I think it's less about being the same gender as being perceived as having a similar role in the narrative. For instance, Pulaski was explicitedly Crusher 2.0 as she was the replacement doctor, Data was a reworking of Spock, Riker was "Kirk" especially in the early seasons despite not being The Captain. On the other hand, despite doing a similar job on-screen, Ro mostly wasn't Wesley 2.0 as her role within the team was slightly different.
Ro was Yar 2.0,
- Thread starter Handsomeyoungensign
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I disagree -- to me, it seems to be very much about gender. Neither Shelby nor Ro has much in common with Yar aside from being female and "strong," and it was a function of '80s sexism (and more recent sexism, unfortunately) to see "strong female" as somehow an exceptional thing deserving of its own category. Both Shelby and Ro were meant to be the opposite of Tasha Yar, to be disruptors and sources of conflict with the main cast, rather than the worshipfully loyal junior officer Tasha was. I can see comparing Shelby and Ro -- especially since I think there was some thought given to making Shelby a recurring character, so she was basically the first draft of Ro -- but I see no legitimate, non-gender-based reason to compare either one to Yar.
If anything, the better comparison is between Ro and Worf. They're both aliens, both refugees who grew up far from their homeworlds, and both have alien viewpoints and value systems that can put them into conflict with the usual Starfleet values and practices. (And they were both belated additions. Worf wasn't even mentioned in the first-draft writers' bible, since he was created as an afterthought.) Whereas Tasha actually was a pretty good parallel for Wesley -- a younger crewmember who felt a driving need to pursue the ideal of Starfleet officerhood and who admired Picard as an exemplar and even a surrogate father figure. (Although there were hints in the first-season writer's guide and "Hide and Q" suggesting that Roddenberry imagined a more sexual subtext between Yar and Picard, but that's Roddenberry for ya.) We saw in the first season that Tasha and Wesley were paired as characters on occasion, connecting because of their commonalities.
After recently watching Best of Both Worlds, I really wish Shelby would have returned, Maybe even in the movie First Contact.
You've got a point there.
However, I would say regardless of our opinions after the fact "traditional v non-traditional gender roles" was a valid category at the time. And all three (more Yar and Shelby tho) were "non-traditional" compared to Troi, Crusher and Pulaski, so are conceptually grouped together even if they represent different takes on the concept.
I completely agree with you on this point.
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I was not trying to compare the two, I'm speculating Yar would see them as agents of lawlessness against authority.
Reasons why Riker has higher odds, well the fate of Tom Riker for one. But Riker is the TNG char other than Ro who most spurns authority.
If anything Shelby might have been an attempt at Riker 2.0.
Maybe it would have been done correctly. Heck wasn't that pretty much said in Part 1 between Riker and Troi's conversation?
Totally not.
The 2.0 version akwYs is stupid and doesn't do anything correctly until they come out with a 2.50.
Ro was way more interesting than Yar.
She had more personality and was cuter.
Plus she was real, you had to take her the way she was because she wasn't going to change for anyone.
---Yar with her weak insecurity, asking Troi how to dress alluring etc. ( in the episode when her and Data did the nasty) Ro would have never been so insecure!!
"Look sexy" give me a break.
Yar was weaker than Troi and the Docter both!
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