Tasha Yar
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| Natasha Yar | |
 Tasha Yar on the Enterprise-D |
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| Species | Human |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Home planet | Turkana IV |
| Affiliation | Starfleet |
| Posting | Enterprise-D chief of security and chief tactical officer |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Portrayed by | Denise Crosby |
Lieutenant Natasha "Tasha" Yar, played by Denise Crosby, is a character in Star Trek: The Next Generation.[1] The character served as chief of security aboard the USS Enterprise-D for the first season.[1]
Crosby left the series near the end of first season, but reprised the role in "Yesterday's Enterprise" and "All Good Things...".[1]
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[edit] Development and casting
Originally, the character was to be named "Macha Hernandez"[2] and was set to be played by Jenette Goldstein.[3] Yar was originally inspired by the character of Vasquez in Aliens.[4] Goldstein was replaced by Marina Sirtis.[3] At that time, Denise Crosby was set to play Deanna Troi,[5] but she and Sirtis switched roles before production began.[3][6]
Although "Skin of Evil" aired after "Symbiosis", the latter was the last episode Crosby filmed; she is visible in the background of the scene 42 minutes and 15 seconds into the episode, waving goodbye at the camera, as Picard and Dr. Crusher leave the cargobay.[4]
[edit] Story overview
The back story for the character states that Yar, of Ukrainian descent, was born on Turkana IV, a colony that fell into chaos and eventually severed ties to the United Federation of Planets.[1] Tasha learned to defend herself on the streets and avoid rape gangs.[1] She left Turkana IV at age 15, leaving her younger sister behind, and later attended Starfleet Academy.[1]
After watching Yar cross a minefield to save a colonist, Jean-Luc Picard requested that she be assigned to his next command.[1] She later becomes chief of security and chief tactical officer aboard the USS Enterprise-D, some time prior to the beginning of the series.[1]
Armus kills Yar on Vagra II as a demonstration of his power in "Skin of Evil".[1] Worf replaces her as chief tactical and security officer.[1]
In "Yesterday's Enterprise", the USS Enterprise-C travels into the future in the midst of defending a Klingon colony from Romulan attack, creating an alternate timeline in which the Federation and Klingon Empire are at war, and in which Yar did not die on Vagra II.[1] Learning from Guinan that she died a senseless death in the normal timeline, Yar opts to return to the past aboard the Enterprise-C.[1] There, she is captured and becomes consort to a Romulan general in order to spare her fellow survivors' lives.[1] She later bears the general a child, Sela, also played by Crosby. Years later, Yar is executed by the Romulans when trying to escape from them with Sela.[1]
Yar's final appearance is in scenes that take place in an alternate past in the series finale, "All Good Things...".[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Okuda, Mike and Denise Okuda, with Debbie Mirek (1999). The Star Trek Encyclopedia. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-53609-5.
- ^ Adam Schrager, "Marina Sirtis: From Hoi Polloi to Counserlor Troi" The Finest Crew in the Fleet: The Next Generation's Cast On Screen and Off. New York: Wolf Valley Books (1997): 147. "Sirtis auditioned for the role of the chief security officer about the USS Enterprise, Lieutenant Macha Hernandez (later changed to Natasha Yar)."
- ^ a b c Star Trek: The Next Generation first-season DVD commentary
- ^ a b Nemecek, Larry (2003). Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-7434-5798-6.
- ^ Adam Schrager, "Marina Sirtis: From Hoi Polloi to Counserlor Troi" The Finest Crew in the Fleet: The Next Generation's Cast On Screen and Off. New York: Wolf Valley Books (1997): 147. "Meanwhile, Denise Crosby had been auditioning for the role of Lieutenant Commander Deanna Troi, the ship's Betazoid counselor."
- ^ Adam Schrager, "Regular Players: Denise Crosby" The Finest Crew in the Fleet: The Next Generation's Cast On Screen and Off. New York: Wolf Valley Books (1997): 206. "Denise Crosby was auditioning for the role of Troi, and Marina Sirtis for that of Yar (then Hernandez). Although producers Rick Berman and Bob Justman liked them in those roles, Gene Roddenberry switched them. ... Once Crosby was cast as Hernandez, the character's name was changed to Natasha Yar, and she was given a Ukrainian background to match Crosby's blond hair."
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Natasha Yar article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki
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