Main characters with only one line in an episode

[stupidname]

I watched TNG's "Aquiel" last night. In the episode, Troi has only one line - "Concerned?". It really stuck out.

Every series has its "under-utilised" characters and I know that many main characters didn't appear at all in certain episodes, but I wonder whether any other main characters have just a single line (in Troi's case - a single word) in an episode.

This is the place to ask, I guess!

 

[Newspaper Taxi]

There was an episode during the mid to late Xindi Arc in season 3 of Enterprise where Ensign Mayweather only had one line, reading off a console -- and was interrupted by the computer! How low is that?

 

[barnaclelapse]

There's been TOS episodes where I would swear McCoy only got one line, but I'm probably wrong.

 

[Pauln6]

In Conscience of the King, Janice Rand got top biliing for strolling out of an elevator and giving Lenore Karidian the evil eye. No lines at all, but she spoke volumes!

 

[Yeoman Randi]

^ Heh, i didnt remember that! now i'm gonna have to pop that one in the dvd player tonight!

 

[sbk1234]

There's been TOS episodes where I would swear McCoy only got one line, but I'm probably wrong.

In What Are Little Girls Made Of?, Bones didn't even appear!

 

[marylizz]

Pretty sure Scotty's had one-line appearances, but I may be mistaken.

 

[HIj'Qa]

Scotty and sulu had some one line voice-overs, standard aye-aye captain stuff lifted from elsewhere, when they didn't actually appear in the episode.

Worf makes an appearace to welcome Nog back at the start of "It's Only A Paper Moon,' then disappears.

 

[WillsBabe]

I think in TNG's The Offspring, Riker's only line is something like, "Your daughter?" Of course that's explained by the fact that Frakes is off directing the ep.

 

[Trek Survivor]

I think in TNG's The Offspring, Riker's only line is something like, "Your daughter?" Of course that's explained by the fact that Frakes is off directing the ep.

He also said something like "you're new around here aren't you?"

I can only speak for TNG and DS9...

it's actually pretty common for main cast to have at least one ep where they don't even appear or only have one line. Only Picard and Riker appeared in all 178 episodes of TNG, for example.

Even Patty Stewart had the "one line" thing: In "Thine Own Self", he only gets one line (due to his appearance in his Christmas Carol play at the time of filming).

Currently rewatching DS9 from the start (in middle of season 3 atm) and am surprised at just how many episodes have this. Quark is the main contender, but I note Dax and Bashir often turn up for that all-important one line.

Of course, there are plenty of eps where much of the main cast don't appear. One that springs to mind is "Paradise", which as I recall has Sisko, O'Brien, Kira and Dax from the main cast and that's it.

Remember, the cast get paid the same amount per ep whether they're in every scene or don't appear at all...

 

[Yeoman Randi]

I watched TNG's "Aquiel" last night. In the episode, Troi has only one line - "Concerned?". It really stuck out.

Every series has its "under-utilised" characters and I know that many main characters didn't appear at all in certain episodes, but I wonder whether any other main characters have just a single line (in Troi's case - a single word) in an episode.

This is the place to ask, I guess!

Had to watch this last night just to see her say her one word. At least she looked pretty (and not like the joker)....and at least her one line wasn't "I sense something!".

 

[Piper]

Troi didn't have a good time in S6, I think I'm right in saying that in Relics she only has one one-word line too, when they see Scotty off:

Troi: Goodbye.

I believe there was going to be a scene between them but it got cut for time.

 

[SchwEnt]

I recall a few of those. What got me was when it was Worf or Quark or Odo or Data...actors with mighty prosthetics and make-up.

What a pain in the ass to come in early for one/two hours of makeup, then on-screen for one line! Why even bother?? Sure, they got paid and all that, but still...

 

[DevilEyes]

I recall a few of those. What got me was when it was Worf or Quark or Odo or Data...actors with mighty prosthetics and make-up.

What a pain in the ass to come in early for one/two hours of makeup, then on-screen for one line! Why even bother?? Sure, they got paid and all that, but still...

Maybe they filmed that one line on a day when they were filming scenes for the previous or the next episode. I'm not sure how the filming of a TV show works, but I don't believe that there is a rule that you must only film scenes for one episode at a time.

 

[I am not Spock]

I think Picard only got a couple of lines in 'Firstborn' as well.

 

[T'Girl]

There's at least one episode of DS9 where there are no human characters, I found it a bit strange.

 

[KirkSpockTOSFan]

There's been TOS episodes where I would swear McCoy only got one line, but I'm probably wrong.

In What Are Little Girls Made Of?, Bones didn't even appear!

That was not the only episode that Bones was not in. There were a couple of other episodes in the 1st season he was not in. I should know I have both season 1 & 2 on blu ray and have watched every episode on both seasons. In season 2 Bones is in every episode, but in the 1st season there are at least 3 or 4 episodes he was not in. One of the episodes from season 1 besides What Are Little Girls Made Of Bones didn't apear was Where No Man Has Gone Before and couple others I cant' recall at this moment. He also didnt apear in The Cage, but Kirk was not in that either.

 

[Joanna McCoy-Kirk]

There's been TOS episodes where I would swear McCoy only got one line, but I'm probably wrong.

In What Are Little Girls Made Of?, Bones didn't even appear!

That was not the only episode that Bones was not in. There were a couple of other episodes in the 1st season he was not in. I should know I have both season 1 & 2 on blu ray and have watched every episode on both seasons. In season 2 Bones is in every episode, but in the 1st season there are at least 3 or 4 episodes he was not in. One of the episodes from season 1 besides What Are Little Girls Made Of Bones didn't apear was Where No Man Has Gone Before and couple others I cant' recall at this moment. He also didnt apear in The Cage, but Kirk was not in that either.

He doesn't appear in "Errand of Mercy."

 

[Finn]

There's at least one episode of DS9 where there are no human characters, I found it a bit strange.

That's not possible. Sisko appeared in all of them.

 

[DevilEyes]

There's at least one episode of DS9 where there are no human characters, I found it a bit strange.

That's not possible. Sisko appeared in all of them.

Do you know that for sure?