Guinan

[Granola Gwen]

Now, it kind of seems to me like "they" were kind of "punishing" whoopie for something she didn't do, because she was such a "Big Act" and needed to be roped in, to fit into the ensemble. So, they made her out to be this kind of onboard Yoda. Without ever really being given much to do, really, she was always aggrandised, like she was so very important ... like they were trying to walk some kind of line between letting her act and not letting her shine. Had Guinan been played by unknown talent, the character probably would've been allowed to play out in a way that was less concerned with who actually played her.

Thank you for reading my exact thoughts.

 

[Chen]

Potentially playing devil's advocate here, but...

Would Guinan have been so important if it wasn't Whoopi? Did she make the character?

 

[Terok Nor]

Potentially playing devil's advocate here, but...

Would Guinan have been so important if it wasn't Whoopi? Did she make the character?

As far as I know the character was created for Whoopi. They considered her for Dr. Pulaski but in the end opted to create Guinan for her. Guinan only exists because Whoopi asked to join the show.

 

[Marsden]

Potentially playing devil's advocate here, but...

Would Guinan have been so important if it wasn't Whoopi? Did she make the character?

I think this is true. Look, we have a "star" on our show!

Plus, I have never liked her in anything she has been in.

Every time she shows up in an episode it's just a moment of - hey this is a tv show wink, wink. I compare it to having Joe Piscapo in the holodeck, that was another moment of yank, just a stupid show! In that particular episode, it would have been better to have "Bob Wheeler" himself be the comic, Brent Spiner wasn't a "big" name but he was/is very talented. Goldberg was a Paris Hilton/Kardashian type before that was a thing, a famous person with no talent.

I'm sorry to all of the Guinan/Goldburg fans, I'm not against you for liking her, I just don't. Enjoy her all you like, I just don't like her, but I'm not implying for a second you shouldn't like her.

 

[wulfio]

I thought she kind of had an important scene in Measure of a Man too.

Also, did she want to join the show full time? I feel like she just wanted to cameo on it from time to time seeing as how she was a big star at the time.

 

[Ithekro]

Guinan was not Herbert.

 

[Kilana2]

Guinan had also a cameo in Greg Cox' Eugenic Wars, The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh II.... as agent.