Sure, a lot of shows have the core cast figured out from the get-go — but sometimes there’s a character so great you just have to get them in the mix. Or, you know, get their head off the chopping block.

There have been more than a few characters destined for the grave that got a reprieve because fans just loved ‘em so much, dating all the way back to the early days of the genre. Fans can be a fickle group, and the lot of us don’t like losing a character we like.

Fans relate to these characters, and sometimes writers have made wholesale changes to a series to keep around a character the fans refused to let die. Now that’s devotion.

Of course, sometimes the writers make the right call before fans even get a chance to meet the character (i.e. Jack’s averted demise in the Lost pilot), but a lot of times, it’s the fans who help make the decision.

So here are some beloved sci-fi characters who were originally supposed to bite the dust.