Redshirt (character)
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A "redshirt" is a stock character in fiction who dies soon after being introduced. The term originates with fans of Star Trek (1966–1969), from the red shirts worn by Starfleet security officers who frequently die during episodes.[1] Redshirt deaths are often used to dramatize the potential peril that the main characters face.
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[edit] Star Trek
In many episodes of Star Trek, red-uniformed security officers and engineers accompanying the main characters on landing parties quickly die.[2] In the Pocket Books Star Trek novel Killing Time, a crew member says, "you don't want to wear a red shirt on landing-party duty".[3] The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine book Legends of the Ferengi says Starfleet security personnel "rarely survive beyond the second act break".[4] The eleventh Star Trek film (2009) features a red-uniformed character who dies early on a mission in homage to the original series.[5]
[edit] Influence
Early scripts for the television series Lost (ABC 2004–2010) describe the character of Hurley as a "red shirt".[2] Galaxy Quest (1999), a comedy about actors from a defunct science-fiction television series serving on a real starship, including an actor who is terrified that he's going to die because his only appearance was as a "red shirt" character.[6] The only character injured in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Older and Far Away" wears a red shirt; writer Drew Greenberg confirmed that this "redshirt" reference was intentional.[7] The term is also used in the Warehouse 13 episode "Implosion".[8] In a 2009 episode of MythBusters, while testing the Gorn Cannon myth, the crash-test dummy, Buster, was wearing a redshirt because it was viewed as bad luck as Grant explained.[9]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Bly, Robert W. (1996). Why You Should Never Beam Down in a Red Shirt: And 749 More Answers to Questions About Star Trek. ISBN 0062733842.
- ^ a b Itzkoff, David (14 May 2006). "On 'Lost,' the Castaway Who Stands Out Without Even Trying". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/14/arts/television/14itzk.html?pagewanted=print. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
- ^ Hise, Della Van (1985). Killing Time. Pocket Books. ISBN 0671524887.
- ^ Behr, Ira Steven; Robert Hewitt Wolfe. Legends of the Ferengi. ISBN 0671007289.
- ^ To Boldly Go featurette on Star Trek DVD release
- ^ "Galaxy Quest (1999) Movie Review". Beyond Hollywood. 2002-11-07. http://www.beyondhollywood.com/galaxy-quest-1999-movie-review/. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
- ^ Buffy the Vampire Slayer Magazine (34). June 2002. "That was totally on purpose. It wasn’t just me - a group of us said, ‘Hey, a red shirt would be cool!’"
- ^ Vaux, R. (2009-08-19). "Warehouse 13: Implosion Review". http://www.mania.com/warehouse-13-implosion-review_article_117130.html. Retrieved 2011-11-24.
- ^ http://blastr.com/2009/12/mythbusters-takes-on-star.php
