Denise Crosby’s Lt. Tasha Yar was a part of the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast from the beginning, but I hate the way the show handled her story. Tasha Yar served as the Security Chief on the USS Enterprise-D under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), but she does not get much to do during the TNG’s first season. A few early episodes fill in elements about Yar’s backstory, but this never really goes anywhere. Not only is Yar’s backstory incredibly dark and traumatic, but it’s rendered even worse considering Tasha’s ultimate fate.
Denise Crosby left Star Trek: The Next Generation because she was felt she had too little to do as Lt. Tasha Yar. After TNG’s first few episodes, Yar was largely regulated to the background while characters like the android Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) received more spotlight. Crosby left before TNG season 1 ended and Tasha Yar was killed off in TNG season 1, episode 23, “Skin of Evil.” While I will always love TNG, the show often struggled to find great stories for its female characters, and Yar fell victim to this more than anyone.
Star Trek: TNG Season 1 Didn’t Understand Tasha Yar Before Killing Her Off
Tasha Yar Had Potential That Was Never Fully Realized
As the Chief of Security of the USS Enterprise-D, Lt. Tasha Yar should have been at the center of the action, but she rarely was. What I find even more frustrating is that one of the few episodes that did center Yar, TNG season 1, episode 4, “Code of Honor”, is so notoriously bad that most of the actors have disowned it. Despite arguably being the main character of “Code of Honor,” Tasha has very little agency. She’s kidnapped by Lutan (Jessie Lawrence Ferguson), the leader of Ligon II, because he becomes obsessed with her beauty and fighting skills. The whole story feels out of date even for 1987.
I particularly dislike how most of Tasha Yar’s stories have to do with her beauty or sexuality in some way. As a child, Tasha lived on the lawless planet of Turkana IV where she spent her days running from rape gangs. This particular element of Yar’s backstory is mentioned multiple times in only a few episodes, as if it’s the most interesting thing about her. One of Yar’s most memorable moments comes in TNG season 1, episode 3, “The Naked Now” when she sleeps with Data. As someone who adores Data, I think this scene could have been sweet, but it just comes across as awkward and cringe-worthy.
Perhaps Denise Crosby could have given Star Trek: The Next Generation more time to find its footing before she abandoned ship, but with the storylines she was getting (or lack thereof), I don’t find her departure particularly surprising. Even Yar’s final episode, “Skin of Evil,” fails to center her, ultimately focusing more on Captain Picard and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis). Not only is Yar murdered by a strange black goo monster named Armus, but her death is ultimately meaningless. Yar’s death in the line of duty may be realistic, but it feels like a tasteless way for a main Star Trek cast member to go out.
TNG’s “Yesterday’s Enterprise” Is A Bright Spot For Tasha Yar (But Still Killed Her Off)
“Yesterday’s Enterprise” Almost Redeemed Yar’s Season 1 Death
Denise Crosby returned as Tasha Yar in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, episode 15, “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” Like many Star Trek fans, I love this episode for many reasons, but Yar’s story is not necessarily one of them. When the USS Enterprise-C emerges from a rift in spacetime, the Enterprise-D suddenly becomes a warship with Lt. Yar at the tactical station. In this new altered timeline, the Federation is losing an ongoing war with the Klingons and the Enterprise-D is at the front lines as the first Galaxy-class warship.
Tasha Yar gets a solid story arc in “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” ultimately deciding to return to the past with the USS Enterprise-C after learning of her fate in the Prime Universe. Yar’s story still involves a romance — with Enterprise-C crewmember Lt. Richard Castillo (Christopher McDonald) — but it’s a romance that mostly works, building on a genuine connection between two people. Still, Yar’s death has all the elements of a clichéd TV death and I hate that Captain Rachel Garrett (Tricia O’Neil) had to die to give Yar her big moment.
TNG’s Sela Story Didn’t Work & Made Tasha’s Ending Even Worse
Tasha Yar May Have Suffered Even More Than Chief O’Brien
As it turns out, Tasha Yar didn’t die when the USS Enterprise-C traveled back to the past but was actually captured by Romulans. A Romulan General then became obsessed with her (like Lutan back in “Code of Honor”), and agreed to spare the rest of the crew if Yar became his consort. Tasha agreed and later gave birth to a half-Romulan daughter named Sela (also portrayed by Denise Crosby). When Sela was four, Tasha tried to flee but was caught and executed. This entire storyline is revealed in dialogue in Star Trek: The Next Generation and it remains one of my least favorite Star Trek stories for a number of reasons.
Not only does this entire storyline completely undermine Tasha’s big self-sacrifice moment in “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” but it’s also a terrible ending for the character. Tasha Yar is captured by Romulans, held prisoner for years, presumably assaulted and impregnated against her will, likely mistreated in other ways, and then unceremoniously executed while trying to escape. I cannot think of a worse fate for a character who grew up being traumatized by rape gangs and placed a high value on her own independence. And all of this is made even worse by the fact that Sela simply doesn’t work as a character.
I think there were much more interesting ways to bring Denise Crosby back to Star Trek: The Next Generation without heaping more suffering on Tasha Yar.
For one thing, Sela seems too young (especially for a Romulan) to have risen through the military ranks that quickly, and her plans seem poorly thought out. She plotted to disrupt the alliance between the Federation and the Klingons and later attempted to invade Vulcan, but Starfleet foiled both plans fairly easily. And then Sela is never heard from again after TNG’s “Unification” two-parter. Ultimately, I think there were much more interesting ways to bring Denise Crosby back to Star Trek: The Next Generation without heaping more suffering on Tasha Yar, a character who never reached her full potential in the first place.