21 Star Trek Actors Who Died In 2024
16. Kenneth Mitchell - 24 February 2024
Kenneth Mitchell burst onto Star Trek screens as Kol, one of the Klingon warriors in Star Trek: Discovery's first season. He would then appear in six more roles - no mean feat when his Trek career spanned such a small period. He played Kol-Sha, Tenavik, Tweerk, two other background characters on Lower Decks, and finally Aurelio - a role specifically written for Mitchell.
Mitchell publically battled ALS, receiving fierce support from his Discovery co-stars, particularly from Mary Chiefo. Aurelio was written as a hoverchair user so that Mitchell could play the role, thus leading to his first on-screen appearance in Star Trek without prosthetics.
Mitchell appeared in Jericho, as well as Captain Marvel. Though he lost his voice due to ALS in 2021, Mitchell continued to share hopeful messages online, even suggesting that there were plans to bring him back in Discovery's fourth season, playing a character who had also lost their voice. Though that unfortunately never happened, few who saw the video of Mitchell lifted aloft by the dancing crowd aboard the Star Trek Cruise can doubt the man's strength and spirit.
Mitchell was 49 years old when he died.