What a waste of Ro....

[Crewman6]

Steve Shives just did a review of "Cause & Effect", a really solid episode I've always enjoyed.

But it reminded me that this episode, because it's in Season 5, features another appearance by Ensign Ro when they were making at least a half-hearted effort to feature her as a recurring character of note.

But it's deeply strange, disappointing and a missed opportunity that she's barely in the episode at all. Surely they had to pay her a full guest-star salary as it was the fifth episode she was in.

But she has maybe 4-5 lines tops and they're all just generic "Aye captain" functional nonsense.

She doesn't appear in a single scene that's not on the bridge. In fact, it's just the same scene, shown multiple times due to the time-looping nature of the story.

Why not have her in other scenes? Sure, a few other regulars, like Troi and Worf, get very little to do in the episode.

But, since you're paying extra for her and we're trying to make her a familiar presence on the show, throw her into the poker scene. Or at least the conferences in the observation lounge.

What an odd, disappointing choice. And a waste of money by the show when you could have just paid an unnamed co-star for the same 4 lines.

 

[Ragitsu]

Continuity is continuity is continuity; appreciate it whenever it makes its presence known.

 

[CoveTom]

I think they wanted to make Michelle Forbes the new regular helm officer to fill the role that Wesley had filled earlier, but Michelle Forbes wasn't really interested in appearing unless her character was central to the story. Hence why this only happened once and then Ro largely disappeared.

 

[tim0122]

Their biggest mistake with Ro was, apparently, not figuring out the plan for her first (how often and how much she'd be used and her character trajectory) and making sure when casting that the actress was onboard with that plan.

From her first episode, it's clear they wanted Ro to be more than just a one-off or one-to-two-line recurring character (like Nurse Ogawa). Yet, they appeared to not fully discuss and figure this out with Forbes. And they not only failed to get her as a regular on two spin-offs (DS9 and Voyager), but they barely did anything with her on her origin show.

Poor planning and communication and wasted potential.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Continuity is continuity is continuity; appreciate it whenever it makes its presence known.

A foolish continuity is the hobgoblin of little minds (With apologies to Emerson)

 

[AntonyF]

I think they wanted to make Michelle Forbes the new regular helm officer to fill the role that Wesley had filled earlier, but Michelle Forbes wasn't really interested in appearing unless her character was central to the story. Hence why this only happened once and then Ro largely disappeared.

I think this is it exactly. And what tim0122 said.

And at least in season seven they paid her for a certain number of episodes whether they used her or not - so that may factor into it.

Watching the TNG extras recently it just resurfaced a lot of the commentary that's done the rounds over the years: she's great, they wanted her to be on the other shows, she said no. Then that famous line "she wanted to do movies". That was the standard get out back in those days, Less of an issue now that TV has become more prestigious. There's also a certain distaste when people say it, like the actor thinks they can do something better and is above their station. Wil Wheaton... "wanted to do movies" (although I think there may be some more basis in fact for that as he did start in them.)

I think some people can't get their head around someone turning down seven years of work. But it's the same reason that Denise Crosby quit. They just would find it boring and restrictive having to sit around and do not much for many episodes.

And Forbes backed that up with what she did. A lot of TV, and it seems the maximum was 29 episodes over a three season show.

That said I like that Ro is part of one of my all time favourite, seminal episodes.

 

[Tosk]

And at least in season seven they paid her for a certain number of episodes whether they used her or not - so that may factor into it.

If that's true she did well, seeing as she's only in a single episode in season seven. Same for season six.

They just would find it boring and restrictive having to sit around and do not much for many episodes.

Welcome to working life.

 

[Cicero]

But it's the same reason that Denise Crosby quit. They just would find it boring and restrictive having to sit around and do not much for many episodes.

Nimoy felt similarly, which led to Amanda being left out of The Search for Spock:

When we first constructed the story, the scene which subsequently played between Kirk and Spock's father, in which Sarek used the mind meld because he believed Kirk was carrying Spock's "Katra," was originally intended to also include Amanda. It was supposed to be Spock's parents coming to Kirk to say, "How dare you do this to our son?"

