Character Insight No. 146: Ensign Brooks

This is the latest installment in a series of "Character Insight" articles regarding the rich history of characters in the Star Trek universe.  An audio version will appear on the This Week in Trek podcast, available for direct download here. 


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Welcome back to Character Insight! This week, we profile Ensign Brooks, one of the more prolific background characters in Voyager.

  
(Some resemblance to the Captain is definitely present, courtesy memory-alpha.org)

If there's one thing that stands out about Voyager, it's the lack of regular secondary characters outside a few major villains because the ship is always moving and changing the setting. That means whenever it's time for Voyager to come up in the rotation, we often cover a role that is rarely credited.

Brooks falls right into this mix, as she is a command division officer who shows up as assistance on certain missions or as a regular "face in the crowd" at big events like Neelix's goodbye party. For example, she appears in the pilot Caretaker and receives orders from the Captain to help scan the region on that occasion.

But she does not have many appearances in the first 2 and a half seasons of the show because the actress was also a stand in for Captain Janeway in some episodes because of her general similar appearance to Kate Mulgrew. That makes this character somewhat unique, in that instead of remaining just a complete background actor and stand in, Brooks does graduate to a speaking role on a handful of occasions. That also means this role is credited in a couple appearances, but only a small number of her 18 overall.

She almost became a victim of a malfunctioning doctor hologram in the episode Darkling. After greeting the doctor, he follows her into the turbolift and is about to make a move to do something maleficent to her when Tom Paris enters the turbolift and "saves the day." Enter heavily edited dramatic music, stage left:

Brooks: Doctor.
(both enter turbolift)
Brooks: Deck 10
EMH: How are you this evening, ensign?
Brooks: Fine Sir.
EMH: Deck...14 (ominous looks)
(Tom Paris enters turbolift)
Paris: Ensign, Doctor...Deck 10

That may be the crowning achievement of background character drama and quotes, right there. If nothing else, it's Brooks' most notable appearance on Voyager.

Her other notable moment came in an alternative timeline seen in the two-part episode Year of Hell, as she was supposed to share a room in this timeline with Seven of Nine. It didn't work out because Seven thought Brooks to be too untidy. It's tough living with a neat freak Borg roommate.

As mentioned with similar characters, Brooks is a necessary recurring component on a show with this type of premise, e.g., a limited crew stranded together for years. However, she doesn't add much more than the status quo, unfortunately.

Sue Henley played Brooks, and she also appeared as a command division officer on two early seasons of Deep Space Nine. Outside Star Trek, Henley had limited roles in the movies Hairspray, and The Long Kiss Goodnight alongside Samuel L. Jackson, you know, that guy who assembles the Avengers and wields a purple lightsaber.

Until next time, don't let creepy malfunctioning holograms get to you, modern redshirts.

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Feedback can be sent to me with future segment suggestions on Twitter @BuckeyeFitzy. Until next time, live long and prosper...

Character Insight No. 145: Admiral William Ross

This is the latest installment in a series of "Character Insight" articles regarding the rich history of characters in the Star Trek universe.  An audio version will appear on the This Week in Trek podcast, available for direct download here. 


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Welcome back to Character Insight! This week, we profile Admiral William Ross from the latter seasons of Deep Space Nine.

  
(An admiral worth fighting for, quite literally, courtesy memory-alpha.org)

Admiral Ross is first seen after the Dominion War begins, as he is assigned to be the head of Starfleet forces in the war. Sisko and his crew first encounter him when the Defiant is used to run regular missions like attacking a ketracel-white facility. However, Sisko impresses the Admiral so much that when his adjutant is promoted to wing commander, Ross replaces that person with Captain Sisko.

That causes Sisko to become even more important to the Dominion War effort, as he along with Klingon General Martok are the closest advisers to Admiral Ross before and during the many battles fought with the Founders and the Jem'Hadar. The relationship was not without its bumps, however, as Sisko had trouble wavering between loyalty to his DS9 and Defiant crew as well as to Bajor and loyalty to Ross's war efforts.

At one point, this forces Ross to say (in Tears of the Prophets):
"That's the problem, isn't it? For the past six years you've tried to be both, and up to now I've been patient. I've indulged you, I've gone out on a limb for you many times, but this is it. You've got to make a decision. You are either the Emissary or a Starfleet captain. You can't be both."

