Morgan Woodward As Lord Garth?

Steve Ihnat was a good actor and I think he did a credible job as Lord Garth, but I just wasn't fearful of his characterization. Morgan Woodward was excellent as Dr. Van Gelder in S1 and Captain Tracy in S2. However, he was noticeably absent in S3. I can visualize him as a more sinister Lord Garth just because of hs physical presence and his resounding voice. What say you?

 

No. Ihnat was fine -- the script and direction were a mess.

 

Nah, too wimpy and his whinny voice makes me laugh.

 

Woodward gave Tracey presence, so even though he may have gone off the deep end, you still believed that he could have been a commander and a strong leader. I don't really get that with Garth. He just seemed like a nutjob heavy, which was kind of Ihnat's specialty.

 

To be fair the characters worst moment is when Shatner is playing him and he freaks out that the Enterprise won't beam him up and he starts pounding the ground.

Jason

 

I really like Ihnat's delivery of "Should I know you, sir?" It goes a ways towards making the episode worthwhile.

Just speculating and imagining, I'd say that, as a commander, Garth had a completely different personality from Kirk, Tracey, or Decker. I can imagine Garth as a brilliant tactician and strategist. But I also see him as a reluctant warrior and someone who would have brooded over the losses he inflected, at heart a very gentle, kind, and thoughtful person, which perhaps even contributed to his breakdown. I kinda get all that from Ihnat, including how the end of the episode plays. I think he's perfect.

 

Woodward was great as Captain Ron Tracey but to have had him come back as another Starship Captain would have stretched credulity I think and Byron Morrow he ain't!

JB

 

Maybe just a little stretch since both of them were looney as an Octurian dogbird.

 

Byron Morrow was looney? Surely not my Lord!!!
JB

 

No, JB, I meant Tracey and Garth were both a little koo koo.

 

I actually liked Steve Ihnat as Garth. My thinking was he was making his voice in a higher pitch and not steady was to convey being unhinged and insane.

The way he talks at the end, being even tone and measured when he spoke would have made him really good as a sane Garth. I only picture him in the role anyway.

 

Strange to think that Inhat would be dead within three years of filming that episode!
JB

 

He got beamed up to a better place.

 

"You stupid cow!" I thought was a bit of an embarrassing line to be honest! No wonder the BBC banned the episode!
JB

 

Maybe the BBC didn't like Marta's skimpy costume.

 

Or the unpleasantness of mental illness in the far future?
JB

 

Maybe blowing up Marta.

 

I guess she just went to pieces.

 

Well if nothing else the colouring of her skin seemed to come away onto Kirk's uniform or so I heard!
JB

 

I was home sick from work a couple days ago, and put on one of my favorite Disney movies, The Great Locomotive Chase. While watching, I forgot that playing a wild-eyed Confederate soldier was none other than Morgan Woodward! He really was able to have his eyes get really wide open when needed!