Redshirt (stock character)
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In fiction, "redshirt" is an informal term for a stock character who is killed off shortly after being introduced. The term often implies that said character was introduced for the sole purpose of being killed off while adding little else to the story, and is sometimes used pejoratively to point out a redshirt's lack of good characterization or the obviousness of their incoming demise. Redshirt deaths are often used to emphasize the potential peril faced by more important characters.
The term originates from the original Star Trek television series (1966–69), in which red-uniformed security officers and engineers often suffered deaths in the episode in which they first appeared, in contrast to most of the show's main characters wearing other colors.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Origin
[edit]In Star Trek, red-uniformed security officers and engineers who accompany the main characters on landing parties often suffer quick deaths.<ref name="itzkoff">Template:Cite news</ref>Template:R The first instance of what now is an established trope can be seen in the 1966 episode "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Of the 55 crew members killed in the series, twenty-four were wearing red shirts, compared to fifteen who had unconfirmed shirt colors, nine in gold shirts, and seven in blue shirts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Official Star Trek website: https://www.startrek.com/article/did-redshirts-really-die-more-often-on-tos</ref>
The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine book Legends of the Ferengi says Starfleet security personnel "rarely survive beyond the second act break".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> A 1998 episode of Deep Space Nine, "Valiant," also references red as a sort of bad luck omen, in which the plot centers around a group of cadets calling themselves "Red Squad", almost all of whom die in the episode.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The 2009 cinematic reboot of the franchise features a character named Olson (portrayed by Greg Ellis) who dies early on during a mission; he wears a red uniform in homage to the trope from the original series.<ref>"To Boldly Go", Star Trek (DVD release) featurette</ref>
Usage
[edit]In other media, the term "redshirt" and images of characters wearing red shirts have come to represent disposable characters destined for suffering or death.<ref>Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling, edited by Monica Valentinelli, Jaym Gates</ref><ref>The Nowhere Bible: Utopia, Dystopia, Science Fiction, by Frauke Uhlenbruch, page 176</ref>
The trope, and its particular usage in Star Trek, has been parodied and deconstructed in other media. Parodies include the 1999 comedy film Galaxy Quest, about actors from a defunct science-fiction television series serving on a real starship, which includes an actor who is terrified that he's going to die because his only appearance in the show was as an unnamed character who was killed early in the episode.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The novel Redshirts by John Scalzi satirizes the trope, as does the video game Redshirt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>