Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) carried a hologram of Lt. Yar for the rest of his life, even unto Star Trek: Picard. In fact, one of Star Trek: The Next Generation's best episodes, "The Measure of a Man," Data's statue of her was proof of his personhood. And, although Michael Dorn did an excellent job playing Lt. Yar's replacement Chief of Security, Lt. Worf, he never fully left her shadow on the Enterprise. Maybe that’s why, more than thirty years after the finale of The Next Generation, it is always amazing seeing Lt. Tasha Yar in "All Good Things..."
It’s Always Great To See Tasha Yar’s Final Appearance In Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Finale
Time Travel Means That Tasha Yar Can Be A Hero One More Time
Star Trek: The Next Generation has arguably the best finale in the franchise's history. It includes the perfect mix of callbacks to seven incredible seasons of television and a deeply compelling plot. In "All Good Things..." John de Lancie's Q returns to put Captain Jean Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and humanity on trial once again. Captain Picard has to think across three different points in his own history, working in his own past, the narrative present, and a possible future. And, because Captain Picard is reliving his past, Lieutenant Tasha Yar is a key player in the episode.
It is Lt. Tasha Yar who stands up for the crew of the Enterprise when Captain Picard appears to be putting the ship in danger with no explanation, and the episode takes plenty of time to show Lt. Yar's deep bonds of friendship with the other classic characters from TNG. If "Yesterday's Enterprise" gave Denise Crosby the chance to play the Tasha Yar she auditioned for, then "All Good Things..." was the perfect sendoff to that iconic version of the character.
I Wish Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Found A Way To Bring Back Denise Crosby As Tasha Yar
It Would Have Been Hard To Bring Her Back, But I Would Have Loved To See Denise Crosby Again
The only thing that could have improved Lt. Tasha Yar's presence in the finale of TNG would have been if Denise Crosby could have reprised the role one more time. What made Star Trek: Picard so awesome was the fact that it was able to pull together so many different classic Star Trek characters and give audiences a glimpse into beloved characters' futures. In Star Trek: Picard season 3, Admiral Picard is able to pull together almost the entire original crew from The Next Generation, including Lt. Commander Data who technically died back in Star Trek: Generations.
In "Surrender," Data even brings up his old hologram of Tasha Yar, giving her one final Star Trek appearance. Nevertheless, I really wish that we could have seen Denise Crosby one more time. Whether it involved time travel or the version of Yar that was captured by the Romulan Empire somehow, I think that seeing Tasha Yar again in Picard would have been absolutely iconic. Still, even if all I have are "Yesterday's Enterprise" and "All Good Things...", Lt. Tasha Yar will always be one of my favorite characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
