Hidden Depths
Doyle's death, Q's continuum, the CSM's name, and why we care.
      by Rachel Hyland

The rodent kingdom has never looked so good.

... Ratboy without pausing for breath.

That's right, I'm suddenly in X-Files territory now (believe me, I'm as surprised to find myself here as you are), and I'm glad that I am, 'cause it is here that we will find some very interesting minor characters who have earned their place in pop culture. Well, at least it used to be that way. First there is Ratboy himself, Krycek (Nick Lea.) Leather-wearing, Mulder-kissing, double-dealing Krycek. First brought on board to spy on our intrepid Truth seeker and just generally be all naughty, he was despised by a horrified X-Files fandom, and christened with the above, linkage-allowing nickname. As the seasons went by, Krycek was revealed to be so much more than met the eye (and, oh, that's a thought! A robot in disguise!), and his full hottie status began to penetrate the haze of Duchovny-lust most everyone was victim to.

Soon the conflicted, morally ambiguous Krycek began to build a fanbase ever demanding of more Krycek! More, dammit! The FBI's Assistant Director Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) -- a good man, a fair man, a man with a great butt -- is also a favorite with X-Philes, and one too often absent from their screens. He's ended up in hospital almost as many times as have fearless, going-into-dark-scary-places-alone Mulder and Scully, and there exists a very real fear that he will succumb to the Chris Carter bloodlust in the upcoming, sure to be ratings-challenged, season. Made a victim of The X-Files' ultimate enigma, the man with the nicotine tan, the CSM, the Cigarette Smoking Man! He doesn't even need a full name! Just the initials, and the initials of his description, at that. Oh, sure, we know his real name now, (in fact, lamentably, we know lots about him now), but back when he was a shadowy, threatening figure with no character profile -- and way less creepy history with Mulder's Mom -- his name was more sought after than that of the Childlike Empress (what did that end up being, anyway? I never could make it out.)

We will, no doubt, be seeing more of the friendly Mr. Spender in the threatened X-Files spin-off, cleverly entitled The Lone Gunmen, and detailing the thrilling exploits of Frohike, Langly and Byers and the many things you can do in a basement. Yes, indeed, this show looks like coming to pass, which can only mean two things: cancelled, and how. These Morgan and Wong creations -- three geekoid paranoids with no sense of style and a cringe factor way up there on the scale -- may have seemed like a great idea at the time, but sending small characters from a genre show out on their own, to another show with no clear purpose and likely no original concept other than to have them do the same kind of stuff that they are getting tiresome doing back on the homestead is, perhaps, less than a brilliant move for all concerned.

Okay, sure, so Star Trek did it. But then, that's Star Trek, and they can do anything and still make people watch. Star Trek: The Next Generation's Chief Miles Edward O'Brien (Colm Meaney) had been around since the pilot episode of that stellar series; he was just kind of there, an extra, at the Conn or in Ten Forward, but most often in the Transporter Room. Slowly over time, though, he got himself a wife, a daughter, a history and even a middle name. And he was so popular with fans that when Star Trek: Deep Space Nine debuted and they wanted a non-central Next Generation character to crossover, he left his home on the Enterprise-D to hang out there, with a place in the opening credits and everything. His wife Keiko (Rosalind Chao, whom you would probably have recognized from Max Headroom, if you were me) went along too, but infrequently, although she did produce another child somewhere along the way. Fellow Next Gen-er, the kick-ass Bajoran, Ensign Ro (Michelle Forbes), could have gone along too, and although she declined in favor of Homicide, her character ended up going anyway; re-named Kira Nerys, and played by Nana Visitor. Who later married and had a child with co-star Alexander Siddig (Dr. Bashir.) How different might their lives have been had Michelle Forbes taken that part? How very Sliding Doors.

Q, the omnipotent consonant.

That is not to say that Ensign, later Lieutenant, later renegade freedom-fighter, Ro was never seen again. Oh, no. After her re-appearance for a guest shot in TNG's Season Seven, she joined the rebel Maquis, and was featured later on the cover of a Star Trek novel, proving once again that is in this officially sanctioned form of Fan Fiction that many lesser, yet beloved, characters -- especially of the Trek universe -- continue to reside.

In Peter David's New Frontier series of books from Pocket, we see many old characters brought back. The mysterious Vulcan Dr. Selar (played by the versatile Susie Plakson) gets a backstory and a lovelife, after her appearance in the episode, "Brothers"; Ensign Robin Lefler (Ashley Judd), erstwhile love-interest of my darling Wesley Crusher, gets a mother and some childhood trauma, after her appearance in only two episodes; and Commander Shelby (Elizabeth Dennehy), who may have been very annoying but was in the incredible "Best Of Both Worlds," gets a First Officer spot, a nickname, and a lot of sexual tension with made up Captain, Mackenzie Calhoun. Tell me now that these books aren't just Fan Fiction with covers, and I'll call you an insulting name of some kind.

But the mostest bestest Guest Star to return and return and make things all cool and stuff is Q. Modeled on lame Original Series villain Trelane, John de Lancie's snide and omnipotent letter of the alphabet is a complex, and very funny man. Alien. Thing. Fan interest in just where he came from, what his agenda was and why Captain Picard was such a big drawcard for him was so prevalent that he has been pressed into frequent service in the Trek universe, in order to have it all explained. Besides, there is nothing cooler than someone who can do anything. I mean, he's omnipotent. That's what omnipotent means. Aside from the best-selling Q novels -- Q-In Law, Q-Squared (featuring, also, Trelane), and I, Q -- he has also appeared in all three modern-day Trek incarnations, actually making Voyager's ratings rise... see, he really is omnipotent.

As are the creators in their own little worlds, sending characters into purgatory, L.A., or into the ground, willy-nilly. But, sometimes, these beloved characters do get their chance to shine... and then it is up to the fans to keep the flame burning.

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