Star Trek: Voyager killed off the troubled Betazoid crewman Lon Suder (Brad Dourif) much too soon, robbing the series of its most fascinating recurring character in season 3. After the events of the Voyager series premiere "Caretaker," the titular vessel became home to both its surviving Starfleet crew and a group of Maquis operatives who also found themselves stranded in the Delta Quadrant. The Maquis survivors were given provisional Starfleet commissions, with their leader Chakotay (Robert Beltran) even becoming the ship's First Officer.
Among the former Maquis operatives was Lon Suder, an empathic Betazoid who had uncontrollable violent urges all of his life. Suder's world wasn't even threatened by the Cardassians; he joined the Maquis so he could have an acceptable outlet for his violence. After Suder killed a Voyager crewman for no reason, Lieutenant Tuvok (Tim Russ) attempted to cure him of his urges through a Vulcan mind meld. The plan was partially successful, as Suder's homicidal urges eased somewhat, but were temporarily transferred to Tuvok. After recovering, Tuvok continued to work with Suder to help him maintain his self-control.
