Redshirt (stock character)

In fiction, "redshirt" is an informal term for a stock character who is killed off shortly after being introduced. The term often implies that said character was introduced for the sole purpose of being killed off while adding little else to the story, and is sometimes used pejoratively to point out a redshirt's lack of good characterization or the obviousness of their incoming demise. Redshirt deaths are often used to emphasize the potential peril faced by more important characters.

The term originates from the original Star Trek television series (1966–69), in which red-uniformed security officers and engineers often suffered deaths in the episode in which they first appeared, in contrast to most of the show's main characters wearing other colors.^[1]