While the original series brought the idea of Star Trek to life, it’s film sequels did a lot to flesh out and develop the characters in the next era of their life, with new characters coming on board the Enterprise to both challenge the leading crew and give us a new perspective of the world saving heroes of the Federation. One of the most impactful appeared in only two of the six films, but left a lasting impression on Captain James T Kirk…
Working with his mother Carol, David Marcus was one of the lead scientists on the Genesis project. Based on a remote space station, David’s part in the project was both what helped it succeed, as well as cause it’s downfall. Genesis was an experimental, and highly secret, project to terraform barren planets and manufacture life. While Starfleet coordinated finding a planet that met the conditions of having absolutely no life whatsoever, David pushed ahead to make sure the project would work.
Under intense pressure, David bent the rules. Using protomatter in the matrix of the Genesis device helped ensure the project could deliver, but due to the volatile nature of the compound the environment that Genesis created when it was stolen and deployed as a weapon would have rapid, uncontrollable growth and make the Genesis planet itself a dangerous land of chaotic environmental upheaval.
Representing one of Star Trek’s most recurring themes, a tension between scientific discovery and how it can be easily misused, David’s inherent suspicion of Starfleet is reasonable as the Genesis device could be utilised as a devastating weapon, used to destroy or overwrite entire worlds, as well as something to generate life itself.
Unfortunately, his connections to Starfleet go a little deeper than just keeping them at arms length as his mother raised him alone, never telling him his father was the former captain of the Enterprise….
Raised alone by Carol Marcus, she opted to never reveal to him who his father was. Born early in Kirk’s career, a mutual decision was made between the new parents to not have Jim Kirk in his life. Marcus’ firm belief that the demanding lifestyle of a Starfleet officer who yearned to be in the Captains chair just wasn’t compatible with the life she wanted for her son.
It’s not until the Regula One lab is attacked and Carol Marcus calls for help, leading to Kirk re-taking command of the Enterprise during an inspection that David learns the truth. Seeing Kirk as nothing but an absent father makes the Admiral question his decisions and priorities over the years. While their relationship is understandable strained by meeting later in life, they begin to develop a relationship following the death of Spock.
Sadly their relationship doesn’t have time to blossom into much of anything. While Kirk heads home to retire the Enteprise, David stays with the Starfleet team exploring the Genesis planet only to meet an ugly fate when a Klingon crew invade in an attempt to steal the secret of Genesis. Taken hostage, the Klingons vowed to kill one of the research team as a threat to Kirk. David was killed trying to fight back.
David Marcus may not have appeared in many Star Trek stories, but his importance extends far beyond his brief appearances. As the son of James T. Kirk, a gifted scientist behind the Genesis Project, and a tragic victim of the struggle over that technology, David serves as one of the franchise’s most emotionally significant supporting characters. His story reminds audiences that the greatest adventures in Star Trek are not only about exploring strange new worlds, but also about the relationships, sacrifices, and humanity of those who undertake the journey.
Since revisiting a younger less experienced Kirk in both the Prime and Kelvin timelines, Carol Marcus has had her own revival. At first as the daughter of a rogue Admiral and potential future love interest in the Kelvin timeline. And in Strange New Worlds she’s not appeared on screen, but has had a name drop as the complicated relationship Kirk has back home.
As Strange New Worlds gets closer to the transition between Pike and Kirk’s eras, we’ll finally find out what convinced Kirk to stay away as the show aims to give insight into the absent parent destined for heartbreak.
