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The typical "unlucky" red shirt: Lt. Leslie (played by Eddie Paskey) in Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Obsession".

A redshirt is a stock character, used frequently in science fiction but also in other genres, whose sole purpose is to die, often violently, soon after being introduced. Redshirts are a plot device used to indicate the dangerous circumstances faced by the main characters at the start of a narrative without having to kill any of the vital main characters. The term comes from the popular American science fiction television series Star Trek, in which security officers wore red shirts, and were often killed on missions under the aforementioned circumstances.^[1] Image File history File links Circle-question. ... Image File history File links This is a screenshot of a copyrighted website, video game graphic, computer program graphic, television broadcast, or film. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Eddie Paskey-is an actor who is primarily known for playing the uncredited Lieutenant Leslie in the original Star Trek. ... The starship Enterprise as it appeared on Star Trek Star Trek is a culturally significant science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. ... Obsession is a second season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series and was broadcast December 15, 1967. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Look up genre in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A plot device is a person or an object introduced to a story to affect or advance the plot. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A broadcast of the long-running and popular British science-fiction series Doctor Who. ... The starship Enterprise as it appeared on Star Trek Star Trek is a culturally significant science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. ...

Star Trek origins

In the original 1966 Star Trek series, characters wore tunic colors designating their stations and/or areas of expertise. A person wearing a red shirt was a member of the Engineering or Security department. Security officers had a habit of meeting tragic ends in many episodes.

Typically, a landing party would consist of several main characters — often Kirk, Spock, McCoy — and one or two never-before-seen red-shirted ensigns, who would be dead by the end of the mission, most usually within minutes. It is notable, however, that the first person to be killed in such a manner (in the order in which the episodes were originally broadcast) was Crewman Darnell (in "The Man Trap") who wore a blue shirt. The redshirt distinction was made more prominent by the fact that the only main characters who wore red were Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott and Communications Officer Lt. Uhura; since there were no regular characters in the security department, the appearance of any such character in an episode was strongly suggestive of impending death. In the Star Trek fictional universe, an away team (also known as a landing party) is a group of individuals sent off a starship to accomplish a mission, either on a planets surface or another starship. ... James Tiberius Kirk, played by William Shatner, is the main character in the original Star Trek television series and the films based on it. ... Spock, commonly called Mr. ... Dr. Leonard H. McCoy (nicknamed Bones), played by DeForest Kelley, is a character in the original Star Trek series, and the first six Star Trek films. ... Ensign is a commissioned rank of the Starfleet in the fictional universe of Star Trek. ... The Man Trap was the first episode of Star Trek: The Original Series to air on NBC. It is episode #6, and was broadcast on Thursday, September 8, 1966 at 8:30pm. ... Scotty redirects here. ... Uhura, played by Nichelle Nichols, is a character in Star Trek: The Original Series and the first six Star Trek films. ...

Fans often dub redshirt characters with humorous, generic nicknames, such as "Ensign Expendable", "Ensign Anonymous", "Ensign Extra" or "Ensign Ricky". They're also known as the "fifth member of the away team" due to the other members often being recognizable characters. Often also referred to as "Lieutenant Kleenex" in reference to their disposable nature. A lesser known designation for a redshirt is "Ferguson" though the origin of this moniker is unknown.

In the Pocket Books Star Trek novel Killing Time, a time-tampering plot twist turns Captain Kirk into an ensign. While he is dressing for duty, a fellow crew member says, "Let's just say that on this ship — or probably any other —you don't want to wear a red shirt on landing-party duty." Pocket Books is the name of a subdivision of Simon & Schuster publishers. ...

A commonly accepted opposite of a redshirt is a Wedge-type character, referring to Wedge Antilles of the Star Wars universe, who was the only extra to appear and survive all three movies. Also referred to as a "token survivor". In science fiction and fantasy fandom, the term Wedge has been unofficially adopted to describe minor background characters that survive an entire saga or series without being killed (i. ... Wedge Antilles (b. ... Star Wars is an epic science fantasy saga and fictional universe created by George Lucas during the late 1970s. ...

In Star Trek: The Next Generation and the other more recent Star Trek series, the uniforms were changed such that command officers wore red and security personel wore yellow. Thus the term "yellowshirt" is sometimes used to refer to expendable characters in these shows, though many still refer to them as "redshirts" despite the actual color of their uniforms. The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ...

Occurrences

Below is a list of occurrences from the original Star Trek series.

