The 5 Worst Character Names On Star Trek

It must be acknowledged proper up entrance that the beneath listing will not be meant to be taken as a commentary on the power of sure characters, the skills of the actors taking part in them, or the standard of the present from which they hail. Certainly, most of them come from legitimately nice TV exhibits and/or are performed by very proficient folks. A few of them could even be among the many best characters in “Star Trek,” and I don’t imply to recommend, even for a second, that they need to be faraway from the franchise or altered in any method.

Besides for his or her names. “Star Trek” is stuffed with futuristic aliens and advanced people that should be named by modern-day screenwriters, and, nicely, typically these screenwriters provide you with some fairly foolish concepts. It is pure now to just accept Brent Spiner’s android character from “Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology,” but it surely feels very infantile to call that character “Knowledge.” Human beings, in spite of everything, do not have names like “Synapses” or “Data.” Why not give an android a human identify? There’s a deep-seated illogic to Knowledge’s identify that has lengthy since been ignored by Trekkies due to widespread utilization. Now we simply settle for it.

Ditto for the Borg, which is, so far as I can inform, an abbreviation of “cyborg.” That is not terribly inventive, and one may surprise why a species of cyborgs would give themselves such a selected nickname. We additionally ignore that the final identify of the Japanese character Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) is not a Japanese phrase; there is not any “L” sound in Japanese. However I like Knowledge and Sulu, and assume the Borg had been as soon as one of many coolest, scariest issues to return from “Star Trek.”

At present, it is just the names we will nitpick. And, golly, there are some unusual ones. Let’s check out among the silliest, worst, and most complicated alien/future names in all of “Star Trek.”

Within the authentic “Star Trek” pilot, “The Cage,” the united statesS. Enterprise was commanded by Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) and his first officer was an unnamed character he merely referred to as “Quantity One.” Quantity One was portrayed by Majel Barrett and performed a notably massive position within the episode. When the present was retooled to characteristic Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Quantity One vanished and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) took over the primary officer position.

It would not be till the publication of “The Autobiography of Mr. Spock” in 2021 that the character would lastly be given a reputation. Her identify was carried over to her reappearances in “Star Trek: Discovery” after which, later, “Star Trek: Unusual New Worlds” (the place she was performed by Rebecca Romijn). Her identify was revealed to be Una Chin-Riley, and maybe a number of Trekkies let loose a groan.

Una, you see, is Spanish for “one.” Her first identify means one. Know that first officers are referred to as “primary” as a result of they’re the primary officer, not as a result of it is a nickname. By naming the character “Una,” the makers of “Star Trek” appear to have forgotten why Quantity One was referred to as Quantity One — for even what a primary officer was — and seemingly backward-engineered a purpose for the appellation.

One thing related occurred within the 2009 “Star Trek” movie when Dr. McCoy (Karl City) make a crack about dropping every little thing however his bones, main Kirk (Chris Pine) to nickname him “Bones.” The issue with that’s that “Bones” was already a nickname for a health care provider. Through the Civil Warfare, docs, as a result of they sawed off troopers’ legs, had been referred to as “Sawbones.” In 1966, that is why Kirk referred to Bones as “Bones.” A mistaken origin story for one thing that was already defined.

And do not get me began on “10 Ahead” and the way it was manhandled on “Star Trek: Picard.”

Within the “Star Trek: The Web Technology” episode “I, Borg” (Could 10, 1992), the Enterprise-D rescued an injured Borg from a crash. With an abundance of warning, the crew took the Borg onto the Enterprise, handled its wounds, and locked it within the brig. The Borg have a shared machine consciousness, so the one Borg turned confused, unable to listen to the a whole bunch of different Borg voices in its head. Finally, the Borg begins to develop a consciousness, impressed by the calm and delicate therapy he acquired from the Enterprise crew.

When his persona started to emerge, Geordi (LeVar Burton) and Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) determined he wanted a reputation. Dr. Crusher pointed at him, brainstorming. “You’re … You …” she contemplated. Geordi, impressed by the phrase “you,” I suppose, determined he must be named “Hugh.”

The identify did not must have any explicit which means, in fact — they might have named Hugh something — however not solely is it an unpoetic identify (apologies to all of the Hughs of the world), it was additionally unbearably clumsy the best way Geordi got here up with it. True, Geordi is an engineer and never a poet, however certainly he may have provide you with one thing higher than a phrase that rhymed with “you.” I suppose we must be grateful that Knowledge’s creator did not identify Hugh, although. He might need been referred to as “Eyepiece” or one thing.

In fact, I might be the good aleck to call him Björn, so possibly do not take heed to me.

