Bibi Besch Actress Bibi Besch is best known to " Star Trek " fans for playing the role of Doctor Carol Marcus in . She also narrated the audio release of the Michael Jan Friedman novel " Faces of Fire " . A 30 - year veteran of television and feature films , Bibi ( short for Bibiana ) Besch got her television start in 1966 on the soap opera " The Secret Storm " , on which she spent one season . " Star Trek " actors John Colicos , Laurence Luckinbill , and Diana Muldaur were also part of that show ' s cast at one time or another . Besch went on to have brief stints on three other long - running TV soap operas , " The Edge of Night " ( 1969 - 1970 ) , " Love is a Many Splendored Thing " ( 1971 - 1973 ) , and " Somerset " ( 1973 - 1976 ) . All of these programs also featured several other " Star Trek " alumni . Besch appeared with her fellow " Secret Storm " actor Laurence Luckinbill in the 1979 film " The Promise " . That film also starred Stephen Collins from . Besch worked with her " Wrath of Khan " co - star Paul Winfield twice before that film went into production . First , in 1979 , they co - starred together in the 1979 TV miniseries " Backstairs at the White House " . This series also featured Robert Hooks , Noble Willingham , and Bill Quinn . Then in 1981 , she and Winfield co - starred in the TV movie " The Sophisticated Gents " , which also featured Robert Hooks as well as Bernie Casey and Alfre Woodard . After " Star Trek II " , Besch re - teamed with that film ' s director , Nicholas Meyer , on the acclaimed , jarring made - for - TV film " The Day After " ( 1983 , also featuring Georgann Johnson ) . Initially , Besch found the exclusion of Carol Marcus from very difficult to accept . Being so upset that she cried , Besch at first suspected the omission was actually a rejection of her acting talent , carried out because she had done something wrong . After the film was released , however , she sent a letter of acknowledgment to Executive Producer Harve Bennett , who later recalled of the message , " " It said , ' I ' ve seen the picture . Now I understand . You were right . I hope you can find a place for me in one of the other films . " " ( " The Making of the Trek Films " , 3rd ed . , p . 46 ) Besch received one Emmy nomination as Outstanding Supporting Actress for the TV special " Doing Time on Maple Drive " ( 1992 , co - starring with James B . Sikking ) , and another in 1993 for a guest appearance on " Northern Exposure " . She also had a role on the 1991 TV movie " Crazy from the Heart " , which also featured Brent Spiner in an uncredited cameo . In 1993 , Besch guested on the crime / legal drama " Law & Order " , starring Carolyn McCormick , in the cult - themed " Apocrypha " directed by Gabrielle Beaumont , joining Tim Kelleher , Lawrence Pressman and Ted Sorel . Besch also guest starred in " The Golden Girls " episode " Sick and Tired " about chronic fatigue syndrome . In addition to her role on " Star Trek II " , she had notable roles in other feature films , including " Who ' s That Girl ? " ( 1987 , also featuring Mike Starr and Roy Brocksmith ) , " Steel Magnolias " ( 1989 , also featuring Nancy Parsons and Tom Hodges ) , and " Tremors " ( 1990 ) . She also had a supporting role in the 1990 comedy " Betsy ' s Wedding " , as did DS9 guest actress Camille Saviola . Besch succumbed to metastatic breast cancer on September 7th , 1996 , one day before " Star Trek " s 30th anniversary .