10 Star Trek Characters With Wasted Potential

Star Trek is are the words that begin the franchise all the way back in 1964 in gene roddenberry's first pitch meeting for the show and writers producers and fans alike have been trying to fill in the ellipses ever since roddenberry's treatment for Trek did make some things clear there would be strong central characters at its core and the story would emerge through their travels to meet the action-adventure drama on distant but terribly familiar worlds differently named in the pitch except for a certain then half Marsh in with semi-pointed ears the original series quickly settled on the triumviron of Kirk McCoy and Spock around whom most of the plots are focused other Series in the franchise took readily to The Ensemble approach of which Deep Space Nine is almost certainly the finest example with a vast cast of main characters some could have easily Fallen by the wayside but in general most were almost unrecognizable by the series end when compared to our first glimpses of them in Emissary the Next Generation Voyager and Enterprise also tended to have strong arcs for its Central characters bailana and Tom Paris went from Outlaws to in-laws for example certain characters do however come bursting onto the screen with such dazzling potential only to dim into the background or Disappear Completely the most recent incarnations of Star Trek some more character based than others have also had varying degrees of success in this regard with all that being said I am a very sick Brie from Trek culture and here 10 such characters whose initial promise was ultimately wasted number 10 to rule when the Defiance suddenly de cloaked inside deep space Nine's Shield perimeter you were probably sporting a similarly astonished look to that of the quintet of faced faces and Ops head Starfleet finally taken the Admiral Pressman approach to the Treaty of algeron nah they were just borrowing a cloaking device from the romulans strictly for use in the gamma quadrant and to be supervised and operated by new arrival Romulan subcommander to rule played by Martha Hackett later of cesca fame or infamy depending on how you will look at it so roll was originally devised as a recurring character along with the also freshly embarked Lieutenant Commander Michael Eddington while Eddington would go on to appear and several more episodes the character transforming from a seemingly stringent Starfleet security officer to a devoted Maki leader to rule was not quite so fortunate after some relatively compelling action for the character in fighting the gemhadar and a fairly Epic Death in the vorta simulation in the search Parts 1 and 2. to rule simply shimmered out of existences if she'd accidentally cloaked herself apparently the romulans suddenly decided they didn't need anyone to supervise their technology having a permanent obligatory Romulan presence on the defiant and by extension on the station could have provided countless story opportunities in particular the development of the Romulan Federation relations with to rule in a role similar to that of to Paul the first Vulcan to serve aboard a Starfleet vessel to rule may also have had to decide where her loyalties lie in moments of crisis with her immediate Shipmates or as always no matter the circumstance with the Romulan Empire it would have been fun to find out number nine Manic at the Disco Star Trek discovery made the choice from the beginning for one character to be the driving force behind the majority of its plot lines Michael Burnham while this isn't inherently a bad thing and we've gotten some solid character development for Burnham over the years because of it it hasn't left much room for us to really get to know the rest of the crew plus there are only so many daily logs we need to hear to get the point there have been a lot of characters on Discovery and a fair few have been rotated in and out or even gone the way of the airlock by the time the other Series in the franchise had four seasons under their belt and naturally before this point in the original series we felt like we had already gotten to know our characters the wise and the wherefores of their actions and could probably cite a litany effects and figures about them it would be difficult to make that same argument for Discovery in which the bridge characters most notably seem all too often relegated to Mere background players case in point Lieutenant Commander Arium an intriguing character present on screen as soon as the discovery was in the third episode of season one Arium was the Spore Drive Ops officer visibly a cyborg of some type surely ripe with potential for development by this fact alone we learn little to nothing about her until season 2 when she was infected by control's future Ai and died soon thereafter as a result even what we found out about Arium during these episodes felt tacked on and stripped down to the bare minimum for the sake of the overarching plot the character's backstory itself could arguably have filled at least an entire episode The Dramatic and tragic circumstances that led to arium's need for such cybernetic enhancements a shuttlecraft accident that killed her husband on the way back from their wedding were underplayed in a wasted chance to further the character an opportunity was also missed to explore her human cyborg nature more wildly and the ways in which the technology that was part of her could have benefited the crew and Mission Number 8. Travis Mayweather oddly enough Travis Mayweather was a character that all too often faded into the foreground as Helm officer aboard Humanity's first warp 5 Starship the nx01 he was technically speaking front and center of the action by the very virtue of his role that didn't mean he got much more to do than fly the ship however it's a shame as Travis