I won’t say I was obsessed with Yeoman Rand as a teenager, but she made enough of an impression on me that I was shocked to learn that she only appeared in eight episodes of Star Trek. I didn’t know that the character was played by Grace Lee Whitney until I saw her obituary. I’m pleased to have an opportunity to learn more about her, but saddened to see that she’ll be remembered in large part for being the victim of a sexual assault by a television executive. It’s encouraging to see that she conquered her alcoholism and maintained more than three decades of sobriety.
I’ll always remember her contribution to Star Trek fondly.