First season

The Man Trap (4)

Darnell, Sturgeon, Green and Barnhart have the salt sucked from their bodies. None of the four wore red. Darnell and Sturgeon wore blue, Green wore yellow, and Barnhart wore a silvery white environmental suit.

Where No Man Has Gone Before (12)

Spock reports that nine crewmen die when the Enterprise crosses the galactic barrier. Gary Mitchell kills Lt. Lee Kelso by strangling him via telekinesis. Capt. Kirk kills Mitchell by entombing him under a giant rock. Dr. Elizabeth Dehner dies after exhausting herself trying to destroy Mitchell. In this second pilot, Dehner wears a blue shirt; Kelso and Mitchell wear tan shirts that may be the predecessor to the regular series red.

The Naked Time (1)

Lt. (j.g.) Joe Tormolen dies on McCoy's operating table after impaling himself on a knife. He wore a blue shirt.

What Are Little Girls Made Of? (2)

Security guards Matthews and Rayburn are killed by Ruk.

Balance of Terror (1)

Lt. Tomlinson dies when he suffocates on escaped phaser coolant. He wears a yellow shirt.

Arena (2)

Lt. O'Herlihy sees something and is zapped by Gorns on planet Cestus III. When Kelowitz returns from scouting the area, he tells Capt. Kirk that "They got Lang," who wore a yellow shirt.

The Devil in the Dark (1)

An unnamed security guard gets cooked by the Horta.

The Galileo Seven (3)

Lt. Latimer is impaled by a giant spear on Taurus II. One of the giant creatures murders Lt. Gaetano with its bare hands. Both wore yellow shirts. In a landing party report to Capt. Kirk, Lt. Kelowitz reports that Ensign O'Neill was also killed by a spear. (As this occurs offscreen, his shirt color is unknown.)

The Man Trap was the first episode of Star Trek: The Original Series to air on NBC. It is episode #6, and was broadcast on Thursday, September 8, 1966 at 8:30pm. ... Where no man has gone before is a saying used in the introductory sequence of all but one of the episodes of the original Star Trek science fiction television series. ... The Naked Time is an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series first broadcast on 29 September 1966 and repeated on 27 April 1967. ... What Are Little Girls Made Of? is a first season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. ... Balance of Terror, written by Paul Schneider and directed by Vincent McEveety, is a first-season episode of the original Star Trek series that first aired on December 15, 1966. ... Arena is an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. ... The Devil in the Dark is a first season episode Star Trek: The Original Series which first aired on March 9, 1967. ... The Galileo Seven is an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. ...

Second season

Catspaw (1)

Lt. Jackson is killed in the teaser by Korob and Sylvia and beamed aboard the Enterprise as a warning. He wears a yellow shirt.

The Apple (4)

Lt. Mallory steps on an exploding rock; Lt. Kaplan is hit by a lightning bolt; security guard Marple is clubbed over the head; ensign Hendorf meets a poisonous plant.

The Changeling (6)

Four unnamed security guards are zapped by Nomad. When Kirk and Spock enter Engineering in Act IV to destroy Nomad, Kirk discovers a technician in a red jumpsuit slumped dead at the control console. Technically, Scotty also counts as a red shirt death as well, as Nomad kills him while he is trying to save Lt. Uhura. But Nomad repairs him after Kirk orders him to do so.

Obsession (5)

Ensign Rizzo and three unnamed security guards have blood sucked out of them (note: Mr. Leslie (Eddie Paskey) was one of the three security guards in the first attack, but he's shown recovering in sickbay after the second attack and was never pronounced dead). Later, when the cloud creature invades the ship, McCoy reports that of the two crewmen it attacked, one has a chance for survival and the other is dead.

Wolf in the Fold (1)

Lt Karen Tracey is stabbed to death in a manner which suggests Scotty was the killer. She was a medical officer in blue uniform.

Mirror, Mirror (5)

One of Chekov's henchmen switches sides and dematerializes two of Kirk's would-be assassins with his phaser. Both are in green command jumpsuits. All three of Sulu's unnamed security guard accomplices are killed by Marlena via the Tantalus field.

By Any Other Name (1)

After being reduced to her basic elements, Yeoman Thompson is crushed into dust. Notably, the red shirt security guard with the team is also reduced to his basic elements, but is later restructured and survives the episode.

Friday's Child (1)

Security guard Grant threatens a Klingon and gets a Capellan kligat in the chest for his trouble.