had a fascinating background as a space Boomer that distinguished him from most of the rest of the crew who were from Earth having been born and grown up in space he had a unique perspective and a wealth of experience on the matter even before joining Starfleet Travis knew all about the riggers perils and joys of space travel a fact that few of his fellow Cadets would have been able to boast about his decision to join Starfleet in the first place and the tension that arose with his family as a result were also brimming with potential to be explored further moreover as Starfleet was beginning to expand into the Galaxy tensions with the more established cargo Fleet were starting to emerge it would have been interesting to see how two fleets continued to interact and resolve their differences in the years that followed Travis would have necessarily played a vital role in such a Reconciliation unfortunately all we really got were two episodes that shined a spotlight on Travis Fortunate Son of Star Trek Enterprises season 1 in which Travis's knowledge and experience are essential when Enterprise has called to the aid of a freighter under attack by the nasakim and Horizon of season 2 where Ensign must return home upon the death of his father and winds up saving the day from another group of space pirates don't get me wrong Travis is still crucial to the success of the nx01's mission especially with his piloting skills in the expanse after the zindy attack but we can't help but feel that more could have been said about this charismatic character number 7 Gary 7 the season 2 finale assignment Earth of the original series is a heck of a romp of an episode this campy episode has it all time travel Cape Canaveral impending apocalyptic Doom a shape-shifting black cat Spock in a hat perilous Pursuits and of course the enigmatic Gary 7 himself as the episode Begins the Enterprise is an orbit of 20th century Earth 1968 to be specific for historical research when they latch onto a transporter beam from over a thousand light years away it's then that Gary 7 plus the cat steps off the transporter pad seven we learn is human but is the descendant of a group abducted from Earth thousands of years ago by a highly Advanced alien civilization the aliens have trained these humans over Generations as agents supervisors or Watchers to protect and preserve the timeline Gary 7 was then sent to Earth to find out what happened to his colleagues and ultimately to take over their mission to stop the deployment of a sub-orbital nuclear platform by the United States which otherwise would have led to Armageddon in season 2 of Star Trek Picard we do encounter another Watcher Talon who is sent to supervise Renee Picard and Gary 7 even gets a passing nod in the end however the character has so far been confined to a single episode and as such his boundless potential feels a little wasted his missions alone not to mention the chance to learn more about his fellow agents and the Mysterious Advanced alien civilization in charge could easily make for its own exciting Series in fact that was the plan when assignment Earth was being produced the episode was meant as a pilot for a spin-off starring seven and we would hope his cat number six Hammer Hammer we barely knew ya or to quote our marvelous editor Martin Wilkinson wanna get known you gotta AI this was certainly the case for one character in the first season of Star Trek strange new worlds what a death for the history books it was too we were very briefly but very memorably introduced to Lieutenant hemmer as he was beamed aboard the Enterprise as part of the crew rotation at the end of strange New World season pilot also titled strange new worlds casually carrying his kit bag over his shoulder like a badass he was immediately recognized as an inar a species of andorian who originate from their planet's Northern wastes first introduced on screen at the end of the Star Trek Enterprise season 4 episode United and expanded upon in The Following episode naturally titled the enar as Cadet Uhura said cool we meet hemmer the chief engineer no less more properly in strange new world's second episode Children of the Comet a kind of lovable curmudgeon with a heart of gold hammer participates in a bit of ultimately light-hearted back and forth with Uhura about his abilities as an inar roping Spock into the conversation with a very well-placed carrot during the rest of the season Hammer's interactions with Uhura form the Mainstay of the character's development Hammer takes on a mentoring role to the yangahura and the pair strike up a unique Bond indeed in his final episode all those who wander before huge spoiler alert here he must bravely sacrifice himself for the good of his Shipmates hemmer takes the time to give the most touching piece of advice to Uhura to make a home for herself amongst others this helps convince Uhura to remain in Starfleet do not weep for me I've had a good life our hammers departing words no can do sorry not a dry eye in the house the character just had such enormous potential it might be difficult to argue that this one was entirely wasted as his Arc was handled beautifully and who knows a certain other engineer might be coming aboard soon but my oh my would we have liked to see more the actor who played Hammer the brilliant Bruce horick is slated to return to Star Trek although as who we don't know at this point as producers have confirmed that hemmer really is dead number 5. Catherine Pulaski this doctor got off to a bit of an inauspicious start aboard toward the Enterprise D she arrived as the rushed replacement for a character who had been there since day one the behind the scenes reason for the switches were also let's say not ideal it is safe to say that Dr Pulaski proved divisive with fans you'd probably have an easier time