I've always avoided watching Yesterday's Enterprise on dvd or whatever because I felt that the introduction of Sela in later seasons trashed it completely. Watching it again on the Alternate Realities collection, and listening to David Carson's excellent commentary, just makes me angry all over again. It's such a beautiful episode, so perfect--why oh why did they have to introduce Sela? Who's bright idea was that? Tasha's second death was worse than her first in some ways, according to Sela's story!
Yesterday's Enterprise and Sela
- Thread starter KayArr
- Start date
IIRC it was Denise Crosby's "idea" to bring in Sela as way to shoehorn back, er... "satisy her fans with a return" to the franchise I think she pitched the idea to the writers that Tasha may have been captured and had a child with a Romulan.
I think it mostly worked and was one of the more creative ways to bring an actor back to a franchise after their character died. Where did Sela comefrom? She came from Tasha Yar who came from the future which is now a future where she doesn't exsist in the time she came from!
Sela's use in "Redemption" was well played for the surprise and her use of the character. Her return in "Unfication?" Not so much.
I think it mostly worked and was one of the more creative ways to bring an actor back to a franchise after their character died. Where did Sela comefrom? She came from Tasha Yar who came from the future which is now a future where she doesn't exsist in the time she came from!
Sela's use in "Redemption" was well played for the surprise and her use of the character. Her return in "Unfication?" Not so much.
I think it would have been much more interesting if she returned to the show as the alternate timeline Tasha instead and have a storyline where she defected to the Romulan side and be a Romulan Commander.
Plus given that Sela would have been no more than 23 at the time it doesn't seem likely that she would be in command of a ship anyway.
Plus given that Sela would have been no more than 23 at the time it doesn't seem likely that she would be in command of a ship anyway.
USS Excelsior:
I agree that having Sela be a full commander in the Romulan military, let alone in charge of (a) an operation to destabilize the Klingon Empire, then (b) an invasion of Vulcan, stretches credility.
I like to think that instead, the Romulans surgically altered the future Tasha Yar to look like a Romulan/human hybrid, then brainwashed her into believing she was Sela, and then trained her to be a special operative, with the intent of using her appearance to throw off Picard and his crew. Of course, we'll never know for sure, via canon, if this is possible.
Red Ranger
Let's not forget "The Mind's Eye." Sela was in that as well, although I missed it the first time around. She is the silhouetted Romulan who leads the ones who snatch Geordi and brainwash him. Great episode for Geordi not to mention Data, who gets to order Worf around.
Stretches, but doesn't break - Doesn't the Romulan Empire occasionally indulge a bit of neopotism? It could be that her father gave her that push into authority.
That would suggest that some military titles in the Romulan Star Empire are inherited rather than earned. Anyone know if this has ever happened in real life? I know there are honorary military titles, like colonels in Kentucky or colonel of the regiment in England, but that's about it. -- RR
One might go by the Roman model here. While the military would be largely a meritocracy, it would be quite customary to invite in almost total strangers and former enemies if they proved worthy. Also, the Emperors are a good example of how adopted sons would typically be favored over the prominent leaders' own offspring.
Perhaps the halfblood daughter of a former prisoner of war would be the one choice everybody could trust with the top position, whereas every fullblooded Romulan would by default be known for a scheming bastard unacceptable to most factions?
Timo Saloniemi
Perhaps the halfblood daughter of a former prisoner of war would be the one choice everybody could trust with the top position, whereas every fullblooded Romulan would by default be known for a scheming bastard unacceptable to most factions?
Timo Saloniemi
You know, that line of reasoning really makes Sela not that ridiculous to me anymore. I'd wanted to like her but wasn't sure how. Thanks!
That's the part I have the biggest problem with
I can understand that her father was a Romulan officer and by betraying her mother she had proved to him once and for all she was Romulan, but for her to be a commander, especially when romulans are long lived, at such a young age is simply silly
But in order to be long-lived, a Romulan needs to be successful. Better start being aggressively upwardly mobile at an early age, I'd think.
One would also assume that Sela's profession and position (some sort of a field operations commander on the anti-Klingon front) would have a high rate of attrition. Rather than a high-ranking, well-protected leader with a long life to look forward to, she'd be a cutthroat among cutthroats, in the earliest stages of working towards the more secure higher positions. In fact, it's a wonder that she survived two essentially botched operations ("Mind's Eye" and "Redemption") to lead a third ("Unification") until, AFAWK, her superiors or competitors finally did her in.
Timo Saloniemi
One would also assume that Sela's profession and position (some sort of a field operations commander on the anti-Klingon front) would have a high rate of attrition. Rather than a high-ranking, well-protected leader with a long life to look forward to, she'd be a cutthroat among cutthroats, in the earliest stages of working towards the more secure higher positions. In fact, it's a wonder that she survived two essentially botched operations ("Mind's Eye" and "Redemption") to lead a third ("Unification") until, AFAWK, her superiors or competitors finally did her in.
Timo Saloniemi
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