Sisko decided to follow Ross's orders on that occasion, and that mission against the Breen was just as successful as the previous bold re-taking of Deep Space Nine from the Cardassians because of Sisko's involvement. Ross likely gets along so well with Sisko because both men have strong family ties and both parallel one another when it comes to putting duty first (both even cross some lines not normally crossed by high level Starfleet officers in the name of succeeding at the war). This relationship is profitable all the way to the Battle of Cardassia, which Sisko planned out and in which the Dominion was finally defeated and the Starfleet-Klingon-Romulan alliance won the day.

Ross also had to deal with Kira Nerys extensively when she came into command of Deep Space Nine following Sisko's promotion to the adjutant position. Ross and Kira clashed over Romulans being posted on the station, as well as over Romulans placing plasma weapon launchers on a Bajoran moon. Kira enacted a blockade around the moon, causing Ross to back her and force the Romulans to remove those weapons.

After losing against Kira's incredible resolve in this Bajoran matter, Ross quips (in Shadows and Symbols):
"Remind me never to play poker with you".

Ross fills a role that had really not been seen out of Admiral characters on any Trek series and especially not on Deep Space Nine, that being a good person overall. The show producers believe it was mostly due to actor Barry Jenner bringing some backstory and actual character to the role rather than just being a bland or gruff authoritarian figure. The writers loved how this actor fit the mold of what they always wanted in admiral characters, and that led to his becoming a significant character in many episodes of the final two seasons of this show.

Indeed, when Admiral Ross quotes Douglas MacArthur after signing the peace treaty to end the war, he just feels like a natural and important member of the Starfleet contingent of this show. Jenner is to be commended for that, as this may still very well be the only truly successful portrayal of an Admiral over a high number of recurring appearances in Star Trek history.

When not playing Admiral Ross, Barry Jenner can be seen in many other television shows, including long recurring runs on Family Matters and the original Dallas. (Insert theme)

Until next time, keep hoping for more actual good Admiral characters in the future!

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Feedback can be sent to me with future segment suggestions on Twitter @BuckeyeFitzy. Until next time, live long and prosper...

Character Insight No. 144: Mr. Homn

This is the latest installment in a series of "Character Insight" articles regarding the rich history of characters in the Star Trek universe.  An audio version will appear on the This Week in Trek podcast, available for direct download here. 


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Welcome back to Character Insight! This week, we profile the large pale man who stands behind Lwaxana Troi from TNG, her attendant Mr. Homn.

  
(Lurch and Mr. Homn are not all that different, if you think about it, courtesy memory-alpha.org)

Mr. Homn arrives with Lwaxana during most of her early appearances on board the Enterprise. As her attendant, he helps her with everything from tailoring a wedding dress, to planning a picnic for Riker and Deanna, to trying to find a husband. Perhaps making up for the overabundance of volume that comes out of her mouth, this character speaks only with sign language for the most part.

The one exception to this came in his first appearance, in the episode Haven. Following a dinner with Captain Picard, he says:
"Thank you for the drinks"

And that's all you get as far as quotes. Speaking of drinks, we know that Mr. Homn frequently consumes large amounts of alcohol without experiencing apparent effects. Of course, when your boss continuously leaves half-full wine glasses at the dinner table and when you have no qualms finishing those off, it's easy to get a belly full of alcohol.

His best moment likely came in the episode Dark Page, where he helps Deanna figure out why her mother has gone into a coma.  When it is realized that she is in a coma to suppress the memory of a dead daughter Kestra who died as an infant, he reveals a saved picture of the child from 40 years ago which helps Lwaxana come to grips finally with her grief.

Just like she says about Captain Picard, Lwaxana says Mr. Homn harbors outrageously lustful thoughts, but it's hard to know how believable she is. After all, Mr. Homn stays around as attendant while the person he replaced in the role was Mr. Xelo, who was fired for lusting after Lwaxana too much. It must be a real hoot to have your boss read your mind all the time.

Lurch, I mean Mr. Homn, is an interesting background character who provides a nice contrast to Deanna's boisterous mother whenever she is around. While she is one of the more loathed characters in Star Trek, he generally seems to have positive reviews. But I guess when you stand next to Jar Jar Binks all the time, me se thinks you look super good.

Carey Struycken played Mr. Homn, and he of course played Lurch in the Addams Family movies around the same time as TNG. He's also known for his roles as the Giant on Twin Peaks, and as an alien on Men In Black.

