Was there a reason Tasha Yar was killed?

[REG]

Originally posted by Owen E Oulton

Gene Roddenberry was quite aware of her Playboy layout. It was never a secret. Any speculation that a Playboy layout 8 years earlier cost her the job is... well, just plain silly.

Well, Gene ain't no saint either. He did a practical joke on one of his co-workers by having his "secretary" appear nude in the office.

[Owen E Oulton]

"What I have found interesting is the fact that Croby and Sirtis were originally being cast for each other's parts. I mean, could we have comprehended the following?

Crosby as Deanna Troi
Sirtis as Natasha Yar"

Actually, the security chief was renamed Natasha Yar after a tall, fair-skinned blonde was cast. Originally the name of the character was Macha Hernandez. Can you see Sirtis doing a Hispanic accent? That would be worse than Koenig's "Lithuanian -German-pretending-to-be-Russian" accent.

[Balok]

Originally posted by strict31
Fesarius, I think that an interpretation of her character. I can see it, but I balance it against the very real character growth she experienced. It was like all the development Ro had gone through had been cast out the door to facilitate her swift exit from the show. She came to understand that things were not as simple as her heart or emotions would seem to claim. It just felt like backsliding.

Ah, but sometimes people do backslide. Sometimes they return to early patterns of behavior for what seem like excellent reasons at the time. Perhaps (and we'll never know) someone she admired from her Academy days was a Maquis, and actively recruited her. Many Starfleet officers ended up joining the Maquis, including some of much higher rank (and therefore, in theory at least, much more in accord with Starfleet's, and the UFP's approach).

Originally posted by strict31
And no, there is no canon evidence to suggest she survived or even was killed. Honestly, there's no canon evidence that says she even stayed with the Maquis longer than two weeks. Her name could have easily been mentioned in DS9 or Voyager; there were plenty of opportunities. But nothing. I assume that's why S.D. Perry felt she had license to bring Ro back for the relaunch.

I think, also, that this is in accord with the original plans for Ro Laren -- she was supposed to have the Bajoran liason role that was eventually filled by Nana Visitor.

[Mitchell]

Hm...I definitely want to look up the Seasons Tasha Yar was in, and watch them.

Thank you all for answering my question...And provoking some interesting discussions...

[Owen E Oulton]

Yar was in season one only. Crosby left before the season ended.

[strict31]

Originally posted by Owen E Oulton
"Years earlier? Well, I admit, I don't know when Crosby's layout was published, but I can safely say no one knew who she was or made an issue of it until her name popped up in the main cast credits of a highly publicized show."

Yes, years earlier, as in 8. Her layout was in the March 1979 issue of Playboy, itself pretty mainstream. And yes, she did have a fair bit of public notoriety, being Bing Crosby's illegitimate granddaughter.

Gene Roddenberry was quite aware of her Playboy layout. It was never a secret. Any speculation that a Playboy layout 8 years earlier cost her the job is... well, just plain silly.

Hell, Marina Sirtis had appeared nude or seminude in three movies prior to her stint in TNG.

Wow. Bing Crosby's illegitimate grandaughter. What was I thinking. That practically makes her a household name. I guess that photoshoot put her name on the lips of Bing Crosby fans everywhere.

It was obscure. Maybe it had a minor interest to someone at the time of the release of the photos. I certainly didn't hear about it. So that means not everyone in the mainstream heard about it. And as far as having a fair bit of public notoriety based on her name, I think the operative word is "fair". Well, either that or "bit". Not sure which.

Regardless, do you honestly contend that she was unknown to the public at large prior to her role on TNG? Hell, Katarina Witt got more publicity from her nude shoot in Playboy. Those blonde triplets got more publicity, if only because they were three naked blondes who were related, hugging and kissing.

Or do you contend that there was a stigma associated with nude photoshoots and actresses/singers in those days?

It really seems as if you are trying to insult me for accepting a rumor there was no reason to disbelieve or even pay attention to beyond the mere hearing of it. As I've said, it was a rumor I heard. I heard nothing to the contrary. I had no interest in pursuing it. The contract negotiation stuff mentioned here is entirely news to me, and that was my point.

