Star Trekis a science fiction series that feels more and more like a fantasy. Someone could have reasonably imagined that the distant future of the 1960s could include this utopian spacefaring society. It’s increasingly hard to see the 2040s with the same level of optimism. That’s partially reflected in modern science fiction, which tends to look a lot less like Captain Kirk boldly going where no man had gone before. One element of Kirk’s journey was his charm, which frequently placed him in short-term relationships with alien women. Deela might not have been his worst, but she was close.
Another element missing from modernStar Trekis itsuse of guest stars. Tons of previous entries placed notable performers from practically every level of celebrity culture. This was a common trait of 1960s television. Adam West’s Batman ran into everyone, from Sammy Davis Jr. to the Green Hornet. OldStar Trekhad a looser overall feel that frequently accommodated fun one-off characters who would allow for a massive selection of weird cameos.
“Wink of an Eye”
Original Air Date
July 02, 2025
Deela is the antagonist ofThe Original Seriesepisode “Wink of an Eye.” She’s a one-off character who briefly threatens theEnterprisecrew. Deela is the queen of an unlucky species called the Scalosians. The Scalosians live on a planet called Scalos, which slightly resembles Earth from a distance. Scalosian civilization advanced to the point ofconsideration for the Federation. The dominant species developed warp travel, placing them near the precipice of joining the vast interstellar community. Tragically, Scalos set back its inhabitants with a series of unimaginable natural disasters. Several volcanoes simultaneously erupted, launching irradiated pyroclastic ash into the atmosphere. This event heavily altered the planet’s water supply, gradually altering the DNA of every Scalosian. Untold numbers of their species died rapidly, but the survivors experienced a rare and bizarre knock-on effect of their new environment.
The roughly 900,000 remaining Scalosians, led by Deela, became “hyper-accelerated.” They began to experiencetime at a sharply increased rate. Scalosians felt an hour pass in minutes and a month pass in days. This allowed them to move and speak at speeds that would be imperceptible to those who perceive time normally. This ostensible superpower came with the notable drawback of rapid aging. Most Scalosians quickly aged to dust. Any injury could prove fatal when their bodies lacked the time necessary to heal themselves. Most Scalosian women became barren and all Scalosian men became sterile. This forced the Scalosians to seek out breeding partners fromoutside their native species. They had to repopulate the race quickly or face extinction. Deela developed a plan to potentially keep the Scalosian people alive for a short time longer.
How did Deela interact with theEnterprise?
Deela and her fellow Scalosians couldn’t meaningfully interact with people operating on a traditional understanding of time. They moved too fast to communicate with them or physically touch them. In 2268, the five remaining Scalosians hijacked theEnterprise. They intended to capture the male members of the crewand cryogenically freeze them. Deela selected Kirk as her consort, though that term seemed a bit too grand for his proposed fate. Deela hyper-accelerated Kirk, allowing the two of them to communicate and discuss terms. The plan fell apart on several levels. Kirk and Spock managed to reverse the hyper-acceleration process, freeing Kirk before he could be placed in stasis. They gained that opportunity when Deela’s lover, Rael, became jealous of Kirk. He believed that Deela had feelings for her captive beyond his pragmatic purpose, prompting him to try to kill Kirk. Deela let her guard down long enough to stop Rael, granting Kirk and Spock a chance at freedom. Seemingly bereft of other options,theEnterprisecrew simplyreturned Deela and her people to Scalos. The Federation quarantined the planet, practically guaranteeing the extinction of the Scalosian people. It’s an unusually cruel fate for a species in crisis, but they’ve only been mentioned in prequel material since, so it’s safe to assume that Scalos is a distant memory.
Who played Deela?
Kathie Browne played Deela inStar Trek. Browne was a very prolific TV actress throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s. She was well known for multipleperformances onPerry Mason. She played four separate characters across five years. Her last TV part was inThe Love Boatin 1980. Browne passed in 2003, but her work on several TV projects lives on.
Deela is a strange figure intheStar Trekcanon. She’s a villain to theEnterprisecrew, but her goal is noble. She and her people suffered a nightmarish fate that they did nothing to deserve. It’s a little unusual to see Star Fleet leave a species to die, but Deela and the Scalosians were evidently a very short-lived concern.