convincing tuvak to perform the Argentinian Tango at the next Voyager Talent night then you would persuading most to spare a favorable word for this particular CMO not all of this ire is misplaced however Pulaski's likable Factor took a serious blow because of her often egregious Jabs at data whatever her motivations May ultimately have been in the end Dr Crusher or rather Gates McFadden was asked to return and we pretty much never heard the slightest mention of Pulaski ever again she blipped into and out of existence faster than someone conjured up by a Wesley warp bubble confining Pulaski to a one and done was a bit of a missed opportunity in retrospect the character clearly had potential an extremely skilled physician she saves Picard's life in extremis much to his dismay Pulaski was intended to be a female McCoy but not exactly as Gene Roddenberry put it in an interview shown in the Next Generation season 2 DVD extras she certainly had a few bones to pick with Captain Picard and never hesitated to give him the orders when the medical need arose always refreshingly forthright in her opinions Pulaski's initial chili treatment of data also mutated during her time aboard the Enterprise into a friendlier almost mentor-like relationship with the Android and she always had time for a potentially deadly spot of tea with Wharf certainly her No Holds Barred approach to life could have made for an interesting Dynamic with Picard in later years and her ever-evolving candid interactions with data might have helped push the ladder further out of his tripolymer bioplast shell number four Janus Rand at first a non-com and Kirk's Yeoman and later shown to be a lieutenant commander in voyager's flashback Janice Rand was a fundamental part of Star Trek before the original series had even aired convinced by Gene Roddenberry to play more of a trusted advisor a role for Kirk actress Grace Lee Whitney appeared as Rand in a good deal of promotional material for the show alongside Kirk and Spock she was set to be a regular reoccurring character featuring far more prominently in TOS than was finally the case as the series began Ran's role was reduced or written out of more and more episodes she was supposed to have more scenes in the corbamite maneuver and have a part in months women court-martial and the Galileo 7 for example the character was completely dropped after merely Eight Episodes Ran's last appearance in TOS was a fleeting wordless moment in the conscious of the king officially speaking the reasons for the character's exit were budgetary and the network wished to see Kirk have his conquest of the week at the expense of his budding relationship with Rand unfortunately as there often is there's more to the story and rand's force departure took a severe toll on Whitney's mental health and the actor fell further into alcohol addiction in her autobiography the longest Trek my tour of the Galaxy Whitney also discussed the Terrible sexual assault she suffered at the hands of an unnamed Star Trek executive which may have played a role in her eventual departure from the show later Whitney would go on to help others struggling with addiction problems and was popular at Star Trek conventions Roddenberry also called rand's departure from TOS the dumbest mistake the character then appeared in Star Trek the motion picture Star Trek 4 the Voyage Home Star Trek 5 the Undiscovered Country and in the Voyager episode flashback in theory Rand was also in Star Trek 3 The Search for Spock although Whitney was only credited as woman in cafeteria her cameo in that film was made at the request of director Leonard Nimoy Whitney would also reprise her role in Star Trek fan Productions proving that there was a demand for this once woefully wasted character number 3 Sila the character Sila was in fact created by the very person who played her well and her mom Denise Crosby having enjoyed reprising the role of Natasha Yar for the Next Generation season 3 episode yesterday's Enterprise still cited as one of the best and a turning point for the series it occurred to Crosby that perhaps not all of the crew of the Enterprise sea needed to die at the Battle of Narendra III when the ship was sent back in time to fulfill its original purpose maybe some of the crew were captured by the romulans instead and Alternate Yar fell pregnant to one of them producers loved the idea and so half Romulan half human Sila the best and most underrated of baddies was born the problem was that for a character with such an epic backstory she didn't really go anywhere for Sila's first shadowy appearance in tngs the mind's eye she was simply referred to in the script as unseen woman when she is properly revealed to the audience at the very end of tng's season 4 finale Cliffhanger Redemption the script goes one better by calling her mysterious woman Denise Crosby is in reality only credited as Sila in Redemption Part 2 and unification part 2. these were great episodes but this character could have been so much more what was she up to around the time of the Romulan Supernova for example and sfx's Magazine February 2023 issue Star Trek Picard season 3 Show run honor Terry matalis also refuted rumors that Denise Crosby was making a return stating there's definitely a reference to Tasha Yar but it's not beyond that which is a shame because I would have loved to see her again number two Eleanor please my friends choose to live elnor or space Legolas as fans lovingly came to call him was arguably one of the best parts of season 1 and 2 of Star Trek Picard the character was only a small child when it was learned that the Romulan son was about to go supernova making him a refugee thanks to Picard he was resettled on the planet vashti under the care of a group of Kick-Ass Warrior nuns called the kuwat Mila although he could never fully be