I can understand every word that M’Benga says in SNW. Weird how Americans go deaf when they hear an accent that’s not American.
Last edited:
I've actually enjoyed all three of these. Never had any issue understanding Babs Olusanmokun.
While I'm still not sure he was the right person for the role, he has grown on me to some degree. He'll never be Shatner (or even Pine), but he seems to have decent chemistry with the rest of the cast.
Jess Bush as Chapel is one of the greatest recasts in the whole franchise. She's brought a character to life who was previously an embarrassing practical nothing.
Also, Celia Rose Gooding is killing it as Uhura, I might even rank that recast higher. TOS Uhura had only slightly more depth than Chapel. SNW Uhura has a lot of depth, and Gooding is delivering.
I won't do an extensive list, but suffice it to say that the SNW cast is excellent. I also love Robin Curtis as Saavik.
So, worst... Hrm.
Well, it was uncool that Doohan, Nichols, and Barrett did a lot of guest voices on TAS. It's not that they performed unsatisfactorily (relative to the rest of the voices, theirs included), but it really stuck out that they were being used to voice multiple characters. The limitations (cheapness?) of the production were telegraphed. It, they could not be disguised.
So, live action?
This resource is useful https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Recurring_characters
I don't have a link to a similar page for the regular characters.
Scrolling though, I've got nothing, really, right now. Nothing rises (or sinks) to a level worth mentioning.
Also, Celia Rose Gooding is killing it as Uhura, I might even rank that recast higher. TOS Uhura had only slightly more depth than Chapel. SNW Uhura has a lot of depth, and Gooding is delivering.
I won't do an extensive list, but suffice it to say that the SNW cast is excellent. I also love Robin Curtis as Saavik.
So, worst... Hrm.
Well, it was uncool that Doohan, Nichols, and Barrett did a lot of guest voices on TAS. It's not that they performed unsatisfactorily (relative to the rest of the voices, theirs included), but it really stuck out that they were being used to voice multiple characters. The limitations (cheapness?) of the production were telegraphed. It, they could not be disguised.
So, live action?
This resource is useful https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Recurring_characters
I don't have a link to a similar page for the regular characters.
Scrolling though, I've got nothing, really, right now. Nothing rises (or sinks) to a level worth mentioning.
What's the most annoying about this is that they had the perfect Scottish actor IN THE FILM, playing someone else. Paul McGillion.
Best- Urban as Bones
Worst- CumberKhan
By and large the casting has not been the issue with the Kelvin films or SNW, they got most of them right.
Worst- CumberKhan
By and large the casting has not been the issue with the Kelvin films or SNW, they got most of them right.
First thing that came to my mind when thinking of "worst." Curtis's screen presence as Saavik could be best described as "frosty," which feels wrong both for the character and the role she plays in TSFS.
Yeah, yeah, with your logic and facts. Still miscast IMO.
For "best:" Nobody has mentioned Cecily Adams as Ishka. It's such a good recast that a.) I didn't notice back in the day, and b.) she actually better fits being Quark and Rom's mother than Andrea Martin. She's got more humor and warmth, so it's easy to see her producing two such unusual Ferengi.
Well casting a a piece of drywall was out of the question.
To be fair, when a character is created solely as a temptation for Spock, then there's not going to be much character development. The problem is that they've given Jess Bush's character an actual relationship with Spock (not to mention all the other women he's been involved with) which was not the the intent of the TOS character. Majel's Chapel was simply the victim of unrequited love. These kinds of retcons are why I don't like prequels.
I generally like SNW’s recasting of TOS characters, especially Anson Mount as Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Una, and Celia Rose Gooding as Uhura. I think they bring more depth to the characters and consistently deliver strong performances. I also like Jess Bush as Nurse Chapel, Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M’Benga. Ethan Peck’s take on Spock is also pretty solid in my opinion.
Still, I’m kind of on the fence about Paul Wesley as James Kirk. I think I like him better than Chris Pine, though I haven’t rewatched the Kelvin Timeline movies since they came out and don’t remember them that well. I enjoy Paul Wesley’s acting, I think he captures the original character pretty well, and he has definitely grown on me through the series. But I feel like he’s lacking something. I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly, but the feeling is there.
