Apella

Apella was a Neural native introduced in the Star Trek episode A Private Little War. He was portrayed by Arthur Friedman.
Apella was a merchant and leader of the Villagers on Neural. One day in 2267 Apella was approached by a Klingon named Krell, who said he was from a far off land called the Klingon Empire. Seeing an opportunity to turn Neural into a client state for the Empire, Krell began providing flintlock rifles to the Villagers which were far beyond the technology of the neighboring Hill People, and encouraged Apella to attack the Hill People. 
Krell's scheme was later uncovered by Captain James T. Kirk of the Fedeation Starfleet ship USS Enterprise. With their operation exposed, Krell was forced to leave Neural. Kirk arranged for Tyree's people to receive the same weapons that Krell had provided the Villagers in order to maintain a balance of power. 
Some time after the Enterprise left, Krell returned to Neural in order to mine the planet's leutrinium reserves. Krell began working with Apella again, providing additional technology while promising Apella wealth and power. Apella was able to use his new resources in order to force 20 tribes to unite under his banner, and captured people to mine leutrinium for the Klingons. Apella and his people built a new city named Victory, and became known as the Victors.
In 2373 Admiral Kirk learned of continued Klingon activity on Neural. Visiting the world for the first time since 2267 Kirk learned that Tyree's people had united with some of the other tribes on the planet to oppose Apella. Now called the Freeholders, Tyree's people built a city called Freehold.
Kirk and Tyree were soon captured by Apella's people and forced to work in the mines. However Apella did not tell Krell about who he had caputred. Seeing how Krell was treating Apella, Kirk and Tyree were able to convince Apella that the Klingons had manipulated him and the other Victors into doing their bidding, and mining leutrinium from Neural while giving nothing in return. When Freeholders attacked Victory in order to free the Victory slaves, Apella and Tyree stood together in front of their people and convinced them to stop fighting each other. Telling the Neural that their world belonged to them and not the Klingons, the Neural turned against their Klingon overseers. 
The timely arrival of the USS Potempkin kept the Klingons from retaliating. With the Organians alerted to the Klingon malfeasance on Neural, Krell and the other Klingons left in order to keep from being sanctioned by the Organians. Apella personally watched as the last of the Klingons left Neural and believed Krell when Krell said the Empire would not return. After the Klingons left, Apella and Tyree planned to rebuild a smelter that was destroyed in the attack, and use both it and the leutrinium for the benefit of all of Neural and not just a single faction or outsiders. With the Klingons gone, Kirk believed that the Neural still had a bumpy road ahead of them, but that as long as everyone worked together issues could be resolved. Apella was determined to lead his people out of the conflict that had consumed the planet for the past decade.
Category:Star Trek Heroes
Category:Redeemed Villains
Category:Arrogant
Category:Leaders
Category:Fighters
Category:TV Show Heroes
Category:Comic Book Heroes
Category:Book Heroes
Category:Deal Makers
Category:Warriors
Category:Wise
Category:Pawn of the Villain