Redshirt (stock character)

For other uses, see Redshirt (disambiguation).

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 predictability of the character's death. Redshirt deaths are often used to emphasize the potential peril faced by more important characters.

Captain Kirk (right) and Mr. Spock (left) discover dead redshirts in the Star Trek episode "Obsession" (1967).

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.^[1]

Origin

…red-shirted security guards [who] often got torn apart by a monster or dematerialized by a Klingon…

— The New York Times on redshirts, 2006^[2]

In Star Trek, red-uniformed security officers and engineers who accompany the main characters on landing parties often suffer quick deaths.^[3][2] The first instance of what now is an established trope can be seen in the 1966 episode "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"^[4]

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.^[5][6]

The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine book Legends of the Ferengi says Starfleet security personnel "rarely survive beyond the second act break".^[7] 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.^[8] 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.^[9]

Usage

In other media, the term "redshirt" and images of characters wearing red shirts have come to represent disposable characters destined for suffering or death.^[10][11]

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.^[12] The novel Redshirts by John Scalzi satirizes the trope, as does the video game Redshirt.^[13]

See also

• Cannon fodder
• Sacrificial lamb
• Spear carrier