Still, I’m kind of on the fence about Paul Wesley as James Kirk. I think I like him better than Chris Pine, though I haven’t rewatched the Kelvin Timeline movies since they came out and don’t remember them that well. I enjoy Paul Wesley’s acting, I think he captures the original character pretty well, and he has definitely grown on me through the series. But I feel like he’s lacking something. I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly, but the feeling is there.
It's difficult when the recast character has a different set of circumstances to say whether it's good or bad, unless you believe that whatever happens in their lives, the character will always turn out the same. In what ways they would be the same and what ways they'd be different is the question. Recasting the character for a project set in the same universe at the same time (roughly) would be less forgiving than earlier or later in their lives (how did they get from point a to point b?, as opposed to making the character inconsistent with how they should be now)
Roddenberry retrofitted his girlfriend into a couple of pre-existing characters. "Christine Devereux" a woman in search of her missing fiancee in WALGMO. . And a nurse infected by the virus in "The Naked Time." Both no doubt done in one originally.
If you spend any time in the Picard forum, you should already know that the worst recast is clearly John Ales as Bruce Maddox.
If you spend any time in the Picard forum, you should already know that the worst recast is clearly John Ales as Bruce Maddox.
I've thankfully blocked that show from my mind.
I am going to have to go with Cumberbatch as Khan for worst. I am not keen on Simon Pegg’s Scotty either. I am not sure how I feel about Thomas Jane as McCoy, Karl Urban was brilliant. I know we haven’t seen Jane in role yet, but I can’t see it.
For me, it's part of the growth of the character. In Wesley's take on the character, we see a lot of the Kirk we know. But he isn't the Kirk we know. Not yet. And that's what's missing. I have a feeling that by the time we see the last episode of season 5, he will nail it. Because that's where we will see the Kirk at the beginning of TOS. Which is still not the Kirk we know, because he was developing as a character throughout the show and movies.
I'm like the Number One Picard Hater of all time, but Wersching was incredible and completely stole every scene she was in. I never even liked the borg queen as a concept even.
The Best:
Chris Pine as Kirk.
He doesn't do any Shatner-isms, doesn't even look like him very much (blue eyes make a big difference).
And yet - he got the vibe.
He walks into the screen, and I go "yep. That's young Kirk".
(I hate the JJmovies)
The Worst:
Paul Wesley as Kirk.
It just feels wrong. The guy visually looks a bit like Kirk, but has none if the charme. It feels like he never really got a hold on the role - watching him feels like you can see the struggle on his face between 'acting' and 'impersonating another actor', and not hitting either.
(I love SNW)
The weirdest:
Anson Mount as Pike (& Jess Bush as nurse Chapel).
These two are fantastic, charismatic characters, that primarily live through the sheer acting power of these two people, which makes everyone fall in love with them. Which, literally, has nothing to do with the original actors or characters they portray. They are essentially completely new, much more interesting people.
In fact, I'd say Anson Mount is a better Kirk than Wesley (and Wesley would have been a better fit as the "original", stoic, boring Pike!!)
Just kidding - this is just big names & recency bias. The best recast is probably some minor character that I didn't even realize (e.g. Ziyal).
Chris Pine as Kirk.
He doesn't do any Shatner-isms, doesn't even look like him very much (blue eyes make a big difference).
And yet - he got the vibe.
He walks into the screen, and I go "yep. That's young Kirk".
(I hate the JJmovies)
The Worst:
Paul Wesley as Kirk.
It just feels wrong. The guy visually looks a bit like Kirk, but has none if the charme. It feels like he never really got a hold on the role - watching him feels like you can see the struggle on his face between 'acting' and 'impersonating another actor', and not hitting either.
(I love SNW)
The weirdest:
Anson Mount as Pike (& Jess Bush as nurse Chapel).
These two are fantastic, charismatic characters, that primarily live through the sheer acting power of these two people, which makes everyone fall in love with them. Which, literally, has nothing to do with the original actors or characters they portray. They are essentially completely new, much more interesting people.
In fact, I'd say Anson Mount is a better Kirk than Wesley (and Wesley would have been a better fit as the "original", stoic, boring Pike!!)
Just kidding - this is just big names & recency bias. The best recast is probably some minor character that I didn't even realize (e.g. Ziyal).
Replacing the original Admiral Paris actor with Richard Herd was a good recast.
Similar threads
- Locked
