Natasha Yar

Species:

Human

Affiliation:

FederationStarfleet

Rank:

Lieutenant

Occupation:

• Chief security officer
• Tactical officer,USSEnterprise-D
• Tactical officer,USSEnterprise-C(alternate)

Status:

Deceased(2364)
Executed(alternate)(2349)

Born:

2337,
Turkana IV

Died:

• 2364 (aged 27),Vagra II
• 2349 (aged 34),Romulancolony(alternate)

Sibling(s):

Ishara Yar (sister)

Other relative(s):

Yar's parents

Marital status:

Single

Children:

Sela (daughter;alternate timeline)

Played by:

Denise Crosby

LieutenantNatasha Yar, better known asTasha, was aHumanStarfleetofficer born onTurkana IV, and formersecurity chief on theUSSEnterprise-D. Tasha Yar was killed less than a year into theEnterprise's mission. She was fondly remembered by theEnterprise crew, and analternate version of Tasha indirectly played a very important role inRomulan politics. (TNG: "The Naked Now", "Legacy", "Skin Of Evil", "The Bonding", "Yesterday's Enterprise", "Redemption II", "Unification II")

Quick Answers

What was Natasha Yar's role on the USS Enterprise-D?

Tasha Yar was a key crew member on the USS Enterprise-D, under Jean-Luc Picard's command. She participated in notable events like the Enterprise-D's evacuation to Starbase 74 and a Klingon death ritual. Yar also aided Dr. Beverly Crusher in medical tasks. Before joining the Enterprise-D in 2364, she was assigned to a starship that answered a colonists' distress call in the Carnelian minefield.

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How did Tasha Yar's early life influence her character?

Born on Turkana IV, Tasha Yar's early life was challenging, shaping her into a strong and resilient individual. Her transformation began when she joined Starfleet, where she served as a security chief on the USS Enterprise-D. Her relationships with fellow crew members, including Worf and Beverly Crusher, further influenced her character. Additionally, her expertise in aikido, a martial art, reflects her warrior spirit.

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How did Lieutenant Yar die in Star Trek: The Next Generation?

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Lt. Tasha Yar's life was claimed in the 'Skin Of Evil' episode. The malevolent entity Armus caused her death, which was unprovoked and solely to demonstrate its power. Despite Dr. Crusher's efforts, Yar couldn't be revived.

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What impact did Tasha Yar's alternate version have on Romulan politics?

In an alternate timeline, Tasha Yar, previously the USS Enterprise-D's security chief, was left on a Tal Shiar prison colony instead of being killed. Following the Hobus Supernova's destruction of Romulus and Remus, the Tal Shiar abandoned the colony. The stranded crew, including Yar, significantly influenced Romulan politics by surviving against the planet's creatures and temporal anomalies.

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What was Tasha Yar's home planet in Star Trek?

Lieutenant Natasha Yar, often referred to as Tasha Yar, originated from the planet Turkana IV. She held the position of security chief on the USS Enterprise-D as a Starfleet officer.

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Early history[]

Origins[]

Tasha was born in2337 on the failedFederationcolonyworld ofTurkana IV. Her sister,Ishara, was bornfive years later. Both oftheir parents were killed shortly after Ishara's birth, after which they were looked after for a fewmonths by "some people" who later disappeared, leaving Tasha to care for herself and her sister. (TNG: "Legacy") Tasha had to avoidrape gangs and terrible violence just to scavenge for the bare necessities of life, such asfood. One of the few bright spots in her life was finding acat, which she attempted to protect while being chased by a rape gang. (TNG: "Where No One Has Gone Before")Narcotic use was also commonplace. Tasha apparently resorted to drugs as an escape at some point, but later remembered that they were of more harm to her than good. (TNG: "Symbiosis")

Although Ishara decided to remain on the planet and eventually joined theTurkana IV Coalition, Tasha managed to find a way off Turkana IV in2352 by the age of fifteen. Ishara and Tasha never saw one another again. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint", "Legacy")

Starfleet career[]

Academy and early assignments[]

