Lee Kelso

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Lieutenant Lee Kelso (2265)

Lieutenant Lee Kelso was a navigator and engineering officer aboard the USS Enterprise in 2265.

While investigating the destruction of the SS Valiant, the Enterprise transited the galactic barrier and her warp engines were severely damaged. The starship limped to Delta Vega where Kelso, a "talented thief" (as Scotty referred to him), cannibalized the equipment there to repair the damaged engines. Kelso was later murdered on Delta Vega by Gary Mitchell, whose own encounter with the barrier left him both more and less than Human. Mitchell strangled the navigator using a cord from the equipment which Kelso had been working on. (TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before")

Background

Lee Kelso was portrayed by actor Paul Carr. Chief Kelso, from TNG: "The Quality of Life", was named by writer Naren Shankar as a homage to this character.

It is popular belief that Kelso was the helmsman of the Enterprise while Mitchell was the ship's navigator, as suggested by their positions at the conn. However, on-screen evidence suggests otherwise. Firstly, Mitchell's responsibilites aboard the Enterprise – neutralizing warp speed and piloting the ship, for example – are those of a helm officer. Secondly, when Mitchell is knocked out of his chair after being "zapped" by the energy barrier, Kirk yells out "helmsman!", an explamation aimed at Mitchell. And third, Kelso himself was credited as "Navigator" in early cuts of the episode. In the first pilot and in subsequent episodes, however, the stations are reversed: Mitchell's post is the navigator's station and Kelso's the helm station. It is never explained – either on-screen or from behind the scenes – why their positions at the conn were reversed.

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