Tasha Yar ----> Christine Vale

[DonIago]

This may be utter nonsense, but I was wondering whether the development of Christine Vale was in any way informed by Tasha Yar. I just find myself thinking based on a related thread that there are some similarities in their characters, and wondering whether Vale may have been an attempt to "build a better Yar", no offense intended to anyone.

Anyway, if I'm at all on-target here, I'd like to hear more about that. If I'm completely off-base, that's okay too.

 

[Markonian]

Except for both being blonde female Human chiefs of security on ships named Enterprise, I see nothing connecting them. Christine is outgoing, self-assured, humorous whereas Tasha was physically strong outwardly and vulnerable inwardly, and permanently psychologically damaged from her time in New Paris, Turkana IV.

There's no value judgement intended on my part. There are times when I wish intently Tasha would've live on. In at least one quantum reality encountered in 2380, Lieutenant Commander Tasha Yar was tactical officer of USS Enterprise. There are images on the web showing her photoshopped into the FC/DS9 uniform. It fits her.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Except for both being blonde...

Do we know Vale's real hair colour? It has infamously changed numerous times.

 

[Christopher]

I'm reminded of a Lucille Ball joke: "I thought about going back to my original hair color -- but I forgot it."

According to SCE: Security, Vale's hair was originally auburn.

 

[BritishSeaPower]

Depending on the author, depending on the situation sometimes I think they try to hark back to Yar with Vale. In some cases, I feel they play up her situation on Izar as being similar to Turkana, but that doesn't make sense. There's quite a bit of it in Seize the Fire. I believe there's even an outward comment from Riker about it, too. I certainly think that at some point in Vale's development someone could have thought of her as a Yar proxy, but I don't think that's the case anymore.

 

[KRAD]

Speaking as the person who created Vale's backstory, she was never intended as any kind of analogue to Yar. Izar is a Federation world that had one vicious double-murder, which was a horrific case that was unique in the world's recent history. Yar lived on a planet that was anarchistic and a hellhole to live in. The two have absolutely no similarities to each other.....

 

[Enterprise1701]

Speaking as the person who created Vale's backstory, she was never intended as any kind of analogue to Yar. Izar is a Federation world that had one vicious double-murder, which was a horrific case that was unique in the world's recent history. Yar lived on a planet that was anarchistic and a hellhole to live in. The two have absolutely no similarities to each other.....

Well said.

 

[rfmcdpei]

I also see certain superficial similarities with Aneta Šmrhová but really, the only thing that all three women have in common is their background in security.

 

[DonIago]

Thanks KRAD and others.

As I said, I wasn't assuming there was any connection; I only thought there was the possibility of one.

Given how Yar was handled, I wouldn't have been surprised if there'd been a feeling of "let's see if we can do this a bit better".