????????? ???? ?????! Okay, we say that with love because our own Tim Miner is a huge sci fi nerd.
That’s why he lost his mind this week when YouTube’s TrekCulture named Charlotte-based actress Julie Cobb (@juliefrancescobb) as the recipient of the title #1 “Most Messed Up Death” in all of classic Star Trek.
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Cobb’s tragic appearance as Yeoman Leslie Thompson on the 1968 episode “By Any Other Name” saw her fall victim to the show’s “Red Shirt Curse.” (Where never before seen members of the Enterprise crew, wearing red, are killed on away missions.)
After beaming down to a planet with the great triumvirate of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy, Yeoman Thompson was hit with a ray from the episode’s bad guy, Hanar.
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The ray dehydrated her (and another crewman) to a fist-sized white cube, composed of their base minerals which represent the “distilled” essences of their being. Shortly thereafter, HanAR picks up her cube and crushes it in his hand, killing her as Captain Kirk watches in horror.
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Cobb went on to a long acting career, appearing in tv classics like Charles In Charge, Family Ties, Our House, Days of Our Lives, Fantasy Island, MacGuyver and Beverly Hills, 90210. But, this was her first screen credit … and Yeoman Thompson is still mourned by Trekkies and Trekkers around the globe.
Cobb’s Star Trek roots run deep, as her daughter Rosemary Morgan, performed in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager, and her former husband, James Cromwell appeared in numerous episodes before landing the role of Zefram Cochrane, the inventor of warp drive, in Star Trek: First Contact.
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While we’re happy that Cobb’s first work is still being recognized today due to Yeoman Thompson’s horrific demise, we’re thrilled the real Julie Cobb is alive, well and active in Charlotte’s creative community.
Cobb gathered actors together to perform and sharpen their skills during the pandemic and she’s working on new theater projects we hope to share with you soon.
