Summary
Dynasty’s Joan Collins has an eclectic acting career, having played both aBatmanvillain and a love interest for Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) inStar Trek: The Original Series. Originating from the United Kingdom,Joan Collins moved to Hollywood in the mid-1950s, when 20th Century Fox studio executive Darryl Francis Zanuck offered her a 7-year contract.After she lost the lead role in Fox’s epicCleopatrato Elizabeth Taylor, Collins demanded to be released from her contract and spent the 1960s as a freelance actress.
As one of 20th Century Fox’s most famous actresses of the time, Joan Collins appeared in some of the most iconic TV shows of the 1960s.Collins appeared in classic spy shows likeThe Man from U.N.C.L.EandMission: Impossible. In 1967, Joan Collins joined thecast ofStar Trek: The Original Seriesfor the classic episode, “The City on the Edge of Forever”, and delivered one ofTOS' most memorable guest performances. In that same year, she played a very different type of character opposite Adam West and Burt Ward inBatman, showcasing her versatility as a performer.
Every Captain Kirk Love Interest In Star Trek
James T. Kirk has a reputation as a ladies' man, and the Captain of the Enterprise had a lot of romances throughout Star Trek: The Original Series.
Joan Collins Played Captain Kirk’s Great Love Edith Keeler
Star Trek: TOS, Season 1, Episode 28, “The City on the Edge of Forever”
It’s no exaggeration to say that Edith Keeler was one of Captain Kirk’s greatest loves.Kirk and Keeler meet inStar Trek: The Original Seriesseason 1, episode 28, “The City on the Edge of Forever”, when Kirk and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) travel back to the 1930s to intercept Doctor McCoy (DeForest Kelley) and prevent him altering history. There’s an emotional connection between Kirk and Keeler, and it’s a more tender romance than anything previously seen inTOS. Devastatingly, Spock realizes that Edith has to die to preserve the timeline, leading to the heartbreaking moment where Kirk prevents Bones from saving Keeler’s life.
Although Harlan Ellison is credited as the writer of “The City on the Edge of Forever”, it underwent substantial rewrites by Gene Roddenberry and D.C. Fontana.
The fate of Edith Keeler is one ofStar Trek’s cruelest deaths, and it’s hard not to see how the tragedy played a role in Captain Kirk’s fear of romantic commitment in the decades that followed. “The City on the Edge of Forever” is widely regarded as one of the very best episodes ofStar Trek: The Original Series, thanks in part to Joan Collins. However, if it weren’t for her kids, Joan Collins may have passed on Edith Keeler, as she toldStarTrek.comin 2015:
“When I was asked to doStar Trek, I remember saying to my agent, ‘Well, what isStar Trek?’ I’d never heard of it. When I told my children – who were then about two and four – that I’d been asked to doStar Trek, my daughter (who was the older child) jumped up and down and said, ‘Oh, mum, you must do it. It’s a great show.’ So that’s why I did it.”
Joan Collins Played Batman Villain The Siren
In the same year, Joan Collins played The Siren inBatmanseason 3, episodes 2 and 3 “Ring Around the Riddler” and “The Wail of the Siren”. Collins appeared alongside anotherStar Trek: The Original Seriesguest actor,Frank Gorshin as the Riddlerin her debutBatmanappearance. In Collins' first episode ofBatman, the Siren and the Riddler team up to take control of Gotham City’s boxing rings, using her siren song to control the men of Gotham.
Joan Collins' character was a unique creation for theBatmanTV series, and didn’t originate in the original DC comics.
Although Batman (Adam West), Robin (Burt Ward), and Batgirl (Yvonne Craig) defeated the Riddler’s plans, their battle with Joan Collins' Siren wasn’t over. The Siren used her powers to obtain information about Batman’s true identity and then, with Bruce Wayne under her spell, convinced the billionaire to sign over his fortune. Joan Collins' campyBatmancharacter required a more heightened performance thanStar Trek: The Original Series' Edith Keeler. In the years that followed, Collins would use those gifts for high camp to great acclaim inDynasty, but her role as Kirk’s great love would never be forgotten.
