Why everyone hates Kieko

[Tracy Trek]

That entire scene was outrageously hilarious! Worf was the perfect one for it.

Wasn't there a scene on DS9 after Worf came there? When Keiko is pregnant with her second child but before Kira became the surrogate. Worf looks like he might like to request an away mission around her due date.

 

[Mage]

There was a scene like that, yes. O'Brien tells Worf that Keiko is pregnant. And he is shocked, muttering something about how, by the time of the delivery, he will be away from the station. Far, far away.

 

[stardream]

I was always kind of neutral about her. She was there...

I haven't hear of anyone who 'hates' her. Annoyed by her maybe...but no hate.

 

[indycar]

The character never really left an impression on me either way. In fact, in the least favorite character game of The Next Generation forum, I was surprised that came down to her and Pulaski as the final choices.

 

[FormerLurker]

I don't hate her. I did like that one episode where she becomes possessed by a Pah-Wraith.

To me, that was by far her best episode. She truly scared me in that episode.

This, if anything, should be proof to all those that say that Rosalind Chao is a bad actress that she's better than they're willing to give her credit for.

 

[TheGoodStuff]

I do not hate any of the Trek series characters and I quite liked Keiko for what she was. She certainly was not a shrinking violet, or mousy little woman.

The 'issue' I think with her is that, in typical Hollywood style, she is the antagonistic-wife character. Her role in most episodes is to somewhat patronise and...for want of a better word...'boss' Miles. This, in turn, can make her seem quite bitchy and no fun. If you actually watch the episodes she is in she DOES frequently moan/nag/complain about things but, alas, that as I said is her filling a Hollywood cliche.

She still has plenty of scenes where she seems quite nice and her relationship with Miles seems more realistic than many of the Hollywood style perfect-romances we always see in so much media. I have also always assumed that she must have more redeeming features off-camera that we never quite get the chance to see in her limited screen time.

 

[Kittybandit]

I think she was an okay character. I liked her better in DS9 than TNG. In TNG, her character exist to flesh other characters instead of hers. She fell flat in TNG. In DS9, she wasn't the most interesting character in the show. She was much more fleshed out, but she still feels secondary to me.

 

[2takesfrakes]

I love Keiko! Her only flaw is nagging Miles in Public, which - if it were me - I'd be livid about. Just be cool ... all this carrying on is just to make herself feel good and advertising O'Brien's perceived shortcomings like that is so wrong. But, fortunately, she did mellow out, a bit, eventually. She could even be funny and was, on a number of occasions ...

 

[Paradise City]

Keiko often seems to be cranky and frustrated with one thing or another and the kind of petit authoritarian school teacher gig she got for awhile doesn't quite help that impression . O'Brien is there either caught off guard by it or managing it some way. There's a plausibility to that of course. But it got to the extent where whenever Keiko made her appearance I'd ask myself on reflex "what's wrong with her now?" Good actress though and plausible character who is well performed. I am wary of Keiko episodes though.

 

[JWPlatt]

The thread title is a little unfair.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Only real problem I had with Keiko is that she decided to become a schoolteacher...on a whim.

That's not the kind of thing people do just because they think it's fun, or because they're bored and have nothing else to do. It requires years of training and planning. If Keiko wasn't a teacher before she got to DS9, why should she just decide to be one after?

 

[2takesfrakes]

Honestly, I believe that Keiko's becoming the teacher on DS9 was, at least partly, done in tribute to the old Westerns, where there's this one, single schoolmarm who takes it upon herself to educate an entire small town. Her degrees were never in question; never came up. The community would just pitch in to get her whatever she needed, up to and including the actual building of a small school.

In Real World terms, it's true, there's no logic to Keiko's sudden, arbitrary decision, and even less in Sisko's staunch support of it. Even to the point of making damn sure Jake went. And seeking a qualified teacher was never brought up. Keiko wanted the job, might as well give it to her ... and that's that. But I'm sure some quality control guy in the scripting process pointed out all this and it was soundly rejected in favour of getting on with it.

