Gary Mitchell Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell was a male Human Starfleet officer in the 23rd century . He served in the operations division aboard the in 2265 , under the command of Captain James T . Kirk , during the historic five - year mission . He was one of the ship ' s helmsmen . Early history . A medical study into Gary Mitchell ' s family history found that several members of his immediate family , and distant ancestors going back six generation s on his mother ' s side , both male and female , that had esper - oriented abilities . One of his ancestors had an interest in " spiritual reading s . " His esper rating ( 091 ) , aperception quotient ( 20 / 104 ) , Duke - Heidelburg quotient ( 261 ) , and general knowledge quotient ( 679532 - 112 ) were well above average in all categories . Mitchell was born on stardate 1087 . 7 in the city of Eldman . Growing up , it was found he displayed unusual skill at " guessing game s " – performing much better than chance would allow . He also had a grade school interest in magic tricks . Early career . A young Gary Mitchell met James T . Kirk in 2250 , and the two became fast friends following Mitchell ' s admission into Starfleet Academy in the late 2250s . Cadet Mitchell was a student in Lieutenant Kirk ' s class . He had been warned by upperclassmen , " " You either think or sink . " " Mitchell , in 2265 , remembered Kirk as " a stack of book s with leg s . " In an attempt to divert his friend ' s attentions and make the class easier to get through , Mitchell set Kirk up with a " little blonde lab technician " , whom Kirk almost married . In the mid - 23rd century , during a mission to Deneb IV , Gary Mitchell , with his friend James T . Kirk , was tested for his ability at telepathy . Mitchell had a marked ability of sensing telepathic communication used by the inhabitants of that planet . In at least three cases , he was capable of carrying long telepathic communication with selected inhabitants , scoring eighty percent or higher on comprehension . One night , while in telepathic communication with a female inhabitant , Mitchell suffered from after - effects that lasted for a while . Kirk later stated he ' d been worried about Mitchell ever since that night . As a pun , Mitchell referred to the female he had been in contact with as a " " . Also during his lifetime he visited Kaferia multiple times , and whenever he visited there he always favored Kaferian apple s . In the 2260s , upon receiving his first command , Kirk asked Mitchell to join him aboard that ship . Kirk and Mitchell took part in a mission to planet Dimorus , where they encountered sentient rodent - like creatures that shot poison ous dart s . Mitchell took one of the darts meant for Kirk , saving Kirk ' s life but nearly dying himself . ( ) Encounter with galactic barrier . In 2265 , Mitchell was a lieutenant commander assigned as the helmsman aboard the , by request of Captain Kirk . That year , the " Enterprise " discovered the disaster recorder of the , a vessel missing for almost two hundred years . Examining it , and exploring the " Valiant " s last known position , the " Enterprise " penetrated the galactic barrier , an event that proved disastrous for Mitchell , and nearly so for the rest of the crew . Mitchell was briefly stunned by direct contact with the strange energies of the barrier , but he recovered quickly . As his recovery continued , however , he began to display a widening array of psionic abilities , including but probably not limited to : These abilities , or perhaps the energy itself , began to fundamentally alter Mitchell ' s personality ; he became progressively more emotionally distant , cruel , ruthless , and convinced of his own magnificence . Worse , with the passage of time , his abilities continued to grow stronger at a geometric rate . They were accompanied by only two physical manifestations : a curious silver light or glimmer that appeared in Mitchell ' s eyes , and a later accelerated graying of his hair , beginning at the temples and sideburns . Damaged by the galactic barrier , the " Enterprise " limped to Delta Vega . By the time they reached that planet , Kirk was convinced that Mitchell was dangerous , and attempted to maroon him there . They rigged the station to blow up and hopefully kill Mitchell if he tried to break out . But before repairs were complete , Mitchell had grown too strong to be confined . He killed Lee