Why Star Trek: The Next Generation Killed Tasha Yar After Just One Season

The passing of Tasha Yar in the first season of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was one of the series' saddest and most shocking deaths, but the character was written out because of actress Denise Crosby's desire to leave the show.

Season 1, Episode 22, titled "Skin of Evil," marked the death of Tasha. The USS Enterprise travels to Vagra II after a shuttle carrying Deanna Troi crashes on the planet. The away team approaches the shuttle, but they notice a black puddle that Data identifies as sentient. The puddle transforms into a figure calling itself Armus. When the team tries to negotiate with Armus to let them rescue Deanna, the entity refuses and tells them to leave the planet. Yar proceeds to walk past Armus, who blasts her, instantly killing the chief of security.

Speaking with StarTrek.com, Crosby explained why she decided to depart: "For me, I was miserable. I couldn't wait to get off that show. I was dying. This was not an overnight decision. I was grateful to have made that many episodes, but I didn't want to spend the next six years going "Aye, aye, captain," and standing there, in the same uniform, in the same position on the bridge." "The Next Generation" lead Patrick Stewart might have been severe toward Crosby and other cast members during filming, but what ultimately led her to exit was that she believed her character deserved more.

Denise Crosby felt that "Star Trek: The Next Generation" did not explore her character enough. "She was so physically capable and had this very strong persona, but inside was just this little girl that felt very much out of her depth," Crosby told StarTrek.com. "It gave me a clue to the character. And then nothing was ever done with that." 

Crosby explained in a SciFiNow interview how the character's lack of focus drove her to exit the show. "I loved the idea of playing this fierce warrior with a fragile side, and I was always trying to find ways to illustrate that," she said. "I just wish they had elaborated more on her character. I guess I started to feel that they weren't going to write for her." She added that her ambition to pursue more substantial acting opportunities was what drove her to leave the show, also noting that Gene Roddenberry was "completely understanding" about her situation.

Interestingly, Crosby returned to the series in Season 3, Episode 15, "Yesterday's Enterprise," as an alternate-timeline version of Tasha. She also appeared as Sela, Tasha's half-Romulan daughter, in the two-part episodes "Redemption" and "Unification." Unlike Tasha, Sela was an antagonist who was a conspirator in the Klingon Empire's civil war. Crosby returned as Tasha in the "TNG" series finale, "All Good Things," and has voiced the character — who remains a fan favorite — in video games.