Marc Alaimo as Shran?

[Aquehonga]

Jeffrey Combs was great in the role. Playing Shran put JC in the minority of Trektors having played multiple ST alien species. JC's predecessor's being the late Mark Lenard & the iconic Marc Alaimo.

Those facts aside:

What would Shran had been like played by Marc Alaimo? How different would Shran have been?

Was Marc Alaimo ever on ENTERPRISE

If not, B&B!?

The late Andreas Katsulas - TNG's Romulan Commander Tomalak & B5's Ambassador G'Kar- had he not tragically died, would've been great casting as Shran also.

[JiNX-01]

Aquehonga wrote:

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Jeffrey Combs was great in the role. Playing Shran put JC in the minority of Trektors having played multiple ST alien species. JC's predecessor's being the late Mark Lenard & the iconic Marc Alaimo.

Those facts aside:

What would Shran had been like played by Marc Alaimo? How different would Shran have been?

Was Marc Alaimo ever on ENTERPRISE

If not, B&B!?

The late Andreas Katsulas - TNG's Romulan Commander Tomalak & B5's Ambassador G'Kar- had he not tragically died, would've been great casting as Shran also.

Honestly, I can't see anyone but Combs as Shran. I could be prejudiced on that issue, though.
As for Katsulas, he was the Vissian captain in "Cogenitor."

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Aquehonga wrote:

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Was Marc Alaimo ever on ENTERPRISE

No.

The last onscreen role he played in Trek was Dukat. The last time he did so was DS9's final episode.

And as fine an actor as Alaimo is, I definitely agree - Jeffrey Combs *owned* the role of Shran. Nobody else could have played that role quite like he did. I wonder what ENT's Season 5 would have been like - Manny Coto has said that Shran would have joined the crew of NX-01.

[Hoshi_Mayweather]

Jeffrey Combs was Shran....

I can't see anyone else in the role.

[Aquehonga]

JiNX-01 wrote:

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As for Katsulas, he was the Vissian captain in "Cogenitor."

I misremembered Andreas Katsulas as being dead longer than he actually is. I just checked imdb & he's dead almost 3 years. Andreas Katsulas died in February of 2006.

Andreas Katsulas's death was a big loss for both Sci-Fi/Fantasy fans & the SFF industry.

[Morpheus 02]

Count me in as another Jeffrey COombs as Shran fan...and i would have LOVED to see him as part of the ENterprise crew...certainl would've made a LOT of sense in building the future Starfleet/UFP.

Now, how about Marc Alaimo as Jonathan Archer???

THAT might have been interesting...

[Hoshi_Mayweather]

Morpheus 02 wrote:

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Now, how about Marc Alaimo as Jonathan Archer???

THAT might have been interesting...

I agree...

[Aquehonga]

Morpheus 02 wrote:

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Count me in as another Jeffrey COombs as Shran fan...and i would have LOVED to see him as part of the ENterprise crew...certainl would've made a LOT of sense in building the future Starfleet/UFP.

Now, how about Marc Alaimo as Jonathan Archer???

THAT might have been interesting...

Shran being 1 of Beckett's regular crewmembers would've been great

And a 1st for a Trek series: having an Andorian be a part of the regular crew

Marc Alaimo as Archer would've been great too

Alaimo would've brought depth, edginess, bravado & charisma to Archer Count Bakula never could.

Alaimo as Archer never crossed B&B's minds.

ENT lasted 4 seasons. So did QL! Yet QL seems like it was on far longer

[Nerys Ghemor]

Oh, MAN...Morpheus--EXCELLENT idea!!!!!!

I really like Scott Bakula, but I felt like the role may not have been right for him--he needs a more low-key role to show off his best. (QL and Cats Don't Dance being a couple of examples.) Something that's intended to give you a feel-good fuzzy, that kinda makes you want to be a little kid again...not an edgier role like I think Archer needed to be. Kind of a kids' movie/inspirational movie type character.

(Note that I do NOT mean any of that bad against SB. There IS a perfectly legitimate place for such characters. I think that once he was cast, the writers--in addition to their other problems--didn't know what to do to play to Bakula's strong suits and it ended up not working.)

[jongredic]

Aquehonga wrote:

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ENT lasted 4 seasons. So did QL! Yet QL seems like it was on far longer

Umm... that's because it did. Quantum Leap lasted five seasons

I think I'd have to agree with Nerys Ghemor's sentiments regarding Bakula as Archer. After Archer becomes grittier and his temper gets shorter, I felt the character became a bit more one dimensional. With the exception of Damage, he just goes from zero to super-annoyed in the space of a scene

Season 4 was odd because we see season 3 Archer in brief bursts, very occasionally you'd get a hint of the old explorer from the first two seasons. The rest of the time, I'm not really sure where his character was at, and I think the writers did him a disservice, as he is a very talented and likeable actor (the rest of the cast's praise for him is testament to that).

Anyway, to drag this post screaming and bleeding back on topic. Alaimo as Shran? No. Maybe though, he could've had a recurring role as one of Starfleet's top brass or maybe a political figure as they got closer to forming the Federation. He does bring a certain gravitas to his roles (i.e. the qualities Aquehonga mentioned), even if it's only a one-time character.

[cooleddie74]

Alaimo is a more than capable actor of carrying off a role like Shran, but Jeffrey Combs was MADE for roles like this. The right body language, smarminess and facial expressions.

[HopefulRomantic]

I can't see anyone else as Shran, either. Jeff Combs put an indelible stamp on the role, IMHO. Not just the swagger and bluster, but the honor and pathos he invested in the character as well. His scenes with Bakula, Blalock, and Graham were terrific.

"The Andorian Mining Consortium runs from no one." Priceless.

[Aquehonga]

QL lasted 5 seasons?

Didn't know that

My bad