Some Trek episodes just take a given character and take them far out of character, and make them look utterly awful. It's really one of Trek's more annoying phenomena.
It should be noted that some Trek episodes are NOT necessary character assassination. For instance, early DS9 episodes with Julian hitting on Dax... that's just how his character was then; his conduct in later episodes indicates character growth. Of course, holodeck facsimiles don't count (so "Hollow Pursuits" doesn't qualify), and Mirror Universe clones don't either. Also, if a character is in an altered mental state that isn't their fault, I don't regard that as assassination (so Deanna's craziness in "Man if the People" and Janeway's pulsar death run in "Scientific Method" get a pass). Sometimes, an OOC moment under reasonable conditions allows an actor to stretch a bit.
But some conditions aren't reasonable, and here are some of my picks, in no particular order.
1. Picard, "Homeward". Citing the Prime Directive, mon capitan allows an entire planet to die. And, he unloads on Nikolai about being unwilling to do the same.
2. Archer, "A Night in Sickbay". A seasoned Starship captain, acting like a sulky 9-year-old. You just want to lead him by the hand to a time-out chair and just park him there for ten minutes or so!
3. Kim, both "Resolutions" and "Nightingale". In the former, when Tuvok states his intention to follow the captain's orders, Harry has a childish meltdown on the bridge, and almost does more of the same in Tuvok's quarters. Then, in "Nightingale", despite having learned from excellent commanders like Janeway, Tuvok, and even Chakotay, he turns into a micromanaging nightmare.
4. Worf, "Let him who is Without Sin". Let me be clear, Worf's actions were not intended as terrorism: he built the uplink to drive people off Risa, not to harm them. But Worf is a disciplined and capable officer. He does not behave like that.
It should be noted that some Trek episodes are NOT necessary character assassination. For instance, early DS9 episodes with Julian hitting on Dax... that's just how his character was then; his conduct in later episodes indicates character growth. Of course, holodeck facsimiles don't count (so "Hollow Pursuits" doesn't qualify), and Mirror Universe clones don't either. Also, if a character is in an altered mental state that isn't their fault, I don't regard that as assassination (so Deanna's craziness in "Man if the People" and Janeway's pulsar death run in "Scientific Method" get a pass). Sometimes, an OOC moment under reasonable conditions allows an actor to stretch a bit.
But some conditions aren't reasonable, and here are some of my picks, in no particular order.
1. Picard, "Homeward". Citing the Prime Directive, mon capitan allows an entire planet to die. And, he unloads on Nikolai about being unwilling to do the same.
2. Archer, "A Night in Sickbay". A seasoned Starship captain, acting like a sulky 9-year-old. You just want to lead him by the hand to a time-out chair and just park him there for ten minutes or so!
3. Kim, both "Resolutions" and "Nightingale". In the former, when Tuvok states his intention to follow the captain's orders, Harry has a childish meltdown on the bridge, and almost does more of the same in Tuvok's quarters. Then, in "Nightingale", despite having learned from excellent commanders like Janeway, Tuvok, and even Chakotay, he turns into a micromanaging nightmare.
4. Worf, "Let him who is Without Sin". Let me be clear, Worf's actions were not intended as terrorism: he built the uplink to drive people off Risa, not to harm them. But Worf is a disciplined and capable officer. He does not behave like that.
