Rizzo (Ensign)

Rizzo was a 23rd century Human man. He served in Starfleet as a security officer aboard the Federation starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) in the 2260s under the command of Captain James T. Kirk.

History
Rizzo and Stephen Garrovick were friends, and had been in the same graduating class at Starfleet Academy.

In 2268, Rizzo led a security team on the planet Argus X. When Kirk smelled a familiar scent, he asked Rizzo to search the perimeter for dikironium with two men, and shoot immediately into any gaseous clouds. Rizzo was puzzled by strange readings on his tricorder. He hesitated when a white gas started choking his men, unsure of where to fire his phaser, before the dikironium cloud creature enveloped him as well. Rizzo was left barely alive; his men had been murdered.

Blood transfusions failed to help the dying officer, who had been drained of corpuscules. Kirk asked Leonard McCoy to revive Rizzo for a moment to confirm suspicions about the cloud, and 1 cc of cordrazine was injected into him. Later, he died from his injuries. 


 * Rizzo was identified as a lieutenant in the novelization, but wore an ensign's uniform in the episode. One of his men was Ryan Leslie, who was depicted as having perished in the episode despite having several subsequent appearances.

Later that year, while feeling as if he might be mortally wounded, McCoy recalled Rizzo, his father David Andrew McCoy, and others he'd been unable to keep from dying.