she always deserved to be
Adding a young Janice Rand to its character lineup could proveStar Trek: Strange New Worlds' dedication to giving old and new female characters their rightful place in theStar Trekcanon. InStar Trek: The Original Series,Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney) was depicted as nothing more than a Yeoman with an unrequited love for Captain Kirk (William Shatner). She didn’t have any other essential plotlines.Janice Rand exitedStar Trekafter season 1, butStrange New Worldscould give her room to grow as a character and become an asset to the show’s already robust list of female characters.
A modern representation of Janice Rand could redefine her superficialStar Trek: The Original Seriescharacterization with a more meaningful arc. Rand, who was a season 1 regular onTOS, never got meaningful character development or a conclusive backstory becauseher character was meant solely to be attracted to Captain Kirk. Other Starship Enterprise characters rarely interacted with the Yeoman, and she was often depicted as serving Kirk meals and fetching him whatever he needed on the bridge. OnStrange New Worlds, Rand could become her ownStar Trekheroine and remain unattached to any male character.
Cadet Rand could pave her own way throughStar Trekhistory and set up her eventual place on the Enterprise.
Being introduced as a Cadet, like Uhura was inStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 1, would give Janice Rand a fresh start instead of being weighed down byStar Trek: The Original Series' mistreatment of Grace Lee Whitney.Cadet Rand could pave her own way throughStar Trekhistory and set up her eventual place on the Starship Enterprise. Just like Uhura, Rand could explore her place in Starfleet. WithStrange New Worlds' young Lieutenant Kirk (Paul Wesley) as a recurring character, the show could also set up Rand’s feelings for the future captain, similar to howStrange New Worldscleverly set upKirk and Spock’s first meetings.
What Happened To Grace Lee Whitney’s Jance Rand In Star Trek: TOS?
Rand only appeared in 8 Star Trek episodes
Yeoman Janice Rand was supposed to have a bigger part inStar Trek: The Original Seriesas one ofCaptain Kirk’s love interests, but instead, her unrequited love for the Captain only worked to increase Kirk’s appeal as an attractive male protagonist. Eventually,Grace Lee Whitney was fired without warning during the production ofStar Trekseason 1. While NBC and Gene Roddenberry stated her departure was due to financial strain on the over-budget production, Whitney later revealed that she was sexually assaulted by an unnamed executive on set just days before she was fired. Whitney claims the assault was at least partly behind her exit.
With smaller roles inStar Trekmovies andStar Trek: Voyager,JaniceRand is still important toStar Trek.Strange New Worldsis an obvious choice for bringing Rand back, but she could appear in any ofStar Trek’s roster of upcoming projects. Her introduction could give the franchise its next dose of nostalgia and establish an unrequited romance between Rand and Kirk. With such a dark history surrounding Janice Rand, the character deserves redemption inStar Trek: Strange New Worldsto allow for a three-dimensional portrayal and to honor Whitney’s bravery in discussing her undeserved departure fromStar Trek: The Original Series.
Star Trek: The Original Series
Cast
Star Trek follows the U.S.S. Enterprise on its five-year mission to explore the galaxy, led by Captain James T. Kirk and First Officer Mr. Spock. The crew confronts a variety of challenges, including Klingons, Romulans, and genetic supermen, as they search for new life and civilizations.
