The Original Series is full of one-shot characters who appear briefly in the corridors, rec room, various work areas and on the bridge. Most of us barely take notice of them. But occasionally, one of these characters stands out enough that we would have liked to have known her better, perhaps enough to see her in a few more episodes. One of these is Lt. Rahda, the command officer who took over the helm for Lt. Sulu when he became part of the landing party in “That Which Survives.” She deserves recognition for being one of only two helmswomen shown during the series - Yeoman Rand once took the station temporarily but that was only in an emergency. And if you notice her bindi (the red spot) in the middle of her forehead, she also is almost certainly the first Hindu character as well. Lt. Rahda is another example of Gene Roddenberry’s dedication to depicting diversity as the norm in the future.
She also provides an important bit of information in this episode. Lt. Rahda is the first to notice that not only isn’t there any sign that the planet on which the landing party is stranded has broken up, despite the turbulence they had all felt earlier. Not only that, but Rahda announces the planet has disappeared and that now the stars they see are not what they should be seeing. Replaying a recording of the stars taken before the turbulence, she then proves that they somehow have been knocked across space nearly a thousand light years from their previous position. This allows Spock to calculate exactly how far away they have been thrown. He then orders Mr. Scott to get them up to Warp 8 and Lt. Rahda to plot a course back to their original position. With that, her part in the episode is pretty much over except for occasional appearances in a bridge shot. It’s a pity we could not have seen her on the bridge at least once or twice more - female officers capable of handling complex tasks such as helm navigation were sorely lacking.
Actually, we saw the actress who played Lt. Rhada in another episode but not as Lt. Rhada. Naomi Pollack was also the young Native American friend who speaks to Miramanee as they prepare for her and Kirok’s marriage ceremony in “The Paradise Syndrome.” Of course, Naomi Pollack was neither a Hindu nor a Native American. Accurate casting was not usually a concern in the sixties. However even though Gene Roddenberry was not involved in the day to day work on Star Trek, he did write a memo to Fred Freiberger stating his displeasure with the character’s appearance, according to a Trek BBS participant -
"If the woman at the helm is supposed to be Indian, which is not a bad idea, someone goofed badly in makeup and hair style in getting this point out."
Before Star Trek, the actress we know as Naomi Pollack actually had a career as a professional singer. This photo, which appeared in a November issue of The Forwards ( a highly esteemed Jewish-American newspaper), appeared over an article announcing her first performance in New York at the Carnegie Recital Hall. Under her original name Naomi Newman, she had already performed in jazz concerts and participated in a benefit concert sponsored by two Jewish organizations (her father was Director of the Yiddish Culture Club in Los Angeles). Eventually, she went on tour as a opera soprano singer in Europe with stints in Rome and Paris, performing songs by Mozart and a 20th century composer named Milhaud. During her time in Paris, she met and married American painter Reginald Pollack. Interestingly, you hear his name in a TOS episode. Spock mentions him as the artist of some of the works owned by Flint in “Requiem for Methusaleh.” It’s even possible that he was another one of Flint’s aliases.
At some point, Ms Newman entered the world of acting. According to her resume, she appeared not only on Star Trek but on Ben Casey and The Wild Wild West. And she also had a starring role in one of Hanna Barbera’s few live-action series, Korg: 70,000 B.C. Naomi Newman played Mara, wife of the clan leader named Korg and mother of three children.
This show was intended to show what life was like for a typical Neanderthal family. It was presented in a documentary style and was narrated by Burgess Meredith. Even though it was presented as a children’s Saturday morning program, it was meant to be educational as well. The American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History both consulted with the writers to give the show an air of authenticity.
Another piece of Star Trek trivia - the show was directed by Fred Freiberger, who was in charge of The Original Series during the third season, which would have included the two episodes in which Newman appeared.
But Naomi Newman is better known for her work on and for the stage than rather than on the screen. She became a co-founder of A Traveling Jewish Theatre and stayed with them for 34 years. Based in San Francisco, the company used theater as experimental exploration of Jewish identity in America. During that time, she served the company as an actress, a director, and a playwright and won awards in all three fields. Unfortunately, the theater company had to close at the end of its 35th season in 2011 because of lack of funding.
It is difficult to find much more about her but her husband, Reginald Pollack, did allow the Smithsonian to microfilm items documenting her life from 1949 to 1964. These include letters relating to her concerts and singing engagements, some of her own drawings, over 260 personal photos, press releases and clippings, programs and contracts among other things. They can be accessed in the reading room of the Archives of American Art in Washington D.C. And we can add that to what we know about her acting career on both screen and stage. By the way, if you look at her resume on her agency’s website, Newman’s range of skills is quite impressive. https://bit.ly/2F3P8j0
But acting and singing are not her only accomplishments. Newman also had her own well-respected psychotherapy practice. During the 70s and 80s, she was part of the senior staff of The Center for the Healing Arts in Los Angeles. This facility pioneered exploring both the spiritual and psychological aspects of healing.
So perhaps Lt. Rahda was a one-shot character. And her role as Miramanee’s friend only lasted a few minutes. Maybe it is easy to assume that most actors with only a handful of appearances on the screen never achieved any level of success after that. But that certainly doesn’t apply to Naomi Newman. She has made lasting contributions in several fields over the years. Never underestimate the abilities of a Starfleet helmswoman.
