Star Trek began in 1966 as a humble new sci-fi television drama and has since spawned a full fictional universe of spin-offs, including films, live-action series, and even cartoons. The beloved franchise is also a favorite topic for authors, having inspired almost 900 novels. For a show that was nearly canceled before it premiered, the expansiveness of Star Trek’s media empire is astounding.
While the shows and films feature ingenious technology, sleekly crafted spaceships, and thrilling battles, the heart of the franchise and the ultimate key to its longevity is its character-based storytelling. Star Trek features a broad range of diverse characters whose personalities, backgrounds, and relationships with each other can be endlessly explored.
Most of Star Trek‘s main players have received above average character development, with each adventure slowly revealing layered backstories and intricate personality traits over time. However, several strong characters seem to have never received their due. Some had their runs unexpectedly cut short, while others simply never received the recognition and screen time they deserved.
Along with simple flashbacks, the Trek universe has the convenient ability to employ time travel and alternate universes, which would be a perfect way to spotlight these 10 Star Trek characters who deserve a comeback.
10 Natasha Yar
Originally Played by Denise Crosby
Lieutenant Natasha Yar (known by her fans and comrades as “Tasha”) is a central character in the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. As chief of security on Enterprise-D, Tasha is spunky, tomboyish, and fearless in her tactical role. In the show’s third episode, Tasha instigates a romantic encounter with her android colleague, Lieutenant Commander Data when the crew is struck by an intoxicating virus.
Fans have theorized that Tasha had a growing attraction to Data which was revealed when the virus lowered her inhibitions, inspiring her to act on a deeply hidden desire. Likewise, Data seemed to harbor a special affection for Tasha, whose feisty nature made her a fan favorite. Many were understandably devastated when Tasha Yar was pointlessly killed 22 episodes into the show by the infamous “oil slick” monster during a mission to the planet Vagra II in “Skin of Evil.”
Natasha Yar Deserves a Comeback So She Can Reignite Her Unfinished Robotic Romance with Lieutenant Commander Data
Tasha’s futile death was remedied in an alternate timeline when she was granted a more heroic one in “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” However, her unfinished romance with Lieutenant Commander Data was never wrapped up and is a topic well worthy of further exploration. While Brent Spiner reprised his role as Data for appearances in the recent series Star Trek: Picard , Tasha was disappointingly absent.
A Tasha comeback and onscreen reunion with Data could offer fascinating introspection into the dynamics of a human/AI relationship, as Tasha and Data shared an intangible chemistry which made for enthralling television. While Data is theoretically void of emotions, it appears that he can develop fondness based on pattern recognition in his circuitry. A study on Tasha and Data’s relationship would be an exciting test of Tasha’s ability to bring out this capability and break Data’s robotic boundaries, bringing him closer to the human experience of romantic love.
9 Tuvok
Originally Played by Tim Russ
Tuvok is a main crew member and security officer on the U.S.S. Voyager in television’s fourth iteration of Star Trek. Tuvok’s identity as a Vulcan is perhaps the biggest key to his character. Vulcans customarily suppress their emotions, at times making them appear almost as robot-like as an android. As a teen, Tuvok was prone to lashing out emotionally, which caused him to be placed in isolation so he could learn the Vulcan way of logic and self-control.
Later in an alternate timeline, Tuvok is confined to a mental hospital due to a degenerative brain disease. Because of his brave struggles, Tuvok has been dubbed a champion for mental health.
Tuvok Deserves a Comeback So His Mental Health Journey Can Offer Futuristic Hope About the State of Mental Healthcare
Thus far, the entertainment industry’s extensive use of mental hospitals has largely been as a plot device for drama and sensationalism. While the mainstream media has at least acknowledged the extreme brutality of old-fashioned asylums, it has largely ignored the ethical conflicts occurring in mental health hospitals today. Most people, unless they’ve had a brush with it themselves, are unaware that the modern mental healthcare system tends to prioritize profits over patients, often abusing them and even unjustly confining sane people for money.
In accordance with Star Trek’s optimistic view of the future where human evils on Earth have been largely eradicated, a demonstration of how the 24th century has eradicated psychiatric financial corruption and adapted to treat people truly in need of confinement more humanely would be highly fitting.
8 Lieutenant Saavik
Originally Played by Kirstie Alley
Saavik is a junior lieutenant who first appears in the 1982 movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan which features the crew of the original series. She is a Vulcan who was mentored by Spock during her days at Starfleet Academy and later became a navigator under Admiral Kirk. Saavik is generally seen by fans as a strong, smart, and capable female character who represents a refreshing shift in the way female cinema characters are portrayed.
