Star Trek Left Nancy Kovack High And Dry During Her Appearance On The Show
It's important to remember that few of the actors on "Star Trek," especially in the early days, were familiar with the universe of "Star Trek." While the trappings and themes of Trek are a deeply embedded part of popular culture in the early 21st century, back in the 1960s, "Star Trek" was merely a middling, mid-budget sci-fi network show. As such, when guest stars signed on to play an alien or a creature, they likely needed the premise of "Star Trek" explained to them by a director or a screenwriter. This is the 23rd century, war is over, and humanity is traveling the stars in military-twinged vessels devoted to study and diplomacy. That man, Bill, plays a starship captain named Kirk who leads by instinct. You play a [insert character description here]. These are basic motivations that an actor would need to hear in order to fall into the "Star Trek" ethos before cameras began rolling.
Of course, sometimes actors didn't even get that much. Sometimes they would sign on to "Star Trek," get a script, and arrive on set with no other consultation. They were expected to learn their lines, deliver them in a timely fashion, and then go home for the day.
That was certainly the case for actress Nancy Kovack, who appeared in the "Star Trek" episode "A Private Little War" (February 2, 1968) as a cavewoman named Nona. On an episode of the Spyhards podcast, Kovack talked about her experience on "Star Trek," and how little was actually told to her before the cameras began rolling.
No time for research
The mid-1960s were a busy time for Kovack. From 1965 to 1968, Kovack appeared in 14 films and TV shows, including "Batman," "I Dream of Jeannie," "The Silencers," "Enter Laughing" and "Frankie and Johnny." Into the middle of this swirl of work came "Star Trek," a series that Kovack admitted she wasn't familiar with; she was too busy working to stop and watch a few episodes of the show.
In "A Private Little War," Kovack played Nona, a cavewoman who had the ability to cure people from the poisonous sting of the gorilla-like Mugato. When Nona heals Kirk, however, he becomes in her thrall. Later in the episode, she steals a phaser (something she's not supposed to know about) and offers it to an attacking tribe. She's killed for her efforts.
Kovack knew what was in the script, but little else. She recalled coming to the set and hoping that someone would call her aside and explain to her what a "Star Trek" was, who Kirk was, and why she should care. Sadly, that moment never came. Novack said:
"I didn't have time. I was so busy working in Los Angeles, I never got to see Star Trek. I may have seen half a show one day in my life, and then I worked on a show. But when I did that character, I got that script, and I thought, 'Well, when I get on stage they'll explain. When I get to the set they'll explain.' Nobody explained anything to me! And I couldn't understand why this woman had a husband, and then she was trying to make the star of the show do something else. Why would she have a husband and be doing that? I tell you, that was in my mind nonstop."
Confusing.
Is Nona a hero or a villain?
It wouldn't be until well after the fact that Novack learned that she played a space alien, and someone laid out the premise of the episode for her. She was a little shocked. Kovack said:
"Two years later, someone explained to me that that character was from a certain planet, and that she was there to save her people by diverting Captain Kirk to not attack her people. Had somebody told me that I may have played that slightly differently, but probably not much more differently. I enjoyed doing it because I got to speak loudly. I got to speak strongly and almost comic-like in your words, and I enjoyed that, it was fun."
At least she got to overact a little bit, which can be freeing for an actor. Nona betrays Kirk, not understanding the gravity of the situation; "A Private Little War" is about the horrors of armaments and the way they lead to combat escalation. She's outsized and angry, and one might even paint her as an unwitting villain. Just don't ask Kovack about the nature of her character, as she didn't really know what Nona was, at least not clearly. She continued:
"I didn't understand her. I didn't understand why she was doing that. I didn't understand anything. So you wonder how I ever got through all of that."
After "Star Trek," Kovack appeared in the sci-fi film "Marooned," and continued to appear on the day's hot television shows. Her final acting gig was an episode of "Cannon" in 1975, after which she happily retired. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, the conductor Zubin Mehta.