Garth of Izar


 * For Garth's mirror universe counterpart, see Garth of Izar (mirror).

Kelvar Leonard Garth (better known as Garth of Izar) was a legendary Starfleet captain in the 23rd century, whose distinguished record was marred only by his descent into madness.

Early life and career
Garth was born in the city of Trelemarcas, on Izar in 2208. He entered Starfleet Academy in 2225 and graduated in 2229. During his time at the Academy he proved to be an exemplary cadet, and proved himself to be an adept tactician and military expert. (FASA RPG: The Four Years War).

Garth once gave a guest lecture at the Academy, when James Kirk was a cadet. In his talk, he advised, "assume that space will always be more unknown than known, and nothing you encounter in its reaches will surprise you." 

The Battle of Axanar

 * There are currently two incompatible accounts of Garth's role at the Battle of Axanar:

FASA The Four Years War version
By the early 2250s (2192 SFC), Garth commanded the USS Xenophon.

Novel Garth of Izar version
By 2251, Garth was in command of the USS Heisenberg. In that year, Captain Garth was dispatched to mediate a dispute between the various Axanarri colonies in the Axanar system. On arrival in the system, Garth discovered that the Klingons were on a mission in the system. Although the Heisenberg was outmatched, Garth successfully executed the first Cochrane Deceleration Maneuver, and was able to outwit and destroy the Klingon warship, this engagement became known as the Battle of Axanar. Following his victory over the Klingons, Garth led the Axanar Peace Mission and the war between the Axanarri ended. (TOS novel: Garth of Izar).

A few months later, the Heisenberg visited planet Antos IV. While beaming down to the planet's surface, he became horribly disfigured as the result of a transporter accident. His disfigurement is healed by the Antosians, Hala-Jyusa and Heje Illuss, who also taught Garth the secret of shape-shifting, which unleashed madness in the captain. Upon beaming back to the Heisenberg, he blamed the Antosians for his madness and subsequently tried to use the starships weapons to destroy the planet. It was thanks to the efforts of Commander Liang Jin, his first officer, and his second officer that Garth was stopped, but at the cost of their own lives. (TOS novel: Garth of Izar).

Garth was subsequently court-martialed and charged with murder. As a result he was sent to the maximum security penal colony on Elba II.

In 2268, Captain James T. Kirk thought of Garth, among others, when he contemplated leaders who failed their crews despite their good intentions. (Star Trek: Section 31 novel: Cloak)

Ironically, Kirk would soon meet Garth. Later that year, Garth was able to take control of the penal colony on Elba II along with his Orion associate, Marta. When the USS Enterprise arrived at the colony to deliver new therapeutic drugs to the colony, Garth took Kirk and Commander Spock prisoner, in an attempt to gain access to the Enterprise. The attempt failed and Garth was subdued, which allowed him to receive the new therapeutic treatment, which was supposed to cure him. (TOS episode: "Whom Gods Destroy")

The new treatment worked and Garth was released from Elba II in mid 2269. He headed to Antos IV, where he was successful in infiltrating a group of Antosian rebels. He then returned to Earth in 2270. On arrival on Earth, Admiral José Mendez declared him fit for duty and assigned him to the Enterprise. His mission aboard the Enterprise was to return to Antos IV and attempt to repair the sociological damage that was caused by his condition on the general populace. Garth was successful in stopping the Antosian rebels, who rejected proposals that they stop using their shape-shifting powers, and was appointed Federation Ambassador to Antos IV. (TOS novel: Garth of Izar).

Comic continuity
By 2287, Garth was cured of the madness that had previously influenced his actions, but given his past nobody was willing to offer him another command, instead attempting to guide him towards a possible role as a teacher. Feeling that such work was menial, Garth departed in a stolen ship to the depths of space, his last psychiatric evaluation suggesting at a deep-seated resentment towards the command ranks of Starfleet in general and Kirk in particular. Concocting an elaborate scheme to murder and disgrace Kirk, Garth lured the Enterprise to Omicron Ceti IV by attacking the Federation colony on the planet, killing all its inhabitants. He then murdered Ensign Bloemker, an Enterprise crewman investigating the colony, and assumed her identity via his shape-shifting abilities. He was nearly successful in his attempt on Kirk's life, if not for the intervention of Kirk's old academy rival, Finnegan, who deduced Garth's identity after discovering the real Bloemker's body before he was sent to the Enterprise to investigate Garth's attack. Garth was subsequently moved back to the Elba II facility. (TOS comic: Who Killed Captain Kirk?)

Legacy
The Federation starships USS Garth were named in honor of Garth and his victories.

Alternate universes
In one alternate timeline Garth rose to the position of Earth Starfleet Commander-in-Chief by 2264.