Cast the Characters of Trek Literature

[Sci]

Sho wrote:

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I found Illyria to be chilling as well, but mostly because of what her existence meant in terms of the transformation of Fred (the episode in which it happens was nothing sort of gut-wrenching - I'm not normally easily emotionally disturbed, but memories of that episode are very actively unpleasant to this day). I don't think Acker acted her all that well - I just don't buy cold and evil from her.

Well, your mileage may vary, but I literally don't know how you could say that. Chalk it up to different aesthetic tastes.

As for Strahovsky, I actually only have her voice to go by, to be honest. I have only vague memories of the Chuck pilot at this point and never watched more. But she voices (and lends her physical likeness to) a key character in Mass Effect 2 who is trained paramilitary, and even then doesn't seem particularly hardassed.

I can't speak to anything related to Mass Effect.

[Sho]

Note that I didn't mean to say that I disliked Acker's performance as Illyria. I'm generally quite fond of Acker and, aside from being angry at Illyria for taking my Fred away, thought that the character was good fun ... I just don't think it was all that convincingly acted.

Some impressions of Strahovsky in ME2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZjrC_7fRGk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B854qMqKC70

[Captaindemotion]

^ Wow, I've never felt that at all. I thought she was brilliant at making the two characters totally distinctive from one another. In particular, the scene in Never Fade Away, where Ilyria pretends to be Fred in order to soothe a dying Wesley was superbly acted by Amy. She just visibly changed her whole manner, voice, body language, everything, in front of your eyes.

[Christopher]

I've seen Acker in a number of different roles and I think she has enormous range as an actress. I see no reason she couldn't play T'Prynn.

[Sci]

Sho wrote:

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Note that I didn't mean to say that I disliked Acker's performance as Illyria. I'm generally quite fond of Acker and, aside from being angry at Illyria for taking my Fred away, thought that the character was good fun ... I just don't think it was all that convincingly acted.

I have no idea why you would say that.

Some impressions of Strahovsky in ME2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZjrC_7fRGk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B854qMqKC70

Well, her character there is obviously the sexed-up love interest, so I don't really think that demonstrates that she can't play a character who's a cold hardass.

[Sho]

Actually, the video gives a bit of a skewed impression in that Miranda isn't the love interest in the game. Rather, it's an option the player may pursue, but there are other potential partners, and accordingly one's relationship with Miranda may also be dominantly professional in tone and romance-free (as it was for me when I played the game). However, that's precisely what makes it so popular to upload the romance stuff to YouTube (due players who chose to go other ways being curious about it) and made this the easiest to find longish video sample of the character.

The character's personal story in the game is mostly about her family background and how it leads to her becoming involved with a terrorist organization the player character finds himself (or herself; one may play as a woman) making an uneasy alliance with, and how she tries to shield her sister from her father and going down a similar path as her's.

Do keep in mind these games are about 60 to 80 hours in length of which many hours are dialogue; there's room to show different sides of a character. I'll admit that for the lack of a better one that video was a fairly poor example though.

[Chris McCarver]

Had another thought for T'ryssa Chen. Indonesian-born actress Tania Gunadi, currently voicing Miko Nakadai (who she plays very close, at least IMHO, to Trys' personality type) on Transformers Prime. http://taniagunadi.com/

Doesn't hurt that she's got a Trek credit to her name (playing an alien Enterprise bridge crew officer in Abrams' movie).

[Christopher]

^Yeah, I've seen some of Transformers Prime, and I see what you mean. She could possibly work.

[Sci]

Sho wrote:

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Actually, the video gives a bit of a skewed impression in that Miranda isn't the love interest in the game. Rather, it's an option the player may pursue, but there are other potential partners, and accordingly one's relationship with Miranda may also be dominantly professional in tone and romance-free (as it was for me when I played the game). However, that's precisely what makes it so popular to upload the romance stuff to YouTube (due players who chose to go other ways being curious about it) and made this the easiest to find longish video sample of the character.

The character's personal story in the game is mostly about her family background and how it leads to her becoming involved with a terrorist organization the player character finds himself (or herself; one may play as a woman) making an uneasy alliance with, and how she tries to shield her sister from her father and going down a similar path as her's.

Do keep in mind these games are about 60 to 80 hours in length of which many hours are dialogue; there's room to show different sides of a character. I'll admit that for the lack of a better one that video was a fairly poor example though.

Well, completely fair then. But Miranda still seems like a very different type of character from T'Prynn, so I don't agree that how Strahovski comes across as her is indicative of her ability to play T'Prynn, anymore than, say, how Heath Ledger played Patrick in Ten Things I Hate About You or Ennis in Brokeback Mountain was indicative of his ability to play the Joker in The Dark Knight.

[Sho]

^ Fair enough. Some day I may also revisit Chuck.

[JD]

Christopher wrote:

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I've seen Acker in a number of different roles and I think she has enormous range as an actress. I see no reason she couldn't play T'Prynn.

And if anyone doubts she can do intimidating I recommend they check out her characters in Alias and Grimm, she was pretty indimidating in both of those. I honestly never considered her for T'Prynn, but I could see her working, although my favorite for the role is still Jodi Lynn O'Keefe.

[Sho]

I know her role in Alias, too, and again, just didn't buy her hardnosed enemy agent performance. Ah well, I seem to be pretty much alone on that one ...

[WarsTrek1993]

Rush Limborg wrote:

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For "Blackjack" Harriman (John Harriman's father, in The Captain's Daughter and the second Lost Era book)--I've long imagined Jack Nicolson.

Good choice!

Tom Skerrit would also make a good Blackjack.

[Sci]

Rush Limborg wrote:

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For "Blackjack" Harriman (John Harriman's father, in The Captain's Daughter and the second Lost Era book)--I've long imagined Jack Nicolson.

I overlooked this earlier, but that is a really good casting choice--Nicolson is perfect for Blackjack.

[Rush Limborg]

(Takes a bow)


Okay...I actually don't deserve credit for this next one--it's by my buddy Admiral_Ranor.

Anyway...how do you all feel about Denzel Washington (with a moustache, of course) as Ben Zoma, Picard's XO on the Stargazer?