https://archive.org/details/CharacterInsightEp224
Giddings has 58 appearances spanning all 7 seasons of the show, and she starts as primarily an engineering background grunt. Most of her first season appearances are on the bridge or in main engineering, typically in the memorable skant dress uniform from that season. In a more notable moment, she is one of the crew members affected by polywater intoxication and that causes her to get amorous with a male crewmate in engineering...just in time for Valentine's Day!
In the second season, this background character switches to sciences division and a blue uniform. She is most often seen in sickbay or in scenes with Dr. Pulaski. Much like Dr. Pulaski, the second season doesn't end well for her, as she is apparently demoted by the time she appears as a regular crewman in season 3.
Her appearances thin out as the seasons go along, but one of her normal roles was as a close personal friend to the O'Brien family in the middle seasons. She takes care of Molly on occasion for the new parents, which dovetails nicely with her continued duties alongside Nurse Ogawa and Ensign Martinez in sickbay.
Ironically her appearances ramp back up in the final season, but most of these appearances are off duty in Ten Forward. She's an easy recognizable face in the crowd to insert in many situations when another extra would've been cast but the show runners preferred some continuity. She still does not receive any significant dialogue, much like some other characters we've covered, including the aforementioned Ensign Martinez.
Giddings is played by Lorine Mendell, who was also the stand in for Gates McFadden. That's probably why it was convenient to make her a medic after season one. She also appears in Star Trek Generations, but only has two other small acting credits to her name beyond the Trek connections.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone, and here's to more love and Star Trek in the world. Happy Birthday to Simon Pegg as well, who was born on this day in 1970 long before becoming a movie writer and the new generation of Scotty.
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