Remembering 'Trek' Favorite, Barbara March, 1953-2019

StarTrek.com is saddened to report the passing of Barbara March, the stage, TV and film actress who made her mark on the Star Trek franchise with her memorable performances as the fierce Klingon, Lursa, sister of B'Etor (Gwynyth Walsh), in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes "Redemption," "Redemption, Part II," and "Firstborn," the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine entry “Past Prologue,” and the TNG feature Star Trek Generations. March also provided Lursa's voice for the video game Star Trek: The Next Generation — Klingon Honor Guard, and, frequently alongside Walsh, was a fan favorite at Trek conventions worldwide. March's husband, Alan Scarfe — himself a three-time Trek guest star — confirmed on Facebook that she passed away on August 11 at the age of 65.

"My beloved Barbara, my partner in all things for more than forty years, passed through eternity's gate yesterday evening after a cruel battle with cancer," Scarfe wrote in his post. "She was wise and compassionate and beautiful and her brilliance, kindness and perspicacity touched many."

Born in Toronto, Canada, March attended the University of Windsor and was classically trained. She acted in productions at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis as well as Canada’s prestigious Stratford Shakespeare Festival, with further credits in New York and Los Angeles. Her non-Trek film and TV credits included Night Heat, The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw, L.A. Law, The Portrait, and Total Security. Also an author and playwright, March was married since 1979 to Scarfe, and together they had a daughter, Tosia, both of whom survive her, along with her stepson, Jonathan.

March was best known for her Trek work, and she relished both the Lursa role and the fan base's enduring embrace of her character. "It's amazing," she told Ian Spelling in 1994, during an interview for the official Star Trek Generations magazine. "We were really surprised by how popular Lursa and B'Etor are. I think it's because, in one sense, these women have a great deal of power. They're very emotional, almost a bad Laurel and Hardy team. They're rebellious, strong, and can kick butt, and there just aren't that many female characters on television who control things like the Duras sisters try to do. I think all of these aspects, and the chemistry between Gwynyth and I, have helped the characters really catch on. It was wonderful to create a character on Star Trek because she wasn't a stereotypical cardboard cutout."

Please join StarTrek.com in offering our condolences to March's family, friends, colleagues and many fans.