While rewatching the first season of STAR TREK on DVD, I was struck at the sudden disappearance of Yeoman Rand. She had a major role in MIRI, then in the next episode in production order, CONSCIENCE OF THE KING, she has a brief, non-speaking walk-on, then dissappears from the series. I haven't been keeping up with all the tell-all books on the series. Has it ever been revealed why Grace Lee Whitney left or was let go?

I believe that they decided she was cramping Kirk's style and she was no longer needed as a distraction for the good Captain.

I thought there was something like that going. Watching the shows in production order, it's interesting to see how "Kirk as ladies' man" seemed to appear overnight. In the early episodes, he is an introverted loner, complaining about the Enterprise being a selfish mistress. Then in WHAT ARE LITTLE GIRLS MADE OF? he's suddenly seducing an android woman. I also noticed that the beautiful yeoman secretly in love with the Captain seems to have been part of Roddenberry's idea from the beginning. There is even a hint of it in the second pilot. Of course, neither of the pilots had Uhura or Nurse Chapel, so the yeoman was (outside of the guest stars) the only piece of "eye candy" in the cast.

However, it's the sudden disappearance of Rand that I'm curious about. The appearance in CONSCIENCE almost cries out "contractual obligation."

I had read the where fors and why-ofs once upon a time (I think maybe in Letter to Star Trek or The Making of...) unfortunately I haven't read any of the early books in years.

I had heard it was a combo of changing Kirk's character to being a ladies' man and also because GLW had a drinking problem.

Grace had two problems - booze and sex. She liked them both a lot more than the average person. Both affected her work negatively, and they fired her. She's long-since cleaned up her act.

I saw her at a con once, she claims she's a born again and lives on a ranch with horses. She did seem a bit weird.

A former boss of mine moved here from California, and had become casual friends with Grace Lee Whitney (she attended his wedding). She left the series because of her addictions problems, but as John said, she straightened her life out and, according to the former boss, is a wonderful lady.

We saw her briefly in ST:TMP, ST:III, ST:IV and a little more in ST:VI, so apparently her departure in the series didn't burn any big bridges.

I had some vague memories of her having some sort of addiction problem, but couldn't remember what the source was or how reliable it was. As I said, re-watching the series, her departure was so abrupt, I suspected it was more than just "she didn't fit in with the direction the show was going."

Glad things worked out well for her.

Grace had two problems - booze and sex. She liked them both a lot more than the average person.

I don't understand. Booze was one problem, What was the other?

Yeah, personally, I don't see that as a negative in a girl either, but apparently it got her in a lot of trouble.

Maybe she was just ahead of her time. If she had of been in this era, she'd be best friends with Paris Hilton (OT, funny review of her cd: "Paris Hilton tries to sing, and I try to listen" hehe).

Grace did indeed have an alcohol problem during the show. I believe she started her drug use after the series.

She was sexually assaulted during the production of the series by an unnamed exec. She resisted the assaulter and was subsequently fired for other related issues. Other excuses were quickly put into place. Everyone has their own version of the story. Grace has never mentioned the exec by name, so we are left to judge who we believe.

I saw Grace a couple years ago at a con (and bought her book) where she spoke about her journey from addiction to salvation. Yes, she seems to be a bit over zealous, but I believe her.