Billy Campbell almost got Riker?

I've know about this for a while, and still feel that things ended up the way they should have. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED The Rocketeer (still wish Disney had made the two sequels they were going to), but Frakes IS Riker. In my opinion, he was the best choice.

 

Campbell's doing a pretty good job on the new SyFy/Ron Moore series: Helix

and he's still thin.

 

Okona was terrible, but still the best thing about an embarrassing TNG episode. If they'd just quit harping on about how outrageous the guy was supposed to be, it would have been okay, but as it was, I can only categorize it as hackneyed at best.

Apart from Okona, I only remember Campbell as Luke Fuller in Dynasty, but I might just give Helix a try. I'm a big BSG fan so I've been waiting for the excuse to take a look at that show...

But as a Riker/Frakes fan, I'm sure happy Campbell didn't get the role!

 

Rick Berman addresses this in the Season One Bluray documentary, saying then-Head of Paramount Television John Pike said he wouldn't follow Campbell into battle, or something to that effect. So it was Frakes that won the part.

 

Me Too!!!! Frakes is a much better choice for sure.

 

One of the documentaries on the first season TNG Blu-ray mentioned that Campbell was passed over, because someone apart of the production said that based on his military experence, he wouldn't be able to take orders from someone like Campbell.

 

I loved The Rocketeer so it would've been interesting for me to see Campbell in the part. Frakes did a good job, though.

 

Only revived this years-long thread because I've been watching Campbell on his new show, Cardinal, where he is absolutely superb. It got me thinking about the Frakes vs. Campbell for the Riker role.

If TNG had be rebooted in 1997 rather than 1987, Campbell might have gotten the role. He really matured in his 30s, and I completely understand what Berman (and perhaps other producers) thought of Campbell back in 1987, before he had turned 30. He was still young, still a playboy (I was in high school and remember how cute he was), and really didn't have the presence of someone anyone would follow into battle.

I understand why Frakes got the role - he was 35 and had a more authoritative presence and at this point, I cannot imagine anyone else as Riker (and don't want to). But Campbell was a worthy final candidate. Watching him on Once and Again (1999-2002), I see why he made it to the final two.

Here is more info on Cardinal - first two seasons on Hulu: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_(TV_series)

 

Whoa... It's been necroed twice now. If you'd waited 11 or so months, we could've had a 10 year anniversary. Maybe I'll add my opinion when we open it back up in 2024. I wonder what civilization will be like then

 

Yeah, but because-- ponytail!



(Seriously, Lieutenant B.G. Robinson (and B.G. clearly stands for "Bad Girl" ) is housed on deck 08, room 0669 for this episode... so is there one room 0669 on the whole ship and we're all lucky it's on deck 8, or more than 0669 rooms on every deck?)

Campbell isn't any worse compared to all the scenes where Riker had to chat up women. Apart from the one where he's demonstrating to Wesley how to do it with Guinan and Guinan then says "shut up kid"...

Of course, Worf almost got Okona:


(14 seconds in)

 

...thought it was Billy Connolly. Would have shortened BOBW...he would have just told the Borg to FuckOff:

 

I had no idea Billy Campbell was considered for the role until I saw this thread.

Now that I think about it, I wish Campbell was given the role. I am not, nor was I, ever a Campbell fan, but I think it might have been worthwhile. I would have loved to have seen more than one actor play the role of the Enterprise first officer over the course of the series.

Even if Campbell had been given the Riker role, he might not have lasted too many seasons. If Campbell's Riker had turned out to be too much like the swashbuckling Okona, he probably would have worn out his welcome. But at least, the writers could have made a story arc out of it -- why he left, got killed off, got promoted or whatever.

Then they could have brought in someone else. In any case, it would have made sense that there would be turnover at that position.

One of the problems that I had with Frakes's Riker was that he started off as a hot shot ambitious officer who consistently made known that he wanted a ship of his own to command. Yet he never took any opportunity offered him.

I thought Riker's refusal to move upwards seriously diminished the character. He wore out his welcome in my view. He should have left and somebody else should have been brought in to replace him sometime during the series. That would have been a logical progression for his character's story arc.

 

Reading this thread, it almost seems like people look at Campbell as Okona and assume that his role as # 1 (had he gotten it) would have been similar. I'm not sure why people think that. I don't think there's much chance that Campbell as first officer would have been Okona, personality wise.

Unless I'm missing something and if so please let me know.

 

100% true. He should have left to command his own ship at the first opportunity. Isn't it revealed in one of the early episodes that he turned down a promotion to do a tour on the Enterprise? I seem to remember a scene with Tasha where she mentions that. Seems odd for a guy who was so driven to command a ship of his own.

However, what makes sense in character doesn't make sense out of character. Makes sense for Riker to be promoted and written off the show. Doesn't make sense for Frakes. What would have been cool is what someone suggested in another thread. When Will's transporter double shows up, it would have made sense for Riker to move on as captain of his own ship but Frakes still could have remained on TNG as Tom Riker. That would have been cool and would have opened up all sorts of new possibilities.

EDIT - Wow, that must have been a world typo record for me

 

Personally, I don't know enough about Campbell's acting ability, other than the Okona role, to speculate on whether or not he would have been a good fit for the Riker role. I am relying on what the other posters have written.

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If the TNG writers really wanted to earn their pay and be really creative, they could have done what you suggested with the Tom Riker character.

Also, I read another suggestion on some other thread, that if Riker had moved on, Frakes could still have made guest appearances on TNG.

I remember Picard calling out Riker, "Will, what the hell are you still doing here?" (Best of Both Worlds). And that was in season 3. Riker had already worn out his welcome. I was ready for a first officer Shelby.

Had Billy Campbell originally gotten the first officer role and then got replaced later on during the series for whatever reason; or if Frake's Riker had moved on and someone new got promoted to number one, at least it would have given fans a new issue to debate. Who was the better first officer? Who was the better actor for that role? Campbell or Frakes or whomever. But unfortunately, we really can't have that debate.

 

Picard was absolutely correct when he said that. Wil was certainly ready for a command at that point, and arguably could've handled his own command of a ship at the beginning of the series. While he loved being on the Enterprise, he was obviously a career-driven individual, so those two elements were at a contradiction.

The real answer to this all is, of course, that Frakes had a good thing going, and wasn't going to leave a hit tv series with directing opportunities.

 

Campbell didn't have the right look. His look is not as refined looking as Frakes.

 

Are there any photos or video of his audition?

 

For some reason I think Campbell would have overdone and done longer the boyishness/Kirkness, which would seem more and more out-of-place next to Picard.

Why given that a century ago the Enterprise was on a five-year mission (and the crew's positions remained the same) and then TNG's intro implies a longer mission, an indefinite mission. That doesn't mean crewmembers are obliged to stay with the ship for at least 5 years but I think the change does imply they don't think five years is a really long time.

I think the series did change Riker's character to where he wasn't so career-driven or ambitious but while that in a way is stagnation I don't think it made him less interesting.

 

Not that I know of.
But watching in the episode, he doesn't have that classic look that I believe they wAnted.
Face is too narrow, eyes a little too close together, chin a bit too sharp. That kind of stuff.