Star Trek Character Profiles
Star Trek Character Biographies by Suzanne
Original Star Trek
Captain James T. Kirk (portrayed by William Shatner) is the ultimate hero. Modeled in part after the literary character Horatio Hornblower, he also embodies the lawmen of 60’s TV who went with their guts as well as their heads and hearts. Kirk is very intelligent and was the top of class as well as being the youngest officer to make captain in Starfleet. He’s shrewd and has outwitted many strange space aliens, some of whom were foes and some of whom became friends. Although Kirk generally follows regulations, he will sometimes divert from or even ignore them, when his crew is at risk, or when he feels that the greater good is more important (such as saving people on a planet). Kirk’s crew is very loyal to him, and he to them. Kirk is the model of the 23rd century man who believes in humanity and peace, not brute force (for the most part). Kirk boxes to keep in shape, so he’s able to easily defend himself.
Kirk had a son, David, a scientist who resented Kirk at first. David was a pacifist and seemed to be the opposite of Kirk in most ways. He and Kirk grew to admire each other, but then he died when the Klingons stole the Genesis device and threatened Saavik and Spock. Kirk blamed the Klingons for David’s death. He had a hard time letting go of his hatred for them.
Captain Kirk has an eye for beautiful women, but his ship, the Enterprise, is the lady he always chooses to return to. He had a long career as both Captain and Admiral. Kirk dies when he and Captain Picard fight against an evil being named Soran who tries to destroy a planetary system in order to get back to a an extra-dimensional area called The Nexus (in the movie “Star Trek: Generations”).
Mr. Spock (portrayed by Leonard Nimoy) is half-human and half-Vulcan. Vulcans suppress their emotions and use logic and science in their lives. Spock is the first Vulcan to serve in Starfleet. He’s the First Officer and Science officer of the Enterprise. Although he has learned not to show his emotions, it’s clear that Spock values his friendships, including those of his captain, James T. Kirk, and Dr. “Bones” McCoy and Nurse Chapel. Spock gave his life to save the ship when it was about to explode due to the Genesis device. He went into the anti-matter core to adjust it manually, dying of radiation poisoning (In “Star Trek: Wrath of Khan”). He subsequently was resurrected by the same Genesis device and rescued by the crew of the Enterprise (in “Star Trek 3: Search for Spock”).
Later in his life, Spock worked to reunite the Vulcans and Romulans in peace, with help from Jean-Luc Picard (In “Star Trek: The Next Generation”). He also tried to help the Romulans when their planet was threatened. He ended up accidentally creating an alternative timeline because of a vengeful Romulan, Nero (in the 2009 reboot movie “Star Trek”). Spock meets the younger version of himself and Kirk in the other reality, and they defeat Nero. However, Nero had destroyed Vulcan, so Spock remained in the alternate universe to help rebuild New Vulcan. He also aided the younger Spock and Kirk with some advice in their fight with Khan (in the 2013 film “Star Trek: Into Darkness”).
Dr. Leonard McCoy (portrayed by DeForest Kelley) is the Chief Medical Officer of the starship Enterprise. He calls himself “an old country doctor” because he’s from Atlanta and studied at the University of Mississippi. He was divorced at a young age and had many failed romances, perhaps because of high moral standards. He’s good friends with Captain Kirk. Where Mr. Spock is very logical, Dr. McCoy is a bit emotional (even though he’s a man of science himself). He believes strongly that sometimes the body can heal itself. He is very folksy, and he doesn’t trust all of the modern technology, even though he uses it to save lives. He and Mr. Spock were often at odds during tense situations, and McCoy often would call Spock a freak or some other insulting term, but they came to admire and respect each other. Indeed, they became friends.
Dr. McCoy became Chief of Starfleet Medical later on in life, also becoming an admiral. He lived a long life and appeared at age 137 on the Starship Enterprise once again (in “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) to inspect the medical bay of the new Enterprise-D; he was escorted by Lt. Commander Data.
Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (portrayed by James Doohan) is the Engineering Officer on the Enterprise. He’s Scottish and very proud of his heritage. He’s even prouder of the ship and its engines, which he treats as if they’re his babies. He’s able to perform miracles and get the ship and its crew out of many jams. He likes to drink Scotch Whiskey or other alcoholic drinks. Scotty gets along fine with his shipmates, and he’s very loyal to them (especially Captain Kirk).
Scotty served on 11 ships in his long career. He was about to retire when his shuttlecraft was hit by a Dyson Sphere. He put himself in the pattern buffer to survive, and he was there for 75 years until revived by the crew of the Enterprise D (in “Star Trek: The Next Generation”). Scotty didn’t adjust well to life in the 25th century because his knowledge was too outdated. After helping to save the Enterprise D, he was given a small starship (called a runabout) and went off to explore space in his remaining days.
