Merritt Butrick is most known for his role as Dr. David Marcus, the son of Admiral James T. Kirk in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Butrick also appeared in (TNG: "Symbiosis") as T'Jon, a character that was also shown in the clip show (TNG: "Shades of Gray"). He is one of only 31 actors to have worked on both the original Star Trek and one of the spin-offs.
- Butrick was told by his college instructors that he didn't have the skill or talent to make it as an actor, and was dismissed from the California Institute of the Arts. Butrick died on March 17, 1989 of AIDS, at the age of 29.