Look, I'd be lying if I didn't note from the outset that Denise Crosby was one of my first crushes as a kid, and that this factors into my analysis of Tasha.

But that being said, I can't help but note that Natasha is the Mk. I of a mold that would ultimately wind up becoming an excellent character in Trek. As written in the series bible, Natasha is a really interesting character, and yes, I mean character. She's someone who has overcome a lot of trauma in her life, and even though she still struggles with the lingering after effects of that trauma, she doesn't let that trauma define her, and instead harnesses and sharpens the skills she developed in those circumstances to protect and defend people who aren't as strong as she is. That's a progressive character in our time, let alone in 1987. There are plenty of characters, like Olivia Benson, Starbuck in the Battlestar Galactica reboot or Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender, who broadly speaking follow a similar mold, and have become iconic characters in their own right.

And in Trek, I should note that this description fits Kira Nerys and Seven of Nine to a T, and Kira and Seven are absolutely two of the richest, most developed characters in Trek.

That Natasha Yar was never given the chance to develop and join this pantheon, and was written largely with the writers gooning over Denise when they weren't tossing the character under the bus, I can't help but see as a missed opportunity. When given the chance with material up to snuff, Tasha proved herself to be a resourceful, tenacious character in her own right, and a welcome addition to the ensemble. And Denise was up for the acting challenge when given good material. Put it all together, I don't think my first crush completely explains why I think Natasha Yar was a character with a lot of potential for greatness, and wish that we'd had the chance to see that greatness develop.