Leslie was a 23rd century Starfleet officer. He served aboard the USS Enterprise between 2265 and 2268 under the command of Captain James T. Kirk, during the historic five-year mission. By 2266, he held the rank of lieutenant.
Starfleet service
Leslie was a versatile crew member who was cross-trained to serve in several departments as needed. He was assigned primarily to the operations division and was usually posted to the engineering station on the bridge of the Enterprise, next to the turbolift doors. He also performed many tasks as a security officer, including his first assignment to the Delta Vega Station on stardate 1313.1. (TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before")
Leslie posted as a guard at the Delta Vega Station
He is one of the few officers to have worn a blue, red, and gold Starfleet uniform. He also wore an early style beige operations division uniform in 2265. He performed some duties in a red or blue jumpsuit. After stardate 2126.1, his uniform regularly showed the rank insignia of a lieutenant. (TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before", "The Changeling", "Assignment: Earth", "The Enemy Within", "The Squire of Gothos")
During breaks from duty, he socialized with his shipmates in the recreation room of the Enterprise or in a bar. (TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before", "Charlie X", "The Trouble with Tribbles"; DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations")
He was exposed to a few alien viruses, including the Psi 2000 virus in 2266 and the Omega IV virus in 2268. After becoming infected by the Omicron spores on stardate 3417.3, he abandoned his post and lined up outside the transporter room to join the colonists of Omicron Ceti III. He risked facing the charge of mutiny for openly disobeying Kirk's order to return to his station. (TOS: "The Naked Time", "The Omega Glory", "This Side of Paradise")
He was the victim of multiple violent attacks. He was rendered unconscious by Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell, First Officer Spock, Landru, Khan Noonien Singh, the miners of Janus VI, Gary Seven, and the Eymorg Kara. The Kelvan Drea transformed him temporarily into a small cubeoctahedral solid. (TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before", "Operation -- Annihilate!", "The Return of the Archons", "Space Seed", "The Devil in the Dark", and more)
On stardate 3619.2, he was killed by the dikironium cloud creature on Argus X when it drained all the red blood corpuscles from his body. By stardate 3620.7, he recovered and returned to active duty. (TOS: "Obsession")
His last assignment aboard the Enterprise happened on stardate 5630.7, when he responded to a security threat to the Medusan Ambassador Kollos. (TOS: "Is There in Truth No Beauty?")
Duty officer
Leslie in the captain's chair
Leslie was a duty officer on two occasions. He first sat in the command chair on stardate 2126.1, when Kirk and several other officers escaped safely from Trelane of the planet Gothos. The next time happened on stardate 3088.7, when the starship investigated the cause of massive spatial disturbances on an iron-silica planet and encountered Lazarus. (TOS: "The Squire of Gothos", "The Alternative Factor")
Engineer
Of all the duties he had on the Enterprise, Leslie was well known for his skills as an engineer. Even though he was occasionally assigned to the transporter room and main engineering, he was regularly posted as a bridge engineer on many missions.
