Gary Mitchell (Star Trek)

Star Trek character|if=
bgcolor = #ccccff
Title =Gary Mitchell


Caption = Gary Mitchell, played by Gary Lockwood, eyeing the main viewscreen as he pilots the "Enterprise" toward an energy field near the galaxy's edge
Species = Human
Gender = male
Planet = Earth
Affiliation = Starfleet
Posting = USS Enterprise
Position = Helmsman
Rank = Lieutenant commander
Portrayed = Gary Lockwood
Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell was a Starfleet officer serving aboard the USS "Enterprise" as helmsman (and, it is speculated, her first officer) in the fictional Star Trek universe. Portrayed by actor Gary Lockwood, the character appeared in one episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before". Mitchell also appeared in some non-canonical "Star Trek" novels.

Biography of fictional person

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" establishes Mitchell as one of Captain James T. Kirk's oldest and best friends. During the episode, he and Dr. Elizabeth Dehner (Sally Kellerman), a psychiatrist recently assigned to the "Enterprise", suffer effects of an energy field encountered by the ship near the outer rim of the galaxy. While the field killed several crew members, it endowed Mitchell and Dehner -- the former immediately, the latter after a time delay -- with psi-kinetic powers that grow exponentially with the passage of time. Eventually Mitchell's powers become almost godlike.

The change also affects Mitchell's personality, and as his powers grow, he develops megalomania, finally considering himself a god and demanding worship from his fellow crew members. This puts the ship in grave danger; the log of SS "Valiant" from years earlier reported a similar occurrence among its crew members, together with the fact that its captain self-destructed the ship in order to contain the threat.

Fearing for the safety of civilization, Kirk, under pressure from Mr. Spock (who advises Kirk to kill Mitchell outright), decides to maroon the navigator on an unpopulated planet used as a fuel depot. But before the "Enterprise" can depart, Mitchell kills a fellow officer and runs away with Dehner, who by now is also beginning to develop psi-kinetic power. Tracking the two would-be gods, Kirk encounters Dehner and tries to reason with her. Dehner, her humanity fading but still alive, realizes how dangerous Mitchell can become as she sees him torturing Kirk. She tries to stop Mitchell, and he retaliates, killing her with his powers, but not before she manages to weaken him. During the battle, Mitchell has tried to overawe Kirk, even presenting him with a freshly dug grave with a filled-out headstone. Eventually Kirk kills Mitchell by causing a landslide to crush and bury him in the grave that he intended for Kirk.

In recording the fact of the two officers' deaths, Kirk officially notes that Mitchell, in addition to Dehner, gave his life in performance of his duty. "I want his record to end that way," Kirk explains to Spock. "He didn't ask for what happened to him." The legendary relationship that Kirk and Spock develop may be seen, speculatively, to date from around this time, with Kirk noticeably thawing toward Spock at the end of the episode that marks the passing of the man who until now has been the captain's best friend.

Notes

* In Peter David's non-canon novel "Q-Squared", it is said that Q was inadvertently responsible for Mitchell's transformation, as Q had been thrown back in time and trapped within the galactic barrier. However, in the Q Continuum novels by Greg Cox, the galactic barrier was erected by the Q to keep out a malevolent entity known only as "0", and that it is 0's powers that are taken on by Mitchell.
* In "Where No Man Has Gone Before", Mitchell's sole onscreen appearance, the positions of navigator and helmsman were opposite of what they were on the regular series (in this episode, the navigator sat on the port side and the helm officer sat on the starboard side of the console. In the regular series, it was the other way around). Based on onscreen dialogue, and Mitchell's duties on the bridge, it is apparent that he is the helm officer, not the navigator.
* The tombstone that Mitchell prepares for Kirk bears the name "James R. Kirk" rather than the name "James T. Kirk" which is Kirk's name in all subsequent references to Kirk.

Appearances in other media

Novels

Gary Mitchell figured prominently in the novel "Strangers From the Sky", giving us much more insight into his character and his friendship with Kirk. Gary seemed to know odd, miscellaneous facts. Gary, Dr. Dehner, Lee Kelso, Spock and Kirk were inadvertently moved to the 21st Century by Parneb, an Earthman endowed with great powers, a "magician". These events took place just weeks before the Enterprise was sent to investigate the edge of the galaxy.

He also appears in the "My Brother's Keeper" trilogy of novels by Michael Jan Friedman. These novels explore the relationship and long-term history of Kirk and Mitchell prior to his death at Kirk's hands in "Where No Man Has Gone Before."

Comics

Gary Mitchell is featured as one of the villains in the first "Star Trek/X-Men" crossover. In this story, Mitchell creates a rift in space and time, through which the X-Men and villains Proteus and Deathbird enter the Star Trek universe during the timeframe of the first series. Proteus has similar reality-warping powers to Mitchell, but must travel from body to body to survive. His power deteriorates the host body, eventually killing it. However, Proteus was able to merge with the corpse of Gary Mitchell, which did not deteriorate. Gary's essence realizes what is going on and allows his opponents to destroy him.

External links