star trek vulcan weapon

• Expose Weapons
• Melee Weapons
• Personal equipment

Vulcan Lirpa

• VisualEditor

A standard Lirpa

The Vulcan Lirpa is a traditional Vulcan melee weapon . It consists of a metal staff with a fan-shaped blade on one end and a club at the other. They have been used both by Vulcan special forces and in ancient Vulcan ceremonies such as the Kal-if-fee .

Lirpas are melee weapons that have a variety of strikes when used in a combination series.

Melee weapons go straight through personal shields, directly attacking the target for 80% weapon damage.

• 1.1 Mission Rewards
• 1.2 Fleet Starbase
• 1.3 C-Store
• 1.4 Seasonal
• 2 Base Damage Table
• 4.1 Modifier Suffix
• 4.2 Personal Equipment
• 6 External links

Obtaining [ | ]

Uncommon , Rare and Very Rare Vulcan Lirpas are obtainable as random drops in ground missions and in the Mission: Coliseum .

Mission Rewards [ | ]

[ Vulcan Lirpa [Psi] [Stn] ]

Mission Reward from “Hearts and Minds”

Fleet Starbase [ | ]

C-Store [ | ]

[ Seleya Ceremonial Lirpa ]

Seasonal [ | ]

[ Nanopulse Edge Lirpa ]

This is bought from the Holiday Item Vendor during Q's Winter Wonderland . It comes in different color variants.

[ Lollipop Lirpa ]

This is bought from the Holiday Item Vendor during Q's Winter Wonderland . It only works against snowmen during the Winter activities and cannot be used in regular combat.

Vulcan statues shown wielding Lirpas

Base Damage Table [ | ]

Combos [ | ].

Note: Combo information is incomplete due to testing limitations.

Modifiers [ | ]

There are seven factors that can affect personal weapons. These are Modifier suffixes , spent Player Skill Points , Personal Equipment , and Equipment Sets .

Modifier Suffix [ | ]

Uncommon Vulcan Lirpas will have one modifier suffix, Rare will have two, Very Rare will have three and Ultra Rare will have four. The same modifiers may appear multiple times (e.g. [Acc]x2, [Cap]x3, etc.).

Personal Equipment [ | ]

Notes [ | ].

• The patch released on 23rd August 2012 increased shield penetration of all melee-based weapons from 50% to 80%, making them a more viable option.

External links [ | ]

• Lirpa at Memory Alpha , the Star Trek Wiki.
• Lirpa at Memory Beta , the non-canon Star Trek Wiki.
• 1 Obelisk Carrier
• 3 Phoenix Redemption Store

Melee Weapons

From star trek: theurgy wiki.

Despite the advent of modern technologies, the use of short-range, hand-to-hand combat weapons persisted throughout the galaxy. Most pre-industrial societies still relied on the most basic of weaponry, such as the sword, spear, and arrow. In other advanced species, such weapons were just outdated museum pieces that had been long overshadowed by newer, more capable weaponry. Still, there were races such as the Klingons that continued to hold-fast to melee weapons. In these species, melee weapons served as both ceremonial symbols of their culture and vital aspects of their method of combat.

• 1.1 Bat'leth
• 1.2 D'k tahg
• 1.3 Mek'leth
• 2.1 Ahn-woon
• 3.2 Dosalnar
• 3.3 Kal'hris
• 3.4 Ushaan-tor
• 4 Disclaimer Notice

The bat'leth , or "sword of honor", was a traditional Klingon blade weapon. It was widely considered the most popular weapon among Klingon warriors.

Resembling a crescent-shaped, two-ended scimitar, the bat'leth was wielded using three handholds along the outside edge of the blade. A traditional bat'leth was typically approximately 116 centimeters long, with blades of composite baakonite, weighed about five-point-three kilograms, and had an exterior hand grip diameter of five centimeters.

According to Klingon mythology, the first bat'leth was forged by Kahless the Unforgettable in the 9th century. Kahless cut a lock of his hair and dropped it into the lava of the Kri'stak volcano, then plunged the burning lock into the Lake of Lusor and twisted it into a blade. After forging the weapon, he used it to fight the tyrant Molor, and then gave it its name. This story was not recorded in public texts, but was passed down verbally by the Klingon clerics as a test of Kahless' return.

The Sword of Kahless was preserved by the Klingons following Kahless' death, until it was stolen by the Hur'q when they plundered Qo'noS about five hundred years after his death.

The d'k tahg was the Klingon ceremonial knife. This three-bladed weapon was of great symbolic importance to Klingon warriors and was used both in combat and as the preferred method of ritual suicide.

This Klingon combat dagger had a large central straight blade, with two smaller curved blades that popped out to either side of the main blade at the press of a button. The pommel had small spikes and could function as a fist-load.

A mek'leth was a Klingon sword-like blade weapon, approximately half as long as a bat'leth , typically used to slash the throat or disembowel.

The ahn-woon was a Vulcan weapon consisting of a thin leather strip about six feet long. Sometimes it had a small leaden weight at one end. Generally it was used as a noose or in a whip-like manner; some practitioners also knew how to bunch it up for use as a crude flexible club in close-in fighting.

The lirpa was an ancient Vulcan ritual weapon. It was an unusual weapon. It consisted of a staff-like shaft about 160 cm long with a crescent-shaped blade on one end and a weighted club on the other. Its only common uses were as a martial arts exercise and during during the pon farr madness, on those rare occasions when the ancient rites of mating combat were invoked.

The signature, and probably most lethal, Andorian weapon was the chaka , sometimes erroneously called the " Andorian dagger" by other species, although it was closer to the traditional short sword in weight and size. It had an unforgettable three-bladed profile. The fighter held a central haft in his fist. A short blade projects out and up from the fist, while two slender, longer blades protruded to either side.

Dozens of different variations of this basic model exist. Most chakani had basket-hiltlike protective coverings over the haft to protect the wielder's fist; others did not, while some adapted the covering into a spiked brass knucklelike punching weapon. Some models lengthened the upward-projecting blade and/or shortened the side blades. Many clans had their own preferred chaka designs which other Andorians readily recognized.

A skilled chaka fighter (called a chakashan ) is a dangerous foe. Thier weapon allowed them to punch, slash, chop, and thrust with equal ease, meaning that no angle of attack was denied to them. A fighter had to be skilled indeed to come away from a chaka fighter without some sort of inquiry. The weapon's primary drawback was its relatively short reach; an opponent could use a weapon of greater length, such as the dosalnar or kal'hris , to strike a chakashan first.

The dosalnar was a swordlike weapon which many Andorians feared, and justly so, for it could cause horrible jagged wounds which left scars even after modern medical treatment. A heavy, straight blade projected from its grip and hilt. About 18 centimeters above the hilt, the blade curved outward and became saw-toothed. Part of the hilt curved downward to protect the hand, becoming a second, smaller, saw-toothed blade. The razor-sharp teeth of a dosalnar could cut through most armor with ease.

The kal'hris was a battleaxe-like weapon with a spike projecting backward from the top of the blade, allowing the wielder to make short, jabbing attacks from unusual angles or used the spike to help climb ice cliffs. The variety of different blade shapes available was staggering; similarly, the length of the haft varied tremendously (some versions are so long they are technically pole arms). As its name, "beautiful weapon," indicated, Andorians often elaborately decorated or engraved their kal'hrisni .

The ushaan-tor was an Andorian ice miner's tool that was also used as a weapon in Ushaan duels. Andorians played with them as children.

A crucial part of Andorian tradition was the Ushaan , a code of honor demanding a duel to the death, with combatants pitted against one another using an ushaan-tor . A vast body of regulations – up to 12,000 amendments – bound this code. Such a fight could be called off if one combatant disabled the other enough to prevent its continuance. Though Ushaan could be called by someone to avenge a personal loss, there existed a right of substitution wherein each combatant could offer up a replacement; and married combatants could postpone duels indefinitely if they had no children to continue their clans.

Disclaimer Notice

Page used with permission of USS Wolff CO - granted Jan 30, 2017

• Technical Specifications

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Star Trek: 7 Important Moments In Vulcan History

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A Quiet Place: Day One Ending, Explained

Captain america: can the russo brothers save brave new world, 7 most polarizing characters in game of thrones.

In the Star Trek universe, Vulcans were the one alien race that seemed to be willing to give humanity a chance when the rest of the galaxy was happy to avoid Earth. Vulcans were some of humanity's first and most loyal friends and were one of the founding members of the United Federation of Planets. If not for their influence, galactic history might have taken a different turn.

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The years given are in the human calendar, the same as what was used on Earth during the 21st century. It might seem culturally insensitive to Vulcans, but it's safe to say most of the readers are Terrans from this place and time period.

7 The Time Of Awakening, 400

The art of training their minds for mental discipline had begun eons before this , but it was around the year 400 that Surak made the practice an intrinsic part of Vulcan philosophy. He traveled the planet with his message of logic and pacifism, and although his teachings weren't accepted everywhere it was enough to change the culture forever.

Thanks in part to Surak, peace returned to Vulcan, and those that rejected him left the planet to eventually become Romulans. This period in Vulcan history is referenced many times in Star Trek lore. One example is the TOS episode "The Savage Curtain" in which Surak is the historic figure that appears to Spock.

6 Return To Space, 1957

A long period of brutal wars set Vulcan's technological and scientific advancements back for centuries, and it was not until the mid-20th century that Vulcans were able to return to space. This rebuilding process took 1,500 years after their civilization had faced almost total annihilation, so it was a significant achievement.

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The knowledge wasn't exactly lost, as the Vulcans did have warp-capable ships and their designs, but it took some time to learn how to rebuild them; they wouldn't break warp 2 for another hundred years. One thing that impressed and surprised them during this period was the launch of Sputnik from a primitive planet in the Milky Way galaxy, on the part of a race that was supposed to be too backward for space travel.

5 First Contact With Earth, 2063

Other local alien races, such as the Andorians and Tellerites, thought that Earth was too primitive to be any of their concern. Vulcans, however, suspected that there was more to humans after the launch of Sputnick in the mid-20th century, and checked up on them from time to time.

That's why Vulcans were the first aliens to discover that humans had discovered warp speed, which prompted First Contact. Despite their first impressions of humans as "a savagely illogical race" the meeting between the two races was prescient. Humans and Vulcans would still view each other with suspicion for some time, but Vulcans and Humans would have more successful diplomatic ties than most other races.

4 The Treaty Of 2097

Weytahn was a barren planetoid, about the same size as Earth's moon, that was in a strategic location between Andorian and Vulcan space. Both races lay claim to Weytahn, but it was the Andorians who terraformed the planet and attempted to colonize it in 2050.

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Vulcans annexed the planet and forcibly expelled the colonists, and tensions were at a breaking point for decades. This Treaty effectively ended any hostilities surrounding the planet, giving full control of it to the Vulcan High Command, and it was renamed Paan Mokar. However, the Andorians held a grudge and attempted to invade the planet in 2152.

3 The Secret Of P'Jem, 2151

P'Jem was originally a remote Vulcan monastery located on a planet conveniently close to Andorian territory. Its strategic position, however, was always a point of suspicion , and it was eventually revealed that the Vulcan High Command was using the site covertly to spy on their rivals.

The Star Trek: Enterprise episode "The Andorian Incident" covers this part of Vulcan history in detail, including how T'Pol helped expose the secret. The fallout to T'Pol and her family back on Vulcan lasted much longer than the events of this episode.

2 The Coalition Of Planets, 2155

The idea of a united coalition on an intergalactic level was a revolutionary one at the time, something only humans could dream up and only Vulcans could support. The Founding Of The United Federation Of Planets became a reality less than ten years later in 2161.

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Although there were only five founding members that would grow to more than a hundred over the next two centuries. The UFD would maintain a tenuous peace for the next century until the Federation-Klingon War, which lasted from 2256-2257.

1 The Babel Conference, 2268

Sarek, one of the more notable Vulcans in galactic history, was pulled out of retirement to attend this crucial meeting. The USS Enterprise was deemed to be a safe, neutral site to transport the delegates safely to their meeting place, but the hostility between Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites proved otherwise.

The main issue at hand was admitting a new planet, Coridan, into the United Federation of Planets. Certain commercial interests were nervous about their mining and drilling rights, while some politicians were concerned about the denizens of Coridan making new and powerful friends.

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Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki

A friendly reminder regarding spoilers ! At present the expanded Trek universe is in a period of major upheaval with the continuations of Discovery and Prodigy , the advent of new eras in gaming with the Star Trek Adventures RPG , Star Trek: Infinite and Star Trek Online , as well as other post-57th Anniversary publications such as the ongoing IDW Star Trek comic and spin-off Star Trek: Defiant . Therefore, please be courteous to other users who may not be aware of current developments by using the {{ spoiler }}, {{ spoilers }} OR {{ majorspoiler }} tags when adding new information from sources less than six months old (even if it is minor info). Also, please do not include details in the summary bar when editing pages and do not anticipate making additions relating to sources not yet in release. THANK YOU

• Memory Beta articles sourced from novels
• Memory Beta articles sourced from episodes and movies
• Memory Beta articles sourced from comics
• Vulcan culture
• Humanoid species
• Telepathic species
• Races and cultures
• Beta Quadrant races and cultures
• Federation races and cultures
• Mammalian races and cultures

Although there are many offshoots of the Vulcan civilization whose origins are lost to antiquity, by the 22nd century their homeworld had long been united under a state government , known as the Confederacy of Vulcan or the Planetary Confederation of 40 Eridani . Territory outside the Vulcan system is the Vulcan Colonial Protectorate . The primary space force service organization is led by the Vulcan High Command and the Vulcan Science Directorate . Changes to this structure occurred in later centuries as the Romulans returned to Vulcan and joined their culture with that of their ancient forebearers. ( Star Trek: Enterprise , ST reference : Star Fleet Technical Manual , TOS novel : Spectre , Star Trek: Discovery )

• 1.1 Known individuals
• 1.2.1 Physiology
• 1.2.2 Lifespan
• 1.2.3 Medical conditions
• 1.2.4 Splinter species
• 1.3 History
• 1.4.1 Logic
• 1.4.2 Mythology
• 1.4.3 Family life
• 1.4.4 Society
• 1.4.5 Rituals
• 1.4.6 Recreational
• 1.4.7 Holidays
• 1.4.8 Martial arts
• 1.4.9 Artifacts
• 1.4.10 Foods
• 1.4.11 Beverages
• 1.4.12 Other
• 1.4.13 Language
• 1.5 Technology
• 2.1 Appearances
• 2.2 References
• 2.3 External links

History and specifics [ ]

Known individuals [ ], biology [ ], physiology [ ].

Originating from a desert world, Vulcans have a number of features evolved for better survival in warm and dry environments. These include inner eyelids to protect their eyes from sand and the ability to go for some time without water . ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans )

This was a genetic trait that was traced to the early Vulcan ancestors following the scorching of their world and was spread through the use of primitive eugenics allowing the entire species to retain the use of this inner eyelid. ( TOS novel : Spock's World )

The inner eyelid is useful as it allows a Vulcan to withstand blinding flashes of light without any damage to the eye itself. ( TOS novel : Memory Prime , TOS episode : " Operation -- Annihilate! ")

Within Vulcans there is a clear inner eyelid (a nictitating membrane) which filters radiation, dust, and other harmful elements that could damage the eye. Although this can be further mutated, under the proper conditions, to closely resemble that of a fish. ( TAS episode : " The Ambergris Element ")

Vulcans tend to be tall with dark hair and all have elongated upper ears that are pointed at the top and slanted eyebrows. Some specimens have pronounced brows. Similar to Humans , Vulcans tend to have a wide range of skin tones, an example being Xialites , and other tropically descended Vulcans, possessing a darker skin complexion. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans )

Dark skinned Vulcans were native of the southern continent of Vulcan . ( ENT short story : " Universal Chord ")

The Vulcan epidermis is unlike any in the known galaxy as it formed a two-way moisture proof shield which protects the body from external liquids and pressure, as well as maintaining the inner temperature and the liquid environment of the organs. A notable difference between Humans and Vulcans is that Vulcans do not possess sweat glands. Instead, they evolved an ability that allows their blood , skin , and body structure to cool itself rather than perspire, which would be inefficient on the race's desert homeworld. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans )

Vulcan blood vessels are more dilated than Humans. The larger blood vessels are the reason Vulcan blood pressure is lower. The dilated blood vessels and fast heart rate also play a key role in regulating Vulcan body temperature. A standard 91°F (32.78° C) body temperature is maintained by the internal cooling mechanism of fast blood circulation. ( ST reference : Star Fleet Medical Reference Manual )

Vulcan blood is copper based, giving Vulcan blood a green color. This makes it extremely effective in separating, as well as utilizing, smaller amounts of oxygen available in the Vulcan homeworld's low pressure and mildly irradiated environment. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans )

Whilst normally green, certain diseases such as Cymbeline blood burn have been known to turn Vulcan blood red, but only in the terminal stages of the disease. ( ENT - The Romulan War novel : Beneath the Raptor's Wing )

Vulcan internal physiology

Though they appear to be similar to Humans (there has been speculation that the Vulcan and Human species perhaps possessed a common ancestor due to similarities), the Vulcan species internal anatomy is far different. Males and females are of similar height as well as stature; averaging 2 meters in height and 70 kilos in weight. Furthermore, their muscle mass is much longer and their skeletal frame is denser compared to Terrans, the direct result of their living on a world with higher gravity and a thinner atmosphere . Due to these traits, the average Vulcan tends to be stronger than a Human. Their bodies are also capable of withstanding greater levels of radiation when compared to Terrans. ( ENT novel : Surak's Soul )

Vulcans possess a perfect bilateral symmetry and do not have an appendix. ( TOS novel : Spock Must Die! )

Vulcan internal organs tend to operate at a much faster rate compared to other comparable species. A Vulcan's pulse is normally considered quite rapid. ( TOS novel : Unspoken Truth )

An average heart rate is as high as 265 beats per minute. The heart itself is another source of distinction between Vulcans and Humans, as its location is the center of the torso, where Humans kept their livers. ( TOS movie : Star Trek Beyond )

It's surrounded by a large lung structure which is capable of holding approximately 20% more air then Human lungs. This has resulted in the Vulcan torso, rib cage, and musculature being significantly longer. This allows it to encompass the organs within, lessening the danger of outside forces causing serious internal injury. ( TOS novel : Dreams of the Raven , TOS episode : " A Private Little War ")

The Vulcan skull is also notably different when compared to other species. The Vulcans possess 28 teeth and lack rear molars. Instead, they possess a longer mandibular movement than other bipedal species. Although the bone structure of the Vulcan skull is thinner, the actual skull casing is formed of extremely dense matter. This allows a thinner depth of bone to be actually harder, as well as stronger, than a human skull. Thus, fatal blows to a Human head are less life threatening to a member of this race. ( TOS episode : " Mirror, Mirror ")

The Vulcan brain.

Vulcan neurology is known to be incredibly resilient. ( ENT episode : " Awakening ")

One of the least understood areas of the Vulcan body is the brain . The Vulcan midbrain is larger, more complex, and contains more nerve endings and capillaries than those in Human brains. The Vulcan midbrain is comparable with the Betazoid midbrain, which comprises nearly 65% of their entire brain mass, although the Vulcan midbrain only comprises 45% of the brain. It is believed that this portion of their brain gives the Vulcan species their remarkable psionic abilities, though further testing has proved to be inconclusive. Despite this being the case, their race is known to be considerably more adept telepathically when compared to most Humans. ( TOS novel : The Starless World )

The species also has thirty six pairs of nerves attached to their spinal cord which serves as an autonomic and voluntary nervous system. ( TOS novel : First Strike )

Their brains are also noted to not have the same lateralization of function when compared to Humans, where the left side of the brain controls certain functions and right controlls others. Instead, the Vulcan brain has an area controlling speech on each side of the brain, thus providing a level of redundancy (should one part be damaged, than the other could take over). This has also made Vulcans ambidextrous in nature, allowing them to use both hands equally well. ( TOS novel : Mindshadow )

The Vulcan nervous system is noted as being far more resilient when compared to other races, capable of surviving damage that would kill a Human or a Denobulan . ( ENT episode : " Rajiin ")

Unlike most humanoid species, traumatic memories were not only psychologically disturbing to Vulcans, but had physical consequences as well. The Vulcan brain, in reordering neural pathways, could literally lobotomize itself. ( VOY episode : " Flashback ")

A rare neurological disease that can affect Vulcans over 200 years of age, Bendii Syndrome , strips emotional control by affecting the metathalamus (part of the midbrain), and can also result in telepathic projection of emotion. ( TNG episode : " Sarek ")

They also possess more heightened senses than Humans. Vulcans' sensitive olfactory senses can tolerate human body odors with nasal numbing agents . ( ENT episode : " The Andorian Incident ")

Furthermore, their senses are so sharp that a Vulcan can quite easily be capable of determining if another individual is an actual organic Vulcan or a robotic duplicate. ( TOS novel : Memory Prime )

It has been noted that Vulcan eyesight is more acute. They are able to recognize more color frequencies and see more clearly at a distance. There is a downside to this, as Vulcans experience pain and symptoms that are similar to headaches and eyestrain when exposed to highly vibrant colors for long periods of time. Furthermore, the Vulcan optic nerve is much more delicate and sensitive compared to those of Humans, which makes it more vulnerable to disease and degeneration. ( TOS episode : " The Deadly Years ")

One of the most obvious distinctive features in Vulcans is the shape and structure of the ear, as the top of their ears' pinna tapers into a point. Though capable of funneling sound and intensifying the reception of harmonics, the internal structure of the eardrum is very different than Humans. It forms no fewer than three separate functioning eardrums. Tests have shown that these eardrums seem to respond to differing volumes and pitch and relay the sound through separate channels to the nerve centers of the brain. Each eardrum is known to work independently and, in the case of Vulcans of old age, it is most often the eardrums that sense low pitch that deteriorate. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans )

The hormonal activity within the Vulcan body can be regulated consciously by trained Vulcans. This allows such individuals to control their adrenaline, thyroid, and other metabolic systems which, in turn, allows them to alter their heart rate, oxygen consumption, and other bodily resources. This training also gives Vulcans amazing recuperative abilities, allowing them to control their bodies to repair internal or structural damage at an accelerated rate while in a self-induced hypnosis. ( TOS episode : " A Private Little War ")

Most Vulcans can resist the pheremonal emissions of Deltans and Orions . ( TOS movie : Star Trek: The Motion Picture ; ENT episode : " Bound ")

They are also capable of surviving for long durations without food or sleep. Under stress, Vulcans can do without sleep for weeks. ( TOS episode : " The Paradise Syndrome ", TOS novel : Yesterday's Son )

A possible exception to this control is during the reproductive cycle, Pon farr . Unless the pon farr is satisfied, a Vulcan would die within eight days of the process beginning. ( TOS episode : " Amok Time "; VOY episode : " Blood Fever ")

Different sources provide different information regarding the reproductive cycle of Vulcans and the age at which they reach sexual maturity. Vulcans reach full growth and legal adulthood a number of years before they reach the age of sexual maturity. ( TOS novel : The Vulcan Academy Murders )

The length of a Vulcan and Earth year is different, meaning that a Vulcan might account for his age either as measured in Earth years or in Vulcan years. It is not always clear which has been used in accounting for a Vulcan's age. The female Vulcan can be impregnated after her menstrual cycle begins, which is typically at the age of 16, and can be as late as 25. The male Vulcan is incapable of creating progeny until after the onset of their first pon farr , during which a hormone known as yamareen is released into the bloodstream. Thereafter, the Vulcan male is capable of reproducing at any time, but they must obey the physical urge to mate every seven years. This, in comparison with the reproductive ability of other species with which they can mate, gives credence to the theory that Humans, Vulcans, and Klingons are from a common ancestor seeded by the Preservers . ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans )

Most Vulcan males experience pon farr for the first time at the age of twenty, and in seven-year cycles following that, but amongst hybrids, their biological differences mean that it can come at more uncertain times. ( TOS novel : Vulcan's Glory )

Vulcans are capable of producing offspring with humans, but some sources say the use of medical intervention is required. A human female needs to receive large doses of hormones and Vulcan vitamins before conception in order to prepare her body for the fetus, which takes 10 months to mature. ( TOS novel : Sarek , ENT episode : " Terra Prime ")

Lifespan [ ]

The Vulcan lifespan is longer than that of humans. Vulcans have been known to live over 200 years, and the Vulcan Zakal lived to the age of 276 - dying just as Surak's teachings began to take hold in Vulcan society. ( TNG episode : " Sarek ", TOS novel : The Lost Years , TOS novel : Epiphany )

At least one Vulcan lived past the age of 277 years. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans )

After reaching adulthood, the aging process of Vulcans slowed a great deal. Vulcans who appeared to be young adults by human standards could actually be as much as two or three times older than their appearance indicated. T'Pol , for example, who appeared by human standards to be in her late twenties or early thirties, was actually in her mid-sixties by the time she was assigned to the Enterprise (NX-01) , quite older than many of her crew members suspected. Lieutenant Commander Tuvok , who appeared by human standards to be in his late thirties or early forties by the mid-24th century, was actually over 100 years old by the time the USS Voyager was pulled into the Delta Quadrant. ( ENT episode : " Fallen Hero " and VOY episode : " Flashback ")

Medical conditions [ ]

Vulcan biology was vulnerable to Trellium as it was a neurotoxin to them which degraded their neural pathways to the point that they were suffering from violent emotions that resulted ultimately in madness. ( ENT episodes : " Impulse ", " Damage ") They had never suffered from a condition such as hyperthyroidism and thus never developed a cure for such a state. ( TOS novel : Legacy ) Vulcans never fainted as such a condition was the result of emotional stimuli though they were capable of being rendered unconscious by virulent disease organisms or intense external exertion. ( TOS novel : Windows on a Lost World )

• Bendii syndrome
• Choriocytosis
• Myrruthesia
• Pa'nar Syndrome
• Skag Maug plague
• Tuvan Syndrome
• Vulcans scourge
• Oroborus virus
• Vulcan bebonea

Splinter species [ ]

The Vulcans have had the capacity for space travel since at least the 3rd century and have spread throughout local space. At least one Vulcan colony was lost from the Vulcan people: the Last-of-all-Cities colony on Darien 224 , which remained isolated from the galactic community for two millennia. ( EV comic : " Cloak and Dagger ")

There were also several other Vulcanite races in the Federation, though it is unclear if these are directly connected to the Vulcans or if they are simply a similar species. ( Balance of Terror novelization) Other Vulcan off-shoots include:

• Vulcanoid Rigelian

There was speculation from Spock that Sargon 's people may have visited his homeworld in the past and perhaps the Vulcan species are an offshoot of theirs. ( TOS episode : " Return to Tomorrow ") It's also possible that the V'gelnians were a another splinter species of Vulcans.