Until next time, bang that gong Mr. Homn. (insert gong sound)


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Feedback can be sent to me with future segment suggestions on Twitter @BuckeyeFitzy. Until next time, live long and prosper...

Character Insight No. 143: Best of Grace Lee Whitney (Janice Rand)

This is the latest installment in a series of "Character Insight" articles regarding the rich history of characters in the Star Trek universe.  An audio version will appear on the This Week in Trek podcast, available for direct download here. 


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Welcome back to Character Insight! This week, we honor the memory of actress Grace Lee Whitney, who passed away at the age of 85 this week.  This is the "Best Of" her character Yeoman Janice Rand from TOS.

  
(Janice Rand as she appeared in the latter movies and in Voyager, courtesy memory-alpha.org)

Grace Lee Whitney grew up as an adopted child in Michigan and she found rapid success as an actress, first on Broadway and then with several guest appearances on well-known television series of the 50s and 60s like Bewitched, Batman, and Cimmaron Strip. She was slated to be a regular main character as the captain's yeoman on TOS, but her role was cut just 8 episodes into the first season.

Although the specific reason for her dismissal from the cast is not clear, it has been rumored that her problems with alcohol and diet pills was part of the problem, as was the need to avoid a regular love interest for the Captain Kirk character. Those problems with alcohol abuse unfortunately worsened significantly for Whitney following her pain from being sacked from this popular television show.

However, this story does end much better, as Star Trek become the bookends on a tumultuous decade in her life. She began her recovery from alcohol addiction in 1980, following an invite back to appear in the first Star Trek movie. She would go on to appear in three other TOS films, and then an episode of Voyager as well as a couple of independent Star Trek episodes produced in 2007.

So while the disappointment of what happened on TOS almost killed her, Star Trek also became a big part of what saved her and allowed her to enjoy life and engaging with fans for 35 more years.

As yeoman on TOS, Whitney delivered many highly quotable lines in her limited run of 8 episodes. One good example is from The Corbomite Maneuver:
Dr. McCoy: [Rand enters the bridge carrying a tray] I thought the power was off in the galley?
Yeoman Rand: I used a hand phaser, and zap! Hot coffee.

In the Voyager episode Flashback, we learn about Tuvok's past on the USS Excelsior while seeing a future version of Janice Rand serving as second-in-command and night duty manager, while still being quotable as ever:
Commander Janice Rand: All right, gamma shift. Time to defend the Federation against gaseous anomalies.

In the sixth TOS movie The Undiscovered Country, we again see Rand serving on the Excelsior, although this time as a communications officer:
Captain Hikaru Sulu: An *incident*?
Commander Janice Rand: Do we report this, sir?
Captain Hikaru Sulu: [turning to Rand] Are you kidding?

Although it is sad that we did not get to see more of Grace Whitney and Yeoman Rand in the TOS series, her appearances in the movies and on Voyager was a nice touch of nostalgia and a great move to bring Whitney back into the fold. Let her struggles and success be a lesson to you, if you are struggling with alcohol addiction or anything else, please talk to your family, friends, or even just random podcasters on the internet. We can listen and help others get through the tough times, much like Star Trek helped Whitney get back on track.

Rest in peace, Grace. You, like Leonard Nimoy, did Live Long and Prosper.

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Feedback can be sent to me with future segment suggestions on Twitter @BuckeyeFitzy. Until next time, live long and prosper...

Character Insight No. 142: Best of the EMH

This is the latest installment in a series of "Character Insight" articles regarding the rich history of characters in the Star Trek universe.  An audio version will appear on the This Week in Trek podcast, available for direct download here.
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Welcome back to Character Insight! This week, we continue our "Best Of" series with a look at some of the best episodes for advancing the character of the holographic doctor on Voyager, also known as the EMH.

  
(The first version of the EMH, courtesy memory-alpha.org)

Star Trek often does character development best with the different characters like Spock and Data, and The Doctor in Voyager is just another final frontier of character development, specifically holographic intelligence. From the moment the EMH is granted access over his own activation and program by Janeway in season 1, he develops more and more into a regular member of the stranded crew.

In the episode Projections, the Doctor hallucinates about the nature of his real or holographic existence, and his programming defenses do not step in to stop this:
The Doctor: I experienced an elaborate delusion concerning the nature of my existence: human or hologram, person... or projection. Why? Why would my program focus on such an esoteric dilemma?
Kes: Well... I sometimes ask those kind of questions. Who am I? What am I doing here? What's my purpose in life? Doesn't everybody?
The Doctor: Not me. I know exactly who I am and what my purpose is: I am the Emergency Medical Hologram aboard the starship Voyager.