The Deadly Years (1)

Lt. Galway dies of extreme old age. She wears a blue uniform.

The Omega Glory (1)

Capt. Ron Tracey kills Lt. Galloway, a recurring character. Oddly, Lt. Galloway returns to life and appears in the last episode of the series.

The Ultimate Computer (1)

Ensign Harper simply gets in the way of M-5's new power source.

Catspaw is the first episode of the second season of Star Trek: The Original Series. ... The Apple is a second season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. ... The Changeling is a season two episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, first broadcast on September 29, 1967 and repeated May 17, 1968. ... Obsession is a second season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series and was broadcast December 15, 1967. ... Eddie Paskey-is an actor who is primarily known for playing the uncredited Lieutenant Leslie in the original Star Trek. ... Wolf in the Fold is a second season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. ... Mirror, Mirror is an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. ... By Any Other Name is a second season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, first broadcast February 23, 1968 and repeated May 31, 1968. ... Fridays Child is a second season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. ... The Deadly Years is an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, first broadcast December 8, 1967 and repeated on August 16, 1968. ... The Omega Glory is a second season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, first broadcast March 1, 1968 and repeated July 26, 1968. ... The Ultimate Computer is a season two episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, first broadcast on March 8, 1968 and repeated June 28, 1968. ...

Third season

And the Children Shall Lead (2)

A pair of security guards are beamed into open space.

Elaan of Troyius (1)

Engineer Watson wonders what Kryton is doing, and is killed for his trouble.

That Which Survives (3)

Transporter operator ensign Wyatt and Engineer Watkins are killed from a touch by Losira. She also kills Lt. D'Amato, a blue-shirted science officer, on the planet's surface.

Wink of an Eye (1)

Crewman Compton, accelerated, is killed when he takes cell damage from a Scalosian, causing rapid aging.

Requiem for Methuselah (3)

Three unnamed crewmen die from an outbreak of Rigelian fever aboard the ship.

Total: 74 And the Children Shall Lead is a third season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, and was broadcast October 11, 1968. ... Elaan of Troyius is a third season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, and was broadcast December 20, 1968. ... That Which Survives is a third season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, first broadcast January 24, 1969 and repeated July 29, 1969. ... Wink of an Eye is a third season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, and was broadcast on November 29, 1968. ... Requiem for Methuselah is a third season episode of Star Trek: Original Series, first broadcast February 14, 1969. ...

Subsequent uses

Fans of the original Star Trek have come to use the term redshirt to describe any nameless and expendable character. Usually these appear to satirize how unrealistically repetitive, formulaic and expectable this cliché has been. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Appearances of redshirt characters

• In Star Trek II, while investigating Ceti Alpha V, Captain Terrel is wearing a reddish space suit while Chekhov is wearing a white space suit. Captain Terrel subsequently kills himself while under the influence of a ceti eel.

• In Futurama episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before", on an occasion when the actual Star Trek cast were trapped on a planet with "Welshie," a redshirt replacement for Scotty (in real life, James Doohan declined to participate in the episode), he was quickly killed—and then the corpse was repeatedly blasted each time they angered their captor. On a further note all of Zapp Brannigan's subordinates wear red (as does Brannigan himself) and he considers them all expendable.

• Family Guy featured a parody of Star Trek in which "Ensign Ricky" (a redshirt) is selected to go on a dangerous mission with the three most important characters from the Enterprise. Kirk says "This is a very dangerous mission and it is certain that one of us will be killed. The away team will consist of myself, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy and Ensign Ricky." Ricky responds with "Aw, crap." Later that episode, William Shatner (the actor who played Kirk), is struck and killed by a car, followed by a camera pan to Ensign Ricky, who declares "I did not see that coming."

• In the South Park episode "City on the Edge of Forever", a child on a stranded schoolbus wore a redshirt uniform with the Star Trek symbol. He tries to flee the safety of the bus and is promptly eaten by a monster while Star Trek background music is played. Kenny's parka seems to have a similar effect as when Jimmy once wore one in "Cripple Fight" he almost died several times.

• In the Sev Trek movie and the Star Wreck series, many short-lived crew members bear names like "Ensign Anonymous," "Ensign Insignificant," and "Ensign Cannonfodder." The latter pits them against similar expendable extras from the Babylon 5 security team.

