Jennifer Lien status

[2takesfrakes]

Perhaps ... but consider this: Diana Muhldar, who played Dr. Kate Pulaski on TNG used Cue Cards on the show, almost exclusively, during her stay.

Jonathan Frakes' wife Genie starred in "soaps" for years, where they use cue cards, regularly. SNL uses cue cards, extensively, in its skits. Also, the way the coverage is broken up, even on VOYAGER, allows for their use ...

Cue Cards also do much to encourage stilted performances, I'm not suggesting that they're used heavily, throughout STAR TREK. But they've certainly been used!

 

[2takesfrakes]

Others have said that he had script pages taped to props

Now, it all comes out ...!!!

 

[Guy Gardener]

Soaps do 4 to 7 hour of original story matter per week.

You're allowed to cheat.

 

[2takesfrakes]

So, is this why Robert Beltran's career has faltered, because when he's shooting a scene, he'll actually pick up the script and recite his lines from it?

 

[Sophie74656]

Honestly I have no isse with Beltran disliking the show. That's his opinion. I've certainly had jobs that I hated. I just think it's in poor taste to publicly trash the show that you're working on at the time. Even when I've been unhappy at my job, while I was at work I still gave it my best.

 

[stardream]

Now, it all comes out ...!!!

Wang, Russell, and Beltran had their lines taped to the console during the bridge scenes. O'Neil didn't know about this and memorized his. He found out they were doing by accident andso from about the third season on also had his bridge scene lines on his console. After that, though, most of his bridge scene lines consisted of "Yes ma'am".

 

[Sophie74656]

Wang, Russell, and Beltran had their lines taped to the console during the bridge scenes. O'Neil didn't know about this and memorized his. He found out they were doing by accident andso from about the third season on also had his bridge scene lines on his console. After that, though, most of his bridge scene lines consisted of "Yes ma'am".

I wonder if this is a standard thing that is done on shows.

McNeil has said that during a lot of bridge scenes he was there but off camera so he would bring a book

 

[Mudd]

I don't know how common the lines-at-hand thing is, but I know that one short-term cast member on TNG was the focus of some derision for it.

Beyond that, a few weeks after "Yesterday's Enterprise" was shot Goldberg's cue cards were still scattered around the soundstages.

 

[KelisThePoet]

There's an unwritten thing in shows like this, where everyone speaks positively in public, but if you want to leave the show to pursue better opportunities, they don't just write you out, they mutilate your character so you can never return. It happens a lot, must be some kind of unspoken rivalry between writers and actors.

I don't think you can always attribute this sort of thing to offscreen bitterness or rivalry. Melodramatic extremes remain an attractive allure to mediocre or lazy writers. Add to that the critical prejudice about television that persists that dark is always smart, that fictional characters need to be hurt (in obvious ways), and there's a great temptation to kill off or traumatize departing characters and the characters of returning guest stars, when in fact it would take more writerly finesse to write those characters out in a less extreme way that kept open more possibilities.

And on top of all that, I think a lot of writers for television series just get tired of writing for characters that keep showing up again and again. They get tired of finding ways to keep the drama going without destroying the characters. So when a character is leaving or returning for a one-time guest role, they get the chance to do something different and have at it.

 

[Lynx]

Honestly I have no isse with Beltran disliking the show. That's his opinion. I've certainly had jobs that I hated. I just think it's in poor taste to publicly trash the show that you're working on at the time. Even when I've been unhappy at my job, while I was at work I still gave it my best.

I admire that he's honest and dare to say what he's thinking instead of being a yes-sayer and a nodding donkey.

 

[2takesfrakes]

The Man's his own worst enemy.

 

[Triskelion]

I don't think you can always attribute this sort of thing to offscreen bitterness or rivalry. Melodramatic extremes remain an attractive allure to mediocre or lazy writers. Add to that the critical prejudice about television that persists that dark is always smart, that fictional characters need to be hurt (in obvious ways), and there's a great temptation to kill off or traumatize departing characters and the characters of returning guest stars, when in fact it would take more writerly finesse to write those characters out in a less extreme way that kept open more possibilities.

And on top of all that, I think a lot of writers for television series just get tired of writing for characters that keep showing up again and again. They get tired of finding ways to keep the drama going without destroying the characters. So when a character is leaving or returning for a one-time guest role, they get the chance to do something different and have at it.

