Star Trek: 10 Characters That Should Teach In Starfleet Academy

10. B'Elanna Torres

B'Elanna Torres had a turbulent time at Starfleet Academy, struggling with her emotions, and her identity. Whilst others were dodging asteroids in the belt, B'Elanna was dodging punches in the lab. "Only you could start a brawl in Astrotheory 101," as Chakotay once quipped. Eventually, after disciplinary hearings, a suspension, and no doubt the sour aftertaste of dating then-fellow cadet Maxwell Burke, B'Elanna quit the Academy, much to the dismay of the track-and-field coach.

Redemption story or no, B'Elanna was always brilliant. She may have fought with Professor Chapman, constantly challenging his methods and assumptions, but he thought she was "one of the most promising cadets he'd ever taught," even willing to support her should she want to re-apply. In fact, a lot of B'Elanna's professors felt the same. As Captain Janeway put it, it turns out B'Elanna "had more friends at the Academy than [she] realised."

What B'Elanna had failed to see in herself back then, she proved as an exceptional chief engineer on Voyager. She would be perfect (albeit in holographic form) in a teaching role, not least for her skill and expertise, but ultimately because she represents what Starfleet and the Academy are all about. They put the old motto — Ad Astra per Aspera — on the (24th century) recruitment posters for a reason. Through hardship, not in spite of it, you can travel to the stars!