If you believe the rumor is silly, I can only shrug. I didn't start the rumor, I only heard it. You pursued the truth, I guess, because you had an interest in doing so. I'll take you at your word because, even now, I have insufficient interest in Denise Crosby to research the matter and find the facts you probably already have.

But what you say could easily be, from my perspective, so much jibber jabber. But I have no problem accepting it. Is it silly for me to take you at your word? What you say sounds fairly believable; makes sense, and there's precedent for it. But I certainly don't know if it's based in fact or a rumor you may have heard. I have no interest in finding out really. And it won't affect my life one way or the other. Is it silly to accept your assertion?


Fesarius, the fact that she backslid in the one episode in which her on-screen story came to an end leaves zero resolution. if it had been merely a part of a continuing story instead of the end (canonically) it would have been an interesting twist. As it was, it simply closed the door with a bad taste in the mouth.


Strictly Speaking

[Ezri's Toy]

Originally posted by Owen E Oulton
Can you see Sirtis doing a Hispanic accent?

Actually yes. Sirtis is an excellent dialectitian as evidenced by her Greek accent in the early TNG seasons, her American accent in later TNG seasons, and her flawless Russian accent in her guest-shot on Stargate SG-1. And, in Death Wish 3, Sirtis actually did play a Hispanic, though her lines were looped by another actor, probably due to bad sound and a time-crunch. If you never heard her speak out-of-character, you'd never know the lady was from London!

[D.S.McBride]

Keeping semi-on topic, as attractive a lady as Ms Crosby was (and is), I thought Michelle Forbes was (and is) The Bomb; I've got a massive weakness for brunettes and watched that introductory episode with her three or four times in the same week, just to hold my head in my hands and sigh. When "Conundrum" aired, I vascillated between shouting "Go for it!" and "You lucky bastard!" to John Frakes. The subsequent competency hearing was a bit of a rough go, but after I explained the circumstances, most of the board understood...

BTW, Owen, thanks for the clean-up on Clint's history; my serious interest in his work really begins with Play Misty for Me and especially High Plains Drifter; I was never the greatest fan of the Spaghetti Westerns (yes, we exist; we're a rare breed and only occasionally come out of the sewers to restock our caviar supply), but find his self-directed Westerns to be pretty much the final word on what the Western is supposed to be about. To wit: An Old Testament morality story where black is black, white is white, and the Wrath of God in the form of Clint rides in to clean house once the bad guys have got the truly innocent at the end of a Colt .45 Peacemaker.

[Doug Burke]

Originally posted by REG
Well, Gene ain't no saint either. He did a practical joke on one of his co-workers by having his "secretary" appear nude in the office.

Actually, it wasn't his secretary, it was Nichelle Nichols. And she was in one of Gene's shirts. (IIRC, been a while since I read Ms. Nichols book...)

[calguard66]

Originally posted by Uruz
Yes it does.

Penny Marshal

[calguard66]

Originally posted by Cmdr Powers

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.

Hmmm... now that is something I have to consider for my own campaign...

[calguard66]

Originally posted by REG
Nope. Like Sito Jaxa and Thomas Riker, Ro Laren's whereabout is still unknown.

Now, in my SF univers Sito was captured by the Cardies... the message that she died was faked. She and Thomas Riker were both released from a Cardie prison camp with the fall of Cardassia.

Naturally, she's in pretty bad shape given the Cardies' methods.

[REG]

In what episode did they comfirm her death? I thought she was MIA after contact has been lost.

[strict31]

I thought a cardassian confirmed that she had been killed. But since there was no body, the possibilities remain open.


Strictly Speaking

[Owen E Oulton]

Well, Sito's escape pod was destroyed. This was confirmed at the end of the episode, but there's no confirmation that she was in it. Supposedly there was to be a follow-up episode, but it never got made.

It's not too hard to justify her survival. If the Cardies captured her, they wouldn't necessarily tell the Federation.