In the episode Lifesigns, the Doctor falls in love with a holographic representation of a Vidiian scientist named Denara who he was treating for the phage, and he must deal with these new feelings and emotions:
Dr. Danara Pel: Before I met you, I was just a disease. But now, everything's different. When people look at me, they don't see a disease anymore. They see a woman - a woman you made, a woman you love, a woman you're not afraid to touch.
The Doctor: Danara, I was never afraid to touch you.
Dr. Danara Pel: Why? Because you're a doctor?
The Doctor: Because I love you.

In the episode Real Life, the Doctor learns how to be a father in a human family while on his free time in the holodeck, including how to deal with severe grief when his daughter dies in an accident:
Lieutenant Tom Paris: I guess all of us would avoid that kind of pain if we could. But most people don't have that choice. The Doctor: Well, fortunately I do. Lieutenant Tom Paris: Is it so fortunate? You created that program so you could experience what it's like to have a family. The good times and the bad. You can't have one without the other. The Doctor: I fail to see why not. Lieutenant Tom Paris: Think about what's happened to us here on Voyager. Everyone left people behind, and everyone suffered a loss. But... look how it's brought us all closer together. We found support here, and friendship, and we've become a family, in part because of the pain we shared. If you turn your back on this program, you'll always be stuck at this point. You'll never have the chance to say goodbye to your daughter. Or to be there for your wife and son when they need you. And you'll be cheating yourself of the chance to have their love and support. In the long run, you'll miss the whole point of what it means to have a family.

In the episode Revulsion, the Doctor and B'Elanna Torres try to help a stranded hologram on a ship, but they end up needing to defeat him when he turns on them after they reveal he killed his organic crew after being driven mad by being treated like a tool rather than as an intelligent being, which is an interesting contrast for the Doctor on Voyager:
The Doctor: Not so fast, Mr. Paris. You are going to help me sterilize every square millimeter of this sickbay. No doubt you've left your oily residue on every hypospray, your sloughed secretions on every console! - Just kidding. In fact, I've had a change of heart about my fastidiousness. A little clutter'll never hurt anyone. Sickbay should have a more organic touch, don't you think? To help our patients feel... more at home? Tom Paris: [to Torres] What's gotten into him? B'Elanna Torres: It's a long story.

Finally, in the episode Latent Image, the Doctor discovers that his memories about a dead ensign were deleted because he had made a decision to treat Harry Kim when he couldn't treat both crew members critically injured on an away mission, which led to a personal breakdown and inability to function. The crew helps him on the second time deal with his feelings and guilt to help him understand everyone overcomes tough decisions:
The Doctor: Causality - probability. For every action, there's an infinite number of reactions, and in each one of them, I killed her. Or did I? Too many possibilities; too many pathways for my program to follow. Impossible to choose. Still, I... I can't live with the knowledge of what I've done, I can't.

Other good episodes to check out for The Doctor include Equinox, Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy, Lifeline, Flesh and Blood, and Renaissance Man. You could honestly do two "Best Of" segments with this character, as his development into a brilliant, compassionate, and loyal crewmate and man is one of the most beautiful character arcs provided in Star Trek history.

The Doctor was played by Robert Picardo, who is a very interesting person to follow on Twitter these days.

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Feedback can be sent to me with future segment suggestions on Twitter @BuckeyeFitzy. Until next time, live long and prosper...

Character Insight No. 141: Private S. Money

This is the latest installment in a series of "Character Insight" articles regarding the rich history of characters in the Star Trek universe.  An audio version will appear on the This Week in Trek podcast, available for direct download here.
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Welcome back to Character Insight! There's nothing more relevant to taxes than money.  This week, to celebrate tax day finally passing by last week in the U.S., we profile Private S. Money, a recurring character from Enterprise. 

You know what's more annoying than tax day? (Enterprise theme song)
 
  
(MACOs and their guns, always together, courtesy memory-alpha.org)

What's not quite as annoying is the inclusion of the MACO troops during the Xindi conflict through most of season 3 of Enterprise. These characters were typically not credited for appearances, but some of them, like Private Money, were in nearly half the episodes and were effectively regular redshirts of the era.

