Summary
- Joan Collins had an eclectic acting career, starring in Dynasty, Batman, and Star Trek: TOS.
- Collins left her contract with 20th Century Fox to freelance in the 1960s, appearing in hit shows like Mission: Impossible and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
- Joan Collins' memorable performances as Edith Keeler in Star Trek and The Siren in Batman showcase her versatile talents.
Dynasty's Joan Collins has an eclectic acting career, having played both a Batman villain and a love interest for Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in Star Trek: The Original Series. Originating from the United Kingdom, Joan Collins moved to Hollywood in the mid-1950s, when 20th Century Fox studio executive Darryl Francis Zanuck offered her a 7-year contract. After she lost the lead role in Fox's epic Cleopatra to Elizabeth Taylor, Collins demanded to be released from her contract and spent the 1960s as a freelance actress.
As one of 20th Century Fox's most famous actresses of the time, Joan Collins appeared in some of the most iconic TV shows of the 1960s. Collins appeared in classic spy shows like The Man from U.N.C.L.E and Mission: Impossible. In 1967, Joan Collins joined the cast of Star Trek: The Original Series for the classic episode, "The City on the Edge of Forever", and delivered one of TOS' most memorable guest performances. In that same year, she played a very different type of character opposite Adam West and Burt Ward in Batman, showcasing her versatility as a performer.
Joan Collins Played Captain Kirk’s Great Love Edith Keeler
Star Trek: TOS, Season 1, Episode 28, "The City on the Edge of Forever"
It's no exaggeration to say that Edith Keeler was one of Captain Kirk's greatest loves. Kirk and Keeler meet in Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, episode 28, "The City on the Edge of Forever", when Kirk and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) travel back to the 1930s to intercept Doctor McCoy (DeForest Kelley) and prevent him altering history. There's an emotional connection between Kirk and Keeler, and it's a more tender romance than anything previously seen in TOS. Devastatingly, Spock realizes that Edith has to die to preserve the timeline, leading to the heartbreaking moment where Kirk prevents Bones from saving Keeler's life.
Although Harlan Ellison is credited as the writer of "The City on the Edge of Forever", it underwent substantial rewrites by Gene Roddenberry and D.C. Fontana.
The fate of Edith Keeler is one of Star Trek's cruelest deaths, and it's hard not to see how the tragedy played a role in Captain Kirk's fear of romantic commitment in the decades that followed. "The City on the Edge of Forever" is widely regarded as one of the very best episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series, thanks in part to Joan Collins. However, if it weren't for her kids, Joan Collins may have passed on Edith Keeler, as she told StarTrek.com in 2015:
"When I was asked to do Star Trek , I remember saying to my agent, ‘Well, what is Star Trek ?’ I'd never heard of it. When I told my children -- who were then about two and four -- that I'd been asked to do Star Trek , my daughter (who was the older child) jumped up and down and said, ‘Oh, mum, you must do it. It's a great show.’ So that's why I did it.”
Joan Collins Played Batman Villain The Siren
In the same year, Joan Collins played The Siren in Batman season 3, episodes 2 and 3 "Ring Around the Riddler" and "The Wail of the Siren". Collins appeared alongside another Star Trek: The Original Series guest actor, Frank Gorshin as the Riddler in her debut Batman appearance. In Collins' first episode of Batman, the Siren and the Riddler team up to take control of Gotham City's boxing rings, using her siren song to control the men of Gotham.
Joan Collins' character was a unique creation for the Batman TV series, and didn't originate in the original DC comics.
Although Batman (Adam West), Robin (Burt Ward), and Batgirl (Yvonne Craig) defeated the Riddler's plans, their battle with Joan Collins' Siren wasn't over. The Siren used her powers to obtain information about Batman's true identity and then, with Bruce Wayne under her spell, convinced the billionaire to sign over his fortune. Joan Collins' campy Batman character required a more heightened performance than Star Trek: The Original Series' Edith Keeler. In the years that followed, Collins would use those gifts for high camp to great acclaim in Dynasty, but her role as Kirk's great love would never be forgotten.
