Janice Rand was born in 2232, joined Starfleet at a relatively young age, and continued to serve for almost thirty years. In 2266, she served aboard the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain James T. Kirk as the captain's yeoman. Rand's quarters were first in room "3C 46" on Deck 12, (TOS: "The Enemy Within") and later room "3F 125". (TOS: "Charlie X")
Service record
The five-year mission
Initially, Captain Kirk was surprised that Starfleet had assigned a female yeoman to his command. However, after seeing Rand's efficient work ethic in action, Kirk grew to respect her as a crew member and friend. Despite their professional relationship, an undercurrent of sexual attraction remained between the two. Kirk, however, could not requite the feelings Rand felt for him, due to his position as ship's captain. Nevertheless, he was strongly attracted to her, which became obvious in stressful situations. (TOS: "The Corbomite Maneuver", "The Naked Time", "Balance of Terror")
Yeoman Rand was among the most popular members of the Enterprise's crew, second only to Lieutenant Uhura, who was her good friend. (TOS: "Charlie X") She was known for her compassion and thoughtfulness toward others. During a tense standoff, while the Enterprise played "possum" with a Romulan ship in the Neutral Zone, Rand made a point of visiting Kirk in his quarters. Hoping to console Kirk, who was preoccupied by the potential for a second Romulan war, she offered to bring him food or coffee. (TOS: "Balance of Terror")
An artist by hobby, Janice had several paintings she created hanging in her quarters aboard the Enterprise. (TOS: "The Enemy Within")
Encountering Kirk's duplicate in 2266
When an evil duplicate of Captain Kirk was created during a transporter malfunction, his bestial and lustful half was drawn to Rand. The duplicate attempted to sexually assault Rand, claiming she was "too beautiful to ignore" and "too much woman". Rand not only defended herself, but left a large scratch on the duplicate's face, which helped the crew differentiate between the two Kirk "halves". The situation was resolved, and the two halves of Kirk were merged together in the transporter. (TOS: "The Enemy Within")
Later that year, orphaned teenager Charles Evans came aboard the Enterprise. The troubled boy drew out Rand's maternal instincts, and she quickly befriended Evans, hoping to help him ease back into regular life. Evans, the sole survivor of a transport crash, had little experience with other humans and quickly became infatuated with Rand. Unsure how to deal with Evans' crush, Rand asked Captain Kirk to speak to the boy on her behalf. Soon thereafter, the Enterprise crew discovered Evans' secret - while Evans was alone on Thasus, the mysterious Thasian race had taken pity on the boy and granted Evans special powers. In a fit of anger and pique, Evans used these superhuman abilities against the crew, turning one crewwoman into a lizard and removing the faces of some junior officers. When Rand turned down Evans' advances, he literally made her disappear from the Enterprise. The Thasians intervened and quickly returned Evans to Thasus. After her return to the Enterprise, Rand was shocked and troubled by the Thasians' actions. Having seen how desperately Evans wanted to stay aboard the ship, Rand confided to Kirk her feelings of friendship for the boy. (TOS: "Charlie X")
Kirk and Rand repeatedly felt an attraction for one another, but resisted discussing or acting on their feelings openly. During one mission, Rand, Kirk and other members of a landing party were trapped on a planet where only children survived; adults quickly developed a wasting disease. When Rand became upset, Kirk embraced and consoled her. A teenage girl whom the team had befriended, Miri, felt that Rand was her "competition" and briefly betrayed the landing party. (TOS: "Miri") And after a waterborne virus spread through the Enterprise, affecting the emotions of the crew, Kirk confessed to Spock that he had "a beautiful yeoman". He told Rand that in other circumstances, they might have had a life together. (TOS: "The Naked Time")
Rand transferred from the Enterprise in early 2267. (TOS: "The Conscience of the King")
Later career
Transporter Chief in 2273
At Starfleet Headquarters in 2286
In 2273, Rand returned to the Enterprise, which was now under the command of Captain Willard Decker. While the ship underwent refit in spacedock, Rand served as the transporter chief. She remained aboard the ship after the V'Ger incident, when the Enterprise embarked on its second five-year mission of exploration, again captained by now-Admiral Kirk. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
After the Enterprise returned to Earth in 2278, Rand decided to undergo officer training. She was promoted to ensign after three years. She transferred to Earth Spacedock in 2285. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock; VOY: "Flashback") When an alien probe menaced Earth in 2286, she was working at Starfleet Command. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)
In 2290, Lieutenant Rand was assigned as communications officer to the USS Excelsior, under the command of Captain Hikaru Sulu.
In 2293, Captain Sulu violated his orders to rescue Captain Kirk and Dr. Leonard McCoy from the Klingon prison colony Rura Penthe. Rand understood his motivations and agreed with his decision. She even chided Ensign Tuvok for questioning the captain's decision. (VOY: "Flashback")
The Excelsior later played a key role in the Khitomer Peace Conference that same year, by assisting the USS Enterprise-A in its battle with General Chang's prototype Klingon Bird-of-Prey, thereby preventing the assassination of the Federation President and Klingon Chancellor Azetbur. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)
Appendices
Appearances
- TOS:
- Star Trek films:
- VOY: "Flashback"
Background
Janice Rand was portrayed by Grace Lee Whitney.
"Woman in cafeteria" from Star Trek III
Interviews with Grace Lee Whitney have suggested that Rand held the rank of chief petty officer in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. According to the script of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, she was a master chief petty officer. At first glance, this seems to contradict Whitney's appearance in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, when she wore an officer's uniform and the rank insignia of a full commander. The credits, however, did not specify that Whitney's character was Janice Rand. She was merely credited as "Woman in Cafeteria." To add further confusion, the onscreen credits for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home call her character "Commander Rand."
In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Rand was supposed to be the character that wakes up Sulu to inform him that Starfleet was looking for the Enterprise instead of the unnamed officer played by Christian Slater. Slater was a huge fan of the show and his mother - Mary Jo Slater, the movie's casting director - petitioned heavily to get him a part.
The Voyager episode "Flashback" incorrectly depicted her as a lieutenant commander, even though she was a lieutenant jg in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Some of the comics set around the time of Sulu taking command of Excelsior not only support this, but imply that she was the Excelsior's first officer.
A costume worn by Grace Lee Whitney as Janice Rand in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was auctioned off in the It's A Wrap! sale and auction and included two ten-year service pins and a five-year service pin, corresponding to the fact that she had served in Starfleet for around thirty years. [1]
Apocrypha
In the 1997 Marvel Voyager comic book "Ghosts", two prominent characters, Josh and Athena Rand, are said to be relatives of Janice. They are noted for coming from a long line of Starfleet officers.
External links
- [2]
- Template:NCwiki
- Janice Rand at Wikipedia