• In the Stargate: Atlantis episode "The Siege: Part 1", all three characters doing repairs on an Ancient satellite are wearing red shirts. On the audio commentary for this episode, the director, Martin Wood, said this was an in-joke since they were planning to kill one of these characters later in the episode.

• In an episode of Robot Chicken, one skit involves a parody of Star Trek: The Original Series. In the skit, a problem with the ships leaves enough power for five people to beam away before it explodes. One redshirt security officer argues that every team needs a redshirt and beams down with four of the main characters. Since there's no food, the main characters suggest eating the redshirt. In an ironic twist, the redshirt distinguishes himself from "all the redshirts that fell before [him]" (as he puts it) by being a security officer, and thus the only one carrying a weapon. He then kills and eats all four main characters.

• In Christopher Moore's novel The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror, a character wearing a red Star Trek uniform gets attacked by zombies.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Paramount Pictures, 1982; see also 1982 in film) is the second feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series. ... Physiology The Ceti Eel is a fictional creature found in the second Star Trek movie Wrath of Khan. ... Futurama is an Emmy Award-winning animated American sitcom created by Matt Groening (creator of The Simpsons) and David X. Cohen for the Fox network. ... Where No Fan Has Gone Before is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of the animated series Futurama. ... The starship Enterprise as it appeared on Star Trek Star Trek is a culturally significant science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Major General Webelo Zapp Brannigan is a fictional character in the television series Futurama. ... Family Guy is an Emmy award winning American animated television series about a nuclear family in the fictional town of Quahog (IPA or ), Rhode Island. ... William Shatner (born on March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor who gained fame for playing James Tiberius Kirk of the USS Enterprise in the television show Star Trek from 1966 to 1969 and in seven of the subsequent movies. ... This article is about the animated television series. ... City on the Edge of Forever (aka Flashbacks) is episode 207 of Comedy Centrals animated series South Park. ... A new 1973 Wayne Lifeguard school bus won in national contest for safety ideas is presented to winning driver from Goochland County Public Schools by Wayne dealer Jeff Davis at Virginia State Capitol A school bus is a bus used to transport schoolgirls and boys to and from school. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... “Cripple Fight” is episode 503 of the animated series South Park. ... The Sev Wide Web is an Australian cartoon site by John Cook, who is known to fans simply as JC. It features parodies of science fiction television programs and films, as well as more conventional cartoon concepts. ... It has been suggested that Star Wreck 4½: Weak Performance be merged into this article or section. ... Babylon 5 is an epic American science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. ... Martin Wood behind the scenes of Stargate SG-1 in Rite of Passage This article is about the television producer. ... Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created by Stoop!d Monkey and Sony Pictures Digital and produced by ShadowMachine Films, currently airing in the US as a part of Cartoon Networks Adult Swim line-up, in Britain as part of the Bravos Adult Swim... The starship Enterprise as it appeared on Star Trek Star Trek is a culturally significant science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. ... Christopher Moore is an American writer of absurdist fiction. ...

References to the redshirt character

• In the video game Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire that takes place in an alternative Ancient Greece (Silmaria), a non-player character called Kokeeno Pookameeso is the first to be killed. Kokkino poukamiso is Greek for red shirt.

• In the episode of Stargate SG-1, "The Other Guys", two scientists are aboard an enemy vessel with the main characters when they come under attack. One turns to the other and says, "We're dead! We might as well be wearing red shirts!" Coincidentally, this character was played by John Billingsley, who portrayed Dr. Phlox on Star Trek: Enterprise. His character in this episode was a particularly avid Star Trek fan.

• In his book Ranting Again, comedian Dennis Miller comments that his movie roles mirror the Redshirts ("Every movie I'm in, I get killed halfway through. I'm like the guy on Star Trek in the red shirt.")

• In the original Star Trek: Voyager Elite Force (a popular computer game), the default multiplayer name for the player is "RedShirt." In multi-player matches, the player who dies the most is given the "Red Shirt Award." In the single player campaign, if the player dies in a firefight, the message "What color shirt were you wearing?" appears. The player's character is always wearing a red shirt.

• The Xbox 360 version of the computer game Star Trek: Legacy has the "Anonymous Red-Shirt Award" achievement awarded when you are the first to die in a 4 player multi-player game. A paltry 5 gamerscore points are given when this is achieved and the unlocked description notes: "You have no name. You wear red. You're expendable."

• During Comedy Central's roast of William Shatner, Shatner calls Greg Giraldo a faceless drone, and says that: "If this were an episode of Star Trek, you'd be wearing a red shirt, and would have been killed by now."