Nurse Christine Chapel (portrayed by Majel Barrett) is the nurse that assists Dr. McCoy on the Enterprise. She originally had a career in bio-research, but she abandoned it to go into space when her fiancé went missing. Once they found him, and he died, she decided to stay on the ship. She’s a capable medical officer who does a lot to help the crew. Eventually, she became a doctor (in the movie “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”).
In the series, Nurse Chapel has a crush on Mr. Spock, who can’t return her feelings because he’s a Vulcan. She kept trying to get close to him, despite that.
Lt. Hikaru Sulu (portrayed by George Takei) is the ship’s helmsman. He has a background in physics and was the ship’s staff physicist when it started. Then he became the helmsman. Sulu has many hobbies, including botany, fencing, gymnastics and ancient weaponry. He later, in the movies, became Lt. Commander, Commander and then Captain. He commanded his own ship, the U.S.S. Excelsior.
In the movie “Star Trek: Generations,” we learn that he has a daughter, Demora Sulu. Sulu is also seen in a flashback by Lt. Tuvok, who served under Captain Sulu, in an episode of “Star Trek: Voyager.” We learn nothing else about Sulu’s personal or romantic life.
Lt. Nyota Uhura (portrayed by Nichelle Nichols) is the Chief Communications Officer on the ship. She can also fill in at the helm, navigation or science stations when needed. She speaks many languages, but she mostly interacts with the technology on the ship. She is religious (Christian) and also loves to sing for the crew when off-duty (sometimes with Spock playing the Vulcan lyre). Like most of the ship’s crew, she’s very loyal to the ship, its crew and to Captain Kirk. She comes from the United States of Africa.
When challenged, especially by obnoxious aliens, she stands up for herself as a strong woman. One alien robot, NOMAD, erased her memory, so she had to relearn her whole life (with the help from the ship’s computers). It didn’t take her long, thankfully. She has a good working relationship with the other crew, but no mention is ever made of any romantic relationships. When some of the crew went to the mirror universe, she flirted with the mirror Sulu in order to distract him. Nothing else is known about Uhura’s personal or romantic life. Later, Uhura was promoted to Lt. Commander and then Captain.
Ensign Pavel Chekov (portrayed by Walter Koenig) is a junior officer compared to the rest of the bridge crew. He’s younger and more naïve. Chekov is later promoted to Lieutenant, and then to Lt. Commander. He’s the ship’s navigator. Later, he became the ship’s tactical officer and security chief. Hailing from Russia, he enjoys making jokes about how everything is a Russian invention. However, his youthful arrogance hides the fact that he was an honors graduate of the Space Academy and is almost as good with science as Mr. Spock.
Like Captain Kirk, Chekov always admires beautiful women and frequently flirts with them. Chekov became the Executive Officer aboard the Reliant (in “Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan”) and showed up later on the Enterprise-B as a guest on its first voyage (in “Star Trek: Generations”). His son, Anton, became President of Earth, but nothing else is known about Chekov’s life outside of the ship.
Janice Rand (portrayed by Grace Lee Whitney) is Captain Kirk’s Yeoman, which is similar to a personal assistant. Captain Kirk showed his sexist side when he was uncomfortable having a woman in that position (probably because she was so beautiful, and he had a hard time ignoring that). There is always a lot of sexual tension between the two. Yeoman Rand seemed quiet and shy at first, but she is clearly a capable officer who frequently goes on away missions with a tricorder, and she’s able to stand up for herself when necessary.
Later, Rand became the Transporter Chief on the ship (in the movie “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”) and then a Communications Officer on the U.S.S. Excelsior (in the film “Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country”).
Lt. Arex (voiced by James Doohan) serves as one of the ship’s navigation officers (in “Star Trek: The Animated Series”). He’ss an Edosian, and that species has 6 limbs. He is adept at using the science station and has commanded the Enterprise a few times when the captain was away. Arex has a very high, whiny voice.
Arex is known as one of the best navigators in Starfleet and was Ensign Chekov’s instructor at the academy. Arex got his start as a technician on merchant vessels but became an officer through a field promotion. He never went to Starfleet Academy. He has had many commendations and citations for bravery and valor, but he is quiet and unassuming.
Lt. M’ress (voiced by Majel Barrett) is the ship’s Operations Division Officer and frequently fills in for Uhura as Communications Officer and sometimes as Science Officer. Her species is Caitian; she has a tail and a cat-like appearance. Also, she purrs when she speaks. She is close friends with Lt. Uhura and Nurse Chapel, and she also hangs out with Lt. Arex. She has interests in anthropology, archaeology, poetry-writing and performing in plays.
Information from watching the series, as well as from Wikipedia and Memory Alpha.
Back to the Star Trek Character Descriptions Page
Back to the Main Star Trek Page
Follow Us!
