Natasha "Tasha" Yar is a fictional character who mainly appeared in the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Portrayed by Denise Crosby (pictured), she is chief of security aboard the Starfleet starship USS Enterprise-D. The character's concept was originally based upon the character of Vasquez from the 1986 film Aliens. Yar first appeared in the series' pilot episode, "Encounter at Farpoint". After Crosby decided to leave the show, Yar was killed by the creature Armus in "Skin of Evil", the 23rd episode of the season – a death that received mainly negative reviews. She was written back into the show for a guest appearance in the third season episode "Yesterday's Enterprise", in which the timeline was altered so that she did not die, and again in the final episode of the series "All Good Things...", in events set prior to the pilot. She has been described as a forerunner to other strong women in science fiction, such as Kara Thrace from the 2004 version of Battlestar Galactica, and a step between the female characters in The Original Series and the command positions they have in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Voyager.