Tasha began to attendStarfleet Academy soon after her escape and creditedStarfleet with saving her from her previous life. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint", "Legacy") She joinedSecurity because of the lawless environment in which she grew up. (TNG: "Code of Honor")

In2363, while conducting a rescue mission, Yar rescued a colonist after traversing aCarnelian minefield.CaptainJean-Luc Picard'sship at the time was also present. Picard was so impressed with her bravery that he requested Yar be assigned to theEnterprise, asYar's current ship'scaptain owed him a favor. (TNG: "Legacy")

TheEnterprise-D[]

In2364, Yar piloted Picard to theEnterprise-D in theshuttlecraftGalileo for his first visit to the ship. She set out toFarpoint Station fromEarth Station McKinley with most of the crew. (TNG: "All Good Things...")

En route, theEnterprise was intercepted and detained by the entity known asQ. Tasha wanted to fight him, but Picard refused her suggestion because of the tremendous power of Q. While thesenior staff was taken to the21st century courtroom and put on trial by Q, Yar could no longer resist the urge to tell Q he was wrong for accusing Humanity of "savage, childlike behavior." She was placed into a sort of deep freeze by Q as punishment, but was later revived.

Later, Yar took part in severalaway teams which investigated Farpoint Station and the living station's mate, which returned to seek vengeance against theBandi for imprisoning the other creature. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint")

In theanti-time past experienced by Captain Picard, this timeline diverged during the shuttle trip to theEnterprise. Picard was somewhat disoriented during his initial shifts from the other two time periods and was distracted at seeing Yar again. He later mistakenly gave orders about ship security toWorf, leaving Yar to point out that she was the security chief, "unless you're planning to make a change." Yar continued to go along with Picard's unusual orders to proceed to Farpoint Station in lieu of investigating atemporal anomaly in theRomulan Neutral Zone, and again when Picard decided to go to the anomaly after all.

When Picard made the decision to enter the anomaly and create astatic warp shell, Yar requested if the captain could give the crew some sort of explanation. When Picard explained that he could not, Yar pointed out that they had "obeyed every order, no matter how farfetched it might have seemed. But if we're to risk the safety of the ship and crew I think we have to ask you for an explanation." Picard explained that he understood her concerns and convinced the crew of the importance of the task, telling them that "all I can say is that although we have only been together for a short time, I know that you are the finest crew in the fleet, and I would trust each of you with my life. So, I am asking you for a leap of faith, and to trust me." After entering the anomaly, Tasha struggled to keep thewarp containment system maintained until the pastEnterprise was destroyed. (TNG: "All Good Things...")

While theEnterprise was negotiating at the world ofLigon II for avaccine needed onStyris IV, theLigonian leaderLutan became impressed with Tasha'smartial arts skills and her physical beauty. As a show of defiance and boldness in line with theLigon Code of Honor, hekidnapped her and brought her to his planet. Picard needed to negotiate both for her safe return and for the vaccine. However, Lutan was determined to have Yar as hisFirst One, the ceremonial title of his wife. The current First One,Yareena, challenged Lutan's decision, requiring Yar to participate in a fight to the death with Yareena. In order to satisfy the needs of the culture and return to theEnterprise, Tasha fought and killed Yareena. Fortunately, samples of thepoison used on Yar'sweapon was returned to theEnterprise byData, allowingDoctorBeverly Crusher to develop anantidote and revive Yareena once they were brought to theEnterprise. Yareena stripped Lutan of his title and offered him to Tasha, but she refused, stating that there would be "complications". (TNG: "Code of Honor")

When theEnterprise was transported beyond the known universe bythe Traveler, to a place where matter and thought were not distinct, Yar hallucinated that she had returned to Turkana IV and was being chased by the rape gangs. (TNG: "Where No One Has Gone Before")

Because of the matriarchal nature of the society onAngel I, Yar took informal command of the away team while CommanderWilliam T. Riker negotiated for the release of survivors from thefreighterOdin. When Riker put on one of the sexualized outfits worn by men on the planet, she andDeanna had a good laugh at the first officer's expense. (TNG: "Angel One")

Tasha was killed in late2364 on theplanetVagra II. She was part of an away team sent to rescueDeanna Troi andBen Prieto, who hadcrashed there aboard ashuttle. Their rescue was impeded by alifeform known asArmus. When Yar tried to walk around Armus to get to the shuttle crew, Armus attacked and killed her without warning, simply as a display of his power. Dr. Crusher tried to revive her but she was too badly injured, as the life had been "drained" from her. The officially recorded cause of death was heavysynaptic damage.

