Helen Noel Dr . Helen Noel was a female Human enlisted crew member in the 23rd century . She served in the sciences division aboard the in 2265 to 2266 under the command of Captain James T . Kirk , during its historic five - year mission . She was a psychiatrist with a background in rehabilitative therapy . ( ) Service record . In 2265 , Noel was assigned to the medical department aboard the " Enterprise " . That same year , she attended the science lab Christmas party , where Noel met Kirk and dance d with him . At the same event , she heard him talk about the star s , and he addressed her by her first name . In 2266 , after Simon Van Gelder escaped from Tantalus Colony , Dr . McCoy , the department head of the ship ' s medical department , casually recommended Noel to Kirk , as a technical aide when the captain planned to investigate Van Gelder ' s treatment at the penal colony . She subsequently accompanied Kirk on a visit to the colony , with the aim of speaking to Dr . Tristan Adams regarding the accident which had purportedly caused Van Gelder to become insane , among other things . Noel was able to advise Kirk about the neural neutralizer . While not familiar with the specific equipment in use on Tantalus V , she was familiar with the concept , and assured Kirk that Adams had not created a " chamber of horrors " in the neural neutralizer – an assumption later revealed to be horribly wrong . After hours , Kirk enlisted Noel ' s aid in a hands - on demonstration of the neural neutralizer . Convinced she would be able to evaluate the effects and determine whether the device was injuring him , he acted as the subject , while she operated the equipment . They had discovered the device was far more effective than initially suggested when Adams and Eli overpowered her and began to employ the device to mentally condition Kirk . Included in this conditioning were powerful romantic feelings towards Noel , based on their chance encounter at the Christmas party . When Kirk awoke after his treatment , he fought off his feelings for Noel long enough to dispatch her through a series of air conditioning ducts to the colony ' s power supply . There , she managed to shut down the power to the colony , enabling Kirk to escape the treatment room , and the " Enterprise " s first officer , Spock , to beam down with a landing party and secure the colony . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Helen Noel was portrayed by Marianna Hill . This character was created as a replacement for pre - established Yeoman Janice Rand , who originally would have accompanied Kirk to Tantalus V . The new role was devised while the episode ' s script was being written . ( " The Star Trek Compendium " , 4th ed . , p . 42 ) " " is " French " for Christmas , the same holiday on which she and Kirk met . In the final draft script of " Dagger of the Mind " , Dr . Noel was described thus ; " " She is young , exceedingly , even uncomfortably , lovely [ . . . ] Her face is intelligent but the graceful , young and very female body is scarcely what Kirk had in mind when McCoy casually mentioned scientific assistance . " " Apocrypha . The TOS novel " The Weight of Worlds " mentions that she transferred to the sometime after the events of " Dagger of the Mind " . Kirk considers declining to appear at the yearly " Enterprise " holiday party upon recalling his awkward interactions with Noel after their rendezvous at that year ' s party , and is relieved that she has since transferred off the " Enterprise " .