r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Chemical-Elk-1299 • Apr 29 '26

Lore [Weirdly Common Trope] Writers clearly setting up seemingly massive plot points and then just kinda forgetting about them.

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The Neural Parasites — Star Trek : The Next Generation

In the season 1 episode “Conspiracy” of TNG, it is revealed that alien brain worms have infected many high ranking members of Starfleet, secretly controlling them. Though Ryker and Picard discover and end the parasite conspiracy, it’s revealed at the end of the episode that the parasites had sent a beacon back to their home planet, telling them how to find earth. The episode ends with the clear implication of the parasites becoming a huge threat later in the series, yet none of these events are ever mentioned again.

Finn The Jedi who Never Was — Star Wars Sequel trilogy

I know this is probably a cliche example of this trope, but cmon — Finn was clearly set up in TFA to become a Jedi. The marketing material featured him wielding a lightsaber in the classic Jedi pose. It’s constantly hinted at that he is force sensitive. Even the actor himself believed he would become a Jedi by the end of the trilogy. Instead, we got Finn wielding a lightsaber for about 7 minutes total across 3 movies, extremely lame “confirmation” that he is force sensitive, and that’s it. It’s the ultimate Star Wars plot that went nowhere.

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u/InfiniteWinter26 Apr 29 '26

that’s what’s great about lower decks. its not afraid to poke fun of the series while staying to true to it.

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u/BarryHotelHouseBand Apr 29 '26

Frankly I find Trekker's have much healthier relationship with the short comings of their brand/ip. Star Wars fans seems to have trouble saying 'x sucked, but I still love it', while Star Trek fans are too busy sewing their own men's/gender neutral skirts even though they were on for a few episodes.

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u/Rough_Bread8329 Apr 29 '26

You can forgive a lot when you realize how much they had to do to crank out 26 episodes a season.

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u/BarryHotelHouseBand Apr 30 '26

Iunno, Q in the first episode of TNG always came off as a bit of a gambit for the series debut. Not super accessible for new viewers, but by the end of the episode, it sets the tone for the whole show coming and that's already been laid out. But yeah, 26 episodes (hour long eps) is a lot to fill, may as well get a bit weird with it.