Garth of Izar

This page details Garth of Izar in the primary universe; for Garth of Izar in the mirror universe see Garth of Izar (mirror); for the Garth of Izar in the Kelvin timeline created by Nero's temporal incursion see Garth of Izar (Kelvin timeline).

Garth of Izar
Garth of Izar and Marta in 2268.
Known aliases:	Zair
Species:	Human
Gender:	male
Born:	2208
Affiliation:	Federation, Starfleet
Career
Previous Assignment:	CO, USS Xenophon/USS Heisenberg (2250s decade); temporary assignment to USS Enterprise (2270)
Final Assignment:	Starfleet Records, supply procurement
Insignia:
Office Held:	Federation Ambassador to Antos IV

Kelvar Leonard Garth (better known as Garth of Izar, born 2208) was a legendary Starfleet captain during the 23rd century, whose distinguished record was marred by his descent into madness.

Biography

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 module: The Four Years War)

Garth once gave a guest lecture at the Academy, when James T. 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." (TOS novel: Strangers from the Sky)

Garth wrote a book called Garth of Izar on Tactics. Kirk had a copy of it in his quarters in 2273. (TOS comic: "Aberration on Abaris")

The Battle of Axanar

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

Xenophon

By the early 2250s (2192 SFC), Garth commanded the Marklin-class destroyer USS Xenophon. On reference stardate 1/9405.01 the Xenophon encountered a Klingon cruiser eight parsecs from the Axanar system. Suspecting the intruder of having destroyed a missing scout, the USS Gulliver, Garth disabled the Klingon's warp engines with lasers.

On 1/9407.09 the Xenophon reached Axanar, where more Klingons had already been detected: an invasion fleet comprising nine ships from Ruwan under Admiral Kkorhetza zantai-Riskai. Appointed fleet captain, Garth took command of the naval picket assigned to monitor the Klingons and impede any breakout.

On 1/9408.29 one of Garth's scouts detected a second incoming Klingon strike force of cruisers, cargo carriers and assault transports. Garth divided his inferior fleet into three squadrons and employed a counterintelligence stratagem to intercept these reinforcements, destroying six hostile cruisers and preventing the Klingons from establishing a supply line deep in Federation space.

Meanwhile Kkorhetza had rejected an ultimatum from the Federation Council to withdraw, issuing a declaration of alliance with the Axanarians, and the Four Years War began. In an immediate follow-up action, Garth executed a Delta-Z maneuver, defeating the seven remaining enemy ships and taking Kkorhetza prisoner.

Garth was awarded the Federation Medal of Valor for his decisive and merciful victory. However, he had also received a brain injury during the engagement that would contribute to his later psychiatric disorder. (FASA RPG modules: The Four Years War, The Federation)

Heisenberg

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, Garth was severely disfigured in a transporter accident. His physical injuries were healed by the Antosians, Hala-Jyusa and Heje Illuss, who also taught him the secret of cellular metamorphosis or shape-shifting. Unfortunately, the technique also induced acute paranoid psychosis in the captain. Convinced that the power of the pacifist Antosian race constituted a danger to the galaxy, Garth beamed back to the Heisenberg and tried to turn the starship's shipboard weapons on the planet. He was prevented from committing genocide by the crew, but not before he had killed his first officer Liang Jin, and his second officer, using a hand phaser. (TOS novel: Garth of Izar)

Imprisonment and Rebellion

Garth was relieved of his command and court-martialed for his violent crimes. Deemed criminally insane, he was confined at 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. (TOS - Section 31 novel: Cloak)

Later that year the USS Enterprise arrived at Elba II to deliver a shipment of new therapeutic drugs, only to discover that Garth and his Orion fellow inmate, Marta, had seized control of the penal colony. Garth took Kirk and Commander Spock prisoner and attempted to gain access to the Enterprise. The attempt failed and Garth was subdued. His recapture allowed him to receive the new therapeutic treatment, which was hoped would cure him. (TOS episode: "Whom Gods Destroy")

Rehabilitation and return to duty

The new treatment resolved Garth's symptoms to the satisfaction of the psychiatric profession, and he was released from protective hospitalization in mid 2269. As a private Federation citizen, he headed to Antos IV, where he infiltrated a group of Antosian rebels. He then returned to Earth in 2270, where Admiral José Mendez declared him fit for space duty and assigned him to the Enterprise. Garth's assignment aboard the Enterprise was to return to Antos IV and attempt to repair some of the sociological damage he had caused to the general populace. Garth succeeded in stopping Antosian rebels who had refused to stop using their shape-shifting powers, and was appointed Federation Ambassador to Antos IV. (TOS novel: Garth of Izar)

"Captain Zair"

By 2287, Garth had still failed to win back the trust of Starfleet for command positions, and he continued to be denied assignments because of his history of mental illness, despite his treatment and proven skills as a starship captain. Instead, his superiors guided him towards a role as a teacher. Rejecting such work as too menial for a leading officer of the service, Garth departed in a stolen ship to the depths of space, his final psychiatric evaluation suggesting a deep-seated resentment towards the command ranks of Starfleet in general and Kirk in particular.

Suffering a devastating relapse in his mental illness, Garth concocted an elaborate scheme to disgrace and murder Kirk. First he took Captain Phil Burroughs identity, taking the name Zair in his guise following his murder of Burroughs. He also took Burrough's ship, the USS Zephyr, renamed it the Renegade and assemble a crew of mercenaries. Garth then attacked the Klingon science outpost on Miraud. Following that attack, he proceeded to attack various other Klingon outposts with the intention of provoking war by giving the impression that he was acting with Federation approval. Fortunately, the testimony of "Bernie", a human/Klingon hybrid who had witnessed the Renegade crew hunting for survivors, allowed the Enterprise to identify his next target. Garth managed to escape to the planet's surface, where he murdered Ensign Bloemker, an Enterprise officer investigating the situation, and assumed her identity using his shape-shifting abilities. Assuming the appearance of William Bearclaw- an ensign that Kirk had been clashing with recently- Garth attempted to kill Kirk by stabbing him, but McCoy was able to save Kirk's life. Despite the seemingly clear-cut case, Kirk's old academy rival, Sean Finnegan, was assigned to investigate, eventually identifying Garth as the culprit after he discovered Bloemker's body before he was sent to the Enterprise. Although Garth attempted to kill Kirk in disguise as Finnegan, he was subsequently recaptured and returned to the Elba II facility. (TOS - Who Killed Captain Kirk? comic: "Aspiring to be Angels")

Legacy

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

Alternate realities

In an alternate timeline in which John Frederick Paxton destroyed Starfleet Command and ended the talks for the Coalition of Planets in 2155, Garth served as the commander-in-chief of the United Earth Starfleet during the early 2260s. He was the youngest person to have held that position, having been appointed to it following his victory at the First Battle of Axanar.

He was known for his low tolerance for failure among his subordinates. In 2264, he attended an "unofficial" meeting in which he, Admiral James Komack and Prime Minister Carter Winston informed Captain Christopher Pike of the UESS Enterprise that he was to transport Lady T'Pol and Ambassadors Nancy Hedford and Garrett Tarses to Babel where they were to petition for United Earth's admission into the Interstellar Coalition. (TOS - Myriad Universes novel: A Less Perfect Union)

Appendices

External Link

• Garth of Izar article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
• Garth of Izar article at the Star Trek Timelines Wiki.