Yar was supposed to be a Homage to Vasqueez from Ailens?

Seriously?

She was a foul mouthed, angry, ripped, remorseless, killing machine who knows gunfu. Did you see that Kata she did with her machine gun near the beginning? Her gunfu is strong.

Yar was supposed to be Vasquez?

Pishaw.

Worf wasn't even Vasquez.

On his best day, Worf was probably Goreman.

 

Not the exact same character, obviously. But the original plan was for the security chief to be Macha Hernandez, a character somewhat inspired by Vasquez from Aliens. They changed it to Tasha Yar when Denise Crosby was cast. (Marina Sirtis auditioned for Hernandez and Crosby auditioned for Troi, and the producers decided they'd be better for the opposite roles.)

 

It's a good thing they changed parts. I don't think Denise Crosby could have pulled off lines like: "I sense fear. I sense dishonesty." It would have sounded completely fake and forced coming from Crosby.

 

Well, I just find it odd to picture Denise and Jonathan making out because they're "destined".

I just watched Aliens for the first time in YEARS Christopher, and the notion of Yar and Vasquez being interchangeable between TV and movie just made me laugh and cry.

 

Didn't Jenette Goldstein (Vasquez) herself audition for a role on TNG? Whether it was Macha or somebody else, I'm pretty sure she did. (She eventually showed up as the Enterprise-B science officer in Generations)

 

I remember reading that she had auditioned for the Security Chief's role.

 

Yar didn't get many lines where she wasn't saying something stupid or generic-security-character, but there were a couple times -- for example, talking LaForge out of the observation lounge in ``The Naked Now'' -- that suggest to me Denise Crosby might have worked reasonably well as a Ship's Counselor.

I mean, is ``This so-called court should get down on its KNEES! To what Star Fleet IS! What it REPRESENTS!'' any worse-delivered than ``I'm sensing PAIN''?

 

The point was to have a rough around the edges character with some spunk

GR amy have wanted people of the future to be all perfect and all but at least he realized that didn't make for great story telling, B&B never got that GR did
it was a big mistake to let Crosby go

 

Considering Yar's background they should have made her a little more hard and tough looking.

 

According to my encyclopedia, Yar joined up with Starfleet at the age of 15... but what sort of education would she have had after 10 years in Tina Turner's Thunderdome dodging rape gangs to have passed the strenuous entrance exams to the Academy? Maybe she started off as an enlisted noncom and rose through the ranks bypassing the bulk of the academy requirements?

 

Jean Lorrah's novel Survivors is an excellent look at the background history of Tasha. The Starfleet officer who rescued her took a special interest in her education and with the help of 24th century technology and resources she made up for lost time quickly.

 

One of the comments made when the TNG casting sheet came out was that "half the cast is ripped off from 'Aliens'" - referencing "Macha" Hernandez and the android character.

Another remark I recall from a TV writer who saw the sheet before it leaked was "They've got a blind guy who can see through walls, a super genius kid, an android and a mind reader. It's not 'Star Trek,' it's the X-Men."

 

Though at one point, she was to have an extra set of breast per D.C. Fontana who convinced GR to keep it to two.

 

Thank, you, Dorothy!

 

That Rodenberry..what a horndog!

 

Lieutenant Arex would have really liked her.

 

As would Travis MAyweather.