10 Star Trek Behind The Scenes Horror Stories
8. Grace Lee Whitney Is Fired
Grace Lee Whitney appeared in the first season of The Original Series as Yeomen Janice Rand. Though she was seemingly being set up as a love interest for Captain Kirk, the character disappeared halfway through the year and did not return until The Motion Picture in 1979. No explanation was given for her departure on-screen.
There were several explanations offered over the years. Whitney herself stated that; "They wanted William Shatner to have romances in each episode with a different person, because for him to be stuck with one woman was not good for him and it wasn't good for the audience. That's what they told me, so I was written out".
However, in her autobiography, The Longest Trek: My Tour Of The Galaxy, she recounted an incident where she was sexually assaulted by one of the producers on the show, whom she refused to name. This, in addition to Roddenberry's paltry explanation of 'budget reasons' for her departure, offer a grim view of what exactly had happened behind the scenes.
In her later life, Whitney attempted to distance herself from being 'an actress on Star Trek', rather preferring to be known as a survivor of addiction. She had struggled with alcohol dependency for years, particularly in the years following her termination.
Though late, Roddenberry later claimed that letting her go was one of the dumbest decisions he ever made on Star Trek.