Other Actors Considered To Play TNG Regulars?

[Knight Templar]

I was reading that Mitchell Ryan (Riker's father) was actually considered at one point to play Captain Picard.

I remember also that Christopher MacDonald (Lt. Castillo in Yesterdays Enterprise) auditioned for the role of Riker.

And that Eric Menyuk (the Traveler) nearly won the role of Data at one point.

What other actors auditioned or were considered for the roles we are familar with?

Anyone ever wondered how ST:TNG would've been different if casting had gone differently?

 

[Harvey]

This memo (dated April 13, 1987) lists a few alternate choices: http://www.lettersofnote.com/2010/08/star-trekcasting.html

 

[Trevacious]

I was reading that Mitchell Ryan (Riker's father) was actually considered at one point to play Captain Picard.

Haha, Picard and Riker could settle their command disputes in the ambo-jitsu ring.

 

[MacLeod]

Some interesting names there, I think Patrick Bauchau might have made have been a good fit for Picard. I think perhaps what they should have done when they cast Stewart as Picard is to change the character to British from French.

Casting Bauchau as Picard would have been a better fit for a French Captain.

Note other actors considered for roles in TNG would later get roles either on TNG or other shows. Tim Russ, Rosalind Chao

 

[Unicron]

Stephen Macht, who later played a Bajoran (Krim) on DS9, was one of the candidates for Picard at one point. Denise Crosby did initially audition for the role of Troi, and the role that became Yar was earlier a different character (Macha Hernandez). Hernandez would have been Latin and based on Vasquez from Aliens to some extent, and Marina Sirtis originally read for the role. Gene decided each actress might do better in the other role and redefined Hernandez into Yar to reflect the change in physical appearance.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

Wasn't Macha Hernandez created for Jeanette Goldstein? I remember reading that in some unspecified magazine an unspecified number of years ago. Pretty vague, eh?

 

[Unicron]

I haven't heard that particular version, though I have heard references to the character in a few other sources. So I'm not sure.

 

[PamalaLauren]

Poor Tim Russ didn't get a role until Voyager. He tried and tried and tried. I think Tim would have been a great Data. Not Geordi though. Of course my judgement is clouded by the role he did get.

 

[sojourner]

Jenny Agutter as Beverly Crusher... drool.

 

[Knight Templar]

Jenny Agutter as Beverly Crusher... drool.

Agreed. McFadden is attractive but Agutter would've been....GREAT!!!

Did Tony Todd ever audition for any permanent role in any of the Star Treks?

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

He auditioned for Sisko. So did James Earl Jones, Carl Weathers. Eriq LaSalle and Siddig El Fadil.

 

[Christopher]

This memo (dated April 13, 1987) lists a few alternate choices: http://www.lettersofnote.com/2010/08/star-trekcasting.html

Interesting... according to the memo, the security chief was already called Tasha before Denise Crosby was cast. That conflicts with the usual story (cited earlier in this thread) that she was known as "Macha" Hernandez until Crosby was cast.

Some interesting names there, I think Patrick Bauchau might have made have been a good fit for Picard. I think perhaps what they should have done when they cast Stewart as Picard is to change the character to British from French.

I don't see why. I'm sure there are plenty of people living in Britain who are French by ancestry. There's no reason at all why a person with an English accent couldn't have a French name and heritage.

True, it did confuse things a bit later on when they gave us illusory visions of his parents speaking with French accents and established that he was raised in La Barre. But in an age of transporters, it's entirely possible that he commuted from home in La Barre to school in London.

Poor Tim Russ didn't get a role until Voyager. He tried and tried and tried.

He did have guest roles in TNG: "Starship Mine," DS9: "Invasive Procedures," and Generations.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

Some interesting names there, I think Patrick Bauchau might have made have been a good fit for Picard. I think perhaps what they should have done when they cast Stewart as Picard is to change the character to British from French.

I don't see why. I'm sure there are plenty of people living in Britain who are French by ancestry. There's no reason at all why a person with an English accent couldn't have a French name and heritage.

That's true. I have a French surname and the closest I've come to France is watching the Richard Lester version of Superman II.

 

[Trevacious]

Wasn't Macha Hernandez created for Jeanette Goldstein? I remember reading that in some unspecified magazine an unspecified number of years ago. Pretty vague, eh?

No, I think they initially wanted a character LIKE Vasquez as created by Goldstein, since Aliens was popular.

Hah, I wonder if she would have affectionately slapped Worf in the face from time to time.

 

[Mr_Homn]

France was obviously conquered by British at some point in the future :P

 

[sojourner]

Well, if you go back far enough in the past, parts of it were.

 

[PamalaLauren]

He did have guest roles in TNG: "Starship Mine," DS9: "Invasive Procedures," and Generations.

Role as in, one where he was in most every show. It's obvious that he wanted to be some sort of reoccuring character within the franchise. It's just too bad it took until Voyager for him to get it.

 

[Holdfast]

He auditioned for Sisko. So did James Earl Jones, Carl Weathers. Eriq LaSalle and Siddig El Fadil.

Apollo Creed as Sisko would have been so damn awesome...

 

[Captaindemotion]

Wesley Snipes was considered for Geordi? Holy shit! That would have been brilliant. Geordi would have been the most bad-ass on the ship, kicking Worf's butt on a regular basis!

I've also heard that Billy Campbell (The Great Okona) and Jeffrey Combs (Brunt, Shar, Weyoun) auditioned for Riker.

 

[Holdfast]

Wesley Snipes was considered for Geordi? Holy shit! That would have been brilliant.

RIKER: Raise to 200.
GEORDI: Always bet on black.
RIKER: Wrong game, Geordi, wrong game...