10 Amazing Behind-The-Scenes Secrets From Star Trek: The Next Generation

To paraphrase Tom Jones slightly, it's not unusual for TV characters to go through a series of reimaginations during the pre-production for a show. Indeed, this very website it positively littered with articles detailing how some of your #faves were all nearly very, very different.

What is unusual though, is for two characters to be fully developed, definitively cast, and then just swapped around completely at the last minute. As was the case in Star Trek: The Next Generation with Tasha Yar and Deanna Troi.

Taking inspiration from the role of Vasquez from James Cameron's Aliens, the Enterprise-D's security chief was originally written as a woman of Latina-descent named Macha Hernandez. Marina Sirtis (who is of Greek-descent, go figure) successfully auditioned for the role and was given the part.

Meanwhile, the role of Ship's Counsellor Deanna Troi, which had mercifully been rewritten from the original pitch of 'very horny four-breasted alien' was given to Denise Crosby. Mere days before filming began on the pilot, producers decided that Crosby was a better fit for a security chief, and Sirits a more natural confidant, and swapped them over.

I'm deadly serious about the four boobs thing as well...