About the author
Them From That Thing: Wallace Shawn
Unlike nearly every other iteration of Star Trek, Deep Space Nine's stories revolved around a large extended cast being thrown into the mix thanks to it's more static core setting, Beyond it's core regular cast members, the show made time for evolving young prospects like Nog, old soldiers like Martok to take the fight to the Dominion, and even followed the rise of Damar from political puppet to revolutionary. One of the most iconic in extending the cast was the iconic character actor Wallace Shawn. Making his first appearance in season one's The Nagus, Shawn's part was that of the head of the Ferengi power structure and would help to explore and expand Quark's culture and family. But even layered in complex heavy make up, he'd still be instantly recognisable with his distinct voice and comedic timing. Having had a […]
“So, this is goodbye.” Walter Koenig. 1936-2026
The Star Trek community has lost one of its most cherished members as original series actor, Walter Koenig, has died at the age of 90. He passed away on 25 October 2026 at his home in North Hollywood, surrounded by his daughter and niece. For generations of Star Trek fans, Koenig was far more than the young navigator who served under Captain Kirk. Joining Star Trek at the beginning of its second season, Koenig stepped aboard the Enterprise as Ensign Pavel Chekov, a young Russian officer at a time when the United States and the Soviet Union remained locked in the tensions of the Cold War. His presence aboard an American-led fictional starship was a small but meaningful expression of Star Trek's enduring belief that humanity could overcome its divisions and work together towards a better future. Appearing in […]
[Q2&A] The Quadrants of Command
Quadrant 2 is free for anyone in the UK, EU (and more!) to join. With a solid base in the UK, we have members from around a dozen other countries including units in France and Japan. One query we often get in our inbox is why don't we include the countries that have produced Star Trek – the United States and Canada? The answer is simple. We don't host those members. Quadrant 1 does. Starfleet Command Quadrant 2. It's quite the mouthful. If you're a curious fan wandering by wondering why we opted for a club name that had that many syllable, it comes down to our history and how SFC formed and evolved over the years. Originating in 1974, Starfleet Command began in the United States, an idea by fans that quickly gained the support of creator Gene Roddenberry […]
[Retro Review] Dagger Of The Mind
Dropping by a penal colony focused on rehabilitating the criminally insane, the Enterprise beams down some much needed supplies while one of the inmates sneaks on board to beg for asylum. But it's no regular stowaway. Dr Simon Van Gelder used to be part of the staff before he began to lose his mind and he's not just afraid of having dodgy meals and no windows, but reveals to Kirk that the facility runs through torture and abuse. Van Gelder arrived broken. His memories scattered, and any glimpse of those memories would trigger a painful and violent reaction. The colony's lead scientist and essentially warden, Dr Tristan Adams, waves it off claiming Van Gelder's techniques were tested on himself and that the rest of his story was delusional ramblings. Not entirely convinced, and given a heavy nudge by McCoy, Kirk […]
[Treknology] Shields Up! Red Alert!
Different writers, directors and plot points paint Starfleet as multiple and occasionally conflicting things. Both a military and exploratory force, there's many layers to the fleet and how it operates. Handling everything from border defence to mapping unknown territories, even the most mundane mission in peace time can be a risky one. Especially as not every new person you meet will want a cup of tea and a chat, and accidentally dropping into someone's back garden doesn't always go down well.So when the shooting starts, you have to be ready to defend yourself, and in a world of weaponry that could burn an entire planet into ashes, sticking some armour on your hull just isn't going to cut it. One of the most vital systems always ready on stand by, deflector shields help to keep a ship and it's crew […]
Behind the Viewscreen: Gene L Coon
As it's creator, the name Gene Roddenberry is part of the Star Trek legend. But when it came to shaping what the show was, and forming it's foundations, there was another Gene behind the scenes who help build on and refine the shows concepts into the world we know today. Originally brought into the fold in August 1966, Coon was hired to handle day to day production and script revisions during the shows first season, with his first credit appearing on the first seasons eighth episode, Miri. Beyond that day to day production, as well as his creative relationship with Roddenberry, Coon's efforts would help shape the shows identity, helping to form it's unique blend of science fiction, drama and political commentary and in shaping the shows moral compass that would be a keystone of the Star Trek experience. Giving […]
Related
Who is The Borg Queen?
