Ro Laren

Discussion in 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' started by los2188, Nov 26, 2012.

  1. los2188

    los2188 Commander Red Shirt

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    I was curious about the Ro Laren character. Is there a reason why she didn't appear on DS9 in some form or fashion presumably as a member of the Maquis? I think it would have made for some great storytelling given her history along with Eddington's history as well. I would think that a conflict between Ro and Kira, 2 Bajorans on different sides, very interesting. Am I way off on this?
     
  2. Sindatur

    Sindatur The Gray Owl Wizard Admiral

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    Actually, Kira was originally written for Ro Laren, but, apparently Michelle Forbes wasn't interested in being tied to the Series, so, that character became Kira.

    Not sure why they never woked in a Guest role for Ro Laren, though
     
  3. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

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    Perhaps after the first season, they decided to avoid too many crossovers.
     
  4. kolibri

    kolibri Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Yes, it's well known that Michelle Forbes turned it down. She's said in interviews she was too young to get tied to a seven season show, and I don't blame her. She's a fabulous actress, but to this day she seems pretty reluctant to get tied up in anything on-going. She's the queen of guest starring.

    It definitely would have been cool for her to come back, but I'm not really upset that she didn't.
     
  5. R. Star

    R. Star Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Since DS9 actually... used the Maquis storyline unlike Voyager, it would've been nice to see her in Defiant or in Eddington's arc, or even get a story of her own, but yeah.. didn't make or break the series.

    I do like how she turned back up during the relaunch novels though.
     
  6. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I would have SO loved it if Ro Laren had been in the Kira role.
     
  7. Pavonis

    Pavonis Commodore Commodore

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    Ro was a good little Starfleet officer by the time DS9 rolled around. She would stand with Sisko and support the idea of Bajorans joining the Federation. With Kira, though, they had the chance to have a command-level officer with a different agenda.

    Kira did end up supporting Federation membership pretty quickly, though. She was always a proud Bajoran patriot, while Ro seemed ashamed of being Bajoran. I suppose that would've been her arc, growing to appreciate the people and culture she had run from earlier.
     
  8. Jimi_James

    Jimi_James Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    It would have definitely been interesting to see Ro show up during some of the Marquis story lines...at least one of them.
     
  9. Minuet

    Minuet Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Ro Laren would have been wonderful in Kira's place, but the show would have of course evolved in a different direction than the canon story we know and love.

    I would have liked to see a continuation of Ensign Sito's character like they had originally planned. She was such a wonderful character that was just beginning to redeem herself, only to die prematurely.
     
  10. Melakon

    Melakon Admiral In Memoriam

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    Most of Michelle's episodes were in 1992. In 1993, she was in a movie with some guy named Brad Pitt. Can't blame her if she wanted to keep her movie options open.
     
  11. Minuet

    Minuet Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Have you guys seen Michelle Forbes semi-recently in True Blood? It surprised me when I saw her as the main villain from season two of that show. I was like, "Wait a second, I recognize her...so familiar..."
     
  12. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

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    Didn't Colm Meany do some film work during DSN's run, which is why he was missing from some episodes.

    So it is possible he had a clause in his contract allowing a certain amount of film work
     
  13. Melakon

    Melakon Admiral In Memoriam

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    There are over a dozen credits for Meaney released during DS9's run. Some might have been done during the seasonal hiatus (hiatuses? hiati?). He's also on record as saying the producers were very good about arranging his schedule so he could pursue film offers.
     
  14. Tosk

    Tosk Admiral Admiral

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    I continue to be glad that Michelle passed. I really loved Nana's role on DS9, and we got to witness Nerys' whole character arc, whereas Ro had already half finished hers on TNG.
     
  15. Smellincoffee

    Smellincoffee Commodore Commodore

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    It would have been interesting to see Ro and Eddington bounce off each other, or Ro and Thomas Riker. She could have exposed either as a poseur.
     
  16. Pavonis

    Pavonis Commodore Commodore

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    What do you mean by "poseurs"? That Ro could've spotted Eddington and Riker as Maquis before anyone else? How would she be able to do better than anyone else at spotting Maquis?

    W. Thomas Riker deflected O'Brien by offering a cold shoulder, and he would've had to have done the same with Ro. As for Eddington, was there really any indication that he was Maquis before he defected? What would she be able to see that Sisko didn't?
     
  17. toughlittleship

    toughlittleship Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    The TNG staff also had trouble getting Forbes back. She only appeared twice in the sixth ("Rascals", which she is barely in) and seventh seasons.
     
  18. Smellincoffee

    Smellincoffee Commodore Commodore

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    By poseur, I mean they were pretending to be rebels when "the cause" was just something they were adopting to work out their own issues, like Riker's frustration with living under William Riker's shadow. Imagine that Ro is on one of the bases Eddington flees to after outing himself as a Maquis. She meets him and immediately he rubs her the wrong way: he doesn't really have an iron in the fire, he's just fighting to play the part of rebel, because it's more interesting than being an office clerk on DS9. It'd interesting to see a plot where Ro and Eddington are both pitted against Sisko, but Sisko is able to use the animosity between the two to foil some idiotic plan of Eddington's. Think of the effect the Dominion cooperating with the Cardassians had on the Maquis: they were destroyed. There could have been an episode where Ro is trying to lead some of the Maquis to the safety of Starfleet and Eddington tries to fight her, because he can't stand the idea of going back to the federation without having proven himself as some macho man on the front.
     
  19. Pavonis

    Pavonis Commodore Commodore

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    So you think the Maquis would reject "poseurs" because they weren't true believers? I don't think the Maquis were that radical. They needed soldiers, and experienced Starfleeters were always welcomed, certainly more so than Lon Suder types, who were in it just for the violence. Why would Ro and Eddington not get along? They strike me as two peas in a pod, both itching to do something that Starfleet won't - defend colonists in the DMZ.
     
  20. Ro_Laren

    Ro_Laren Commodore Commodore

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    DS9 would have been a completely different show if Ro was the first officer and not Kira. That being the case, I wish that Ro had guest starred in at least one episode so that people knew what happened to her.

    Also, I definitely think it is a shame that we never saw Sito Jaxa in a DS9 episode. In my book, she didn't die in that "shuttlecraft attack!"