Good/bad guest stars

[RobertScorpio]

Star Trek(s) is usually pretty good at casting guest stars. And then, sometimes, there is a guest star, who maybe for not fault of their own, they just don't click with the episode. And when I mean guest star, I mean one-shot deals; not recurring characters.

For example...
I thought a great guest star performance came from Haley Todd, I think that was her name, from The Offspring. I think she made that episode...

One guest star, who i think was a great actor but seemed out of place, was the late Richard Kiley. The guy was actually a very good actor, but in that trippy DS9 episode, "second sight", he just seems out of place...

What are some of yours?

Rob

 

[Joeman]

I have never been a fan of Iggy Pop's appearance as a Vorta on DS9. I know a lot of people love it, but he seemed really stiff and out of place to me. It just really stands out to the point of distraction every time I watch that episode.

On the good side, Ronny Cox as Captain Jellico on TNG. Not the most lovable character ever, but Cox played it perfectly. I wish he could have appeared more often.

Those are the two that popped into my head first.

 

[Admiral Shran]

I'll have to agree with Richard Kiley - an amazingly great actor, wasted in a useless role.

But the hands down best, IMHO, has to be James Sloyan as Romulan Admiral Alidar Jarok in TNG: The Defector.

 

[Nardpuncher]

Jason Alexander in that VOY episode. Felt like Jason Alexander was on the ship walking around. I don't know how to explain it but he doesn't just fit being in the future.

 

[RobertScorpio]

I'll have to agree with Richard Kiley - an amazingly great actor, wasted in a useless role.

But the hands down best, IMHO, has to be James Sloyan as Romulan Admiral Alidar Jarok in TNG: The Defector.

Yep...TNGera Star Trek nearly always had problems with casting proper looking/acting Romulans. Sloyan really nailed it. The only other TNGera Romulan I thought was nearly as good was the Romulan senator from DS9's "Pale moonlight"

Rob

 

[DevilEyes]

For worst guest star, are we talking only good/decent actors who were miscast and just didn't fit in the episode, or really bad actors?

If latter, it's definitely the guest "actress" from ENT Precious Cargo, whatshername, though whoever played Sisko's mom comes close, she was so wooden.

As for OK actors who didn't work in an episode, I couldn't buy Richard Foxworth's V'Las, I don't believe that anyone acting so openly angry and shouting so much would reach such a high position in Vulcan politics. He should have been aggressive and overbearing in a colder, more restrained way, to make a convincing Vulcan villain, rather than a generic villain who doesn't seem Vulcan.

Best guest star was definitely Harris Yulin in DS9 Duet, though I also really loved James Sloyan in TNG The Defector. I'd also like to mention William Marshall as Dr Richard Daystrom in TOS The Ultimate Computer.

The award for completely wasting a great actor would be split between STV: The Final Frontier (David Warner) and ENT Oasis (Rene Auberjonois).

 

[The Wormhole]

I'm going to be a bit unconventional and say for best Captain DeSoto from TNG's Tin Man. The guy just seemed so cool. He comes of as a seasoned space vet, as an easy-going guy as evidenced by the friendly banter between him and Picard and Riker. A more of a "common man" captain since he still commands an Excelsior class despite a reputation as one of Starfleet's better known captains. There were some referances to him on TNG prior to Tin Man and even on DS9 Nog mentions him as one of Starfleet's greatest.

Bottom line, the guy was really cool and I was disppointed we never saw him in more episodes. Hell, I was disappointed we didn't see more of him in Tin Man.

As for worst guest star, I'm giving this to The Rock when he appeared on Voyager as an alien wrestler, complete with his trademark eyebrow thing. Seriously, I have to wonder why they even bothered giving him an alien bump on his forehead. Since they were going out of their way to make sure we knew it was him, they might as well have just had him as his wrestling persona and gotten it over with. Just sad.

 

[bluedana]

Bad -- Bill Cobbs, in ENT: Daedalus. One reason I think that ep just didn't work for most people is because Emory Erickson was so unsympathetic and crabby. So Archer's actions had no compelling force. Played by a different actor who might have been able to bring out the sheer desperation and pathos of the situation, it would have made Archer's dilemma (trying to help Emory vs. taking T'Pol's and Trip's advice) make sense.

Good: The actress who played Lal on TNG. Don't know anything about her, except that her scenes made me cry.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Bad- Well, Melvin Belli pretty much has to win by default. In fact, so much so that I'm not sure he counts for the purposes of this thread, seeing as he wasn't actually an actor.

 

[RobertScorpio]

Yeah...I see you're point. He wasn't an actor, and Im not even sure why he was on. Joe Piscopo's guest stunt was nearly as bad, and he is, at times, a so called 'actor.

