Bibi Besch's Time On Star Trek Was Tinged By Real-Life Tragedy
The character of Dr. Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch) was introduced in Nicholas Meyer's 1982 film "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." Dr. Marcus had invented a revolutionary terraforming technology called the Genesis Wave which could be fired into a planet and rearrange the entire world's ecosystem to make it livable. In "Khan," the technology was still untested, and Dr. Marcus was searching for a life-free planet — sans even scant microbes — to terraform. With her was her bitter son David (Merritt Butrick) who expressed quite openly how much he hated the formalism and military underpinnings of Starfleet. He would rather carry out scientific experiments with his mother in peace.
It would eventually be revealed that Dr. Marcus was an old lover of Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) and that David was actually Kirk's long-lost son. "Star Trek II" was at least partially devoted to Kirk reconnecting with Dr. Marcus, to Kirk's relationship with his son, and to Kirk finally acknowledging that there were elements of his "glory days" that left behind unfaced consequences.
David returned for "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock," and he was tragically murdered by a vicious Klingon named Kruge (Christopher Lloyd). Even more tragic, at least for Bibi Besch, was that Dr. Marcus wasn't present in "Star Trek III" to mourn the loss of her son, or even have scenes wherein the two characters could further discuss their new family dynamic. Butrick passed away in 1989 due to complications related to AIDS, and Besch admitted — in the April 1990 issue of Starlog Magazine — that she regrets Dr. Marcus and David didn't get to bid each other farewell or that the mother could properly mourn the loss of her son.
Dr. Marcus never got to mourn
This is, sadly, something that has happened more than once in "Star Trek." In the most recent season of "Star Trek: Picard," the audience met Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), the long-lost son of Admiral Picard (Patrick Stewart). Jack was raised by his mother (Gates McFadden) and barely knew his father, but it was Picard who got to rescue Jack and have the show's final bonding moments. The same was true of David, 41 years earlier. David was raised by Dr. Marcus, but it was Kirk who was present at his death. Dr. Marcus was nowhere to be seen.
Bibi Besch regretted that, saying:
"I feel disappointed that I never got a chance to complete my relationship with Jim Kirk vis-a-vis the death of our son. It would have been nice to be able to do that; I think it was a missed opportunity on their part not to do that, and I feel incomplete about it."
And, in 1990, Butrick had already passed away, adding to Besch's sadness. It was a pity because Besch and Butrick knew each other in real life, and having additional opportunities to act together was robbed from both of them. Besch continued:
"It's sad, and of course, now Merritt is dead himself, and that's even sadder because I saw him quite a bit before he died. It was disappointing to me that they didn't involve Carol in David's death. That's the way they chose to do it, but I think it would have been nice to have been able to mourn with the father, Kirk; there was nothing with them together, and that's too bad."
Buttrick's return
Besch and Butrick, the actress said, met when she taught an acting class. She was impressed by his demeanor, saying:
"I loved Merritt a lot. I taught a workshop and Merritt came and took it. Merritt was a very extraordinary young man and very professional, and I'm very sorry that he died. I felt close to him."
Besch never returned to "Star Trek" after "Wrath of Khan," although Carol Marcus did return, played by Alice Eve, in the 2013 film "Star Trek Into Darkness." Besch continued to act in notable feature films like "Steel Magnolias," "Betsy's Wedding," "Tremors," and "My Family." She was nominated for two Emmy awards for her appearances in "Doing Time on Maple Drive" and "Northern Exposure." Besch passed away from breast cancer in 1996. She was 54.
Merritt Butrick, meanwhile, also continued to act, appearing in several amusing B-pictures like "Wired to Kill," "Fright Night Part 2," and "Death Spa." He also continued to get jobs in TV. In 1988, when he was quite ill, the makers of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" cast Butrick as an alien addicted to an advanced narcotic in the episode "Symbiosis" (April 18). Butrick died in March 1989. He was only 29. Like all actors who pass through the world of "Star Trek," however, Butrick and Besch will always be remembered by legions of compassionate fans. May they both rest in peace, knowing that they are deeply beloved.