History [ ]

Culture [ ].

Vulcan IDIC seal

Founded by an ancient Vulcan named Surak , the essence of Vulcan society is in arriving at the truth through logical process. Most Vulcans believe that emotions are illogical, thus making them impure, and deterrent to truth. However, Vulcans are born with the same emotions that afflicted their violent ancestors, but the continual mind conditioning, the t'san s'at , gives them the impassivity sought after by all Vulcans. The t'an s'at is an intellectual deconstruction of emotional patterns, a lifelong process that strives for absolute detachment from all emotion. Though not all can arrive at the ultimate pure logical state, the exacting process of mental control gives Vulcans enough to conform to the ideals of Vulcan society. Vulcans of this creed were impervious to greed, deception, anger, and all other vices. ( VOY episode : " Alter Ego ") Ultimately, the Vulcan way was one of enlightenment and expansion of the intellect through the pursuit of logic. ( VAN novel : Open Secrets ) This meant that they tended to control to the point of suppression of all acts of emotions. ( TOS novel : The Galactic Whirlpool ) Vulcans actually felt pleasure from the contemplation of logical processes at work and felt pain from perceiving its subversion though they were ultimately able to control the effects of pleasure or pain on their behavior. ( TOS novel : The Joy Machine )

The majority of Vulcans follow a belief in logic known as Cthia and many aim to achieve a state without emotion known as Kolinahr . ( TOS movie : Star Trek: The Motion Picture ) This philosophy meant that they relied on logic and reason to guide their lives, rather than emotion. All expression of emotions was completely forbidden, negative or otherwise. This did not mean that Vulcans had cast away all emotions they once had; they had merely made a choice not to let those emotions influence the decisions they were making. ( TOS novel : Demons ) This led to the mistaken belief amongst other species that Vulcans had no emotions; they did possess them, but did not permit those emotions to show in public or allow them to control their actions. ( TOS novel : Prime Directive ) Few Vulcans managed to extinguish all their emotions but most had mastered the ability to contain them. This went in line with Vulcan philosophy that their race had adopted which stated that there was no reason why any emotion should have any influence on behavior or cloud the path of logic. ( TNG novel : The Devil's Heart ) Vulcan families were privately proud if any of their number counted a Kolinahr student amongst their ranks. ( TOS novel : Recovery )

Both the Vulcans and the Romulans were known to possess much stronger instincts when compared to Humans. ( TOS novel : The Great Starship Race ) Curiousity was one emotion which Vulcans admitted and even approved. ( TOS novel : The Vulcan Academy Murders ) In contrast, fear was something that Vulcans believed that they did not experience under their strict beliefs against emotions. ( ENT episode : " Damage ")

Logic was similar to a religion to the Vulcans and as such it was filled with many sects as well as schools of thought each of which had widely differing view points and opinions on nearly every subject matter. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans ) It must be noted that this stance is not accepted by all Vulcans, however. There are groups of Vulcans referred to as " v'tosh ka'tur ", which means "Vulcans without logic." ( ENT episodes : " Fusion ", " Stigma ") The Romulans were originally a group of Vulcans who chose to split away rather than accept the philosophy of Surak. In addition to this, many Vulcan's can subscribe to the different teachings of other philosophers such as Jarok , Nirak , or T'mor . ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans ) In the 23rd century , the Vulcans held an interest in using the teachings of Surak to persuade the Romulans to adopt a logical viewpoint as their own so that they would, within the span of a few centuries, manage to throw off their violent, overemotional characteristics. ( TOS novel : Death's Angel )

One Vulcan saying is 'The Vulcan knows there is a time for everything' which is an approximate translation from the Kahr-y-Tan which means the 'Way of the Vulcan'. An aspect of this is the herb gathering ritual which Vulcans engage in which is where they collect necessary herbs in preparation of tea for Vulcan Masters. ( TOS novel : Dwellers in the Crucible ) When they decided to repress their emotions - the Vulcans' drive for ambition and desire to conquer, that were the characteristics of leaders, was expunged as they had seen the result of these traits that nearly brought devastation to their world and people. ( TOS novel : From the Depths ) Vulcan scientists had determined that there were hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions of sentient races in the galaxy that were victims of war, hatred and bigotry. Thus, their teachings made them believe that the greatest good they were capable of accomplishing was serving as instruments of logic and teach such races that there was a way outside violence as was discovered by the Vulcan forebears in their discovery of the control of emotion as well as the use of logic. ( TOS novel : Crisis on Vulcan )

Something of noted importance within Vulcan society was the discovery of the Kir'Shara by Captain Jonathan Archer and Commander T'Pol which brought at end of the rule of the Vulcan High Command . This also sparked a rapid change within Vulcan society which moved from a government that would engage in spying, battles and a more active part in the galaxy to one of more peaceful and almost isolationist tendencies. The discovery of the Kir'Shara presumably led to many years of study which the Vulcans concentrated on rather than follow the behavior they had previously. ( ENT episodes : " The Forge ", " Awakening ", " Kir'Shara ")

Vulcans did not distinguish moral factors from practical ones. In addition, they were notable for not making use of animal life. The reason for doing so was because they felt no great virtue in that necessity. As they began to master their own aggressive tendencies, they began to notice both the pain as well as rage and suffering that they had inflicted on their animals by influencing them through psychic feelings. These in turn reinfected the Vulcans, leading to a neverending cycle of emotions which the Vulcans in later years avoided. ( TOS novel : The Prometheus Design )

Mythology [ ]

In Vulcan's ancient times, there existed a number of gods and goddesses with dual aspects among them that stemmed from their emotions which was known as the Inner Chorus . The first was Tel-alep known as "the Watcher" who was the bearer of knowledge. His alternate counterpart was Alep-tel "the Bitter" who was eager to give knowledge but this was poisoned due to his bitterness. Another deity was Kir-alep who was the god of peace whilst his wrathful counterpart was Alep-kir "the Sullen" who was a source of apathy to Vulcans. Valdena , a Vulcan goddess, was the representation of love, joy and beauty while Dena-vel was her counterpart who sought to hide all the beauty of the world that she loves. Kal-ap-ton was the most dangerous of the gods as he was the representation of grief. A closer counterpart linked to Kal-ap-ton was Tyr-al-tep "the Unforgiver" who made Vulcans feel guilt over what might have happened had the death not occured of a loved one. One of the most dangerous and dark voices amongst the gods was Ket-Cheleb "the Destroyer" who signified anger and was the only one that lacked a counterpart with it being said that he killed his dual aspect ages ago. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans )

Among this pantheon of gods the ancient myths spoke of twin god brothers that were different from one another yet always united and together rose their mother, the sun, into the sky. The names of these god brothers would be adopted by the early Romulans for their homeworlds. ( TOS - Vulcan's Soul novels : Exodus , Exiles ) Other gods believed to exist included the gods of peace, death and war which were depicted on the Stone of Gol . ( TNG episode : " Gambit, Part II ") In addition, there was the warrior goddess T'Vet who was still worshiped amongst some circles on modern Vulcan. ( TOS novel : The Vulcan Academy Murders ) There were a number of other deities within this pantheon which included the goddess Reah who held sway over death and bereavement. There was also a male war god known as Khosarr who had a consort called Akraana . In addition, there was a red fertility goddess who was known as Lia . ( TOS novel : Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )

Early Vulcans believed in a wide range of myths that spread across the surface of their homeworld before the age of Surak. Such beliefs include the Treasury of Erebus that spoke of an ice demon living within the snow at the peak of Mount Seleya . Another myth spoke of the Eater of Souls which would devour the souls of travelers lost in the deserts of Vulcan. While other myths spoke of a deadly creature known as the Veruul that lived within the heart of the Fire Plains of Raal within Vulcan's Forge . Furthermore, in the heart of the Womb of Fire was stated to lie Vorta Vor . ( TOS - Vulcan's Soul novels : Exodus , Exiles )

Vulcan mythology believed in a place known as Sha Ka Ree which was the Vulcan view of Eden . ( TOS movie : Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ) According to some of the oldest myths of the Vulcan race, that at the end of the universe all of existence was going to be consumed by fire. ( TOS - Vulcan's Soul novel : Exiles ) Though the practice of worshipping gods had long ended with the introduction of Surak's logic, there were traditionalist cults that maintained the practice of belief in these deities those these groups had little interaction with later era Vulcans. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans )

Similar to Earth mythologies, Vulcans never intruded on the realm of the gods without reason which was usually due to an important task that mortals were required to accomplish that the deities themselves were unable to conduct themselves. ( TOS novel : The Wounded Sky )

Some Vulcans combined the philosophy of Surak with older religious traditions. T'Pel , wife of Tuvok , asked the priests at the Temple of Amonak to offer prayers for his safe return. ( VOY episode : " Hunters ") Tuvok prayed that Mr. Suder might find peace in death that eluded him in life. ( VOY episode : " Basics, Part II ")

Family life [ ]

Family was noted as an important aspect of Vulcan society with loyalties overruling even planetary law. This was partly due to the fact that Vulcan itself was governed by an oligarchy composed of several prominent families. Vulcan families were extremely disciplined and very close knit. ( TOS novel : Yesterday's Son ) Vulcans were noted for their more complex family relationships compared to Humans. Such family units consisted of the Eldest of House with normally a matriarch in charge of the affairs of the House . ( TOS novel : Sarek ) The social traditions of a family were considered quite rigid in the sense that children had great expectations which were difficult to integrate with personal ambitions or needs. The family ultimately determined most life choices or attempted to influence them such as career and even marriage. The latter was a notable aspect as it was expected the family lines were to be preserved through succession and tradition be upheld. ( TOS novel : Yesterday's Son ) Traditionally, a male Vulcan was not present at the time when their mate was delivering their child during the pregnancy. ( TOS novel : Star Trek (2009) ) Children when they were born were not given a name until their Naming Day . ( TOS novel : Sarek ) Similar to the ceremonies surrounding marriage and burial, the Vulcan rituals that concerned birth had remained intact over the millenia with event he logic of Surak failing to strip the Vulcan race of their dark and ancient rites. ( TOS novel : Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )

Newborn children til the age of four were known to take part in visual mathematics, basical calculation as well as beginning the neurological organization of their brains which was followed by an identity meld. By the time they were four, they began mathematics and species identification as well as began to coordinate the use of their physical bodies. Furthermore, algebra, geometry and physics dominated their study life at this time. ( TOS - Fortunes of War novel : Battlestations! )

Typically, as part of Vulcan custom, children are betrothed at around seven Earth years of age when they undergo a Bonding ceremony which telepathically links the two. As a result the two Vulcans would seek one another during their pon farr cycle. ( TOS novel : Sarek ) This practice had been in place for thousands of generations. ( TOS novel : Vulcan's Glory ) This was a parental arrangement which dated to ancient times as it served as a method of preventing wars and strengthening ties between neighbors whose ancestral lands adjoined. ( TOS novel : Dwellers in the Crucible )

When they were eight, children began preliminary telepathic communication and were taught etiquette as well as their clans history along with Vulcan anthropology, calculus and quantum physics. When the child was ten, they learn to suppress cortical stimuli in the dominant hemisphere as well as learn of their races cultural history and began a study of Vulcan rites of passage. By the time they were eleven, they learn of the pressure points needed for mind melding in addition to learning memory accuracy and internal time counting. Furthermore, they were introduced to logic and definition, the principles of analysis, concreteness of thought and physical deportment. These early years of study were expected to continue til the child was between the age of thirteen to fifteen after which their formal training began. ( TOS - Fortunes of War novel : Battlestations! )

As children, Vulcans did not make use of secret languages though there were codes, gestures and intonation that were constantly changing. ( TOS novel : World Without End ) During their early education, Vulcan children took part in a curriculum where they learnt the most rudimentary telesper skills to better control their innate telepathic abilities. ( TOS novel : Unspoken Truth )

When formal training began, the first rite conducted was Tal T'Lee where they were assisted in their meditation by an adept of their clan council. They learn to control their subdominant cortices which was followed by Dwemish Hi-An where identity isolation was learnt along with brain control with numbers systems and equations. They also learn multiplication left to right whereupon they took part in Enok-Kal Fi Lar which was the processes of definition and the concepts of given. Once this was complete, the child took part in An-Prele between the age of sixteen to nineteen where they learn pain control meditation from a clan council adept. They were also expected to read Essays of Discipline and Analysis of Pseudodoxy as well as was expected to learn to segregate the lobes of their brains. ( TOS - Fortunes of War novel : Battlestations! )

As the child grew older, one of their rights of passage was the Kahs-wan maturity test which was a survival ritual that dated before the time of Surak. Those who survived took their first step into adulthood. ( TOS novel : Exodus )

At the age of twenty to twenty four, the Vulcan was expected to learn of logical paradigms and behavioral modification through the The Runes of T'Vish . They also learn multiplication right to left, diagonal and cross multiplication as well as learn to isolate their katra. This continued til the age of twenty five to twenty nine where the Sele-An-T'Lee was conducted which comprised of lessons in subdominant brain organization, advanced philosophy and logic, muscle coordination and the control of will. Part of this also included learning the five steps which were the belief discipline, reality awareness, sensory acuteness, visual calculation and fact analysis. There were further readings expected which included Logic and Definition , Equations , Systems of Logic , The Interior and Purpose as Prime Motivator . There were also taught advanced mind meld techniques as part of their training.

By the time the Vulcan was thirty to thirty five, they were expected to had conducted the Norn-La-Hal which involved superior control meditation and neurological organization. Furthermore, importance was placed on the dignity and tradition in Vulcan identity as well as the contemplations of infinity. The final stage of this training involved Venlinahr which was the state most adult Vulcans had attained and involved meditation by individual discretion. There was also further study of Vulcan dharma as well as advanced readings on the mystagogues of Surak, Scorus, T'Enne, T'Vish, Prisu and Seltar. ( TOS - Fortunes of War novel : Battlestations! )

Vulcans youths were not allowed to guide the conversations of their elders, this was especially the case if the child in question was not past the age of the Ka nifoor . ( TOS novel : Corona ) From a young age, Vulcans were geared towards the suppression of feelings of emotions and divest themselves from such traits. ( FASA RPG module : The Federation ) By the time a Vulcan was an adult, they had learnt a set of mind rules which governed their telepathic abilities as well as the necessary skills needed to shield their thoughts from outside emotions. ( TOS novel : Mindshadow )

It was generally believed that the Vulcans did not possess any emotions though such a line of thought was false as they in fact hold the capacity to not only understand but deal with emotions. However, they had chosen not to do so and instead worked for the suppression of such feelings. ( FASA RPG module : The Federation ) As such, they were perfectly capable of experiencing emotions but chose not to express them. ( TOS novel : Memory Prime ) Though ultimately logical creatures, it took many years of practice and training for young Vulcans who do demonstrate emotions at first before beginning the long process that was made by Surak centuries ago. To accomplish this, Vulcan parents used learning tools and techniques to train their children in the primary concepts of logic, and to gain control over their emotions. Eventually, through these processes young children began to learn emotional control. ( VOY episode : " Human Error ", TNG novel : Metamorphosis ) As part of their belief in honesty, Vulcan parents were known not to shield the truth from their young as they believed it would hinder their development in coping with such difficulties. Furthermore, a parent's attachment to the child was not considered an emotion but rather as part of the parent's identity and without the child, the parent would not be complete. ( VOY episode : " Innocence ")

Vulcans preferred not to dance with another man's wife which was attributed to their customs which stated that it was not appropriate for a man to have in his arms a woman that was not his. ( TOS novel : The Vulcan Academy Murders ) During the marital arrangements, it was possible for the male to pay a bride price to his future wife. These dowries were not paid by a bride's family on Vulcan but by the husband when he was seem to be fortunate enough to gain a life partner. At the time of the formal announcement of marriage, the husband paid a monthly sum to the bride's family until the wedding took place. This money was used to provide the future wife's needs until the husband officially took on his marital responsibilities. This was the case even if the woman was wealth or had a career of her own or even both. This meant that the bride price also varied and was determined by the husband's wealth with the more wealthy having to contribute more money to their future wife.( TOS novel : Vulcan's Glory ) In addition, there were strict teachings that spoke against desecrating the dead. ( TOS novel : Mind Meld )

Matters regarding the Vulcan mating practices were typically not discussed with outworlders. ( VAN novel : Open Secrets ) They also believed that close family exchanges should be kept private. ( TOS novel : Crisis on Vulcan )

Vulcans were known to recognize the need to grieve though kept such affairs private. ( TOS novel : Ex Machina ) Thus, they mourned the death of friends and kin though they were aware of the danger of abdicating complete control to loss as it was frequently difficult to regain their former composure. ( TOS novel : From the Depths ) The tenets of their philosophy provided guidance on facing personal loss with equanimity and the use of logic to maintain emotional control as well as a state of quietude. Some believed that the lives of the dead were capable of being mourned only if those lives had been wasted. ( TOS novel : The Fire and the Rose ) It was considered an important matter to Vulcan families to recover the body of a deceased member. ( TOS novel : Bloodthirst ) In addition, whenever the partner in a bonding died, the family linked mentally in order to provide support until the surviving partner managed to adjust from the loss. ( TOS novel : Time for Yesterday ) Vulcan custom held that, whenever possible, the immediate family of the deceased walked from the site of the burial back to their home. ( TOS novel : The Fire and the Rose )

Society [ ]

Surak's teachings were the most important philosophical essays in Vulcan history, detailing the use of logic and reason in order to control warring emotions and destructive tendencies. In the beginning, Vulcans used their emotions as a tool, preferring to apply logic to justify their actions rather than use logic to guide their actions. As the race evolved and the teachings of Surak spread, however, the use of various techniques to banish and suppress emotion became more prevalent and Vulcan psychology blossomed. The understanding of one's mind and mental processes as well as one's emotional reactions became a necessity, and psychology was applied not only to one's own actions but also to understanding the actions of others. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans ) Their beliefs also led them to hold that all life was precious as it could never be returned or replaced. This meant that they never considered an act that would lead to the death of an individual - not even their enemies. ( TOS novel : Yesterday's Son )

The foremost psychologists on Vulcan belonged to the religious orders that guided Vulcan society. Surak's school, the largest and most popular sect of Vulcan beliefs, advocated the study and understanding of emotional desires, so that the student could suppress and control them. Constant study of this process, as well as assisting others in achieving mastery of psionics through control of emotion, had caused the devotees of this doctrine to become experts on the workings and common psychological traumas of Vulcan minds. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans ) Vulcan reasoning meant that they did not have "hunches" but rather used subliminal clues to add up to a high order of probability. ( TOS novel : Ishmael ) They also preferred to train their minds rather than artificially enhance it. ( TOS novel : The Starship Trap )

The school of Surak had many techniques which opened the mind of a student, perceiving where the student's difficulties and strongest emotions lie and adjusted the mind's processes so that the student can more completely face the emotion and learn to control it. Thus, they were experienced in abnormal psychology as well as the common workings of the Vulcan minds. When a Vulcan was unable to control his emotions, his family or colleagues often summoned a devotee of Surak to deal with him. When a Vulcan willingly gives in to his emotions, it was one goal of those who followed the doctrines of Surak to help him resolve his problems and rejoin society. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans )

One of the most contemplated teachings of Surak was his admonition that one should study reason above all else. He taught that a Vulcan should learn to discern reality both as it seemed to be and as it truly was. This dissection of truth from illusion had spurred Vulcans into intense study of science and mathematics, helping them dissect many of the most complex workings in the universe into logical steps. Patience, temperance and logical observation (truthfulness to the world) were three of the greatest virtues of Vulcan culture and all have great application to scientific reasoning. Vulcans believed that their adherence to this doctrine made them the foremost scientists in the Federation. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans ) An old precept among their kind stated that "the time required to solve a problem is inversely proportional to the amount of knowledge brought to bear on the subject" . This essentially meant that the more scientists capable of reviewing the data, the greater the chance was that someone would find the solution to the problem. ( TOS novel : Windows on a Lost World )

