My statement was less of an endorsement of Ortegas and more of an indictment of Paris. I always found him to be a smarmy asshole, and when he wasn't, he was dull as dishwater.
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The trouble with Paris is that he wasn't ever just the pilot. He was a criminal, a history buff, a field medic, an engineer, a commando, a ladies man and a film buff.
He was too many things and that made him a bit of a smarmy jackass.
Ortegas is just sarcastic and a talented pilot, which is more in line with most Hollywood presentations of pilots.
That’s cool. I think I liked him because of his relationship with Harry. And that he wasn’t squeaky clean Starfleet because he was in prison. So his smartalecky-ness made more sense.
How many of us are just one thing? I guess you mean "one thing at a time" though. And with Voyager being lost, many people would have be(come) more than one thing, so medic, engineer, and commando in addition to pilot isn't too bad. History and film go hand in hand, charisma is a personality trait, and many people have a criminal record for minor offences. So it's not that unbelievable.
It is unbelievable when you have the set up as Voyager did.
Commando leader? Wouldn't Chakotay, a former freedom fighter, or any of his people be more qualified? Or Tuvok, with actual security and tactical training?
Medic? Paris has one class in biochemistry and that qualifies him as a field medic and fill in for the Doctor?
No, we're not all one thing but going to Paris again and again when you have other crew members with established skills strains credulity.
Group A isn't as cohesive as B. Seems your trying to force the option by including certain shows.
You could do that with TOS and other Trek too.
Random fairy tale creatures are made real from the crew's thoughts: group A or B?
Maybe it's not so binary.
I adore Ortegas. I tried remaining standoffish, never laughing at her jokes but I can't help loving her. She's too good.
As for Ortegas, I think her character development is more subtle. She's probably has PTSD and masks it with humor. We see flashes of that in "Under the Cloak of War" and "A Quality of Mercy"
The writing and Navia's performance in any case is leagues above anything Takei or McNeill ever achieved.
The writing and Navia's performance in any case is leagues above anything Takei or McNeill ever achieved.
I love Ortegas, but I really wish they would do more with her other than, "I fly the ship".
ETA -- a greater exploration of possible PTSD issues from the war, as @Nerys Myk mentioned, could make for some good character development that is about Ortegas herself, and not her piloting ability.
ETA -- a greater exploration of possible PTSD issues from the war, as @Nerys Myk mentioned, could make for some good character development that is about Ortegas herself, and not her piloting ability.
I disagree. She shines in every scene she's in and serves as more of a McCoy than a Sulu.
I've only seen the first season. The only real thing I remember about her is quips, here and there. There didn't seem to be anything more to her, at least during season one.
Pilots with quips are a dime-a-dozen in Hollywood.
But those quips aren't delivered by Melissa Navia.
She was solid in the role, but if she wasn't there I wouldn't notice her missing. Maybe they'll do more with her in season three?
I would. Her body language and facial expressions help sell it.
To me, she never really felt involved in the stories. Not from an acting standpoint, but from the writing standpoint.
Of course, mileage will vary.
My mileage does. It's her character interactions more than her role in the crisis of the week.
Yep. I love the little trio that has formed from her, Chapel and Uhura.
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