A service was held for Tasha in theholodeck following the rescue of the crew from the surface, where aholographic message from Tasha was played. Tasha always believed her death would happen quickly and while on duty, and that was the way she wanted it. (TNG: "Skin Of Evil")

Personal interests[]

Yar was an expert inaikido, a form ofmartial arts, and regularly used several holodeck training programs. (TNG: "Code of Honor") She was also aparrises squares player. (TNG: "11001001") At the time of her death, Yar was scheduled to participate in a martial arts competition withScience OfficerSwenson andLieutenantMinnerly, which was to take place three days later. She was favored in theship's pool. (TNG: "Skin Of Evil")

Alternate realities and timelines[]

In analternate timeline created by theUSSEnterprise-C's transit from2344 to2366 through atemporal rift, Tasha had not been killed at Vagra II, and continued to serve astactical officer aboard theEnterprise-D during awar between theFederation and theKlingon Empire. Tasha had joined theEnterprise-D crew immediately upon graduating fromStarfleet Academy in2362.

In 2366, theEnterprise-D encountered theEnterprise-C as it emerged from the temporal rift, after theEnterprise-C had nearly been destroyed in aRomulan attack on theKlingonoutpost atNarendra III. During the course of making repairs to theEnterprise-C, Tasha became close to acrewmember from that ship,LieutenantRichard Castillo, and the two of them developed romantic feelings for one another. She later became aware, throughGuinan, that in the other timeline she had died a meaningless death. When theEnterprise-C's captain,Rachel Garrett, was killed in a Klingon attack, Tasha requested permission from Captain Picard totransfer to theEnterprise-C and accompany it back through the rift in an attempt to restore the timeline, explaining that she wanted her death to count for something. Captain Picard granted her request. Although Castillo, who had assumed command of theEnterprise-C, was initially reluctant to accept Tasha on an apparentsuicide mission, he relented and assigned her to the tactical position. Entering the rift just as threeKlingon Birds-of-Prey began attacking bothEnterprises, theEnterprise-C successfully returned to its own time, where it played an instrumental role in guaranteeing peace between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, restoring the flow of history. (TNG: "Yesterday's Enterprise")

Though theEnterprise-C was destroyed, several crewmembers survived and were taken prisoner by the Romulans, Tasha among them.

After being interrogated, all of the survivors were to beexecuted, but aRomulan general became enamored of Tasha and offered to spare the lives of the prisoners if she became his consort, a condition to which Tasha agreed.One year later, she gave birth to a daughter,Sela. In2349, when Sela was four years old, Tasha took her and attempted to escape, but sensing that her mother was taking her away from her home and her father, Sela cried out, and Tasha was discovered and subsequently executed.

Those series of events were completely unknown to Starfleet until2368, when theEnterprise-D encountered Sela, by then acommander in theRomulan military, during her attempt to covertly support theDuras sisters in taking control of the Klingon Empire. (TNG: "Redemption II")

In an alternate reality where everything waspurple, theEnterprise-D fell through aquantum fissure into the prime universe "while battling some evil clones of Tasha Yar, or something" in2382. (LD: "Fully Dilated")

In analternate timeline created byQ where Earth had become theConfederation of Earth, Natasha Yar was alieutenant colonel in theConfederation Corps and was thefield officer fighting theAndorian Rebellion. (PIC: "Penance")

Personal relationships[]

Family[]

Tasha rarely spoke of her family because of the chaotic nature of her childhood, though both her sister Ishara and her alternate timelinehalf-RomulandaughterSela visited theEnterprise. (TNG: "Legacy", "Redemption II")

