The first season of Star Trek: The Original Series definitely had its share of problems, including a limited budget and complaints from NBC executives that certain characters should be pulled from the show, particularly the "satanic-looking" Mr. Spock.
Fortunately, Spock stayed and gave us one of the best TOS characters of all time, while others were so annoying that the thought of launching them out of a Jefferies tube didn't seem like such a bad idea. With that in mind, here are the most annoying Star Trek: TOS characters from season 1.
3. Lieutenant David Bailey ("The Corbomite Maneuver")
Lt. Bailey was Mr. Chekov 1.0 but without the skill, charm, and determination. As Dr. McCoy notes to Captain Kirk, Bailey might be too inexperienced to take the navigator's spot, and as usual, Bones is on point with his diagnosis. This kid sasses his superiors, takes no responsibility for his actions, and shrieks like a pair of preteens whose mom won't take them to Hot Topic when the confrontation with Balok ramps up.
My favorite moment is when Bailey tells Spock humans have an "adrenalin gland" to cover his fear on duty and, Spock says without missing a beat, "That sounds most inconvenient, however. Have you considered having it removed?" Sulu watches this exchange with absolute glee!
Bailey has Frank Grimes energy: he complains, he's about average at his job, and he lashes out at his coworkers when his anxiety over Balok rises. He even sounds like Grimes when he complains about Sulu doing a countdown (it's part of his job).
While Bailey does redeem himself somewhat by offering to stay with Balok as a cultural exchange, it's likely none of the bridge crew was sorry to see him go. Whatever happened to Bailey, anyway? Was this a "To Serve Man" situation like in The Twilight Zone? "It's a cookbook!"
2. Finnegan ("Shore Leave")
When Kirk and his crew visit an uncharted planet, it seems to read their minds and present them with objects they desire, things that frighten them, or people from their past who couldn't possibly be there. One of these people, a goofy yet arrogant cadet from Starfleet Academy named Finnegan, shows up and clocks Kirk in the jaw without explanation.
I suppose most viewers find Finnegan annoying because of his cartoonish laugh and overblown personality, but he existed that way because that's how Kirk remembered him. He punches Kirk around, calls him names, and treats him just like he used to. I have to wonder where campus security was because Finnegan beat down Kirk so often.
The Caretaker finally arrives and tells the group about the importance of play (a stance I agree with). I believe many adults would be happier if they got to build stuff with Play-Doh or have roleplay with action figures at least an hour a day.
Once Kirk finally realizes his desire was to get a chance to fight with his Academy bully, the obnoxious Finnegan vanishes. The actor behind Finnegan, Bruce Mars, seemed to have a blast with this role, despite the character's annoying personality.
1. Benjamin Finney ("Court Martial")
Just when you thought Bailey was a useless bonehead, along comes Ben Finney. This is a man who peaked at Starfleet Academy and would likely return for homecoming every year if he weren't serving in deep space.
He and Kirk were friends when they served together on the USS Republic, where it seems that Finney made a serious error and Kirk reported the incident. Finney blamed his old friend for slipping to the bottom of the promotion list. From then on, Finney made it his mission in life to ruin Captain Kirk.
Finney's not interested in learning from his errors or experiencing any kind of emotional growth, which makes him the worst and most annoying type of person. Finney doesn't even give a thought to his daughter's safety, until Kirk tells him she was brought on board the starship.
Finney was ready to destroy the Enterprise! However, he breaks down once Kirk declares Finney's daughter, Jame, is aboard the vessel, too, which gives our beloved captain the chance to finally take the annoying guest character down.
I have to wonder what Finney's plans were if his scheme had worked. It's not like he could come out of hiding and admit that he was never dead. He couldn't have served in Starfleet unless he changed his name and appearance, and even then, it's likely he wouldn't have been promoted for some time.
Do you agree with our list of the most annoying Star Trek: The Original Series characters from season 1? Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.