Further, the application of these virtues, combined with intense meditation, had given Vulcans great control over their native psionic abilities. They remained unable, however, to control that most famous biological trigger of Vulcan mental abilities such as the pon farr. ( Last Unicorn RPG module : The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans ) Most Vulcans learn numerous mental techniques that had been first developed by Surak but over the centuries had been improved upon by generations of philosophers and healers. During times of stress or those that led to agitation, a Vulcan was capable of calming themselves through the use of a meditation formula. ( TOS novel : The Vulcan Academy Murders ) They maintained a great many techniques in the arts of meditation which they regularly employed. This ranged from simple basic defensive meditation capable of blocking the telepathic intrusions of highly trained telepaths such as Betazoids to complete meditation where there was a cessation of all thought. Such techniques were even used in the early period of interstellar travel when Vulcans entered into a deep extended meditation during intergalactic voyages that lasted for decades under sub-light travel where Vulcan explorers travelled between the stars. Furthermore, it was well noted that torture had little effect on Vulcans. ( TOS novel : Captain's Blood )

It was known that incense was a means used by Vulcans to better facilitate meditation. In addition, they often made use of special mandalas engraved with Vulcan glyphs that were used to focus as well as help quiet their minds and emotions thus removing any barriers or distractions that might prevent them from concentrating on the reception along with the application of logic. ( VAN novel : Open Secrets ) Meditation was a particularly useful technique when they were confronted with a problem that defied casual analysis. ( TOS novel : Legacy ) Masochism did not exist within Vulcan society. ( TOS novel : Star Trek (2009) ) Those that took part in the kolinahr ritual also learnt of calming techniques in order to center themselves during times of emotional turmoil. Concentration was an art that the Vulcans had learnt early though doing so without any results was taxing. ( TOS novel : Avenger )

Among the Vulcan disciplines taught included the simple technique of handling pain where the individual accepted the pain till it became a part of them whereupon it simply vanished. ( TOS novel : The Wounded Sky ) Vulcans did not believe in using medicines to cure minor afflictions and instead their science taught them to use their own bodies to create medicines to combat any such issues. This was the reason for the use of neuropressure in treating problems such as difficulty in sleeping. ( ENT episode : " The Xindi ")

Vulcans are noted for their patience and believe it is a necessity among their species while it was a virtue among Humans. ( TOS novel : Sarek ) One of the most famous qualities among the Vulcan people was their high degree of honesty. This was to such an extent that many Vulcan's were highly reluctant to tell a lie which led to the saying that "Vulcans cannot lie" ( TOS episode : " The Enterprise Incident ") Despite this, it was known that, under logical reasons of course, that they were capable of accomplishing such a task or make an omission. No Vulcan admitted such a dishonesty and considered it an act of "lying" . ( TOS movies : The Wrath of Khan , The Undiscovered Country ) A saying on Vulcan included "It is not a lie to keep the truth to oneself." ( TOS novel : Burning Dreams ) They had an old custom ridden culture with a complex social structure involved in its makeup. ( TOS novel : Yesterday's Son ) Greed was a particularly rare concept amongst Vulcans to the point that it was unheard of within their society. ( TOS novel : Legacy )

Their society had no property authority for investigating violent crimes since they rarely occurred. Vulcan belief held that those who had the ability to commit murder had a form of mental illness. Whilst they were capable of killing in cases of defense or racial survival; to actually murder for personal gain was not considered logical. ( TOS novel : The Vulcan Academy Murders ) These traits meant many believed that Vulcan society was devoid of criminal elements or terrorists though what was not known to many that such activities were known to had happened in the past. A total of at three hundred and twelve Vulcans were known to had committed terrorist acts in the past millennium by the time of the 24th century . Whilst terrorist acts on Vulcans were rare, they were generally limited to expressions of extreme political theory and also sporadic attempts at returning to the violent philosophies that ruled the Vulcan home world before the days of Surak. The number of such organizations included the Adepts of T'Pel , the Kahrilites , the Followers of the Cupric Band , the Binaries , the Traxton Compound , the Central Source and the Symmetrists . ( TOS novel : Avenger )

Individual Vulcan towns held their own regional justice committee who were responsible for detention of criminals, holding trials and giving permission for mind melds. ( TOS novel : Crisis on Vulcan ) In terms of murder, an ancient Vulcan tradition stated "Suffer the death of thine enemy" as the race were touch telepaths and the death of another often meant that the murderer had to accept their pain. As such, even in pre-Reform times, the Vulcans were selective about who they murdered as they had to decide whether it was worth experiencing the pain of their victim. ( TNG novel : Metamorphosis ) The Vulcan legal system was known to had developed to the point that it was considered both precise and elegant. ( TOS novel : Rules of Engagement )

Nutrition was seen as a perfectly logical activity though the Vulcans did not take any lunch. ( TOS novel : The Vulcan Academy Murders ) They were quite capable of going for long periods without food allowing them to fast for an extended time. ( TOS novel : Spock Must Die! ) Furthermore, tradition was an important aspect of their society which was partly attributed to their capacity to perform mind melds that allowed for memories to pass across the generations. ( TOS novel : Captain's Glory ) This meant that century long memories were passed down family lines through mind melds leading to the creation of a "secret heart" within the Vulcan mind where they remembered the horrors and atrocities of their "pre-history" . This also meant that there were a great many secrets were secretly kept from outsiders due to the respect for their traditions. ( TOS novel : Memory Prime ) Furthermore, Vulcan tradition held that its members be personally able attend to the affairs of any land or property that had in their possession. ( TOS novel : Vulcan's Glory ) In addition, Vulcans were taught to not acquire many personal belongings as such an act was not deemed logical. ( ENT - The Romulan War novel : Beneath the Raptor's Wing )

After achieving their belief in logic, the Vulcan people estimated that other races had developed a similar "enlightenment" as well as the belief of peaceful exploration upon achieving warp travel but this was eventually proven wrong. To compensate with more 'emotional' races, they developed a complex behavioral algorithm that would allow them to model as well as predict another beings emotional response that would be calculated mentally. It was created as a form of self survival. The equations were very difficult to master but the Vulcan people had developed a wide variety in order to compensate for any situation. ( DS9 novel : The War of the Prophets ) To Vulcans, it was considered a breach of privacy to have their names called out loud in public. ( TOS novel : The Motion Picture ) Furthermore, Vulcans never carried weapons in public unless it was during the Kal-if-fee. ( TOS novel : The Abode of Life )

Due to their telepathic nature, the Vulcans had a number of mind rules in place over the governance and use of these powers. ( TOS novel : Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ) As they were touch telepaths, they preferred not to have physical contact during greetings such as when two people shook hands as Vulcans had an unpleasant mental intrusion from the brief contact. This did not mean that they avoided shaking hands but they did so only when they had to. ( TOS novel : Recovery ) Early training was designed to strengthen personal barriers and erect mental shields designed to prevent constant intrusion. In fact, on Vulcan it was considered a heinous crime for forcing a mind meld which was considered an unforgivable invasion of spirit. ( TOS novel : Yesterday's Son ) Students of the Vulcan mind-touch techniques were intimately familiar with the intricacies of telepathic communication. ( TOS novel : The Starless World ) One such technique allowed its adept to take the pain of another beings and drew strength from it. This ancient discipline was forbidden in modern Vulcan society as it was misused by many who sought to impose their will upon others allowing them to brainwash individuals to become loyal servants. ( TOS novel : Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )

An ancient Vulcan custom was the offering of fire and water to guests allowing them to stay in a Vulcan home. ( Vulcan's Soul novel : Exodus ) Another involved casual contact which meant that others were not allowed to touch a Vulcan's body. ( VAN novel : Open Secrets ) This was partly attributed to their species being touch telepaths and any physical touch meant that the Vulcan in question was forced to peer into the mind of the other individual. ( TOS novel : Memory Prime ) Within their society, the Vulcan government was known to reward those individuals with advancement on meritocratic principles. ( ENT episode : " Awakening ") In addition, ninety eight percent of Vulcans had all held some form of public office by the time they were two hundred years of age. ( TOS novel : Spock's World ) There was a general belief that the Vulcan lifespan meant that they tended to fixate on their careers and stick to them during their long lifespans which led some to belief that their society suffered from some form of stagnation. ( ENT - The Romulan War novel : Beneath the Raptor's Wing ) Whilst they typically lived in large settlements, there were several isolationist villages scattered around their homeworld who shunned contact with the rest of their society with the closest human analogy being to that of the Amish communities. ( VAN novel : Open Secrets )

One saying attributed to the Vulcans was "When all rational solutions refuse to fit the available facts, then we seek an irrational solution that does." . ( TOS novel : The Starless World ) They also held a similar saying as the Human phrase "Speak of the devil and he will appear" . Though this was not superstition but simple observation on their part. ( TOS novel : World Without End )

Rituals [ ]

• Fal-tor-pan
• Koon-ut-so'lik
• Koon-ut-kal-if-fee
• Fal-tor-voh
• Rite of Tal'oth
• T'Ved-Surak ritual

Recreational [ ]

Poker was known to be extremely popular amongst Vulcans as it was a game of sublime logic and not of blind chance. Due to their logical nature and ability to calculate odds swiftly in their minds, Vulcans were known to possess the perfect poker face. ( TOS novel : Devil World )

Vulcans generally tended to be self conscious dancers though in relation to other arts, their fixation on logic did not preclude their appreciation of beauty. ( TOS novel : The Starship Trap )

Holidays [ ]

Martial arts [ ].

• Kareel-ifla
• Ke-tarya-yatar
• Taroon-ifla

Artifacts [ ]

• Stone of Gol
• Stone of J'Kah
• Katric ark (also known as a Vre'katra or Urn of Memory )

adronn feltara • anwoa sprout • b'lltarr • bertakk soup • c'torr • farr-kahli • filrak • forati sauce • gespar • iced fruit • ihntya • kahri-torrafeiaca • kalafruit • kleetanta • kreyla • lirs • L-Lersa • mia-zed • m'lu • n'gaan • plomeek • plomeek broth • plomeek soup • saffir • soltar • t'coraca • t'miirq soup • t'mirak rice • tolik fruit • tono'pak soup • ulan soup • vranto salad • wafer fruit

Beverages [ ]

• Vulcan brandy
• Vulcan port
• Vulcan Bill of Rights

Language [ ]

Technology [ ].

Vulcans are known to be an advanced spacefaring people that were exploring the stars long before humanity was capable of doing so, as early as the 3rd century . Early Vulcans were a violent people and much of their advanced technology was seemingly lost in the nuclear wars shortly before the reformation of the Vulcan people led by Surak in the Time of Awakening . ( EV comic : " Cloak and Dagger "; ENT episode : " Awakening ")

Technology from this period included psionic devices such as Katric arks and psionic weapons including the Stone of Gol , Tol par-doj and Vorl-tak . Psionic weapons were banned on Vulcan following the reformation, but survived in the lost colony of the last-of-all-Cities . ( EV comic : " Cloak and Dagger "; ENT episodes : " Awakening ", " Kir'Shara "; TNG episode : " Gambit ")

Even in the era of the Federation, the Vulcans contributed greatly in the fields of science. Sunok of Vulcan was responsible for the further refinement of transporter technology, making it virtually impossible for the machinery to malfunction, whilst many of Starfleet's starship design refinements came from advances in Vulcan science. ( TOS novel : Crisis on Vulcan )

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• DS9 episode : " Emissary "
• DS9 episode : " The Nagus "
• DS9 episode : " Vortex "
• DS9 episode : " The Forsaken "
• DS9 episode : " The Maquis, Part I "
• DS9 episode : " The Maquis, Part II "
• DS9 episode : " Crossover "
• DS9 episode : " Through the Looking Glass "
• DS9 episode : " Shakaar "
• DS9 episode : " The Visitor "
• DS9 episode : " Homefront "
• DS9 episode : " Bar Association "
• DS9 episode : " Rules of Engagement "
• DS9 episode : " Shattered Mirror "
• DS9 episode : " For the Cause "
• DS9 episode : " Broken Link "
• DS9 episode : " Trials and Tribble-ations "
• DS9 episode : " Rapture "
• DS9 episode : " Behind the Lines "
• DS9 episode : " Favor the Bold "
• DS9 episode : " Valiant "
• DS9 episode : " Image in the Sand "
• DS9 episode : " Afterimage "
• DS9 episode : " Take Me Out to the Holosuite "
• DS9 episode : " Prodigal Daughter "
• DS9 episode : " The Emperor's New Cloak "
• DS9 episode : " Field of Fire "
• DS9 novel : The Big Game
• DS9 novel : Devil in the Sky
• DS9 novel : The Soul Key
• PIC episode : " Firewall "

References [ ]

• ↑ FASA RPG module : The Federation

External links [ ]

• Vulcan article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• 1 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
• 2 USS Voyager (NCC-74656-A)
• 3 Lamarr class

Screen Rant

“i love bill shatner”: how star trek v’s villain actor sees sybok will change how you see spock’s brother.

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To Me, William Shatner’s Movie Star Trek V Is Great Comfort Food

One of mike flanagan's favorite stephen king books is ripe for a remake after movie with 49% on rt, where the forrest gump cast is now: what each actor did after the 1994 movie.

• Laurence Luckinbill saw his character, Sybok, as a complex figure searching for God, resembling Lenin's transformation into a dictator.
• Luckinbill refused to have Sybok armed with weapons, wanting to portray him as a peaceful seeker, which director William Shatner supported.
• Despite mixed reviews, Luckinbill praised Shatner's directing, valuing the opportunity to play the tragic and Shakespearean role of Sybok.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier 's Laurence Luckinbill shares how he sees Sybok and credits director William Shatner for helping him realize his vision. Shatner cast Luckinbill as the villain of the fifth Star Trek movie after seeing the lauded stage actor's performance as President Lyndon B. Johnson in Lyndon . As Sybok, Luckinbill played a holy man who was the Vulcan half-brother of Spock (Leonard Nimoy). However, Sybok was no mere heavy, and the emotional Vulcan was unlike previous Star Trek movie villains.

Laurence Luckinbill appeared on All Access Star Trek - A TrekMovie.com Podcast hosted by Anthony Pascale and Laurie Ulster to promote his memoir, "Affective Memories," and to mark the 35th anniversary of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier . When Pascale asked Luckinbill how he saw Sybok as the actor portraying the Vulcan, Laurence gave a fascinating response . Listen to the podcast in the link above and read Luckinbill's quote below:

It was written a bit like a villain, except there was this search for God. Well, we’re all searching for God, aren’t we? In some way… After I accepted the role, [I met with William Shatner] and he asked, ‘How do you see the character?’ And I said, ‘Lenin.’ Vladimir Ilyich Lenin… Lenin had a great dream that he could free Russia. He could make it all good and better for the people. But as he gradually got into it, and he felt the obstacles rushing against him, he gradually turned into a dictator. And that’s where Sybok was headed because he made that choice. And then he stole the Enterprise. And that was the first big action, which was a theft. And gradually, as the [movie] moved along, and we got to that last scene where I exchange hands with Leonard, with Spock, my brother, and then sacrifice myself to save him, to this evil god. Which was, to me, Shakespearean. It was tragic, and I played it that way.

Regarding Sybok originally being armed with rock guns or weapons in Star Trek V 's script, Luckinbill said no and explained his reasoning to William Shatner:

I said I don’t want to because I am the human part of Spock. I am a peaceful person. Sybok is a peaceful person. He is looking for God. He is looking for help. He’s looking to relieve pain. Why would he carry a gun around? So Bill eventually said, ‘Well, we’ll fix that.’ And he did. We were able to do a big fight, and the gun wasn’t important. I actually love Bill Shatner. So he was a good director for me. Other people complained about him. I don’t.

William Shatner's Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a comforting watch with enjoyable banter, a compelling villain in Sybok, and good intentions.

Sybok Is Unlike Other Star Trek Movie Villains

There hasn't been a villain like sybok before or since.

Among Star Trek 's movie villains , Sybok is unique and stands apart. Most Star Trek movie villains follow the mold of Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . The vengeance-lusting, scenery-chewing Khan set the standard for Star Trek movie villains, and the films have tried to replicate Montalban's iconic heavy, without the same success. Star Trek 's cinematic Big Bads like Kruge (Christopher Lloyd) in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , Shinzon (Tom Hardy) in Star Trek: Nemesis , Nero (Eric Bana) in Star Trek (2009), and Krall (Idris Elba) in Star Trek Beyond have all tried to be Khan's second coming.

Khan literally had a second coming in Star Trek Into Darkness , with Benedict Cumberbatch playing Khan in Star Trek 's alternate Kelvin Timeline.

As Laurence Luckinbill explained to TrekMovie , Sybok is cut from a different cloth than Khan. Sybok is not driven by revenge or a lust for power. Sybok is a Vulcan holy man, a believer who seeks God and the answer to the universe's greatest questions. Sybok's folly is that he was manipulated by a malevolent alien posing as God (George Murdock) . But when he realizes his grave error, Sybok saves his brother, Spock, and sacrifices himself at the end of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier . Sybok is tragic in a Shakespearean sense, just as Laurence Luckibill played him.

Source: All Access Star Trek - A TrekMovie.com Podcast

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The Diplomacy of Discovery

The final season sheds light on the galaxy's political past.

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Star Trek: Discovery 's final season chronicles the Federation's pursuit of the same technology the Progenitors used to spread the humanoid form throughout the galaxy. The adventure picks up on an enduring mystery from Star Trek: The Next Generation 's " The Chase ," but the season's early episodes also provided insight into how several key societies — the Tholians, Orions, Promellians, Tzenkethi, and Breen — had developed in the centuries since we last encountered them in other Star Trek series.

Let's examine the Federation's history with each of those cultures and dive into all we’ve learned about their status in the late 32nd Century.

The Tholians

"Future Tense"

Considered to be xenophobic by the Vulcan High Command in the 22nd Century, the Tholians were a non-humanoid species who thrived in searing temperatures and rarely traveled far from their own territory. The Tholians made an exception when they assigned several ships to try to steal a time-traveling 31st Century craft from Captain Archer's Enterprise in 2152. Possibly working for another faction in the Temporal Cold War, the Tholians bested Suliban cell ships but could not secure their quarry (" Future Tense ").

"In A Mirror, Darkly, Part I"

As outlined by the Mirror Universe's Dr. Phlox, the Tholians' crystalline body structures possessed both male and female characteristics and could act as a natural transmitter (" In a Mirror, Darkly "). Prime Spock and the U.S.S. Enterprise dealt with the Tholian Assembly in the late 2260s, and while the Tholians presented an abrasive demeanor, they were amenable to diplomatic overtures… to an extent. Renowned for their punctuality, the Tholians punished the Enterprise 's delay in completing its mission by momentarily capturing the Federation vessel in an energy web.

Another Federation-Tholian conflict took place in 2353, and William Riker's father was the only survivor from a Starfleet facility that the Tholians had bombarded. Political tensions cooled by the early 2370s, as a Tholian ambassador was stationed at Deep Space 9 and a Tholian observer attended a conference on Earth. By late 2373, the Tholians had agreed to a non-aggression pact with the Dominion. President T'Rina provided us with our 32nd Century status check on the Tholians, expressing concern that the Tholian Republic might be able to exert influence over a coalition of smaller worlds (" Red Directive "). Her commentary can be seen as a positive, as the Tholians' influence was undoubtedly less dangerous than a Tholian invasion !

"The Serene Squall"

By the time Captain Archer's Enterprise made direct contact with the Orion Syndicate in the 2150s, the Orions had established a distasteful reputation for crime and violence . They regularly kidnapped and enslaved passengers from passing ships, auctioning off their prisoners to the highest bidders (" Borderland "). The Federation's negative assumptions about the Orions remained steady over the course of the next century, as Captain Pike dealt with another Orion "privateer" aboard the Serene Squall (" The Serene Squall ") and doubted that the Orions even had science ships when one confronted the U.S.S. Enterprise near Krulmuth-B in the late 2250s (" Those Old Scientists "). In 2268, an Orion posed as an Andorian and tried to derail Coridan's admission into the Federation so that Orion smugglers could continue raiding the planet (" Journey to Babel ").

A correlation between Orions and criminal enterprises persisted well into the 24th Century, and the Orion Syndicate's rumored involvement in the deaths of Starfleet Intelligence operatives prompted the Federation to send Chief O'Brien on a mission to infiltrate the organization in 2374. Though he did not meet any actual Orions, O'Brien discovered that the Dominion had hired the Syndicate to kill a Klingon ambassador and weaken the Empire's alliance with the Federation (" Honor Among Thieves "). Despite the Syndicate's ongoing, many Orions served in Starfleet by the 2380s. The U.S.S. Cerritos ' D’Vana Tendi even brought her friends Beckett Mariner and T'Lyn to Orion, where they observed her home world's unique traditions (" Something Borrowed, Something Green ").

"There Is a Tide..."

At some point after the Burn devastated the galaxy in the 31st Century, the Orions allied with the Andorians and formed a new syndicate, the Emerald Chain. Under the leadership of Osyraa, the Chain subjugated planets for their resources, operated mercantile exchanges, and served as a rival to the Federation. A failed proposal to unite the Chain with the Federation led to a brief conflict in 3189. Osyraa was killed and the Emerald Chain immediately collapsed. By 3190, the Federation had grown in strength and engaged with the Andorians about returning to the fold. " Under the Twin Moons " supplied another piece to the 32nd Century puzzle, as Captain Rayner testified that the Orions were regrouping and could potentially cause trouble for the Federation.

The Promellians

"Booby Trap"

Unfortunately for the Promellians, they fought the Menthars in a battle which resulted in both societies' mutual extinction at Orelious IX ( " Booby Trap "). Though they perished around the 14th Century, long before the Federation was founded, the Promellians' legacy endured into the 2360s and beyond. Captain Picard, who actually believed he once owned a Promellian ship-in-a-bottle when he was a child, commanded the U.S.S. Enterprise -D as it set out to chart the ruins of the fateful battle that precipitated the Promellians' demise. A Promellian battlecruiser was found at the site, with its intact Lang Cycle fusion engines and functioning bridge indicating that the Promellians built their technology to last.

The Enterprise -D's away team located a video log from Galek Sar, the Promellian captain, which praised his courageous crew and relayed that his ship had encountered aceton assimilators hidden among the battle's wreckage by the Menthars. The Promellians became stranded here by the power drain and died at their posts. When Captain Picard's ship fell into the same trap, Geordi La Forge worked out a solution the Promellians had not employed — initiate a short burst from the impulse engines, take the systems offline, and allow the momentum to carry the ship to safety. Once the Enterprise -D was free, Picard ordered Worf to fire on the Promellian battlecruiser in the hope that no one else would get stuck.

However, this deed did not erase the Promellians from the galaxy's collective memory. In the 32nd Century, Captain Burnham and Saru visited a Promellian necropolis on Q'Mau on their journey to track down a clue that Dr. Vellek had left there during the time of the Dominion War (" Under the Twin Moons "). A peaceful view belied the fact that the Promellians designed the graveyard with self-defense in mind, powering a drone security system with an electromagnetic field. Since the Menthars also had a predilection for booby traps, one can wonder whether the Promellians had been inspired by their ancient foes!

The Tzenkethi

"The Adversary"

Not much is known about the Tzenkethi, and the species has never been seen on-screen. Benjamin Sisko mentioned that he had served in the last Federation-Tzenkethi War, placing the hostilities prior to his tenure on the U.S.S. Saratoga that concluded at the Battle of Wolf 359 in 2367. Sisko's reference to the "last" conflict seemed to imply that more than one war took place, and in order for the Tzenkethi to pose such a threat, their technological capabilities must have at least matched the Federation. In 2372, Ambassador Krajensky sent Captain Sisko to Tzenkethi space aboard the U.S.S. Defiant amid rumors that a coup d'état had overthrown the autarch on the Tzenkethi home world. The entire affair was a ruse, as a Changeling had replaced the ambassador and lied about the border tensions. Sisko's crew narrowly avoided provoking a fresh round of warfare (" The Adversary ").

