Star Trek Into Darkness rewrote Carol Marcus’ backstory from what was seen in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and it may be permanent going forward.

J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness made a big change to the character of Dr. Carol Marcus that largely went unnoticed and be retconned into Star Trek‘s Prime timeline. Carol was played by Alice Eve in Star Trek Into Darkness, and the young scientist became the center of controversy thanks to a scene where she stripped to her underwear and was ogled by Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine). Carol was younger and more sexualized in 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness, but this isn’t the change that went unremarked upon.

Dr. Carol Marcus (played by Bibi Besch) was originally introduced in 1982’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan as a scientist working for the United Federation of Planets. Based out of the Regula I space station, Carol and her son, David Marcus (Merritt Butick) developed Project Genesis and its result, the Genesis Device, a revolutionary terraforming technology that could bring dead planets back to life. Carol was also the former lover of Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner), who is David’s father. After The Wrath of Khan, Carol wasn’t seen again in Star Trek canon – until J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness brought in the younger Carol in the alternate Kelvin timeline.

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J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness Made Carol Marcus A Starfleet Officer

Bibi Besch’s Carol was a Federation scientist in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

When Carol Marcus debuted in Star Trek Into Darkness, she was a Starfleet Officer wearing the blue uniform of the Life Sciences division. Indeed, Carol was also the daughter of Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller), the head of Starfleet who secretly ran its black ops agency, Section 31. Carol concealed her last name and clandestinely boarded the USS Enterprise under her mother’s maiden name, Wallace. Although she lied about her identity, Carol was definitely part of Starfleet since, at the end of Star Trek Into Darkness, she was in dress uniform during Captain Kirk’s speech before Dr. Marcus formally joined the crew of the USS Enterprise.

However, when Carol was first introduced in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, there was no indication Dr. Marcus was ever a Starfleet Officer; Carol was specifically a Federation scientist. Granted, it’s possible Carol Marcus in The Wrath of Khan was a member of Starfleet in her youth, and that would explain how she met James T. Kirk. Then again, there are myriad ways Kirk could have met Carol in his early days when he was a Lieutenant stationed on the USS Farragut, or even before. If Carol was part of Starfleet, it tracks that she resigned her commission to pursue a different career, especially if her goal was to prevent David from becoming enamored with Starfleet like his father.

Strange New Worlds Could Make Carol Marcus More Like J.J. Abrams’ Version

Carol Marcus’ Starfleet career could become Star Trek Prime universe canon

Star Trek Into Darkness’ backstory for Carol Marcus could become canon in both the Prime and Kelvin timelines, which Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 may confirm. Carol’s arrival in Strange New Worlds was teased by Lt. James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) in “Subspace Rhapsody,” Star Trek‘s first-ever musical episode, when James confessed to Lt. La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) that he has an “on-again/off-again” pregnant girlfriend named Carol. This is the groundwork for the fractured relationship between Admiral Kirk and Carol Marcus in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Strange New Worlds may introduce Carol Marcus as she was in Star Trek Into Darkness: a Starfleet Officer who is the daughter of Admiral Alexander Marcus. Thus, the change J.J. Abrams made to Carol in Star Trek Into Darkness would become Dr. Marcus’ official backstory in both realities, although Carol and Kirk did not have a romantic relationship in the Kelvin timeline. Ironically, even if she is pregnant, Carol Marcus being part of Starfleet if she appears in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 would make her life in the Prime timeline a lot closer to her Kelvin counterpart’s than Lt. James T. Kirk’s life is to Captain Kirk’s in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movies.