The unlucky day of Friday the 13th is almost upon us, and that has brought to mind the subject of bad luck. There are many ways people say you can find misfortune. A black cat crossing your path is a popular sign of bad luck. It’s said that breaking a mirror will bring you seven years of misfortune. Walking underneath a ladder or opening an umbrella indoors are both considered unlucky actions, not to mention just plain unsafe things to do. If you want a real example of bad luck, you need only look at some of the fates that befall Starfleet officers.
You could fall out into space through a hull breach. Some unlucky souls have been infected with rare alien viruses that are uncomfortable at best and downright horrifying at worst. Time travel or transit through different dimensions could strand someone in any number of unusual realities. There is also always the looming threat of everyday risks from combat with hostile aliens to transporter accidents. There’s no shortage of misfortune that can happen to a member of Starfleet, especially if said officer isn’t named and is wearing a red shirt.
However, fate seems happy to pile the misfortune on to some main characters more than others. It would be bad enough to be abducted, be tormented by a clown, or constantly fail to get a well-deserved promotion. All three, and more? It might seem like the universe just has it out for you. Some Star Trek main characters have even been killed, only to find out that not even death can end their streak of bad luck.
