With her role in Star Trek's first silver-screen adventure, Khambatta beat Patrick Stewart to the punch in proving that bald could be sexy. The talent-blessed actress gave Lieutenant Ilia not only sex appeal, but also a vulnerable warmth that we all could relate to. 

It was that warmth that caught the eye of a commercial photographer who spotted a 13-year-old Persis in a restaurant enjoying a meal with her family. The man asked if he could photograph the youngster, but her mother defensively informed the shutterbug that Persis must attend school.  "So how about Saturday'" the photographer persisted. Eventually her mother relented--something that, after that first photo shoot, Khambatta's modeling career never did. 

After capturing the Miss India crown, wearing clothes that she bought off the rack at the last minute, Khambatta went on to star in several Hindi-language films. She was also featured in roles in productions like The Wilby Conspiracy opposite Sidney Poitier and Michael Caine, and Conduct Unbecoming with Michael York and Richard Attenborough.

Her work in those early films snared the attention of a tinsel-town producer with a dream named Gene Roddenberry. He recruited her to join the crew as Ilia in the rebirth of Star Trek on television--a revival that was not to be. Even so, Khambatta survived the transformation when the abortive effort shape-shifted into the Enterprise's first big-screen romp--and the rest is Star Trek history.