Berman Was Inflexible?

[Starborn Dragon]

Well, something has been cleared up for me by this headlines.

For a long number of years I was one of those that believed that Farrell was fired because she pulled a Susanne Sommers (Three's Company fame). that is, she tried to get a higher paycheck. And i was upset at her for doing so because I liked her character.

So as it turns out that is not the case. according to her in the headline article, it was because Berman wanted her to have a full commitment to the seventh season, or nothing.

So she decided to opt out because she was burnt out.

And I can't say as i blame her. It does take a lot of energy to play a single role for so long.

So I was wrong to be upset at her.

So all the more power to her.

I still don't understand why the character had to die though. she could've just retired from Starfleet and get involved in a civilian scientific undertaking she was greatly interested in.

Miss Farrell, I wish you well in your future endeavors.

 

[RandyS]

Whatever the case, please don't let this become another Berman-bashing thread. That nonsense is played out.

 

[Vger23]

Well, something has been cleared up for me by this headlines.

For a long number of years I was one of those that believed that Farrell was fired because she pulled a Susanne Sommers (Three's Company fame). that is, she tried to get a higher paycheck. And i was upset at her for doing so because I liked her character.

So as it turns out that is not the case. according to her in the headline article, it was because Berman wanted her to have a full commitment to the seventh season, or nothing.

So she decided to opt out because she was burnt out.

And I can't say as i blame her. It does take a lot of energy to play a single role for so long.

So I was wrong to be upset at her.

So all the more power to her.

I still don't understand why the character had to die though. she could've just retired from Starfleet and get involved in a civilian scientific undertaking she was greatly interested in.

Miss Farrell, I wish you well in your future endeavors.

I never thought it was anything BUT the fact that she didn't want to commit to a 7th season. Where would you have heard otherwise?

Also- the character wasn't killed completely.

 

[Starborn Dragon]

I wasn't trying to Bash Berman.

 

[Starborn Dragon]

Well, something has been cleared up for me by this headlines.

For a long number of years I was one of those that believed that Farrell was fired because she pulled a Susanne Sommers (Three's Company fame). that is, she tried to get a higher paycheck. And i was upset at her for doing so because I liked her character.

So as it turns out that is not the case. according to her in the headline article, it was because Berman wanted her to have a full commitment to the seventh season, or nothing.

So she decided to opt out because she was burnt out.

And I can't say as i blame her. It does take a lot of energy to play a single role for so long.

So I was wrong to be upset at her.

So all the more power to her.

I still don't understand why the character had to die though. she could've just retired from Starfleet and get involved in a civilian scientific undertaking she was greatly interested in.

Miss Farrell, I wish you well in your future endeavors.

In ever thought it was anything BUT the fact that she didn't want to commit to a 7th season. Where would you have heard otherwise?

Also- the character wasn't killed completely.

It was something I heard a very long time ago.

 

[RandyS]

I wasn't trying to Bash Berman.

I know, but these type of threads have a bad habit of degenerating into that, and I'm hoping it doesn't.

 

[Melakon]

It was known during production that Farrell had signed on for only six years, and when the contract was up for renewal, she already had been looking for other work elsewhere.

 

[MacLeod]

It's not really fair to blame one side of the other, at the end of the day neither side could reach a deal. For all we know Farrell was only willing to commit to half the episodes, the studio could have come back with a 75% offer. Remember it's not like they hadn't given time off for actors to pursue other work, i.e. Colm Meany.

 

[Lance]

a) My understanding is that there were other extenuating factors (ie a string of behind-the-scenes problems with her going back years) meaning TPTB were not inclined to "play ball" with her demands.

b) I don't think it's at all unreasonable for a production company to ask for a full season commitment from one of their actors; and when said actor pooh-poohs the idea and demands they let him/her have less of a commitment, for them to let the actor go. I don't really see that the production team have got any case to answer on that one. Why should they 'be flexible'?

c) Shouldn't this thread really be in the DS9 subforum?

 

[Misfit Toy]

Moving this thread to DS9...

