Bibi Besch played Dr. Carol Marcus inStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, but she didn’t reprise Carol in any subsequentStar Trek: The Original Seriesmovie. Directed by Nicholas Meyer,Star Trek IIwas released in 1982 and brought several new aspects toStar Trek.Along with the death of Spock (Leonard Nimoy),Star Trek IIintroduced the newly 50-year-old Admiral James T. Kirk’s (William Shatner) lost love, Carol, and their son, David Marcus (Merritt Butrick). While David’s story came to a sad end inStar Trek III: The Search for Spock,Carol didn’t come back at all.
Dr. Carol Marcus is the inventor ofProject Genesisand the Genesis Device, a technology she developed alongside David. Project Genesis was intended to address the problems of hunger and overpopulation in the United Federation of Planets. Genesis was a terraforming technology that could transform a dead planetary body into a world capable of sustaining human life. The Genesis Device was stolen and weaponized by Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban), who detonated it, inadvertently creating the unstable Genesis Planet. Butthrough Carol,Star Trek IIgave Admiral Kirk a meaningful relationshipthat ended badly and needed resolution.
Why Bibi Besch’s Carol Marcus Didn’t Return In Star Trek III
Bibi Besch was disappointed not to be asked back for Star Trek III
Bibi Besch’s Dr. Carol Marcus was entirely written out ofStar Trek III: The Search for Spockby producer Harve Bennett, who penned the screenplay. Although Bennett initially earmarked Carol to return inStar Trek III’s outline, he felt the character was extraneous, and Harve excised the elder Dr. Marcus to cut back on the sequel’s budget. Bennett also couldn’t account for how Carol wouldn’t know thatDavid used protomatter in the Genesis Deviceto make it unstable. Director Leonard Nimoy agreed thatCarol’s presence complicatedStar Trek III,so Bibi Besch wasn’t invited back to reprise her role.
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According toThe Making of the Trek Filmsedited by Edward Gross,Bibi Besch had a hard time accepting being left out ofStar Trek III: The Search for Spock. Although Besch sent Harve Bennett a letter after she sawStar Trek III,telling the producer she understood why Carol wasn’t in the film, Bibi remained disappointed that Carol’s story with Kirk never got to continue inStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home or the next twoStar Trekmovies. Bibi Besch passed away in 1996, but she is still fondly remembered as Carol Marcus byStar Trekfans.
No Carol Marcus Left Kirk & His Son’s Star Trek Story Incomplete
Kirk and Carol never get closure over David’s death
The problems of Carol Marcus being left out ofStar Trek III: The Search for Spockand the rest of theStar Trek: The Original Seriesmovies are compounded by howDavid Marcus was killed off inStar Trek III.David joins Lt. Saavik (Robin Curtis) to explore the Genesis Planet, where they discover the resurrected Spock. But Klingons soon arrive on Genesis and hold David, Saavik, and Spock hostage.Kruge (Christopher Lloyd) orders David’s execution, which Admiral Kirk is helpless to stop.
Star Trek Generationsoriginally planned to bring Carol Marcus back in the Nexus, but this was changed to a new character named Antonia at Paramount’s request.
Bibi Besch was disappointed that theStar Trekmovies never allowed Carol and Kirk to have closure over David’s death.Kirk barely has time to mourn David inStar Trek III,althoughJim gets revenge on Krugefor killing his son. Yet Kirk’s main focus inStar Trek IIIis to rescue Spock and get him to Vulcan. David’s death isn’t raised inStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and the loss of his son is an undercurrent for Kirk in his subsequentStar Trekmovie appearances.Star Treknever addressing how Carol felt about David’s death is a glaring omission.
Carol Marcus’ Star Trek Legacy Continued After Wrath of Khan
Star Trek Into Darkness brought back Carol Marcus
J.J. Abrams’Star Trek Into Darknesswas a remake ofStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Set in the alternate Kelvin timeline,Star Trek Into Darknessrepeated or inverted many aspects ofThe Wrath of Khan, includingbringing back Carol Marcus.Alice Eve played Carol Marcus, the daughter of corrupt Starfleet Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller), inStar Trek Into Darkness. This version of Carol doesn’t have a romantic relationship with Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), but Dr. Marcus became a source of controversy for one scene where she strips to her underwear.
5 Actors Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Should Cast As Carol Marcus
These five actresses would be perfect to play Lt. James T. Kirk’s girlfriend, Carol Marcus, on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Like Bibi Besch inStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,Alice Eve wasn’t asked back as Carol Marcus inStar Trek Beyond. However, Carol Marcus' legacy continues inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds. The prequel toStar Trek: The Original Seriesname-dropped Carol as Lt. James T. Kirk’s (Paul Wesley) pregnant girlfriend. If Carol Marcus returns inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 or 4, it would only be the character’s second appearance sinceStar Trek II: The Wrath of KhaninStar Trek’s Prime Timeline, and Carol’s third appearance overall.