When Charlie Sheen was asked to return to Two and a Half Men, they wanted to drop a piano on his head. He walked away.

 

[donners22]

Well, in that case I, as a viewer and potential buyer of DVD:s who have helped Berman, Braga and the others earn a fortune have all right to criticize their decisions and most of all they way the actress and her character was treated which in my opinion was very rude, stupid and unnecessary.

TOS had Roddenberry bullying Nimoy and the assault on Rand, TNG had the McFadden saga (of which I've heard various conflicting stories), DS9 had Farrell's departure and Voyager had Lien.

Is Enterprise the only series where a cast member was not badly mistreated?

 

[KelisThePoet]

I am sure that just as in any workplace and interpersonal situation, there were plenty of hurt feelings, disagreements and mishandled interactions behind the scenes of the Star Trek shows. Since such things are common everywhere, and since we can never know the whole story, internet gossip and whatnot aside, I don't let it affect my view of the shows or even my opinion of the actors

. . . at least I try not to let it affect me.

I always liked the character of Chakotay and was disappointed to hear some of the negative gossip about Beltran on boards like these. So when he came to a Star Trek convention for a Voyager panel, I tried not to let things I'd read on the internet predispose my reception, but at the least, I was curious how he'd behave. And he behav'd like a cool, funny guy, having fun with his former costars and respecting the fans. I'm not saying that I saw the real Beltran at the convention, but I am saying that real people behave in both positive and negative ways all the time, so I choose to focus on the positive.

 

[Sophie74656]

TOS had Roddenberry bullying Nimoy and the assault on Rand, TNG had the McFadden saga (of which I've heard various conflicting stories), DS9 had Farrell's departure and Voyager had Lien.

Is Enterprise the only series where a cast member was not badly mistreated?

Just because she left the show doesn't mean she was "badly mistreated". She has said herself that she wasn't treated badly

 

[Sophie74656]

I am sure that just as in any workplace and interpersonal situation, there were plenty of hurt feelings, disagreements and mishandled interactions behind the scenes of the Star Trek shows. Since such things are common everywhere, and since we can never know the whole story, internet gossip and whatnot aside, I don't let it affect my view of the shows or even my opinion of the actors

. . . at least I try not to let it affect me.

I always liked the character of Chakotay and was disappointed to hear some of the negative gossip about Beltran on boards like these. So when he came to a Star Trek convention for a Voyager panel, I tried not to let things I'd read on the internet predispose my reception, but at the least, I was curious how he'd behave. And he behav'd like a cool, funny guy, having fun with his former costars and respecting the fans. I'm not saying that I saw the real Beltran at the convention, but I am saying that real people behave in both positive and negative ways all the time, so I choose to focus on the positive.

Yep, whatever happened or didn't happen behind the scenes doesn't really matter we will never know anyway. No matter what happened off camera all we know is what happened on camera, and that is a show that I love.

 

[stardream]

For all we know, she may have just treated it as a business decision. I would hope that most people who go to the trouble of getting into show business would understand how it works.

Now I could understand the disappointment IF it was generally understood on set that Wang was set to leave and then wham- That's not happening and you're the one leaving instead- but that's a still a risk when you take on these projects.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Wang has a print interview where he explains how he narrowly avoided being fired, by funking out a crowd of thousands in a convention hall like a real rock star.

 

[Sophie74656]

For all we know, she may have just treated it as a business decision. I would hope that most people who go to the trouble of getting into show business would understand how it works.

Now I could understand the disappointment IF it was generally understood on set that Wang was set to leave and then wham- That's not happening and you're the one leaving instead- but that's a still a risk when you take on these projects.

I've seen her talk about this at a convention. She said her contract wasn't renewed and she wasn't coming back, she said she wasn't upset about it and she moved on with her life and career. She specifically said there were no hard feelings, that she was not treated poorly. Of course I imagine after a few years it's no fun to leave a job but that's standard in Hollywood and as a professional actress she understood that. I know some people like to believe there was huge drama and she was abused and lied to and treated horribly...but by her own words that didn't happen.

 

[Sophie74656]

Wang has a print interview where he explains how he narrowly avoided being fired, by funking out a crowd of thousands in a convention hall like a real rock star.

I will say, he is a great convention guest. He is fun, energetic, funny, engages the crowd...a great guest