Kelso , left Kirk and Spock stunned , and escaped into the hills around the lithium cracking station , taking another member of the crew , Dr . Elizabeth Dehner , with him . Recovering , Kirk picked up a phaser rifle that had been transported to the surface and set out in pursuit . He left orders for Spock ; if Kirk had not contacted the ship in twelve hours , Spock was to leave with the " Enterprise " and recommend Delta Vega be subjected to a lethal concentration of neutron radiation . Mitchell , meanwhile , was using his power to establish a pleasant environment for himself , materializing trees and other objects . Sensing Kirk ' s approach , he sent Dr . Dehner to meet Kirk , where Kirk discovered that Dehner had undergone the same transformation . It took a little longer for her , perhaps because her own esper rating was not quite as high as Mitchell ' s was . Kirk attempted to appeal to her remaining Humanity , and when this seemed to be working , a disappointed Mitchell appeared . Mitchell , at least in his own mind , had already transcended mere Humanity . Dr . Dehner had retained enough Humanity left to be appalled at Mitchell ' s actions , and she used her new powers to attack him . At the cost of her own life , she weakened Mitchell long enough for Kirk to overpower him . Kirk knocked Mitchell into a hole Mitchell had prepared ( ironically ) as Kirk ' s grave . Using a phaser , Kirk collapsed a hillside on top of Mitchell , burying him beneath tons of rock and permanently ending his threat . In his log , Kirk recorded that Mitchell and Dehner had both died in the line of duty , noting that neither one of them asked for what had happened to them . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Gary Mitchell was mostly played by actor Gary Lockwood . For some shots of the climactic battle against Kirk , Mitchell was represented by his stunt double , Hal Needham . ( " " , p . 75 ) In the revised first draft script of " Where No Man Has Gone Before " ( dated ) , Mitchell ' s first name was " Clark " and his rank was lieutenant . The same script referred to him , prior to his transformation , thus ; " " He is about thirty years old , a tall , handsome man with an easy likeable grin , happy - go - lucky look . " " Much consideration went into the character of Gary Mitchell and his progression to godly status . For instance , in a four - page memo of notes that director James Goldstone wrote about the second draft script of " Where No Man Has Gone Before " , Goldstone raised a point about Mitchell ' s development that the director described as " major , " going on to say , " " The purpose is dramatic , to create a subtext . . . My proposal is that from the time Gary suffers the first realization of what is happening to him . . . once he begins to give in to it , to enjoy it , even , he moves from his Human status toward the status of a god within all and any of the criteria we place on such deities in our Christian - Judaic culture . Specifically , I propose that he become oracular , in the sense of Moses or even Cotton Mather . I propose he do this in his stature , his way of using his hands and arms and eyes , silver or normal , his attitude as it applies to the script , aside from those specific stage directions , perhaps physical actions , that pertain to the dialogue . I don ' t mean to suggest that it become so stylized as to become a symbol rather than a Human being . I suggest it happen on a more symbolic level . This can be done by starting him more on the flip , swinging level of articulation so that we don ' t even notice at one moment that this drops , but it does , on its way to becoming more formal , then more laden with import , more self - declarative , and finally downright miraculous . " " ( " The Star Trek Interview Book " , pp . 