We with the red shirts know we will die.
It is our fate to be cameos, background players
in the stories of heroes.
The Captain and the Science Officer
will always survive
along with the characters ranked high in the ratings.
We accept our role. What else can we do?
Maybe in our next existence we will play the lead.
If this be our one and only performance
we must content ourselves with the small credit
on our tombstones among the acres of other walk ons,
and our ten seconds of almost fame.
Joseph Farley