Movies - TV
A Tough Star Trek Stunt Left Grace Lee Whitney Battered And Bruised
By WITNEY SEIBOLD
Yeoman Janice Rand only appeared in eight episodes of the original "Star Trek" show before being written out because she had too much chemistry with the ascetic Captain Kirk.
Grace Lee Whitney portrayed the character. While she enjoyed working on "Star Trek," her unceremonious firing from the show dealt her a terrible emotional blow.
The actress also didn't always have the best time while shooting. She was left bruised after her character was assaulted by an evil doppelgänger of Kirk in "The Enemy Within."
Whitney didn't like the scene, yet was directed to make the violence look as photogenic as possible — a strange mandate given the content.
Rand's scene was tragically mirrored by a real-life assault that Whitney experienced at the hands of one of the "Star Trek" producers, which led to substance abuse problems.
Eventually, with a good amount of bravery, Whiteny talked publicly about her assault and struggle with addiction before passing away in 2015.