Roxann Dawson loved B’Elanna Torres’ character development in Voyager

Not all actors end up happy with their characters’ arcs or endings, but Roxann Dawson was certainly happy with how things worked out for Chief Engineer Torres

If some Star Trek actors were asked, they might tell you they didn’t like how things wrapped with their character. Certainly the ones who were killed off might have preferred to remain on the series as well as those whose characters just didn’t go anywhere. Fortunately, Roxann Dawson, who played the half-Klingon/half-human Chief Engineer of the USS Voyager, appreciated her character development.

In an interview with Star Trek: Voyager: The Official Magazine back in 1997 [via Whatculture], Dawson said that she didn’t want B’Elanna to be a goody two-shoes. She also didn’t mind seeing the character’s dark, uglier sides.

"“I don’t want B’Elanna to be a goody two-shoes. I don’t mind seeing her darker, uglier sides. That’s important. It’s part of who she is. It’s good to see her at her worst. It’s good to see her learn from her mistakes. That’s what makes a character interesting.”"

Roxann Dawson’s B’Elanna Torres did have a powerful character arc during seven seasons of Star Trek: Voyager.

Dawson doubled down on these comments in a 2003 video interview with Startrek.com, saying she liked the way her character developed over seven years. On top of that, she thought Tom Paris and B’Elanna’s relationship and its ups and downs had helped B’Elanna. She added that the pair would probably still be on Earth after Voyager returned home, “fighting and loving each other.”

Torres went from a half-Klingon who hated her Klingon side to accepting it as part of who she was. It certainly did help that Paris saw her as a woman he fell in love with. Her rough edges didn’t scare him away, and, in the end, they softened because B’Elanna found someone who accepted her as she’d grown to accept herself. This might have something to do with the reason why Dawson isn’t interested in returning to Star Trek. Her character came full circle on the series, ending up a married woman with a child, and perhaps she feels there no other place for Torres to go.