The White Lotusseason 3 has the perfect actor to play Carol Marcus onStar Trek: Strange New Worlds.The highly anticipatedStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 3premieres July 17 on Paramount+. After a 2-year wait,Strange New Worldsseason 3 will continue the genre-bending voyages of the USS Enterprise.Strange New Worlds season 3 and season 4, which is currently in production, will also deepen the involvement of Lieutenant James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) and his tease of Carol Marcus inStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2.
One ofStar Trek: Strange New Worlds' love storiesin outer space involves Lt. James T. Kirk and Lt. La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong). La’an and Kirk confessed an attraction to each other inStar Trek’s first-ever musical episode, “Subspace Rhapsody.” However, Kirk quickly put a stop to pursuing a romance, telling La’an that he is in a complicated relationship with his girlfriend, who is pregnant.Kirk identified his girlfriend as “Carol,” and this can only be Carol Marcus, who was introduced inStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Jim Kirk name-dropping Carol Marcus is a tacit promise that she will appear onStar Trek: Strange New Worldsat some point, although it’s not guaranteed. Yetthe potential of Carol guesting onStrange New Worldsis irresistible,and it’s hard to imagine theStar Trekprequelwill pass up the chance to delve into Carol and Kirk’s relationship 25 years beforeStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. If Carol Marcus does appear inStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 3 or 4, an ideal actor to play Kirk’s girlfriend can be seen inThe White Lotusseason 3.
The White Lotus’ Sarah Catherine Hook Is The Perfect Carol Marcus In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Piper, No! But Carol, Yes
Sarah Catherine Hook played Piper Ratliff inThe White Lotusseason 3, andSarah would be fantastic as Carol Marcus onStar Trek: Strange New Worlds.In Mike White’s Thailand-set dramedy, Hook’s Piper Ratliff was a conflicted college student searching for an escape from her wealthy family’s materialistic lifestyle. The relatively ‘normal’ one among the Ratliffs, Piper was horrified to find that she couldn’t stick to her belief that she was a Buddhist. Piper realized she was more like her mother, Victoria (Parker Posey), than she thought.
Hook, an Alabama native, is 30, but she is often cast as college-aged characters because of her youthful appearance. Beyond Piper Ratliff, however,Sarah has also played characters with a harder edge. InPrime Video’s reboot ofCruel Intentions, Hook led the cast as the domineering and calculating Caroline Merteuil, a role diametrically opposed to Piper Ratliff. Hook also played teenage vampire Juliette Fairmont in Netflix’sFirst Kill.
Sarah’s talent and versatility can be further tested by playing Carol Marcus.
Sarah’s talent and versatility can be further tested by playing Carol Marcus, who is a brilliant scientist and soon-to-be mother. Carol is a complex adult, andHook would kill in this role opposite Paul Wesley’s Kirk as a romantic foil.Hook also sufficiently resembles a young Bibi Besch, making her believable as the prequel version of the same character inStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Carol Marcus Has Only Appeared Twice In Star Trek
Carol Has Never Appeared In A Star Trek TV Series
Carol Marcus has only appeared twice inStar Trek,which is remarkable considering how well-known she is, especially in relation toAdmiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner).Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khanintroduced Carol as Admiral Kirk’s ex, the mother of their son, David Marcus (Merritt Butrick), and the co-creator of Project Genesis with David.Carol was a source of bitterness and regret for Kirk, who agreed to her terms and stayed out of David’s life. Carol and Kirk reconciled at the end ofStar Trek II,but she didn’t make any further appearances.
31 years later, the alternate Kelvin timeline version of Carol Marcus (Alice Eve) was introduced in J.J. Abrams’Star Trek Into Darkness. Carol was the daughter of the nefariousAdmiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller), who sought to militarize and plunge Starfleet into a war with the Klingons.A source of controversy because of howStar Trek Into Darknessoversexualized her, Carol did not return inStar Trek Beyond. Carol Marcus has only appeared inStar Trekmovies, and no version of Carol has been depicted in aStar TrekTV series.
Why Carol Marcus Is So Important To Kirk’s Star Trek Story
Carol Gave Kirk His Only Son
Captain James T. Kirk is known for many romances throughoutStar Trek: The Original Series, but only a few women truly mattered to Kirk. Along withEdith Keeler (Joan Collins) inStar Trek’s classic, “The City on the Edge of Forever,” Carol Marcus tops the list of Kirk’s great relationships, even if it was already long over inStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Unlike Keeler, however,Carol’s importance still resonates, and Marcus continues to be relevantover 40 years after her introduction inStar Trek II.
The implied way Jim and Carol’s relationship ended was a hurt that the Captain of the Enterprise carried with him for decades.
Carol Marcus is the only woman to have a child with James T. Kirk, thoughDavid’s life was tragically cut shortinStar Trek III: The Search for Spock. This makes Carol a significant love interest for Kirk, and the implied way Jim and Carol’s relationship ended was a hurt that the Captain of the Enterprise carried with him for decades until fate reunited them inStar Trek II.
Will Carol Marcus Appear In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds?
Strange New Worlds Must Deliver On Their Carol Marcus Tease
LIke Sybok, theolder brother of Lt. Spock(Ethan Peck), it’s doubtful that Carol Marcus' name was dropped frivolously inStar Trek: Strange New Worldsseason 2.Strange New Worldshopefully intends to make good on introducing a younger version of Carol. Although Paul Wesley’s Kirk is, himself, a recurring Special Guest Star onStrange New Worlds,the prequel is the only place where Kirk’s relationship with Carol, which was only spoken of inStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, can be fully explored.
Even ifStar Trek: Strange New Worldsonly depicts the breakup of Kirk and Carol, with Marcus taking David away to raise him on her own, it would still be a pivotal event thatStar Trekfans have only imagined for over 40 years. If Carol does appear,Strange New Worldswill need an actor who can hold her own with Paul Wesley’s charming Kirk while also bringing an opposing energy to Christina Chong’s stern but evolving La’an. Sarah Catherine Hook fromThe White Lotuswould be sensational at bringing Carol Marcus to life inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds.
