How did guest stars react?

[Melakon]

I used to be a theatre major, so I tend to get strange thoughts when watching a show.

I got the Fan Collective: Borg a couple of weeks ago, and right now am watching Dark Frontier for the third or fourth time. It's only 18 minutes in, with Seven's parents on the Raven, and I'm looking at the set and wonder...

What do guest stars think when they know they don't have scenes with the cast, but they show up on that first day and see a fantastic looking set created just for their scenes? Is there a "Wow" moment for them? Or have they done so many different shows, it's just a "Meh" reaction? I've read many guest interviews where they talk about how friendly the ST casts and crews were, but seldom do they mention being impressed by the production values.

 

[Dale Sams]

I guess it would depend on the actor. If neither one had done sci-fi, there was probably an 'oh cooool' moment.

 

[Melakon]

I didn't mean to imply the Dark Frontier guests specifically. But I suppose whether they've worked in the genre before could be a factor.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

"Will there be wookies in this?"

 

[Melakon]

"Will there be wookies in this?"

I liked the story in Solow/Justman's Inside Star Trek where there's some big studio executive meeting, and Lucille Ball thought the yet-to-air "Star Trek" was some sort of USO show.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

"But it has 'Star' in it, it must be about ME!"

 

[Guy Gardener]

It's true, she was inside the Jupiter monolith.

 

[Melakon]

Re: Dark Frontier

I really like composer David Bell's menacing Borg ship theme that runs during the corridor scenes in both the holodeck Fort Knox exercise and the actual mission.

 

[T'Girl]

and see a fantastic looking set created just for their scenes

Remember, those sets are just plywood, sheet metal, cheap carpet and paint. What we see as a finished episode, isn't what the actors see on set.

 

[Lonemagpie]

and see a fantastic looking set created just for their scenes

Remember, those sets are just plywood, sheet metal, cheap carpet and paint. What we see as a finished episode, isn't what the actors see on set.

Well, it *is*, but they see the plain unpainted plywood on the other side as well, that's out of camera shot for us

 

[Guy Gardener]

And remember, we still don't have smellovision.

All the ceaseless farting on set.

So shameless.

 

[danellis]

I seem to remember hearing stories of people being wowed when they walked into the TNG Engineering set.

dJE

 

[Melakon]

Remember, those sets are just plywood, sheet metal, cheap carpet and paint. What we see as a finished episode, isn't what the actors see on set.

I know that. When I was doing theatre, our set flats were painted muslin stretched over a thin wooden frame. But it's still possible to be impressed by set design, even when you know what's behind the illusion.

 

[Lynx]

and see a fantastic looking set created just for their scenes

Remember, those sets are just plywood, sheet metal, cheap carpet and paint. What we see as a finished episode, isn't what the actors see on set.

Correct, but they might still be impressed.

Anyway, this is how I think they react:

Famous guest star: It's an honor to be here. Now, I want to fight the lion!

Producer: Sorry sir. This is Star Trek and there are no lions in this episode.

Famous guest star. What? No lion? I demand a lion! I'm a star. Star, star, star AND I WANT TO FIGHT THE LION!!!!!

Producer(to writer): Quick! Add a lion to the story and let him fight it!

 

[Melakon]

and see a fantastic looking set created just for their scenes

Remember, those sets are just plywood, sheet metal, cheap carpet and paint. What we see as a finished episode, isn't what the actors see on set.

Correct, but they might still be impressed.

Anyway, this is how I think they react:

Famous guest star: It's an honor to be here. Now, I want to fight the lion!

Producer: Sorry sir. This is Star Trek and there are no lions in this episode.

Famous guest star. What? No lion? I demand a lion! I'm a star. Star, star, star AND I WANT TO FIGHT THE LION!!!!!

Producer(to writer): Quick! Add a lion to the story and let him fight it!

There's a nearly identical story of when they were filming TOS' "Shore Leave". Shatner really wanted to wrestle with the tiger and they had to talk him out of it.

 

[lurok]

I like the story about Frank Langella guest starring in DS9 because one of his (kids? family?) was a big trek fan, but not taking an onscreen credit. Not sure if that's apocryphal.

 

[Lynx]

Remember, those sets are just plywood, sheet metal, cheap carpet and paint. What we see as a finished episode, isn't what the actors see on set.

Correct, but they might still be impressed.

Anyway, this is how I think they react:

Famous guest star: It's an honor to be here. Now, I want to fight the lion!

Producer: Sorry sir. This is Star Trek and there are no lions in this episode.

Famous guest star. What? No lion? I demand a lion! I'm a star. Star, star, star AND I WANT TO FIGHT THE LION!!!!!

Producer(to writer): Quick! Add a lion to the story and let him fight it!

There's a nearly identical story of when they were filming TOS' "Shore Leave". Shatner really wanted to wrestle with the tiger and they had to talk him out of it.

My, oh my! I didn't know that. I stole the "Lion scenario" from a Monty Python sketch and changed it a bit.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Why in the word would anyone want to wrestle a tiger.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Because they're GRRRRRRRRReat?

 

[lurok]

Siegfried & Roy?

I don't know. Just guessing.