part of their order to say he learned some skills from them would be an understatement at least let's be absolutely candid Eleanor is a sword-wielding head-chopping scene stealing freaking badass Picard went incommunicado for a few years after the synth attack on Mars but the pair eventually reunited and Eleanor pledged himself to jean-luc's latest cause the real issue came with how the character fared in season 2 of Picard in the very first episode episode the Stargazer it was revealed that Elenor had joined Starfleet Academy making him the first fully Romulan Romulan to do so not long thereafter he seven Picard Rafi Rios and jaradi were transported to an alternate timeline that made the Mirror Universe look warm and cuddly by comparison Elenor was shot by Seven's idiot parallel husband and died of his injuries aside from a few of rafi's grief-induced hallucinations and the emergency combat hologram created in His image we unfortunately saw very little of elnor throughout season 2 before his miraculous but very welcome Resurrection in the season finale it has been confirmed for some time now that Evan ivigora who played Eleanor will not be returning for Picard season 3. so we don't know when or even if we will be seeing this fan favorite and thoroughly underused character again suffice to say we want more Elenor number one Roe Laren probably more than anyone else on this list we here at Trek culture have been banging on about just how much potential ensignolarin had from the start only for it to be wasted such was Ensign Roe laryn's promise from day one she lent her name to her first appearance in the Next Generation her entry in season 5 was as bold as the choice of eponymous title outspoken Brash and mistrustful of authority Roe was no typical Ensign usually portrayed as bright-eyed and eager to please when Ensign Rowe first beamed aboard the Enterprise D she came equipped with a complex backstory the likes of which most actors could only dream for their characters played to note perfect Perfection by the outrageously talented Michelle Forbes Ensign Roe surname first as per bajorn tradition was initially ostracized by certain members of the Enterprise D crew who questioned her very presence on the ship having disobeyed orders during her previous assignment on the USS Wellington eight members of her away team died she was subsequently court-martialed and sentenced to prison even those amongst the crew Dr Crusher and Deanna Troy who sought to welcome Roe were shunned by her it would take a little glorious gainan I tend bar and I listen magic to help the Lost Ensign to start to find her feet in in the same episode we learned the tragic and deeply moving reason Roe had always felt the need to keep her Shields up around others when she was a child just seven years old under the brutal occupation of the cardassians Roe was forced to witness her father's interrogation torture and eventual death at the time Roe felt ashamed of her father for being weak and as a result ashamed of even being bajoran later she realized how unfounded this sentiment was but somehow the sense of Shame had remained ingrained within her she no longer wanted to feel that way about her bajoran Heritage the scene in which she reveals this fact from the episode Ensign Roe is an active tour de force from Forbes each word of Rose speech carefully waited and delivered to masterful effect even The supremely Talented Patrick Stewart her scene partner must have had to up his game that day row remained on board the Enterprise and appeared in several episodes throughout the remaining seasons of TNG while they were some of the best such as disaster conundrum and cause and effect they were more standard sci-fi fare than her introductory episode had been as a result say perhaps for are certain moments in the next phase there was little development for Roe and So what had started out as a character with such promise and Intrigue felt a little bit like a wasted Opportunity by the time they reached her finale and character-defining episode preemptive strike things were not meant to end this way however producers wanted rollerin to transfer to Deep Space Nine to become the station's first officer from the very beginning of that show the character even appeared in the DS9 series Bible as having volunteered for Duty there gaining a promotion to Lieutenant and eventually forming meaningful relationships with Cisco Dax and Odo sadly Michelle Forbes turned down the offer for the transfer and so the character was Rewritten to become the equally wonderful Kira narisse still Roe would have made for a fascinating addition to Deep Space Nine the mind boggles at the possibilities we never did get any closure for the character either after she joined the Maki what role did she go into play with in the group what happened to her during the cardassian Dominion offensive against the Maki did she survive the fight in the Dominion War so many questions we want answered at Trek culture short of show on seeking out the bijorn orb of wisdom however those answers may never come with all that being said those were 10 Star Trek characters with wasted potential if you like this video make sure to give it a thumbs up and let us know in the comments what other characters you felt had wasted potential you can also subscribe to us here on Trek culture to never miss new content when it's released you can also find us on Twitter at Trek culture and Instagram at trekculture YT you can also find me on various social medias by simply searching Trekkie Bree with all that in mind I hope you all have a great rest of your day and don't forget to live long and prosper

Channel: TrekCulture

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Id: T0pD_sYVziU

Length: 20min 32sec (1232 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 13 2023