Star Trek fans have enjoyed the modern revival of the series, with many different shows running simultaneously. The show Picard continues the ongoing story of the character Jean-Luc Picard, the captain of the starship USS Enterprise-D in the Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) series. When producing Picard, many fans were hoping to see a return of Tasha Yar, a character from the original show’s first season who hasn’t been seen on the series much since her departure. Despite Tasha Yar’s actor Denise Crosby’s apparent willingness to return to the series, she hasn’t had a cameo on this new show so far. Let’s see why Tasha Yar’s character hasn’t returned in the Picard show.
Why did Tasha Yar originally leave?
The Star Trek: The Next Generation series had a core cast in season one with different character archetypes from the Star Trek series. The reason for this highly typecast cast of characters in the early episodes is that the show just took over from the original. Star Trek series that ended earlier. With an entirely new cast of characters taking over, the writers tried to make them share the traits of previous characters. For example, Picard’s right-hand man, William T. Riker, was created as a womanizing playboy who got into fights just like the series’ previous captain, James Kirk. Tasha Yar’s character also served a similar function to the tough as nails tactical officer who formed a core cast following the show. Her character would fit into the role of Uhuru, a beloved character from the previous series that her character was designed for.
Denise Crosby began to become disillusioned with Tasha Yar’s character during her time on the show’s first season. She felt she struggled to do much with the character because of these limitations associated with the character being “Uhura-esque.” In an interview with Trekmovie in 2012, she said the show made her miserable. Crosby completely broke with the show and never expected to return. There was some tension with her decision with the show’s staff, who chose to kill off her character in a manner that some see as an insult. She was unceremoniously killed to a sludge monster during a recon mission that lacked any emotional intensity. Due to this tension, it was clear that Tasha Yar’s character would have a hard time returning in the future as well. Other than a brief cameo in TNG Season 3, she was barely mentioned or seen Star Trek again.
Her character is already dead
The first major reason, and perhaps the biggest, that kept her from entering Picard, is that Tasha Yar’s character is dead. She was thoroughly destroyed in a way that required a high-level plot device to undo. This means her character cannot have a small cameo on the show; the writers should put more effort into bringing her character back into the series. This barrier to entry is an obstacle to seeing Tasha Yar inside Picard.
She left the series in the first season
Another reason why Tasha Yar may not return Picard was how quickly she initially left the series. Since she left before the show started, her character has no connections to many other popular characters that came in later seasons. This means that the show’s writers could not easily popularize her Star Trek plot lines like Q or The Borg.
She was not happy with the role
Denise Crosby did not enjoy the lack of character development her character had in the original show. This might explain why Tasha Yar didn’t return for Picard, because even if Crosby returned, she might not experience the same character again. Even as a small cameo, the role could remind Crosby why she left the series in the first place, leading her to question the return.
Denise Crosby has been banned from the premiere
Denise Crosby reported on Twitter that she was not invited to the Picard season three premiere. The fact that she was excluded might speak to the willingness of the production staff to eventually include her on the show.
She may be indirectly referenced in the show
For a while, the rumor mill speculated that Tasha Yar would appear Picard season three because the season was billed as sort of a reunion for the Star Trek series. Showrunner though Terry Matalas confirmed this in an interview with SFX magazine that Tasha Yar would not physically appear. However, Matalas did say it was possible that the character would be referenced in another way, perhaps indirectly.