Cameo rules?

[alpha_leonis]

A question that's been bugging me for quite a while.

There were two very prominent guest stars on Star Trek in relatively close proximity to each other -- prominent enough that they both made the mainstream news outside Trek fandom of the time.

First was Stephen Hawking, playing a holodeck representation of himself on TNG. The second was Jordan's Prince Abdullah (now King Abdullah), who had a non-speaking cameo in a Voyager corridor.

The article talking about Prince Abdullah mentioned that since he's not a professional actor, he's not a member of the Screen Actors Guild, therefore he wasn't allowed by union contracts to have any speaking lines.

So how did Stephen Hawking earn the privilege? What gave him the authorization to have speaking lines when Jordanian Royalty didn't get the same treatment?

My best guess is that perhaps SAG rules provide an exception for a person like Professor Hawking who plays himself. Another thought (less likely) relates to Hawking's "unique" method of communication: they might have argued that Hawking himself wasn't actually speaking, he was using a prop that spoke.

Anybody else have any ideas?

 

[Finn]

Steve Hawkins uses a computerized voice. Perhaps they got around that rule because of that.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

He joined SAG?

 

[Christopher]

Hawking appeared in several documentaries before his TNG appearance, so maybe he did have a SAG card by then. Although it could be as suggested above, that since he wasn't technically shown speaking on camera, it wouldn't count in terms of the union rules. I don't think the same rules apply to voiceovers, since a lot of voiceovers on Trek and other shows have been uncredited cameos by producers and such. (I think his synthesized voice does count as Hawking giving a vocal performance, since he's been credited for his guest roles on The Simpsons, Futurama, and Masters of Science Fiction.)

 

[MacLeod]

Or maybe because Stephen Hawking is a world renowned Physicist, an exception was made. Or Paramount was willing to pay for SAG card.

 

[Rarewolf]

My best guess is that perhaps SAG rules provide an exception for a person like Professor Hawking who plays himself

Perhaps it's exactly because he was playing himself. It was an appearance, rather than a role - he wasn't taking an acting role away from an actor.

 

[Navigator_NCC2120]

I was a paid Extra, I was a busboy in the Barry Levinson film "Avalon", filmed here in Baltimore. I was not a member of the Screen Extras Guild, but I think I may have signed a waiver. The other person that played a busboy did have a line in the film and he did not belong to SEG (Screen Extras Guild) nor SAG (Screen Actors Guild). We got paid $35 a day by Rowhouse Productions. Perhaps Stephen Hawking's representative signed a waiver in order for him to speak in TNG episode.


Navigator NCC-2120 USS Entente
/\

 

[T'Girl]

... a lot of voiceovers on Trek and other shows have been uncredited cameos by producers and such.

Gene Roddenberry had a voice over in (iirc) Charlie X, and wasn't a guild member.

 

[Navigator_NCC2120]

... a lot of voiceovers on Trek and other shows have been uncredited cameos by producers and such.

Gene Roddenberry had a voice over in (iirc) Charlie X, and wasn't a guild member.

I think Gene Roddenberry did the voice over of the Chef about the meat loaf tuning into real turkeys, in the "Charlie X" episode. It was Thanksgiving on Earth so Charlie turned the meat loaf into turkey.

Courtesy of the website http://www.chakoteya.net/StarTrek/8.htm :

[Bridge]

UHURA: Can you boost your power, Antares. We're barely reading your transmission.
RAMART [OC]: We're at full output, Enterprise. I must speak to Captain Kirk.
KIRK: Kirk here, Captain Ramart.
RAMART [OC]: Captain, we're just barely in range. I've got to warn
KIRK: Re-establish contact.
UHURA: They're not transmitting.
KIRK: Keep trying.
CHARLIE: It wasn't very well constructed.
KIRK: Sweep the area of the Antares transmission with our probe scanners, Mister Spock.
SPOCK: Affirmative, Captain.
KIRK: You think something happened to the Antares, Charlie?
CHARLIE: I don't know.
SPOCK: Picking up some debris on our scanners, Captain.
KIRK: What about the Antares?
SPOCK: The debris is what's left of the Antares.
CHEF [OC]: Captain Kirk from ship's Galley.
KIRK: Kirk here.
CHEF [OC]: Sir, I put meat loaf in the ovens. There's turkeys in there now. Real turkeys.
KIRK: Chief, have you been (Charlie laughs and leaves)
Captain's Log, star date 1535.8. USFA headquarters notified of the mysterious loss of science probe vessel Antares.

Navigator NCC-2120 USS Entente
/\

 

[The Wormhole]

I've always assumed those kind of SAG rules don't apply to people who appear on shows as themselves, since they aren't really acting. This would explain all the people over the years who have appeared on various TV shows playing themselves. After all, I donyt think any US Air Force Chiefs of Staff belong to the SAG, and yet two of them have appeared on Stargate as themselves, with dialogue and in one case a decent portion of the story. If Prince Abdullah had appeared on Voyager as himself, he likely would have been allowed to speak.