Rob

 

[sbk1234]

^^^Agreed! But that whole episode, IMHO, was just full of problems.


As for the best, Andreas Katsulas as Tomalok. No Romulan ever got it better. And, yes, James SLoyan in The Defector was excellent.

 

[RobertScorpio]

^^ the worst Romulans ever? Hmmmm...that could be another entire thread!!! LOL

Rob

 

[TiberiusMaximus]

Good: Jeffrey Combs as Shran, Ronny Cox as Jellico, Andreas Katsulas as Tomalak, JG Hertzler as Laas, whoever played Gul Madred...
I'd have to say my favorite is a tie between Shran and Tomalak.

Bad: whoever played Leonardo da Vinci in Voyager, the Rock in Voyager (although it was quite entertaining and Dwayne Johnson has actually turned out to be a decent actor), Captain Braxton.

 

[RobertScorpio]

The dude in TIN MAN did a great job. The actor was so flakey that I think he suited the roll perfectly..

Not a big fan of who ever played Cal Hudson, Sisko's friend in THE MAQUIS..

Rob

 

[Joeman]

Bad: whoever played Leonardo da Vinci in Voyager, the Rock in Voyager (although it was quite entertaining and Dwayne Johnson has actually turned out to be a decent actor), Captain Braxton.

I have always thought that John Rhys-Davies was brilliant as da Vinci. Wow.

The Rock was indeed awful. Of course I hated Tsunkatse through and through.

 

[Too Much Fun]

Good:

Hallie Todd in "The Offspring" - I agree with everyone about her. She gave such a beautiful performance, funny and moving.

Tony Todd as "Kurn" and "Older Jake Sisko" - I loved his arrogance as Kurn and his vulnerability as older Jake (I wonder if Hallie and Tony are related? ).

Harris Yulin - Without him, "Duet" would have been one of the worst episodes of season 1. Instead, he helped make it one of the best.

Bad:

Corbin Bensen - He ruined what was shaping up to be one of the best episodes of the whole series in "Deja Q". After the wonderfully natural and subtle interplay between De Lancie and the rest of the cast like Dorn, Spiner, and Stewart, Bensen's hammy, over-the-top tacky acting and strained line readings were such a buzzkill.

Chris Sarandon - He played one of the most delightfully slimy and pompous villains in film history in "The Princess Bride", but was completely squandered (oddly enough) again playing a bad guy as one of the dullest bad guys I've ever seen in the lifeless waste of time of a DS9 episode called "Rivals".

 

[Sector 7]

Good: Jeffrey Combs as Shran, Ronny Cox as Jellico, Andreas Katsulas as Tomalak...

Bad: whoever played Leonardo da Vinci in Voyager, the Rock in Voyager (although it was quite entertaining and Dwayne Johnson has actually turned out to be a decent actor), Captain Braxton.

I agree with your first choices, but strongly disagree about John Rhys-Davies... he is an excellent actor and made Da Vinci believable.

Bad: whoever played Leonardo da Vinci in Voyager, the Rock in Voyager (although it was quite entertaining and Dwayne Johnson has actually turned out to be a decent actor), Captain Braxton.

I have always thought that John Rhys-Davies was brilliant as da Vinci. Wow.

The Rock was indeed awful. Of course I hated Tsunkatse through and through.

The Rock was, indeed, pretty bad in that episode. All actors have to start somewhere, though...

 

[Joeman]

The Rock was, indeed, pretty bad in that episode. All actors have to start somewhere, though...

And he ended up somewhere positive?

 

[DevilEyes]

Harris Yulin - Without him, "Duet" would have been one of the worst episodes of season 1.

No, it wouldn't.

Instead, he helped make it one of the best.

...of the entire series.

Good: Jeffrey Combs as Shran, Ronny Cox as Jellico, Andreas Katsulas as Tomalak, JG Hertzler as Laas, whoever played Gul Madred...
I'd have to say my favorite is a tie between Shran and Tomalak.
.

Shran was a major recurring character (who almost became a regular), so I don't count him as a guest star. If we are to include everyone who was billed as a guest star, my list would look different. But I think it's a bit silly calling, say, Garak or Dukat guest stars when they've been in about as many episodes as Jake Sisko.

 

[Too Much Fun]

Well he hasn't had a really huge breakout hit and a lot of his roles have been in crappy movies lately, but I do believe The Rock has made tremendous progress as an actor since his earliest roles. If you want a good example of his potential, see "The Rundown". His acting ability grew by leaps and bounds from "The Scorpion King" to that one, and based on how charismatic and natural he was in that movie, I still believe he could be an amazing action star if he could just have roles in more solid movies like it.