The original intention was a conversation scene, without the mind meld. But after several rewrites, it was decided the scene had to feature the mind meld. Once that became a factor, Amanda was extraneous. Without something vital to do, there was no reason to have her just stand around.

This has always been my philosophy about utilizing the characters. Even during the TV series, I felt the worst thing that could happen to me was Spock standing around watching other characters play vital scenes. So, I don't want to do that to the other actors now. I don't want the supporting cast to merely be a background chorus. If they're in a scene, they should have something to do, some reason for being there.

 

[drt]

Their biggest mistake with Ro was, apparently, not figuring out the plan for her first (how often and how much she'd be used and her character trajectory) and making sure when casting that the actress was onboard with that plan.

From her first episode, it's clear they wanted Ro to be more than just a one-off or one-to-two-line recurring character (like Nurse Ogawa). Yet, they appeared to not fully discuss and figure this out with Forbes. And they not only failed to get her as a regular on two spin-offs (DS9 and Voyager), but they barely did anything with her on her origin show.

Poor planning and communication and wasted potential.

It's entirely possible it was pitched to Forbes this way, as there was some effort initially to feature her - but TNG was already a show that didn't utilize half of its existing cast particularly well, so not too surprising that the writers' room ultimately didn't know what to do with the character.

 

[Oddish]

Poor planning and communication and wasted potential.

TNG walked in this regard so that VOY could run.

Or maybe more appropriate to say that TNG stumbled so that VOY could face-plant.

 

[AntonyF]

TNG walked in this regard so that VOY could run.

Or maybe more appropriate to say that TNG stumbled so that VOY could face-plant.

Chakotay has tattoos and goes acoocheemoya or something.

And Kim was a Chinese man with a Korean name who pressed buttons.

I don't know what you're on about.

 

[Oddish]

Chakotay was designed by a charlatan. The facial art (however "wilderness" it might be) is almost irrelevant by comparison.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

If Chakotay had been an alien, he could have had whatever beliefs the scripts called for.

 

[Detached Nacelle]

And Kim was a Chinese man with a Korean name who pressed buttons.

But only ever identified himself as American. Because America, I guess?

 

[AntonyF]

Actually I should said of Chinese heritage, as he is American.

 

[tim0122]

And Kim was a Chinese man with a Korean name who pressed buttons.

Ahem. He also died eight times, thank you very much.

P.S. It's funny, now that I think about it, that Kim probably went through more crap than O'Brien, and even O'Brien got promoted (chief petty officer to senior chief petty officer) before Kim did.

 

[Detached Nacelle]

Ahem. He also died eight times, thank you very much.

P.S. It's funny, now that I think about it, that Kim probably went through more crap than O'Brien, and even O'Brien got promoted (chief petty officer to senior chief petty officer) before Kim did.

But O'Brien would still have to address Kim as "sir"

 

[tim0122]

But O'Brien would still have to address Kim as "sir"

Kind of. No one would expect him, too. Especially when you get to senior chief, you have decades of experience behind you and your petty officer rank is high enough, you'd be very well respected. An ensign lording it over a chief petty officer (let alone a senior chief petty officer) would be in INCREDIBLY poor taste and hurt the ensign's career. They kind of alluded to this no, no in one episode when Bashir, despite having less experience, pulled rank and gave O'Brien, a more seasoned person, an order in a heated situation.

 

[Farscape One]

Kind of. No one would expect him, too. Especially when you get to senior chief, you have decades of experience behind you and your petty officer rank is high enough, you'd be very well respected. An ensign lording it over a chief petty officer (let alone a senior chief petty officer) would be in INCREDIBLY poor taste and hurt the ensign's career. They kind of alluded to this no, no in one episode when Bashir, despite having less experience, pulled rank and gave O'Brien, a more seasoned person, an order in a heated situation.

He did it in "HIPPOCRATIC OATH". (I was also fully on O'Brien's side of that debate.)

 

[CoveTom]

But only ever identified himself as American. Because America, I guess?

There are plenty of people who identify themselves primarily or solely by where they were born and their family lives now, not by where their ancestors are from.