Over 800 years later, Captain Burnham noted that Federation diplomats needed to negotiate permission for the U.S.S. Discovery to enter Tzenkethi space and search for the next clue to the Progenitors' tech. At the time, the Federation and Tzenkethi were clearly separate entities; though, the fact that they maintained an open dialogue showed progress in their political relations. The Tzenkethi did grant Discovery the right to visit their space, which is precisely where they located a wormhole to a pocket of interdimensional space that contained the adrift I.S.S. Enterprise (" Mirrors ").

"Strange Bedfellows"

We covered the Breen's involvement in galactic politics more extensively in our recent " Who Are the Breen? " feature, but it is safe to say that the secretive nature, technological prowess, and battlefield resourcefulness that they exhibited in the final stages of the Dominion War survived into the late 32nd Century.

"Labyrinths"

The Breen nearly swung that 24th Century conflict in the Dominion 's favor with their energy-dampening weapons, and the Breen Imperium's massive 32nd century dreadnoughts were armed with equally effective shield-tunneling technology (" Labyrinths "). The Imperium operated its own exchanges, perhaps placing it at odds with the Emerald Chain. Though destabilized by their own infighting over the throne, the Breen proved to be a deadly and unpredictable foe to the Federation.

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Jay Stobie (he/him) is a freelance writer, author, and consultant who has contributed articles to StarTrek.com, Star Trek Explorer, and Star Trek Magazine, as well as to Star Wars Insider and StarWars.com. Learn more about Jay by visiting JayStobie.com or finding him on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms at @StobiesGalaxy.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Star Treks New Female Vulcan Hero Explained By Prodigy Executive Producer

• Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 introduces a new Vulcan character, Maj'el, played by Michaela Dietz, named after Majel Barrett-Roddenberry.
• Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 premieres on July 1st on Netflix, with all 20 episodes releasing on the same day.
• Maj'el serves as a foil to the crew's more outrageous impulses and develops an interesting relationship with one crew member.

Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 introduces a new female Vulcan hero, and co-executive producer Aaron J. Waltke drops some intel on Maj'el (Michaela Dietz). The highly-anticipated Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 premieres Monday, July 1, on Netflix, with all 20 brand-new episodes releasing on the same day. As Prodigy season 2 raises the intergalactic stakes for the ragtag young Starfleet hopefuls mentored by Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), it's natural that Dal R'El (Brett Gray) and his group meet new friends and/or potential rivals from Starfleet Academy - like Maj'el.

Discussing Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 as a guest on All Access Star Trek: A TrekMovie.com Podcast , co-executive producer Aaron J. Watlke addressed the 'Vulcan in the room'. Waltke revealed tidbits about Maj'el's role in Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 to hosts Anthony Pascale and Laurie Ulster, and he confirms that the Vulcan is named after the First Lady of Star Trek, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. Check out Waltke's quote and audio clip in TrekMovie 's X post below, and you can find the complete podcast episode in the link above.

I think some people have rightly identified there is in fact a Vulcan that has joined, kind of like our cast here, as is also mentioned in the press release. Brilliantly played by Michaela Dietz, named Majel. Named as a sort of homage to the great Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. Shes wonderful Just as TLyn was a great sort of countermeasure to the wackadoo adventures of the Cerritos, I think Majel is an excellent sort of foil, in a way, to some of the more outrangeous impulses of some of our crew. But at the same time, even she has a story to tell and a growth to undergo about her assumptions about these sort of illogical crewmates. And theres a very interesting relationship that she develops with the crew, especially with one of the crew members [that] Im excited for people to see.

The Vulcan Lieutenant T'Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz) joined the main cast of Star Trek: Lower Decks in season 4 and has been a popular addition to the crew of the USS Cerritos.

Star Treks Multiverse Will Have A Grand Unifying Theory In Netflixs Prodigy Season 2, Says Co-EP

Star Trek: Prodigy co-executive producer Aaron J. Waltke says that season 2 on Netflix will explain how Star Trek's multiverse works.

Star Trek: Prodigy Is Going Bigger In Season 2

"old friends, new worlds, and time travel".

Maj'el joins Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 as the beloved CGI animated series widens its scope to truly epic levels. Time travel was already a core part of Star Trek: Prodigy 's backstory, but season 2 makes Admiral Janeway and the USS Voyager-A's mission to an alternate future to rescue Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran) its focus. Star Trek: Prodigy season 2's trailer promises "old friends, new worlds, and time travel" , but that seems to be the tip of the iceberg of what's to come for the heroic former crew of the USS Protostar.

The addition of a Vulcan makes Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 automatically feel even more like Star Trek.

How Dal R'El, Gwyndala (Ella Purnell), Zero (Angus Imrie), Rok-Tahk (Rylee Alazraqui), Jankom Pog (Jason Mantzoukas), Murf (Dee Bradley Baker), and Maj'el fit into Star Trek: Prodigy season 2's mischief remains to be seen. But given the "outrageous impulses" of Dal and the Protostar kids that Aaron J. Waltke alludes to, no doubt they will drive the action and cosmic chaos to come. One thing is for sure already: the addition of a Vulcan makes Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 automatically feel even more like Star Trek.

Source: All Access Star Trek - A TrekMovie.com Podcast

Star Trek: Prodigy

Cast Robert Beltran, Kate Mulgrew, John Noble, Jason Mantzoukas, Brett Gray, Angus Imrie, Jameela Jamil, Robert Picardo, Jimmi Simpson, Ella Purnell, Dee Bradley Baker

Streaming Service(s) Netflix

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Writers Kevin Hageman, Dan Hageman

Showrunner Kevin Hageman, Dan Hageman

Franchise Star Trek

Creator(s) Kevin Hageman, Dan Hageman

Number of Episodes 40

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Celebrity deaths 2024: Remembering the stars we've lost this year

Paying tribute to the entertainers who died this year.

After saying sad and shocking goodbyes to the many stars who died in 2023 , with  Matthew Perry , Tina Turner ,  Andre Braugher ,  Suzanne Somers , and  Lisa Marie Presley among them, we are once again paying our respects after the deaths of entertainers and other notable figures in the new year.

Everett Collection (2); Mario Ruiz/Getty Images

Read on to remember the life and work of the celebrities who have died in 2024, including country music superstar Toby Keith , Broadway legend Chita Rivera , Rocky and Mandalorian actor Carl Weathers , Mary Poppins actress Glynis Johns , Honeymooners star Joyce Randolph , and Designated Survivor and X-Men: Days of Future Past actor Adam Canto .

Martin Mull

Roy Rochlin/Getty 

Comedian and actor Martin Mull , known for roles in  Clue, Roseanne, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Arrested Development, among   many others, died June 27 at age 80 after an undisclosed illness. Mull originally rose to fame on  Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman  and its spinoffs,  Fernwood 2 Night  and  America 2 Night.  In 1985, he co-wrote and starred in the mockumentary  The History of White People in America alongside frequent collaborator Fred Willard. Mull had memorable roles as Colonel Mustard in the 1985 cult comedy Clue, as Gene Parmesan on  Arrested Development, as Russell on  Two and a Half Men  as Russell, and voiced the main villain Vlad Plasmius on animated series  Danny Phantom . He earned his only Emmy nomination in 2016 for his work on  Veep  playing Bob "The Eagle" Bradley. Other onscreen appearances include  The Ellen Show ,  Dads ,  Life in   Pieces,   Serial, FM ,  Mr.   Mom, Mrs. Doubtfire , and  Jingle All the Way.

Kinky Friedman

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Texas-based country musician, author, and humorist Kinky Friedman died June 27 at his ranch near Austin, Tex., after a struggle with Parkinson's disease. He was 79. Friedman's music catalog, which he sometimes performed with the band he formed in the '70s, Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys, included irreverent songs such as "A--hole from El Paso," "We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to You," and "Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in the Bed." The artist toured with Bob Dylan and performed on Saturday Night Live, and at the Grand Ole Opry. But that was just part of his expansive career, which also included writing mystery novels and a column for Texas Monthly . In 2006, he had a memorable run for governor of "The Lone Star State," which he lost to Rick Perry. His death announcement said that he "endured tremendous pain & unthinkable loss in recent years but he never lost his fighting spirit and quick wit. Kinky will live on as his books are read and his songs are sung."

Renauld White

Neilson Barnard/Getty

Renauld White, an occasional actor who became only the second Black model to appear on the cover of GQ magazine in 1979, died on June 26 . He was 80 years old. Starting modeling in the 1960s, White was known for championing more diversity in fashion. He walked the runway for Bill Blass in 1969 and went on to appear in shows by Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Donna Karan. He also worked for the likes of  Yves Saint Laurent, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Versace, Armani, and Cerutti. White came out of retirement in 2023 to model for a Dolce & Gabana campaign, shot by Steven Meisel. Though known primarily for his modeling, White also dabbled in acting, transitioning his good looks to daytime TV with a brief stint in 1986-87 on The Guiding Light as William Reynolds. White also appeared in the 2014 TV movie Gun Hill and the 2017 movie Central Park .

Sika Anoa'i

Sika Anoa'i, the WWE Hall of Famer and father of fellow pro wrestling star Roman Reigns, died June 25 , at 79. Known as Sika in the ring, he was half of the Wild Samoans tag team, which also included his older brother, Afa Anoa'i. "The duo's fearsome presence and unhinged style made them massive stars for WWE in the late '70s and early '80s as they dominated the tag team division, winning the championship on three separate occasions," the WWE said in a statement. Sika retired from the ring in 1988, but his legacy continued, as he and his brother opened a training center for future wrestling stars. He was also the father of late pro wrestler Matthew Anoa'i, a.k.a. Rosey, who died in 2017.

Bobby Bank/GC Images

Prolific character actor Bill Cobbs, who appeared in movies such as The Bodyguard , Night at the Museum , and Demolition Man , as well as on shows such as The Sopranos , I'll Fly Away , and One Life to Live , died June 25 , at 90. His publicist, Chuck I. Jones, remembered him as "a phenomenal human being." The Cleveland native spent eight years in the Air Force and also worked at a car dealership and at IBM before he began his half-century run in Hollywood. Along the way, he earned a Daytime Emmy for his work as Mr. Hendrickson on Dino Dana , a Canadian educational show for children.

Shifty Shellshock

Jerod Harris/Getty 

Shifty Shellshock, the lead singer of rap-rock band Crazy Town who performed hits like “Butterfly,” died at his home on June 24 at age 49, according to a  Los Angeles County Medical Examiner  report. Shellshock, born Seth Binzer, collaborated with Bret "Epic" Mazur under the name The Brimstone Sluggers before going on to co-found Crazy Town together. The band released their debut album, The Gift of the Game , in 1999, but it wasn’t until the release of their third single “Butterfly” the following year that they achieved mainstream success. The band broke up after their second album, but reunited over the following years and released their third album The Brimstone Sluggers in 2015. Binzer, who struggled with addiction throughout his life, also performed as a solo artist and as the frontman for Shifty and the Big Shots.

Julio Foolio

Julio Foolio/Instagram

Julio Foolio, the Florida rapper born Charles Jones and known for songs including "Crooks" and "Reach The Top," was shot and killed June 23 in a hotel parking lot in Tampa. He was 26. Representative Lewis Fusco said Jones had been in Tampa to celebrate his birthday and was reportedly ambushed. As a rap artist, Jones had amassed 1.1. million followers on Instagram and nearly 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify. He first made waves with the release of his 2018 single "Coming Up" and continued to cultivate a following via social media platforms and a YouTube channel. His 10 albums included 2024's Resurrection .

Sarah Becker

Sarah Becker/Facebook

Sarah Becker, a comic book store worker who appeared on The Real World: Miami , has died at the age of 52 . Becker, who hailed from La Jolla, Calif., appeared on the Miami-set season 5 of MTV's The Real World in 1996 alongside Dan Renzi, Melissa Padrón, Joe Patane, Cynthia Roberts, Flora Alekseyeva, and Mike Lambert.

Tamayo Perry

Walt Disney Pictures/Everett

Tamayo Perry, a surfer, lifeguard and actor who appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides , died on June 23 following a shark attack off the coast of Hawaii’s Mālaekahana Beach on Oahu. He was 49. Perry had been working as a lifeguard since July 2016 and prior to landing the gig, had been a professional surfer for over a decade. Perry was also an actor, appearing in small roles like 2002’s surfing romance Blue Crush and one episode of the Hawaii-set procedural, Hawaii Five-O .  He is also credited as a stunt performer on the Owen Wilson surfing movie The Big Bounce , adapted from Elmore Leonard’s novel of the same name. Perry appeared in the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film in 2011, ahead of his final role in the 2015 short film, The Bridge .

Ryan Hadley

Ryan Hadley/ Instagram

Ryan Hadley, the tattoo artist known for competing on season 6 of the reality series  Ink Master , died June 20 at 46, after battling cancer. A statement posted to his Instagram account said, "While his life was cut short, in that time he left a legacy behind in both the art and tattoo world. He loved his many fans, his friends and clients, and most of all his children. He'll be missed and always remembered." Hadley appeared on Ink Master in 2015 and was eliminated in the second week. After the series, he continued to work as a tattoo artist, sharing photos of his latest work alongside updates on his health on social media.

Taylor Wily

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Taylor Wily, known for playing Kamekona Tupuola on 171 episodes on Hawaii Five-0 , plus additional appearances as the character on Magnum P.I. and MacGyver , died June 20 at the age of 56. Wily got his start as a sumo wrestler and competed in UFC matches under the name Teila Tuli. His breakthrough role was considered to be Kemo from the 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall , though he would debut as Kamekona on Hawaii Five-0 just a couple years later in 2010. Peter Lenkov, an executive producer on that series and a longtime friend of Wily's, recalled in a tribute how he was won over by the actor from the first audition. "You came in with a towel on your head mopping up sweat, and I was smitten," he wrote on Instagram . "You charmed me into making you a regular… on the show… and in my life. You were family."

Donald Sutherland

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Donald Sutherland , the venerated Canadian actor whose career spans seven decades, has died at 88 . Born July 17, 1935, in Saint John, Canada, Sutherland began his acting career with small, unnamed roles in British television before landing small parts in low-budget horror films, including 1964’s Castle of the Living Dead and 1965’s Dr. Terror's House of Horrors . His breakout role was in Robert Aldritch’s The Dirty Dozen , and he achieved further success as Hawkeye Pierce in Robert Altman’s 1970 war comedy, M*A*S*H . He went on to star in hits such as Don't Look Now , Animal House , Invasion of the Body Snatchers , JFK , Six Degrees of Separation , The Italian Job, and Pride and Prejudice. He also played the Hunger Games series antagonist President Coriolanus Snow across the franchise's original four films. While Sutherland was never nominated for a competitive Oscar, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored him with an honorary statuette at the 2017 Governors Awards. Sutherland earned both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his role in the detective drama, Citizen X , and an additional Golden Globe for the HBO series, Path to War . Sutherland is survived by his wife Francine Racette, and his four children, including fellow actor Kiefer Sutherland .

Anouk Aimée

Anouk Aimée, the French leading lady who worked with such auteurs as Federico Fellini, Sidney Lumet , Jacques Demy , and Bernardo Bertolucci died June 18 at age 92. The Oscar-nominated actress is perhaps best known for her role in Claude Lelouch’s beloved 1966 romance, A Man and a Woman, where she starred opposite Jean-Louis Trintignant. Following its release, Aimée achieved international acclaim, winning a Golden Globe for Best Actress. The film itself won the Palme d'Or at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival, a Golden Globe, and two Academy Awards. It also spawned two sequels: A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later and The Best Years of a Life . Aimée’s other notable credits include Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, Bertolucci’s Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man , Lumet’s The Appointment , Robert Altman’s Prêt-à-Porter , and Agnes Varda’s A Hundred and One Nights .

Hiram Kasten

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Hiram Kasten, the New York stand-up comic who also appeared on TV shows like Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm , died June 16, at 71 . A Bronx native, he began performing comedy in the 1970s at the Upper East Side jazz club Pearl's Place before making his way to the Comic Strip, where he befriended emcee Jerry Seinfeld. Kasten later took over as the emcee at the Comic Strip, and also became a regular at clubs like Catch a Rising Star and Dangerfield's in the 1980s. The comedian played Michael, a co-worker of Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), on three episodes of Seinfeld . Kasten also acted in a 2001 episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm and made one-episode appearances on shows like Everybody Loves Raymond , The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , Mad About You , and Saved by the Bell .

Nick Mavar, a deckhand who appeared on 17 seasons of  Deadliest Catch , died on June 15 at age 59 after suffering a medical emergency at an Alaskan boatyard. Mavar made his  Deadliest Catch  debut in 2005, when he could be seen working as a deckhand on the Northwestern in the very first episode of Discovery’s crab fishing reality series. He appeared on 98 episodes across 16 years, serving as the right hand man for Captain Sig Hansen on that same vessel. His final episode aired during season 17 in 2021 following a ruptured appendix that led to the discovery of a cancerous tumor the year prior

Angela Bofill

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Singer-songwriter Angela Bofill, best known for her hits “I Try,” “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter,” and “I’m On Your Side,” died June 13 at her daughter’s home in Vallejo, Calif. She was 70 years old. The Cuban-Puerto Rican musician was born May 2, 1954, and received a bachelor of music degree from the Manhattan School of Music. Bofill began recording in her teens and released her first studio album, Angie , in 1978, which included her hit “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter.” Her second album, 1979’s Angel of the Night , spawned additional hit singles “What I What Wouldn’t Do (For the Love of You)” and “I Try,” making Bofill one of the first Latina singers to achieve success in the R&B and jazz genres. Bofill continued to steadily release albums through the ‘80s and into the ‘90s, Her 10th and final studio album, Love in Slow Motion , was released in 1996. 

Johnny Canales

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Tejano music legend Johnny Canales died June 12 at age 77. The Latino singer and musician was best known for hosting his program The Johnny Canales Show , where he would welcome well-known and up-and-coming groups from United States, Mexico, and Central and South America. The show debuted on KRIS in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1983 and aired on Univision Network from 1988 to 1996 and Telemundo beginning in 1997. He is widely regarded as the person who introduced mainstream audiences to Selena Quintanilla after she made one of her first live TV appearances on his show in 1985 and became a frequent returning guest with her band Selena y Los Dinos.

Tony Mordente

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Tony Mordente, who played the short-tempered Jet named Action in West Side Story , died on June 11 at 88. Mordente first played a character named A-Rab in the original stage show on Broadway where he met and married his costar  Chita Rivera , who originated the role of Anita. The couple had a daughter — Tony-nominated actress Lisa Mordente — before divorcing in 1966. Mordente went on to direct dozens of TV shows, including Rhoda ;  M*A*S*H ;  Family Ties ;  The A-Team ;  Matlock ;  Walker, Texas Ranger ; and 7th Heaven .

Françoise Hardy

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Françoise Hardy, the French singer, actor, and model who rose to fame in the '60s, died June 11 after battling lymphatic and laryngeal cancer for over 20 years. She was 80. The pop icon had her first hit when she was just 18 years old, with "Tous les Garcons et les Filles" in 1962, and went on to release dozens of albums over the course of her career spanning six decades. She also modeled for many designers including Yves Saint Laurent and acted onscreen in John Frankenheimer’s Grand Prix, and Claude Lelouch’s  If It Had to Be Done Again , and more. And in 2018, she published her autobiography, The Despair of Monkeys and Other Trifles.

Tony Lo Bianco

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Tony Lo Bianco, who starred as Sal Boca in William Friedkin ’s Academy Award-winning film The French Connection , died June 11 at 87. Born in Brooklyn, New York on October 19, 1936, Lo Bianco was inspired to pursue acting by his high school drama teacher. He landed his breakout gig in the Friedkin-helmed film, which would go on to win Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director. Lo Bianco quickly earned acclaim for both The French Connection and The Honeymoon Killers, where he played the notorious "lonely hearts killer" Raymond Fernandez. He starred opposite Shirley Stoler in the 1970 film, which has since been reclaimed as a cult classic. Lo Bianco went on to appear in over 100 films, including Bloodbrothers with Richard Gere , City Heat with Clint Eastwood , and Kill the Irishman with Ray Stevenson . His final film was the 2022 Ray Romano -directed comedy, Somewhere in Queens . He also starred in several TV shows and in 1983, earned a Tony Award nomination for his performance as Eddie Carbone in the Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge .

Michael Mosley

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Dr. Michael Mosley, a British TV host and author of diet books, was found dead at age 67 on the Greek island of Symi on June 9 after a dayslong search. He was a popular fixture in British media, and had a column in the Daily Mail in addition to several diet books, with most of his work focusing in the fields of health and science. Of particular note, his 2013 book The Fast Diet helped popularize intermittent fasting. He contributed to a number of British TV programs — usually for BBC Two — about science and wellness, including 2013's Genius of Invention , which covered the history of British inventions, and the long-running Trust Me, I'm a Doctor! , which combined useful health advice with some satirical humor.

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Mark James, the Grammy-winning songwriter who crafted hits for Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson , died June 8 at the age of 83. He was behind such hits like Presley’s “Suspicious Minds,” B.J. Thomas’ “Hooked on a Feeling,” and Nelson’s “Always on My Mind,” the latter of which won James two Grammys, one for best country song and other for song of the year. James was hailed as one of BMI’s Songwriters of the Century in 2000 and inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

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Ben Potter, a popular YouTube star, died on June 8 at age 40 "in an unfortunate accident," his wife Nathalie announced on social media. Known as Comicstorian, Potter was known for creating audio dramas of characters from the DC and Marvel universe, releasing nearly 4,000 videos and amassing over 3 million followers on YouTube. In her lengthy statement, Nathalie said she planned to "preserve everything" her husband had built. "To many of you, he was Comicstorian, voicing stories from across multiple different mediums. To his loved ones, he was one of the best and most supportive individuals anyone could ask for," Nathalie wrote of her husband, whom she called "our rock" and "my world." "As a husband, a son, a brother, a friend, or even just a stranger, Ben was loving and genuine."

Betty Anne Rees

Betty Anne Rees, best known for her roles in The Unholy Rollers and Sugar Hill , died June 3 at 81 . Rees kicked off her screen credits with a 1966 episode of the David Carradine-starring ABC series Shane , before appearing in two films the next year, The Cool Ones and Banning . From there, Rees went on to appear on a slew of shows including Adam-12 , Medical Center , Mannix , To Rome With Love , Mod Squad , Bearcats! , three episodes of My Three Sons , The F.B.I. , Police Woman , S.W.A.T. , The Streets of San Francisco , Lou Grant , Barnaby Jones and more. Other film roles included Deathmaster and The Photographer . Rees' final credit was playing Molly Margo in the television show The Incredible Hulk in 1978.

Brother Marquis

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Brother Marquis, the rapper known for being a core member of the controversial Miami hip-hop group 2 Live Crew, died June 3 at 57 . Born Mark Ross in Rochester, N.Y., he moved to California as a teenager and formed the duo Caution Crew with Rodney-O in 1983. After releasing multiple singles with the Caution Crew, Ross gained notoriety for his rap battle talents, catching the attention of DJ Mr. Mixx, who invited him to join 2 Live Crew in Miami alongside Fresh Kid Ice and Luke, then known as Luke Skyywalker. 2 Live Crew gained both acclaim and infamy for their sexually explicit lyrics on such albums as 1986's The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are , 1988's Move Somethin' , and 1989's As Nasty as They Wanna Be . Ross also pursued a number of projects beyond 2 Live Crew. In 1993, he formed 2 Nasty with DJ Toomp, which released the album Indecent Exposure . He also featured on the song "99 Problems," on Ice-T's Home Invasion . Ice-T credits Ross with penning the lyric "I got 99 problems, but a bitch ain't one," which was further popularized by Jay-Z's 2003 hit of the same title.

