^ FWIW, I like it. 
Cast the Characters of Trek Literature
- Thread starter Haval_Runa
- Start date
Just doing a bit of editing on a previous post, since the 'editing' button is no longer there:
'Give the guy a role he can work with, and he'll do wonders....'
Damn, she is FOINE....!
*Parminder Nagra in a duty skirt and go-go boots*
Hello...Captain Desai....!
*SPOILER*
Waitaminute, doesn't Captain Desai...er, die in the course of the first Vanguard novel?
*END OF SPOILER*
Anywho, Columbia...you're very talented...
The Trek universe is looking very Asian-female-centric suddenly...First Kadohata, now Desai...[I guess for some of us guys into Asian chicks that's cool....]
'Give the guy a role he can work with, and he'll do wonders....'
^ I don't remember the episode, but she looks like I think Bacco looks.
The Kadohata photoshop was so much fun, I did another, this one of Captain Desai.
Damn, she is FOINE....!
*Parminder Nagra in a duty skirt and go-go boots*
Hello...Captain Desai....!
*SPOILER*
Waitaminute, doesn't Captain Desai...er, die in the course of the first Vanguard novel?
*END OF SPOILER*
Anywho, Columbia...you're very talented...
The Trek universe is looking very Asian-female-centric suddenly...First Kadohata, now Desai...[I guess for some of us guys into Asian chicks that's cool....
]
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Oops, I forgot this was only for Treklit. 
I can't remember if I already said this but I think Leslie Hendrix (the medical examiner Dr. Rodgers from L&O) would be perfect for two roles: B'Oraq from ST:Klingon Empire, and Nan Bacco.
I can't remember if I already said this but I think Leslie Hendrix (the medical examiner Dr. Rodgers from L&O) would be perfect for two roles: B'Oraq from ST:Klingon Empire, and Nan Bacco.
Some of my casting choices are a little out of the blue. Maybe I just watch different shows from everyone else.
Some of the ones I haven't seen other people bring up include:
TNG:
Liza Lapira as T'Ryssa Chen
Liza plays "Ivy" (Topher's sidekick) on Dollhouse (and has played the much more serious Agent Lee on NCIS), so I think she has the right blend of youthfulness and maturity to play Tryss (considering that Tryss, despite her behaviour, is old enough to be an officer).
John Hodgman as Dr. Tropp
I wanted someone who could evoke John Billingsley's likability without actually turning into Phlox. We know he can act because of Coraline and his brief cameo on BSG.
Liza Weil as T'Lana
T'Lana has a lot of fairly long diatribes, which "sound" really awkward if I try to parse them in that famously deliberate Spockian measure. She needs to rant a mile-a-minute, making her essentially the Vulcan equivalent of Paris Gellar from Gilmore Girls. The fact that her rants tend to grow ever more. . . tenuously connected to reality is typical Paris.
Ron Glass as Hegol Den
A counselor closer to Picard's age, who's more apt to sit down over a friendly cup of tea than try to clinically psychoanalyze someone. He's basically Firefly's Shepherd Book as a Bajoran. Considering that he would've worked with the Resistance (or at the very least lived through the Occupation) lends a certain darkness to his backstory, also evoking the "good" Shepherd-who-knows-an-awful-lot-about-crime.
DS9:
Ray Wise as Elias Vaughn
Bruce Boxleitner just seems too boyish. No matter how tough he tries to play, he just seems like a friendly old uncle. Wise, OTOH, is weathered. Even when he's playing "affable" (which he does exceptionally well) there's a certain weight around his eyes that makes him look like someone who's been through Hell (and may actually be running the place
). He'd be totally convincing as the veteran of decades of off-the-books SI black ops. Plus, he has exactly the dry, rasping-yet-kindly growl I mentally associate with Vaughn.
David Cubitt as Cen Desca
He plays Detective Scanlon on Medium. Totally deadpan, laid-back to the point of seeming half asleep --but utterly capable and eats/sleeps/breathes The Job. I imagine Cen was this kind of "cop" on Bajor. Part of the point of his being on DS9 is that he's out of his element; much like Scanlon often is when dealing with a psychic (at least in the early seasons, before he got used to it).
