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Most Overrated Character

Which character is the most overated, in your opinion?

  • James T. Kirk

    Votes: 9 40.9%
  • Spock

    Votes: 1 4.5%
  • Leonard McCoy

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Montgomery Scott

    Votes: 1 4.5%
  • Nyota Uhura

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Hikaru Sulu

    Votes: 2 9.1%
  • Pavel Chekov

    Votes: 4 18.2%
  • Christine Chapel

    Votes: 1 4.5%
  • Janice Rand

    Votes: 4 18.2%

  • Total voters
    22
  • Poll closed .

indycar

Commander
Red Shirt
Which character do you think is the most overrated? This only applies to TOS, not TAS or the following movies.
 
I voted for James Kirk. I get that William Shatner was hired to be the star in the beginning and Spock and McCoy were supposed to be the way to show how Kirk arrives at his decisions without kirk talking to himself or doing voiceovers. I believe the Kirk-Spock-McCoy friendship is a main part of the show's appeal. But...there were a lot of things that Nimoy and Kelley stated that they would liked to have done with the Spock-McCoy friendship if it were not for Shatner's demands for screen time. The supporting "four" also had little to do because of lines being cut. Kirk's a great character but looking back in hindsight I would have liked to see a more "ensemble" cast when it came to the storytelling. Spotlighting other characters once in a while might have brought a new shot in the arm to some of the cliché-ridden plots of "Kirk in danger," "Kirk falls in love," and "Kirk is dead."
 
Rand. She was supposed to be one of the main attractions of the show, but personal issues, a lack of acting chops, and a different editorial direction showed her the door right quick. In the ensuing years fans liked to pretend she was a big part of the show. She wasn't.
 
Chekov. He couldn't act. Though I'm not sure many people rate the character highly since I've rarely seen or heard many people talk about him.
 
I voted for James Kirk. I get that William Shatner was hired to be the star in the beginning and Spock and McCoy were supposed to be the way to show how Kirk arrives at his decisions without kirk talking to himself or doing voiceovers. I believe the Kirk-Spock-McCoy friendship is a main part of the show's appeal. But...there were a lot of things that Nimoy and Kelley stated that they would liked to have done with the Spock-McCoy friendship if it were not for Shatner's demands for screen time. The supporting "four" also had little to do because of lines being cut. Kirk's a great character but looking back in hindsight I would have liked to see a more "ensemble" cast when it came to the storytelling. Spotlighting other characters once in a while might have brought a new shot in the arm to some of the cliché-ridden plots of "Kirk in danger," "Kirk falls in love," and "Kirk is dead."
I'd have loved to have seen more from the other characters, and less of Kirk proportionally - but without losing ANY of the Kirk material we got. Say, spread the whole thing over a five year run, for instance... ;)
 
Sulu. He didn't do much of anything after mid-way through the 1st season but seems disproportionately talked about. Probably b/c of George Takei's larger than life personality - but the character gets no bonus points for the actor's charisma!
 
If there was an option for 'Everyone who wasn't Kirk, Spock or McCoy' I would have voted for it. The entire show is a three man piece and the rest are just glorified extras.

I certainly think Uhura, Scotty, Chekov and Sulu are all way overrated for the roles they actually had [particularly by themselves].
 
None of them. TOS gets enough hate as it is, sometimes without people realizing it (calling it "campy" or "cheesy"). I'd say Kirk is probably the most underrated and least understood, at least in popular American culture.
 
I always thought Kirk was an average character for Star Trek but he always gets put on a pedestal because he was the first captain. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't a bad character, just not that great.
 
Scotty, I don't see why so many love him and I think the the other supporting players generally did more with what they were given.
 
I say the Federation and Starfleet. In hindsight the TOS Federation comes across as the galactic version of the USA or just an Earth dominated organisation, since you never see any aliens on the USS Enterprise or in the Starfleet admiralty. The tv budget limited the scope to explore the multispecies concept, the movies did a better job.
 
Lieutenant Uhura.

Despite Nichelle Nichols' inflated self-image in later years, Uhura really wasn't much more than a receptionist.
 
Lieutenant Uhura.

Despite Nichelle Nichols' inflated self-image in later years, Uhura really wasn't much more than a receptionist.
It was the 1960's other TV Uhuras played mainly maids, a futuristic one manning the telephones in space was an improvement. It is said Nichols would have left, she knew her role was limited. MLK encouraged her to stay.
 
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None of them. TOS gets enough hate as it is, sometimes without people realizing it (calling it "campy" or "cheesy"). I'd say Kirk is probably the most underrated and least understood, at least in popular American culture.

Nicely said. They're all great. They all have their issues. After 50 years, we know all of their great points and issue points.
 
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