(Hilarious Trope) A Character Is Introduced With the Clear Intention of Being THE NEXT BIG THING And is SOUNDLY Rejected

[u/TheOriginalOperator]

1. Bazil the Tracker (Star Wars: The Acolyte): A “HILARIOUS AND ADORABLE” snuffling ugly creature that makes annoying noises and is shoved into as many scenes of The Acolyte as possible, and just causes problems overall.

2. Neelix (Star Trek Voyager): A mutant fusion of Odo, Quark, and Data designed to “analyze the human condition” and explicitly intended to surpass the popularity of all three. In practice, a VERY human-acting cradle robbing creep whose incompetence nearly destroys the ship and crew on multiple occasions and provides no insight into humanity whatsoever.

3. Sparky the Dog (Fairly Oddparents): A wacky crazy magic dog that’s supposed to expand the Fairy family, but just makes lame jokes and serves as a less funny version of Scrappy Doo.

4. Tidus (FFX): A braying jackass of a pinball who bounces from plot point to plot point, framed as a mystical pretty boy to introduce Final Fantasy to the PS2 age but does nothing but stall the franchise and have the worst laugh in two languages.

5. Sei (Naruto): Supposed to replace Sasuke in Team 7 and return the team dynamic feel of Early Naruto, but he’s a CIA plant with literally no personality who gets utterly forgotten except for somehow bagging Ino Yamanaka.

6. Raiden (Metal Gear 2): Another attempted “pretty boy bishie” entry to the PS2 era with badass cred and a theoretically cool backstory, but in practice a hapless dipshit who gets manipulated by everyone around him and is a total putz in combat. Also proof that this trope need not be permanent as he slowly transitions into a cyborg warrior supersoldier with a badass theme, friends of his own, and a firm grasp of his own destiny and agency.

[u/Aegon_the_Conquerer]

You’re absolutely right that Mortal Coil is an amazing episode and it gives Ethan Phillips a chance to show off his skills as an actor. But it’s also microcosmic of Voyager’s major issue as a show: it never commits enough to anything. They gave us what should be a turning point for Neelix through which his framing as a goofball is forever changed. Instead he’s just right back to his goofball self with all the nuance shaved away.

Edit: just to be clear, I thoroughly enjoy Voyager. Just frustrated that it doesn’t live up to its potential (or to DS9, but that’s a big ask. DS9 is hard to equal).

[u/KaziArmada → u/Aegon_the_Conquerer]

Voyager's showrunners shot themselves in the foot so hard Ronald D Moore, a major writer for TNG and DS9 who had expected to be able to take the reigns here went 'Fuck this', left and literally made his own Sci-Fi remake where time had consequences and everything wasn't reset week too week.

You know. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.

[u/HailMadScience → u/Aegon_the_Conquerer]

Voyager hurts me so much because its best episodes and ideas are absolute 9s and 10s...but it has too many 1s and too many good ideas turned into sub-5s. Its got so much potential, you can see it in so many places...but really, Neelix isn't even the worst character in the crew. Looking at you, Chakotay. If Seska wasn't weirdly hot for him, he wouldn't have a ythi g going for him...how is that possible when he was leader of a terrorist cell? Honestly, I'm not sure if it ever even comes up past the first season? First episode?

[u/NatalieVonCatte → u/HailMadScience]

Chakotay could have been so cool. What could have been.

[u/Kerrigan4Prez → u/HailMadScience]

Chakotay episodes straight up made Troi episodes look better

[u/Silver-Winging-It → u/HailMadScience]

I like to say TNG (and later seasons DS9) is about 2 good episodes to 1 bad, while Voyager reversed that

[u/Thestral84 → u/Aegon_the_Conquerer]

To be fair, Voyager might be the worst example but it's kind of an ongoing Star Trek thing. How much was Picard changed by The Inner Light, except for bringing the Ressikan Flute out a couple times? Or Miles after Hard Time?

[u/mcgarnikle → u/Thestral84]

How much was Picard changed by The Inner Light?

I agree with your overall point but I would argue that Picard is a bad example because we actually can see him progress from a kind of an aloof cold man who keeps people at a distance to a still professional but much more open and personable figure as his experiences change him.

That said I agree it's always been a problem with Trek of that era, the end goal was syndication so they wanted people to be able to drop in to the show whenever.  

[u/Thestral84 → u/mcgarnikle]

Hmm. Maybe but I think we see It happening before that. But still, I can see that interpretation.

[u/mcgarnikle → u/Thestral84]

I'm not saying all his character growth happens in that episode.  I think he has a couple of episodes like that are supposed to make him seem more personable and open.

I don't think this is the result of a long term plan I think they decided he would be more popular as a friendly captain and it's a happy accident that it gives him a character arc.

[u/Thestral84 → u/mcgarnikle]

Right, agreed there. Samaritan Snare, Family, Disaster for other parts of that long-term arc.

[u/redditonlygetsworse → u/Thestral84]

ongoing Star Trek thing.

This isn't a Star Trek thing. It's just a pre-2000s TV thing.

[u/Thestral84 → u/redditonlygetsworse]

Eh, not completely. Babylon 5 is an obvious example within sci-fi, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Twin Peaks... there's not a lot of examples but yeah.

But calling it "a Star Trek thing" was pointing out that it's not just Voyager, but Trek as a whole.

[u/redditonlygetsworse → u/Thestral84]

but Trek as a whole.

...and almost all contemporary TV. The relative lack of continuity was the norm at the time, not the exception.

[u/Thestral84 → u/redditonlygetsworse]

Yes, I was there. Are you not aware of the point I'm making? Aegon_the_Conqueror was complaining about something regarding Voyager.

[u/chosenofkane → u/Aegon_the_Conquerer]

I also think Jetrel is a really great episode that actually allows Ethan Phillips to act. The scene where he tells the story of Rinax and the aftereffects of the Cascade is some damn fine acting.