William Russell

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William Russell, the English actor known for playing one of the first companions to the titular hero on the long-running sci-fi series Doctor Who , died June 3 at 99. Born William Russell Enoch, he studied at Oxford and did his national service in the Royal Air Force before pursuing acting. Russell became known to U.K. audiences in the mid-1950s starring in The Adventures of Sir Lancelot , and he appeared on Doctor Who from its launch in 1963 until 1965. Current Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies memorialized him as "An absolute legend, for Doctor Who and the whole of television." Russell's other screen credits included The Man Who Never Was , The Great Escape , Superman , and Coronation Street .

Janis Paige

Janis Paige, the actress known for starring in big-screen and Broadway musicals and comedies like Silk Stockings and The Pajama Game , died June 2 at 101. A multitalented and enduring performer, she was a star of Hollywood's Golden Age who continued her craft into her 90s. Born and raised in Tacoma, Wash., Paige sang in local amateur shows as a child and performed in theater productions in high school, after which she moved to Los Angeles to try to make it in show business. Discovered while performing at the iconic Hollywood Canteen, she would go on to appear in such films as Romance on the High Seas and Remains to Be Seen ; to lead her own sitcom, It's Always Jan ; and to star in stage productions including Here's Love , Mame , Sweet Charity , and Guys and Dolls .

Erich Anderson

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Erich Anderson, the prolific television actor best known for playing Keri Russell 's father on Felicity , died June 1 in Los Angeles . His wife, Saxon Trainor, announced on Instagram that his passing came after “a brutal struggle with cancer.” Anderson began his career in the ‘80s, landing his breakout role as Rob Dier in 1984’s Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter . He would appear in several more films — including Welcome to 18, Patty Hearst, and Bat21 — but would notably establish recurring roles in several TV shows. He appeared as Bobby Stang in Bay City Blues , Billy Sidel in Thirtysomething , Don Kirkendall in NYPD Blue, and Dr. Edward Porter in Felicity . His additional TV credits include Star Trek: The Next Generation , NCIS , 7th Heaven , ER and The X-Files . He also penned three novels: 2012's Hallowed Be Thy Name , followed by Thy Kingdom Come in 2014 and Rabbit: A Golf Fable in 2022.

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Tom Bower, a prolific character actor known for his work on such TV series as The Waltons and in such films as Die Hard 2 , died May 30 at 86. A Denver native, he rose to prominence playing Dr. Curtis Willard on The Waltons , becoming a series regular on the show's fifth season in 1975 and staying with the show until he was written out in 1978. His other most memorable role was as the janitor, Marvin, in Die Hard 2 , who helps Bruce Willis' John McClane defeat a group of terrorists. Bower's additional credits on the big and small screens included Out of the Furnace , Crazy Heart , Nixon , Pollock , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia , Criminal Minds , Bosch , and Lucky Hank . Bower was also a staunch supporter of SAG-AFTRA and a co-creator of SAGindie.

Terrence Beasor

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Terrence Beasor, a veteran character actor and voice-over performer whose credits included the films Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and The Gods Must Be Crazy , as well as the TV series The Middle and Raising Hope , died May 28 at 89. An Omaha native, Beasor moved to Los Angeles with his family as a child and served in the Navy before embarking on an acting career that would span some 40 years. His lengthy résumé included Jaws: The Revenge , Pet Sematary , Memento ,  The Incredible Hulk , The A-Team , Hill Street Blues , Cheers , L.A. Law , The Office , Parks and Recreation , Scandal , Gilmore Girls , Scrubs , and Days of Our Lives .

Elizabeth MacRae

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Elizabeth MacRae, who memorably played the title character's girlfriend, Lou-Ann Poovie, in Gomer Pyle: USMC in the late 1960s, died on May 27. She was 88. Between 1958 and 1989, the actress racked up dozens of credits in some of the most popular TV shows of the day like I Dream of Jeannie ; Bonanza ; The Fugitive ; Gunsmoke ; and Rhoda , as well as in soap operas, including Days of Our Lives , General Hospital , and Guiding Light . In film, she notably portrayed Meredith in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation . Her final acting project was Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! in 1989, in which she played Reporter #3, according to IMDb. According to her obituary , MacRae, who went by "Betsy," later spent time working as a drug and alcohol counselor in New York and returned to her native North Carolina with her late husband, Charles.

Bill Walton

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Bill Walton, NBA MVP and beloved basketball broadcaster, died May 27 at the age of 71, following a battle with cancer. Walton first came to national prominence playing college basketball at UCLA from 1971 to 1974. There, he led the Bruins to two consecutive national titles and helped secure their record-breaking 88 game winning streak. Walton played ten seasons in the NBA, and he was named the MVP of the 1977-78 season. He won two championships, one with the Portland Trail Blazers and the other with the Boston Celtics. Following his career on the court, he transitioned to broadcasting, working as an analyst for both NBA and NCAA basketball games. He won an Emmy in 2001, and he was named one of the top 50 sports broadcasters of all time in 2009.

Albert S. Ruddy

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Albert S. Ruddy, best known for producing best picture winners The Godfather (1973) and Million Dollar Baby (2005), died May 25 at 94. The two-time Oscar winner and Montreal native studied architecture and worked at RAND Corporation before beginning steady work in entertainment in the ‘70s. Before his successful foray into film, the producer co-created 1960s sitcom Hogan's Heroes . His credits also include The Cannonball Run , The Longest Yard , and Ladybugs . Ruddy was portrayed by Miles Teller in the Paramount+ series The Offer , which was about his perspective on the troubled making of The Godfather. Ruddy’s family said in a statement that he would be remembered for “his easy-going nature, his undeniable comedic sense, and his undying interest in people and the stories we tell. He also received tributes from stars such as Al Pacino. "Al Ruddy was absolutely beautiful to me the whole time on The Godfather ," Pacino said, "even when they didn't want me, he wanted me. He gave me the gift of encouragement when I needed it most and I'll never forget it."

Johnny Wactor

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Johnny Wactor, an actor best known for playing Brando Corbin on General Hospital , was shot and killed in Los Angeles on May 25 when three men attempted to steal the catalytic converter from his car. He was 37. The Charleston native began his acting career in 2007, appearing in minor roles in Army Wives , and over the years appeared in shows such as NCIS , The OA , and Westworld . In 2020, he landed the recurring role of Brandon Corbin on General Hospital , filming 164 episodes through 2022. He most recently appeared in the films Supercell and Dead Talk Tales Vol. 1 and the series Barbee Rehab and Station 19 . Wactor also had a couple upcoming projects, including the film American Sognare , which is currently in post-production.

Richard M. Sherman

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Richard M. Sherman, who worked with his late Robert to pen such tunes as “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” and “It’s a Small World (After All),” died on May 25 due to an age-related illness . He was 95. The Walt Disney Company announced Sherman’s death the same day, noting that the Sherman Brothers were a key member of founder Walt Disney’s “inner circle of creative talent.” The songwriting duo first crossed paths with the mogul after writing “Tall Paul” for former Mouseketeer Annette Funicello, followed by penning “Let’s Get Together” for 1961’s The Parent Trap . From there, they wrote music for dozens of projects at the studio, including The Sword in the Stone, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, The Jungle Book , The Aristocats , and most notably, Mary Poppins. They earned two Academy Awards for the film, for which they handled the score, music, and lyrics. The making of the 1964 hit was later dramatized in the 2013 movie Saving Mr. Banks , which starred Jason Schwartzman as Richard and B.J. Novak as Robert. The Sherman’s also penned music for titles including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Charlotte’s Web, Bedknob and Broomsticks, and the Broadway musical Over Here. Richard was preceded in death by Robert, who died in 2012. Throughout their career, the duo earned two Academy Awards (nine total nominations), three Grammys, and 24 gold and platinum albums. Sherman is survived by his wife Elizabeth Sherman, his children and grandchildren.

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Doug Ingle, a founding member of heavy rock band Iron Butterfly who co-wrote their 17-minute signature hit “In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida,” died May 24 at age 78. The Ingle family announced the news on social media , though a cause of death was not disclosed. Ingle was the last surviving member of the band’s original lineup, which was formed in San Diego in 1966, and included drummer Ron Bushy , bassist Lee Dornan, and guitarist Erik Brann. Ingle was with Iron Butterfly throughout the release of its first four albums, including 1968's Heavy , 1969's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida , and Ball , and 1970's Metamorphosis . The band originally broke up in 1971, and Ingle did not return when Iron Butterfly was reformed later that decade by Bushy and Brann. Much of the band’s success was due to “In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida,” which became a radio hit. The album went on to become certified quadruple-platinum.

Morgan Spurlock

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Morgan Spurlock, the charismatic filmmaker who started a national conversation about America's reliance on junk food with his 2004 documentary Super Size Me , died on May 23 from complications of cancer. He was 53. After creating and hosting the show  I Bet You Will  for  MTV  in 2002, Spurlock began production on his first immersive documentary project the following year. He ate McDonald's three meals a day for 30 days, and had his film crew document what all that fast food did to his body. The resulting documentary earned him an Oscar nomination and prompted McDonald's to stop offering supersized portions , though the company did dispute many of the claims made in the film. Spurlock went on to create the documentary series 30 Days for FX, and his subsequent movies explored issues like the war on terrorism ( Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? ) and the role of product placement in entertainment ( The Greatest Movie Ever Sold ).

Darryl Hickman

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Darryl Hickman, a child star of Hollywood's Golden Age, died May 22 at 92 . Hickman was best known for his string of success as a child and teen actor, particularly his role as Winfield, the youngest member of the Joad family, in John Ford's 1940 adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath and his heartbreaking turn as the disabled Danny in technicolor noir Leave Her to Heaven. Hickman played the younger version or son of many of Hollywood's biggest stars, including Ronald Colman, Van Heflin, and Clark Gable. His films included The Human Comedy, The Star Maker, Tea and Sympathy, The Prisoner of Zenda, Men of Boys Town, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, and Network. In his later years, he primarily worked behind the camera, serving as the head of CBS daytime programming for almost five years . He later decried the cost of being a child star and spoke out about the years he spent in therapy to overcome the impact of his lost childhood.

Richard Foronjy

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Richard Foronjy, the character actor known for playing tough-guy roles in movies including Serpico , Midnight Run , and Carlito's Way , died May 19 at 86 . A Brooklyn native, Foronjy had a checkered past before getting into show business. He spent eight and a half years behind bars after being convicted of armed robbery, according to a 1987 interview , in which he also stated his trouble with the law was particularly helpful to all of his later roles. Indeed, following his role as a murderer in Serpico in 1973, Foronjy played cops in Lumet's The Morning After (1986) and Prince of the City (1981), and a corrupt policeman in Once Upon a Time in America in 1984. He also portrayed mobsters in Martin Brest’s Midnight Run (1988), which also starred Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin, and Brian De Palma’s Carlito’s Way (1993), alongside Al Pacino and Sean Penn . Other film roles included Ghostbusters II , The Gambler , Fun With Dick and Jane , The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh , True Confessions , Man of the House , and others. On the television side, Foronjy also had roles in Who’s the Boss , Murphy’s Law , Silver Spoons , The Jeffersons , Cagney & Lacy , Hill St. Blues , M*A*S*H , The Streets of San Francisco , Taxi , and Hunter .

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Fred Roos, a casting director and producer who collaborated frequently with Francis Ford Coppola , died on May 18. He was 89. Roos worked as a casting director on a litany of famous films, like George Lucas ' American Graffiti . He also worked as a producer, frequently with Coppola, getting producer or co-producer credits on The Godfather Part II and III , Apocalypse Now , and 10 other Coppola films, including the long-awaited Megalopolis. Those weren't his only connections with the Coppola family, however. He not only babysat Sofia Coppola ; he produced her films The Virgin Suicides , Lost in Translation , The Bling Ring , and Marie Antoinette , and served as an executive producer on Priscilla . He also produced Eleanor Coppola 's iconic documentary, Hearts of Darkness . Roos also served as an uncredited casting consultant on Star Wars . Having already cast Harrison Ford in American Graffiti , he pushed Lucas to give Ford the Han Solo role. "[Ford] was doing carpentry work for me, when he needed to make extra money. He had a family, he had kids," Roos told Entertainment Weekly in 2016. "I was, from the get-go, pushing him for Han Solo. 'George, you saw him right under your nose in American Graffiti ,' and finally it clicked with George. Other people were considered, but finally I won the day with George on that one." Roos has been credited with casting early appearances from notable actors like Tom Cruise , Jack Nicholson , Carrie Fisher , and Richard Dreyfuss . He also served as a casting director on other beloved films like Two-Lane Blacktop, Fat City , and Five Easy Pieces . He was given a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Casting Society of America in 1988.

Jon Wysocki

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Jon Wysocki, founding drummer of rock band Staind, died on May 18 . He was 56. The drummer co-founded Staind in 1995 with singer Aaron Lewis, guitarist Mike Mushok, and bassist Johnny April. Staind released their debut album, Tormented , in 1997. They found widespread success two years later with their major label debut, Dysfunction , which was co-produced by Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst . The album's singles "Mudshovel" and "Home" catapulted the band to the forefront of the nü-metal scene, landing them a co-headlining slot the 1999 Family Values Tour in 1999 with Limp Bizkit and Filter, as well as bands like Korn, Primus, and the Crystal Method. Their third album, Break the Cycle , debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 on the strength of the single "It's Been Awhile." It would eventually go five times platinum. Wysocki continued playing with Staind until 2011, recording on seven of the band's eight albums. After Staind, Wysocki briefly played with the Chicago nü-metal group Soil before joining Lydia's Castle in 2021. 

Alice Stewart

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CNN political commentator and veteran GOP adviser Alice Stewart was found dead on May 18. She was 58. No foul play was suspected and police believed Stewart had suffered a medical emergency. Born March 11, 1966 in Atlanta, Stewart went on to work on the presidential campaigns of Mike Huckabee, Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum, and Ted Cruz. She joined CNN in 2016, last appearing the day before she was found dead on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer . Stewart described her role on CNN as "a conservative voice yet an independent thinker." She was also the co-host of the podcast Hot Mics From Left to Right , alongside fellow CNN commentator Maria Cardona.

Dabney Coleman

Dabney Coleman, the veteran character actor who played the villainous boss in 9 to 5 and won an Emmy for his supporting role in the TV film  Sworn to Silence , died May 16 at 92 . His career spanned nearly seven decades, starting with appearances on TV shows like  The Outer Limits ,  The Fugitive,  and  The Alfred Hitchcock Hour  in the '60s. By the time Coleman took on the role of sexist boss Franklin Hart Jr. in  9 to 5 —  standing out despite starring opposite iconic actresses Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, and Jane Fonda — he had amassed a resume that included dozens of shows and films. His screen credits included Buffalo Bill ,  On Golden Pond , Tootsie , WarGames , The Muppets Take Manhattan , You've Got Mail , The Beverly Hillbillies , and Yellowstone .

Tony McFarr

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Tony McFarr, a stunt actor who worked as a stunt double for actors like Chris Pratt and Jon Hamm , died May 13 at the age of 47. A stunt actor for more than a decade, McFarr began his career on a 2011 episode of Bones as Geoff Stults ' stunt double before steadily snagging more work on titles like Teen Wolf, Homeland, Sleepy Hollow, The Walking Dead, and Manhunt. On the big screen, McFarr worked as Pratt's stunt double on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Jurassic World , and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom; other notable film credits include Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Furious 7, and Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Alice Munro

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Alice Munro, the acclaimed Canadian author known as a master of the short story, died May 13, at 92 . Recognized for her deep and emotionally perceptive stories focused on womanhood, love, loss, and the vagaries of time, she won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2013 and received the 2009 Man Booker International Prize for her lifetime body of work. Her short-story collections included Dance of the Happy Shades , The Beggar Maid , The Progress of Love , Away From Her , and her final publication, 2012's Dear Life . Munro is survived by two daughters, Sheila and Jenny. Munro Books, the bookshop she founded in the 1960s in Victoria, Canada, with her first husband, James, is still in operation.

David Sanborn

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Grammy-winning saxophonist David Sanborn died May 12 after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications. He was 78. The renowned smooth jazz musician had been dealing with prostate cancer since 2018 but was still playing live, and had concerts scheduled into 2025. Born July 30, 1945, in Tampa, Fla., Sanborn survived a polio diagnosis at age 3. He learned how to play the saxophone to help his recovery, and when he was a teenager, he was already performing with blues legends Little Milton and Albert King. When he was 30, he released his debut solo album,  Taking Off , in 1975. Throughout his career, he went on to play with David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, B.B. King, and Carly Simon, among many others, and won six Grammy Awards.

Kevin Brophy

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Kevin Brophy, an actor best known for his roles in the short-lived sci-fi series Lucan and the cult horror film Hell Night died May 11 at his home in Rancho Santa Fe, Cali. He was 70 years old. Brophy was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer 10 years ago. Born in Salt Lake City on Nov. 1, 1953, Brophy starred in a play about Jesse James during his senior year in college. As a result, his headshot appeared in the Los Angeles Times, leading an agent at William Morris to sign him. A year later, on his way driving to his audition for Lucan , he cut off what turned out to be an MGM executive, who thought Brophy was perfect for the part. Lucan , about a young man raised by wolves, lasted only one season. He later popped up in episodes of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries , M*A*S*H , The Love Boat , Growing Pains , Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , and JAG . In addition to Hell Night , Brophy also appeared in films such as The Long Riders and GoodFellas .

Susan Backlinie

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Susan Backlinie, an actress and stunt performer who is best known for playing the great white shark's first victim, Chrissie, in Jaws , died May 11 at age 77 . Backlinie, who was born on Sept. 1, 1946, appeared in a number of films and television roles until the early 1980s. She had parts in films such as the Jim Henson-directed The Great Muppet Caper (1981), and Steven Spielberg’s 1941 (1979), in which she famously spoofed herself in a Jaws parody scene. Other movie credits included The Grizzly & the Treasure (1975), A Stranger in My Forest (1976) and Day of the Animals (1977). On the television side, roles included The Quest , Quark and The Fall Guy . Backlinie also worked as an animal trainer, and after she retired from Hollywood, she worked as a computer accountant.

Rudy Moreno

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Rudy Moreno, nicknamed the 'Godfather of Latino Comedy," died on May 11 at age 66 after being hospitalized with pneumonia. Born on July 24, 1957, in Los Angeles, Moreno was an influential stand-up comic who gave many other comedians their big breaks, including Ken Jeong , who paid tribute to him on social media. Moreno made appearances on numerous shows over the years, including Everybody Loves Raymond , The Shield , George Lopez , Monk , Arrested Development , American Vandal , Mom , and Dave .

Roger Corman

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Roger Corman , the director, producer, and distributor of numerous low-budget horror, science fiction, and crime movies, whose career in Hollywood spanned eight decades, died at the age of 98. Nicknamed “King of the Bs” and “The Pope of Pop Culture,” Corman was the visionary behind cult classics like 1964's The Masque of the Red Death and the original The Little Shop of Horrors , from 1960. Born in 1926 in Detroit and raised in Los Angeles, Corman worked his way up in the film industry after starting in a mail room at 20th Century Fox in 1950. He made his first feature in 1954, then produced and directed several B movies across a number of then-popular genres: Westerns, sci-fi creature features, and the rock & roll teen pictures Corman would later translate into ‘60s counterculture fare, like 1966's The Wild Angels and 1967's The Trip. As a producer, Corman famously opened Hollywood doors for a number of young and then-untested talents, including Jack Nicholson, Ron Howard, Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Jonathan Demme, Joe Dante, Stephanie Rothman, and James Cameron. At the time of his death, Corman had a producer credit on an astonishing 495 films.

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Sam Rubin , an Emmy-winning entertainment journalist who worked for Los Angeles news network KTLA for over three decades, died on May 10. He was 64. A news story posted by the station said that Rubin had "died suddenly," but did not share any details on the cause, while Variety reported that the journalist died from a heart attack in his L.A. home. Rubin joined KTLA Morning News in 1991, where he remained for 33 years. Rubin became one of the most prominent entertainment journalists in Hollywood, bringing exuberance and enthusiasm to his countless interviews with celebrities and coverage of entertainment news. Rubin won multiple Emmy awards and a Golden Mike Award, and was named best entertainment journalist by the Los Angeles Press Club. Rubin frequently appeared as a version of himself in films and TV shows, including Fantastic Four , Wes Craven ’s New Nightmare , Beverly Hills, 90210 , and Melrose Place .  He also wrote biographies on Jackie Kennedy Onassus and Mia Farrow , and was one of the founding members of the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the organization that launched the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.

Dennis Thompson

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Dennis Thompson, longtime drummer of the Detroit-based proto-punk band MC5 , died on May 9 at 75. Nicknamed "Machine Gun" for his hard-hitting, rapid-fire drumming style, Thompson had been recovering from a heart attack in April, the Detroit Free Press reports. He joined MC5 in 1965, two years after the band was founded by guitarist Wayne Kramer and bassist Fred "Sonic" Smith, the same year the band restyled their name from Motor City Five to MC5. After a series of successful singles and their first tour, which included opening for bands like Cream and the Stooges, they released their debut album, Kick Out the Jams , in 1969. By that time, the band had developed revolutionary, left-wing politics that were inextricable from their music. Their debut album, recorded live, opened with Brother J.C. Crawford introducing the band by saying, "Brothers and sisters, the time has come for each and every one of you to decide whether you are gonna be the problem or whether you are gonna be the solution." The title track became a hugely influential — and controversial — song, inspiring countless bands to come. MC5 broke up in the early 70s, and Thompson went on to play in bands like New Order, the Motor City Bad Boys, and the New Race. He later participated in MC5 reunions, playing percussion on two tracks of a reunion album in 2022, which has not been released. It would have been the band's first album in more than 50 years. Kramer died in early 2024, making Thompson the last living original member. The band will posthumously receive the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Music Excellence Award in 2024 .

Steve Albini

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Steve Albini, the punk rock icon known for both his own bands (Big Black, Rapeman, Shellac) and the beloved albums he engineered for other musicians (including Nirvana and The Pixies), died May 7 , the staff at his Electrical Audio recording studio in Chicago confirmed to EW. He was 61. Albini was a longtime critic of the corporate music industry and the ways record labels exploited musicians. His personal philosophy around "engineering" (a term he preferred over "producing") was to bring out the band's sound rather than impose his own aesthetic on them.

Ian Gelder, a British actor best known for his portrayal of Kevan Lannister on Game of Thrones , died May 6 at 74. Gelder appeared on the HBO drama many times as the brother of Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance), and the uncle of Lena Headey 's Cersei, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's Jaime, and Peter Dinklage 's Tyrion. Kevan was one of the characters killed in the 2020 series finale, when the Sept exploded. The violence had been planned by his niece, Cersei, whose authority he had refused to recognize. In addition to GOT , Gelder appeared in TV series such as Torchwood ; Doctor Who ; Poirot ; Absolutely Fabulous ; and His Dark Materials . Gelder's work on the stage was prolific. When he died, the famed Royal Shakespeare Company said he had been "a regular on the RSC stage" since the '70s, playing characters including Antonio in The Merchant of Venice and Clarence in Richard III . Gelder's husband, actor Ben Daniels, shared on social media that Gelder had been diagnosed with bile duct cancer in December. "He was my absolute rock, "Daniels wrote, "and we'd been partners for more than 30 years."

