diff --git a/plugins/catalog/src/components/RelatedEntitiesCard/RelatedEntitiesCard.tsx b/plugins/catalog/src/components/RelatedEntitiesCard/RelatedEntitiesCard.tsx
index 9b3c6fb431..f80f138515 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog/src/components/RelatedEntitiesCard/RelatedEntitiesCard.tsx
+++ b/plugins/catalog/src/components/RelatedEntitiesCard/RelatedEntitiesCard.tsx
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ type Props<T extends Entity> = {
   relationType: string;
   emptyMessage: string;
   emptyHelpLink: string;
-  asRenderableEntities: (entities?: Entity[]) => T[];
+  asRenderableEntities: (entities: Entity[]) => T[];
 };
 
 export function RelatedEntitiesCard<T extends Entity>({
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ export function RelatedEntitiesCard<T extends Entity>({
         </div>
       }
       columns={columns}
-      entities={asRenderableEntities(entities)}
+      entities={asRenderableEntities(entities || [])}
     />
   );
 }
diff --git a/plugins/catalog/src/components/RelatedEntitiesCard/presets.ts b/plugins/catalog/src/components/RelatedEntitiesCard/presets.ts
index e469fcb717..9d3586a7e9 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog/src/components/RelatedEntitiesCard/presets.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog/src/components/RelatedEntitiesCard/presets.ts
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@ export const componentEntityColumns: TableColumn<ComponentEntity>[] = [
 ];
 export const componentEntityHelpLink: string =
   'https://backstage.io/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format#kind-component';
-export const asComponentEntities = (entities?: Entity[]): ComponentEntity[] =>
-  (entities as ComponentEntity[]) || [];
+export const asComponentEntities = (entities: Entity[]): ComponentEntity[] =>
+  entities as ComponentEntity[];
 
 export const resourceEntityColumns: TableColumn<ResourceEntity>[] = [
   EntityTable.columns.createEntityRefColumn({ defaultKind: 'resource' }),
@@ -43,8 +43,8 @@ export const resourceEntityColumns: TableColumn<ResourceEntity>[] = [
 ];
 export const resourceEntityHelpLink: string =
   'https://backstage.io/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format#kind-resource';
-export const asResourceEntities = (entities?: Entity[]): ResourceEntity[] =>
-  (entities as ResourceEntity[]) || [];
+export const asResourceEntities = (entities: Entity[]): ResourceEntity[] =>
+  entities as ResourceEntity[];
 
 export const systemEntityColumns: TableColumn<SystemEntity>[] = [
   EntityTable.columns.createEntityRefColumn({ defaultKind: 'system' }),
@@ -53,5 +53,5 @@ export const systemEntityColumns: TableColumn<SystemEntity>[] = [
 ];
 export const systemEntityHelpLink: string =
   'https://backstage.io/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format#kind-system';
-export const asSystemEntities = (entities?: Entity[]): SystemEntity[] =>
-  (entities as SystemEntity[]) || [];
+export const asSystemEntities = (entities: Entity[]): SystemEntity[] =>
+  entities as SystemEntity[];