Billy Campbell almost got Riker?

Wow, I'm no Frakes hater or anything...quite the contrary.

But Campbell as Riker is something I would've loved seeing.

 

I don't know if Billy would have been able to pull off the Frakes/Riker stuffiness factor.

 

Given how bad he was in his single appearance, I'm glad he didn't get it. Awful acting, awful character in an awful episode.

 

I'd have to rewatch the episode, but I like everything else Campbell's been in. So it would be interesting to see Riker. Still, Riker isn't Riker if he doesn't have that weird tilted shoulder posture...

 

It was a bad episode, but I thought he was the best thing about it.

 

I wonder if the folks who don't like Riker would have liked Billy Campbell's Riker?

 

I wonder if people would have called him "The Rikerteer". I love that movie. Way underrated. I seriously think it's one of the best comic book/superhero movies ever...right up there with "The Dark Knight", "X2: X-Men United", and "Spider-Man 2". Billy Campbell should be a bigger star just because that movie was so cool and he was great in it.

 

I'm wondering if I, who as we know, adored Frakes' Riker, would have loved Campbell's Riker as much? Or was it just Jon's pretty face I fell for?

 

I liked Campbell in The 4400, I don't recall seeing him in anything else. It's just that "The Outrageous Okona" was a bad episode and he did not give a good showing of himself.

That's really not saying much.

That's the thing, I like Jonathan Frakes' Riker. I like TNG's entire cast just the way it was even if Sirtis is a Tottenham fan.

 

WATCH "THE ROCKETEER". NOW. I think Campbell is great entirely based on that, but I don't think anybody would have been a better choice than Frakes. Just little things he brought to the role that no one else could have done make me believe that. For example, that really warm smile he had over things like Data acting out of character or Troi showing him affection and the way he was the only character who did "The Picard manuever" with his uniform almost as frequently as Patrick Stewart. That stuff isn't written, they're just the unique quirks the actor brings to the role and they are his and his alone that make the character more likable for them. Also, I don't think anyone could have hammed it up quite as entertainingly as Frakes did in "Frame of Mind" and no Frakes means no "Star Trek: First Contact" as it is (which some people on this forurm might prefer, but NOT ME!).

 

Um, no.

 

Would Campbell have grown a beard to set Riker apart from Kirk? Or would he have remained clean-shaven? Hmmm! -- RR

 

Suit yourself, but I say you're missing out.

 

I am so glad that Frakes got the role after reading that.

 

I am not a fan of Frakes, but I loathe that episode, particularly Campbell's role (sorry, Okona lovers!) - so much so that when I found out he had been in the running for Riker, I was actually relieved that we ended up with Frakes.

Which is a sentence I (and probably WillsBabe ) never thought I would see coming from my keyboard.

 

Welcome to the Dark Side, Kate.

 

^

I happened be watching that episode a week or two ago when my husband (who is a much bigger Riker hater than I am - I at least can sometimes enjoy the scenery when I'm looking at him) happened to walk through the room. I said, "I recently heard that the guy playing Okuna there was in the running to play Riker." He stopped, looked, gagged, shook his head in disgust and said, "He's worse than the one we got!"

So I guess there's two more souls on the Dark Side. Sort of.

 

No thanks.

I much prefer Frakes in the role of Riker.

 

for a better idea of Campbell's TV work try and find Crime Story on DVD. it only lasted two seasons, but its a very good hard edged crime series set in the early 60s Chicago and Vegas.