"Enterprise" or "Star Trek" (2009) — Which Had The Better Cast?

[Michael]

Something that someone brought up in another thread got me thinking about the cast of Enterprise versus the cast of the new Star Trek movie (2009). While, personally, I really like the guys from Star Trek — especially Anton Yelchin, Chris Pine, Simon Pegg and Karl Urban—, overall I would have to say that I like the cast of Enterprise more. I mean, acting-wise. I would take Connor Trinneer over anyone from Star Trek any day of the week. Same thing with Scott Bakula.

I know, to compare the cast of a television series to that of a major movie release might be a slightly unfair premise. Especially when you consider the long period of time the viewer gets to know actors in a series that ran for four years versus the two hours of a movie. But this is just a Star Trek message board on the internet; so why not compare the two?

 

[Nerys Myk]

Montgomery and Bakula are the deal breakers. Gotta go with XI.

 

[Pemmer Harge]

Star Trek definitely. The actors seem better suited to the roles for one thing. And c'mon, Simon Pegg!

 

[Mach5]

Star Trek XI.

I always liked ENT's cast, but (apart from super-awesome Connor Trinneer) it never really thrilled me.

Chris Pine, Zack Quinto, Karl Urban and the gang achieved what was deemed impossible. And lets not forget Bruce Greenwood. He was nothing short of amazing.

 

[Hoshi's sis]

I actually prefered Enterprise.

Apart from Karl Urban I didn't connect with any of the others and didn't like the film.

 

[BillJ]

To be fair, the cast of Star Trek XI had the harder task. They had to reinterpret iconic roles. The Enterprise cast had a freer hand in how they depicted the characters.

I did pick the Enterprise cast though. Just couldn't stand Pegg and Saldana.

 

[Admiral Shran]

I got to go with Enterprise. With the exception of Montgomery, I thought the entire cast was great.

With XI, however, I had major issues, acting-wise. I found Pine to be nothing but a pretty boy. Urban tried WAY TOO HARD to be a carbon copy of DeForest Kelly. Saldana was just annoying. Cho and Yelchin just never registered with me enough to form an opinion one way or another.

Quinto did a passable job as Spock, I have to admit. However, Nimoy outshined him in the role IMO.

Pegg's performance was the only one I truly enjoyed.

 

[JiNX-01]

I like some of the cast of STXI, especially Chris Pine, Karl Urban and both Spocks. But for the rest (I couldn't stand the guy that played Chekov and I think Paul McGillion would have been a better choice for Scotty. The guy Abrams hired was too young (he actually came off as younger than Kirk, yet Scotty was clearly older than Kirk in TOS, and McGillion looks more like James Doohan).

So I voted for the Enterprise cast, including Gary Graham, Jeffrey Combs and Vaughn Armstrong.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I like some of the cast of STXI, especially Chris Pine, Karl Urban and both Spocks. But for the rest (I couldn't stand the guy that played Chekov and I think Paul McGillion would have been a better choice for Scotty. The guy Abrams hired was too young (he actually came off as younger than Kirk, yet Scotty was clearly older than Kirk in TOS, and McGillion looks more like James Doohan).

So I voted for the Enterprise cast, including Gary Graham, Jeffrey Combs and Vaughn Armstrong.

Pegg should be glad to hear this, as he's 40. Doohan was is his early 40s when he plaed Scotty.

 

[JiNX-01]

I like some of the cast of STXI, especially Chris Pine, Karl Urban and both Spocks. But for the rest (I couldn't stand the guy that played Chekov and I think Paul McGillion would have been a better choice for Scotty. The guy Abrams hired was too young (he actually came off as younger than Kirk, yet Scotty was clearly older than Kirk in TOS, and McGillion looks more like James Doohan).

So I voted for the Enterprise cast, including Gary Graham, Jeffrey Combs and Vaughn Armstrong.

Pegg should be glad to hear this, as he's 40. Doohan was is his early 40s when he plaed Scotty.

Really? He didn't look it and he didn't behave like he was. I still maintain McGillion looks more like Doohan than Pegg.

 

[Nerys Myk]

That he does. But physical likeness should be a minor factor in casting ( unless its a biography)

 

[Skywalker]

Gotta go with the ST09 gang. The only one out of that group I found bothersome was Saldana. I really enjoyed the rest of the cast, particularly Urban, Pine, and Quinto.

That he does. But physical likeness should be a minor factor in casting ( unless its a biography)

I agree, but Pegg's Scotty was more "Simon Pegg with a Scottish accent" than he was "Simon Pegg as Montgomery Scott." I happen to like Pegg, so this didn't really bother me.

