Star Trek: 10 Most Hated Supporting Characters
The Star Trek franchise is populated by some of the most memorable characters in all of science fiction. It boasts a staggering catalog of recognizable faces, both human and alien, that have helped to shape remarkable stories in the final frontier of exploration. From Star Trek: The Original Series with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, to Star Trek: Discoverywith Michael Burnham and Saru, these characters have become inextricably linked to our vision of the future.
Then there are those supporting characters that, whether they are on a few episodes or an entire series, derail the narrative progress of the principle talent. Maybe it's the performance by the actor assigned to play them, the mundane nature of their storylines, or the simple fact that the writers didn't know how to make the most of their existence, they became the worst that Star Trek had to offer. So, here are the 10 most hated supporting characters in Star Trek.
10 WESLEY CRUSHER
The youngest member of the bridge crew aboard the USS Enterprise- D, Wesley Crusher first appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation and earned his position from a combination of luck, guilt, and skill. It's this trifecta of attributes that bothers many Star Trek fans who aren't a fan of the "boy wonder" on the bridge.
Wesley was at the right place at the right time, stationed aboard the Starfleet flagship his mother Beverly Crusher was serving aboard as ship's doctor. Captain Picard had been the commanding officer on the mission that killed Wesley's father, and in many ways felt responsible for the boy's future. Wesley had a technical prowess far beyond his years, but his petulant personality, emotional naivete, and lame storylines didn't ingratiate him to fans.
9 NEELIX
Neelix was an extremely divisive character on Star Trek: Voyager, who most Star Trek fans couldn't warm up to no matter how good-natured the writers made him. He served in the capacity of a morale officer and cook in the galley, trying to keep spirits up with food that might not have been very good but at least it was warm.
The Talaxian was perpetually pleasant, optimistic, and overly excitable, which didn't often blend well with the self-serious tone of a crew drifting in the wilds of the Delta Quadrant. Neelix's survival skills helped him as a scavenger, which often aided the Voyager crew, but it also didn't help that his relationship with his Ocampan mate Kes was cloyingly maudlin.
8 LWAXANA TROI
The character of Lwaxana Troi must have been created for two reasons: to provide familial drama for Deanna Troi by aggravating her professional life, and flustering an already unflappable Captain Picard with her constant amorous advances. Both of these motivations made her one of the most annoying characters in the Star Trek franchise.
Despite being a Betazoid diplomat, her demeanor was obnoxiously rude. Her clothing, supposedly expensive was garish and exploitative. She would appear on the Enterprise in Next Generation and expect the utmost decorum while possessing none herself, and derail perfectly good plots with her incessant interfering.
7 KES
Kes was am Ocampan female that was rescued by the crew of Voyager when they were flung into the Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker's Array. At the behest of Neelix, her mate and a Talaxian scavenger, the crew assisted in obtaining her freedom in exchange for assistance navigating uncharted space.
While Neelix at least got some sort of position on board that merited some importance, Kes was given botany. She never seemed to serve much of a purpose other than monitoring plants and putting her impish nose in other crew member's business. Her identity was too inextricably linked to her relationship with Neelix, so it was better that she left the ship after a few seasons to find her own way in the galaxy.
6 KEIKO O'BRIEN
Keiko served aboard the Enterprise on Star Trek: The Next Generation as a botanist, and was only known to fans through her storylines concerning her fiancee, Miles O'Brien, a transporter technician. She didn't get much of a backstory or a personality, alienating her from fans.
There was an opportunity with Keiko to show the other side of domestic life aboard a starship, and the struggles between married partners in Starfleet. This was never explored thoroughly, and only given a minor footnote in an episode where Data almost ruins her wedding day. She would later join Deep Space Nine, open a school, and have another child, none of which would contribute to her character development.
5 BARCLAY
There are some crew members aboard the Enterprise that make you wonder how exactly they ever graduated Starfleet Academy, much less got posted to the Enterprise. Barclay is one of those crew members, who skulks around the ship, complaining about his duties and his commanding officers, all the while putting in the minimum effort of work.
Barclay first came to fans' attention as part of a storyline on Next Generation surrounding holodeck addiction. He spent more time in the holodeck than anywhere else, and became too attached to the fantasies he could live inside it. Only through an intervention was he able to successfully be reintegrated into the crew, which some fans would argue wasn't even necessary.
4 NAOMI WILDMAN
Because there weren't enough children-centric storylines in Star Trek, and because Voyager had skated by far too long without having a prominent adolescent character, Naomi Wildman was introduced. She was the daughter of Ensign Samantha Wildman and a Ktarian male. She was the first child born on the ship while it was in the Delta Quadrant.
Naomi Wildman wasn't just special because she was born on the ship, she was special because she died. Specifically, one Naomi Wildman in one spatial reality died, and the Harry Kim from that reality saved her and brought her aboard an undamaged Voyager. She then commenced following Seven of Nine all around the ship asking insanely annoying questions and reminding fans that she existed.
3 JAKE SISKO
Like the Wesley Crusher of Deep Space Nine, Jake Sisko was the heartthrob intended to appeal to younger viewers and generate an interest from their demographic. He was the son of Commander Benjamin Sisko, responsible for governing the Deep Space Nine space station, which he managed to make his personal playground.
The character of Jake Sisko suffered from a lack of compelling writing, with only a handful of episodes showcasing any dramatic themes. When he wasn't spending his time at Quark's Bar, he was dating cocktail waitresses, and generally distracting his father from important matters of security.
2 EZRI DAX
Ezri Dax was the Trill host that housed the Dax symbiont after the death of Jadzia Dax in Season 6 of Deep Space Nine. She suddenly found herself with a lot of information to learn about her position on the station as well as comprehend the life spans of the symbiont she contained.
Not only was Ezri a pale imitation of Jadzia, whom fans had come to grow accustomed to despite her quirky behavior, she also didn't get nearly enough time to develop as a character. It's safe to say fans hated her purely because she was the unlucky person who took the place of one of their favorite characters.
1 NURSE CHAPEL
There aren't many supporting characters to be truly distressed by on Star Trek: The Original Series, but one in particular stands out because of her raison d'etre. Nurse Christine Chapel was created as not just a love interest for Mr. Spock, but as a very tragic one, whose unrequited love would get entire episodes devoted to it.
She made moon eyes at Mr. Spock when he was admitted to her care. She made moon eyes at him when he was trying to go about his duty. And he made moon eyes at her when he was under an alien influence, which only made it more pathetic. The fact that the whole storyline was drawn out with no satisfying conclusion made it a small blight on an otherwise perfect series.
Source: screenrant.com