Although she was played by Kirstie Alley, a ubiquitous sex symbol at the time, her Star Trek role humanized her beyond her looks by treating her beauty as incidental rather than a plot device.
Lieutenant Saavik Deserves a Comeback So Her Mysterious Romulan Backstory Can Be Officially Revealed
Saavik’s backstory, although extensively fleshed out in comics and novels, is not revealed in any official Star Trek productions. A deleted line from The Wrath of Khan script stated that Saavik, presumed to be a typical Vulcan, was actually half Romulan and was born on an abandoned Romulan colony called Hellguard. It is unclear why the line was deleted, but the small hint at Saavik’s backstory was savored by fans and seems to be something the film was hinting at all along.
Alley’s portrayal of Saavik has been noted for its emotional overtones, such as when she cries at Spock’s memorial. It seems implausible for Saavik to be a full Vulcan, since the species is known for its strict stoicism, and for one to cry would be very unusual. Fans have always been hungry to see more of Saavik’s history, and a revival of the half Romulan plot would be both an exciting story and a nice tribute to the late Kirstie Alley’s well-received Star Trek performance.
7 Chakatoy
Originally Played by Robert Beltran
Chakatoy is a main crew member and First Officer on Captain Janeway’s ship in Star Trek: Voyager, who later goes on to become a Starfleet captain in the animated series Star Trek: Prodigy. Chakatoy started out as a Starfleet officer but left to join the Maquis, a rogue faction of freedom fighters. His journey with Janeway on the U.S.S. Voyager begins when a catastrophe flings both the Maquis ship and Starfleet’s Voyager deep into the Delta Quadrant where the two groups must merge and cooperate to find a way home.
Chakatoy is appointed First Officer because he is seen as a link that can connect the two crews. In his personal life, Chakatoy was given a romance with crew mate Seven of Nine which was criticized by some fans as being rushed and lacking in chemistry.
Chakatoy Deserves a Comeback So He Can Receive a More Respectful and Culturally Accurate Characterization
Chakatoy was a promising character who was undeservedly saddled as the “token” Native American. Although he was the second-highest ranking officer on the ship, the script failed to strongly develop him, instead portraying him as a stereotyped peacemaker with a habit of reciting seemingly random philosophical quotes. While Star Trek’s efforts at inclusion and diversity are admirable, the Chakatoy fiasco was a time when it missed the mark.
Chakatoy is plagued by poorly researched and inaccurate Native American content, making him perhaps the most mishandled Star Trek character ever. The errors were in fact so egregious as to include the accidental hiring of a fraudulent Native American “expert” who was later exposed as having no Native American heritage or ties. More than any other character, Chakatoy is owed a do-over. A modern interpretation should be supported by accurate consulting and include personality traits independent of his heritage.
6 Yelgrun
Originally Played by Iggy Pop
Yelgrun is a guest character played by rock musician Iggy Pop on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, in 1997. Iggy Pop is not only a prolific musician who has received many tribute performances and much popularity, but also a solid actor who shines in his role as a Vorta clone working for a faction of Villains called The Dominion. Yelgrun is known for his dry, deadpan humor and casual attitude towards his rather serious predicament. In his single Star Trek appearance, Yelgrun is caught in a prisoner exchange where he becomes a hostage of Starfleet.
Yelgrun Deserves a Comeback So Fans Can Find Out if He Ever Escapes from Starfleet and Reunites with Ishka
Yelgrun’s fate as a character is left unclear. “The Magnificent Ferengi” sees him survive the confrontation with enemies, but end up a prisoner of the Dominion War. As he is taken away, the beginnings of a friendship with Ishka, a feminist Ferengi character who is fighting for female equality on Feringinar, are hinted at. These loose ends leave potential plot points to be explored, and an opening for Iggy Pop to reprise his brief but memorable role.
5 Janice Rand
Originally Played by Grace Lee Whitney
Janice Rand is a worthy but underdeveloped character who was gone too soon. Rand is a “yeoman” (essentially an assistant to the captain) in the original Star Trek series of 1966. She stands out for her competency and compassion, but the show’s story places more focus on her attractive looks and status as an object of male desire. Several plots feature Rand being harassed and nearly assaulted, which casts light on an important issue, but at the same time seems to shoehorn her as a perpetual victim.
