LogFAQs > #933136899

44. Malcolm Reed
Yes, Captain.

I was asked to make the entire list of Star Trek characters for this ranking topic. I was too lazy to look them up, so I just did from memory. Afterwards, I rolled my eyes and looked them up just to be safe. Do you know how many pre-DIS characters Id missed? Two: Malcolm Reed and Deanna Troi.

I made jokes about this with Harry Kim and others, but Malcolm Reed is the ultimate supporting Trek character. The dude never gets an episode fully to himself, never gets a real moment to shine, and has limited interactions with everyone except Trip. It took until season 4 for Reed to get anything, where its revealed that he works for Section 31 (let me take this moment to complain about Discovery having a unique comm badge design for Section 31, as if a spy agency would want to have black comm badges that announce who they are when theyre spiesssss). It barely even matters in the end.

Reeds purpose on the ship is to fire phase cannons (because we have to be more primitive than phasers, but not in any way that matters) and to be the captain when the three real characters are down on the planet. As a result, he wins the dubious most competent member of the crew award, because everyone else has the opportunity to screw up, while he has to stay aboard and fix their mistakes so the plot can continue. Like seriously, tell me one personality trait this guy has.

If I can say anything for Reed, its this: hes inoffensive. Theres nothing about him thats actively bad, hes just really, really boring.

---

Not changing this sig until I decide to change this sig.
Started: July 6, 2005