Your description of Michele sounds right, but it's probably because it's been a while since I watched the series that it's not something that stood out to me - at this time anyway. (I'm currently re-viewing White Iris - not a lot of McKennah so far.)
Specking of females, I know Chapel was mentioned, but if I recall Yoeman Rand was completely absent, is that correct? (But they added a semi-regular navigator at the helm who was blond.)
Was one of the three that caught your attention the Romulan?
I don't remember if her acting was any good, but I do remember when I first saw her I was knocked for a loop because she looked so much like the original. (When seeing side by sides, you can see they're very different ladies... but at first glance - wow!)
We didn't see either Chapel or Rand......But I kept thinking,
where are they? But then it dawned on me that Grace Lee Whitney had left the show early so it wouldn't have made sense continuity wise to have her back again. Though I think I would've still cast Michelle Specht as Janice Rand anyway, as we all know the Yeoman had the hots for Kirk. I don't know who the blonde at helm was or suppose to be? I know Lt Palmer was on the bridge in many scenes.
You were right about the actress who played the Romulan commander looking just like the original, damn! She even got the head tilt and attitude right. The actor who played the Romulan sub commander was also much like the original actor.
White Iris, very cool idea for a story.! I liked how they touched on the original show where Spock used a Vulcan mind technique to make Kirk forget the android Rayna from
Requiem for Methuselah... Kirk was deeply troubled by her death.
In
White Iris the tie in with the accident that causes Kirk to remember Rayna, and thus triggering his feelings of regret over the women he had loved and had died due to his involvement with them made for a somber show.
If you're watching all of STC again I'll tell you which guest actress caught my attention.