Janice Rand Deserves a Comeback Because She Is a Vibrant Character Who Was Removed for an Unfair Reason
Yeoman Janice Rand was often seen as having a somewhat romantic tension with Captain Kirk. Because of this, network bosses pressured the showrunners to write her out so the captain, portrayed as a dashing ladies’ man, could be free for “romance of the week” endeavors. Rand should have been kept on because she is a likable and charismatic character whose inspiring optimism adds balance to the crew’s dynamic.
Captain Picard’s chemistry with Dr. Beverly Crusher, which quietly simmers throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation and is revisited in Star Trek: Picard, proves that such a dynamic can work between two members of a Starfleet crew without necessarily ruining those characters’ potential for interesting romances with other people.
4 Ensign Gomez
Originally Played by Lycia Naff
Ensign Gomez is an awkward engineering recruit on the Enterprise-D who appears in Star Trek: The Next Generation. She was originally written as a recurring character, but her storyline was canceled after she had appeared in only two episodes. She is later revealed in the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks, which features a great collection of episodes spotlighting unsung junior officers, to have gone on to become a captain.
Ensign Gomez Deserves a Comeback So Fans Can Witness Her Rise to the Rank of Captain
Ensign Sonya Gomez starts off as a nervous, chattering misfit who gets off on the wrong foot by clumsily spilling a hot beverage on Captain Picard at their first meeting. Despite her rough beginning, Gomez rose through the ranks impressively fast, taking just 16 years to become a captain. A look at Gomez’s transformation would make for an interesting and inspirational story of personal growth. Fans deserve to witness the details of Sonya’s unforeseen glow-up.
3 Legate Damar
Originally Played by Casey Biggs
Legate Damar is a leader of the Cardassians, an imposing and intimidating species in the franchise’s highly creative assortment of diverse aliens. In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Damar stars in a tragic arc that takes him from antagonist to hero. Legate Damar has achieved the highest rank in the Cardassian military, which is a part of The Dominion villain superpower group.
In the episode “The Changing Face of Evil,” Damar betrays the Cardassian army in the name of his newly found ethical convictions. In revenge, the Cardassians kill almost his entire family, leaving only a single surviving nephew. As a result, Damar is seen by fans as an honorable and sympathetic character.
Legate Damar Deserves a Comeback So He Can Learn That His Sacrifice Made a Difference
Damar turns against The Dominion and leads an assault against them during the ongoing war, during which he is fatally shot. Damar sadly dies believing that his home planet of Cardassia is forever lost to the control of the villains. Because of his immense growth and transformation from evil to good, Damar deserves a comeback in which he can receive a meaningful death. An alternate timeline plot where he can die a hero, similar to what occurred with Tasha Yar in the episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” would be a great way to soften the blow of Damar’s devastating demise.
2 Ensign Harry Kim
Originally Played by Garrett Wang
Ensign Harry Kim, a main character in Star Trek: Voyager is best known, and has been hilariously memed by fans as, the “forever ensign.” Kim started his journey as a seldom-used operations specialist who was given more to do when Garrett Wang, who portrays him onscreen, requested better story lines for his character. However, Harry Kim was inexplicably never promoted above the rank of ensign, which is the lowest rank for a fully commissioned Starfleet officer.
Ensign Harry Kim Deserves a Comeback So Trekkies Can See Him Finally Receive a Promotion
Ensign Kim remained at the same rank throughout the entire seven years of Voyager, a rather long time for a Starfleet officer. He should have a comeback so viewers can see the backstory about why he failed to receive any promotions, and hopefully see him finally get his shining moment to advance. One non-canon novel paints him as a commander of a space station, which would be an interesting idea for the franchise to explore.
1 Rom
Originally Played by Max Grodenchik
Played by the entertaining Max Grodenchik, Rom is a Ferengi character who makes several appearances over the course of the series in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Because he lacks the business acumen so deeply valued by the Ferengi species, he is an outcast with little confidence or ambition. His eventual realization of his mechanical and engineering talents helps him harness his potential to be a force for good and accomplish more than any of the peers who once mocked him.
Rom Deserves a Comeback Because He Is Star Trek’s Most Exquisite Example of Character Growth
Rom is a premiere example of how Deep Space Nine’s story is driven forward by its brilliant characters. Rom starts as a stereotypical follower and Ferengi henchman. With time, he slowly gains the depth and confidence to become a good father, husband, and Ferengi leader. One particularly compelling scene is when Rom announces that he has decided to quit his job at his brother’s bar.
Fans have praised him for the poignantly delivered line “And I don’t want you to die,” referencing the fact that the only current way for Rom to advance in life is if he inherits the bar. This turning point, and his subsequent upward trajectory throughout the rest of the series, displays how Rom has one of the show’s most powerful character evolutions.
