Star Trek doesn't always get characters right from the start. It was a topic we covered recently, where we looked at three of the most poorly conceived characters at the start of their respective stories. Those three names are characters that we felt were lacking in one way or another or just outright poorly conceived from top to bottom.
We stand by that list, but we'd also like to look at the flip side of the coin. Life is about balance and the world of Star Trek deserves to be just as praised as it is criticized. So we'd like to look at the characters that the creators got perfect from the jump.
Side note, Spock won't make the list, as he technically doesn't qualify. Spock is a widely different character in the original pilot of the show, and so we have to consider that as we go through these characters.
Worf - Star Trek: The Next Generation
From the onset, Worf was the first Klingon to join Starfleet. Having grown up on orphan on Earth, he felt a sense of duty to the planet and the parents who helped raise him. Wanting to serve a greater idea, he joined Starfleet where he would eventually become one of Jean-Luc Picard's most trusted crew members. His stoic nature was only undercut (at first) by his utter brilliance at comedy. To this day, how he explains the Klingon courting customs to Wesley Crusher remains one of the funniest things the franchise has ever produced.
The Doctor - Star Trek: Voyager
The Doctor, in the storyline, wasn't supposed to be a major factor on the ship. He was only supposed to help the service doctor onboard the USS Voyager. A situation he never got to experience, as the surviving doctor was killed when the Voyager was sucked into the Delta Quadrant. From there, he was forced to evolve from the bare-bones program he was, into a more full-fledged and fully fleshed-out character. A journey only made possible by the character's early designs.
Quark - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Quark didn't evolve much over the course of Deep Space Nine, but he didn't need to. The way he played off of Odo (another contender for the list) was brilliant. While the actor under the mask, Armin Shimerman, had already played a Ferengi years before on The Next Generation, Quark served as a redemption for both the actor and the Ferengi species. He was able to give the Star Trek universe it's own slimy bartender, who would do anything for a buck. Yet, they did it in a way that stayed true to the Star Trek philosophy.