Ayel was a Romulan miner and part of the crew of the Narada, where he served as second-in-command to Nero.
When the Narada was thrown back in time to 2233, creating an alternate timeline, the ship attacked the USS Kelvin. Nero then had Ayel contact the Kelvin and tell its commanding officer, Captain Richard Robau, to board a shuttlecraft and join them on the Narada, ostensibly to negotiate a cease fire.
When Robau was brought on board, Ayel spoke for Nero, questioning Robau as to the whereabouts of Ambassador Spock and his ship. When Robau answered that he was unfamiliar with Spock, Ayel queried the stardate. The response spurred Nero to kill Robau and continue attacking the Kelvin.
According to the audio commentary for the film Star Trek, the reason Ayel speaks for Nero during the attack on the Kelvin is because, after the destruction of Romulus, Nero had taken a vow of silence. His vow lasted until Nero and his crew escaped from Rura Penthe.
Twenty five years later, in 2258 of the alternate reality, Ayel assisted Nero in the capture of Spock and his ship, and in the destruction of Vulcan. Nero had Ayel prepare red matter from Spock's ship, which was used to create an artificial black hole in the center of Vulcan, devouring the planet and killing the majority of the Vulcan species. When James T. Kirk and Spock invaded the Narada as it attacked Earth, Ayel took down Kirk with a surprise attack, allowing Nero to assault and nearly kill Kirk.
Upon hearing news that Spock's ship had been taken and the Narada's drilling rig had been destroyed, Nero left Kirk to Ayel. While grabbing Kirk by the neck, Ayel remarked he was surprised at how weak Humans were. Unfortunately for him, he was too busy gloating to notice that his "victim" had been able to grab hold of his disruptor; when he asked Kirk what he was trying to say, the captain replied, "I got your gun!" and promptly shot him. Ayel's body fell from the platform he was standing on and dropped into the depths of the Narada. (Star Trek)
Appendices[]
Background information[]
Ayel was portrayed by actor Clifton Collins, Jr.
In the script of Star Trek, Ayel urged Nero to allow him and their shipmates to return to Romulus, albeit that of the alternate year 2258. He was disappointed when Nero refused, though initially hid his disappointment from Nero. Threatening him with a bladed staff, Ayel later protested Nero's plan to destroy Earth, explaining their revenge had been achieved when they destroyed Vulcan and that he as well as the rest of the Narada's crew wanted to go home.
Nero understood Ayel's concerns and his crew's desire to return to Romulus, but wanted all involved in the destruction of their homeworld punished. Ayel was persuaded by Nero to stand down but was thereafter killed by him, using the bladed staff. [1]
Ayel was pictured on card #70, titled Romulan First Officer Ayel, of the 2013 virtual collectible card battle game Star Trek: Rivals.
Apocrypha[]
The novelization of Star Trek does use the scene in which Ayel threatens mutiny but is consequently killed by Nero. In the Star Trek: Nero comic book series, Ayel makes the same argument during the time between the destruction of the Kelvin and the Klingon capture of the Narada, but rather than execute him, Nero is able to convince Ayel of the necessity of their quest.
In the prequel comic Star Trek: Countdown, an explanation is given for the tattoos on Ayel's head and those of the rest of the crew, with the comic saying the tattoos were painted on their skin in a sign of unending mourning, in memory of their annihilated homeworld as well as their families and friends who had died in that incident.
External links[]
- Ayel at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works