Harcourt Fenton Mudd
He was at the engineering station when the Enterprise crew first encountered Harcourt Fenton Mudd, learned the fate of Doctor Roger Korby, and visited Miri's homeworld. Later that year, he witnessed Doctor Simon Van Gelder burst onto the bridge with a phaser. (TOS: "Mudd's Women", "What Are Little Girls Made Of?", "Miri", "Dagger of the Mind")
The following year, he was at the same post when the Enterprise returned to Talos IV, pursued the Gorn ship, and orbited the Halkan homeworld. As the bridge engineer, he also was unable to stop a cordrazine-crazed Doctor Leonard McCoy from escaping the bridge. (TOS: "The Menagerie, Part I", "The Menagerie, Part II", "Arena", "Mirror, Mirror", "The City on the Edge of Forever")
His engineering skills were put to the test in four missions. When the Enterprise accidentally hurled back in time to the year 1969, he helped repair the engineering systems for the voyage back to 2267. On stardate 3468.1, he helped Commander Spock and Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu in breaking the Enterprise free from Apollo's force field. On stardate 3614.9, he tried to restore the engineering station after Redjac took over the ship's computer systems. He also helped repair the engineering systems on stardate 3715.3, when Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott tried to break the starship free from Vaal's hold. (TOS: "Tomorrow is Yesterday", "Who Mourns for Adonais?", "Wolf in the Fold", "The Apple")
Also noteworthy is the fact that he was the bridge engineer when two Starfleet commodores assumed command of the Enterprise. The first time happened on stardate 3479.4, when Commodore Stocker ordered the ship to enter the Romulan Neutral Zone. The second time occurred on stardate 4202.9, when Commodore Matt Decker used the Enterprise to attack the "planet killer." (TOS: "The Deadly Years", "The Doomsday Machine")
Elaan, the Dohlman of Elas
Perhaps the only time that he came into contact with a royal dignitary while posted as a bridge engineer was when the Enterprise was under attack by a Klingon battle cruiser on stardate 4372.5. After Elaan, the Dohlman of Elas, entered the bridge, he offered his seat to her and performed his engineering duties while standing. He continued this until he was relieved by Scott. (TOS: "Elaan of Troyius")
Helm officer
Leslie was first assigned to the helm on stardate 1513.1, during the mission to planet M-113. He took over the helm when an infected Sulu abandoned his post on stardate 1704.2. He was later relieved of duty after he succumbed to the effects of the Psi 2000 virus. (TOS: "The Man Trap", "The Naked Time")
Leslie at the helm
He was at the helm when the Enterprise discovered the rogue planet Gothos, transported the Karidian Company of Players to Benecia, orbited Pyris VII when Lieutenant DeSalle was in command, and visited the Shore Leave Planet. (TOS: "The Squire of Gothos", "The Conscience of the King", "Catspaw", "Shore Leave")
He performed tactical duties on stardate 3088.7. Under Kirk's orders, he fired the starship's phasers and destroyed Lazarus' spaceship. This sealed the negative magnetic corridor and saved the two universes from mutual destruction. (TOS: "The Alternative Factor")
Medical assistant
At times, Leslie helped Doctor McCoy in sickbay as a medical assistant. On two different occasions, he treated Spock. The first one occurred on stardate 1513.8, after the first officer was attacked and injured by the M-113 creature. The second one happened on stardate 3372.7, when Spock underwent a medical examination on Kirk's orders – an examination which revealed that the first officer was suffering from the effects of pon farr. (TOS: "The Man Trap", "Amok Time")
Leslie as a navigator
There is one occasion when Leslie performed the duties of a navigator. This happened on stardate 3541.9.
When the Enterprise was en route to the Malurian star system to investigate a distress call, he was at the navigation console as the starship encountered the interstellar space probe Nomad. After Nomad attacked Scott on the bridge, he was one of the two officers who helped carry the chief engineer to sickbay. (TOS: "The Changeling")
Science officer
Leslie served as a science officer on two different missions. Before he became a lieutenant, he joined the Alfa 177 geological survey team on stardate 1672.1, and survived the planet's harsh environment. As a lieutenant, he operated the Enterprise science station on stardate 3211.7 as the ship headed for Triskelion in search of Kirk, Lieutenant Nyota Uhura and Ensign Pavel Chekov. (TOS: "The Enemy Within", "The Gamesters of Triskelion")
Security officer
In addition to his engineering accomplishments, Leslie was well known for his skills as a security officer.