 

[kalysto]

Simon Pegg was the highlight of the movie (none of the others really did all that much with any great difference to the original, imo) for me. The Enterprise deal-breaker, however, is Dominic Keating, he is atrocious. I definitely prefer T'Pol to Spock though. I will probably go with Enterprise just because of the pure awesome of Trip and Phlox.

 

[Saquist]

Of course the cast of Trek 2009 was better than the washed up Bakula shout Acting and T'pol's Autistic Vulcan portrayal. Quinto made her look primitive...

 

[Mach5]

Of course the cast of Trek 2009 was better than the washed up Bakula shout Acting and T'pol's Autistic Vulcan portrayal. Quinto made her look primitive...

Are you expecting all Vulcan characters to be exactly the same, without any distinguishable psychological characteristics?

Like clones, or something? T'Pol was different, eccentric, damaged even. Thank god for that, it actually made her interesting.

--
BTW, there's an identical poll in the Trek XI forum, ST09 leads 30:7.

 

[Yug]

T'Pol was different, eccentric, damaged even. Thank god for that, it actually made her interesting.

I agree, Spock in TOS was a character that made explorations and judgements on why humans are so emotional, while T'Pol was more an exploration of why Vulcans try not to be emotional... it made for a more complicated character rather than the cardboard cut outs that Vulcans had been portrayed as in the past.

Whereas, Quinto's Spock fell into the T'Pol side of a Vulcan character mold. Probally on purpose. Destroying Spocks family and homeworld was a economic way to quickly update a turmoiled Spock instead of the 40 years of character development leading to a more balanced Spock that Nimoy brilliantly portrayed in the latter TOS seasons, Trek films, and TNG guest shots.

 

[Saquist]

Of course the cast of Trek 2009 was better than the washed up Bakula shout Acting and T'pol's Autistic Vulcan portrayal. Quinto made her look primitive...

Are you expecting all Vulcan characters to be exactly the same, without any distinguishable psychological characteristics?

Like clones, or something? T'Pol was different, eccentric, damaged even. Thank god for that, it actually made her interesting.

--
BTW, there's an identical poll in the Trek XI forum, ST09 leads 30:7.

I expect my characters to be interesting without them being autistic or "damaged" just to appeal to some inane concept that "different" means better.

I don't appease that easily.
I want good acting and the list of bad/mediocre actors in Enterprise starts at Bakula and ends with the Anthony Montgomery. Phlox was the only character that was acted very well.

 

[Yug]

Of course the cast of Trek 2009 was better than the washed up Bakula shout Acting and T'pol's Autistic Vulcan portrayal. Quinto made her look primitive...

Are you expecting all Vulcan characters to be exactly the same, without any distinguishable psychological characteristics?

Like clones, or something? T'Pol was different, eccentric, damaged even. Thank god for that, it actually made her interesting.

--
BTW, there's an identical poll in the Trek XI forum, ST09 leads 30:7.

I expect my characters to be interesting without them being autistic or "damaged" just to appeal to some inane concept that "different" means better.

I don't appease that easily.
I want good acting and the list of bad/mediocre actors in Enterprise starts at Bakula and ends with the Anthony Montgomery. Phlox was the only character that was acted very well.

Yes, but we're specifically talking about Vulcans here. The very conception of Vulcans was that they are all the same by choice. That they are above emotions and therefore superior because of it. That they adhere to a cold logic and never stray from any personification beyond that. So, in that respect, in the context of Vulcans alone, they only truly become interesting characters when they deviate from that standardized view, even slightly. That's almost the whole point of Vulcans in relation to humans, that they are a contrast. Vulcan society would view any individual displaying an emotion or honest reaction over cold logic as "damaged". Spock's 40 year arc would have been far less interesting if he didn't evolve and change from beyond that concept, while still maintaining his Vulcan ideals. He found a balance, and his character advanced, becoming richer, deeper, more complex... it's that kind of journey that creates an interesting character, I find.

Beyond that, some of the most interesting characters in any story are the damaged ones. And especially depends on what one's definition of "damaged" is?

 

[Mach5]

Beyond that, some of the most interesting characters in any story are the damaged ones. And especially depends on what one's definition of "damaged" is?

In T'Pol's case, it could mean more than one thing. There's the panar syndrome and there's trellium-d that damaged her both physically and mentally.

And then of course there's Sarek and his bendii syndrome...

I expect my characters to be interesting without them being autistic or "damaged" just to appeal to some inane concept that "different" means better.

So basically you do want all Vulcan characters to be the same, or at least similar to one another?

 

[Middleman]

I'm actually surprised with how the voting is going. As far as I'm concerned, Enterprise had a far better cast. Remember, that when you film a movie you have far more time to get it right than in filming a regular TV Series. Give Scott, Connor and Jolene the same level playing field and it would be no contest.