Morena Baccarin as Treir
Someone elegant, radiant, seductive, erudite, with the sharp wits necessary to go toe-to-toe with Quark at his own game. Just paint her green and she's basically playing Inara, her role from Firefly, all over again.
CCH Pounder as Asarem Wadeen
I picture First Minister Asarem as Bajor's equivalent of Justice League Unlimited's Amanda Waller (and her Voice of Command). When she says "jump," even the Emmissary is going to listen. I don't know who the Trekverse equivalent of Batman would be (Capt. Calhoun? Ambassador Spock?), but Asarem could probably stare him down.
Tamoh Penikett as Yevir Linjarin
Earnest and young, and a former soldier. He basically has the same kind of near-obsessive intensity as Karl Agathon or Paul Ballard, just with the ability to (grudgingly) admit when he's totally fracked up.
Voyager:
Beau Bridges as Willem Batiste
Because he has the range to go from "insightful leader-of-men" to "patronizing jackass" at the drop of a hat. This seems to be Batiste's main personality range (at least according to Captain Eden).
Christopher Eccleston as Hugh Cambridge
Yeah, I know Cambridge is a House expy, but I just can't fix that image in my head (Hugh Laurie's "abrasive jerkass" routine seems inextricably linked to his American accent --if I try to "hear" him in British, he turns into a dim-witted upper-class twit. Cambridge reminds me much more of the Ninth Doctor when he's gone into one of his confrontational "You Stupid Apes!" rants.
SCE/CoE:
(The late) Roy Scheider as David Gold
Again, he's not really Sherman Potter, but Gold seems much more relaxed and easygoing than Potter (who was clearly a tough-as-nails CO in his day, and is seen commanding a facility inside a hot warzone). Gold reminds me more of Captain Bridger, from SeaQuest.
Kelsey Grammer as Mor glasch Tev
Even at his most pompous, Charles Winchester was never as thoroughly abrasive as Tev, who reminds me more of Frasier Crane after he's built himself up to one of his (self-)righteous tirades.
Lani "Pilot" Tupu voicing Soloman
Perhaps I've been overly exposed to the Asgard, but I can no longer picture a small, big-headed, grey-skinned alien without "hearing" that flanged nasally voice. Pilot, meanwhile, has the same kind of trepidation underlying his interactions with people (as opposed to the Asgard, who exhude confidence even in sometimes-broken English). Tupu's "Pilot Voice" can be heard here.
Elizabeth "Refractions of Dawn" Thai voicing P8 Blue
Since Patty is likely the closest I'll ever get to having Dawn as a semi-regular character in anything after Andromeda, Thai might as well go from one spunky smart-ass "stubborn bug" to another. (Her part begins at 10:13 here and ends three minutes into the next scene ).
Katee Sackhoff as Domenica Corsi
I think she could capture Corsi's inherent badassitude while not letting it bury the character. Basically Starbuck at her most spit'n'polished (with just enough personality poking through the shell).
Kenneth Mitchell as Bart Faulwell
He played Eric Green on Jericho; a likable, easygoing guy trying to keep a town running (and his marriage together) in the teeth of Apocalypse --an Everyman hero. Bart Faulwell has the same kind of friendly charm. Plus, he's got the beard.
Max Casella as Makk Vinx
A.k.a. the Default Bronx Accent. Capische?
New Frontier:
Jeffrey Pierce as Mackenzie Calhoun
Most famous for playing Charlie Jade. Joe Flanigan just comes across as too casual; Calhoun strikes me as more tightly-focused and intense. I keep picturing Calhoun delivering his lines in a poker-face, with a perfectly level tone, never really modulating his voice (so you never know whether he's joking or genuinely expects Zak to break you in half). Plus, Pierce has the perfect rasping voice for a hardened warlord.
Tilda Swinton as Burgoyne 172
My mental picture of Burgy is equal parts otherworldly beauty and almost-feral attitude (especially when s/he goes "beast-mode" in a fight). Also, a hermaphrodite is one of the few gender options she hasn't played (she's played female, male, and androgyne). (And forget the mullet; I can totally see Burgy with Gabriel's hair.)
