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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into List of Star Trek characters: A-F. () |
| Willard Decker | |
|---|---|
| Species: | Human |
| Gender: | Male |
| Affiliation: | Starfleet |
| Posting: | USS Enterprise commanding officer USS Enterprise executive officer and science officer |
| Rank: | Captain Commander (reinstated to captain upon going MIA) |
| Portrayed by: | Stephen Collins |
Captain Willard "Will" Decker, played by Stephen Collins, is a fictional Starfleet officer who is briefly the commanding officer, and later executive officer, of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
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Development
Decker's basic character outline was originally developed as part of Star Trek: Phase II before that project became The Motion Picture.[1] Some of this character's elements are similar to those of William Riker, the second in command of the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation.[1]
Depiction
Willard Decker is the son of Commodore Matt Decker,[2] who commands the USS Constellation in the Star Trek episode "The Doomsday Machine".[1] Willard Decker was recommended by Rear Admiral James T. Kirk to command the USS Enterprise upon its refitting. In Star Trek: The Motion Picture,[3] Decker loses command of the Enterprise to Admiral Kirk when V'ger threatens Earth. Kirk demotes Decker to commander and executive officer. He also serves as science officer until Spock rejoins the crew. Decker previously had a relationship with Deltan navigator Lieutenant Ilia, whom V'ger captures and uses as a template for a probe to interact with humans. Decker chooses to represent humanity as V'ger's creator, merging with V'ger in the process. Kirk orders both Decker and Ilia listed as missing in action, and returns Decker to the rank of captain.
Collins' reflections
Collins has stated that Star Trek fans forget he was captain of the Enterprise when they list the starship's captains. He also said he would love to revisit the role to see what happened to Decker after he joins with V'Ger, but no one has approached him with any ideas. In the special edition interview of the film, Collins mentioned that he felt out of place working with the Star Trek cast, a feeling that he utilized in his characterization of Decker, as he felt that Decker was something of an outsider within the crew.
References
- ^ a b c Okuda, Mike and Denise Okuda, with Debbie Mirek (1999). The Star Trek Encyclopedia. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-53609-5.
- ^ startrek.com, Character biography Willard Decker, accessed April 20, 2007
- ^ Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
External links
- Willard Decker article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki
| Captains of Star Trek vessels named Enterprise | ||||||||||
| Jonathan Archer | Robert April | Christopher Pike | James T. Kirk | Willard Decker | Spock | John Harriman | Rachel Garrett | Jean-Luc Picard | William Riker | Edward Jellico |
