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There are conflicting sources for when the character named 'Tanya Hernandez' was renamed 'Tasha Yar'. An answer to this question cites this April 1990 discussion. The 1990 discussion cites an earlier discussion dated 3/17/87. A document mentioned (cited) in both sources says about Lt. Tanya Hernandez. However, an answer to another question cites a note dated 4/13/87 where the same character is already named Lt. Tasha Yar (actually just "Tasha", but not "Tanya").

Can we assume, that Tanya Hernandez became Tasha Yar somewhere between this nearly a month long period? Or is there something else, that I'm missing?

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    You're assuming they cared about being consistent. The writers didn't have to decide on a definite character name until shooting started, so it's possible two competing names were in use at the same time. (The character's supposedly of Ukrainian descent, so I imagine that's why it was resolved in favour of "Tasha Yar" instead of the rather less Ukrainian "Tanya Hernandez".)
    – Royal Canadian Bandit
    Commented Jul 20, 2015 at 8:22
  • @RoyalCanadianBandit: Is "Yar" a Ukrainian name?
    – ThePopMachine
    Commented Aug 14, 2015 at 14:40

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According to this Writer/Director's Guide, dated March 23, 1987 she is listed as:

LT. Natasha "Tasha" Yar
The starship Security Chief, Tasha, who performs that same function both aboard ship and on away missions. Born at a "failed" Earth colony of renegades and other violent undesirables, she escaped to Earth in her teens and discovered Starfleet, which she still "worships" today as the complete opposite of all the ugliness she once knew.

So I guess it is a question of how much you trust that casting call memo transcript dated March 17, 1987.

There is an article online that claims this (last sentence of #3):

And Tasha Yar was original a tough Latina named Macha Hernandez, based on Vasquez from Aliens. - Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion by Larry Nemecek.

It is certainly possible that within the 6 days from that casting call to the publication of the Writer/Director's Guide they decided that having drifted away from the Latina angle the name "Hernandez" and Ukrainian didn't seem to line up and they took the "failed" colony approach of a Ukrainian looking woman.

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