Phew, Star Trek Just Avoided TNG’s Huge Tasha Yar Death Mistake
WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode 9
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds comes perilously close to repeating The Next Generation's Tasha Yar mistake, but pulls some last-minute evasive maneuvers to avoid disaster. One of Star Trek's most controversial moments (and there's been a good few) came in The Next Generation season 1's «Skin of Evil» with the death of Tasha Yar. Played by Denise Crosby, Tasha enjoyed main character status throughout the first 21 episodes, making her death a bold and shocking moment — but not one fans appreciated. Popular opinion held that such an early demise wasted Crosby's character, and that the death itself was depressingly lackluster.
In «All Those Who Wander,» Star Trek: Strange New Worlds very nearly drops straight down the very same pitfall. Since Strange New Worlds' premiere, Bruce Horak has portrayed Hemmer, the Enterprise's chief engineer. By holding such a prestigious position and receiving as much screen time as other main cast members, Hemmer was undoubtedly among Strange New Worlds' principal crew… and then he died. Season 1, episode 9 sees the Aenarian become infected with Gorn eggs and sacrifice himself to avoid condemning everyone aboard to a grisly death once the reptilian bundles of joy hatch. Fortunately, Hemmer's early death doesn't invite the same damning critiques Star Trek: The Next Generation faced after showing Denise Crosby the door.
Related: Strange New Worlds Fixes A 56-Year Old Romulan Mistake
It's superior execution and punchier impact that saves Hemmer from being Tasha Yar-ed. The Next Generation's biggest sin wasn't just killing Tasha Yar (although that's still a pretty big goof), but killing her very badly. Tasha gets offed relatively
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