Since their first appearance in 1989, the Borg had been an oddly mysterious and chilling antagonist for the Federation. Following their first encounter with the Enterprise-D, an inevitable event accelerated by Q meddling to challenge Picard, the Borg would swiftly make their mark with the first of many attacks on Earth, forcing Starfleet to adapt and change to the new and unexpected threat. A cold, faceless enemy, the Borg are cybernetic beings acting as one collective mind. Spreading through the galaxy trying to find perfection, they absorb anything of value they see into their collective, spreading like a virus and wiping out individuality to become a drone serving their eternal mission. In trying to assimilate the Federation into their collective, the hive created a new leader in Locutus, a human given a unique voice to speak for the Borg and […]
Who is Jet Reno?
As Academy reopens it's doors, we've been introduced to a whole new cast of cadets ready to take on the responsibility of being Starfleets next generation of explorers. But among the new faces are familiar ones sharing their knowledge and experience with one of their new tutors making the jump from Discovery. If you jumped straight into Academy though, you may be wondering just who is temporal mechanics class lead, and occasional sports coach, Jet Reno...? Making her first appearance in Discovery's second season opener 'Brother', Commander Jett Reno is a Starfleet engineer renowned for her razor-sharp intellect, unflappable calm under pressure, and famously dry wit. A veteran of numerous high-risk assignments, Reno has built a reputation as one of Starfleet’s most resourceful and unconventional problem-solvers.Before Discovery, Reno began her career as a starship engineer, specializing in propulsion systems, power […]
Who is The Doctor?
Returning to Star Trek for a second time, Robert Picardo is set to make yet another appearance as part of the new cast of Starfleet Academy as he revives 'The Doctor' hundreds of years after first materialising on screen in Voyager's pilot episode. So, who is The Doctor...? Conceptualised in the mid-24th century, the Emergency Medical Holographic Program was proposed to take action in the event of a crisis to supplement or replace the medical staff on a short term basis. The idea was simple. Whether in the heat of battle or during humanitarian aid, anything could overwhelm the medical team and that cost of life, any life, was too much to bear. With the advancement of holographic technology, the plan was to create a program that could be drafted in when required to save the day. Leading Starfleet Engineer […]
Relay Recap: July 2024
All Features Universe Categories Fleet Alert Comms GORN GIRL recap; july 2025 Picking up on the Season 2 cliff-hanger, Strange New Worlds returned to our screens this month to find Captain Pike and his crew on the edge of war with the Gorn as Season 3 was finally released!Exploring new worlds and new problems, the Enterprise crew are back in action on Paramount Plus and we're keeping ourselves up to date with weekly episode discussion threads on our FB Continuing Mission Group & Weekly episode reviews from Admin ! Explore... Episode Reviews Spoilers Group ACROSS THE UNIVERSE As we look back on Pike's adventures on the Enterprise in the prequel series, Paramount also gave us a look at whats to come next as Entertainment Weekly and SDCC's Star Trek Universe panel gave us a sneak peek at the reopening of […]
Who is Roger Korby?
During the second season of Strange New Worlds, Christine Chapel spends a big chunk of her time advancing her career with studies and opportunities. One of which gets her away from the Enterprise to spend time working with one of the Federations greatest minds. In season three, we come face to face with that mentor – Roger Korby. And with all their charm and the beginnings of a new story, the original series has already told us how this will end... Roger Korby coming home to the Enterprise was a surprise to Spock. It wasn't a surprise to anyone else. Not just for the first episode of seasons three emphasising that Chapel was pretty much done with the drama and ready to move on, but those who've seen the original series would know the legacy characters have a bit of […]
Who Is…. Montgomery Scott?
Starfleet engineers are known throughout the universe for their innovation and ability to fix absolutely anything. Whether it's connecting all the warp cores or turning rocks into replicators, the legend of the engineer all started with one man: Montgomery Scott. Born in the early 22nd century, Scott was raised in the years of Starfleet's mission that turned a small force into stuff of legend. With a passion for learning Scott was trained in a mix of obsessively learning everything he could to the point of reading technical manuals as a pass time, to hands on experience working on some of the finest and most complex systems in the fleet. Assigned as chief engineer of the Enterprise in the 2260's, Scott saw the prestigious ship as his own; engineering his complete domain where even the captain was merely a guest on […]