Barnard Hill

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Bernard Hill, who played Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 record-breaking film Titanic , died on May 5 , his manager confirmed to EW. He was 79. Born in Manchester in 1944, Hill studied theater in college and got his start with a small role in the BBC anthology series Play For Toda y. His breakout role came in 1983 when he memorably starred as Yosser Hughes in the BAFTA-winning BBC drama, Boys from the Blackstuff . Later, Hill earned acclaim for his portrayal of Captain Smith in Titanic . He also starred in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings franchise as King Théoden, appearing in both The Two Towers and The Return of the King. As both  Titanic and The Return of the King earned 11 Oscars each, Hill has a role in two of the three films with the most Academy Awards of all time ( Ben-Hur is the third). Hill’s additional credits include I, Claudius , Clint Eastwood’s True Crime , 1999’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream , The Scorpion King , Valkyrie , and Wolf Hall .

Susan Buckner

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Susan Buckner, best known as bubbly cheerleader Patty Simcox in Grease , died on May 2. She was 72. Before joining the cheer squad at Rydell High, Buckner was Miss Washington in 1971 and represented her home state at the Miss America competition the following year. She would go on to perform on variety show programs like The Dean Martin Show , The Mac Davis Show , Sonny and Cher , and The Brady Bunch Variety Hour . But it was her role as Simcox that put her in front of millions. After the success of Grease , Buckner took on roles in shows like The Love Boat , The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries , and a costarring role on When the Whistle Blows . She also appeared in Wes Craven 's Deadly Blessing alongside Sharon Stone and 1989's Police Academy 6: City Under Siege , which was her final acting role. She stepped away from acting to focus on her family but continued to share her passion for the arts, teaching theater at a Florida elementary school and working as a dance instructor.

Richard Tandy

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Richard Tandy, the longtime keyboardist for Electric Light Orchestra who made significant contributions to their biggest hits, died May 1 at age 76. No cause of death was given. "It is with great sadness that I share the news of the passing of my long-time collaborator and dear friend Richard Tandy," ELO co-founder and frontman Jeff Lynne wrote on social media . "He was a remarkable musician & friend and I’ll cherish the lifetime of memories we had together." Tandy didn't join the band until 1973, after the release of their first album, but his soaring synthesizers are a key element of iconic ELO songs like "Evil Woman." Plus, that's also his vocoder-altered voice saying the titular character's name on "Mr. Blue Sky." Tandy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with the rest of ELO, in 2017.

Diane Ford, a stand-up comedian who appeared on multiple HBO specials as well as A&E's hit series An Evening at the Improv , died April 30 following a battle with cancer, per The Hollywood Reporter . She was 68. Born Sept. 4, 1955, in Waseca, Minn., Ford starred in the HBO comedy special On Location: Women of the Night II in 1988 alongside Joy Behar, Susie Essman, and more. She also appeared on the network's stand-up comedy series One Night Stand , performing her hilarious routines on two episodes, released in 1990 and 1992. Ford was also featured on 13 episodes of An Evening at the Improv and is credited with writing a 1994 episode of the Tim Allen–headlined sitcom Home Improvement . She is survived by her husband John; stepsons Rhett and Travis; grandsons Charles, Aubrey, Addison, Selkie, and Uhtred; and siblings Jerry, Lyle, Connie, and Carol.

Paul Auster

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Paul Auster , the prolific Brooklyn-based writer and filmmaker, died April 30 at 77. Born Feb. 3, 1947, in Newark, N.J., Auster moved to Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood in 1980 and found his first literary success with 1982's The Invention of Solitude (a memoir about his distant relationship with his father) and the New York Trilogy of novels later that decade. Auster's writing drew on the archetypes of hardboiled detective fiction, as well as observations of the people around him in Brooklyn. He moved into filmmaking by writing the script for director Wayne Wang's 1995 comedy Smoke , which revolved around a Park Slope tobacco shop and starred Harvey Keitel and William Hurt. Auster made his own directorial debut with 1997's Lulu on the Bridge , starring Keitel as a jazz saxophonist whose life changes after he catches a stray bullet. Auster's final novel, Baumgartner , was released in 2023.

Alan Scarfe

Alan Scarfe, the British Canadian actor who played heavies in the '90s action films Double Impact and Lethal Weapon 3 , died April 28 at 77. Born in Harpenden, England, Scarfe emigrated to Canada with his family as his father pursued an academic career. He studied a the Lord Byng Secondary School in Vancouver and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and began a lifelong career as a performer and director. Scarfe was known for playing internal affairs chief Herman Walters, who dogged Mel Gibson's Riggs and Danny Glover's Murtaugh in 1992's Lethal Weapon 3 . The year before, he appeared opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme as murderous businessman Nigel Griffith in Double Impact . His other screen credits included Star Trek: The Next Generation , Kingdom Hospital , NYPD Blue , and Stargate: Atlantis , and he worked as a stage actor and director across Europe, Canada, and the U.S.

Brian McCardie

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Brian McCardie, known for roles in BBC's Line of Duty and the 1995 drama Rob Roy , died suddenly on April 28 at age 59. The Scottish actor began his career with a brief appearance in a 1989 episode of EastEnders , and went on to become a prolific TV performer. When the show premiered  in 2012, McCardie earned praise for his role as John Thomas “Tommy” Hunter in the police procedural, Line of Duty . He memorably appeared in the three-part 2021 drama Time , starring opposite Stephen Graham and Sean Bean . McCardie also had small roles in such TV hits as Shameless and Outlander . On the big screen, McCardie starred alongside Liam Neeson as Alasdair in Rob Roy, with his additional film credits including Doors Open , Kiss of Death , 200 Cigarettes , and Low Winter Sun .

Zack Norman

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Zack Norman, the actor-producer known for roles in Romancing the Stone and Cadillac Man, died on April 28 at 83. His daughter Lori Zuker Briller confirmed to The New York Times that he died in a Burbank, Calif hospital due to bilateral pneumonia related to coronavirus. Born May 27, 1940, Norman initially pursued theater and stand-up comedy, making his television debut as a comic on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson in 1969. Later an actor and producer, Norman was a scene-stealing performer whose credits include nearly 40 films and TV shows. He memorably played Cousin Ira in Robert Zemeckis’ Romancing the Stone , uttering the oft-quoted line “Look at those snappers!” He went on to star in films including Robert Downey Sr.’s America and 1990’s Cadillac Man opposite Robin Williams, Tim Robbins and Fran Drescher. He reunited with Drescher for a three episode arc in The Nanny , with his additional TV credits including Baywatch, The A Team, Lush Life, and The Flash .

Sonja Christopher

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Sonja Christopher, the first person voted out of Survivor , died at age 87. Her death was first announced on April 26 . The former music therapist made history on the show's first season, Survivor: Borneo , in 2000 when at she became the first contestant voted out at Tribal Council and the first to have her torch snuffed by host Jeff Probst . Christopher competed on  Survivor  at 63, just three years after battling cancer. "I was newly recovering from breast cancer treatment. And I had been in a 11-year relationship and my partner got consolation elsewhere during that time of the cancer,"  Christopher previously told EW . "So I had moved to a senior retirement community, and I was by myself, no ties, my son was grown and taking care of himself. I was reading the morning paper, and it said something in an article about CBS looking for 16 Americans to cast away on a deserted island and see who could survive for 39 days."

Marla Adams

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Marla Adams, the Daytime Emmy-winning actress known for playing Dina Abbott Mergeron on the long-running CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless , died April 25 at 85. Adams played her Y&R character off and on across 37 years and more than 200 episodes. Much of her career was spent on daytime TV, with credits including The Secret Storm , The Bold and the Beautiful , Days of our Lives , Generations , and Capitol . On the prime-time side, Adams appeared on The New Dick Van Dyke Show , Harry O , Starsky and Hutch , Marcus Welby M.D. , Barnaby Jones , The Love Boat , Archie Bunker's Place , and more shows.

Mike Pinder

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Mike Pinder, a founding member and keyboardist of progressive rock band the Moody Blues, died April 24 at age 82. He was the last surviving member of the band's original lineup. In 1961, Pinder formed the band alongside singer and guitarist Denny Laine, bassist Clint Warwick, and drummer Graeme Edge. After a few lineup changes, the Moody Blues would go on to release one of the greatest concept albums of all time, 1967's Days of Future Passed, which featured Pinder singing and playing the mellotron. He would go on to pen and perform songs on the band's next seven albums before eventually parting ways with the group. Pinder also released two solo albums, 1976's The Promise and 1994's Among the Stars , as well as a 1995 spoken word album, A Planet With One Mind. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with his bandmates in 2018.

Terry Carter

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Terry Carter, the groundbreaking actor, documentary filmmaker, and newscaster with screen credits including Battlestar Galactica , McCloud , and Foxy Brown , died April 23 at 95 . Born John Everett DeCoste, Carter studied acting with Howard Da Silva in the early 1950s and played a number of roles in Broadway and Off Broadway stage productions during his early career, including Mrs. Patterson , in which he appeared opposite Eartha Kitt. His breakthrough screen project was The Phil Silvers Show , on which he played Pvt. Sugie Sugarman from 1955 to 1959 and was the only regular Black cast member. Carter served as an anchorman for Boston's NBC affiliate network WBZ-TV from 1965 to 1968, making him New England's first Black news anchor. He portrayed Pam Grier 's boyfriend in  Foxy Brown in 1974 and a cop in the dog-centric family film Benji , and played Colonel Tigh on the sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica in the late '70s and Sgt. Joe Broadhurst on McCloud for seven seasons. Carter launched his own production company, Meta/4 Productions, in Los Angeles in 1975. He and his company produced more than 100 educational documentaries , some of which were for the Library of Congress, PBS, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Eva Evans, TikTok star and creator of Prime Video's Club Rat webseries, died at age 29. "Yesterday my family received news that our sweet, fabulous, creative, caring, hilarious Eva, my beautiful sister, has died," Evans' sister Lila Joy Baumgardner wrote on Instagram. Evans was best known to fans on TikTok, where she amassed 300,000 followers, who flocked to her primarily for stories about her life in New York City. In 2023, she directed and starred in a five-episode webseries for Amazon called Club Rat , which followed an influencer who was attempting to date again after an embarrassing, viral breakup.

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Mandisa, American Idol season 5 star and Grammy -winning Christian singer who also courted controversy for making anti-gay comments in 2006 — died April 18 at age 47. The religious performer rose to national stardom after her Idol audition with Alicia Keys' "Fallin" wowed judges Randy Jackson , Paula Abdul , and Simon Cowell . Though she was ultimately eliminated from the singing competition, she forged a successful career in music, earning five Grammy nominations — including one victory for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album in 2014 for her Overcomer album.

Dickey Betts

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Dickey Betts, a founding member and guitarist of the Allman Brothers Band, died on April 18 . He was 80. Per his manager, David Spero, Betts died of cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Despite not being an Allman, Betts was one of the Allman Brothers' key original members whose work was crucial to the group’s pioneering sound. Following the death of fellow guitarist Duane Allman’s, two years after the group's debut album, Betts assumed lead guitar duties and led the band with Gregg Allman . He also composed music and penned songs for the group, including their biggest hit, "Ramblin' Man.” While Betts and Allman often clashed — the band broke up multiple times and had more than a dozen lineup configurations — the duo frequently reunited and toured together. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. They reconciled before Allman's death in 2017 , just months after the death of bandmate Butch Trucks . Betts also performed as Dickey Betts and the Great Southern and briefly played as Betts, Hall, Leavell and Trucks in the '80s with Jimmy Hall and Allman Brothers' members Chuck Leavell and Trucks. Betts is survived by his wife, Donna.

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Rico Wade, who co-wrote and produced TLC’s 1995 smash “Waterfalls” as a member of Atlanta production team Organized Noize, died at 52 . As a member of Organized Noize, Wade helped shape the sound of Southern hip-hop in the 1990s. In addition to co-writing and producing hits like TLC’s “Waterfalls,” En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go (Love),” and Ludacris’ “Saturday (Oooh! Ooooh!)," Organized Noize was best known for collaborating with the Dungeon Family, an Atlanta music collective that included OutKast, Goodie Mob, and more. They produced OutKast’s influential debut record,  Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, as well as Goodie Mob’s 1995 debut album,  Soul Food. In 2016, the team became the subject of The Art of Organized Noize, a Netflix documentary directed by Quincy Jones III.

Eleanor Coppola

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Eleanor Coppola, the award-winning documentarian, noted visual artist, and longtime wife of Francis Ford Coppola , died April 12 at 87 . Born Eleanor Jessie Neil, Coppola was known for chronicling the making of films by her husband and two of their children, Roman Coppola and Sofia Coppola. (The couple's eldest child, actor and producer Gian-Carlo Coppola, died in a boating accident in 1986.) Eleanor Coppola shot and directed one of the most famous documentaries on filmmaking ever with Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse , a behind-the-scenes look at her husband's famously fraught shoot for Apocalypse Now . The Emmy-winning doc candidly captured heavy rains that delayed production, a typhoon that destroyed sets, Martin Sheen 's heart attack, and on-set struggles with Marlon Brando . She would go on to make more documentaries, including ones about her daughter's films Marie Antoinette and The Virgin Suicides , and helmed two narrative features, 2016's Paris Can Wait and 2020's Love Is Love Is Love . In addition to making movies and raising a family of filmmakers, Coppola wrote two books,  Notes: On the Making of 'Apocalypse Now' and the memoir Notes on a Life . At 87, she completed a second memoir, in which she wrote, "I appreciate how my unexpected life has stretched and pulled me in so many extraordinary ways and taken me in a multitude of directions beyond my wildest imaginings."

Robert MacNeil

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Robert MacNeil, the longtime PBS anchorman, died on April 12 at 93. MacNeil, who worked for decades with Jim Lehrer, was the voice through which many Americans learned about some of the most important events in American history. MacNeil and Lehrer earned an Emmy for their coverage of the Watergate hearings in 1973, shortly before launching the award-winning news program, The MacNeil/Lehrer Report . It became The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour in 1983, the first hour-long news program in the U.S. Before being decorated with Emmy and Peabody Awards, MacNeil, as a White House correspondent, was in President John F. Kennedy's motorcade on the day of his assassination. During his career, he covered the war in Algeria, the construction of the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Civil Rights Movement, and dozens of other pivotal stories in American history.

Meg Bennett

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Meg Bennett, a longtime actress and writer of soap operas, died April 11 at 75. Her official obituary listed the cause of death as cancer. Born Oct. 4, 1948, Bennett first acted on stage in New York, starring in the off-Broadway musical Godspell as well as the Broadway version of Grease . She then moved to Los Angeles and began a long career in soap operas. She played Julia Newman on The Young and the Restless for a six-year run starting in 1980, and then transitioned into script-writing for that show and other soaps. She won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1995 for her work writing on General Hospital , where she also met her husband Robert Guza, Jr.

Park Bo Ram

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Park Bo Ram, the Korean pop singer behind hits like “Beautiful” and “Like a Dream,” died April 11 at age 30. Park’s agency Xanadu Entertainment told Soompi that her death is being investigated by police. Other outlets, including the Korean Herald , reported that Park was found in cardiac arrest at a friend’s house and was taken to a hospital. Born in 1994, Park’s breakthrough came with her 2010 appearance on the singing competition series SuperStar K2 , where she placed in the Top 8. Her 2014 debut single “Beautiful” hit No. 2 on the Korean charts. Though she never released a full-length album, Park released two EPs (2015’s Celepretty and 2017’s Orange Moon ) and over a dozen singles. She also contributed numerous tracks to soundtracks for series like W , Reply 1988 ,  Prison Playbook , and Hyde Jekyll, Me . She recently released “I Hope,” a collaboration with Huh Gak, in February.

O.J. Simpson

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Controversial football star, actor, and former murder suspect O.J. Simpson — who was acquitted in the high-profile 1994-95 trial over the deaths of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman — died on April 10 at age 76 . Simpson's family announced the news on social media, confirming that he died after a battle with cancer. Simpson's death drew a wide range of reactions , including from Brown Simpson's family attorney, Gloria Allred, who spoke out against him after the news broke. "I don’t mourn for O.J. Simpson. I do mourn for Nicole Brown Simpson and her family," Allred told New York City's ABC7 news. "They should be remembered. The system failed."

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Mister Cee, the New York radio personality and DJ who helped launch the careers of hip-hop artists including Jay Z, Alicia Keys, and 50 Cent, was confirmed dead on April 10 at 57. Born Calvin LeBrun, Mister Cee spent more than 20 years at Hot 97 as the host of shows such as Throwback at Noon and Friday Night Live . He played a major role in the discovery of the Notorious B.I.G. and served as associate executive producer on the rapper's 1994 debut,  Ready To Die . After leaving Hot 97 in 2014, Mister Cee continued his work in radio, hosting a show on 94.7 the Block and working as a DJ on Rock the Bells Radio on SiriusXM.

Cole Brings Plenty

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Cole Brings Plenty, an actor known for playing sheep herder Pete Plenty Clouds on two episodes of the  Yellowstone  prequel series  1923 , was found dead at 27 on April 5 , after going missing and being sought by Kansas police in connection with an alleged domestic violence incident. Brings Plenty's family members, including his uncle Moses Brings Plenty — a fellow actor who plays Mo on  Yellowstone  — had reported Cole as a missing person and sought help finding him on social media. In addition to  1923 , Brings Plenty's TV credits included  The Tall Tales of Jim Bridger  and  Into the Wild Frontier .

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Carl Jeffrey “CJ” Snare, a founding member of the hair metal band FireHouse, died on April 5, his bandmates confirmed on social media . He was 64. News of Snare's death comes six months after the group announced plans to postpone gigs ahead of his impending abdominal surgery. Snare was an original member of the glam metal band, which was founded in the mid-’80s but truly made a splash with the release of their self-titled album in 1990. The record boasted such chart-topping hits as “Don’t Treat Me Bad” and “Love of a Lifetime,” both of which were co-written by Snare. The group released eight studio albums in total, with Snare co-writing most of the tracks. Outside of FireHouse, he also recorded with his band Rubicon Cross and occasionally played with Scrap Metal.

Keith LeBlanc

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Keith LeBlanc, the drummer and record producer who worked with some of the most prominent musicians of the 1980s and '90s, died April 4 from an undisclosed illness. He was 69. Born in 1954, LeBlanc worked with seminal early hip-hop acts like the Sugarhill Gang and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five as a session drummer on Sugar Hill Records in the early 1980s. His 1983 solo single "No Sell Out" famously sampled the voice of Malcolm X, and is considered one of the first mainstream recordings to utilize sampling. LeBlanc was also a member of the groups Tackhead and Little Axe, and recorded with Tina Turner, R.E.M., Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Annie Lennox, and Seal in the late '80s and '90s.

Adrian Schiller

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Adrian Schiller, the actor known for his role in Netflix's historical drama The Last Kingdom , died on April 3, CNN has confirmed. He was 60 years old. No cause of death was disclosed. The English actor boasted an acting career that spanned over 30 years, including roles in such notable films as Meryl Streep’s Suffragette , 2015’s Oscar-winning drama, The Danish Girl , and 2017’s live-action reimagining of Beauty and the Beast . On the small screen, he appeared in the Masterpiece series Victoria and the Ridley Scott-helmed streaming drama, Raised by Wolves . He most notably spent three seasons playing Ealdorman Aethelhelm in The Last Kingdom , which was adapted from Bernard Cornwell's series of novels, The Saxon Stories . Schiller’s additional credits include Bright Star, A Little Chaos, Son of God, The Mercy, Doctor Who , and Censor .

Christopher Durang

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Christopher Durang, a beloved playwright of absurdist comedies, died April 2 of complications from logopenic progressive aphasia. He was 75. Durang rose to fame in the 1980s, breaking out with Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All, which won the Obie Award for Best Playwright in 1980. His other hits include Baby With the Bathwater, The Actor's Nightmare, and The Marriage of Bette and Boo. He is perhaps best known for his series of comedic one acts, including Wanda's Visit and For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls, which are performed under the heading Durang/Durang. In 2013, he won the Tony Award for Best Play for his Chekhov parody Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.

Joe Flaherty

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Joe Flaherty , the actor and comedian who played Weir family patriarch on Freaks and Geeks after several years as a writer/performer of SCTV , died on April 1 after a brief illness. He was 82. Flaherty began his career at the legendary Second City comedy troupe in Chicago. After a year appearing on the National Lampoon Radio Hour, he relocated to Toronto where he starred on the hit Canadian sketch comedy show, SCTV , as one of its original writer/performers. He was joined by fellow comic performers, Eugene Levy , John Candy , Dave Thomas, Catherine O’Hara , Rick Moranis , and more. Flaherty went on to appear in several TV shows, including his memorable role as the embarrassing yet well-intentioned Harold Weir on Freaks and Geeks. He also made brief but memorable appearances in several hit films, including Happy Gilmore and Back to the Future Part II . Flaherty's additional credits include Police Academy: The Series, The King of Queens, Clone High , and the Canadian series Call Me Fitz .

Joshua-Michael Waring

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Joshua-Michael Waring, the son of Real Housewives of Orange County alum Lauri Peterson, died March 31 . A cause of death was not immediately disclosed. Peterson shared a moving post on Instagram confirming Waring’s death. “It is with a shattered heart that I write this post to let you know that my sweet Josh left this earth Easter Sunday,” Peterson wrote. “No one can ever prepare you for this feeling of such deep loss. Every fiber in my body hurts. Josh fought every single day for most of his adult life, for his life, but this past Sunday, the challenge was too great. Waring had dealt with substance abuse issues throughout his life, and was arrested in 2022 for one felony and multiple misdemeanor drug charges, ultimately pleading guilty . He previously spent four years in prison for attempted murder from 2016 to 2020. He is survived by his daughter, Kennady.

Barbara Rush

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Barbara Rush, who starred in the 1950s sci-fi classic It Came from Outer Space , died on March 31 at 97 years old. An actress of stage and screen, Rush began her career in California playhouses after studying theater at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her screen acting debut came in 1950s The Goldbergs , followed by her breakthrough role in the Oscar-winning sci-fi film When Worlds Collide . Two years later, she won Most Promising Newcomer at the 1954 Golden Globes for her role in It Came from Outer Space . Rush continued to star in films and TV shows, with credits including The Young Philadelphians , Robin and the 7 Hoods , Hombre , Batman, The Bionic Woman, All My Children, 7th Heaven , and Flamingo Road .

Chance Perdomo

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Chance Perdomo , star of  Chilling Adventures of Sabrina   and  Gen V , died March 30 after a single-vehicle motorcycle accident. He was 27. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Southampton, England, Perdomo was one of the young stars of the college-set  Gen V , Amazon Prime’s 2023 spinoff of  The Boys . Perdomo played Andre Anderson, the son of superhero Polarity, who fights to break free of his father’s legacy while losing his battle to stay away from his best friend’s girl. Even with his flaws and failings, Perdomo’s Andre was possibly the closest thing to a moral center in the  Boys  universe. Perdomo's breakout role came in 2018, when he took on the part of Ambrose Spellman, teenage witch Sabrina’s familiar, in Netflix’s  Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.  He also appeared in the  After We Fell  Netflix movie trilogy , based on Anna Todd's YA romances.

