UWC Defiance said:
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."
I'm willing to give Roddenberry the benefit of the doubt vis-a-vis the android--I saw Data more as a Questor redux than a Bishop knock-off--but the Macha Hernandez thing was pretty shameless. At least the final character was named after Chekov's aunt and her pearl earings from "In Thy Image."
As far as The X-Men comment: I remember complaining that these people didn't so much have character traits as mutant powers. Nice to see I wasn't the only one.
