Persis Khambatta Persis Khambatta was an Indian model and actress who is perhaps best known for portraying Lieutenant Ilia in . Born in Mumbai , India , she was of Parsi ethnicity . In 1965 , at the age of 17 , Khambatta was named Miss India and participated in that year ' s Miss Universe pageant . Unable to find success in the Indian film industry ( known as Bollywood ) , she began acting in international films . She also became a model for various companies , including Revlon . She made her English - speaking acting debut with a supporting role in the 1975 thriller " The Wilby Conspiracy " , which she followed with the crime drama " Conduct Unbecoming " later that year . The latter film starred actor Christopher Plummer . Khambatta ' s first US production ( the previous films were made in the UK ) was the 1977 NBC TV movie " The Man with the Power " , which co - starred John de Lancie . For her very next project , Khambatta played the role for which she is most recognized – that of Ilia , the Deltan navigator of the , in " Star Trek : The Motion Picture " . The following year , she became the first Indian actress to present an Academy Award . Specifically , she co - presented the Oscar for Best Documentary , Short Subjects & Features at the 52nd Annual Academy Awards . Her performance in " Star Trek " and the film ' s success led to major roles in the films " Nighthawks " ( 1981 , featuring Jim Beaver and cinematography by James Contner ) , " Megaforce " ( 1982 , featuring Bobby Bass and directed and co - written by Hal Needham , who also performed stunts ) , and " Warrior of the Lost World " ( 1985 , co - starring Fred Williamson ) , and " First Strike " ( with Harvey Vernon ) . She never really found success , however , and decided to return to India to try , once again , to establish herself as a Bollywood actress . When that did not work out , she returned to the United States and began working in television . In 1986 Khambatta guest - starred in an episode of " Hunter " with Rod Arrants and Ben Slack and in an episode of " MacGyver " directed by Cliff Bole and featuring Sid Haig . The following year , she appeared on " Mike Hammer " along with Ian Abercrombie and Michael Ansara . She then returned to films , starring in the direct - to - video thriller " Deadly Intent " . This movie reunited Khambatta with her " Warrior of the Lost World " co - star ( and TOS guest actor ) Fred Williamson and also featured Clayton Rohner . Khambatta then played the lead role in the 1988 science fiction / action film " Phoenix the Warrior " , which proved to be her last film . In 1993 , Khambatta appeared in the pilot episode of the hit television series " Lois & Clark : The New Adventures of Superman " , which starred Teri Hatcher , Tracy Scoggins and K Callan , and was directed by Robert Butler . The pilot also featured fellow " Trek " alumni Christopher Darga , Clyde Kusatsu , and Kenneth Tigar . By 1997 , Khambatta had returned to her native Bombay . In that year , she wrote and published a coffee table book about the history of the Miss India pageant titled " Pride of India " . On 17 August of the following year , Khambatta complained of chest pains and was admitted to a Bombay hospital . She died of a massive heart attack the next day . She was 49 years old .