 | |
| Gary Mitchell | |
| Continuity: | Star Trek |
| Type: | Military personnel |
| Gender: | Male |
| Race: | Human |
| Location: | USS Enterprise NCC-1701 |
| Status: | Deceased |
| Born: | 2242 |
| Died: | 2265 |
| First: | "Where No Man Has Gone Before" |
| Actor: | Gary Lockwood |
Gary Mitchell was a supporting character featured in the Star Trek franchise. Played by actor Gary Lockwood, he appeared in the second pilot episode of the original Star Trek television series, "Where No Man Has Gone Before". Gary Mitchell was a member of the Federation Starfleet holding the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He briefly served as First Officer aboard the USS Enterprise in 2265.
Biography[]
Gary Mitchell was born in the town of Eldman on Stardate 1087.7 in 2242. As a child, he demonstrated an exceptionally high talent for extrasensory perception, a trait inherited through his maternal bloodline going back at least six generations to both males and females who dabbled in metaphysical studies and, in at least one case, a female ancestor who was interested in spiritual readings.
When he was of age, Mitchell enrolled at Starfleet Academy where he befriended an upper classman named James T. Kirk. Kirk was known as a bookworm in those days and Mitchell knew that in his class, "You either think or sink". Gary tried to get Kirk to let up on other cadets by distracting him with an attractive blonde lab technician whom Kirk later admitted to almost marrying. From that point on, Kirk and Mitchell became close friends.
The two spent shore leave together on the planet Deneb IV at some point in the early 2260s. Gary's latent ESP abilities came to bear when he began carrying on telepathic conversations with several native inhabitants. There were at least three known instances of this occurring and Mitchell was shown to score 80% or higher on telepathic comprehension.
In 2265, Mitchell was serving under Kirk as the First Officer of the USS starship Enterprise. At this time he met the newly-arrived ship's psychiatrist, Doctor Elizabeth Dehner, whom Mitchell regarded as a "walking freezer unit".
Mitchell's evolved state.
The crew of the Enterprise recovered a disaster recorder left behind by the SS Valiant, a ship that disappeared near the Galactic Barrier more than two-hundred years ago. Exploring the region, they came upon a giant magnetic anomaly that swept across the ship, wreaking havoc with the onboard electrical systems. Mitchell was caught in the power surge wrought by the anomaly and collapsed on the bridge of the ship. He was taken to Sick Bay and placed under the care of Chief Medical Officer Mark Piper. The anomaly had evolved Mitchell on a psionic level, but the only physical symptoms of his interaction with the anomaly were his sparkling, silver-flecked, glowing eyes. Gary's latent ESPer abilities increased exponentially with each passing moment. His telepathic prowess increased and he developed moderate power with telekinesis and electrokinesis. At first, he demonstrated only minimal basic abilities such as regulating his own life signs and moving a water cup through the power of his mind. Kirk grew concerned however and felt that Gary's growing abilities were unpredictable at best, and at worst - dangerous.
Kirk held a meeting of all the department heads to discuss what to do with Gary Mitchell. Ironically, it was Doctor Dehner who defended him, saying that there is nothing wrong with the notion of someone evolving to a higher state of being. Science Officer Spock however, recognized the threat that Mitchell was becoming and told Kirk that the only options available to him were either to maroon Mitchell on an uninhabited world or kill him.
Kirk and Spock visited Sick Bay, but by this point, Mitchell's power had increased dramatically. He had absorbed every erg of data in the ship's computer library and compared himself to a god, citing that normal humans were inferior and insignificant life forms. When Kirk and Spock drew nearer, Mitchell suffered a violent outburst, producing arcs of electricity from his hands. Kirk and Spock were forced to restrain him and Dehner administered a sedative.
Kirk beamed Gary Mitchell to a lithium cracking station on the planet Delta-Vega where he was imprisoned behind an electric force field. He left instructions with the ship's navigator Lee Kelso to blow up the station should Gary attempt to escape. Mitchell telepathically deduced Kirk's plan and used telekinesis to strangle Kelso with a power cable.
Kirk vs. Mitchell on Delta-Vega.
Elizabeth Dehner came to visit Gary's cell. The radiation from the magnetic storm took longer to affect her than it did Gary, but now, she too was an evolved being with strong psionic potential. Gary escaped from his cell and fired bolts of electricity from his hands that incapacitated Kirk and Spock. He brought Elizabeth with him across the plains of Delta-Vega and used his power to transform the barren landscape into a lush, tropical paradise.
When Kirk came to, he armed himself with a phaser rifle and went out hunting for Mitchell. When he found him, Gary made a veiled comment about taking over the ship and repeatedly insinuated how Kirk and the others were but insects in comparison to Elizabeth and he. Kirk fired the phaser rifle at him, but the shot had no effect. Once again calling himself a god, Gary forced Kirk down onto his knees and made him assume a position of prayer. Dehner, who still maintained a hold on her humanity, could no longer watch Gary's drunken abuse of his power. She turned against him, but Gary was more powerful than she and Elizabeth paid for this seeming betrayal with her life. Elizabeth's attack against Gary weakened him just enough that Kirk was able to get up and fight against him. The two traded blows and Kirk pushed Mitchell into a shallow grave that Gary had intended to use on him. He fired the phaser rifle at an outcropping of rock from a nearby cliff and the debris fell down upon Gary, crushing him.
When Kirk returned to the Enterprise he reported in the official log that both Mitchell and Dehner gave their lives in the line of duty. [1]
Starfleet personnel file[]
- Name: Mitchell, Lt. Comdr. Gary
- Present address: 8149, Eldman, New[obscured]
- Permanent address: Same
- Birth place: Eldman
- Date of Birth: Stardate 1087.7
- Age: 23
- Height: 5'2"
- Weight: 16? lbs. [partially obscured]
Notes & Trivia[]
- The character of Gary Mitchell was created by James Goldstone and Samuel A. Peeples.
- First Starfleet officer presented in the series to hold the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
- Actor Gary Lockwood is also known for playing the role of astronaut Frank Poole in the 1968 Stanley Kubrick space opera, 2001: A Space Odyssey. As with "Where No Man Has Gone Before", 2001 dealt with themes of human evolution and higher states of consciousness.
- Gary Mitchell was born in the same year as Lieutenant Marla McGivers from "Space Seed".
See also[]
Media
The World of Star Trek
Star Trek miscellaneous
External Links[]
- Gary Mitchell at IMDB
- Gary Mitchell at Memory Beta
- Gary Mitchell at Memory Alpha
- Gary Mitchell at the Star Trek DB