Cast the Characters of Trek Literature

[Christopher]

^^According to what I read, they looked for older actors who could pull off a Vulcan persona, but didn't find anyone who fit the bill, so they went with Russ. Perhaps Freeman never auditioned for them. Or perhaps they couldn't afford him.

[William Leisner]

Morgan Freeman would have so overshadowed the rest of the cast, you never would have been able to see them in the Stygian darkness...

[Dimesdan]

Christopher wrote:

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^^According to what I read, they looked for older actors who could pull off a Vulcan persona, but didn't find anyone who fit the bill, so they went with Russ. Perhaps Freeman never auditioned for them. Or perhaps they couldn't afford him.

Or he didn't want to be a regular on long running TV programme!

[TJ Sinclair]

William Leisner wrote:

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Morgan Freeman would have so overshadowed the rest of the cast, you never would have been able to see them in the Stygian darkness...

I'm willing to bet that Mulgrew could go toe-to-toe with Freeman and hold her own, but the rest... nah. But then, for the most part... it wasn't that great anyway. Better writing and consistent characterization would have helped all around.

[JD]

ClayinCA wrote:

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That was one of the things that initially had me interested in the character of Tuvok, when the series was first announced. And then they...totally forgot about it, apparently. Big, big shame.

Huh, I didn't realize he was originally supposed to be that old.

[Christopher]

Well, Tuvok was explicitly over a hundred years old, as seen in the fact that he served aboard Excelsior under Sulu (although "Fury" erred and claimed he hadn't yet reached three digits). And as we saw with Sarek in "Journey to Babel," 100-odd years is early middle age for a Vulcan. Had Tuvok been the older mentor figure he was intended to be, say, played by someone in his 60s or thereabouts, that would probably have corresponded to a Vulcan around 180 or so.

[William Leisner]

^ JD asked about Tuvok as he was originally conceived, though. Pulling out my copy of the VOY writers' guide for season 2, the character description says, "Tuvok has not lived long (for a Vulcan) but he has lived well, tasting of most of life's experiences. He married young, loves his wife deeply, and has four children -- three sons and a daughter." Very vague, but it doesn't sound like the producers decided that he was old enough to have served under Sulu until they conceived of doing "Flashback" in season 3.

[TJ Sinclair]

William Leisner wrote:

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^ JD asked about Tuvok as he was originally conceived, though.

Exactly.

Pulling out my copy of the VOY writers' guide for season 2

These two sentences are mutually exclusive. By the time the season two writers guide was written, Tim Russ had already been in the role for some time, and thus the character concept was altered. The season one writer's bible states how Tuvok was originally conceived.

[Christopher]

I distinctly remember that the early, pre-casting ideas for the Tuvok character were for an elderly mentor-figure type. I was very surprised when they cast someone so much younger than what the publicity had described. I remember thinking, "Well, I hope they at least put him in a grey wig."

The VGR Companion reprints an early draft of the series bible, and it says:

The Vulcan Tactical/Security Officer is getting on in years--he's 160 (about 60 in human terms), but is as fit as people half his age.... His grandfatherly presence is cumforting to many particularly the young and headstrong B'Elanna, and his age is seen as a virtue; many of the crew turn to him for advice and counsel, and are rarely disappointed.

It also contains a different version of the passage Bill quoted:

Tuvok has lived long, but he has also lived well, tasting most of life's experiences. He married young, had four children (three of whom are Starfleet), and outlived his wife of ninety years.

[William Leisner]

TJ Sinclair wrote:

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Exactly.

These two sentences are mutually exclusive.

No, actually, they are not. My possession and citing of a season 2 guide doesn't change or negate JD's question. But my most profound apologies to you for not having a season 1 guide.

[Christopher]

^^Sorry, Bill, but you're wrong. As my post above indicates, the version of Tuvok described in your Season 2 bible is very different from the original conception that JD was asking about.

[William Leisner]

Christopher wrote:

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^^Sorry, Bill, but you're wrong. As my post above indicates, the version of Tuvok described in your Season 2 bible is very different from the original conception that JD was asking about.

Yes, I understand that. And again, forgive me for citing the information I had available to me. But I clearly stated where I was citing the information from, and did not claim it represented the original intent -- only that it predated the first on-screen reference to Tuvok's age, in "Flashback."

[Cicero]

JD wrote:

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Maura Tierney as Crewman Carol Abramowitz

I don't know why, but she was immediately Abramowitz to me.


One problem for Lt. Choudhury is the dearth of other-than-pale-skinned female Indian actors (nevermind those of the right age or height). Even actors as mildly darkly complected as Parminder Nagra see little prominent work on the Subcontinent.

[David Mack]

Christopher and I frequently are at odds over our visualization of the Jasminder Choudhury character. When I thought her up, I was picturing someone like Rekha Sharma. Christopher had in mind someone taller, closer to Worf's stature. We've never really resolved the debate.

[Dimesdan]

David Mack wrote:

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Christopher and I frequently are at odds over our visualization of the Jasminder Choudhury character. When I thought her up, I was picturing someone like Rekha Sharma. Christopher had in mind someone taller, closer to Worf's stature. We've never really resolved the debate.

Maybe you should have a fight to the death to decide