Tim McGovern

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Tim McGovern, a visual effects veteran and an Oscar winner for his work on 1990's Total Recall, died in his sleep on March 30, his wife announced on social media. He was 68. A digital effects pioneer, McGovern started his career in the early '80s, working on the groundbreaking 1982 movie Tron . He went on to become a founding member of Sony Pictures Imageworks, serving as senior VFX supervisor. His numerous film credits include Last Action Hero , Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation , Dunkirk , Ant-Man and the Wasp , and Shazam! Fury of the Gods . Born in Chicago, McGovern was honored with a Special Achievement Award at the 1991 Oscars for his work on the Arnold Schwarzenegger classic Total Recall . Last year, he received the Visual Effects Society's Founders Award.

Louis Gossett Jr.

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Louis Gossett Jr. , a prolific character actor best known for his performances in An Officer and a Gentleman and the original Roots miniseries, died March 29 at 87. Gossett first began acting for the stage, and appeared in the original Broadway run of A Raisin in the Sun alongside Sidney Poitier ; he then made his film debut in the 1961 movie adaptation of the Lorraine Hansberry play. His screen breakthrough came with his portrayal of the character Fiddler in Roots , which earned him an Emmy Award. A few years later, Gossett won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in An Officer and a Gentleman , becoming the first Black actor to win a supporting Oscar and only the second to win an acting Oscar at all, following his old castmate Poitier. He continued acting for the rest of his life, recently appearing in HBO's Watchmen series and 2023's musical remake of The Color Purple .

Fritz Wepper

Fritz Wepper, a prolific German actor best known in the U.S. for his performance as Fritz Wendel in Cabaret , died March 25 at at 82. Wepper was a familiar face on German TV, playing Det. Sergeant Harry Klein on the series Derrick from 1977 to 1998, a run that spanned nearly 300 episodes. He also appeared in more than 250 episodes of the series For Heaven's Sake . However, his biggest turn for American audiences was as a friend to Liza Minelli's Sally Bowles and Michael York's Brian Roberts in Cabaret . His character longed for Natalia Landauer (Marisa Berenson) but would have to reveal himself as Jewish in a Berlin beset by Nazis. Cabaret marked one of Wepper's only Hollywood credits, along with from the 2001 TV movie version of Murder on the Orient Express with Alfred Molina. In his native Germany, his film and TV credits were extensive, including Der Kommissar , High Society Murder , and the Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning film Die Brücke .

Paula Weinstein

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Paula Weinstein, producer of Analyze This and Blood Diamond , died on March 25 at age 78. Weinstein, who was the chief content officer at Tribeca Enterprises until 2023, produced dozens of films, including T he Perfect Storm and The Fabulous Baker Boys . She was also the executive producer of the series Grace and Frankie and won a pair of primetime Emmys for the TV movies Truman and Recount . "The world is a lesser place without my mother," her daughter Hannah Rosenberg said in a statement. "She was a masterful producer and a force of nature for the things she believed in, including the many projects that spanned her illustrious career, the stories she fought to tell and the social justice causes she championed." Before her time at Tribeca Enterprises, she served as president of United Artists, executive vice president at Fox, and vice president at Warner Bros. In 2023, Weinstein left Tribeca Enterprises to focus on political causes. Her political work included being a founding member of the Hollywood Women's Political Committee, which raised millions for Democratic political candidates, and a former board member of the ACLU of Southern California.

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Ron Harper, the actor best known for his roles on the sci-fi series Planet of the Apes and Land of the Lost , died March 21 at 91 . His first onscreen credit was in an episode of the series Kraft Theatre in 1955. Harper then scored small roles on Tales of Wells Fargo , Thriller , Wagon Train , The Deputy , The Tall Man , and Shotgun Slade before nabbing a breakout part as Det. Bert Kling in 30 episodes of 87th Precinct , which also starred Norman Fell, Robert Lansing, Gregory Walcott, and Gena Rowlands. Harper's successful stints on 1960s television continued with roles on Laramie , Wendy and Me, The Jean Arthur Show , and Garrison's Gorillas . The '70s saw Harper land memorable parts on the series Planet of the Apes (based on the movie series of the same name) and Land of the Lost . Though he was mostly known for his small-screen work, Harper's résumé on the film side included The Wild Season , The Soldier , Below Utopia , The Odd Couple II , Pearl Harbor , and The Poughkeepsie Tapes . Guest stints later in his TV career included Beverly Hills, 90210 ; Melrose Place ; Walker, Texas Ranger ; Boy Meets World ; The West Wing ; and Cold Case .

M. Emmet Walsh

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M. Emmet Walsh, the actor best known for his work as private detective Loren Visser in Blood Simple, died March 19 of cardiac arrest, EW has confirmed . He was 88 years old. The beloved character actor is recognizable for his wry delivery and gruff persona. With over five decades in the industry under his belt, Walsh has appeared in 119 feature films and accrued over 250 television production credits. Born on March 22, 1935, the actor made both his Broadway and onscreen debut in 1969. His breakthrough came several years later in 1977's Slap Shot. He was recently seen as a security guard in Knives Out and as Granddaddy Roy Gemstone on HBO's The Righteous Gemstones. He also has memorable roles in Critters, Ridley Scott 's Blade Runner, the Julia Roberts-starring romcom My Best Friend's Wedding , and the 1979 comedy, The Jerk. He was best known for his role in the Coen Brothers' debut Blood Simple, in which he plays a crooked private detective who kills his client and frames the client's cheating wife for murder. Walsh never married and is survived by his niece, nephew, and two grandnephews.

Jennifer Leak

Jennifer Leak, the actress known for her role in the 1968 film Yours, Mine and Ours and her work on several daytime soap operas, died March 18 at 76. Born in Cardiff, Wales, Leak scored her first screen credit with the TV series Wojeck in 1966, before nabbing the role of Lucille Ball's daughter in Yours, Mine and Ours . She would meet her first husband, Tim Matheson , on the film as well. Leak's other film credits included Eye of the Cat , The Photographer , The Incubus , and Agent on Ice , but it was television where she would spend the majority of her acting career. She played Olive Springer Gordon Randolph on Another World , Blanche Bouvier on Guiding Light , and Gwen Sherman on The Young and the Restless , with additional credits on The Good Guys , Hawaii Five-O , Lost Flight , McMillan & Wife , and The Mary Tyler Moore Show . Leak was married to Matheson from 1968 to 1971, and to James D'Auria from 1977 until her death.

Steve Harley

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Steve Harley, frontman of Cockney Rebel, died on March 17 at age 73. Harley and his band began performing together in the early '70s. By 1975, they'd released their most influential song, "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)." The song topped the U.K. charts, was covered by the likes of Duran Duran and Erasure, and was featured in many films and shows such as The Full Monty and Velvet Goldmine . However, "Make Me Smile" was far from Cockney Rebel's only success. They popped onto the charts again with "Judy Teen" in 1974, as well as their cover of the Beatles ' "Here Comes the Sun" in 1976. Harley later said George Harrison was a fan of Cockney Rebel's version of the song. Harley hit pause on touring for a stretch in the '80s and, when he finally returned to the stage, was thereafter a relentless performer for decades, playing shows up through 2023.

David Seidler

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David Seidler, the Oscar-winning screenwriter, died March 16 while on a fly-fishing expedition in New Zealand, per his manager. He was 86. Born Aug. 3, 1937, Seidler spent his early childhood in London before his family relocated to New York amidst World War II. He developed a stutter on the voyage, and his subsequent years in speech therapy served as inspiration when he eventually penned The King’s Speech . The 2010 film about King George VI’s struggle to overcome his severe stutter received 12 Oscar nominations at the 83rd Academy Awards and won four, including Best Picture. Colin Firth also took home a trophy for his performance as King George, and Tom Hooper won for Best Director. The film earned many more accolades, including seven BAFTAs. Seidler later penned a stage adaptation of the film, which opened in London's West End in 2012. The script has since been translated into more than half a dozen languages and performed across four continents. Seidler’s additional credits include Get Happy: The Partridge Family Story, The King and I, Quest for Camelot, Madeline: Lost in Paris, and Francis Ford Coppola ’s 1988 comedy drama Tucker: The Man and His Dream.

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Joe Camp, the writer and director best known as the creative force behind the Benji franchise, died March 15 at 84 . Camp's career started with the original Benji movie in 1974, which was partly inspired by his own dog of the same name. After raising funds to make the movie, he had trouble selling it. "It was turned down by every studio in Hollywood," he later said. Camp ultimately distributed the film independently, and it turned into a massive success. He would go on to make more Benji films, TV shows, and Benji -related stories in other media. He also directed comedies like Hawmps ; The Double McGuffin , with Ernest Borgnine; and Oh! Heavenly Dog , starring Chevy Chase as a detective who has to solve a mystery after being reincarnated as a dog. Outside of film and TV, Camp was a horseman and best-selling author whose works included the 2008 book The Soul of a Horse: Life Lessons from the Herd . He was also a donor and board member for many charities, rescue organizations, and schools, including the Piney Woods School in Mississippi.

Robyn Bernard

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Robyn Bernard, the actress best known for her role as aspiring singer Terry Brock on General Hospital during the 1980s, died March 12 at 64 . The older sister of Wings actress Crystal Bernard, she was born May 26, 1959, in Gladewater, Tex. Bernard made her professional acting debut with a small role in the 1981 French thriller Diva and went on to bit parts on TV series like Simon & Simon , Whiz Kids , and The Facts of Life . In 1984, she landed the recurring role of Terry Brock on General Hospital , appearing in 145 episodes from '84 to 1990. Bernard acted sporadically through the '90s, and her last credited role was in the 2002 straight-to-video movie Voices from the High School .

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Bo$$, a rapper best known for her 1993 album Born Gangstaz and for being the first female rapper to sign with Def Jam, died at age 54 . Born Lichelle Marie Laws, she used the stage name Bo$$ when she released her only studio album in May 1993, which sold nearly 400,000 copies, peaking at No. 22 on the Billboard 200 and No. 3 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. It produced the singles "Deeper" and "Recipe of a Hoe." Additionally, Laws released two mix-tapes, and also featured on albums from AMG, South Central Cartel, Ice-T, Powerlord Jel, Spice 1, Ant Banks, Treach, Dori, Krayzie Bone, LaReece and more.

Malachy McCourt

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Malachy McCourt, the Irish American author, actor, barkeep, and raconteur, died March 11 at 92 . McCourt was beloved for portraying the bartender Kevin on the ABC soap opera Ryan's Hope across the show's 14-year run, and also appeared annually as Father Clarence on All My Children during the holiday season. His other TV and film credits included Oz , Body & Soul , Remember WENN , Gods and Generals , The Devil's Own , and The Other Guys . McCourt founded an eponymous pub, Malachy's, in Manhattan, and ran for governor of New York in 2006 as the Green Party candidate. He was the younger brother of celebrated Angela's Ashes author Frank McCourt and wrote two memoirs himself: A Monk Swimming and Singing My Him Song .

Karl Wallinger

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Karl Wallinger, the Welsh musician known as the frontman of World Party and a former member of the Waterboys, died March 10 at 66. Wallinger formed World Party in 1986, following his departure from the Waterboys, recording the project's debut album, Private Revolution , largely alone in his home. When the album was released in 1987, it was a minor hit for the label, partly on the strength of the lead single, "Ship of Fools." The band's breakthrough came with the 1990 album Goodbye Jumbo , which was released after Wallinger contributed to Sinéad O'Connor 's 1988 debut, The Lion and the Cobra . Wallinger and the group would tour and release four albums through 2000, with popular songs like "Put the Message in the Box" and "Is It Like Today?" While recording their fourth album, Egyptology , Wallinger decided to include "She's the One," a song that was originally written for the film of the same name. Not long after the release, Robbie Williams recorded a version of the track that became a hit. The situation upset Wallinger at the time, but he later came to terms with it. "I was so lucky that Robbie recorded 'She's the One,' because it allowed me to keep going," Wallinger later wrote on the band's website, referencing how the royalties helped him following a 2001 aneurysm. "He nicked my pig and killed it, but gave me enough bacon to live on for four years. He kept my kids in school and me in Seaview [Wallinger's recording studio], and for that I thank him." After Wallinger's recovery, World Party began to perform live again in 2006 and toured through 2015. Wallinger was also the musical director of the Rocky Horror Show on the West End in the '70s. He was later the musical director for the film Reality Bites and contributed to the popular soundtrack for 1996's Clueless .

Eric Carmen

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Eric Carmen, who became a '70s icon as the frontman of the Raspberries, died in March at 74. Born Aug. 11, 1949 in Cleveland, the singer-songwriter forged his love for music at a young age, taking violin lessons at 6 and teaching himself to play the guitar as a teen. He joined the Raspberries in 1967 and they rose to fame as a pop-rock band in the style of the Beatles and the Who. Their hits would include “Go All the Way,” “I Wanna Be With You,” “Let’s Pretend,” “Tonight” and “Overnight Sensation." When they split in the mid-’70s, Carmen found success as a solo artist with hits including “All by Myself, “Make Me Lose Control,” and the Dirty Dancing song “Hungry Eyes.” Over the years, the band reunited to share the stage. Their final performance together was at Cleveland’s KeyBank State Theatre in December 2007.

Steve Lawrence

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Steve Lawrence, the Grammy- and Emmy-winning entertainer who dazzled audiences as a nightclub and concert singer with his late wife, Eydie Gormé, died March 7 from complications of Alzheimer's disease. He was 88. Lawrence got his start in show business as a teenager, after winning a talent competition on Arthur Godfrey's CBS show, but his career truly blossomed after he crossed paths with Gormé. They became friends in 1953 while performing duets on Steve Allen's talk show and soon became known as Steve & Eydie, garnering acclaim as a musical duo who would record multiple albums, appear on variety shows, and headline famous Las Vegas venues. They married in 1957. With and without Gormé, Lawrence released dozens of albums in his lifetime, earning acclaim for hits like "Go Away Little Girl." As an actor, Lawrence's credits included a Broadway stint as Sammy Glick in What Makes Sammy Run? , a memorable turn as Maury Sline in The Blues Brothers and its sequel, and several guest-starring roles on TV. Gormé and Lawrence made several records and television specials, for which they won an Emmy and a Grammy. While also pursuing solo projects and gigs, the duo continued performing together until Gormé's death in 2013.

Garrison Brown

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Garrison Brown, known for appearing on the TLC reality series Sister Wives , was found dead at his home in Flagstaff, Ariz., on March 5 . He was 25. Brown had been a part of Sister Wives , which follows the lives of a polygamist family, since its premiere in 2010. The family includes Kody Brown (Garrison's father) and wife Robyn; ex-wives Janelle (Garrison's mother), Christine, and Meri; and 18 children. In a statement posted to Kody and Janelle's respective Instagram accounts, she wrote that their son "was a bright spot in the lives of all who knew him. His loss will leave such a big hole in our lives that it takes our breath away. We ask that you please respect our privacy and join us in honoring his memory."

Anthony 'Baby Gap' Walker

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Anthony Walker, known as "Baby Gap," a former member of the legendary funk group The Gap Band —as well as a dancer and choreographer in his own right — died March 4 at age 60 due to complications from a neck surgery. Hailing from Chicago, Walker joined The Gap Band in 1979 as a dancer and choreographer, and eventually contributing as a songwriter. He performed and toured with the group for 23 years. Walker co-wrote two tracks on the group's 1985 album The Gap Band V , "Automatic Brain" and "L'il Red Funkin' Hood." Also in 1985, Gap Band lead singer Charlie Wilson produced an album with Walker and fellow band member Billy Young, Billy & Baby Gap , which produced the hit "Rock the Nation." As a dancer, Walker formed the award-winning breakdancing group Tidal Wave in the 1970s, and taught breakdancing and moonwalking in the early '80s at John Travolta ’s dance studio. Walker also worked as a choreographer for Disney.

Charlie Griffin

Capt. Charlie Griffin, a fisherman featured on National Geographic 's reality series Wicked Tuna , died March 4 in a boating accident on the Outer Banks. Griffin, who captained the Reels of Fortune vessel, appeared in seasons 2 through 5 of Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks, which follows fishermen who fish for lucrative bluefin tuna off the coast of North Carolina.

Brit Turner

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Brit Turner, best known as the drummer for southern rock band Blackberry Smoke, died at 57 after a nearly two-year battle with glioblastoma. The group — which consists of Brit's brother, Richard Turner, Charlie Starr, Paul Jackson, and Brandon Still, as well as touring members Benji Shanks and Preston Holcomb — made the announcement of his death in a social media post on March 3 . "If you had the privilege of knowing Brit on any level, you know he was the most caring, empathetic, driven and endearing person one could ever hope to meet," their statement read. "Brit was Blackberry Smoke’s True North, the compass that instituted the ideology that will continue to guide this band." The group was formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2000. Since then, Blackberry Smoke has released a total of eight studio albums, and several live albums and extended plays, all of which Turner had a part in.

Jim Beard, the jazz pianist best known for his work with Steely Dan , died March 2 at a New York hospital following complications from a sudden illness. He was 63. Born in Philadelphia in 1960, Beard studied under jazz musicians including Don Sebesky, Roland Hanna, and George Shearing during his youth. After moving to New York in 1985, Beard worked with Wayne Shorter, John Scofield, Michael Brecker, Bill Evans, Mike Stern, and John McLaughlin. He later worked with John Mayer , Esperanza Spalding , Dizzy Gillespie, Al Jarreau, and numerous other artists. Beard joined Steely Dan in 2008 and frequently toured with the band; his last performance with the group was on Jan. 20 of this year in Phoenix, where they opened for the Eagles’ Long Goodbye Tour. A teacher at Berklee College of Music, Beard’s music was nominated for seven Grammys, and he won one in 2007 for his work on Randy and Michael Brecker’s Some Skunk Funk . He also recorded six solo albums. He is survived by his mother, two children, and two siblings.

Mark Dodson

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Mark Dodson, the voiceover artist known for his work in the Star Wars and Gremlins franchises, died on March 2 at age 64. Dodson spent over four decades as a radio personality, producer, and voice actor. He got his start as Star Wars: Return of the Jedi ’s Salacious Crumb, a memorably shrill monkey-lizard who served Jabba the Hut. The gig immediately earned him a part as a voiceover artist for the Mowgai in Joe Dante's 1984 classic, Gremlins . Dodson’s later credits include Day of the Dead , Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens , Gremlins 2: The New Batch , and video games such as Ghostrunner, Bendy and the Dark Revival, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and Star Trek Online . Dodson is survived by his daughter Ciara and his grandchildren.

Akira Toriyama

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Akira Toriyama, the multidisciplinary artist who created iconic manga and anime series like Dragon Ball and also had a hand in video games including Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger , died March 1 at 68, from an acute subdural hematoma. Toriyama was, sadly, still in the midst of working on future projects, but his lifetime of art has already had a lasting impact on global popular culture. Dragon Ball 's combination of thrilling martial arts action with colorful characters, irreverent humor, and cosmic world-building has directly influenced many subsequent anime like Naruto and One Piece (whose creators wrote touching tributes to Toriyama in the wake of his death), as well as recent American movies like Black Panther and Creed III . But even the sheer familiarity that many Americans now have with manga and anime is a credit to Dragon Ball' s legacy.

Michael 'Virgil' Jones

Soul Train Jones aka VIRGIL/Instagram

Michael Jones, the former pro wrestler who was best known by the ring name Virgil and also appeared under the names Vincent and Lucius Brown, died Feb. 28 at 61. A cause of death was not immediately disclosed, though Jones had previously been diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer. Born in Wilkinsburg, Penn., in 1962, Jones began wrestling under the name Soul Train Jones in the Championship Wrestling Association in 1985. He changed his moniker to Lucius Brown when he moved to the WWF in 1986, then took on the Virgil persona in 1987. Virgil was in Ted DiBiase and Andre the Giant's corner when they faced Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage at Summerslam 1988, and eventually turned on DiBiase after years of allyship. He also trained Roddy Piper, and later wrestled in the National Wrestling Conference and World Championship Wrestling, before retiring in 2000.

Sean Garinger

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Sean Garinger, who appeared on 16 and Pregnant alongside his then-girlfriend Selena Gutierrez, died on Feb. 28 at age 20. The reality star was driving an ATV near his home in Boone, North Carolina, when it flipped and crushed his skull. Garinger shared two daughters, Dareli and Esmi with his ex, Gutierrez. The pair starred in season 6 of the MTV series, split up, and were on-and-off in the aftermath of the show. Garinger is survived by his daughters, mother and sisters.

Michael Culver

Michael Culver, the English actor and peace activist who played a brief but memorable role as an Imperial officer ruthlessly terminated by Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back , died Feb. 27, at 85 . The Star Wars sequel featured Culver as Captain Needa, who learns the consequences of failing Darth Vader: In a fan-favorite scene, Needa apologizes to the Sith Lord for losing a group of rebel soldiers and is swiftly Force-choked to death. Culver's other screen credits included A Passage to India , The Return of Sherlock Holmes , Secret Army , Thunderball ,  The Avengers ,  Goodbye Mr. Chips ,  From Russia With Love ,  Squadron ,  Cadfel , and  Wallander .

Richard Lewis

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Richard Lewis, the actor and comedian known for his neurotic humor, his distinctive delivery, and his long-running role as a fictionalized version of himself on Curb Your Enthusiasm , died Feb. 27 after suffering a heart attack. He was 76. Lewis announced his retirement from stand-up comedy in April 2023 and disclosed that he'd been living with Parkinson's disease. He first rose to prominence with his stand-up in the '70s and '80s, becoming a fixture on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson , Late Night With David Letterman , and other late-night programs. He worked on Curb with his longtime friend Larry David from the show's first episode in 2000, and his other screen credits included Robin Hood: Men in Tights , Leaving Las Vegas , 7th Heaven ,  Two and a Half Men ,  The Simpsons ,  Alias ,  Everybody Hates Chris ,  Law & Order: Special Victims Unit ,  Bojack Horseman ,  She's Funny That Way,  and  Sandy Wexler .

Charles Dierkop

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Charles Dierkop, the character actor who appeared in memorable projects like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid , died Feb. 25 at age 87 at Sherman Oaks Hospital following a heart attack and a case of pneumonia. Dierkop played the outlaw George “Flat Nose” Curry in Butch Cassidy , and reunited with the film’s director George Roy Hill for The Sting . Dierkop had small supporting roles in The Hustler starring Paul Newman , Sidney Lumet’s The Pawnbroker and Roger Corman ’s The St. Valentine's Day Massacre . Other film credits include the Christmas slasher Silent Night, Deadly Night , Messiah of Evil , and Maverick . On the small screen, Dierkop played undercover investigator Pete Royster in 90 episodes of Police Woman . He also appeared in supporting roles in some of the most prominent series of the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, including Star Trek , The Andy Griffith Show , Mission: Impossible , Bonanza , Batman , Kung Fu , Gunsmoke , CHiPs , Fantasy Island , MacGyver , and ER .

Kenneth Mitchell

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Kenneth Mitchell, best known for playing multiple roles in Star Trek: Discovery as well as Carol Danvers' dad in Captain Marvel, died Feb. 24 after a five year battle with ALS. He was 49. Mitchell portrayed the Klingons Kol, Kol-Sha, and Tenavik, as well as Aurellio, on Star Trek: Discovery. In addition, he voiced several characters in an episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks . Mitchell also had recurring roles on Jericho , Ghost Whisperer , Switched at Birth , The Astronaut Wives Club , and Nancy Drew among others, and in 2019 he was featured as Joseph Danvers in Captain Marvel.

