What role did Diana Ewing play in Star Trek? Key details of the character, revisited

In Star Trek: The Original Series, Diana Ewing appeared as Droxine in Season 3, episode 21 titled ‘The Cloud Minders’. Droxine is the daughter of Plasus (played by Jeff Corey), the high advisor on the planet of Ardana. She lives in the cloud city Stratos, away from the planet’s surface where the Troglytes reside and work in the zenite mines.

In the Star Trek episode, after Captain James T. Kirk (played by William Shatner) and Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy) arrive on her home planet, Droxine is especially fascinated by the latter and shares a connection with him.

---

Diana Ewing as Droxine in Star Trek episode ‘The Cloud Minders’

In the Star Trek episode 'The Cloud Minders,' Kirk and Spock beam down to the zenite mines on the planet Ardana. They were at the planet to get the mineral zenite to help a botanical plague on Merak II.

On the planet Ardana, Kirk and Spock are attacked by four miners led by a woman called Vanna (played by Charlene Polite). Kirk and Spock try to reason with them but fail. They suddenly go into hiding after a bearded man in robe will appear with two guards. He introduces himself as Plasus, the High Adviser of the Planet Council.

Plasus explains that the disruptors are a group of Troglytes who have taken the zenite that was reserved for the Enterprise to negotiate with the council. Troglytes are the working class of the planet Ardana and often mistreated by the people living in the cloud city of Stratos. Kirk and Spock are taken to Stratos as they wait for consignment. They meet Plasus’ beautiful daughter Droxine. Spock is taken by Droxine’s beauty. She tells him,

‘I have never before met a Vulcan, sir.”

To which he replies,

“Nor I a work of art, madam.’

After Kirk and Spock retire to the rest chamber, Plasus and Droxine meet a miner brought forward by a guard. The miner breaks free and falls to his death from the balcony. Meanwhile, Spock is deep in thought about the different classes on the planet; one on the cloud city and one below. He especially thinks about the ‘lovely Droxine’ and wonders if she understands the harsh life of the working-class people.

Wanting to talk to Droxine, he leaves Kirk sleeping behind in the room. Unknown to him, Vanna enters the chamber and tries to attack Kirk but he wakes up and stops her. Spock would find himself more open than ever as he discusses with Droxine about the Vulcan mating ritual called pon farr.

Hearing Kirk’s cry for help, they head to the chamber to find him and Vanna, who is a servant on Stratos. She had wrongfully assumed that the Enterprise was on the planet to stop the rebellion. Droxine views Troglytes as low-life, who do not deserve privileges. After Vanna is take away by the guard, Kirk has questions about the ill-treatment of Troglytes. Droxine shares that their social system is flawless, and they will continue to live this way. It is understood that from a young age, she had been conditioned to believe that Troglytes are ignorant and illogical beings.

In the presence of Droxine and other people, Vanna is tortured for information about the Disrupters. Droxine believes that Troglytes will only respond to torture. Kirk and Spock question Plasus about his methods of governing the place. Angry at their outburst, Plasus sends them back to Enterprise and send Vanna to prison.

Aboard USS Enterprise, Dr. Leonard McCoy (played by DeForest Kelley) shares that the gas from the zenite can disrupt emotional functions of the Troglytes. They should wear a gas mask to ensure they do not expose themselves to the gas. Despite Plasus’ strict orders against coming back to the planet, Kirk approaches Vanna with the gas mask to tell her about the findings.

Plasus is with Droxine, who tells him that Kirk is helping Vanna as he is desperate for the mineral. She also wonders loudly if their approach towards Troglytes is wrong. Her father is annoyed at her openly supporting Kirk’s observations about the exploitation of class system on their planet. Droxine shares that she is fascinated by Spock.

Later, Vanna gives the zenite consignment to Kirk and tells them that they will continue their fight for equality. At the end of the Star Trek episode, as they are about to leave, Droxine tells Spock that she will not stay in Stratos forever and will venture into the mines below to experience the way people live on the surface.

Other than Star Trek, Diana Ewing has also appeared in The Way We were (1973), Mission: Impossible (1969) and The Rockford Files (1977).

Star Trek is available on Paramount +

ALSO READ: I am convinced that Kirk is more heroic in Star Trek movies than in The Original Series

---

For more stories on shows, follow SoapCentral.