SF Debris: The Doomsday Machine

[John Wain]

I think we've got so used to redshirts being killed on TOS that we would no longer consider them important in any other way than being cannon fodder (or just emphasizing how 'dangerous' a situation is). But it would be fair to assume that Kirk does not feel so lightly about a member of his crew and would feel responsible for his/ her well-being. And if he lost one of his close friends under his command, I guess he'd be very hard pressed emotionally.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

I think we've got so used to redshirts being killed on TOS that we would no longer consider them important in any other way than being cannon fodder (or just emphasizing how 'dangerous' a situation is). But it would be fair to assume that Kirk does not feel so lightly about a member of his crew and would feel responsible for his/ her well-being. And if he lost one of his close friends under his command, I guess he'd be very hard pressed emotionally.

Oh, yeah. That's pretty much what we saw most of the time with Kirk. He almost never took it lightly whenever a crewman died.

[John Wain]

OK, we are not shown on screen - but then the 'redshirt dying' is already a motif that has transcended the Star Trek universe and has become popular culture.

I guess that budget constraints, time constraints and what not didn't allow for a better depiction of danger than some random guy being killed on-screen. He was just a one-scene actor whom no viewer cares about, so it would have been pointless to ask Shatner to act like he cared any more than we do. But I still think this was a mistake on the part of the producers, and Kirk was not actually that indifferent.

At least they did not repeat the mistake in TNG, so far as I can recall - it is stupid to treat someone's death like 'oh well, just a redshirt, that is what he's here for'.