Was there a reason Tasha Yar was killed?

[Mitchell]

I was just wondering if anyone hear knows if there was a reason the character Tasha Yar was killed in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

As for why I'm asking...I'm just curious, since she died a "pointless", "useless", etc. death. (Was there a behind-the-scenes reason?)

[Uruz]

Yeah, the actor got an offer to do some movies, so she left the Trek franchise high and dry, pretty much.

Note that you've never seen a movie with her face in it. That's why she did bit parts as both Tasha and by that Romulan throughout TNG.

[Owen E Oulton]

More to the point, she felt that the limited amount of screen time she got and the way the role was written would, over the course of 6 years (they were all signed to a six-year contract) make her unmarketable. Remember, acting is a business. She therefore asked to be released from her contract. Obviously, there was no bad blood, since she did return later in the series as both Yar and her half-Romulan daughter Sela.

And actually, Crosby hasn't done too badly. She did do a number of movies after Trek (Pet Sematary and Deep Impact spring immediately to mind), and has been quite active behind the camera. Just because an actor isn't seen much on screen does not mean they aren't very active and successful in Hollywood.

[Uruz]

Just because an actor isn't seen much on screen does not mean they aren't very active and successful in Hollywood.

Yes it does.

[Balok]

As it turned out, it was probably for the best -- I think maybe the show started with one character too many (witness the fact they never really replaced her -- yes, they moved Worf to her role, but they didn't really add a character, as they did in Voyager when Jennifer Lien left).

[strict31]

Did Tasha ever strike anybody else as kind of difficult to like? There were times when she seemd to stick out like a sore thumb. I don't know if that was because the writers were still trying to feel her character out, but everytime she got into the spotlight, she ended up rubbing me the wrong way.


Strictly Speaking

[Phantom]

I've always liked the character of Tasha. I've always found her background (what was shown of it) was the most imaginative of all the characters. Finally we had a character that came from a really bad and violent background and actually made something of herself, a more "real" character when compared to those who grew up on Utopian Earth (or its better colonies.)

As to why she left, wasn't there something about her asking for more money as well?

[Sea Tyger]

Tasha was my favorite character, for the same reason as Phantom listed. I also liked her personal loyalty to Picard (almost more like a knight to a lord), which would have made for some interesting storylines later on, I think.

[REG]

Originally posted by strict31

Did Tasha ever strike anybody else as kind of difficult to like?

Well, it's not like there was enough story aired about her. As stated previously, TNG had a large cast.

But she played the Security Chief role well and to the hilt. If I had such an officer who can be half as diligent as Yar, I know I'm in safe hand.

There were times when she seemd to stick out like a sore thumb. I don't know if that was because the writers were still trying to feel her character out, but everytime she got into the spotlight, she ended up rubbing me the wrong way.

I dunno. I see a bit of Yar in Kira. She is assertive but in those days, the A word is more like that five-letter B word for females.

[REG]

Originally posted by Phantom

As to why she left, wasn't there something about her asking for more money as well?

Unlikely, since all the cast signed five-year contracts. Denise asked to be let go so she can pursue a movie career. Does not guarantee it will be a success, but she had to try.

Besides, there seem to be a trend where if you fail on TV (or just appear briefly for the exposure) you somehow can succeed on the silver screen. After all, Demi Moore and Julianne Moore started briefly appearing on soap operas. Sharon Stone was on a short-lived TV series. And how long did Rawhide TV series lasted before Clint Eastwood became famous for Dirty Harry films?

[Cmdr Powers]

Tasha was certainly my favorite character in the first season of TNG and I was very sorry to see her go (I even led the wake for her at Worldcon in New Orleans!).

Denise Crosby has appeared in quite a number of movies, but rarely in starring roles. Pet Semetary is probably the part where she's the most visible. 48 Hours, Miracle Mile, Deep Impact, and that strange movie she did a bit part for (crap, I can't remember the title, but it had dueling flourescent condoms in it at one point- The Man Who Loved Women?). Of course, she's also responsible for the two Trekkies documentaries and she's done a lot of guest roles on TV.

I really wish that she had been a part of Nemesis. It would have been excellent to see a conflicted Romulan female captain, rather than Donatra (who I also liked, but she was way too willing to work with Picard). It would have taken some more (and better) writing, but I guess the budget was blown on those colliding starships.

In my Trek RPG adventures, Sela is the captain of a Warbird and is heavily involved in the behind-the-lines fighting in the Gamma Quadrant during the Dominion War.

Of course, Tasha Yar2 isn't dead (Sela was misled by her father), but escaped to the Delta Quadrant in my games. So I get Denise Crosby twice.

[Owen E Oulton]

I really like Yar, as well, but the only episode where she was ever handled well was The Naked Now]. For the most part, she was the overly aggressive (but wrong) character who contrasted with how enlightened Picard was. The same problem later led to the "Would you like to beat up my Security Chief?" jokes with Worf. Her character was alway wrong, therefore she could never be portrayed as being good at her job. It was a common problem with early Next Gen and TGBOTG's "we're all one happy enlightened family" philosophy.

[strict31]

Oddly enough, I preferred her sister.

The Naked Now episode showed a depth to Tasha's character that wasn't really seen in any other episode except the one where she goes to the 1701-C. I think I probably would have ended up liking her charatcer had she been given more time to develop. But she struck me as a cardboard cut-out, even in the few episodes where she was showcased. Potentially, she could have been cutting edge. Unfortunately, it didn't work out.

At the time her imminent departure was announced, I seem to recall some a Playboy or Penthouse layout. There was a rumor that the two events were connected in some way. Given that this didn't occur long after Vanessa Williams's nude spread pageant snub, I never questioned that rumor until now.

At any rate, I found her death to be not only pointless in terms of "in-story", but rather stupid just from a character standpoint. She might have been quick to go to guns usually, but she was also very savvy when it came to tactics and safety. In other words, her instincts when it came to security were generally written to be spot-on. But against Armus it was like she just blindly walked into her death, utterly ignoring the potential threat that being represented. I understand she was intended to be booted, but I don't think it was handled well.


Strictly Speaking

[Owen E Oulton]

Her adult layout was published years earlier and was never a secret.

The Vanessa Williams (a DS9 alumnus!) problem was completely different. In that case, although the photo layout had been done prior to the Miss America pageant, they had never been published. When she won, the photographer published them to capitalise on her newfound fame, and the pageant rules had a so-called "morality clause" which bit her on the butt.

[REG]

And yet to this day, Vanessa Williams is the most visible and most notable former Miss America. I mean, I can't recall the names and faces of two previous Miss Americas, including the recent one. Heck, I can't recall the Miss America that replaced Vanessa Williams after the pageant committee forced her to relinquish the crown.