• In Kim Possible episode "Dimension Twist", when Kim is temporarily sent to a Star Trek-esque tv show and given a red uniform, captain tells her she's expendable and sends her on an away mission.

• In the computer game Space Quest V: The Next Mutation, when Roger Wilco and Droole beam down to a sinister decimated settlement, Droole insists on splitting up because Roger is wearing a red shirt.

• In Galaxy Quest, Sam Rockwell's character Guy Fleegman is an extra from a Star Trek-type show who played a redshirt. When one of the crewmembers/actors tries to reassure him that he will not die, Guy counters: "I'm not even supposed to be here. I'm just "Crewman Number Six." I'm expendable. I'm the guy in the episode who dies to prove how serious the situation is. I've gotta get outta here."

• In the TV series Lost, Locke and Boone discuss "the redshirts" in Star Trek while marking a route with torn pieces from a red shirt. Boone, who brought up the subject, dies later that season.

• In the freeware computer game Adventures in the Galaxy of Fantabulous Wonderment by Ben Crosshaw redshirts are a comodity and are central to the gameplay. The player must earn money by trading in order to buy enough redshirts and then use them to complete missions, usually with unavoidable demises at the end.

• In the Homestar Runner cartoon "Let us give TANKS!", Green Helmets are generic members of the Cheat Commandos. They are put in dangerous situations, but the other Commandos choose not to save them, as there are "like fifty" of them. This could also be seen as a parody of G.I. Joes's Greenshirts.

The Temple to Athena, the Parthenon Ancient Greece is a period in Greek history that lasted for around three thousand years. ... Stargate SG-1 (often abbreviated as SG-1) is a science fiction television series, part of the Stargate franchise. ... John Billingsley (born May 20, 1960) is an American actor, most famous in the role of Doctor Phlox on the television series Star Trek: Enterprise. ... Doctor Phlox is a fictional character in the television series Star Trek: Enterprise played by John Billingsley. ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series. ... Dennis Miller (born November 3, 1953, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American comedian, political commentator, television personality, and talk radio host. ... Star Trek: Voyager Elite Force is a first-person shooter computer game made by Raven Software and published by Activision in 2000. ... A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ... The Xbox 360 is the successor to Microsofts Xbox video game console, developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, Samsung and SiS. Information on the console first came through viral marketing campaigns and it was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information divulged... Xbox Live is a multiplayer gaming and content delivery system created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. ... Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel in the United States. ... A roast is an event in which an individual is subject to publicly bearing insults, praise, outlandish true and untrue stories, and heartwarming tributes. ... William Shatner (born on March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor who gained fame for playing James Tiberius Kirk of the USS Enterprise in the television show Star Trek from 1966 to 1969 and in seven of the subsequent movies. ... Greg Giraldo is one of the top stand-up comedians in New York. ... Kim Possible is an American television series about a teenage crime fighter, who has the task of dealing with worldwide, family, and school issues every day. ... Galaxy Quest is a 1999 film written by Robert Gordon and David Howard and directed by Dean Parisot, starring Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Sam Rockwell, and Tony Shalhoub. ... Lost is an Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning serial drama television series that follows the lives of a group of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island, somewhere in the South Pacific. ... Homestar Runner is a Flash animated Internet cartoon. ... Greenshirts is a term applied to the generic-looking soldiers from the cartoon, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. ...

See also

• Cannon fodder, an expression used to denote the treatment of armed forces as a worthless commodity that can easily be expended.
• Character shield, the metaphorical shield that protects "important" characters
• Greenshirts (G.I. Joe)
• MacGuffin, a plot device in a work of fiction that motivates the characters and advances the story, but has little other relevance to the story.
• Sacrificial lamb, a metaphorical reference for a person who has no chance of surviving the challenge ahead, but is placed there for the common good.
• Stormtrooper effect

Cannon Fodder is an expression used to denote the treatment of armed forces as a worthless commodity to be expended. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Greenshirts is a term applied to the generic-looking soldiers from the cartoon, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... A plot device is a person or an object introduced to a story to affect or advance the plot. ... A sacrificial lamb refers to a lamb (or metaphorical parallel) killed or discounted in some way in order to further some other cause. ... The Stormtrooper effect, also called Stormtrooper syndrome or The Principle of Evil Marksmanship, is a cliché in works of fiction where the antagonists are unrealistically ineffective in combat against the protagonists. ...

References