“Not unlike her 23rd century counterpart, Bibi Besch was also a working professional and single mother. From the time she made her stage debut as a young actress in New York, Bibi never stopped working. She spent her early career in regional theater, on and off-Broadway and as a regular on TV soaps. After moving to Los Angeles, Bibi appeared in countless film and television roles. She could segue from creating the planet Genesis – where she delivered what one film critic called the best line ever to adorn an SF movie (“Can I cook, or can’t I?”) – to portraying a housewife in Lawrence, Kansas, who delt with nuclear disaster in the critically-acclaimed Nicholas Meyer television film The Day After.
“Over the course of her career she earned two Emmy nominations, one for her work in the TV movie Doing Time on Maple Drive and another for a guest appearance on Northern Exposure. She also became an accomplished stage director, producer and teacher while doing a very fine job of raising a lovely daughter, Samantha Mathis, who, like her mother, has also become a successful actress.
“Unfortunately, Bibi’s life was cut short when she lost her battle with cancer in September 1996. It was a tragic end for someone who gave so much of herself to others. And I know, having met Bibi in San Antonio, Texas, at her very first Star Trek convention in 1983…Immortalized on film, she will continue to entertain generations yet to come with a passion for acting that came straight from her very heart and soul.”
– Eric A. Stillwell, quoted in the Star Trek Communicator, September 2000
