| “ | Spock: You have to shoot. If you are logical, you have to shoot. Valeris: I do not want to. Spock: What you want is irrelevant. What you have chosen is at hand. |
„ |
| ~ Valeris having been discovered for betraying the Enterprise crew. |
| “ | Valeris: I did not fire. You cannot prove anything. Kirk: Yes I can. At my trial my personal log was used against me. ...How long did you wait outside my quarters before I noticed you? Valeris: You knew? ...I tried to tell you but you would not listen. Spock: Neither of us was hearing very well that night, Lieutenant. There were things I tried to tell you, about having faith. Valeris: You have betrayed the Federation. ...All of you. McCoy: And what do you think you've been doing? Valeris: Saving Starfleet. Klingons cannot be trusted. Sir, ...you said so yourself. They killed your son. Did you not wish Gorkon dead? 'Let them die.' you said. Did I misinterpret you? ...And you were right. They conspired with us to assassinate their own Chancellor. How trustworthy can they be? McCoy: Klingons and Federation members conspiring together. Kirk: Who is "us?" Valeris: Everyone who stands to lose from peace. |
„ |
| ~ Valeris revealing her conspiracy. |
Valeris is a female Vulcan and Pilot in the Star Trek universe. She is the secondary antagonist in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
She is part of a conspiracy within Starfleet and the Klingon Empire to derail the Kithomer peace accords, with Valeris infiltrating the crew of the USS Enterprise to set up the assassination of Chancellor Gorkon while also framing Captain Kirk.
She was portrayed by Kim Cattrall, who also played Justine De Winter in The Return of the Musketeers and Carla Rainer in Exception to the Rule.
Personality[]
| “ | Spock: A lie? Valeris: A choice. |
„ |
| ~ Valeris to Spock. |
Valeris is like any Vulcan guided by logic, although a more extremist logic compared to her peers. Like many of the Khitomer conspirators on the Starfleet side, Valeris refused to allow the initiative for peace between the Federation and the Klingon Empire due to the difficulty in foreseeing equal cohabitation between the two organizations, going so far as to betray the very essence of Starfleet to prevent it, ranging from treason, participation in murder and against all Vulcan principles, to lying. She has also proven to be a hypocrite, allying herself with conspiratorial Klingons despite distrusting the species in general.
History[]
As a child she and her mother were abducted by renegade Klingons as part of a plot to seize a border world. When her father refused to negotiate the Klingons killed several people in front of her eyes and severely injured her mother. Valeris and the remaining hostages were rescued by a Starfleet team from the USS Ark Royal commanded by then Captain Lance Cartwright, but the trauma fostered a deep hatred and mistrust of the Klingons. Valeris convinced herself that her feelings towards the Klingons were logical and based in reason.
As a student at Starfleet Academy Valeris wrote a paper outlining a case against pursuing peaceful relations with the Klingons. By then an Admiral, Cartwright learned of the paper and had Valeris summoned to his office at Starfleet Headquarters. There he convinced her to delete the paper before it became public knowledge and damaged her career potential. At that meeting Cartwright revealed that he felt as she did about the Klingons. In the years that followed she would serve as an agent for Cartwright as he pursued his own agenda.
Early in her Starfleet career, Valeris became a protégé of Captain Spock. Lt. Saavik, who felt that Valeris was bigoted and arrogant nevertheless gave a full recommendation for Valeris out of her loyalty to Spock. However Saavik's conflicted feelings over recommending Valeris caused a rift to develop between Spock and Saavik, and Saavik transferred off the Enterprise at that point.
Following the destruction of the key Klingon energy production center of Praxis, Valeris became part of the conspiracy of Klingon, Federation, and Romulan individuals who stood to lose should the Klingons sue for peace.
Valeris was placed on board the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) with two others, Yeomans Burke and Sammo. Encountering Captains Kirk and Spock, she explained that she was informed the Enterprise needed a helmsman so she volunteered. She spent the time between leaving spacedock and the initial meeting with Chancellor Gorkon's ship planting programming in the ship's computer and moving supplies around to prepare for the boarding of Gorkon's ship. When she learned that Captain James T. Kirk had expressed his own dislike for the Klingons in a personal log she made sure to make a copy of the log as she felt it would be useful later.
