Friday Poll No.18 - Star Trek's Most Hated Character

[Rob McCow]

Star Trek, lovely Star Trek. Throughout it's many years and many varieties, we've had some wonderful characters. Characters like:
Captain James 'Jim' Jimbo T Kirk!
Doctor Mister Spock!
Captain Gene Luck Pickerd!
Chief Miles Smiley O'Irish!
Gayrack the Cardassian Tailor!
Doctor 'EMH'!

Yes, these fabulous characters have enthralled and excited viewers for a generation or more. But yet, there are a number of characters that have been less succesful. Some are a little less endearing. Some are a bit silly. And then there are the stinkers.

Let's have a look at the Rogue's Gallery:

Doctor Pulaski TNG
In the second year of Next Generation, Beverly Crusher (herself no bundle of joy) was replaced by this screaming harridan. Worming her way into every episode, usually through having previously had an affair with the guest star's character, Pulaski appeared as much as she annoyed. Which was a lot. She may have been designed to be like McCoy, but she had so little charm that she came across as patronising and rude.

Wesley Crusher TNG
This maggot of a man surely needs no introduction? Picard hated children. So why he didn't have Wesley put to death after his nanobots nearly destroyed the Enterprise I don't know. His social ineptitude was matched only by his overbearing desire to be a good Federation Ensign. Pass the bucket.

Kai Winn DS9
Deep Space Nine's superbitch. She was a thorn in the side for Sisko and his team, but also a thorn in the face for the viewers. Combining a stupid voice with endless yammering about the Prophets, the irony is that her dramatic function was to annoy the other characters. The audience suffered worse though.

Neelix Voyager
What were they thinking? A cute and funny alien chef, possibly the last of his people. Turns out he was a painfully self-righteous git, who over-estimated his importance at every turn. Did he end up being promoted to officer? Did anyone keep watching Voyager long enough to find out?

Trip Tucker En'erprise
Trip to the bathroom to throw up, more like. Why do the English have to be so ENGLISH? He drinks tea, knows when the Spanish Armada invaded and probably goes to bed under a Union Jack bed sheet. Grr.

Checkov Star Trek
It's easy to feel sorry for Walter Koenig with his limited career, badge collection and lack of character development. But not so easy to feel sorry for this smug little Russian, unable to score, unable to do anything right.

Harry Kim Voyager
Drip, drip, drip, drip. Strangely enough, very similar to Wesley, only a bit older. Totally unable to form a relationship, as much fun as a rotting dead fish and all the sex appeal of a horse chestnut. Completely useless.

Keiko O'Brien DS9
Deep Space 9's other super bitch. Unable to have her own child because she argued with the baby too much, Miles O'Brien's wife is the truth in the moral 'Every silver lining has a cloud'. She shouted, whined and pouted her way through 10 years of Star Trek, fortunately never as a major character!

So, who gets on your nerves? Is there anyone I've forgotten? Or am I wrong about Pulaski? Answer!

[Si Hunt]

I've only heard of two of them! But I do remember that infuriating effeminate chef, so I voted for him.

I always thought Wes was a bit foxy. Especially in those tight Starfleet trousers. Yumma Yumma!

Si.

[Ralph]

The hippy from "Way to Eden"

[SiHart]

Hooray for Si fancying Wesley!

I went for Neelix, the most annoying character* in the whole history of everything ever!

Si xx


*That hasn't been played by Adam Sandler.

[Antony Cox]

I always thought Wes was a bit foxy. Especially in those tight Starfleet trousers. Yumma Yumma!

Is it wrong to admit that I did too?

[WhiteCrow]

I really liked Neelix. Him and the Doctor I found to be the only interesting characters on Voyager.

Mind you I didn't mind 7 of 9 ...

[Si Hunt]

Don't get me started on them having an enigmatic character simply known as "The Doctor". THE NERVE! B****ds!

Si.

[Jon Masters]

You've made the mistake of classing anyone from Voyager as being characters - they weren't, they were just people who you hoped would die every week. Neelix was probably actually one of the better ones.

However I voted for Ensign Crusher - for not only having the most undoctorly doctor as a mother, but for being an infuratingly smug, know-it-all, and never wrong git.
I'm sure there are some missing TNG epsiodes where characters take it in turns to pistol-whip him on a regular basis.

Adric seems almost popular in comparison.

[Jason Thompson]

Got to be Wesley. The Federation flagship, crewed by the cream of Starfleet, including a walking computer, and how many times did this annoying little shit come up with the solution to a problem?

