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{{sidebar individual
|image         = Marta dance.jpg
|caption       = Marta's dance
|image2        = Marta.jpg
|caption2      = Marta's execution
|species       = [[Orion]]
|occupation    = Inmate at the [[Elba II asylum]] 
|status        = [[Deceased]], [[murder]]ed by [[Garth of Izar]]
|died          = [[2268]],<br>[[Elba II]]
|datestatus    = 2268
|actor         = [[Yvonne Craig]]
}}

{{disambiguation|for the similarly named Bajoran woman, please see [[Mardah]]; for the similarly named chameloid|Martia}}
'''Marta''' was a [[female]] [[Orion]] who lived as an [[inmate]] at the [[Federation]] [[Elba II asylum|asylum]] on [[Elba II]]. She was delusional, and seductive. Marta served as somewhat of a [[consort]] to [[Garth of Izar]] during his attempted take-over of the [[colony]] in [[2268]]. 

Marta suffered from several delusions, including quoting famous works of literature and claiming that she had written them.  In response to quoting [[William Shakespeare]], Garth of Izar called Marta "the greatest [[liar]] I have ever met".  Marta responded that the fact William Shakespeare wrote the play she quoted did not change the fact that she had written the play ''again'' the day before.

{{bginfo|The line Marta quotes: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate" is from {{w|Shakespeare's sonnets|Sonnet 18}} written by Shakespeare and published in 1609.}}

After [[James T. Kirk]] and [[Spock]] were captured by Garth, he placed Marta and Kirk alone together in a room where she tried to seduce him. She was unsuccessful and tried to stab Kirk, who managed to fight her off. 

Marta later died on the [[planet]]'s toxic surface when Garth used her as an example of what would happen to the [[hostage]]s if he was not allowed to leave the colony. He showed her mercy by blowing her up while demonstrating a new [[explosive]], instead of letting her choke to death. ({{TOS|Whom Gods Destroy}})

== Appendices ==
=== Background information ===
Marta was played by actress [[Yvonne Craig]].

After claiming to have written a poem that in reality is by Shakespeare, Marta later recites another poem she claims to have written. While this is not pointed out, it is not original either: they are from Last Poems XIX, by {{w|A. E. Housman}}. The exact fragment is "''In the midnight of November, when the dead man's fair is nigh. And the danger in the valley, and the anger in the sky.''".

In [[Jerry Sohl]]'s original story, the character was a [[Klingon]] female named [[Mara]] and had a minor role, but the writers and producers changed her species, and made her character be featured more prominently. The character of Mara was transferred to {{e|Day of the Dove}}. (''[[These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Three]]''{{page cite}})

=== Apocrypha ===
Her [[mirror universe]] {{mb|Marta (mirror)|counterpart}} appeared in the novel ''[[The Sorrows of Empire]]'' in which she was likewise depicted as the consort of Garth, the Grand Admiral of the {{mu|Starfleet|Imperial Starfleet}}.

=== External links ===
* {{mbeta}}

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