Summary
Supermodel and actress Iman played Martia,Star Trek’s first Chameloid, inStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. The final movie for thecast ofStar Trek: The Original Seriessaw Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy (DeForest Kelley) framed for murder and sent to the Rura Penthe penal colony. Martia was one of the other prisoners, and used her abilities as a shape-shifter to enable Kirk and McCoy’s escape while harboring ulterior motives.
WhileMartia wasn’t the first shape-shifting alien seen in theStar Trekuniverse, she’s certainly one of the most memorable.33 years after Iman’s one and only performance as a Chameloid, the shape-shifting aliens are coming back inStar Trek: Section 31. Sam Richardson, who is playing an as-yet unnamed character inMichelle Yeoh’sSection 31movie, revealed that he was playing a Chameloid while at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. Richardson’s role in 2025’sSection 31will finally build on the alien race first established by Iman, way back in 1991.
Star Trek Alien Not Seen For 33 Years Returns In Section 31 Movie
At SDCC 2024, Sam Richardson confirms which alien he plays in Star Trek: Section 31, and the last time we saw this species was in Star Trek VI.
Iman Played A Chameloid Shape Shifter In Star Trek VI
Like Kirk and McCoy, Martia was imprisoned on Rura Penthe for a major crime against the Klingon Empire in the 2290s. To have her sentence quashed, Martia agreed to participate in the Khitomer Conspiracy. Martia’s role was to help Kirk and McCoy to escape prison, so that the Klingon guards would be justified in killing two escaped assassins. However, Martia’s shape-shifting abilities ultimately proved to be her downfall because, while assuming the form of Captain Kirk, she was mistakenly vaporized by the penal colony’s commandant.
Small human female
Captain James T. Kirk
William Shatner
Iman rose to prominence as a supermodel in the 1970s, and began her acting career with a guest role inThe Cosby Showin 1985.In 1991, Iman was convinced to accept the role of Martia inStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Countryby her agent, who was a big Star Trek fan. A year later, Iman married David Bowie, whose song"Changes" inspired aStar Trek: Discoveryepisode titleearlier in 2024. The couple were married until Bowie’s death in 2016. Although Iman gave up acting in the late 1990s, she has continued to work as a TV producer on shows likeProject Runway CanadaandSupreme Models.
Why Chameloids Disappeared After Star Trek VI
While the Chameloids never appeared inStar Trek: The Next Generation, the introduction of Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois) inStar Trek: Deep Space Nineresolutely put paid to any return appearance. The1992 Writer’s Bible forStar Trek: Deep Space Ninespecifically intended for Odo to originate from an entirely new race of alien shape-shifters, as it makes no reference to the Chameloids fromStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.When Odo’s origins became a vital part ofDS9’s ongoing storyline, it made it impossible for the Chameloids to return to 90sStar Trek.
Rene Auberjonois also appeared inStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, playing the corrupt Colonel West.
The Changelings played an integral role inDS9’s Dominion War, and so reintroducing the Chameloids inDeep Space Nineor evenStar Trek: Voyagerwould have only confused matters. When aStar Trekbig bad has particular special powers, introducing races with similar abilities only reduces them in stature. That’s why there were no major cyborg villain races introduced afterStar Trek: The Next Generationintroduced the Borg Collective. Coincidentally, however,DS9introduced Section 31, the agency that will finally bring the Chameloids back in the upcomingStar Trekmovie.
6 DS9 Characters Impersonated By Changelings
With an ability to become anyone and blend in anywhere, Star Trek’s Changelings were a deadly threat that impersonated many Starfleet Officers.
Chameloids Return In Star Trek: Section 31 - But Will Iman?
As a covert Starfleet intelligence organization, it makes perfect sense for Section 31 to enlist the services of a Chameloid like the character played by Sam Richardson. WhetherStar Trek: Section 31’s new Chameloid character sets up a deeper dive into their culture and home planet remains to be seen. IfSection 31does delve deeper into the Chameloids, thenit’s unlikely that Iman will be a part of any futureStar Trekappearances.Not least becauseSection 31will take place after Martia was killed on Rura Penthe.
Iman’s last acting role was in the 1999 David Cage/David Bowie computer gameNomad Soul, in which, appropriately enough, she voiced the character of Iman 631. For the past 25 years, Iman has raised her children, designed a clothing line, produced TV shows, and continues to work tirelessly to eradicate poverty in her role as a Global Advocate for CARE (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere). Given that playing a Chameloid inStar Trekwas done at the behest of her superfan agent, it’s very unlikely that Iman will reprise the role.