Leslie (second from left) and the security team pursuing the Horta
Early in his career, he guarded the Delta Vega holding cell containing Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell on stardate 1313.1. The following year, he was part of the security detail for a Beta III landing party. On Janus VI, he joined Lieutenant Commander Giotto's security team in the hunt for the Horta. (TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before", "The Return of the Archons", "The Devil in the Dark")
His security duties increased on stardate 4523.3, when he was assigned to the security team aboard Deep Space Station K-7. While posted there, he helped end a bar brawl between the Klingons and the Enterprise crew. He also guarded the quadrotriticale storage compartment, apprehended Cyrano Jones for questioning, and assisted Kirk in uncovering the true identity of Arne Darvin. (TOS: "The Trouble with Tribbles"; DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations")
Spock, McCoy, Mulhall and Kirk meet Sargon
After the mission on K-7, he had several other notable assignments. On stardate 4768.3, he was part of the security detail for the Arret landing party. When Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Doctor Ann Mulhall beamed to the planet, Sargon prevented him from joining along. (TOS: "Return to Tomorrow")
Later that year, he joined Sulu and beamed down to a Kohm village on Omega IV. He held custody of Captain Ronald Tracey after Kirk charged the captain of the USS Exeter for violating the Prime Directive. (TOS: "The Omega Glory")
Leslie (right) joins McCoy, Kirk, Spock and Lemli to aid Kollos
On stardate 5029.5, he was assigned to watch over Tommy Starnes when the Enterprise rescued the orphans of the Starnes Exploration Party. Later, he was posted by the turbolift doors after Starnes and the other children took control of the starship. When Kirk tried to regain control, he was unable to follow the captain's orders after Starnes transformed Kirk's words into incomprehensible gibberish. (TOS: "And the Children Shall Lead")
His final assignment occurred on stardate 5630.7, when Kirk discovered an assassination plot against Ambassador Kollos. He teamed up with Kirk, Spock and McCoy in response to the threat and ensured that no harm came to the Medusan ambassador. (TOS: "Is There in Truth No Beauty?")
Career recognition
M-5 computer
Leslie was part of an elite group of Enterprise officers who dined at a banquet with Khan on stardate 3141.9. He was on the bridge when the Augment leader cut off the life support system. A weakened Kirk listed the bridge crew for commendations before passing out. Leslie was not included on the list. (TOS: "Space Seed")
On stardate 4729.4, Leslie was one of twenty officers selected by the M-5 computer to remain aboard the Enterprise for the war games exercise. He was one of two security guards to escort Doctor Richard Daystrom to sickbay when the renowned scientist suffered a nervous breakdown. (TOS: "The Ultimate Computer")
Memorable quotes
- In "The Conscience of the King", Leslie sits at the helm and awaits Kirk's orders to depart from Benecia.
- Kirk: "Whenever you're ready, Mister Leslie."
- Leslie: "Leaving orbit, sir."
Leslie tells off Captain Kirk
- In "This Side of Paradise", an infected Leslie stands in a line headed for the transporter room.
- Kirk: "Get back to your stations."
- Leslie: "I'm sorry, sir. We're all transporting down to join the colonists."
- Kirk: "I said get back to your station."
- Leslie: "No, sir."
- Kirk: "This is mutiny, mister."
- Leslie: "Yes, sir. It is."
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Appendices
Related topics
Appearances
- TOS:
- "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (TOS Season 1)
- "The Corbomite Maneuver"
- "Mudd's Women"
- "The Enemy Within"
- "The Man Trap"
- "The Naked Time"
- "Charlie X"
- "Balance of Terror"
- "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"
- "Dagger of the Mind"
- "Miri"
- "The Conscience of the King"
- "The Galileo Seven"
- "The Menagerie, Part I"
- "The Menagerie, Part II"
- "Shore Leave"
- "The Squire of Gothos"
- "Arena"
- "The Alternative Factor"
- "Tomorrow is Yesterday"
- "The Return of the Archons"
- "Space Seed"
- "This Side of Paradise"
- "The Devil in the Dark"
- "Errand of Mercy"
- "The City on the Edge of Forever"
- "Operation -- Annihilate!"
- "Catspaw" (TOS Season 2)
- "Metamorphosis"
- "Friday's Child"
- "Who Mourns for Adonais?"
- "Wolf in the Fold"
- "Amok Time"
- "The Doomsday Machine"
- "The Changeling"
- "The Apple"
- "Mirror, Mirror"
- "The Deadly Years"
- "The Trouble with Tribbles"
- "Bread and Circuses"
- "Journey to Babel"
- "A Private Little War"
- "The Gamesters of Triskelion"
- "Obsession"
- "The Immunity Syndrome"
- "A Piece of the Action"
- "By Any Other Name"
- "Return to Tomorrow"
- "The Ultimate Computer"
- "The Omega Glory"
- "Assignment: Earth"
- "Spectre of the Gun" (TOS Season 3)
- "Elaan of Troyius"
- "The Enterprise Incident"
- "And the Children Shall Lead"
- "Spock's Brain"
- "Is There in Truth No Beauty?"
- DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations"
Background information
Leslie was played by Eddie Paskey, a regular extra who served as a set stand-in throughout the course of the original Star Trek series. He was often seen in the background wearing a red Starfleet duty uniform while operating the engineering station on the Enterprise bridge or serving as a security officer.
Paskey had few speaking opportunities throughout the series. The first time he spoke occurred in "The Naked Time", when his character replied to Kirk's orders on the bridge. The other times he was heard speaking occurred in "The Conscience of the King", "The Alternative Factor", and "This Side of Paradise".
The only screen credit that he received was in "The Alternative Factor", when he was credited as "Lesley", and in "This Side of Paradise", when he was listed simply as "Crewman".
Leslie's last filmed appearance happened on the episode "Is There in Truth No Beauty?", when Paskey retired from the series. The actor suffered a back injury while filming a scene in "Operation -- Annihilate!", where Spock applied the Vulcan nerve pinch on Leslie. He also experienced severe headaches which were aggravated by the stage lighting on the set. By the beginning of the third season, Paskey felt that he could no longer handle the job's activities. [1]
Paskey's character did not have a set identity at the start of the series. The script for the pilot episode, "Where No Man Has Gone Before", referred to him as both a "crewman" and a "guard". He was once called "Connors" by McCoy in "Mudd's Women". By the end of "The Conscience of the King", Kirk addressed him as "Mister Leslie" three times, and continued calling him "Leslie" in subsequent episodes.
According to Paskey's personal website, the character of Leslie was named after William Shatner's eldest daughter, Leslie Shatner.
Red shirt
Leslie "dead"
Leslie has the distinction of being known as the first Star Trek recurring character to return from the dead. This is evident in "Obsession", when he was killed by the cloud creature and listed by Kirk as one of the two unnamed and deceased officers in his log entry. Later in the same episode, he inexplicably appears twice – walking by Kirk's quarters and walking past sickbay.
According to Paskey, a scene in the script for "Obsession" that had all three victims of the landing party attacked by the creature would have them coming back to life later in sickbay due to a miracle potion. He mentioned that this scene was never filmed. [2] Director Ralph Senensky confirmed that he did not film it. Leslie at StarTrek.com
Paskey continued to appear in subsequent episodes and his character was called "Leslie" by Kirk in "Assignment: Earth", "The Enterprise Incident", and "And the Children Shall Lead".
Service rank
Leslie's Starfleet service rank was never explicitly mentioned throughout the five-year mission, especially since Kirk often addressed him as "Mister Leslie". Until he sat in the captain's chair in "The Squire of Gothos", Leslie's uniform did not display any rank insignia. With three exceptions after this point, his uniform regularly showed a full lieutenant stripe.
When he was attacked by the cloud creature in "Obsession", the rank stripe was missing. It was also absent in "Spock's Brain" and "Is There in Truth No Beauty?", Paskey's last two filmed episodes on the series.
Apocrypha
According to the comic book Who's Who in Star Trek, Leslie grew up on Earth near the Starfleet Impulse Engine Testing Grounds in El Paso, Texas, where he developed an interest in engineering. He went to Starfleet Academy in San Francisco and met Kirk in judo competitions. In the novel Present Tense, he developed a friendship with Sulu on the Enterprise soon after the events of "The Naked Time".
The novel Yesterday's Son mentions that he achieved the rank of lieutenant commander and served as the chief engineer aboard the USS Lexington near the end of Kirk's five-year mission. Shortly after the events of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, as depicted in the novel The Darkness Drops Again, he was transferred back to the Enterprise and served as the security chief under Captain Spock. In Who's Who in Star Trek, he returned to the USS Lexington around the time of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. The novels Crucible and The Fire and the Rose mention that he attended Kirk's memorial service at Starfleet Academy in 2293 during the events of Star Trek Generations.
There are inconsistencies with regards to Leslie's first name. According to Star Trek Short Stories and Who's Who in Star Trek, his first name is Frank. In the novels The Fire and the Rose and A Choice of Catastrophes, it is Ryan. The other novels state that it is Ed – an apparent tribute to Eddie Paskey, the actor who portrayed him on the original series.
External links
- Template:NCwiki
- Leslie Reference Guide