 

[Richard Baker]

I still don't understand why the character had to die though. she could've just retired from Starfleet and get involved in a civilian scientific undertaking she was greatly interested in.
.

If she was going to leave the show why not give that departure an extra kick by making Worf a widower? It would also add a new layer to the dynamics to have the Dax symbiont in a new host- people it worked with before could still relate to it in the new host but there still would be a new composite with it's own identity to adjust to.

 

[JWPlatt]

If she requested fewer episodes for the same pay, that's a raise beyond the rest of the cast. But the article doesn't elaborate enough to know those kinds of facts.

Was Nicole de Boer actually in every episode, as Berman demanded of Terry Farrell? Isn't it funny how this raises the whole spectre of the similarities between Babylon 5 and Deep Space Nine? Claudia Christian was dropped from Babylon 5 as Susan Ivanova for the final season and the replacement actress, Tracy Scoggins, who came in as Elizabeth Lochley, ended up playing fewer episodes than demanded of Claudia Christian.

I wasn't trying to Bash Berman.

I know, but these type of threads have a bad habit of degenerating into that, and I'm hoping it doesn't.

You do realize, don't you, that by mentioning it, you typically risk inciting the very behavior you wish to avoid. i.e., it's not an issue until you raise it. And behold, this is now the fourth post about it.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Was Nicole de Boer actually in every episode, as Berman demanded of Terry Farrell? Isn't it funny how this raises the whole spectre of the similarities between Babylon 5 and Deep Space Nine? Claudia Christian was dropped from Babylon 5 as Susan Ivanova for the final season and the replacement actress, Tracy Scoggins, who came in as Elizabeth Lochley, ended up playing fewer episodes than demanded of Claudia Christian.

NdB was in all 25 episodes of Season 7.

It is interesting that both lost their model-actress before their last season, but at least DS9's season 7 was intended to be the last, whereas B5 was subject to cancellation.

 

[RandyS]

I wasn't trying to Bash Berman.

I know, but these type of threads have a bad habit of degenerating into that, and I'm hoping it doesn't.

You do realize, don't you, that by mentioning it, you typically risk inciting the very behavior you wish to avoid. i.e., it's not an issue until you raise it. And behold, this is now the fourth post about it.

Um, what?

 

[JWPlatt]

I wasn't trying to Bash Berman.

I know, but these type of threads have a bad habit of degenerating into that, and I'm hoping it doesn't.

You do realize, don't you, that by mentioning it, you typically risk inciting the very behavior you wish to avoid. i.e., it's not an issue until you raise it. And behold, this is now the fourth post about it.

Um, what?

Elephant.

Did you just think of an elephant?

Sixth.

 

[BeatleJWOL]

For a long number of years I was one of those that believed that Farrell was fired because she pulled a Susanne Sommers (Three's Company fame). that is, she tried to get a higher paycheck.

I think that's always the assumption, whether it's Kirstie Alley, Terrence Howard (Iron Man)...sometimes it's right, sometimes it's not.

 

[RandyS]

You do realize, don't you, that by mentioning it, you typically risk inciting the very behavior you wish to avoid. i.e., it's not an issue until you raise it. And behold, this is now the fourth post about it.

Um, what?

Elephant.

Did you just think of an elephant?

Sixth.

Ooookay........

 

[137th Gebirg]

^^^ Don't feel bad - I'm stumped with that one too.

Lemme try something...

I'm thinking of a........BANANA!

Nothing?...Hmmm....

Nope. Still don't get it.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

If there was one regular on DS9 whose character premise jelled perfectly with getting killed off, it was Jadzia, whose Trill symbiont Dax had already had over the course of its lifetime—wait for it—multiple hosts.

By the way, no one's yet provided a link to either interviews or other narratives that they've referenced in the thread.

 

[JWPlatt]

If there was one regular on DS9 whose character premise jelled perfectly with getting killed off, it was Jadzia, whose Trill symbiont Dax had already had over the course of its lifetime—wait for it—multiple hosts.

Sure 'nuff. It might be interesting to have a regular character like that again, but have a new guest star each year by policy (no matter how popular they become). The ratings stunt would be to tune in and see how each one dies.