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What's some of the worst acting you've seen in the first 10 Trek movies?

Doohan was okay in the first movie but got progressively worse with each picture. His sobbing over his dead nephew in TWoK was the beginning. It went downhill from there with "up your shaft" in ST3, went to awful lows in TVH with "humpback people," "there be whales here" and "hello, computer?" When I didn't think it could get any worse, then came TFF with "I know this ship like the back of my hand." And finally the way he strode around the bridge in TUD as he ranted "raving lunatics, that's what they'll call us" hit rock bottom. (Although in hindsight, that feels almost like the prototype for how Archer always paced around when he was trying to look thoughtful.)

"Humpbacked? People?" Is actually a favorite line for me. Always elicits a guffaw.
 
They're people, not gods. Stop worshipping at their feet as if they can do no wrong. There's strong evidence that Reagan was in the early stages of Alzheimer's during his time in the Oval Office. It's quite possible Doohan was afflicted years before his diagnosis.
It's not hero worship at all. It's you speculating willy-nilly without ANY foundation and saying "Gee, maybe Alzheimer's was making him forget how to act." As someone who's had family members with Alzheimer's and dementia, I find that massively offensive. For starters, Alzheimer's doesn't work like that. And secondly, IT'S MASSIVELY OFFENSIVE.

Presenting your unfounded speculation as fact is never a good idea, but it's an extra bad idea in this case. You did not know James Doohan and have absolutely NO idea of when his symptoms started to manifest. Stop pretending that you have any idea of what you're talking about here.
 
I've had two close friends die of Alzheimer's. Go ahead and be offended.
11Alive, please be careful with this line of thinking. You can speculate on people you know, but it's much harder to do so with people you don't. I would personally back off on Mr. Doohan.
ETA: I speak from personal experience on this. I lost my mom to something that was not Alzheimer's disease, but it acted similarly.
 
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It's Alfre Woodard. Of course she was good

Her scenes make that movie far more watchable. Alfre somehow managed to outdo Patrick, which is hardly an easy thing to do. Her response to Captain Picard with "...you'll kill me?!" is spine-chilling, every time. Followed by her mocking Picard's "evolved sensibilities" bit, and then making the Captain Ahab connection. Alfre is simply amazing throughout the movie, outshining pretty much everyone else.

But that's the best acting in any TNG movie, aside from anything said by Khan or Chang.

As for worst acting in any of the first 10 Trek flicks, my candidate also goes back to the same ST:FC movie! The "drunk acting" Troi was doing is my candidate for the worst. Made worse by the worst sub-cornball joke about not having time after more cornball about having to fit into the culture -- for which getting drunk is the worst possible thing to do if one wishes to remain incognito because she'd be spilling her guts metaphorically before doing so literally and yet the script has Troi doing all this and poor Marina being stuck in having to do it as a result. TNG's side characters really get put to the side in their four movies, but Troi getting drunk is out of place for her character to begin with, never mind Marina's acting makes it all look like a self-aware joke from the audience's perspective. It's a misuse of Troi so if Marina was chewing the scenery because of that, who could blame her? Still, Troi claims she had to do it in order to get intel from Cochrane. Maybe Dr Crusher should have been there with her anti-alcohol bat-bills in her medical kit... :( The scene didn't work and the acting felt too forced.

Having said that, the wonderful scene in TMP where Kirk says he needs Bones badly (per JonnyQuest037 above) is pretty bad as well. Still, alcohol and Star Trek do not mix. Unless you're my ex, he needed booze for everything. Even stuff he liked, which was what he preferred to watch...
 
It's hard to make the line, "Gentlemen, I am Caithlin Dar," sound stiff and unnatural, but dammit, Gouw found a way. :lol:

Part of the problem was that she was half-singing all of her lines. I'm not sure if that's how Shatner wanted her to say them or if that was just her natural way of delivering the lines, but she was awful.
 
Chief DiFalco in TMP.. as played by Marcy Lafferty
She got the part as she was the Shat's wife at the time..and her line delivery, just awful..
Evry time I see the film, I cringe at that line...
 
It's not hero worship at all. It's you speculating willy-nilly without ANY foundation and saying "Gee, maybe Alzheimer's was making him forget how to act." As someone who's had family members with Alzheimer's and dementia, I find that massively offensive. For starters, Alzheimer's doesn't work like that. And secondly, IT'S MASSIVELY OFFENSIVE.

Presenting your unfounded speculation as fact is never a good idea, but it's an extra bad idea in this case. You did not know James Doohan and have absolutely NO idea of when his symptoms started to manifest. Stop pretending that you have any idea of what you're talking about here.
To be fair I don't think he ever said his opinion was a fact but just a theory. I never had that thought because I actually think Scotty was way better in the movies than he was on the tv show.
As far as bad acting goes I got to go with Spiner in all the movies but mostly in "Generations." Except for those few moments in the beginning before he puts the emotion chip in.
Also even though James Cromwell was okay as Cochrane I always felt like he could have been better. We have seen the actor give better performances over the years.

Jason
 
DeForest Kelly had some cringe worthy moments in TUC. Overall, he seemed to be going through the motions, one last obligation until he could finally retire from Trek acting.

Two moments in particular.

Performing "surgery" on a torpedo, then telling Kirk, "She's ready, Jim. Lock and load." So corny.

And the final scene on the bridge. I couldn't tell what Kelly was trying to express with that odd facial expression. It was not a good look to end on.
 
I blame Shatner for Star Trek V as well. But as for Doohan, if he walked around the bridge, he did it because the director told him to do it.
Shatner reduced Doohan to nothing more than comic relief in TFF.


Doohan was okay in the first
movie but got progressively worse with each picture. His sobbing over his dead nephew in TWoK was the beginning. It went downhill from there with "up your shaft" in ST3, went to awful lows in TVH with "humpback people," "there be whales here" and "hello, computer?" When I didn't think it could get any worse, then came TFF with "I know this ship like the back of my hand." And finally the way he strode around the bridge in TUD as he ranted "raving lunatics, that's what they'll call us" hit rock bottom. (Although in hindsight, that feels almost like the prototype for how Archer always paced around when he was trying to look thoughtful.)
Another low moment for Doohan was (in TVH) when Gillian -- holding Scotty's hand -- led Scotty out of the sinking bird of prey. It should have been the other way around. The officer and gentleman should be the one leading the lady to safety.

I realize that the scene was supposed to be interpreted that Scotty helped Gillian off the ship. But it looked to me that it was Gillian who was the helping hand. I hate to say this but Doohan looked overweight and out of shape. He was the one who looked like he needed the help. It was a rather pathetic sight. :confused:
 
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