Tasha barely remembered herfather and called herself anorphan like Worf. During her recordedfuneral speech on theholodeck in2364, she addressedJean-Luc Picard and told him that he would be the person in the universe she would call afather figure. (TNG: "Skin Of Evil")

Hermedical records indicated she had never beenpregnant. (TNG: "Redemption II")

Friendships[]

Yar saw Captain Picard as an informal father figure. She found support in Picard when she was confined to a "penalty box" as part of a deadly game run by Q during theEnterprise's second encounter. She had been placed there as punishment for challenging Q, and would have been consigned to oblivion if another officer had been sent to the penalty box. Tasha was frustrated and upset by the situation and began to cry. Picard said she was permitted the feelings and that they were in no way a show of weakness. (TNG: "Hide And Q")

Tasha was often uncomfortable in expressing her femininity, and for that reason sometimes sought the help of Deanna Troi. While under the influence of apolywater intoxication in2364, Yar entered Troi'squarters and tried on several articles of her clothing. (TNG: "The Naked Now")

Yar was also very good friends with Worf, who, as aKlingon warrior, greatly admired her physical combat skills. Together, they took part in a parrises squares tournament against theStarbase 74 maintenance crew in2364. (TNG: "11001001") Worf also placed a wager on Yar's victory in the martial arts competition which she was to have participated before her death. Yar was touched by this gesture.

In the holographic message she prepared in the event of her death, Yar spent a brief moment addressing each of her friends. She called Will Riker "the best," and was grateful for his trust, encouragement, and humor. She said Deanna proved to her that she could be feminine without losing anything. Yar saw a kindred spirit in Worf, as they were both warriors and orphans who found a place in this family. Tasha admired Beverly Crusher's fierce and unstoppable devotion, and from her learned to strive for excellence no matter what the personal cost. She regretted that she would be unable to seeWesley Crusher grow to become an exceptional young man. Yar was thankful forGeordi La Forge's friendship and support in times of despair. She assured Data that his way of viewing the universe from the perspective of a child made him the most Human of the entire group. Tasha said she considered Picard to be like a father, but she was unable to tell for sure because she had never had a father. However, she felt he had the "heart of an explorer and the soul of a poet" and that if she could pick one person to be like, it would be him. She concluded by saying that death was not a goodbye since she would always live on in their memories. After the service, Data was confused, thinking he had missed the point of her funeral because his thoughts were not for Yar, but for himself and how her presence would be missed. However, Picard assured him that he understood perfectly. (TNG: "Skin Of Evil")

The pain of Tasha's death was recalled several times by theEnterprise crew, such as whenMarla Aster died (TNG: "The Bonding") and when Data was believed killed in ashuttle accident in late2366. (TNG: "The Most Toys") Riker used Tasha's death as an example of how he felt theritual Klingon suicide was a cowardly escape when Worf considered it following an accident that left him paralyzed in2368. (TNG: "Ethics")

When theEnterprise went to Turkana IV in2367 to rescue the crew of theArcos,Ishara helped the crew rescue the survivors from theTurkana IV Alliance forces. She expressed a desire to leave and join Starfleet like her sister, which charmed the crew into trusting her and perhaps seeing more of Tasha in Ishara. Her interest in leaving Turkana was later determined to be mostly a deception in order to use the rescue mission to take down the Alliance. (TNG: "Legacy")

Romance[]

Yar was at least slightly attracted to Data and hadsex with him while under the influence of polywater intoxication. She later told him that the incident "never happened". (TNG: "The Naked Now") Data still felt a special connection to Tasha and later mentioned that he and Tasha were intimate. He kept aholocube with a holographic image of Tasha to remember her. When Data's rights as asentient being were called into question, his romantic encounter with Tasha was a strong influence forJudgePhillipa Louvois to rule that Data was in fact asentient lifeform, as Data admitted that she was 'special' to him even when he had no emotions to influence his thoughts on personal relationships. (TNG: "The Measure Of A Man") La Forge and Wesley Crusher found the holoimage when they visited Data's quarters after his apparent death in2366. (TNG: "The Most Toys") The same holocube with her image was stored in Data's memories kept withinDaystrom Android M-5-10. When Data andLore virtually fought over control of the android body, Data handed over the holocube of Tasha during his ruse of surrendering to Lore. (PIC: "Surrender")

