Shauna Moerke is…

You don’t want to be a red shirt. Red shirts don’t have names. Red shirts don’t get the cool minion tasks. Red shirts don’t save the day or get the girl (or guy). Red shirts die within the first five minutes of any mission. I repeat: You do not want to be a red shirt.

But you’re a minion you cry, how can you avoid such a lowly fate? You may be a minion but that does not mean that you are interchangeable with every other minion, or at least you don’t have to be.

How do you set yourself apart? By providing value to the mission besides being expendable. Whether it be expertise on critical functions, great ideas or innovations, or going above and beyond your job requirements every day, you need to be remarkable. As a minion it is very easy to just do your job and be nameless. Earn your name. Make sure your inevitable sacrifice isn’t just for dramatic effect. You may even get to contribute to the dialogue.

At the very least you can become the plucky comic relief. Every mission needs someone who can lighten the seriousness of the situation. And they are rewarded more often than killed.