Things start off well for Private Money, as she shows her expertise with a stun baton and a few types of guns and rifles in missions where parts of the crew had to take back the ship from boarding parties such as the Xindi and the Triannons. She also shows well for the MACOs in a combat exercise and sharpshooting competition against the enlisted Starfleet officers later in the year.

But like all redshirts, the good luck can't last forever. During a rescue mission to extract Hoshi Sato from the Xindi, she is shot but survives. The very next day, she is shot again during a repelling of a Sphere Builder ship invasion. The next time we see Private Money, she is hit by a disruptor shot when trying to stop the Augments from preventing a rescue of Arik Soong. She's a true redshirt, soaking up as much if not more punishment than she doles out in security services.

Private Money is not paid to speak, she's paid to fight. Here's a sample of her killer jujitsu:
(Insert audio clip from Chosen Realm)

Private S. Money was named for a key costumer Susie Money, a nice nod to the background cast workers who make shows like this tick. Like other regular MACOs, this background character was a good face to see in the crowd for many episodes, and even more so as a woman who kicks some serious butt.

Speaking of background, Dorenda Moore is the actress who plays Private Money, and she makes much more of a living off stunt appearances and coordinating instead of acting. Enterprise was her only long term acting gig. She's been a stunt double for Natalie Portman in Thor, for Marina Sirtis in Terminal Error, and in Star Trek 2009.

Until next time, keep dodging death redshirts.

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Feedback can be sent to me with future segment suggestions on Twitter @BuckeyeFitzy. Until next time, live long and prosper...

Character Insight No. 140: Boothby

This is the latest installment in a series of "Character Insight" articles regarding the rich history of characters in the Star Trek universe.  An audio version will appear on the This Week in Trek podcast, available for direct download here.
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Welcome back to Character Insight! This week, we profile Mr. Boothby, a recurring character from TNG and Voyager.
 
  
(Replicated Boothby, courtesy memory-alpha.org)

Mr. Boothby is the groundskeeper at Starfleet Academy. His character is referenced many more times than his actual appearances because he serves as a de facto mentor to many future powerful Starfleet officers. Captain Picard and Captain Janeway are two of these mentees who became something much greater than your average cadet at the Academy.

Boothby likes to give out grand tours of the Academy grounds to new cadets, and despite his curmudgeon appearance, he also loves to dole out wisdom and advice to the young future officers and servicemen of Starfleet. That wisdom can be invaluable, as it proved to save Picard's career following a mistake he made during his Academy days.

Likewise, Boothby also saw right through the ruse when Wesley Crusher and his elite Nova Squadron had an accident that claimed the life of one of the cadets during a training mission. His insight into the squadron and what they likely felt they had to do to keep their lofty reputation on campus led Picard to reveal the truth about the squadron practicing a dangerous and banned Kolvoord Starburst in the episode The First Duty. Just like with Picard, he ends up helping Picard mentor Crusher to save the young man's career.

From The First Duty:
Capt. Picard: You could use a good herbicide instead of pulling the weeds with your bare hands.
Boothby: M-hm... And you could explore space on a holodeck instead of a starship.

Much like other notable one-off or recurring characters, Boothby jumped series and made two appearances on Voyager, albeit not as the real Boothby. He is replicated by the leader of a group of Species 8472 when that species tries to infiltrate the Federation using Voyager as a first step. Janeway negotiates with the leader, playing as Boothby, for the mutual benefit of both parties.

He also shows up in hallucinations of Chakotay later that same year, caused by another group of aliens trying to use his subconscious to communicate with him telepathically. That includes one of the sillier scenes including Boothby, a boxing training scene where he speaks platitudes about the fight.

Quote from The Fight:
Boothby: [about boxing] It all comes down to the heart. Do you have the heart for this? That's the contest. It's not against him, it's against your own natural human desire not to get hurt. That's the real fight.

Boothby was also to appear in the movie Star Trek Insurrection, but his part got cut before filing began. Even without this callback, he is an interesting character who adds some much needed background on both the Academy and the captains of these shows. It would be fascinating to have seen more from this character, including any mentorship he had for others we know and love.

Boothby was played by Ray Walston. He died in 2001 at the ripe old age of 86, and two of his most famous appearances were on the movies Fast Times at Ridgemont High in the 80s and in My Favorite Martian in the 60s.

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Feedback can be sent to me with future segment suggestions on Twitter @BuckeyeFitzy. Until next time, live long and prosper...