Summary
Since 1966, there have been eight live-action and three animatedStar Trekseries. These eleven series have introduced an array of characters in their series premieres. While many of these characters have become old friends that fans invited into their homes each week, some were only there for one episode.
SometimesStar Trekintroduces a character in the premiere episode of a series to kill it off. Some of these characters have profound impacts on the series going forward and others are just there to drive that first plot. Still, these characters showed up only to die in episode one.
7Dahj Asha - Picard
Dahj Asha’s death is what brought a disillusioned Jean-Luc Picard back to saving the galaxy. In the seriespremiere ofPicard, Asha is murdered by Romulan operatives. It was soon revealed that Asha was one of a pair of twin synthetic androids built from a neuron recovered from Commander Data.
Much of season one ofPicardfocuses on Picard’s efforts to save Asha’s twin sister Dr. Soji Asha from a similar fate. While her death played a major role in getting the series rolling, Asha and her sister had little to do with anything beyond the first season, even if the actress appeared in season two.
6The Crew Of The USS Europa - Discovery
Star Trekreturned toepisodic television whenDiscoveryhelped launch the CBS All Access service that’s now called Paramount Plus, and it started with a bang. In the second part of the series premiere, Admiral Brett Anderson and his crew were investigating the possibility of an attack by the Klingon Empire when that attack came to fruition.
Admiral Anderson and the entire Europa crew were killed when the Klingons rammed into their ship, destroying it and everyone on board. This was only the beginning of the destruction of the series premiere.
5Captain Philippa Georgiou - Discovery
The destruction of the USS Europa may have begun the bloodshed onDiscovery, it was the death of Captain Philippa Georgiou that sealed this was no ordinaryStar Trekseries. Never before had aStar Trekseries introduced the captain of a ship and then killed off the captain in the pilot episode.
Captain Georgiou served as a mentorto Michael Burnhamuntil Burnham mutinied to save Georgiou and prove the Klingons were about to attack. Burnham failed to save Georgiou or the original ship, but these actions set the entire series in motion. Meanwhile, actress Michelle Yeoh returned to play the Mirror Universe version of Georgiou in the first three seasons of the series.
4Suliban - Enterprise
In the early 2000s,Star Treklaunchedits prequel series,Enterprise, with an unusual premise, a Klingon being hunted by aliens viewers had not seen prior. These aliens, known as the Suliban, were killed by the Klingon they were pursuing before that Klingon was injured, and the first-ever Enterprise crew had to return the Klingon to Kronos.
This set the series off in a different direction as the Enterprise only traveled at a maximum speed of Warp 5. Plus the Suliban launched a temporal Cold War storyline that ran throughout the majority of the series. But these original three Suliban were the sacrificial lambs forEnterprise.
3Jennifer Sisko - Deep Space Nine
While she died three years before the events of the premiere episode ofDeep Space Nine, she was still introduced and killed off in the first episode. The opening moments of the premiere highlighted a flashback to the Borg attack that killed her and how her husband, Captain Benjamin Sisko, blamed Captain Jean-Luc Picard for her death.
For a character that only spent a few minutes on screen, she left a lasting presence over the first few seasons of the series. Much of the early seasons focused on Ben Sisko and their son, Jake, still reeling from the loss of Ben’s wife and Jake’s mother.
2Lt. Mitchell & Dr. Dehner - The Original Series
Star Trek:The Original Serieshas an odd situation where it technically has two series premieres. In the intended premiere episode entitled “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” strange energies from a galactic barrier led to major changes for helmsman, Lt. Gary Mitchell and psychiatrist, Dr. Elizabeth Dehner.
Dr. Dehner managed to recognize the situation and sacrificed her own life to allow Captain James Kirk to pursue Lt. Mitchell. In the end, Kirk is forced to kill Mitchell, who had been a longtime friend before the events of the series, under a pile of rocks to save the rest of his crew.
1The Salt Vampire’s Victims - The Original Series
“Where No Man Has Gone Before” may have been intended to be the first episode, but due to delays, “The Man Trap” was actually the first episode ofStar Trekever shown. In the episode,a salt vampiretakes the visage of a woman named Nancy who kills people by draining the salt from their bodies.
At least three members of the Enterprise crew, along with Nancy’s husband, Professor Robert Crater, were all killed by the monster. In the end, the vampire targeted Dr. McCoy who managed to stop and kill her.