Adam Baldwin voicing a CGI Zak Kebron
I know he's not the predictable choice, but nobody can growl as articulately as John Casey. Zak would have to be CGI just as the Hulk was; no matter how big and bulky someone is, the human body just doesn't do "superhero proportions" the way Zak seems to (it's the shoulder/hip ratio; no matter how much muscle you add, the shoulders won't get wider and the hips won't get narrower).
Keith Hamilton Cobb as Si Cwan
Because no one can do "pompous scenery-chewing Large Ham" like Andromeda's Tyr. Anasazi! (Of the Kodiak Pride! Out of Victoria! BY BARBAROSSA!!) He can then instantly switch tracks to "smooth, sophisticated chessmaster" while still seeming like he can rip your head off --he also has the comedic timing to play the straight man in a Peter David story.
Kandyse McClure as Kalinda
Mainly 'cause BSG's quiet, understated Dualla would be the perfect foil to KHC's Si Cwan.
Nicholas Brendan as Xyon of Calhoun
Because Xy does seem to be the universe's buttmonkey, with a healthy dose of the badass points Xander had accumlated by season seven of Buffy.
Vincent Kartheiser as Xyon
Based on the version of him from the comics, as a tall, shaggy-haired guy-who-looks-like Connor (Angel's son). Plus Kartheiser's wooden/angsty acting style would fit Xyon's Vulcan/Hermat nature.
Titan:
Christopher Heyerdahl as Ranul Keru
Based mostly on his performance as Halling on Stargate Atlantis (based on the beard and the high forehead to show off the Trill spots), but with elements of John Druitt's badassitude.
Dichen Lachman as Pava Ek'Noor sh'Aqabaa
Because a face that beautiful can't be human, and I figure this might make Pava get upgraded from a potential redshirt to a recurring, possibly major character. . .
Ed Quinn as Xin Ra-Havreii
He's already demonstrated he can do brilliant-yet-egotistical blowhard on Eureka. Who wouldn't want to see Nathan Stark strutting around Titan like he owns the place?
Michael "Thor" Shanks voicing Torvig Bu-Kar-Nguv
Yes, that's Michael Shanks voicing Thor. Something about his overly-enunciated diction makes me think of brilliant-yet-socially-awkward Torvig, who is not used to actually communicating with people.
Hugh Laurie as Pral glasch Haaj
His "argument therapy" sounds like a conversation with House. Plus he's described as unusually tall and thin for a Tellarite, and I can picture a Tellarite rocking the "unshaven" look, making him a better fit than Cambridge.
Not really an "actor" per se, but I imagine Cethente sounding like a slightly softer-spoken Dalek (heavily filtered, grating, potentially harsh, with a very faint [British?] accent underneath the filtering).
On the Aventine:
David Hewlett as Gruhn Helkara
Helkara reminds me of McKay when he's in crisis mode --sufficiently overworked and underappreciated tha he forgets to be snarky and cowardly. Basically he's the kind of scientist McKay would be if he was a bit better-adjusted.
Lisa Ryder as Mikaela Leishman
Briliant and hardworking, yet with a brash sense of humour, and enough taste to flirt with Geordie. Leishman makes me think of Beka Valentine if she'd been an engineer instead of a freelance pilot.
Some of the ones I haven't seen other people bring up include:
TNG:
Liza Lapira as T'Ryssa Chen
Liza plays "Ivy" (Topher's sidekick) on Dollhouse (and has played the much more serious Agent Lee on NCIS), so I think she has the right blend of youthfulness and maturity to play Tryss (considering that Tryss, despite her behaviour, is old enough to be an officer).
John Hodgman as Dr. Tropp
I wanted someone who could evoke John Billingsley's likability without actually turning into Phlox. We know he can act because of Coraline and his brief cameo on BSG.
Liza Weil as T'Lana
T'Lana has a lot of fairly long diatribes, which "sound" really awkward if I try to parse them in that famously deliberate Spockian measure. She needs to rant a mile-a-minute, making her essentially the Vulcan equivalent of Paris Gellar from Gilmore Girls. The fact that her rants tend to grow ever more. . . tenuously connected to reality is typical Paris.