Chris Gauthier

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Chris Gauthier, an actor known for series like  Once Upon a Time and Smallville died on Feb. 23 after a brief illness. He was 48. The English-born Canadian actor had notable roles as Café Diem owner Vincent on  Eureka , the villainous Winslow Schott (aka Toyman) on  Smallville , and first mate Smee on  Once Upon a Time . He also enjoyed memorable turns in  Freddy vs. Jason ,  Watchmen ,  Supernatural , and  A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Pamela Salem

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Pamela Salem, a British actress known for her work in the James Bond and  Doctor Who  franchises, died Feb. 21 at 80 . Born in India, she attended Heidelberg University in Germany and the Central School of Speech and Drama in London before starting in repertory theater in Chesterfield and York. She played the character of Toos in a 1977  Doctor Who  adventure, "The Robots of Death," and 11 years later portrayed a different character, Professor Rachel Jensen, in "Remembrance of the Daleks." Salem reprised both roles in audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions. Her other screen credits included the 1983 James Bond adventure  Never Say Never Again , in which she played Miss Moneypenny, as well as the TV series Blake's 7 , Eastenders , and The West Wing .

Tony Ganios

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Tony Ganios, best known for playing fan-favorite character Meat in the Porky's films, died Feb. 18 . He was 64. Ganios made his onscreen debut as Perry in the 1979 coming of age film The Wanderers . That film also starred Ken Wahl, and the two would reunite years later in crime series Wiseguy . Ganios followed The Wanderers up with three films in 1981 — Back Roads , Continental Divide , and Porky's. Ganios starred in both sequels to the teen sex comedy, 1983's Porky’s II: The Next Day and 1985's Porky’s Revenge . He also had roles in Body Rock , Die Hard 2 , The Taking of Beverly Hills , and Rising Sun . His other television credits include the TV movie Ring of the Musketeers and stints on The Equalizer and Scarecrow and Mrs. King .

Anne Whitfield

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Anne Whitfield, the actress best known for playing Susan Waverly in White Christmas , has died at age 85. The actor died on Feb. 15 at Valley Memorial Hospital in Yakima, Wash., following an accident, according to a death notice on the blog of Burien, Wash. Born in Oxford, Miss., in 1938, Whitfield moved to Hollywood with her mother as a child while her father was deployed in World War II. She quickly began working as an actor on nationally broadcast radio programs like The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show and One Man’s Family . At age 15, Whitfield played Susan Waverly, the granddaughter of Major General Thomas Waverly (Dean Jagger), in the holiday classic White Christmas . Susan encourages her grandfather to host a performance by the film’s main characters (played by Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen) at his hotel, which ultimately yields a moving tribute to the general himself. Whitfield’s obituary states that she watched White Christmas with her family in December 2023 in celebration of the film’s 70th anniversary.

E. Duke Vincent

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E. Duke Vincent, the prolific TV producer who worked on hit dramas like Dynasty and Beverly Hills, 90210 , died Feb. 10 at age 91 in Montecito, Calif. Born Edward Ventimiglia in 1932, Vincent entered the entertainment industry by way of aviation. He served as a Naval aviator and joined the Blue Angels flying team in 1961, where he helped capture aerial photo sequences for the TV series The Blue Angels . From there, he produced documentaries and shows like Gomer Pyle , Arnie , and The Little People . With his producing partner Aaron Spelling, Vincent worked on Dynasty , Beverly Hills, 90210 , Melrose Place , 7th Heaven , and Charmed . After retiring from television, he wrote four novels.

Henry Fambrough

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Henry Fambrough, the singer known for his work in the R&B quintet the Spinners, died Feb. 7 at age 85. The singer, who retired from the group last year after over 70 years as its baritone, died of natural causes at his home in Virginia. The group formed in 1954 just outside of Detroit as the Domingoes before changing their name to the Spinners in 1961. For the next decade, the Spinners recorded numerous singles and two studio albums under Motown Records. They found more success after switching to Atlantic Records in the 1970s with songs like "I'll Be Around" and "How Could I Let You Get Away,” the latter of which featured co-lead vocals from Fambrough. Fambrough also sang lead or co-lead vocals on songs like "Ghetto Child,” "I Don't Want to Lose You,” "Ain't No Price on Happiness,” and "Living a Little, Laughing a Little." He is survived by his wife and daughter.

Cecilia Gentili

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Pose  actress Cecilia Gentili died on Feb. 6 from an undisclosed cause. She was 52. Gentili was a dedicated advocate of advancing LGBTQIA+ causes, including HIV/AIDS awareness and equity for sex workers and transgender people. She also appeared on Ryan Murphy's FX drama Pose as Miss Orlando, who first popped up on season 1 as a New York City woman who provides deeply discounted cosmetic surgery. She was also a published author of the book  Faltas: Letters to Everyone in My Hometown Who Isn’t My Rapist. She had planned to star in a one-woman show,  Red Ink , following her early life in Argentina and her lifelong dedication to "searching for faith while trans," in NYC later this year.

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Country music superstar Toby Keith died Feb. 5 at age 62 following a two-year battle with stomach cancer . After launching his career with his debut hit "Should've Been a Cowboy," the musician released a string of successful genre songs over the next two decades, including his biggest hit to date, 2011's "Red Solo Cup" and the divisive Sept. 11-inspired song "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)."

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Don Murray, who received an Oscar nomination for his role in Bus Stop , died on Feb. 2. He was 94. Murray was known for his performance in the Joshua Logan-directed western, where he played opposite Marilyn Monroe as a lovestruck cowboy who falls for a beautiful saloon singer. Following his breakout performance in the drama, Murray went on to appear in films including A Hatful of Rain, Shake Hands with the Devil, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, and  Peggy Sue Got Married . In the late ‘60s, he led ABC’s one-season western, The Outcasts , and a decade later, starred in the Dallas spinoff, Knots Landing . The actor also appeared in the 2017 reboot of Twin Peaks . Murray is survived by his five children.

Wayne Kramer

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Wayne Kramer, the guitarist who co-founded the proto-punk rock band MC5, died Feb. 2 at the age of 75 from pancreatic cancer. Born Wayne Kambes in Detroit in 1948, Kramer founded MC5 alongside Fred “Sonic” Smith. MC5 gained a following for its energetic performances and left-wing political platform, at one point performing for eight hours straight at the infamous protest against the Vietnam War at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. MC5’s live album Kick Out the Jams and studio album Back in the USA were both heavily influential on the blossoming punk subgenre, and the group helped mentor other prominent bands like the Stooges. Kramer launched a successful solo career in the 1990s, and he later collaborated with artists like Rage Against the Machine , Bad Religion, and fellow Detroit rocker Alice Cooper . Kramer also helped compose the scores for Eastbound and Down , Talladega Nights , and Step Brothers .

Carl Weathers

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Carl Weathers , the actor and former pro football player best known for his work in the Rocky movies, died Feb. 1 at 76 . Weathers' family said in a statement that he died peacefully in his sleep. After playing for the Oakland Raiders, Weathers rose to prominence portraying rival boxer Apollo Creed in Rocky , serving as the antagonist in the original 1976 film and the 1979 sequel Rocky II before becoming a friend and ally to Sylvester Stallone's Italian Stallion in Rocky III (1982) and Rocky IV (1985). He also starred in projects like Predator , Happy Gilmore , Arrested Development , and the Star Wars spinoff show The Mandalorian .

Mark Gustafson

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Mark Gustafson, the Oscar-winning co-director of Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio , died on Feb. 1. The animator and director was 64. Gustafson's career in animation began in the '80s, taking a variety of forms in addition to the claymation work he would become known for. His early work included the TV special Claymation Christmas Celebration and the Emmy-nominated Meet the Raisins special, which starred the California Raisins. Later, he would direct episodes of the Eddie Murphy -led series, The PJs . Gustafson would go on to work as the animation director for Wes Anderson 's Fantastic Mr. Fox and lead the claymation sequences in A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas . "I admired Mark Gustafson, even before I met him. A pillar of stop motion animation — a true artist," Guillermo del Toro wrote in tribute to the animator on X. Their work together on Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio would win an Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2023, as well as a Golden Globe, three Visual Effects Society Awards, and five Annie Awards, including an award for Outstanding Achievement in Directing. "He leaves behind a titanic legacy of animation that goes back to the very origins of claymation and that shaped the career and craft of countless animators," del Toro continued. "He leaves friends and colleagues and a historic filmography."

Chita Rivera

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Chita Rivera, the legendary Tony award-winning actress and singer who originated the role of Anita in  West Side Story  on Broadway, died on Jan. 30 after a brief illness. She was 91. Rivera made her first appearance at 19 as a principal dancer in the 1952 touring company of the musical  Call Me Madam  before making her Broadway debut in  Guys and Dolls  the following year. In 1957, she landed her history-making role as Anita in  Stephen Sondheim 's  West Side Story  that would turn her into an overnight sensation. Her other stage credits include originating the role of Velma Kelly in  Chicago,  Anna in  The Rink , and Aurora in  Kiss of the Spider Woman , the latter two of which saw her win Tony Awards for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. Rivera was one of the most-nominated stars in Tony Awards history, with 10 nods to her name for her performances in  Bye Bye Birdie, Chicago, Merlin, Nine,  and her musical career retrospective,  Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life.  She made her final Broadway stage performance in the 2015 musical  The Visit.

Hinton Battle

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Hinton Battle, the three-time Tony-winning actor who originated the role of Scarecrow in The Wiz on Broadway, died Jan. 29 at 67. Battle won the Tony for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for his work in 1981's Sophisticated Ladies , 1984's The Tap Dance Kid , and 1991's Miss Saigon . He also starred in the Broadway productions of Dreamgirls (and its 2006 film adaptation), Dancin' , and Chicago . In addition to his work on the Great White Way, Battle appeared on several television shows, including Quantum Leap , Sweet Justice , High Incident , Touched by an Angel , and Buffy the Vampire Slayer , the latter of which saw him memorably portray a singing villain in a 2001 musical episode .

Sandra Milo

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Sandra Milo, the Italian actress best known for appearing in Federico Fellini's autobiographical classic 8 ½ , died Jan. 29 at 90. She passed away in her sleep at home in Rome surrounded by family. Born Elena Salvatrice Greco, Milo collaborated with numerous renowned filmmakers, including Roberto Rossellini, Jean Renoir, and Gabriele Salvatore. In addition to playing the protagonist's mistress Carla in 8 ½ , she appeared in Fellini's Juliet of the Spirit and later became a well-known talk show host.

Melanie Safka

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Melanie, the folk-pop singer and songwriter known for such hits as "Brand New Key" and "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)," died Jan. 23 at 76 . Born Melanie Safka in New York City, she got her start performing in coffeehouses and made a splash at Woodstock as a relative unknown in 1969. The latter experience provided the basis for her breakthrough hit, "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)," which was followed by her inescapably popular single "Brand New Key," her sole top 10 hit in the U.S. Over the course of her career, Melanie released 28 studio albums, with notable songs including  "What Have They Done to My Song Ma," "Ring the Living Bell," "Together Alone," and a cover of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow." In 1968, Melanie married record producer Peter Schekeryk, who died in 2010. The couple shared three children.

Charles Osgood

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Charles Osgood, the venerable CBS news anchor and radio personality, died Jan. 23 at 91-years-old . His family told CBS News that the cause of death was dementia. Osgood was best known as the Sunday Morning news host who helmed the show from 1994 to 2016, after original host Charles Kuralt. He was also the voice of The Osgood File , a daily news commentary series for the network’s radio station. During his tenure, Sunday Morning reached new highs, including a ratings spike and three Daytime Emmy wins for Outstanding Morning Program. Outside of the newsroom, Osgood served as the narrator of Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who and was an acclaimed author and poet.

Gary Graham

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Gary Graham, the actor known for starring on the television series Alien Nation and appearing in various Star Trek screen projects, died Jan. 22 at 73 . Graham led Alien Nation for its single season from 1989 to 1990 as Det. Matthew Sikes, an L.A. cop who works with extraterrestrial "Newcomers" like Sam "George" Francisco (Eric Pierpoint) to solve crimes. He would reprise the role for five TV movie follow-ups. Graham also portrayed as the Vulcan ambassador Soval on Star Trek: Enterprise and played different characters in other Star Trek works. His other TV credits included The Incredible Hulk , Scruples , CHiPs , The Dukes of Hazzard , Ally McBeal , and JAG .

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Mary Weiss, lead singer of '60s girl group the Shangri-Las, died Jan. 19 . She was 75. Formed while still in high school with her sister Elizabeth and twins Mary Ann and Marguerite Ganser, the Shangri-Las scored their first top 10 hit with the single "Remember (Walking in the Sand)." Other hits include "Give Him a Great Big Kiss" and "Maybe," and their chart-topping anthem "Leader of the Pack," which was later featured in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas . The Shangri-Las released just two albums —  Leader of the Pack  and  The Shangri-Las '65!  — before disbanding in 1968 amid legal troubles. The group reunited for several performances in the 1970s and one final gig in 1989, but Weiss largely stayed out of the spotlight until 2005, when she decided to pursue a solo career. Her debut album,  Dangerous Games , was released in 2007.

Norman Jewison

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Norman Jewison, the versatile Canadian filmmaker who directed some of the 20th century's most beloved movies, such as In the Heat of the Night and Moonstruck , died Jan. 20 at 97 . After working with stars like Judy Garland, Danny Kaye, Harry Belafonte, and Jackie Gleason on TV specials, Jewison helmed a wide variety of popular films in wildly different genres, including Fiddler on the Roof , The Thomas Crown Affair , Rollerball , The Cincinnati Kid , and Jesus Christ Superstar . Jewison received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1999, and his films won a total of 12 Oscars from 41 nominations, including a Best Picture win for In the Heat of the Night .

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Actor David Emge, well known to horror fans for playing the role of helicopter pilot Stephen in the 1978 zombie classic Dawn of the Dead , died Jan. 20 at 77 . After serving in the Vietnam War, Emge starting his acting career at the Pittsburgh Playhouse and then moved to New York. He was working as a chef when Dawn of the Dead director George Romero cast him as Stephen, who in the film is bitten and becomes a zombie. An image of the undead pilot featured in a book about horror movies later attracted the interest of a young Simon Pegg, helping to inspire the future Shaun of the Dead star and cowriter’s interest in zombies. “I would stare at the image of David Emge’s zombified flyboy character,” Pegg recalled in his 2011 memoir Nerd Do Well . “The film became something of an obsession for me.” Emge’s other film credits included 1976’s The Booby Hatch and 1990’s Basket Case 2 .

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David Gail, best known for a recurring role as Brenda Walsh's fiancé on Beverly Hills, 90210 and as Dr. Joe Scanlon on the daytime soap Port Charles , died Jan. 20 . He was 58. Gail made his television debut in a 1990 episode of Growing Pains , and went on to guest star on Doogie Hoswer, M.D. , Murder, She Wrote , and Matlock . before landing a recurring role as Stuart Carson on Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1993. After 90210 , Gail went on to star in the short-lived primetime soap Savannah from 1996 to '97, and landed in the daytime soap Port Charles (a spin-off of General Hospital ) in 1999, replacing Michael Dietz as Dr. Scanlon. Gail stayed in the role for 216 episodes and then worked sporadically through the early '00s.

Marlena Shaw

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Marlena Shaw, who famously sang “California Soul,” died on Jan. 19 at age 81 . Her cause of death was not disclosed by her daughter, who shared the news with a video posted to Shaw’s official Facebook page. The legendary jazz and soul singer began her career with a performance at Harlem’s Apollo Theater in 1952, after being invited onstage by her uncle, a jazz trumpet player. She went on to perform in jazz clubs across the county, eventually signing to Chess Records in her early 20s. Across her career, Shaw released 17 albums total with eight different record labels. Her most famous tune is “California Soul,” penned by Ashford & Simpson and first recorded by The Messengers. It is oft-sampled by other artists and used in various commercials.

Nerene Virgin

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Canadian broadcast journalist, host, and actress Nerene Virgin died on Jan. 15 at age 77. She was best known to '80s kids as Jodie on the TV show Today's Special , about a department store mannequin who comes to life after closing time. The Canadian series ran from 1981 to 1987 and aired on Nickelodeon in the U.S. Virgin also worked as a broadcaster, hosting CTV’s current affairs show Eye on Toronto in the late '80s and early '90s. She spent the later part of her career as a writer and educator, who championed teaching Black history in schools, and worked as an anti-racism advocate.

Joyce Randolph

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Joyce Randolph, the last surviving member of  The Honeymooners cast, died Jan. 13 of natural causes. She was at 99. The actress is best remembered for playing housewife Trixie Norton across 39 episodes of the classic TV sitcom. She starred alongside Audrey Meadows,  Art Carney , and series creator  Jackie Gleason . The show was canceled after its original run, but gained acclaim in syndication. Though Elaine Stritch originated Trixie when "The Honeymooners" was first a series of sketches on the variety show  Cavalcade of Stars, Randolph later became synonymous with the character after Gleason spotted Randolph doing a commercial for Clorets in 1951 and flagged her for the part.

Alec Musser

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Alec Musser , the actor best known for his role as Del Henry on All My Children and his brief but memorable appearance in the movie Grown Ups , died Jan. 12 by suicide . He was 50. Musser was a model prior to his acting career, appearing in Men's Health and ads for Abercrombie and Fitch. After winning the SOAPnet reality TV contest  I Wanna Be a Soap Star , Musser made his debut on All My Children in 2005.  For two seasons, Musser played the illegitimate son of Seabone Hunkle (Steve Kanaly), before exiting the show in 2007. His last role was in 2011, as Friedrich in the final season of  Desperate Housewives . 

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Bill Hayes, the beloved daytime television actor who starred as Doug Williams on Days of Our Lives for more than five decades, died Jan. 12 at 98. A talented singer and actor, Hayes originated the role of Doug on the NBC sudser in 1970 and would become one of its longest-running stars, appearing in more than 2,000 episodes over the next 53 years. He married his costar Susan Seaforth Hayes in 1974 and, two years later, their super-couple characters on the show similarly followed them down the aisle. In 2018, both of them received a Lifetime Achievement Award for their work on the show at the Daytime Emmy Awards.

Lynne Marta

Lynne Marta, an actress known for her guest starring roles in TV and bit parts in films like Footloose and Three Men and a Little Lady , died Jan. 11 after a battle with cancer. She was 78. Marta made her professional acting debut in 1966 on an episode of Gidget before becoming a featured player on the ABC anthology series Love, American Style in 1969. Marta appeared in the 1972 western Joe Kidd starring Clint Eastwood and Robert Duvall, which was probably her most high profile film role until 1984's Footloose . The actress was also a regular on television, guest starring on the likes of Kojak , Charlie's Angels , and Designing Women . Marta also appeared in 24 episode of Days of Our Lives from 1983 to 2003.

Roy Battersby

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British film and television director Roy Battersby died Jan. 10 following a brief illness, his stepdaughter Kate Beckinsale announced on social media. He was 87. Born in London, Battersby made his directorial debut in the 1969 made-for-television film Some Women and is best known for his work on several popular British crime dramas including Between the Lines , Inspector Morse , Cracker , and A Touch of Frost . His film credits include the 1984 drama Winter Flight and 2005's Red Mercury.

Peter Crombie

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Peter Crombie, the actor known for playing “Crazy” Joe Davola on  Seinfeld , died Jan. 10 following a short illness. He was 71. Crombie starred as Davola, a psychopath dead set on terrorizing Jerry, throughout a stint of episodes in season 4 of the classic comedy series. The actor's other credits include spotlight roles in television shows like Loving , Law & Order , NYPD Blue , Picket Fences , L.A. Firefighters , Diagnosis Murder , and Get Smart . He also appeared in films such as Se7en , The Doors , Rising Sun, My Dog Skip, Natural Born Killers, and The Blob.

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Adan Canto, the actor known for his work on TV series including The Cleaning Lady and Designated Survivor , and in such films as X-Men: Days of Future Past , died Jan. 8 from appendiceal cancer . He was 42. Born in Mexico and raised in Texas, Canto first pursued a career in music and later branched out into acting. He made his American acting debut on the thriller The Following and went on to play White House Chief of Staff Aaron Shore on Designated Survivor , real-life politician Rodrigo Lara Bonilla on Narcos , and mobster Arman Morales on The Cleaning Lady . He portrayed the powerful mutant Sunspot in Days of Future Past , and his other screen credits included Blood & Oil , Second Chance , The Catch , Bruised , and Agent Game .

Christian Oliver

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Christian Oliver, the actor best known for his roles as Snake Oiler in Speed Racer and Emil Brandt in The Good German , died Jan. 4 at 51 in a plane crash that also killed his two young daughters . Born Christian Klepser, the star was born in Germany and relocated to the States to pursue a Hollywood career. His other credits include TV shows Alarm für Cobra 11, Saved by the Bell: The New Class, Sense8, and Hunters. In addition, Oliver — who was also a writer and producer — appeared in the films Valkyrie, The Baby-Sitters Club, Hercules Reborn, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Glynis Johns

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Glynis Johns, who played dedicated suffragette mother Winifred Banks in the original  Mary Poppins , died on Jan. 4 at age 100. The British actress was recruited by Walt Disney himself for the beloved 1964 musical starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke in which Johns' character begins the film with a rousing performance of "Sister Suffragette." Johns earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for The Sundowners and won a Tony Award for the original Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s  A Little Night Music , in which she sang "Send in the Clowns."

Starsky & Hutch  actor David Soul, who helped popularize one of the most iconic TV series of the 1970s, died Jan. 4 at age 80. His first major TV roles were small parts in  I Dream of Jeannie  and  Flipper , followed by a two-season run on the western comedy  Here Come the Brides  from 1968 to 1970. From 1975 to 1979, Soul starred as Kenneth Richard "Hutch" Hutchinson opposite Paul Michael Glaser's David Michael Starsky in Starsky & Hutch . Outside of his acting career, Soul released five albums and a handful of successful singles, including the 1976 rock hit "Don't Give Up on Us," which reached No. 1 in the United States.

Harry Johnson

Harry Johnson, a veteran actor who appeared on hit television shows such as Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer , and Law & Order , died Jan. 2 following a long illness. He was 81. Johnson began his career as one of Universal Studios’ final contract players and made his television debut as a warrior in a 1978 episode of the sci-fi epic Battlestar Galactica . He would go on to land guest roles on several more beloved television series throughout his 40-year career in entertainment, including: M*A*S*H, The Incredible Hulk, The A-Team, L.A. Law, Dynasty, Who’s the Boss?,   and  Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He was also a prolific ADR voice actor and starred as Harry in the "Harry & Louise" political advertisements that aired throughout the early 1990s.

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Psionic resonator

Tellara wields the Stone of Gol, a psionic resonator

A psionic resonator was a type of weapon that functioned by amplifying telepathic energy and focusing it into kinetic form; as such, the destructive power of psionic resonators was greatly disproportionate to their size and the energy required to operate them. However, the difficulty of controlling such weapons was not insignificant and they could easily malfunction, causing damage to their wielder.

In 2369 one type of Vulcan psionic resonator, known as the Stone of Gol was discovered to still exist, though in pieces, long after it was thought destroyed. The mercenary Arctus Baran was hired to locate the pieces and deliver them to the Vulcan Isolationist Movement ( TNG : " Gambit, Part I ", " Gambit, Part II ")

According to the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion , 2nd ed., p. 267, the weapon was much more powerful in early drafts of the episode; it was able to kill millions at a time.

External link [ ]

• Psionic weapon at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Psionic amplifier at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works