[after the red shirts worn by crewmembers in the television show Star Trek, who were frequently killed after arriving on a new planet] a character who is not portrayed in any depth; an extra; especially one whose main plot function is to be killed.
- 1985 Major Inconsistancy (Usenet: net.startrek) May 28:You're right, Redshirts are never allowed to survive an episode.
- 1994 Powers... Tim Powers (Usenet: rec.arts.sf.written) July 17:I recognize that this particular vice (offhand treatment of "extras" (or "redshirts," if you prefer)) is not unique to Zelazny, but somehow it seems that he disposes of them with unusual relish.
- 1994 SFRA Rev. July–Aug. № 43: The weakest part of the book was the use of the dreaded "redshirt syndrome."
- 2004 Ace Double Reviews, 43: Silverberg/Temple (Usenet: rec.arts.sf.written) Apr. 8:The book concerns the first expedition to Venus, led by a lugubrious Captain who believes himself cursed by his first name (Jonah), and crewed by several redshirts.