Yar also had random romantic encounters with severalEnterprise crewmembers while affected by thepolywater intoxication. Geordi La Forge originally passed on the intoxication to Tasha, and he expressed lustful feelings towards her. (TNG: "The Naked Now") La Forge also told Yar that she was more beautiful than he imagined once he was briefly granted normal sight by Commander Riker, bestowed with the powers of theQ Continuum. (TNG: "Hide And Q")

Appendices[]

Appearances[]

Background information[]

Tasha Yar was played byDenise Crosby during thefirst season ofStar Trek: The Next Generation. Crosby was a part of theNext Generation regular cast from "Encounter at Farpoint" to "Skin Of Evil", although she was listed in the main credits for the remainder of the first season. "Symbiosis" was filmed after "Skin Of Evil", meaning that episode was technically Crosby's final as a regular cast member. In a scene near the end of "Symbiosis", Crosby can be seen waving at the camera, waving goodbye to all of her fans. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, 2nd ed., p. 56) The wave is only visible for a few seconds (40:26 - 40:30), as Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher are exiting the cargo bay but can easily be seen onDVD with frame-by-frame advancement.

Yar was the first regular character to depart aStar Trek series while in production and also the first to be killed off without being resurrected. Crosby returned for guest spots as Yar in "Yesterday's Enterprise" and "All Good Things..." and can be seen in holographic form in "The Measure Of A Man", "The Most Toys", andPIC: "Surrender". The character also appears inflashback stock footage during treatment Riker receives in "Shades of Gray", and during a personality test Data undergoes in "The Schizoid Man". Due to an editing gaffe, Crosby's shoulder and left arm also appear in the episode "We'll Always Have Paris", set after her character's death in "Skin Of Evil".

The character of Yar was indirectly inspired byJenette Goldstein's space marine character Vasquez from the motion pictureAliens. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, 2nd ed., p. 15)Gene Roddenberry andRobert H. Justman watchedAliens during the early stages of preparation for the series, and Roddenberry expressed his wish to create a character named "Macha" based on Vasquez.[1] RecalledDavid Gerrold, "AfterAliens, Gene would say about Jenette Goldstein, 'That woman created a whole new style of feminine beauty. We should have something like that inStar Trek.' So we started off with a character named Macha Hernandez, who eventually became Tasha Yar. That sparked an idea for Gene." Justman was also inspired by Goldstein. He later remembered thinking, "If we could get her, she could be a member of theEnterprise's onboard Marine or MP contingent. This would enable her to serve in a military capacity within our landing parties. Her feistiness, coupled with her earthy physicality, could create interesting opportunities for drama." (The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years, p. 57)

The10 December1986 casting call for Natasha Yar, later reprinted in theStar Trek: The Next Generation Companion, 2nd ed., p. 13, stated the following:

"LT. Macha Hernandez – 26 year old woman of unspecified Latin descent who serves as the starship's security chief. She is described as having a new quality of conditioned-body-beauty, a fire in her eyes and muscularly well developed and very female body, but keeping in mind that much of her strength comes from attitude. Macha has an almost obsessive devotion to protecting the ship and its crew and treats Capt. Picard and Number One as if they were saints."

The revised23 March1987 Writers' Bible forThe Next Generation (p. 10) described Yar as:

"The starship security chief, Tasha, who performs that same function both aboard ship and on away missions. Born at a 'failed' Earth colony of renegades and other violent undesirables, she escaped to Earth in her teens and discovered Starfleet, which she still 'worships' today as the complete opposite of all the ugliness she once knew."

