Farewell, Yvonne Craig

As you probably deduced from the headline of this post, there is sad news to report. Actress Yvonne Craig died this past Monday. While Craig's foundation was in ballet, she became known and loved by my fellow geeks for her appearances on such TV classics as "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.", "Star Trek", and of course, "Batman". As Batgirl, she was the last regular character to join the Bat-family, injecting much needed life into the show's formula during its hit-and-miss final season. 

Craig's ballet training was very apparent in the fight scenes that gave the opportunity to flaunt her impressive high-kicking skills. She also got a chance to twirl on screen as the icon green alien dancer Marta in the final season of "Star Trek", sparking rumors that Captain Kirk had a thing for inter-species romance, which persist to this very day.

Aside from appearing on a lot of very cool TV, Craig was a very cool person who devoted her time to supporting worker's unions, advocating free mammograms, and calling for women's right to equal pay. In fact, she stepped into her Batgirl gear for a PSA for that latter issue in 1973.

Sadly, Craig died relatively young at 78. She had suffered from breast cancer, which passed to her liver, for over two years. She will be missed by those who knew her and those who never had the pleasure.