While the Abrams movie franchise has certainly seen a large number of Star Trek characters re-cast, it wasn't the first time a character was re-cast in Star Trek, and wasn't the last either. So I thought it would be fun to see who everyone thinks are the best and worst re-casting decisions throughout the history of the franchise.
Best: Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy in the Abrams Movies
I don't like any of the nuTrek recasts. The only one that even slightly works is the guy playing nuSulu.
The best Kirk recast, in my view, is Vic Mignogna on
Star Trek Continues. Yes, his voice is different, but in all other respects, he's the most
Kirk-like of the alternate Kirks, and has the speech, the mannerisms, and the attitude just right.
Not a re-casting but I'll mention it anyway:
David Tristan Birkin as 12 year old Captain Picard in TNG "Rascals". The kid absolutely nailed it and without such a strong performance I don't think the episode would have been as watchable as it is.
Agreed - that kid was terrific.
One of the worst, definitely. But if we're talking about nuTrek movies, I'd have to say that THE worst recast was Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan. If they absolutely
had to have him in this movie, they should have left him as John Harrison, one of the many "supermen" of the Eugenics Wars. That would have worked, and given another perspective of that time that wasn't just Khan.
I have a hard time deciding whether my issues with Quinto are due to his performance or the dialogue written for him. But one thing I'm sure of is that he's missing that authorative baritone voice that Nimoy had. I had the same issue with Cho as Suki.
His voice, his body language, his facial structure (fuller face than Nimoy had), and his constantly constipated expression.
I think one of the reasons they created Valeris was because Nick Meyer didn't like Curtis's performance either. Kim Cattrall played Valeris a lot more like Alley's Saavik, and I preferred her as well.
Alley's Saavik had a personality that was interesting.
Cattrall's Valeris was just constantly smug, like the actress was projecting a "look at me, everybody, I'm in a Star Trek movie, and what do you think of the hairband I designed?" attitude (I thought the hairband looked stupid)
TUC was on TV last night, and I was reminded all over again at the robotic way she spoke (like the androids in "I, Mudd"), while simultaneously projecting a haughty smugness that just grated on my nerves every time she opened her mouth.
My understanding is Valeris was suppposed to be Saavik, but Roddenberry threw a fit so they made up a new character who was essentially the same person with a different name.
That's one fit I'm glad he pitched, if that's what happened. I would have hated to see Saavik be cast as a traitor and assassin.
Lenard was also memorable as General Urko in the PLANET OF THE APES tv series and as the main heavy, Aaron Stemple, in HERE COMES THE BRIDES.
He was also in an episode of
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
I would have preferred Saavik to be the traitor, but I can't really blame Cattrall for not wanting to be Saavik #3.
I can't imagine Saavik having any reason to participate in this scheme, unless you're going by the extra material added to the Search For Spock novel in which Saavik and David were lovers, and she decided to help assassinate the Klingon Chancellor in revenge for David's death.
I'm glad Saavik wasn't in TUC.
John Belushi as Capt. Kirk on SNL.
If we're comparing parody recasts, I'd have to nominate "Star Schtick" on the Wayne & Shuster program (Canadian comedy show that sometimes did parodies of TV shows, movies, and Shakespeare plays). It's really dated now, with the references to 1970s Canadian politics (our current PM, Justin Trudeau, was referenced in this skit when he was a child), but I still enjoy Frank Shuster as "Captain Quirk" and Johnny Wayne as "Mr. Spoof".
Don't have any best recasting, but I thought Chris Pine was the worst recasting of Captain Kirk. He's not Kirk, but more in line of a "Saved By the Bell" character pretending to be Kirk... in name only. Kirk is a smart guy but Pine does too many stupid things to even be considered the character.
Captain Frat Boy.
As much as liked Star Trek I gave some of the silly things Kirk did a pass, but I don't buy that guy being promoted as Captain. I didn't buy him acting like some adolescent child in Into Darkness with Spock when he was excited about going to deep space missions.
It's not that captains aren't allowed to be excited and look forward to deep space missions. But he was skipping giddily around, acting like a high school kid rather than a mature, seasoned captain.
I'm really surprised that nobody has agreed with me so far about Sarek on Discovery. That guy sucks!
You have my agreement. He's awful, and is one of the reasons why you (general "you") will never convince me that DiscoTrek is a true prequel to TOS.
