Star Trek is one of the greatest science fiction franchises in modern history. With a string of seven TV shows, there have been a ton of beloved characters like Spock, Data, and Seven of Nine, but not every character has been a winner. In fact, there have been quite a few characters who have been as fun to watch as drying paint. A handful have gone beyond just boring or uninteresting, but became downright annoying. This isn’t about characters who are the worst or who didn’t contribute to the show, but ones who actually made their given show worse by their very existence. Get ready to grind your teeth with the Geek Twins’ 10 most annoying characters on Star Trek television.
10. HOSHI SATO
Hoshi Sato was the communications officer of Star Trek: Enterprise. Since the show was set before the invention of the Universal Translator, Hoshi was the translator on the ship, able to speak and understand any language they encountered. She was a vital member of the crew, but (over time) became a source of irritation to the fans.
In many ways, Hoshi is the complete opposite of every other bold and confident member of the Federation. She didn’t want to be in a spaceship or travel through space. She’d scream with terror to dangerous situations and was crippled with doubt over her skills. Hoshi could have been someone the viewers most related to, but her constant whining, screaming and whimpering became an annoyance. She was useless to the show except when it came to translating something, then she would go back to being useless again.
9. NURSE CHAPEL
In the Original Series, Nurse Christine Chapel worked with Dr. Bones McCoy aboard the USS Enterprise. While she was a good nurse, she made viewers miserable. One of the reasons Chapel has been hated by fans is that she’s in love with Mister Spock, a relationship that would never happen. Her character really didn’t go beyond that.
Even in the rebooted Star Trek movie where Spock did fall for a character, it was Uhura who he fell in love with and not Nurse Chapel, even though Chapel would have made more sense. In reality, many of the cast and crew hated her character, but they couldn’t get rid of her because the actress Majel Barrett was having an affair with (and later married) Gene Roddenberry.
8. KEIKO O’BRIEN
On Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Keiko O’Brien was the school teacher aboard the starbase and the wife of Miles O’Brien. While O’Brien is loved by fans, his wife is one of the most hated characters on that show. Keiko didn’t like being on Deep Space 9, and made that loud and clear from the very first episode. She seemed to exist on the show just to torment and insult O’Brien at least once an episode.
Keiko had many good qualities, and the couple obviously loved each other, but Keiko just came across to many fans as shrewish and annoying. Was any of that based on sexism, a reaction to a woman not being all sweetness and loyalty with a mind of her own? Probably, yes, but the reaction is real.
7. HARRY KIM
On Star Trek: Voyager, Harry Kim was the Operations Officer on the USS Voyager. His youth and optimism made him stand out among the more seasoned and pessimistic officers on the ship. His Asian heritage added to the multicultural tone of the series, but that’s almost the only good thing we can say about him.
For the most part, Kim was used more as a “best friend” and sidekick of the much more developed character, Tom Paris. When he wasn’t getting kidnapped by aliens (which happened so often, we wonder if he had some sort of homing beacon implanted in him), Kim was following Paris around. After a while, Kim’s wide-eyed innocence made him look more like a wimpy Boy Scout with no real backbone.
6. GUINAN
On Star Trek: The Next Generation, the bartender of the Ten Forward lounge dispensed drinks along with words of wisdom. Many fans love Guinan, but every fan can agree on one thing: she was a lot of build-up with no real payoff. As much as the show teased about how powerful she was, how connected to Captain Picard was, and how smart she was, none of it ended up being explained.
As fans, we were dying to find out what her backstory was, and never got it. Much like Lost ended up being one big tease with no real ending, Guinan ended up being mysterious for the sake of being mysterious. She only showed up to give some vague advice and vanish from the story. Knowing that, watching her wander around acting like a know-it-all just gets irritating.
5. ROM
The Ferengi are one of the most annoying aliens in the history of Star Trek, but that’s because they’re kind of supposed to be annoying. With their enormous ears, butt-shaped heads, hideous noses, loathsome social structure and eternal greed, the Ferengi are so bad that they’ve become comical and loved, but one stands out as the worst of all of them: Rom.
Rom was an engineer aboard Deep Space 9, and spent many years groveling as Quark’s waiter at his brother’s bar. He was a nice and sweet guy, but he tended to come across as an idiot savant…or just an idiot. He somehow went all the way to becoming the Grand Nagus in Forrest Gump fashion. Some fans found him lovable, but others couldn’t stand him.
4. ALEXANDER ROZHENKO
Alexander Rozhenko is the son of Worf, the security officer on the USS Enterprise-D and later Deep Space 9. Alexander struggled with his role as Worf’s son, living with his foster grandparents and the dishonor of his father among Klingons. He also felt conflicted over his human heritage and being raised by humans for most of his life, leaving him rejected by Klingons who thought he was too soft.
Kids are always a problem on TV shows, and Alexander is no exception. When Alexander wasn’t being useless, he was making Worf feel bad about his parenting. When he wasn’t making Worf feel bad, he disappeared because he wasn’t needed in the story. His constant fighting with Worf made him look like a spoiled brat instead of what was supposed to be a father-son relationship on paper. Not a bad idea, but bad writing doomed him.
3. NEELIX
When the USS Voyager arrived in the Delta Quadrant, they quickly befriended an alien Neelix who became their guide, morale officer, and chef. Along with his lover Kes, Neelix was a cheerful and knowledgeable member of the crew, although he often fought with the stoic Vulcan officer Tuvok. Unfortunately, that’s about as far as we can go without getting into the bad stuff.
If Neelix was an answer on the SATs, the question would be “As Jar Jar Binks is to Star Wars and Snarf is to ThunderCats.” Neelix is annoying, so annoying that the frustration of dealing with him became an integral part of his character with Tuvok and others rolling their eyes as they dealt with his butting in, bad jokes, and bad ideas. The idea of the gorgeous Kes falling for such a hairy troll just made it harder to take.
2. KATHERINE PULASKI
Dr. Katherine Pulaski was the second chief medical officer on Star Trek: The Next Generation. While she was a capable doctor, she also believed in traditional remedies like splints and chicken soup. She was often an abrasive presence aboard the Enterprise with her brisk manner and strong opinions, often challenging Picard’s decisions. She also butted heads with Data who she considered nothing more than a machine.
Pulaski was meant to replace Dr. Crusher who had left the show, and Gene Roddenberry openly copied traits from Dr. McCoy on the Original Series, but it didn’t work. She came across as mean instead of gruff. Her fights with Data were meant to copy McCoy’s arguments with Spock, but Spock could be arrogant and it was fun seeing him taken down a peg. Pulaski’s put-downs of Data were like watching her kick a wounded puppy.
1. WESLEY CRUSHER
Okay, yes, you could say it’s a cliche to put Wesley Crusher as number one, but that’s because it’s true. Wesley Crusher was the son of Dr. Crusher who somehow managed to save the USS Enterprise-D on numerous occasions. He was a genius, loved by females, became an ensign, and was taken by the alien Traveler to become some sort of super-nerd to save the universe.
Besides the fact that Wesley was an annoying kid (see Alexander), Wesley was made extra annoying by the constant drumbeat about how great he was. How smart he was, how important he was, how brave he was, blah blah blah, and that’s because he was a Mary Sue for Gene Roddenberry (whose middle name was Wesley). He also tended to come off as cocky instead of confident. By the time he left the show, most fans hated Wesley, including the actor Wil Wheaton himself.
Which Star Trek character annoyed you the most? Let us know in the comments!
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