Ron Glass as Hegol Den
A counselor closer to Picard's age, who's more apt to sit down over a friendly cup of tea than try to clinically psychoanalyze someone. He's basically Firefly's Shepherd Book as a Bajoran. Considering that he would've worked with the Resistance (or at the very least lived through the Occupation) lends a certain darkness to his backstory, also evoking the "good" Shepherd-who-knows-an-awful-lot-about-crime.
DS9:
Ray Wise as Elias Vaughn
Bruce Boxleitner just seems too boyish. No matter how tough he tries to play, he just seems like a friendly old uncle. Wise, OTOH, is weathered. Even when he's playing "affable" (which he does exceptionally well) there's a certain weight around his eyes that makes him look like someone who's been through Hell (and may actually be running the place
). He'd be totally convincing as the veteran of decades of off-the-books SI black ops. Plus, he has exactly the dry, rasping-yet-kindly growl I mentally associate with Vaughn.David Cubitt as Cen Desca
He plays Detective Scanlon on Medium. Totally deadpan, laid-back to the point of seeming half asleep --but utterly capable and eats/sleeps/breathes The Job. I imagine Cen was this kind of "cop" on Bajor. Part of the point of his being on DS9 is that he's out of his element; much like Scanlon often is when dealing with a psychic (at least in the early seasons, before he got used to it).
Morena Baccarin as Treir
Someone elegant, radiant, seductive, erudite, with the sharp wits necessary to go toe-to-toe with Quark at his own game. Just paint her green and she's basically playing Inara, her role from Firefly, all over again.
CCH Pounder as Asarem Wadeen
I picture First Minister Asarem as Bajor's equivalent of Justice League Unlimited's Amanda Waller (and her Voice of Command). When she says "jump," even the Emmissary is going to listen. I don't know who the Trekverse equivalent of Batman would be (Capt. Calhoun? Ambassador Spock?), but Asarem could probably stare him down.
Tamoh Penikett as Yevir Linjarin
Earnest and young, and a former soldier. He basically has the same kind of near-obsessive intensity as Karl Agathon or Paul Ballard, just with the ability to (grudgingly) admit when he's totally fracked up.
Voyager:
Beau Bridges as Willem Batiste
Because he has the range to go from "insightful leader-of-men" to "patronizing jackass" at the drop of a hat. This seems to be Batiste's main personality range (at least according to Captain Eden).
Christopher Eccleston as Hugh Cambridge
Yeah, I know Cambridge is a House expy, but I just can't fix that image in my head (Hugh Laurie's "abrasive jerkass" routine seems inextricably linked to his American accent --if I try to "hear" him in British, he turns into a dim-witted upper-class twit. Cambridge reminds me much more of the Ninth Doctor when he's gone into one of his confrontational "You Stupid Apes!" rants.
SCE/CoE:
(The late) Roy Scheider as David Gold
Again, he's not really Sherman Potter, but Gold seems much more relaxed and easygoing than Potter (who was clearly a tough-as-nails CO in his day, and is seen commanding a facility inside a hot warzone). Gold reminds me more of Captain Bridger, from SeaQuest.
Kelsey Grammer as Mor glasch Tev
Even at his most pompous, Charles Winchester was never as thoroughly abrasive as Tev, who reminds me more of Frasier Crane after he's built himself up to one of his (self-)righteous tirades.
Lani "Pilot" Tupu voicing Soloman
Perhaps I've been overly exposed to the Asgard, but I can no longer picture a small, big-headed, grey-skinned alien without "hearing" that flanged nasally voice. Pilot, meanwhile, has the same kind of trepidation underlying his interactions with people (as opposed to the Asgard, who exhude confidence even in sometimes-broken English). Tupu's "Pilot Voice" can be heard here.
Elizabeth "Refractions of Dawn" Thai voicing P8 Blue
Since Patty is likely the closest I'll ever get to having Dawn as a semi-regular character in anything after Andromeda, Thai might as well go from one spunky smart-ass "stubborn bug" to another. (Her part begins at 10:13 here and ends three minutes into the next scene
).Katee Sackhoff as Domenica Corsi
I think she could capture Corsi's inherent badassitude while not letting it bury the character. Basically Starbuck at her most spit'n'polished (with just enough personality poking through the shell).
