Who knew Marla McGivers would be given the chance to flourish as a fully fleshed out character some 60 years after she first appeared in one single episode of Star Trek: The Original Series? Well, that episode, “Space Seed,” is one of the most beloved installments in the entire breadth of creator Gene Roddenberry’s science fiction universe. And Marla has gone from being an afterthought on the USS Enterprise to a full-blown historian in the must-listen podcast, Star Trek: Khan.
Serving as the ship’s historian, Marla rarely joined the Enterprise’s landing parties to explore strange new worlds. In fact, the only time Trekkies saw her called to duty during the entire three-season run of TOS was when she joined Captain Kirk, Dr. McCoy, and Mr. Scott when they boarded the SS Botany Bay. It was a minor role to be sure.
Marla might not have realized her potential six decades ago, but the character is thriving now in the Star Trek: Khan audio drama as the former lieutenant's specialty allows her to chronicle Khan and the Augments time on Ceti Alpha V, which is set between “Space Seed” and the events of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Wrenn Schmidt voices Marla in the audio drama, and she had this to say about the character’s evolution in a new interview (via Star Trek.com):
"She wanted to make her mark. And she did, even though it didn't happen in the way she thought it would. In some ways, that's what a historian hopes for is that they can somehow record history in a way that illuminates it for all the people that come after. And how many people can say that they're able to do that?”
"Imagine an opportunity where you can meet one of the most interesting historical figures that you've read about in books... and then that person [Khan] is standing in front of you,” Schmidt continues. “It really provokes something in her as a historian. She’s recording history, but also her private feelings… it’s a very intimate moment with the audience.”
The Khan podcast first depicts Marla as an outcast among outcasts. However, she is the ONLY member of those exiled to Ceti Alph V who is completely human. Khan and his people, the Augments, are genetically engineered to be superior in every possible fashion. But when Khan and his warriors engage in battle with the Queen of the Ceti eels, it's Marla who emerges as the hero. Khan's beloved knows he is in danger of being defeated, or worse, so she unexpectedly shows up wielding her phaser!
Marla easily destroys the queen and becomes the hero thanks to the advanced technology she smuggled off the USS Enterprise. Marla also becomes a wife, who carries Khan's child. Whether the podcast will allow the child to even be born remains to be seen. In Star Trek II, Khan never mentions a son nor daughter, and Trekkies know that Marla is killed by one of the Ceti eels at some point during their exile on Ceti Alpha V.
As a fan of the audio drama, it would be nice to see Marla have the opportunity to have the baby. But if that should happen, will she be alive long enough to enjoy her family? Ceti Alpha VI has already exploded in Episode 5, which marks the beginning of the end for Khan and his people's so-called paradise.
While Marla's role in Star Trek: Khan is purely fictional, Schmidt wonders if our own world will ever have someone like her character step up and chronicle what's happening in the here and now. Schmidt broached the subject by comparing Marla's journey with reality in the same interview by saying:
"Who's the person that will try as much as possible to sit down and write an objective recording of what this moment in time is? This past year, the number of things that have happened in the world, and then the number of leaders in the world that are just having an outsized impact, and what's happening to everyone everywhere.”
“Will there be someone like a Marla McGivers? I don't know," Schmidt continues. "It's just when you really start to dig into it, it's like, 'Holy crap. That's huge.' It's really hard to be a human and not wonder, 'What will my impact be on this world? Why was I here? What do I have to contribute?' There's almost like a more than one pinch me moments for Marla."
What do you think of Marla McGiver's evolution? Hers is a tragic love story. However, the character has been given the opportunity to grow in ways never thought possible after Marla's solo appearance almost 60 years ago in "Space Seed." Do you want Khan and Marla to experience a little more happiness before her imminent death?
Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. And new episodes of the must-listen Star Trek: Khan drop every Monday through Nov. 3.