Kodos
| Species | Human |
| Sex | Male |
| Died | SD 2819.8 |
| First Appearance | TOS13 (8 Dec 1966) |
| Portrayed by | Arnold Moss |
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Kodos was the governor of Tarsus IV, a Human colony, in 2247. That year, a fungus devastated the colony's food supply. Kodos declared martial law and seized emergency powers for himself. A follower of eugenics, Kodos decreed that half the colony's population—four thousand people—would be put to death, freeing their food rations for the remaining half of the population. Shortly after the executions were carried out, relief supplies arrived, and Kodos—now known as Kodos the Executioner—was declared dead when a charred corpse was found at his last known location.[1]
Kodos, however, had faked his death. Taking the name Anton Karidian, he forged a new identity for himself, and within a year, had a child, Lenore. The newly-created Anton Karidian made his way through the stars, living an itinerant lifestyle as a traveling Shakespearean actor, and eventually founding the Karidian Company of Players, a traveling theatrical troupe. Unlike many actors, Karidian eschewed the limelight and the attention of his fans, fearing that his identity could be compromised.[1]
In 2267, however, the house of cards that his lies were built upon collapsed. During a performance at Planet Q, Karidian was recognized by Dr. Thomas Leighton, a survivor of Tarsus IV and an eyewitness to the massacre. Leighton called upon an old friend—fellow Tarsus IV survivor and eyewitness James T. Kirk, now captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701—in the hopes of bringing the former Kodos to justice. Kirk was skeptical until Leighton was murdered. Soon, evidence began to mount: from the circumstantial, like the physical similarity between Kodos and Karidian, to the string of suspicious circumstances surrounding the man. By the time of Leighton's death on Stardate 2817.6, all but two of the nine eyewitnesses to the massacre had been murdered, and the Karidian Company of Players was nearby in every case.[1]
Kirk arranged for the Company to come aboard the Enterprise, and during the trip to Benecia Colony, Karidian finally confessed to his true identity after attempts were made on the final two eyewitnesses: Kirk and Lieutenant Kevin Riley. Karidian was not the murderer, however; Lenore had discovered her father's true identity as well, and had taken to murdering all of the eyewitnesses who could identify her father. Horrified, Karidian surrendered to Kirk, but when Lenore tried to kill the captain with a stolen phaser, she accidentally killed her father instead.[1]
Notes and References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Roddenberry, Gene (Executive Producer). "The Conscience of the King." Star Trek, Season 1, Episode 13 (Production 13). Directed by Gerd Oswald. Written by Barry Trivers. Desilu Productions, 8 December 1966.
