Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has done a lot of good for the original franchise. They've further explored characters, concepts, and opposing aliens that were made famous by the original series, thus giving those specific things and ideas more heft and weight to them. While still just a rubber suit, when James Kirk battles The Gorn commander, we're going to be well aware of what exactly is on the line.
It's the same thing for the relevance of Captain Christopher Pike and the depth of Nyota Uhura. These characters now matter more. Their characters have more weight to them. Their entire existences matter more, thanks to the tight writing in Strange New Worlds. This prequel show has helped further establish and cement a lot of original series aspects and we're hoping they can do it one more time.
With season three right around the corner, we're hoping that the new season will feature Janice Rand. For those of you who don't know, Rand was played by Grace Lee Whitney in the original series. Through half of the first 12 episodes, you can see Rand be part of the crew. Maybe far more so than fellow B-character, Nurse Christine Chapel.
Once played by Gene Roddenberry's wife, Majel Barrett, Chapel is once again a major aspect of Strange New Worlds, this time played by Jess Bush. Because of Strange New Worlds, we've seen Chapel expanded upon as a character, with fans raving about how much she brings to the show. So we know that the show can in fact add more to a character's reputation. So why not Rand?
And for Rand, this isn't so much about the character, who in her own right, deserves more time on screen. It's about the woman who once played the character, Whitney. For whatever reason, Gene Roddenberry was always intent on firing the actress from the show. Drugs and drinking had become a problem and it only got worse after an alleged assault at the hands of a Star Trek executive producer. Whitney claims she knew the firing was coming, but it still hit her quite hard.
According to Roddenberry in the book The Fifty-Year Mission, (via Slashfilms), he claims to have written off Whitney because the network wanted a change of pace each week with a new young starlet to pair with William Shatner's James T. Kirk. Roddenberry acquiesced and showed her the door. It was a decision he regretted, as he saw her as a major component of the show.
Whitney would pass away in 2015 at the age of 85, and despite coming back to Star Trek originally for the failed television sequel, "Phase II", and later the first film, her character of Rand would never become a major player in any future stories. Now is the chance to tell that story. Strange New Worlds can do something good by paying homage to Whitney and further exploring a character that everyone thought had a lot more to show.