red shirt [red-shurt]
noun
1. A high-school or college athlete kept out of varsity competition for one year to develop skills and experience.
2. Science fiction/ Slang. A stock character killed off soon after being introduced. The term originates from Star Trek (1966-69) where security officers wearing red uniforms were almost always doomed to die on some alien planet.
EX. Who do you think are the most obvious red shirts in genre entertainment? I'm gonna go ahead and say every character on Doctor Who, save the Doctor and his companions, because if you have any bit of a moment on that show you're doomed to be shot by living mannequins, fried by Daleks, or killed by your gooey clone.