Once more, I need to make clear that I’ve no issued with Rok-Takh as a personality, nor do I’ve any criticisms of Rylee Alazraqui’s efficiency. Certainly, the looks of Rok-Takh in “Star Trek: Prodigy” was notable for being the primary time in “Star Trek” historical past {that a} character or an alien species invented for one of many franchise’s many tie-in novels migrated into official on-screen canon. Rok-Takh belongs to the Brikar species, which first appeared in Peter David’s ebook “Worf’s First Journey” in 1993.

However, golly, I hate that she’s named Rok-Takh, because it sounds just like the phrase “rock speak,” which is a ridiculous identify, on condition that her pores and skin seems to be like rocks. She’s a speaking rock, so her identify is Rock Speak. And her species is Brikar, which seems like “brick-ar,” and he or she’s brick-red. All of it feels very “Sesame Avenue.”

All through “Star Trek,” there are sometimes alien species who use correct nouns that simply occur to sound precisely like sure English phrases. The Ferengi, as an example, can boast character names like Quark, Brunt, and Nog. The Ferengi get away with it, although, as a result of Quark (Armin Shimerman) is not a subatomic particle, Brunt (Jeffrey Combs) is not uninteresting, and Nog (Aron Eisenberg) is not a vacation drink. Rok-Takh, in distinction, is a speaking rock. It is too foolish a coincidence to disregard.

That stated, I hope Rok-Takh turns into an efficient, joyful Starfleet officer, and he or she is pushed, mild, and clever. I’ve no points with the character, aside from the identify.

The “Star Trek” episode “Whom Gods Destroy” (January 3, 1969) implies that each one psychological sicknesses have been basically cured due to fashionable medication and super-advanced psychology. Certainly, there is just one institute for the criminally insane left in the complete federation, and it homes solely a small handful of inmates. In later “Star Trek” spinoffs, a number of characters could be depicted with disabilities or psychological sicknesses, however as an alternative of “curing” stated characters with a magical injection or one thing, their disabilities had been merely accommodated. The dramatic conceit of “curing” disabilities or psychological sickness with magical expertise begins to tilt dangerously near eugenics.

However within the authentic “Star Trek,” it was implied that there are now not any made criminals, apart from the few who reside within the hospital on Elba II. Lately, nonetheless, the lunatics had taken over the asylum. They had been led by Garth (Steve Ihnat), a disgraced former captain who, bafflingly, had taught himself shapeshift. Together with his instability and his superpowers, Garth declares himself to be a Grasp of the Universe and he makes an attempt to hijack the Enterprise from Kirk. The episode is fairly over-the-top, even for “Star Trek” requirements.

And, come on … “Garth?” You count on me to quiver with concern in entrance of a supervillain named “Garth?” I perceive that Penelope Spheeris’ teen comedy “Wayne’s World” would not be launched for an additional 23 years, however I can solely consider the nerdy, neurotic Garth performed by Dana Carvey in that movie. Garth is a “nerd” identify, like “Cyril” or “Percy.” It is laborious to take the episode severely when the villain has such a novel and unthreatening moniker.

I hate to be a killjoy, however I hate Moopsy (Roan Ok. Lai) from the “Star Trek: Decrease Decks” episode “I Have No Bones But I Should Flee” (September 7, 2023). Within the episode, a number of crew members of the united statesS. Cerritos go to a high-tech, deep-space zoo, overseen by the residing root vegetable Narj (Carl Clemons-Hopkins). They’re warned that the animals on the station are all harmful, however saved safely behind forcefields. Narj panics when he sees that Moopsy, a small, marshmallow-like critter, has escaped. Evidently Moopsy’s species can inject its victims with a chemical that liquefies their bones, permitting the little puffball to drink them.

The “a small cute critter that’s unexpectedly violent” is an previous trope that “Star Trek” ought to have stayed away from, and “Decrease Decks,” I am unhappy to report, did not do something with the trope to make Moopsy stand out. Moopsy is kind of a Pokémon, in a position to say its personal identify, possessed of deathly superpowers, and extra clever than it seems to be.

“Star Trek” already fulfilled its “harmful little furry factor” quotient with Tribbles again within the Sixties, so it did not want one thing like Moopsy to make the gag extra apparent.

Additionally, I perceive the writers of “Decrease Decks” had been intentionally attempting to offer Moopsy a foolish, innocuous identify, however they had been too profitable on this case. “Star Trek” has all the time been good about giving animals extra scientific-sounding names, or at the least a planetary origin. “Star Trek” logic ought to have dictated Moopsy be referred to as, say, a Jorusian Bone-Drinker.