Is Seska Based on Hedda Gabler?

[NrobbieC]

It's one of the plays I'm reading on my theatre course, it struck me there's a lot of similarities between Hedda Gabler and our dear Seska.

They're both complete bitches who lack any redeeming virtues, they manipulate their partners and previous admirers. And they both die quite suddenly.

Maybe this is just a coincidence and uni is making me over-analytical.

[Christopher]

There are plenty of manipulative characters like that in fiction. And I'm sure Seska's death wasn't planned at the start. So I'd say no, there's no reason to think there's any connection. For any character type you find anywhere in fiction, there will be countless precedents. There are only so many different ways that people behave.

[teacake]

Seska was a very interesting character, though quite a death knell for Chak's manliness. Did they have her planned out from the beginning to not be Bajoran?

[Guy Gardener]

No.

Maybe?

Doubt it.

Interviews with Martha assert that she was surprised by the development.

[R. Star]

I enjoyed Seska as a villain. Too bad for her she had to throw her lot in with the Pakled/Klingon hybrids of the Delta Quadrant.

[teacake]

They had lots of big ships, thought she was hot and were easily manipulated. No point waiting around for something better to come along.

[lurok]

Seska was great, especially when she morphed back to her Cardassian roots. I remember first time I saw VOY, and her death scene arrived, it was a real 'wtf??? are you kidding me?' moment. I thought the writers were lazy and just had her die like a punk. As for Hedda, never made that link.

[chrinFinity]

Seska could have been used to much greater potential had any combination of the following occurred.

1. If she had kept her cover for much longer

2. If she had survived Basics, left the Kazon, acquired her own ship, and kept up with Voyager to menace them repeatedly (possibly keeping up with the ship by gaining advanced technology in ways that violated the Prime Directive, further developing the theme that Voyager adhering to Starfleet principles may be holding them back in their journey)

3. In combination with #1, if she had been a sleeper agent, like Illiana Ghemor, and some external influence from the DQ (or merely the passage of time) caused her true Cardassian memories to return to her more gradually.

4. If she had "come out" to the crew as a Cardassian operative, but maintained good guy status ("We're all stuck out here together, Captain. It makes more sense for me to cooperate, remain a member of Voyager's crew. Admit it, Captain, Voyager needs the skills I learned in the Obsidian Order.") Of course then she would betray them later in the series and it would sting more.

5. No obsession with Chakotay. That was pointless and gross. Even Chakotay seemed more embarassed about it than offended.

6. Somehow she should have been returned to her "true" fully-Cardassian appearance. Perhaps the Doctor could have surgically altered her in any hypothetical scenario where she had been outed as Cardassian, but remained in Voyager's good graces. I would think that would only make sense... Her Cardassian appearance may offend some on the ship, however probably less than if the continued to wear the face of the Bajoran Seska (who was probably a real person at some point, most likely murdered by the Obsidian Order).

[teacake]

Basically, MORE SESKA!

I can totally get down with that. As long as they didn't turn her into a goody goody like all the rest of the Maquis of course.

[Guy Gardener]

I can see why Seska tried to get her end around in Shattered, but why on earth was Seven so amenable when if a future existed where Janeway ran free, it could't mean the best for the Borg.

[teacake]

Love makes you betray your own kind.

[Guy Gardener]

Clueless Season One Janeway or fat Season 6 Chuckles?

[teacake]

7 betrays the Borg for Janeway. Constantly.

[chrinFinity]

Guy Gardener wrote:

---

I can see why Seska tried to get her end around in Shattered, but why on earth was Seven so amenable when if a future existed where Janeway ran free, it could't mean the best for the Borg.

It was Scorpion 7 of 9... From a time where the Borg had agreed to cooperate with Voyager and not assimilate them in exchange for helping against 8472.

From Seven's perspective, she wants to help the temporally displaced Voyager crew resolve the "Shattered" problem so she can get back and help the Collective with their little problem in the Northwest Passage, which means saving Voyager as opposed to assimilating them.

[Mr. Laser Beam]

What floors me a bit is that most of Seska's friends in the Maquis didn't even notice that she has a Cardassian name (as evidenced by a character named "Seskal" on DS9 - apparently it's a popular Cardassian name).