[Dirk Gently]

I just had to vote for the Adric clone.

[Si Hunt]

I'm sure there are some missing TNG epsiodes where characters take it in turns to pistol-whip him on a regular basis.

That would be an episode worth seeing

Si.

[Rob McCow]

Wesley became an ethereal space-being in the end. He still managed to turn up to Riker and Troi's wedding though.

I knew Wesley would be a popular choice, but personally there's another character on TNG who made me grind my teeth in rage more. And that's Lt.Cmdr Dayda (or 'Data'). Sometimes he's OK - at others he'll say things like 'ignite the midnight petroleum' or have an episode where he wants to be human. Good grief. And his lack of emotion comes across more that he just doesn't care about anything.

[Antony Cox]

That would be an episode worth seeing

Si.

Indeed, Monitor - indeed!

[Wayne]

I can't decide between Keiko O'****face, Harry Dim, & Wesley Walton.

Actually, Keiko was hardly really in it, & Kim wasn't so much annoying as dull to the point of unnoticeable, so it has to be Wes, for all the reasons stated by Jon & the fact that he was such a Captain's-cock sucking, goody ggody two shoes gimp! And the fact that i've hated him since his first ever scene, & hoped he would be killed by Star Trek's piss poorest alien race ever. (Which is another poll in itself)

[Phillip Culley]

Trip Tucker En'erprise
Trip to the bathroom to throw up, more like. Why do the English have to be so ENGLISH? He drinks tea, knows when the Spanish Armada invaded and probably goes to bed under a Union Jack bed sheet. Grr.

Are you sure you're not confusing Trip Tucker (redneck engineer who shags T'Pol) with Malcolm Reed (British armory officer who likes his weapons far too much)?

I voted for whining old Cakehole O'Brien (although she doesn't really count as she's just an occasiona character) Were she not there I'd have gone for Neelix. Who deserved to meet an airlock in his first episode.

As for the others, while Wesley was a prick in the first few seasons, come Season 3 and 4 he significantly improved, and it was a shame he left when he did.

[Andrew Curnow]

I think Rob's a bit harsh on Pulaski - particularly when he says that "She may have been designed to be like McCoy, but she had so little charm that she came across as patronising and rude". Personally I think she handled the question-mark jumpsuit very well, and it was only her inability to act anger properly that let her down...

Anyway, I've voted for Neelix. I think Wesley was actually all right, but suffered from the Adric syndrome - ie, all fans at the time wanted to be playing the part, and were so sure they could do it better that they were bound to hate him!! Whereas Neelix was just very, very irritating.

Mind you, I think my most annoying ST character, sadly unlisted, would be Captain Janeway who has to be the most insufferable know-it-all ever to leave starfleet. Grr!!!

[Andrew Curnow]

BTW, in the hope of some pictures of Dax, is next week's poll going to be Star Trek's Sexiest Character?

[Ralph]

I've only heard of one of these in the voting list

[Larry]

oh definitely Wesley, just an annoying bratty smug git you just want to smack in the mouth with a cricket bat.

[Logo Polish]

I've only heard of one of these in the voting list

I wonder which one that would be?

[Ralph]

Yeah tricky one I know...

[Dirk Gently]

And you didn't vote for him, Ralph!

[Ralph]

But I don't hate him! Just because he had a s***e haircut is no reason to give the poor fellow undue grief!

[cullsoft]

I feel frustrated that Seven of Nine wasn't added to the mix. But then again, it would have meant a hard decision between her and Wesley "smart arse teenager who saves the day in half the episodes of TNG season 1 despite the fact that the Enterprise is supposed to be crewed by Starfleet's best and brightest" Crusher (I've recently been watching through TNG from the beginning, and have recently got past the milestone that is tolerating all of season 2)

I'm somewhat glad to see that Harry Kim hasn't been voted for yet as I liked him, and felt that many of his bad elements were down to him being made into more and more of Voyager's "let's have something mean and horrid happen to this guy" character, as had been done with Miles O'Brien in DS9.

[Wayne]

I didn't read the blurb from Tucker, but Phillip's right, Steve obviously means Malcom Reed. I don't mind him, actually. Or Pulaski.

But I don't hate him! Just because he had a s***e haircut is no reason to give the poor fellow undue grief!

It is ironic though that Steve chose to include Chekov on his list, because he's definitely my least favourite original series character.
Here's how Chekov fares in relation to the other selections.

Wesley Crusher
Harry Kim
Keiko O'Brien
Neelix
Kai Winn
Chekov
Pulaski
Malcom Reed