Star Trek III’s Valkris, actor of stage and screen, and star of the new film The Filmmaker
This week on Trek Tuesday, we’re joined by the magnetic Catherine Shirriff, best known to Star Trek fans as Valkris, the Klingon operative who risked everything to obtain the Genesis data in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Catherine brings warmth, humor, and a treasure trove of behind‑the‑scenes stories from across her remarkable career.
Catherine dives into her latest project, The Filmmaker, a bold and intimate story told entirely from the main character’s point of view. She shares what drew her to the film’s unusual narrative style, how the production challenged her creatively, and why this project feels unlike anything she’s done before.
Catherine reflects on her time in the Star Trek universe, including:
The makeup and prosthetic process that transformed her into the mysterious Klingon spy
What it was like working under the direction of Leonard Nimoy, both as a filmmaker and as a Star Trek icon
A few delightful words spoken in Klingon, proving she still remembers the language of the Empire