108 – 109 ) By the time the revised final draft of the script for " Where No Man Has Gone Before " ( dated ) was submitted , Mitchell had the rank of lieutenant commander . Furthermore , the script characterized him , prior to his transformation , as , " " about thirty , extremely likeable , and pleasant type [ . . . ] He is obviously well known too and liked [ . . . ] It ' s easy to like Mitchell . " " After being affected by the galactic barrier , he remarked , " " I sort of . . . lean on people I like , " " in regards to the incident with the " little blonde lab technician " and Kirk , though this line of dialogue was included only in the script and was not present in the episode ' s final version . Another ultimately unused line of dialogue had Mitchell saying about his empathic ability , while confined to sickbay , " " I can catch only flashes so far – mostly strong thoughts , like fear . " " In yet more dialogue that was scripted but did not make it into the episode , Mitchell promised Elizabeth Dehner , " " Soon we will fully control our bodies . We ' ll never grow old . " " A facet of the Gary Mitchell character that was scripted but never made it to screen was a habit of saying " five - oh " ; Mitchell used this phrase twice in scripted dialogue that was not in the final edit . Also , Mitchell ' s relationship with Kirk and Spock was changed to being less focused on Spock . One script description of Gary Mitchell ' s mutated look specifies that makeup was to be used to show that " his skin is now shiny smooth , with almost a metallic solidity . " Samuel A . Peeples , the writer of " Where No Man Has Gone Before " , believed that an all - powerful man such as Gary Mitchell would not have to resort to violence and , for this reason , Peeples was opposed to the addition of Mitchell ' s fight scene against Kirk . The reason the scene remained was that Gene Roddenberry was insistent on its inclusion . ( " The Star Trek Interview Book " , p . 119 ) The casting of Gary Lockwood as Mitchell was decided on by James Goldstone and Gene Roddenberry . In retrospect , Goldstone recalled how Lockwood was cast in the part ; " " I had a very good relationship with Gary , as did Gene [ Roddenberry ] , and when we did the pilot Gary was our unanimous choice because we wanted that almost animalistic , very physical person . " " ( " The Star Trek Interview Book " , p . 105 ) It was Robert Justman who selected stuntman Hal Needman for the part . ( " " , p . 75 ) Because Gary Lockwood was extremely busy , Gene Roddenberry at first had to convince him to take the role of Gary Mitchell . The earliest impressions that Lockwood had of the character were colored by a joke that Roddenberry made about " Where No Man Has Gone Before " . " " He said , ' In it , you ' ll play a character who becomes sort of God , ' and then , he paused and said , ' something , of course , you always thought you were , " " recounted the actor . With a chuckle , he concluded , " " I thought that was funny . " " ( " Starfleet Access " for " Where No Man Has Gone Before " , TOS Season 1 Blu - ray special features ) Lockwood also remarked , " " People always thought I was egotistical , so when I got to play that part , many people laughed and said , ' He has finally found his niche . ' That has been a joke among my friends . " " ( " " issue # 124 , p . 44 ) In his approach to the character of Gary Mitchell , Gary Lockwood tried ( as best he could ) to adapt his mindset to that of Mitchell , rather than attempting to make the role fit himself , and endeavored to avoid overemphasizing the character ' s behavior . He found , however , that playing the part was not easy . " " Gary Mitchell was a tough character to reach , " " Lockwood mused , " " because there ' s no prototype character to look at . So , you create a mental image and try to fill that slot . All I tried to do was downplay the mechanics and not be too dramatic [ . . . ] The idea was to go to the character , and not make the character comfortable to me . I ' m " not " Gary Mitchell . " " ( " " issue # 124 , p . 44 ) The silver contact lenses worn by Gary Lockwood were extremely primitive . They caused the actor severe pain if left in for more than a few minutes , and when worn , Lockwood could only see through a tiny pinhole opening . Robert Justman later commented , " " In order to have any vision at all , Gary had to raise his chin and look down his nose at the other actor in the shot . Happily , this gave him an unearthly appearance that worked well for his character and even helped his godlike progression . " " ( " " , pp . 