Kenneth Mitchell as Bart Faulwell
He played Eric Green on Jericho; a likable, easygoing guy trying to keep a town running (and his marriage together) in the teeth of Apocalypse --an Everyman hero. Bart Faulwell has the same kind of friendly charm. Plus, he's got the beard.
Max Casella as Makk Vinx
A.k.a. the Default Bronx Accent. Capische?
New Frontier:
Jeffrey Pierce as Mackenzie Calhoun
Most famous for playing Charlie Jade. Joe Flanigan just comes across as too casual; Calhoun strikes me as more tightly-focused and intense. I keep picturing Calhoun delivering his lines in a poker-face, with a perfectly level tone, never really modulating his voice (so you never know whether he's joking or genuinely expects Zak to break you in half). Plus, Pierce has the perfect rasping voice for a hardened warlord.
Tilda Swinton as Burgoyne 172
My mental picture of Burgy is equal parts otherworldly beauty and almost-feral attitude (especially when s/he goes "beast-mode" in a fight). Also, a hermaphrodite is one of the few gender options she hasn't played (she's played female, male, and androgyne). (And forget the mullet; I can totally see Burgy with Gabriel's hair.)
Adam Baldwin voicing a CGI Zak Kebron
I know he's not the predictable choice, but nobody can growl as articulately as John Casey. Zak would have to be CGI just as the Hulk was; no matter how big and bulky someone is, the human body just doesn't do "superhero proportions" the way Zak seems to (it's the shoulder/hip ratio; no matter how much muscle you add, the shoulders won't get wider and the hips won't get narrower).
Keith Hamilton Cobb as Si Cwan
Because no one can do "pompous scenery-chewing Large Ham" like Andromeda's Tyr. Anasazi! (Of the Kodiak Pride! Out of Victoria! BY BARBAROSSA!!) He can then instantly switch tracks to "smooth, sophisticated chessmaster" while still seeming like he can rip your head off --he also has the comedic timing to play the straight man in a Peter David story.
Kandyse McClure as Kalinda
Mainly 'cause BSG's quiet, understated Dualla would be the perfect foil to KHC's Si Cwan.
Nicholas Brendan as Xyon of Calhoun
Because Xy does seem to be the universe's buttmonkey, with a healthy dose of the badass points Xander had accumlated by season seven of Buffy.
Vincent Kartheiser as Xyon
Based on the version of him from the comics, as a tall, shaggy-haired guy-who-looks-like Connor (Angel's son). Plus Kartheiser's wooden/angsty acting style would fit Xyon's Vulcan/Hermat nature.
Titan:
Christopher Heyerdahl as Ranul Keru
Based mostly on his performance as Halling on Stargate Atlantis (based on the beard and the high forehead to show off the Trill spots), but with elements of John Druitt's badassitude.
Dichen Lachman as Pava Ek'Noor sh'Aqabaa
Because a face that beautiful can't be human, and I figure this might make Pava get upgraded from a potential redshirt to a recurring, possibly major character. . .
Ed Quinn as Xin Ra-Havreii
He's already demonstrated he can do brilliant-yet-egotistical blowhard on Eureka. Who wouldn't want to see Nathan Stark strutting around Titan like he owns the place?
Michael "Thor" Shanks voicing Torvig Bu-Kar-Nguv
Yes, that's Michael Shanks voicing Thor. Something about his overly-enunciated diction makes me think of brilliant-yet-socially-awkward Torvig, who is not used to actually communicating with people.
Hugh Laurie as Pral glasch Haaj
His "argument therapy" sounds like a conversation with House. Plus he's described as unusually tall and thin for a Tellarite, and I can picture a Tellarite rocking the "unshaven" look, making him a better fit than Cambridge.
Not really an "actor" per se, but I imagine Cethente sounding like a slightly softer-spoken Dalek (heavily filtered, grating, potentially harsh, with a very faint [British?] accent underneath the filtering).
