Why do the writers kill off characters when actors want to leave?

[Greg Cox]

With Jadzia, it almost seemed like the writers were pissed so killed Jadzia off out of spite to the actress.

As I've said already in this thread, it is usually a mistake to assume that a writer's choice to kill off a character is due to personal dislike for the character. In fact, it's more likely to be the opposite. We writers want the readers/viewers to care about what happens, and that's more likely if we care too, if it hurts us to write a death scene as much as we want it to hurt the audience to watch it. So if anything, we're more likely to kill the characters we really care about and hate to lose, because then it has more emotional impact and meaning.

Really, I don't see any reason whatsoever to assume there was any malice behind the decision to kill Jadzia. As we've discussed upthread, the notion of changing hosts upon death is intrinsic to the very concept of the Trill. So as soon as the creators of DS9 introduced a Trill as a regular character, that potential was hovering there in the background, waiting to be explored. So when the actress playing the role decided to leave, that was the perfect opportunity to tell that story that had been waiting to be told for six years. Of course they chose to kill off the host and introduce a new one, because that was the logical direction to take the concept and the character of Dax. They would've done the exact same thing no matter who played the role. Seriously, how could they not? Heck, far from being angry at Farrell, they were probably grateful to her for giving them the opportunity to tell the story of Dax changing hosts.

Exactly. Killing off a Trill is a gift from the story gods. What show could resist milking the story possibilities of a new-but-different Dax?

"Finally. We get to do that 'regeneration' trick. Why should Doctor Who have all the fun?"

Bottom line: Shipping Jadzia off to another starbase is boring. Killing her and introducing Ezri is potentially fun and interesting.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

Really, I don't see any reason whatsoever to assume there was any malice behind the decision to kill Jadzia.

I'm not sure, the stories surrounding her and Becker make it seem like she's not great to deal with come contract negotiation time.

Of course, I was never in those rooms, it's just what I heard.

 

[Christopher]

^Well, like I said, it's unimaginable that they wouldn't have chosen to kill Dax's host and explore the introduction of a new one no matter who the actress had been. True, a different actress might not have chosen to leave the show and then we would've had Jadzia for all seven seasons, but it's not like they wouldn't have killed the character if the actress had left on entirely amiable terms.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

^^^
They also weren't allowed to use her images in Worf's flashbacks for the last episode (which stuck out worse than a sore thumb).

Could that also have been maybe part of some bad blood at the time of departure?

TNG never seemed to have that problem with Crosby.

 

[Christopher]

^^^
They also weren't allowed to use her images in Worf's flashbacks for the last episode (which stuck out worse than a sore thumb).

Could that also have been maybe part of some bad blood at the time of departure?

There are lots of possible business reasons why they might've been unable to secure her likeness rights for the finale. (EDIT: Or just one -- see the post below mine.) There's no evidence of any bad blood. Farrell did attend the series' wrap party after the last day of shooting, which suggests she was still on good terms with the crew. And the producers' and actress's comments about "Tears of the Prophets" in The DS9 Companion (a book that tended to be rather frank about problems and tensions behind the scenes where they existed) give no indication that there were any bad feelings. The producers were concerned about giving her a worthy sendoff and made sure Jadzia lived long enough to make her goodbyes to Sisko and Worf, and everyone involved seemed sad at Farrell's departure.

 

[The Wormhole]

^^^
They also weren't allowed to use her images in Worf's flashbacks for the last episode (which stuck out worse than a sore thumb).

Could that also have been maybe part of some bad blood at the time of departure?

That had to do with an earlier episode of season 7 (Penumbra, I think) used audio clips of Jadzia without seeking Terry Farrell's permission. When she learned of this, it upset her and she filed an official complaint with Paramount and because of this, no clips of her were used in WYLB.

 

[Ian Keldon]

It isn't just Star Trek. After two seasons of NCIS, Sasha Alexander wanted to leave the show and the producers agreed ONLY if she agreed to being killed off in her final episode (she appeared in two more after dying. Her funeral episode and a flashback episode when her characters sister appeared).

In general, producers (not writers as the death of a major character is a producers decision) prefer to kill off departing actors because:

1) More dramatic
2) Gives the show leverage over the other actors when it comes to contract renewals.

3) Producers tend to dislike the possibility of fans clamoring for a particular actor to return and killing them off makes that more difficult.

4) As mentioned above, peeved at actors for leaving. This is especially true of a successful tv series. Producers know that many actors will work for 20 years without an opportunity at being a regular in a successful series so they see it as "ingratitude".

That sort of thing goes all the way back to the death of Col Blake in MASH. McLean Stevenson was a huge thorn in the side of the studio when it came to advocating for better conditions for the rest of the cast (MASH was a rough shoot, esp when they were on location). They got so fed up with him, that when he requested to be let go, that instead of an open ended send off they deliberately ordered the writers to kill him. (Though Larry Gelbart disputes this, it has been widely talked about by others involved with the show.)

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Got any evidence to back that up?

 

[PopBoy]

Did Jen Lien wish to leave? I really liked how Voyager dealt with Kes and her departure. Sadly her greatest development was purely caused by removal from the crew. She could only grow by taking her offboard. Anyway, was she let go? The actress i mean?

 

[Knight Templar]

^ Got any evidence to back that up?