After Gorkon's ship was boarded instead of fighting it out with the Klingons as Valeris expected Kirk instead went to offer aid to the Klingons. Doctor Leonard McCoy went with him, and when McCoy could not save the chancellor the pair was arrested by General Chang - himself another conspirator. In the following trial the log Valeris made a copy of was provided to the Klingons, and Change made great use of the log in the trial.
Kirk and McCoy were eventually rescued. Realizing that Burke and Samno could expose her and the others Valeris murdered the two men with a phaser set at stun at close range. Encountering the bodies of the two men Kirk pieced it all together and realized that Valeris was the traitor. At Kirk's orders Spock entered into a mind meld with Valeris and dragged the rest of the conspiracy into the light.
General Chang attacked the Enterprise after the ship arrived at Khitomer, however using a modified torpedo the Enterprise crew was able to defeat him and destroy his ship. The senior staff beamed down in time to prevent the death of the Federation President. Spock beamed down with Valeris, and presented her to the gathered officials. McCoy announced they had a full confession from her.
Following the return of the Enterprise to Earth Valeris was sentenced to life imprisonment on Jaros II. She proved resistant to rehabilitation while on the colony - despite the efforts of the prison psychologist and covert Section 31 agent to draw her out. After the death of Lance Cartwright in 2298 Valeris was the only known survivor of the conspiracy.
Valeris was recruited in 2300 to assist with a Starfleet intelligence operation to prevent Kriosian terrorists from destroying Qo'noS. During this operation Klingon intelligence agent Kaj penetrated the shell Valeris had drawn around herself and Valeris was finally able to put her hatred of the Klingons behind her. For her role in preventing the destruction of Qo'noS Valeris was given her freedom and a new identity. As T'leris she became a civilian pilot on a Vulcan colony. When news of Spock coming to the colony to give a speech came up, the colony's director informed T'leris, expecting her to want to hear such a prominent individual speak. To his suprsie, T'leris declined to attend Spock's speech.
Quotes[]
| “ | Valeris, sir. We were told that you needed a helmsman so I volunteered. | „ |
| ~ Valeris |
| “ | Captain, may I remind you that regulations specify thrusters only while in Spacedock? | „ |
| ~ Valeris |
| “ | Valeris: Hm! ...Sir. Kirk: You could have knocked. Valeris: We are almost at the rendezvous, sir. I thought that you would like to know. Kirk: Right. Valeris: Permission to speak freely, sir? ...It is an honour to serve with you. Kirk: You piloted well out of Spacedock, Lieutenant. Valeris: I always wanted to try that. |
„ |
| ~ Valeris |
| “ | Valeris: It is of endings that I wish to speak. Sir, I address you as a kindred intellect. Do you not recognise ...that a turning point has been reached in the affairs of the Federation? Spock: History is replete with turning points, Lieutenant. You must have faith. Valeris: Faith? Spock: That the universe will unfold as it should. Valeris: But is this logical? Surely we must... Spock: Logic? ...Logic is the beginning of wisdom, Valeris, not the end. ...This will be my final voyage on board this vessel as a member of her crew. Nature abhors a vacuum. I intend you to replace me. Valeris: I could only succeed you, sir. |
„ |
| ~ Valeris |
| “ | My comrades will make sure all your ship-to-ship transmissions are Jammed. | „ |
| ~ Valeris |
Trivia[]
- Kim Cattrall had auditioned for the role of Saavik for The Wrath of Khan. However, she had lost the role to the late Kirstie Alley.
- Initially the plan was to bring back Saavik and have her betray Kirk, Spock, and the Federation, but that idea proved very unpopular. Additionally, producers did not want to bring Robin Curtis back and Alley was unavailable, and they did not want to cast a third actress to portray Saavik. In response the character of Valeris was created to replace Saavik in the movie.
- In an earlier draft of the script, Valeris was supposed to be Spock and Saavik's daughter and also named after her mother. This script was presumably scrapped since there was no real evidence that Spock and Saavik were attracted to each other.
- Although she is referred to as a lieutenant, her badge is actually that of a lieutenant commander.
- Valeris was the second villainous role of Kim Cattrall.
- Through her conspiratorial behavior, Valeris acted more like a Romulan than a Vulcan. Ironically, the two species were once one a very long time ago.
- Kim Cattrall originally auditioned for the role of Vixis in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, only for the role to ultimately go to Spice Williams.