80 – 81 ) Judith Reeves - Stevens also remarked she was sure that Lockwood tilting his head back , due to having to incorporate the presence of the contact lenses in his performance , was " part of him showing an arrogance , in the character . " ( " Starfleet Access " for " Where No Man Has Gone Before " , TOS Season 1 Blu - ray special features ) Another element of Gary Mitchell ' s gradual mutation was that his hair became progressively grayer , throughout the episode . Dave Rossi , VFX Line Producer for Remastered TOS , commented that , by giving Mitchell this facet of his appearance , the production staff intended " to use [ his abilities ] as a drain on his physical body . " ( " Starfleet Access " for " Where No Man Has Gone Before " , TOS Season 1 Blu - ray special features ) The biographical records Spock researched indicated that Mitchell ' s birth city , Eldman , was listed in a state , colony or province starting with " New " , but his record was cropped and didn ' t show the complete name , the nation , or even the planet of his birth . It also listed his age as " 23 " and his height as " 5 ' 9 " , but Dr . Dehner ' s record shows two more letters in the state of " Newst . . . " which could be the same location . It was unknown if the medical record shown was a recent one or from Mitchell ' s last examination , but it was later stated that he had known Kirk for fifteen years . Roberto Orci once revealed he had never given serious consideration to using Gary Mitchell as an antagonist in the film . " " Just couldn ' t [ get ] my mind [ around ] an ultimate villain named Gary , " " he professed . " " Imagine the trailer : ' In the history of the Galaxy , evil has had many names … Darth Vader … Khan … now , prepare for the greatest foe ever faced by humanity … GARY … " " Nonetheless , Gary Mitchell was one candidate rumored to possibly be an antagonist in " Star Trek Into Darkness " . Before the movie was released , a name for the villain was revealed to be " John Harrison " , though whether this was his actual name or merely an alias was undisclosed . , in the lead - up to the film ' s release , speculated a 75 % probability that the character would turn out to be Mitchell . Apocrypha . The back story of how Kirk and Mitchell met was filled in the three - part novel series " My Brother ' s Keeper " . It explained how they met and detailed Kirk ' s emotional turmoil at killing his best friend , as well as explaining technical goofs . The " R " for Kirk ' s middle name was explained as one of many in - jokes between the two men , in which Kirk had said his middle name was " Racquetball " , " Rhinoceros " , and " Resourceful " , to specify just three ; Mitchell had known all along that Kirk ' s " real " middle name was " Tiberius " . The novel " " gives the names of Gary ' s parents as Dana and Thomas Mitchell . In the " Q - Zone " novels , it was discovered that the Q had set up the galactic barrier to prevent a being called 0 from re - entering the Milky Way Galaxy . Gary Mitchell and Dehner were infected with a " piece " of 0 and that was the origin of their powers . In " Q - Squared " , it was revealed that the galactic barrier had trapped the essence of Q after a confrontation with Trelane had scattered him across both time and space . Q failed in an attempt to escape the barrier by attaching himself to an SS " Valiant " crew member but succeeded , two hundred years later , by attaching himself to Mitchell and Dehner . The same novel also explained the James R . Kirk inconsistency , by placing the events of that episode in a parallel universe ( " Track A " , as opposed to the normal " Star Trek " universe ' s " Track B " ) where Kirk has a different middle name . Mitchell would appear as the antagonist in the Star trek / X - men crossover comic where he fuses with Proteus , an X - villain possessed of similar reality - warping abilities . The from the alternate reality created by Nero appeared in the first two issues of the IDW " Star Trek " series ; having been assigned to the " Enterprise " at Kirk ' s request , Mitchell again succumbed to the barrier ' s influence – a Vulcan mind meld performed by Spock confirmed that there was no intelligence in Mitchell after the barrier took over – but during the confrontation on Delta Vega , while Mitchell was tormenting Kirk , he was defeated when Spock sneaked up on the occupied Mitchell and delivered a Vulcan nerve pinch , incapacitating Mitchell long enough for his real self to take over and ask Kirk to kill him . Mitchell was then " killed " by a phaser blast , his body put into a torpedo tube and blasted into space like Spock in . The " Enterprise " left Delta Vega ' s orbit as Mitchell ' s torpedo tube was left floating in space at the conclusion of this issue . The / Mitchell pairing does not occur owing to an awkward past relationship with that resulted in her cancelling her transfer to when she found out McCoy was on board .