 

[STEPhon IT]

Who's everyone, who apparently hates Keiko? She's an irrelevant character who doesn't alter or dictate a storyline. I can't imagine anyone hating such a cuddly, fluff of a character. Keiko was as immaterial as Counselor Troi, Dr. Crusher, Nurse Ogawa, Leeta, and that Bajoran Nurse in the Infirmary of Deep Space Nine.

 

[2takesfrakes]

Let's not be hasty - in STAR TREK: The Next Generation, Troi and Bev were far from being "immaterial." Gene Roddenberry, himself, considered having a councilor onboard as important as having an engineer. What's more, Troi wasn't just Riker's bit of stuff ... she was his Imzadi. This made her all-important to his narrative thread, throughout the series. And Bev was more than just the resident cougar and single parent ... she was the voice of those suffering during philosophical discussions about the Prime Directive.

Keiko, also, was more important in DS9, even as her husband's bromance with Julian Bashir became a centerpiece for the show's writers. She shaped and defined O'Brien's priorities on Deep Space Nine and when she wasn't in an episode would frequently be referred to. Without Keiko, Miles' Every Man status was in jeopardy ... she made him relatable as a Family Man. And we sympathised with him, when she acted like a harridan, at times, because she was never satisfied. Besides which, she was very pretty, indeed ...

 

[Griffeytrek]

I always thought she was what should have been an interesting character, that the writers at least on DS9 never really knew what to do with, and kept just resorting to shrewish nagging housewife. The early stuff with the school had some potential. Once they abandoned that thread there was nothing there but as a foil for O'Brien which quickly became a one note annoyance.

 

[In_Correct]

I certainly do not hate Keiko herself, or the Rosalind, ... but I do not like her character development. She was one of the characters created to replace Wesley Crusher which would have been interesting for her to be a recurring navigator. Instead, she is basically a housewife. Even if she picked up a few skills of botany and education it would be better if she was also a Star Fleet Ensign.

 

[Horizons96]

Can I just say, 2takesfrakes, that you often post/use the most subtly beautiful imagery from Trek...

How could anybody 'hate' her? She's a character doing what she can to raise a family in a harsh environment, many light years from home and trying to feel like she can contribute to her community!

 

[mos6507]

she is basically a housewife.

Bingo. That's the problem.

Civilians tagging along on starships don't really work. I know Gene wanted it to work, but it doesn't.

The overall theme of Star Trek is that everyone works together as a team to solve a crisis. Everyone has their specialization, which is wrapped up in their division, station, rank.

The message it sent was clear, that everyone working together for a common cause, pooling their diversity, could achieve great things.

What Star Trek never did was portray an image of simple civilian domestic life. Ramming an idle "housewife" who whines about everyday things that you'd expect to hear in an episode of 30 Something while the heroes are busy trying to save the universe just clashes too much.

 

[2takesfrakes]

Can I just say, 2takesfrakes, that you often post/use the most subtly beautiful imagery from Trek...

... Thank you!

You're right, of course, the STAR TREK franchise does all that it can to make our favourite shows as palatable as possible. The Great Attractor of STAR TREK for me - aside from the nostalgia, frankly - is the Artistry, that's often onscreen. When Time/Money considerations force decisions like blanket-lighting everything, in what might be termed "House-style," it's extremely disappointing. Still in all, the STAR TREK universe is very photogenic, indeed!

Just to be on topic, though, I've always considered the character of Keiko to be - mainly - an extension of O'Brien. She's there to add texture, or flavour, to Miles' narrative and, so, I was never "looking forward" to her being thrust into a position of galactic import for whatever unlikely reason or circumstance. Her being a housewife suffices, it's not presented as servitude, at all. If the character had opinions on feminism, fine, but I don't need her to be a feminist statement. Housewives are just as important as breadwinners in Life, so they should be in fiction.

 

[Paradise City]

What's teaching in the 24th century? You download an appropriate curriculum and give it out. It's not that big a deal really.