Among the performers who were considered for the role of Tasha Yar wereLianne Langland,Julia Nickson,Rosalind Chao,Leah Ayers, andBunty Bailey.[2] Nickson and Chao were well liked for the part. (The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years, p. 97) By13 April1987, Chao seemed to be a favorite candidate.[3]

Originally,Marina Sirtis auditioned for this role, while Denise Crosby read for Deanna Troi. Gene Roddenberry decided that each would be better as the other's character, and Macha's description was altered to reflect Crosby's blonde looks. First, the character's name was changed to "Tanya", then to "Tasha Yar", based on a Ukrainian ravine namedBabi Yar, where massacres took place during aNaziGermany campaign against theSoviet Union inWorld War II. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, 2nd ed., p. 15)

Denise Crosby once commented, "They originally envisioned Tasha as more butch [...] What I liked about Tasha is she's strong physically and direct and is comfortable with who she is. I envisioned Tasha as what I brought to it. I sort of like the quality that she could be attractive and sexy and still be able to kick the shit out of anyone." The actress also reckoned that her experience of growing up as the granddaughter of famous Hollywood celebrityBing Crosby, since that "wasn't exactly normal or typical," helped her "understand Tasha's imbalance and insecurities." (The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years, pp. 97-98)

Yar is the only main character besides Troi to wear a"skant" version of the Starfleet uniform, which she does in the last scene of "Encounter at Farpoint"; Yar is behind the tactical console, but the skant is just visible.

A line inMax Grodénchik's "Rom's Song" suggests thatQuark should be "kill[ed]... off like Tasha Yar," so thatRom could inherithis bar.

Apocrypha[]

Novels[]

According to theStar Trek: The Next Generation First Year Sourcebook, Tasha Yar was born on Hokma V.

The novelThe Buried Age looks at the events that inspired Picard to offer Tasha Yar a post in his new command.

The novelQ-Squared depicts the schemes of Trelane causing three alternate timelines to essentially 'crash' together; the prime reality, a variation on the timeline depicted in "Yesterday's Enterprise", and a timeline set in a different version of "Encounter at Farpoint" where (among other differences) Tasha is involved with a version of Data who is a "Human-oid" (basically an organic body with a positronic brain). At one point, the prime Worf is fleeing Humans from the "Yesterday's Enterprise" timeline and encounters the Tasha Yar of the third reality, convincing her to trust him by mentioning her sister Ishara, although he claims that Tasha is still alive in his time and that he is just her assistant chief of security to avoid any more awkward questions.

Video games[]

In the video gameStar Trek: Starship Creator, Yar was assigned to theUSSBellerophon as a junior security officer in2359 following hergraduation from the Academy.

The alternate timeline Tasha Yar appears (voiced again by Denise Crosby) in theStar Trek Online mission "Temporal Ambassador". The mission reveals that theEnterprise-D's battle with the Klingons in "Yesterday's Enterprise" caused theEnterprise-C to emerge from the temporal rift in theAzure Nebula in 2409, rather thanNarendra III in 2344. The apocalyptic timeline remains, and the Federation has fallen to the Klingon Empire, which in turn has fallen to theDominion. TheEnterprise and her crew are captured by theTholian Assembly and held aboard a slave labor base in the Azure Nebula, where the player must help them escape and reach the temporal rift so they can return to 2344.

She later returns, though posthumously, in "Survivor". There, it is revealed that the elder Tasha Yar was never actually killed, instead exiled to theTal Shiarprison colony holding the otherEnterprise-C survivors. Through various datapads left by Yar, the player, along with Sela andAgentDaniels, learns that the crew fended for themselves after the Tal Shiar abandoned the colony following the destruction of Romulus and Remus by the Hobus Supernova. The crew would die one by one, either killed by the creatures on the planet or by temporal anomalies caused by the existence of an alternate Admiral T'Nae. Yar would be the last to die, wishing for the crew to be remembered somehow. T'Nae buried her and was eventually rescued and reintegrated with her prime counterpart, while Sela agreed to be put under arrest on the condition Starfleet help her learn more about Tasha.

External links[]

• Natasha Yar atMemory Beta, the wiki for licensedStar Trek works
• Natasha Yar attheStar Trek Online Wiki
• Tasha Yar atWikipedia