Do you remember Head of Security Lt. Natasha (Tasha) Yar? Unsurprising, considering that she is one of the most irrelevant character Gene Roddenberry has ever produced. Set up for failure, Yar was part of two of the most uncomfortable Next Generation episodes in the entire series, one being unnecessarily sexual, and the other being horrifically racist. She dies unexpectedly and unexcitingly. The actor, Denise Crosby, reprises her role as Tasha Yar and as the Romulan Sela, yet both are inconsequential to the series as a whole.

First, let’s unpack Episode 2, “The Naked Now”, the most traumatizing episode of Next Gen for it’s overt, needless sexuality. Gene Roddenberry, eager to connect the new series to his first, attempted to have a familiar obstacle plague the crew of the Enterprise D. In The Original Series, a few members of the crew show symptoms of intoxication which causes them to show unusual emotion such as joviality or distress. Aside from putting the ship in danger due to the erratic and inappropriately timed actions of those affected, polywater intoxication does not appear to have any truly disturbing effects. This changes in Next Gen, when polywater intoxication results in lust instead of simple drunkenness. Yar has a deeply disturbing reaction to being infected as her sex drive is kicked into overdrive. She stalks the hallways of the Enterprise, forcing herself onto those she passes which infects them as well. The action that tarnished Yar’s character the most during this episode is her completely uncalled for sexual relationship with the android Data. Later in the series, Data is the only character who seems to acknowledge Yar’s existence.

In her only appearance after her death, Yar is alive in an alternate timeline. In a moment of revelation she reveals, “Guinan says I died a senseless death in the other timeline. I didn’t like the sound of that, Captain.” (“Yesterday’s Enterprise”). It is true; Tasha Yar’s death was rushed, poorly executed, and senseless. In the Episode “Skin of Evil”, she is murdered without warning. Oddly, her demise occurs halfway through the episode and the reality of it doesn’t sink in until her memorial service right before the credits. For a character who could have been a strong female symbol, Yar’s tragic backstory, interesting perspective on sexuality, and passionate nature was extremely ill-used. Her unexpected and instantaneous death rendered all of her potentially interesting qualities utterly irrelevant to the series. Yar is barely mentioned again. Although, it is notable that she is referenced more times than other characters throughout the series who mysteriously disappear or die. Yar is even brought back for a single episode, quoted above, before dying yet again.

Overall, Tasha Yar did not contribute to Star Trek in any significant way. Her character is mainly associated with uncomfortable scenes or confusing plot points, such as why was she killed off, and how did an alternate universe cross over into the timeline in the first place. While it may be said that the series would have been better off without her, that assessment would be harsh. Yar’s existence is limited, for the most part, to Season 1 of Next Gen which is widely regarded as an embarrassing failure that almost prevented the series from being able to continue. So, while Yar has been forgotten in the grand scheme of the series, her unimportance is not out of the ordinary.