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Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) is one of the more acclaimed movies in the history of the franchise. Dr. Gillian Taylor (portrayed by Catherine Hicks) plays a significant part in the story as an expert in Cetacean biology in the 20th Century. The two humpback whales under her care at the Cetacean Institute in San Francisco, George and Gracie, would help save the Earth in the Prime Timeline in the 23rd Century.
Gillian is hardly referred to in the franchise after the movie, not until Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2. In the series, the USS Voyager-A’s navigation whale in the Cetacean Ops is named after Gillian. But that is not all, ‘Gillian’ also happens to be a descendant of George and Gracie, whom the namesake doctor had helped save. This throwback reference is heart-warming and shows that the character’s contribution to the future of Earth is still celebrated in the Star Trek universe.
Dr. Gillian Taylor’s journey to the 23rd Century in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, an alien space probe threatens Earth’s atmosphere by causing severe calamities. Admiral James T. Kirk (played by William Shatner) and crew were returning to the planet on the Klingon Bird-of-Prey ‘HMS Bounty’ when they got a distress call from Starfleet about the probe.
Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy) would match the probe’s message to a song of the now extinct humpback whales. They realized that the only way to stop the entity from destroying the Earth is to travel back in time and bring back humpback whales.
They arrive in 1986 in San Francisco and set out on a mission to find humpback whales to take to the future. While the other crew members spread out to find the nuclear reactor to regenerate the decaying dilithium crystals and find materials to construct a tank to hold the whales, Kirk and Spock head to the Sausalito aquarium.
At the aquarium, they meet marine biologist Dr. Gillian Taylor, who is also a whale expert. She introduces a group of visitors, including Kirk and Spock, to two humpback whales: George and Gracie. She shares that the whales are heading towards extinction due to continuous hunting. Gillian also shares her concern for the two humpback whales, who were to be released into the wild.
During the visit, Spock dives into the tank and connects with the whales. An angry Gillian questions their intentions. When Spock informs Gillian that Gracie is pregnant, Gillian is surprised as she is the only one with this knowledge.
Kirk ends up revealing the mission and how they need to take the humpback whales to the future to stop Earth’s destruction in the hands of an alien probe. Though Gillian hesitates to support them initially, when the whales are released into the ocean without her prior knowledge, she comes to Kirk to help save the sea creatures.
They manage to track the whales and beam them aboard the ship in the nick of time. Gillian decides to travel to the future with the crew, as she has nothing remaining on Earth anymore. She points out that the 23rd-century Earth will need a whale expert. With the Bird-of-Prey now completely recharged, the crew travels to the future.
On Earth, the ship lands in San Fransico Bay, where the whales are released into the open. They respond to the alien probe, which causes the entity to stop the destruction and set back the upheavals. The whale probe will retract and leave Earth’s orbit.
At the end, the crew members face the Federation Council for their misadventures during the events of Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984). Since their time travel quest helped save Earth, they do not face any penalty. Nonetheless, Admiral Kirk is given a rank demotion to captain, which he gladly accepts. Kirk and Gillian share a quick moment before she heads to a science vessel for Starfleet.
Gillian’s contribution continues to be a part of Star Trek universe
By the end of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Dr. Gillian Taylor has made the 23rd Century her new home. Though she is never seen again in the franchise, her work remains an integral part of the Star Trek universe. Starfleet goes on to employ sea creatures as part of their navigation system, as seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Lower Decks.
Interestingly, one of the writers on Star Trek: Prodigy, Aaron J. Waltke, even took to X to share an Enterprise manual, which refers to a Cetacean Navigation Lab.
He wrote on X:
“REMINDER: The Enterprise in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” had a deck called Cetacean Ops, where dolphins and whales were crew mates who helped with navigation. It was referenced twice in the show, but never seen! (1/4)”
He also added:
“I like to believe this Starfleet-marine mammal partnership began with the events of “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” when Spock and Kirk rescued whales aboard a Klingon Burd of Prey to save future Earth. (3/4)”
Even though Star Trek: The Next Generation never explicitly mentions whales, in some episodes, such as Season 3 episode 15, ‘Yesterday’s Enterprise,’ Cetacean Ops is briefly mentioned. It would be fascinating to see the sea animals at work in space.
In Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2, episode 5, titled ‘Observer’s Paradox’, USS Voyager-A will have a humpback whale called Gillian, which helps with the ship’s navigation. In the episode, Rok Tahk (voiced by Rylee Alazraqui) is part of the Cetacean Operations on the ship. Rok- Tahk will form a bond with the humpback whale, who uses the ship’s computer to communicate.
Bonnie Gordon who voiced Gillian, shared on X:
“Now that Season 2 of #StarTrekProdigy is officially out, I wanted to share one of my favorite moments of recording this show! I was fortunate enough to give a voice to Gillian the Whale in Cetacean Ops (via the Ship Computer/Universal Translator) …”
The reference to Gillian and the existence of the Cetacean Ops division proved that the rescue mission in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home made a significant difference to the future of Star Trek.
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