Kim Cattrall advocated for her right to appear how she wanted on screen, but she also appreciated that Valeris wasn’t a carbon copy of how Star Trek portrayed women in the past. The Vulcan helm officer is integral to the plot of “Star Trek VI: The Underdiscovered Country.”
“I don’t think she’s like the other women in Star Trek,” Cattrall commented. “In the 60s, they were mostly beautiful women in great-looking, tight outfits with fabulous makeup and hairdos, more set decoration than real motivators in the mechanics of the plot.” Her character is quite the opposite. “The Undiscovered Country” is the sci-fi version of the Cold War, as reflected by relations between the Klingons and the Federation.
During peace talks, Valeris reveals ulterior motives, which include sabotaging the already fraught relationship. As part of the Khitomer conspiracy, she and a group of similarly disaffected Federation, Klingon, and Romulan conspirators do what they can to stop cooperation. As a Vulcan, Valeris sees no logic in continuing peace talks since it would be impossible to trust the warring culture. Valeris’ subterfuge is a betrayal, particularly for Spock when considering Spock’s entire backstory. Because she was a Vulcan at the top of her class, the science officer had a vested interest in Valeris. This makes her final turn shocking, the kind of plot twist that women weren’t always afforded in the original run of “Star Trek.”
