10 Terrible Decisions That Led To Star Trek Losing Key Players
Sometimes those nice people over at Star Trek don't always get it right.
Star Trek as a franchise has existed for decades and, like any other long-running series, Star Trek has not been free of poor decisions from time to time.
Occasionally, these decisions may have simply been silly plot devices or budget cuts that led to shoddy on-screen depictions, but occasionally some behind the scenes decisions have led to Star Trek losing key members of their team.
From on-screen talent like some of the actors who have come and gone, to behind-the-scenes faces who have both crafted the show and had their attempts to make changes blocked along the way, Star Trek has had its share of turnaround, not simply confined to the poor recipients of a phaser blast to the chest.
Some of these entries are infamous in Star Trek's history. Time, and a lot of internet searching, has unearthed some of the more bizarre stories from the franchise which have contributed to the ever-expanding mixture of murky information about how the show was made.
10. Denise Crosby And The Broken Promise Of Hill Street Blues
Denise Crosby joined Star Trek The Next Generation along with the rest of the cast, taking on the role of Lt. Tasha Yar. However, she would quickly depart the show, never to return as a lead character again.
Crosby has been very open throughout the years as to why she left. She felt that Yar was running into what she described as an 'Uhura-like' situation, wherein she was present on the bridge, but was left with nothing to do.
Crosby had joined the show expecting something similar to Hill Street Blues. Similar to what Deep Space Nine would later become, it featured a large cast of main and recurring characters, all of whom had room to expand their storylines.
Crosby approached the producers of The Next Generation, asking for more to do. However, Gene Roddenberry vetoed the idea of having an expansive storyline to match Blues, preferring instead to stick to the mould that had served Star Trek The Original Series so well - focus on a small, core group.
Frustrated with the lack of material, Crosby asked to be released from the show. Roddenberry, aiming for shock value, elected to have her killed off in a death scene that has been oft lamented as underwhelming and undeserving of a potentially great character.