Did you notice when they weren't there?

[Guy Gardener]

I made this list from the line count tables on Chakoteya.net, where the character has a line count for a specific episode of ZERO. Now some of the actors may have been on the episode and then had their lines cut, but if they don't read lines, they don't get paid, so it's hardly likely that any of these people would forgo their weekly 30 thousand dollar pay check for the want of one line.

Just remember, Wang was penalized for bad behaviour, and asked to stay home for two weeks.

I wonder if there were more trouble makers in the cast, and who made the most trouble?

Neelix: Concerning Flight, Retrospect, Blink of an eye, Renaissance Man, Eye of the Needle, Heroes and Demons, Emanations, Non Sequitur.

EMH: Day of Honor, Prime Factors, Initiations, Resistance, Distant Origin

Torres: Body and Soul, Riddles, UNforgettable, living witness,

Kim: Blood Fever, Fair Trade

Kes: Non Sequitur, Resistance

Seven of Nine: Nemesis

Paris: Sacred Ground

Tuvok: LIfeline,

 

[Tosk]

but if they don't read lines, they don't get paid

Series regulars get paid no matter what. They don't even have to be seen in the ep to get paid.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Series regulars get paid no matter what. They don't even have to be seen in the ep to get paid.

Google, google...

Actors who are hired as series regulars have an episode guarantee built into their contract. This is something like “10 out of 13,” meaning that of the 13 episodes that will be produced in a given season, the actor will be paid for at least 10, regardless of whether s/he appears in them.

It is possible (and was once relatively common) for recurring/guest actors to have contractual guarantees. However, it is very rare nowadays. These actors are almost always hired on a per-episode basis.

https://www.quora.com/Do-regular-actors-with-no-lines-in-an-episode-still-get-paid-for-that-episode

I'm sure we're both right, if it will save the network a dollar.

 

[Oddish]

Uhhh... well, I noticed that Kes wasn't in most of the episodes from the 4th season on. And we didn't see Seven before then, did we?

I'm clueless. Sue me.

 

[Farscape One]

The lack of an appearance could also be the result of them doing guest starring work on another show, or on a theater set for a week or two. Not always a punishment, like in Wang's case in season 3.

Colm Meaney was filming a movie during his three episode in a row absence in season 1, for instance.

Ryan's absence in "NEMESIS" might have been the result of one of her fainting incidents due to her outfit. It was produced between "THE GIFT" and "DAY OF HONOR". The end of the former was when we first see her wear it... that first iteration might have been too tight and had to go to the hospital.

There's all sorts of reasons for a zero line count. Especially with a cast of 9 leads.

 

[WarpTenLizard]

I'll have to re-watch some of these. I knew about a few, but am mindblown that B'Elanna was absent for three episodes, and that the Dweeb wasn't in "Blood Fever," an episode so heavily featuring his two best friends!

 

[Farscape One]

Well, "UNFORGETTABLE" and "LIVING WITNESS", Roxann Dawson was having her baby at the time.

And "RIDDLES" was her directorial debut.

 

[Guy Gardener]

In labour for two weeks?

Is that some kind of record?

 

[Farscape One]

I don't think it's unreasonable for a new mother to be away from work for a couple weeks, at least.

 

[A Chimpanzee & 2 Trainees]

I was just watching a YouTube video of Jason Alexander discussing his time on Seinfeld where he said there was one episode early on where Jerry and Elaine go to Florida, and George was written out because they couldn't fit him into the story. He went to Larry David and told him that if he were ever written out of an episode again, he didn't want to do the show.
In the context of this discussion, I remember this because Larry's response was along the lines of... "what are you complaining about, we paid you to do nothing, didn't we?"
It's probably contract specific how these things work, so who knows whether they got paid or not for a specific absence?
In the end though, no - I don't generally notice such things. Call me an uncritical viewer, I guess.

Edit, if anybody cares, Alexander discusses the being written out thing at 3:12 in this video. He throws in the payment thing as an aside around the 5:30 mark.

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[Guy Gardener]

I don't think it's unreasonable for a new mother to be away from work for a couple weeks, at least.

That's not what I said.

I told a really bad dad joke, and you didn't get it.

 

[Farscape One]

That's not what I said.

I told a really bad dad joke, and you didn't get it.

Fair enough. I've told my share of jokes people didn't get.


Regarding Jason Alexander, I rarely watched SEINFELD, but there were only 4 leads, right? For any show... drama, sitcom, scifi... that's a pretty small cast, so any absence would be more apparent. I can see him taking issue with that.

Look at THE X-FILES. Or SUPERNATURAL. Really, just two leads, despite having numerous recurrings and later a few leads added. (Skinner, Reyes for the former and Castiel, Crowley, Jack for the latter). Any absence is really apparent.

Another way to look at it is visibility. You get more work from being noticed out there. Less appearances on a show mean less chances of being noticed. Potentially less work in the long run.

 

[TommyR01D]

Early Doctor Who serials sometimes had a character incapacitated for an episode or two so that the actor could go on holiday.

 

[Oddish]

I rewatched Fair Trade. Seemed like Ens. Vorik replaced Ens. Kim. Nothing else, really, he wasn't part of the main plot. He was just... there. Like Harry usually is.

 

[Farscape One]

Vorik was put in a couple episodes ("ALTER EGO" and "FAIR TRADE" were produced directly before) before "BLOOD FEVER" was produced specifically so the audience can know who this character was before they centered an episode on a Vulcan crewman going through Pon Farr who wasn't Tuvok.

Alexander Enberg played him. He also happened to play the Vulcan Taurik in TNG season 7's "Lower Decks".

Enberg is Jeri Taylor's son.