https://archive.org/details/CharacterInsightEp225
Unlike most background characters, Darien Wallace has a fairly full history fleshed out in canon of the show thanks to his personnel file being shown on a screen in the season 7 episode Eye of the Beholder. He ends up being a core person in that story about Deanna Troi suffering from alien-induced hallucinations.
However, before this moment, all we knew of Mr. Wallace was his last name and his role aboard Picard's Enterprise, which was as the team leader and specialist regarding the life support systems in engineering. We learn from his personnel record that he won some bioengineering awards before joining the crew, perhaps regarding developments in the life support systems he manages.
Wallace appears in 66 episodes and the movie Generations, making him one of the Top 5 most recurring characters on this version of Star Trek. Ironically, just like Diana Giddings of last week, these highly recurring roles do not come with much in the way of spoken lines, just a consistent background presence. His only true spoken line is one word in an episode called The Next Phase. However, we do see him promoted from crewman to ensign to lieutenant as the show progresses.
That background presence is most often seen in engineering, which makes sense, as well as on specific away missions where his expertise can be used to help colonists or aliens on other planets. Outside a three-episode switch to command division and a red uniform in season 4, Wallace is consistently presented as an expert in his field, and that is indicative of the care the show writers took with some aspects of TNG.
Other than the aforementioned Eye of the Beholder, Wallace's most notable appearances include Descent from season 6, where we first learn his name; and Power Play, in season 4. His red jumpsuit uniform from All Good Things was cut up and put on trading cards, so you may have a piece of Darien Wallace sitting around your collectibles!
Wallace is played by regular background extra Guy Vardaman, who was also the stand in photo double for Data and a research consultant for Gene Roddenberry. When not using his hands to re-create button pushing actions of Data and other characters, Verdaman worked on other shows such as Matlock and Cheers, and he later became Vice President of Production at Warner Brothers Online.
Rest in peace, Ralff...the community will miss you.
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