Should any Trek actors from other series direct episodes of this series?

Discussion in 'Star Trek: Discovery' started by SailorLadyGaga, May 25, 2017.

  1. SailorLadyGaga

    SailorLadyGaga Lieutenant Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2015
    I remember Roxann Dawson directed quite a few episodes on Enterprise.
     
  2. VOODOOXI

    VOODOOXI Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2007
    With the exception of Leonard Nimoy none of the actors from the other series were very good directors.
     
    Jedman67 likes this.
  3. Tosk

    Tosk Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2001
    Location:
    On the run.
    Sure, why not?
     
  4. Locutus of Bored

    Locutus of Bored Yo, Dawg! I Heard You Like Avatars... In Memoriam

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2004
    Location:
    Hiding with the Water Tribe
    SailorLadyGaga, please put some more effort into your threads from now on.
     
    Jedman67 likes this.
  5. Refuge

    Refuge Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2016
    LeVar Burton and Tm Russ did some good work in my opinion.
     
  6. Captain of the USS Averof

    Captain of the USS Averof Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2016
    Location:
    Greece
    Discovery looks and feels cinematic so any potential directors should have movie experience.
     
  7. Locutus of Bored

    Locutus of Bored Yo, Dawg! I Heard You Like Avatars... In Memoriam

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2004
    Location:
    Hiding with the Water Tribe
    I seem to recall that some former Trek acting alumni (with Trek episode directing on their resumes) have already been announced as in talks or confirmed for upcoming directorial spots on Discovery, if I'm not mistaken.
     
  8. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2001
    Location:
    America, Fuck Yeah!!!
    Roxann Dawson is about the only prior actor/director that I would like to see behind the camera.
     
  9. Qonundrum

    Qonundrum Vice Admiral Admiral

    From memory: LeVar Burton, Jonathan Frakes (obviously!), Michael Dorn, and Avery Brooks all come to mind with episodes that had some great direction. (Many of the stories were of solid quality as well but I remember the direction having some panache that was above average for the show...)

    And assuming they'd want to direct again. :)
     
  10. Blooded

    Blooded Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 2001
    Location:
    UK
    From the visuals we've seen in the trailer, none of the Trek alumni are good enough to direct this show.
     
    Mad Jack Wolfe likes this.
  11. Mad Jack Wolfe

    Mad Jack Wolfe Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Nov 13, 2008
    Based on Insurrection alone, Frakes should never direct anything again.

    Yeah, I know. The script was banal. But so much of the direction was really terrible.
     
    Last edited: May 27, 2017
    Blooded and BillJ like this.
  12. Michael

    Michael Good Bad Influence Moderator

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2007
    Location:
    Aloha Quadrant
    Now hold on, that's just bullshit. Most of the Trek director alumni would be perfectly capable of directing an episode of Discovery. We are not talking Hollywood movie productions here, where the director has a much more significant influence on the look of the end result. The look of a television show is determined primarily by a committee of producers who oversee and ensure the consistency and quality of the visuals over the span of the whole show. The job of television directors is to block scenes and to instruct and guide the actors' performances during the production of one episode. Television directors are pointedly not hired to give an episode a unique look or make cinematographic decisions, like a Hollywood auteur who controls every aspect of a production.
     
  13. Greg Cox

    Greg Cox Admiral Premium Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2004
    Location:
    Lancaster, PA
    Roxann Dawson, in particular, has become quite an an accomplished and prolific TV director. In recent years, she's directed for such high-profile shows as THE AMERICANS, AGENTS OF SHIELD, SCANDAL, HOUSE OF CARDS, THE GOOD WIFE, MERCY STREET, etc.

    Pretty sure that qualifies her to direct a DISCOVERY ep.
     
    Vera, DamarsKanar, jaime and 3 others like this.
  14. fireproof78

    fireproof78 Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2014
    Location:
    Journeying onwards
    Exactly.
     
  15. Spider

    Spider Dirty Old Man Premium Member

    Joined:
    May 23, 2004
    Location:
    Lost in time
    She directed season 5 episode "Crossbreed" on The Americans, I had to look that up. The Americans and Game of Thrones are my two favorite TV shows right now. I had not noticed she was the director, so thanks for a nice little trivia tip there! :)
     
    jaime likes this.
  16. Blooded

    Blooded Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 2001
    Location:
    UK
    We'll agree to disagree on the abilities of the Trek actors turned directors.
     
  17. Ar-Pharazon

    Ar-Pharazon Admiral Premium Member

    Joined:
    May 19, 2005
    Location:
    Far North Chicago Suburbs
    Frakes, Duncan-McNeil & Braga are each directing an episode of The Orville if nothing else.

    2017-05-28_12-21-54.png
     
    Last edited: May 28, 2017
    stardream likes this.
  18. Michael

    Michael Good Bad Influence Moderator

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2007
    Location:
    Aloha Quadrant
    Oh, okay then. Maybe one of these days you can explain to me how those Trek actors turned directors can be “unable” or “not good enough” to do something they're not even supposed to do.
     
  19. Jedman67

    Jedman67 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2015
    Location:
    Jedman67
    Based on the direction of some of the trek episodes directed by [previous] cast members, most of them barely registered as average. Some of them turned out to be fairly good directors, and if so, I see no reason not to have them work on Discovery.
    However, the virtue of being a Star Trek Alumnus should not be the primary consideration to the showrunners - at best, that should only be the deciding factor if they'd have the same talent as anyone else considered.
     
    Blooded likes this.
  20. Greg Cox

    Greg Cox Admiral Premium Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2004
    Location:
    Lancaster, PA
    And I'm inclined to think that they should be judged on more than just their TREK episodes, which are invariably going to be their first stabs at directing. In the case of people like Frakes, McNeill, or Dawson, those early directorial efforts are at least a decade or two in the past. They've gained a lot more experience since then.
     
    stardream and Jedman67 like this.