10 Star Trek Characters Who Didn't Deserve Their Fate

5. Ro Laren

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Oh no Ro, say it aint so!

Ro Laren was one of the better recurring characters introduced in The Next Generation. She was gruff and didn't blindly follow orders. Originally tapped as a replacement for Wil Wheaton's Wesley Crusher, her strong introduction, unfortunately, wasn't followed with enough decent episodes, and she began to appear less frequently - although Conundrum, Rascals, and Preemptive Strike are truly enjoyable.

The latter episode sets up her return in Imposters. That scene between Ro and Picard on the holodeck was thirty years in the making, with both Michelle Forbes and Patrick Stewart nailing the reunion. It is given the pathos it requires, explaining the betrayal they both felt, and the catharsis they are left with.

But.

Much has been said about the character's exit in Star Trek: Picard. She is tricked into piloting her shuttle directly into the nacelle of the USS Intrepid by Changeling interlopers, thus giving the Titan-A the time to escape. It simply felt like an ignoble end to this stellar character. It was later revealed that Forbes was only available for a short filming stint, but was it truly necessary to slam the door on her arc so definitively?

 
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Writer. Reader. Host. I'm Seán, I live in Ireland and I'm the poster child for dangerous obsessions with Star Trek. Check me out on Twitter @seanferrick