Sorry, I misunderstood.
Terry Farrell and DS9 Season 7
- Thread starter SicOne
- Start date
Sorry, I misunderstood.
I remember reading that Patrick Stewart talked her into returning.
Umm, you do realise, don't you, that Terry Farrell repeated history on "Becker"? She campaigned for a higher salary and Reggie was "let go", replaced by a different character/actress.
Every troupe of actors appoints a union rep. on a series, movie or stage show. On DS9, it's been my understanding, Farrell was the union rep. As such, it was her job to campaign for the salary rises when the 5-year contracts were expiring. The group petition got the actors what they wanted for the sixth season. It's my understanding that she did that job in such a way as to make herself unpopular with certain execs.
When negotiation time came for Season 7, the execs went to each actor and made a series of separate offers, breaking the actors' pact, and leaving Farrell on her own.
So you believe it had nothing to do with her acting abilities?
According to "Starlog" at the time, Diana Muldaur had just officially retired from acting and moved away from Hollywood when Roddenberry asked her to play Pulaski. She refused to sign a 5-year contract and negotiated a "special appearance" billing (as did Whoopi Goldberg).
When Season 3 was approaching, all completed scripts featured Pulaski. She made a request to miss the first four episodes in order to film "The Return of McCloud", a telemovie reunion of a series in which she was a key character. There was really nothing TNG's producers could do about the request, since Muldaur had no binding contract.
They decided to create a new CMO - an alien doctor was discussed, and I believe Suzie Plakson's Dr Selar was considered (but her new character of K'Ehleyr had made a strong impression) - then they realised it might be more efficient for the rewrites to simply rehire Gates McFadden.
According to Farrell's own printed interviews, it was a lot to do with her performance.
There was a running gag at Australian conventions, by comperes who'd made DS9 set visits, that Terry Farrell had a reputation for needing many takes to get a scene in the can. Requiring many takes costs a production money. If an actor is costing a production time and money too often, it makes them unpopular. (Similarly, Gates McFadden was given a selection of expensive wigs for Season 3 of TNG, to alleviate a problem from Season 1 that involved the time wasted sending her back to Hair & Makeup often, to have her fine red hair reset; the harsh studio lights were affecting continuity, but the backlash of frustration ended up blaming the actor.)
The fact that the other actors would negotiate separately--including Dorn--should be damming, I would think.
Just because she played his wife doesn't mean that they had a special bond in real life. Were they involved in some way?
Only that she constantly references that the two had a strong friendship in her interviews, and that a lot of the on camera flirting that they did was a deliberate attempt to get more screen time together. Moreover, she claims that she had strong friendships with TNG actors in general.
The question is: Did any of these actors echo this affirmation of strong friendship?
Not at all, that's quite plausible, a bad hairdo would become the center of attention if they ever dared to film regardless. It's only in episodes where it has a purpose that it can be tolerated, like when Riker was sleep deprived in Schisms for example.
Sirtis says that she visited Farrell on the set of DS9, which is usually the prelude for Sirtis to launch into her "Deep Space Snore" monologue. Obviously, Dorn is asked about working with Farrell, but I don't think I have ever heard or read him commenting on Farrell leaving the show. Of course, the TNG actors were not hanging around the Paramount set on daily basis by 1997-1998, so there would have been fewer opportunities to share her experiences with them if Farrell's friendships were that close.
There's some fascinating tattle-tale I've never heard before going on in this thread. 
I do know that Farrell and Sirtis have each confirmed that the other was a friend, and that the friendship apparently came about before DS9 ever happened. Farrell has said one of the first people she told when she landed the role of Dax was Sirtis.
I do know that Farrell and Sirtis have each confirmed that the other was a friend, and that the friendship apparently came about before DS9 ever happened. Farrell has said one of the first people she told when she landed the role of Dax was Sirtis.
But that doesn't really count as Sirtis wasn't a part of the main cast of DS9.There's some fascinating tattle-tale I've never heard before going on in this thread.
I do know that Farrell and Sirtis have each confirmed that the other was a friend, and that the friendship apparently came about before DS9 ever happened. Farrell has said one of the first people she told when she landed the role of Dax was Sirtis.
I shall avoid the issues of acting ability and monetary concerns as I feel enough has been said on these in 16 pages!
My major issue with the change form Jadzia to Ezri is that, once again, the position of Science Officer (in terms of a senior officer who is a regular character) disappeared. Granted that it was written in a time of war and so a Counselor was needed to asses the psychological state of the crew, however this seems to have become the norm in post TOS trek.
TOS - Spock > Sonak (TMP, killed in transporter accident), Decker > Spock.
TNG - Apparently Data, amongst everything else he did, but he is an android, so I can not argue. The only additional point is the existence of dedicated science stations on the bridge, but no "perma-character" to use them.
DS9 - Jadzia Dax.
VOY - Mix and match until "7 of 9".
Ent - T'Pol, however this just, in my opinion, felt like fan service ~ a Vulcan Science Officer, where have I heard that one before? As well as "eye candy" ~ a female in skin tight cat suits, once again, where have I heard that one before?
It just seems odd to me that a role with such a high level of importance, in a show about discovery and exploration, keeps disappearing or being incorporated into other roles.
My major issue with the change form Jadzia to Ezri is that, once again, the position of Science Officer (in terms of a senior officer who is a regular character) disappeared. Granted that it was written in a time of war and so a Counselor was needed to asses the psychological state of the crew, however this seems to have become the norm in post TOS trek.
TOS - Spock > Sonak (TMP, killed in transporter accident), Decker > Spock.
TNG - Apparently Data, amongst everything else he did, but he is an android, so I can not argue. The only additional point is the existence of dedicated science stations on the bridge, but no "perma-character" to use them.
DS9 - Jadzia Dax.
VOY - Mix and match until "7 of 9".
Ent - T'Pol, however this just, in my opinion, felt like fan service ~ a Vulcan Science Officer, where have I heard that one before? As well as "eye candy" ~ a female in skin tight cat suits, once again, where have I heard that one before?
It just seems odd to me that a role with such a high level of importance, in a show about discovery and exploration, keeps disappearing or being incorporated into other roles.
I am not sure what you are getting at. Dax is the only case in which the character disappeared and there was not science/ops officer. And, yes, Spock would not have reprised his role in the anticipated Next Phase series, leading to Sonak being created. However, those changes were made largely due to the choices of the actors, not because of story choices.
Perhaps more importantly, Deep Space Nine is not about "exploration and discovery." It is about encounters and conflicts. The science of of Trek was deliberately weaker in DS9 than in the other series of the franchise. Dax, along with Bashir and O'Brien, were there to inform us about science and technology issues when they were relevant. However, her character was more important as the Old Man: the person who advised Sisko about political and strategic issues.
It is worth saying that Enterprise was only secondarily about exploration and discovery: it was primarily an origins story of the other series.
Which is kinda odd, since the time of Enterprise is, when pretty much everything is yet to be discovered.
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