Ben Cross or Mark Leanord?
- Thread starter darkshadow0001
- Start date
I agree. Mark Lenard WAS Sarek. Anyone else, not just Ben Cross, had a very difficult standard to achieve.
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^ Agreed. Although I still think he did a capable job. I think, given more time, he can become stronger in his role.
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Ben Cross did a good job. He filled the role admirably and i hope to see him in other trek films. That being said, no one can hold a candle to Mark Lenard and what he brought to the role. Mark just made that character his. He had the presence and the gravitas to own the role of Sarek. I'm sure the entire screen time of Mark as Sarek was probably less than William Shatner in a single episode of Trek, but he MADE that character, and everyone else in the role will have to measure up to the best.
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Very true. Mark Lenard was Sarek. Ben can only do his best, but I like what he was able to do.
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True. Everyone since then has tried their best to imitate (some with more success than others). I do like Suzie Plakson's Dr. Selar.
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^ Yep. Although I think she did well, also. I certainly liked her more than Kirstie Alley's crying, smiling Saavik.
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Since Saavik had a really lousy upbringing as an outcast half-blood Romulan/Vulcan on Romulus, I never begrudged her anything much in the way of behavior.
She was practically raised by wolves until Spock rescued her. She was a casualty; Romulan soldiers found it great sport to bring Vulcan females into season and mate with them. It was humiliating.
That's from Trek Lit, btw. Not canon; just background.
She was practically raised by wolves until Spock rescued her. She was a casualty; Romulan soldiers found it great sport to bring Vulcan females into season and mate with them. It was humiliating.
That's from Trek Lit, btw. Not canon; just background.
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^ Ah yes. I knew she was Romulan too, but I couldn't remember her backstory.
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Real enough for me. 
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Some Adville, Bayorr, or Tyelennol will help you to deal with Lehnnerrd and Krosse.
I thought that Ben Cross's Sarek just came across as being too nice of a guy. Sarek, let's not forget, is the guy who refused to talk to his son for 18 years because he joined Starfleet Academy. Sarek should always have a hard edge to him -- he should seem like he's a bit of a stubborn jerk. Cross's Sarek just seemed like a really nice, reasonable guy. That's not Sarek of Vulcan.
Re: Ben Cross or Mark Lenard?
What these people said. I thought Cross was awful (especially in the scene where he informed Spock he married Amanda because he loved her). No charisma, no presence, no gravitas, nothing. Very disappointing.
Ben Cross was a kinder, gentler, more forgiving Sarek. Maybe that's why this Spock's such a momma's boy.
Who knows how things would have developed had those 18 years really come to pass?!? But the time between Spock's choice to attend the SF Academy and Vulcan's destruction was much shorter - and they reunited in the aftermath of a horrible loss. So I thought given the scope of the events, Sarek's attitude towards Spock was quite logical - he (and Spock himself - nothing in TOS indicates that *he* tried to reconcile with Sarek during those 18 years, so perhaps not everything was based only on Sarek's stubborness) simply can't afford to ignore his own son.
And perhaps somehow Nero's appearance did have some kind of covert effect on Spock's upbringing as well (not only the obvious effect that he had on Kirk's) in that Sarek was mellowing towards Spock human side. I think that'd be quite interesting to explore.
I absolutely adore Lenard's Sarek - especially in ST III. But I wouldn't dismiss Cross' performance for being "not Sarek". It's just a different Sarek - just as Quinto's is a different Spock than Nimoy's.
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