One Of David Soul's Earliest Roles Was On Star Trek, Eight Years Before Starsky & Hutch
The "Star Trek" episode "The Apple" (October 13, 1967) contained one of show creator Gene Roddenberry's favorite tropes: a remote, agrarian species living in harmony with nature, overseen by an ineffable technological marvel. In "The Apple," the Edenic planet of Gamma Trianguli VI is the home of a sexually innocent, childlike species that is granted their every wish by an all-powerful computer called Vaal. Vaal appears to be a giant snake-like head carved into the rock, but the Enterprise discovers that it is a machine intelligence that has kept the locals in a perpetual childlike state. They are immortal, but also have never had to work, nor are they allowed to "touch" (that is: have sex). Naturally, it will be up to Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the Enterprise to destroy Vaal and teach the aliens that growing up is necessary, and that having sex is okay and super-fun.
The "Edenic planet of innocents" trope also cropped up in "The Paradise Syndrome" (October 4, 1968), the "Animated Series" episode "Bem" (September 14, 1974), and the "Star Trek: Voyager" episode "Natural Law" (May 2, 2001).
The local aliens in "The Apple" are Coke-can-skinned hippie youths who wear their hair with flowers and who paint elaborate markings on their cheeks. They know nothing about physical intimacy and a pair of aliens secretly observe Ensign Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Yeoman Landon (Celeste Yarnall) sneaking away from their crewmates to go osculating in the woods.
The two peeping toms are played by actor Shari Mins and — although the makeup may make it difficult to recognize him — the late "Starsky & Hutch" star David Soul in only his third screen appearance.
David Soul as a half-naked hippie alien dude
Prior to "Star Trek" in 1967, Soul had only shown up in two previous TV shows. He played an orderly in an episode of "I Dream of Jeannie" and he played a ranger in an episode of "Flipper." "Star Trek" was, it seems, just another gig for the rising actor. Shortly after filming "The Apple," Soul would land a cushy job playing one of the lead characters in the 1968 Western sitcom "Here Come the Brides," a series that lasted 52 episodes. He continued to appear on TV and in films throughout the early '70s (including "The FBI" and "Johnny Got His Gun") before signing on to play Detective Sergeant Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in "Starsky & Hutch" in 1975.
Soul, of course, continued to work, eventually landing a leading role in the 1983 Western "The Yellow Rose," but it was "Starsky & Hutch" that would stand out as the most popular job of his career. Soul passed away on January 4, 2024, at the age of 80.
"The Apple," many Trekkies agree, is often seen as one of the sillier episodes of "Star Trek." It clearly plays into oblique sci-fi sex fantasies held deep in Gene Rioddenberry's heart (and loins), depicting an Eden-like community that is on the cusp of becoming, essentially, a free-love commune. The makeup design for the Children of Vaal is also a little hokey (although David Soul can rock the weird wig and red body paint). Many elements of the 1966 "Star Trek" are painfully dated and the hippie-dippie, peace-love-and-understanding episodes feel very much like a product of their time.
Luckily, the familiar face of David Soul was there to guide us. I hope his character, Makora, lived a long, productive life, just as Soul did.