Actor Paul Winfield portrayed iconicStar Trekcharacters inStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khanand a classicStar Trek: The Next Generationepisode.Star Trek’ssecond foray onto the big screen,The Wrath of Khanfollows Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) as he faces off against one of his biggest foes — Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán). Paul Winfield portrays Captain Clark Terrell of the USS Reliant, withCommander Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig)as his First Officer. Winfield pops up again inTNGseason 5, episode 2, “Darmok” as Tamarian Captain Dathon.
Paul Winfield began acting in the mid-1960s, appearing in episodes ofPerry Mason, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., andMission: Impossible. He continued appearing in television series and films throughout the 1970s,delivering an Oscar-nominated performance as Nathan Lee in the 1972 filmSounder.Winfield was also nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1978 mini-seriesKing. He is most known for hisStar Trekroles, as well as appearances inL.A. LawandThe Terminator. He won an Emmy in 1995 for the guest starring role of Judge Harold Nance inPicket Fences.
Paul Winfield Played Captain Clark Terrell In Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan
Captain Terrell Commands The USS Reliant
Paul Winfield’s Captain Clark Terrell first appears early inStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khanas the USS Reliant searches for a lifeless planet on which to test the Genesis Device. As they are investigating Ceti Alpha VI,Captain Terrell and Commander Chekov beam down to the planetto check out a strange reading. They soon learn that the planet they are on is actually Ceti Alpha V, the inhospitable planet on whichKirk stranded Khan and his followersdecades ago. Khan captures Terrell and Chekov, forcing juvenile Ceti eels into their ears, which puts them under Khan’s control.
Khan and his Augment followers commandeer the Reliant, later using it to cripple the Enterprise. Kirk then locates Terrell and Chekov aboard the Regula I research station. Although they initially claim to have overcome the effects of the Ceti eels, Terrell and Chekov remain under Khan’s command.Khan orders Terrell to kill Kirk, but the Reliant captain resists the command,eventually turning his phaser on himself and taking his own life rather than the life of another Starfleet officer. Although Captain Terrell does not play a huge role inThe Wrath of Khan,Paul Winfield brings great presence to the character.
Paul Winfield Returned To Star Trek In TNG’s Classic Episode “Darmok”
Winfield Portrays The Tamarian Captain Dathon In TNG’s “Darmok”
In one ofStar Trek: The Next Generation’sgreatest episodes, Paul Winfield portrays Dathon, the Tamarian captain who strands himself on an uninhabited planet with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). The Tamarians speak in metaphors that only they understand, making it incredibly difficult for Starfleet to communicate with them. In an attempt to find common ground,the Tamarians strand Dathon and Picard on a nearby planet where they must work together to survive.Although the two grow frustrated that they cannot understand one another, they eventually find ways to communicate.
When one of the planet’s predators attacks them, Dathon is severely wounded and later succumbs to his injuries. Despite Dathon’s death, Picard learns enough to communicate with the other Tamarians and avoid a firefight. “Darmok” has so many of the things that makeStar Trekgreat, and Patrick Stewart and Paul Winfield both deliver pitch-perfect performances. Winfield is particularly impressive, considering he manages to convey so much emotion while speaking gibberish through alien prosthetics and makeup. Stewart and Winfield truly carry the episode, making “Darmok” a classic and incredibly memorable episode ofStar Trek: The Next Generation.
