It’s a fair assessment that season one of TNG was a bit of a disaster. This was due to various conflicts of interest between creator Gene Roddenberry and the rest of the writers, as well as an unfortunately timed writers strike that forced producers to use old or discarded material. Another problem was that the characters had not quite found themselves yet. While characters like Data and Picard stayed fairly true from beginning to end, others like those of Riker, the Klingon warrior Worf, and LaForge were not quite there yet. LaForge started out as just another officer aboard the iconic USS Enterprise, with the position of engineering chief not being glorified as a main role just yet. The creators wanted all their main characters to be on the bridge at the front of the action at all times, and engineering was too far away for one of their main faces to be. The role was secondary, filled with ever-changing faces.
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The first face to appear in this role in TNG was that of Lt. Commander MacDougal, and here begins somewhat of a theme. The massive cult success of The Original Series had set a precedent for Star Trek stereotypes. One of these was apparently that every chief engineer had to be Scottish, or at least have a Scottish name. This followed in the footsteps of the iconic Scotty, and something TNG took a while to stop trying to imitate. MacDougal was played by Brooke Bundy, and was accompanied by Assistant Chief Engineer Jim Shimoda. The latter never rose the ranks either because his name was not Scottish enough, or because he became known by fans for comically playing jenga with some important computer chips.
While it was not shown, it is assumed that MacDougal stayed in her command until episode 6 of the first season. At that point, the position is held by Lt. Commander Argyle, another typical Scottish surname to add to the collection. He is perhaps more of a recognizable face, one of the few characters at this time to have a beard aboard the ship (before Riker was allowed to grow in his famous facial hair to go alongside his iconic stance). He appeared first in the episode, “Where No One Has Gone Before,” and was mentioned again later before appearing for one last time in the famous episode “Datalore.” Apparently, the actor breached his contract by disclosing details about his role before the episode aired, so the producers had to let him go. Argyle’s assistant Chief Engineer Lt. Singh was another second in command who never got a promotion, as he was killed in the episode “Lonely Among Us.”
The next appearance of a Chief of engineering came a while later, in episode 18, “Home Soil.” Actress Carolyne Barry took up the position; however, she was never given a name, known only in the credits as ‘Female Engineer.’ Next came Lt. Logan, another name with a Scottish origin, who is perhaps most memorable for being not very nice to LaForge when he was placed in temporary command when Picard and Riker were on an away mission in the episode “The Arsenal of Freedom.”
After Logan came Lt. Commander Leland T. Lynch, a name avid fans might remember, as he would insist on saying his whole name each time he introduced himself. He was unlucky enough to be chief engineer during the harrowing, yet rather senseless, episode “Skin of Evil,” in which Armus (the marmite monster) murdered head of security Tasha Yar. This is where the Scottish name curse ends, as Lynch’s name is Irish in origin. Coincidentally, it also marks the moment where TNG stopped trying to be like TOS and instead took control of its own destiny. Lynch’s time as Chief of Engineering marks the end of the first season, and the beginning of actor Lavar Burton taking on the iconic role he was born to play.
LaForge’s promotion comes in the first episode of the second season in a great moment where he feels the overwhelming pressure of his new role. He is scared of the responsibility, but keen to make his mark and make Picard proud. He understands the importance of his role, where all other Chiefs seem to have brushed it aside. It makes him instantly more likable and relatable, and so began his rule of Engineering and lucrative career in Starfleet. The warp core would not have been the same without LaForge, nor would The Next Generation as a show.
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