On the Aventine:
David Hewlett as Gruhn Helkara
Helkara reminds me of McKay when he's in crisis mode --sufficiently overworked and underappreciated tha he forgets to be snarky and cowardly. Basically he's the kind of scientist McKay would be if he was a bit better-adjusted.
Lisa Ryder as Mikaela Leishman
Briliant and hardworking, yet with a brash sense of humour, and enough taste to flirt with Geordie. Leishman makes me think of Beka Valentine if she'd been an engineer instead of a freelance pilot.
No, that was someone else. Rana Desai is the chief Starfleet JAG officer aboard Starbase 47.*SPOILER*
Waitaminute, doesn't Captain Desai...er, die in the course of the first Vanguard novel?
*END OF SPOILER*
Or maybe Keri Russell?
No, that was someone else. Rana Desai is the chief Starfleet JAG officer aboard Starbase 47.*SPOILER*
Waitaminute, doesn't Captain Desai...er, die in the course of the first Vanguard novel?
*END OF SPOILER*
^^
David,
*SPOILER*
I think confused Desai with D'Amato...
*END OF SPOILER*
Hmm, I see what you're going for. Doesn't work for me, but she's more in the ballpark than most of the suggestions I've heard.
I based Hegol on the late Stanley Kamel, but Glass is a good choice.
Nice idea, except Treir's supposed to be really tall and Baccarin's just a moderately-above-average five foot seven and a half.
An interesting choice. He does have just as terrific a voice as Stiers (or the other leading candidate, John Rhys-Davies). He'd have to put on a fair amount of weight, though.
Hmm, no, Torvig doesn't talk like Thor. His speech would be faster, more enthusiastic and informal -- boyish, though in a relatively unemotional way. Come to think of it, he's closer to Daniel Jackson than to Thor. So Shanks could probably pull it off, but not with his Thor voice.
Interesting idea. I actually modelled the character on John Cleese, and Laurie is a similar type.
I can't remember any stuff I've seen him in, but appearance wise I like him.
I've got to stick with Chris's choice of Stanley Kamel (Dr. Kroger on Monk) but Ron Glass is definitely going to be my back up now.
He's alittle to intimidating for me. You descrip Boxleitner as a "friendly uncle" and that's actually pretty close to how I tend to imagine Vaughn. He's a friendly guy who people enjoy being around, but he can get though tough when he needs to be.DS9:
Ray Wise as Elias Vaughn
Bruce Boxleitner just seems too boyish. No matter how tough he tries to play, he just seems like a friendly old uncle. Wise, OTOH, is weathered. Even when he's playing "affable" (which he does exceptionally well) there's a certain weight around his eyes that makes him look like someone who's been through Hell (and may actually be running the place
When you describe her that way, I could definitely see her in the role.
I could definitely see that.
Not sure about this one TBH. I can't think of anything horrible about him, or absolutely great either.
I could see that.
I could see that.
I've got to stick with David Ogden Stiers.
I could see that.
I just watched those two scenes and I do could see her doing the voice.Elizabeth "Refractions of Dawn" Thai voicing P8 Blue
Since Patty is likely the closest I'll ever get to having Dawn as a semi-regular character in anything after Andromeda, Thai might as well go from one spunky smart-ass "stubborn bug" to another. (Her part begins at 10:13 here and ends three minutes into the next scene
This is a new one, and I like it. Although I do have her as Chris Vale already, but I've always found her to young for that role. This one works better.
Sadly I don't remember Jericho well enough to comment.
I like all of these.
Those two don't really work for me, sorry.
I've always imagined someone alot bigger as Keru. One of the popular choices is Adam Baldwin, which is who I usually go with.
Not bad. And I'd say she already is a major recurring character, or at least has been playing a bigger and bigger role in each book.
I like.
Interesting thought.
I'm sticking with Milena Govich, she's alot closer to how I picture her.
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My original inspiration for her was a young woman I met a few years ago who resembles Lara Flynn Boyle, except less anorexic and a bit younger.
all i can say is 'UGH! NO!' to Katee Sackoff. granted, i've only seen KS in Bionic Woman but i see Corsi as being more muscular without losing the femininity. KS seems too slim and toned.
True; I could also quite happily envision Kate Beckinsale in the role of Bridy Mac.
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