I Don't Like Him, But...

[ZapBrannigan]

This is the "I don't like him (her), but I'll say something good" thread. About the people of Star Trek, obviously, and no need to elaborate on the negatives. I'll start:

George Takei: I don't like him, but apparently he takes a backseat to no one for making fans feel welcome at conventions, and making his appearances a feel-good experience for them.

Now that we're in an age where so many TV shows have conventions or Comic Con events, Takei should be teaching a seminar for actors who want to make a good impression.

 

[Melakon]

I don't like this thread.

 

[BillJ]

I don't like this thread.

+1

 

[USS Triumphant]

This is probably going to get shut down pretty quick unless the concept is modified. My suggestion (which is what I thought the threat would be when I read the title): CHARACTERS that you don't like, and then something about them that you do.

For example: I don't like Neelix, but I have to admit I kind of enjoyed the way he aggravated Tuvok.

 

[Robert D. Robot]

^ This is a bit of a variation on your idea to focus on characters. I don't care for -and I tire of- the idea of Q judging/testing humanity, however, I think John de Lancie really does a fine job bringing that character to life and makes it very hard for me not to enjoy the Q episodes!

 

[shapeshifter]

I didn't like Chakotay at first but by the ending of Voyager I felt I didn't like him even more.

Good thing: I almost liked one episode featuring him.

 

[BillJ]

I didn't like Chakotay at first but by the ending of Voyager I felt I didn't like him even more.

Good thing: I almost liked one episode featuring him.

Poorly written character played by a wooden actor. What's not to love?

Though I did like him in "Unity".

 

[T'Girl]

I liked Chakotay, I found him soft spoken, restrained and dignified.

I didn't like Kai Winn, but I don't think you were supposed too.

I didn't like Q, but I would have barely tolerated him slightly better if he had completely disappeared after Farpoint.

 

[hux]

Loathed Worf in TNG. Liked him in DS9.

 

[stardream]

I don't like most of B'Elanna's episodes but I like the character.

 

[Smellincoffee]

I don't like Eddington (for his deceit onboard DS9), but I liked the strong moral tension he and the Maquis provided. If he'd simply left Starfleet to fight for the Maquis, I'd like him better.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I don't like Eddington either (in fact, I think the Maquis in general were a bunch of self-important twits), but at least we got to watch him die.

 

[USS Triumphant]

I didn't like Commander Shelby on TNG, but at least she was very easy on the eyes and I did come to like her in the Excalibur novels later.

 

[TheSubCommander]

I don't like Whoopi Goldberg but liked Guinan.

 

[ItIsGreen]

I don't like Riker, but I do like his beard.

 

[Relayer1]

I didn't like Commander Shelby on TNG, but at least she was very easy on the eyes

What ?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ I think the problem most people have with Shelby is NOT the fact that she's a strong female character. Nobody's objecting to that facet of her character, nor should they. Trek has always made a point to have strong women in it, and will continue to do so. No fan with any sense would ever object to that.

The problem with Shelby, specifically, is that she...gloats. She enjoys rubbing it in Riker's face that she'll have his job. Do we have to put up with that? We can, and should, applaud Shelby for her strength of will, yet still object to how obnoxious she can be. It's not an all-or-nothing situation; Shelby can have strength AND a massive ego.

Although another part of the problem is simply that Shelby and Riker don't like each other, and their command styles are very different. She is an excellent officer, nobody's denying that. But if two people have a shitty first impression of each other, that's very hard to overcome. Maybe that's the most pressing problem of all, in this situation.

 

[HIjol]

I also do not like Whoopi, but absolutely like Guinan.
I do not like Wesley, but I do like how Will Wheaton has embraced fan feelings about Wesley

I did like Gene Roddenberry, but liked him less after learning about him; I will always love him for his part in bringing us Star Trek.

 

[USS Triumphant]

^ I think the problem most people have with Shelby is NOT the fact that she's a strong female character. Nobody's objecting to that facet of her character, nor should they. Trek has always made a point to have strong women in it, and will continue to do so. No fan with any sense would ever object to that.

The problem with Shelby, specifically, is that she...gloats. She enjoys rubbing it in Riker's face that she'll have his job. Do we have to put up with that? We can, and should, applaud Shelby for her strength of will, yet still object to how obnoxious she can be. It's not an all-or-nothing situation; Shelby can have strength AND a massive ego.

Although another part of the problem is simply that Shelby and Riker don't like each other, and their command styles are very different. She is an excellent officer, nobody's denying that. But if two people have a shitty first impression of each other, that's very hard to overcome. Maybe that's the most pressing problem of all, in this situation.

Actually, the reason I didn't like her on TNG was none of the above. I didn't like that she was an interloper. Maybe introducing her was "realistic", insofar as things on Star Trek can be, since she was supposed to be some sort of "Borg expert" - I don't know, and I don't really care. All I knew was that somehow here was this stranger getting a completely undeserved leg up on Data - and especially the first viewing, when I had no idea how permanent this was going to be, I found that utterly unacceptable. Plus, there's just no way I could see her being more "expert" on the Borg than a cybernetic being that had been at pretty much every encounter the Federation had had with the Borg.

The personality traits you're referring to were fine with me on Calhoun's ship - and *of course it wasn't because she's a woman*. My (mostly unwritten) fanfic captain is a strong independent woman, and has been, in my head, for 20+ years.

 

[Paradise City]

Shelby is cool giving William T a good fright.