Carter Winston ( impostor ) Carter Winston was the alias assumed by a Vendorian as part of a subterfuge plot . Prior to assuming this false identity , this Vendorian tended to the real Carter Winston after his trading vessel crash land ed on the planet Vendor , until Winston ' s death almost a year later in 2265 . In 2269 , this Vendorian began working for the Romulan s , in the guise of Carter Winston . As part of the ruse , the impostor set Winston ' s craft adrift near the Romulan Neutral Zone , where it was eventually discovered by the . After successfully convincing the crew he was Winston by producing the Human ' s identity tape and undergoing an examination by Doctor McCoy , he " reunited " with Winston ' s fiancée , Anne Nored , telling her that he had changed and that he could never marry her . Entering Captain James T . Kirk ' s quarters with the pretense of discussing the condition of his ship , he was able to render the captain unconscious , lay him on his bed , and assume his form . As Kirk , the Vendorian ordered Sulu to set course for Rator III . When the helmsman and Spock questioned his judgment , as the course would take them through the Romulan Neutral Zone , the impostor defended his own actions , claiming Kirk had spoken to Winston about it and was satisfied that the action was necessary . When the real Kirk mistakenly came to believe that the Vendorian ' s actions had been " his " ( Kirk ' s ) and that his inability to remember them was due to having , he reversed the impostor ' s orders ( but not in time , as it proved ) and took Spock ' s advice , heading to sickbay for a complete physical , in case he was still a danger to the ship . Meanwhile , the Vendorian subdued Dr . McCoy and took on his form , then dragged him away from his work . When Nored came to ask McCoy ' s advice about Winston , the impostor pretended that he ( McCoy ) had discussed the situation with Winston and once again pleaded with her to forget the man . After she left , he responded to Kirk ' s request for a physical by telling the captain that he was too busy and that Winston had tested normal . When Spock pointed out that McCoy might have made an error , he said there was always the possibility of that and offered to review the results again later . This raised a red flag with both Kirk and Spock , as both knew McCoy was supremely confident about his own abilities and would bitterly dispute questions raised about them . After the pair of officers found McCoy , Kirk realized there were now three examining table s in the room where there had been two . The Vendorian reacted when Kirk subsequently threatened him with a vial of Orientine acid , the alien finally assuming its own true form . Attacking all three officers , the Vendorian escaped and reverted to Winston ' s form . When Nored saw him , she recognized him as the intruder that " Enterprise " s security team s were looking for and aimed her phaser at him , but he knocked it out of her hand before she could fire . He further assumed the form of a crewman and took apart a panel in main engineering , thereby making " Enterprise " s shields inoperable . When Montgomery Scott attempted to stop his actions , he subdued the engineer , too . When Scotty regained consciousness , he estimated that the Vendorian ' s sabotage would take at least two hour s to repair . The Winston / Vendorian , however , had retained so many memories belonging to the real Winston that he had become unable to complete his mission for the Romulans , having fallen back in love with Winston ' s former fiancée , who he was now in danger of hurting . To save her and the rest of the crew of the " Enterprise " , he transformed into the circuitry for the ship ' s main deflector shield and stopped the Romulan attack . Reappearing in his true form after the Romulans left , he apologized for his actions , saying he was a member of the lowest group in his species and wanted to be valued by someone , a prospect that the Romulans had offered him . Kirk informed him he would have to stand trial , but that the captain would recommend his heroic actions be taken into consideration . He once again took Winston ' s form , prompting Kirk to place him under guard , much to McCoy ' s relief . Anne Nored volunteered for guard detail , saying she was interested in talking with him anyway . Kirk granted her request . ( )