I've read in behind the scenes books like my complete episode guide that Stevenson was deeply unhappy with his role on MASH. He felt as commanding officer, the writers were making him look too sillly and incompetent and it simply was not realistic for the commanding officer of a military unit to be that big of a bungler (especially when one episode had flat out said that Henry Blake had personally built the unit from the ground up).

Note, that at the same time, Wayne Rogers broke his contract and refused to come back to MASH after the third season. Rogers actually charged that the producers had breached their contract with him by making Alan Alda's Hawkeye character the center of the show (when in the original MASH movie, Trapper John was more the focus).

If you believe TV Guide and the tabloids, Wayne Rogers had a huge grudge against Alan Alda for "stealing his show" which lasted for the better part of two decades.

 

[The Wormhole]

Did Jen Lien wish to leave? I really liked how Voyager dealt with Kes and her departure. Sadly her greatest development was purely caused by removal from the crew. She could only grow by taking her offboard. Anyway, was she let go? The actress i mean?

The story that's usually told is that she was let go simply to bring Seven of Nine in. Rumour is that originally, Garrett Wang was meant to leave, that's why Species 8472 attacked and infected Harry in Scorpion Part 1. But then a magazine, probably People named him one of the best looking actors on televsion. Therefore he was kept and Jennifer Lien was selected to go instead.

 

[Wally]

Rumour is that originally, Garrett Wang was meant to leave, that's why Species 8472 attacked and infected Harry in Scorpion Part 1. But then a magazine, probably People named him one of the best looking actors on televsion. Therefore he was kept and Jennifer Lien was selected to go instead.

Because we all know what a hideous troll Jennifer Lien was.

Great idea

 

[Christopher]

^I think the point is more about the publicity the actor was getting at the time than about the relative attractiveness of the performers. If they'd dropped Garrett Wang so soon after he got acclaim and attention in the press, it would've looked bad and could've cost them viewers drawn to the show by that publicity.

And I don't think the show's staff ever quite figured out what to do with Kes as a character, just letting her while away her brief existence in sickbay rather than devouring every possible experience and leading the intense, fearless life she should have. It shouldn't have been that hard to figure out what to do with a character like her, but for whatever reason, they couldn't figure it out, so given that, it's not surprising that they chose to get rid of a character they found problematical.

 

[Knight Templar]

IIRC, some of the writers commented that the entire idea of Kes and Neelix (who were supposed to be a couple of course) never really worked. Writers felt the pairing was awkward given the age differences between Philips and Lein and the staggering age differences between the characters they played.

I'll preface this, I can't source where I read it, but IIRC (and I could be wrong) it was in Cinemafantasique's annual Star Trek issue looking back at Voyager's season after Kes left the series.

A writer commented that she felt that having Neelix (clearly middle aged) as the "mate" of Kes (who was supposed to be only a couple of years old in real time) made it seem like Neelix was a "child molester".

Of course, having Seven of Nine in relationships raised no such red flags.

 

[Christopher]

Of course, having Seven of Nine in relationships raised no such red flags.

Which seems unreasonable to me, since psychologically she was essentially a 6-year-old when she was liberated. Whereas Kes always had a maturity far beyond her chronological age.

 

[MacLeod]

Well give the Ocampan life cycle, Kes was 2 years when we first saw her? Which would place her in her early adulthood. After all if they only live to be 8 or so 2 would be 25% of her lifespan. In human terms that would be mid-late twenties/early thirties. Depending on the human lifespan in the 25th Century. So the question is how mature was she in comparrison to fellow Ocampans.

 

[Christopher]

Well give the Ocampan life cycle, Kes was 2 years when we first saw her?

No, her second birthday was in "Twisted," which was shot as the second-last episode of the first season (though it was delayed until season 2). So she was maybe about a year and a quarter old in "Caretaker."

After all if they only live to be 8 or so 2 would be 25% of her lifespan. In human terms that would be mid-late twenties/early thirties.

That presupposes that their life cycle is proportionate to a human's, but we know that's not the case; they don't enter reproductive maturity until halfway through their lifespan (which is an evolutionary oddity and makes me wonder if their short life expectancy is a comparatively recent change that the rest of their biology hasn't caught up with yet). In "Darkling," the three-and-a-half-year-old Kes started acting like an adolescent on the verge of adulthood, asserting her independence and protesting when she felt she was being treated like a child. And it was just a couple of episodes later, in "Before and After," that she let her hair grow long and began dressing more sexily, perhaps with a mind toward attracting potential mates for her upcoming elogium. (Actually B&A claimed she was only three years and two months old at the time, but I don't think the dates add up.)

 

[Knight Templar]

Of course, having Seven of Nine in relationships raised no such red flags.

Which seems unreasonable to me, since psychologically she was essentially a 6-year-old when she was liberated. Whereas Kes always had a maturity far beyond her chronological age.

True of course.

But Jeri Ryan (though I was no fan of the actress or the character) looked like a full grown adult while Jennifer Lien had a distinctly "elfin" and "juvenile" appearance in many ways.

 

[R. Star]

Of course, having Seven of Nine in relationships raised no such red flags.

Which seems unreasonable to me, since psychologically she was essentially a 6-year-old when she was liberated. Whereas Kes always had a maturity far beyond her chronological age.

The whole Chakotay/Seven pairing that really came out of no where just seemed a symptom that all three 90's series had around season 7. Running out of ideas.

I was hoping if she was gonna hook up with anyone it'd be the Doctor, but she wasn't interested at all, which was perfectly in character. The -handwave- "You have emotions now Seven!" just seemed artifical to me at best.