The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s pilot episode may have opened with a young Will Smith banging on his wealthy relatives’ front door to the rhythm of Soul ll Soul’s “Back to Life,” but the show truly began when he was reintroduced to his cousin Carlton Banks. Their differences were best illustrated by their respective styles: Will’s striped neon shirt, Air Jordan 5s, and hat cocked at a goofy angle stood in stark contrast to the pink sweater draped over Carlton’s shoulders, his plaid shorts, and his boat shoes. In Will’s eyes, Carlton personified his new environment—when he looked in the mirror and imagined himself dressed as his cousin, his reflection screamed in horror. “I thought that had to be Will’s biggest nightmare, at least when first arriving in Bel-Air,” says writer and satirist Andy Borowitz, who created the show with writer and producer Susan Borowitz, who he was married to at the time. “So that was the inspiration: ‘What is the anti-Will?’”

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which premiered on NBC 30 years ago on Thursday, was Carlton’s story as much as it was Will’s. His life was altered by Will’s presence just as much as being thrust into the upper class changed Will’s. It’s easy to paint Will as objectively “cooler” than Carlton, but their dynamic isn’t that simple to describe. Carlton was an elitist Black Republican who believed capitalism and following a very narrow path of respectability would lead him to everything he wanted in life. He was frequently the subject of Will’s ridicule, but he was equally antagonistic: Perceived mental superiority and a condescending tone were his weapons of choice. Flaws considered, Carlton had layers that prevented him from being a one-dimensional snob. His insecurities humanized him. Part of the reason Carlton was so singularly focused on success was because he felt immense pressure to live up to the standard his high-achieving parents set. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air explored the connection between race and class in America that factored heavily into Carlton’s identity. And the older he got, the more he was forced to reckon with his identity in relation to his privilege. All of the above made for an intriguing character.

[Join Julian Kimble as he looks back on the creation and legacy of Will Smith's straight-laced TV cousin, Carlton.]