lucky TOS fans

[SchwEnt]

I was just thinking, so now I'm just typing...

TOS fans are pretty lucky we got all the original cast for all the films that we did.

Over the decades since the series, so many possibilities could have come up-- cast members not wanting to return, death, other incapacity, money disputes, whatever.

We could have gotten Shatner and Kelley playing off some other guy cast as Spock. Or someone else playing Scotty and McCoy with the originals. Or some awkward cast assembly of Kirk, Spock, but no McCoy, Scotty, but no Sulu, etc, some half-assed TOS crew.

But no...
We got all the original actors in the original roles, for all the movies right up to their TUC sign-off.

Maybe because I'm an old-timer and can appreciate that we'll never get that cast again, I'd say we're pretty lucky we got them all together for as long as we did.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I was just thinking, so now I'm just typing...

TOS fans are pretty lucky we got all the original cast for all the films that we did.

Over the decades since the series, so many possibilities could have come up-- cast members not wanting to return, death, other incapacity, money disputes, whatever.

We could have gotten Shatner and Kelley playing off some other guy cast as Spock. Or someone else playing Scotty and McCoy with the originals. Or some awkward cast assembly of Kirk, Spock, but no McCoy, Scotty, but no Sulu, etc, some half-assed TOS crew.

But no...
We got all the original actors in the original roles, for all the movies right up to their TUC sign-off.

Maybe because I'm an old-timer and can appreciate that we'll never get that cast again, I'd say we're pretty lucky we got them all together for as long as we did.

I'm glad you appreciate it and I share your appreciation. Why people have to bash them for being old and fat in the movies I don't know.. it was an absolute TREAT to see them again.

That's what I liked about TAS too.. in the middle of rerun land along comes this cartoon with many of the same writers (D.C. Fontana..) and the same actors doing the voices. We could hear them all over again!

 

[Therin of Andor]

We got all the original actors in the original roles, for all the movies right up to their TUC sign-off.

Mind you, I was really looking forward to the oft-mooted Decker & Ilia telemovies, all those great TMP aliens popping up, and the Saavik & David-led ST stories that never happened. It did start to stretch credibility that Sulu's captaincy was on hold so long and that, at one point, the Enterprise had three captains (demoted Kirk, Captain Spock and Captain-of-Engineering Scott).

 

[Captrek]

We could have gotten Shatner and Kelley playing off some other guy cast as Spock.

IIRC, Nimoy was “out” and pulled back in on a few occasions.

Nimoy refused to participate in Phase II, so Spock was written out and replaced with a Vulcan science officer named Xon. When Phase II became TMP, Nimoy agreed to participate in the film, so Spock was back and the actor slated to play Xon became the commander of Epsilon Nine.

Then after TMP Nimoy didn’t want to return for TWOK. Finally he agreed to return but for only one film, so they killed off Spock. Then Nimoy indicated that he might be open to returning, and Paramount added the “He won’t stay dead” ending to the film over Meyer’s objections.

Nimoy’s participation in the third film was finally secured when Paramount agreed to let him direct. This made Shatner insanely jealous and he threatened to hold out until Paramount agreed to let him direct the fifth film.

At least, that’s what I heard. I’m sure more knowledgeable people than I here can tell me how much of this is true and how much is urban legend.

 

[Therin of Andor]

This made Shatner insanely jealous and he threatened to hold out until Paramount agreed to let him direct the fifth film.

An exaggeration. He pointed out the "favoured nations" clause he shared with Nimoy (originally added for TMP to ensure Nimoy's salary didn't lag behind Shatner's) and was able to secure the directorship of ST V. Had ST V not done badly at the box office, he could have insisted on directing ST VI as well.

 

[A beaker full of death]

It did start to stretch credibility that, ... at one point, the Enterprise had three captains (demoted Kirk, Captain Spock and Captain-of-Engineering Scott).

Not at all. In fact, it's usual on aircraft carriers (one of the models for starships) to have several officers of that rank. Currently, the CO and XO of the Enterprise are both captains (which is true of most - or all - aircraft carriers).

 

[Doug Otte]

Yes, I have very fond memories of the golden age of Trek, from about 1979-1991. We had anticipation for 2-3 years before each movie, most plot points not being spoiled by the Internet, but teased by info at cons and the official Fan Club magazine.

Doug

 

[Therin of Andor]

Currently, the CO and XO of the Enterprise are both captains (which is true of most - or all - aircraft carriers).

But I'll bet they haven't all served on the same ship together for several decades.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Heck, even when TPTB weren't interested several cast members reunited for the 40th anniversary fan film, and TOS epilogue of sorts, Of Gods and Men.

I loved that film.

 

[Wynterhawk]

You know, I've never thought of it that way. While I didn't bash them for simply being human and aging, I guess I just took it for granted and expected for the intact cast (within reason) to show up and to perform their magic.

 

[Gojira]

Aren't fans of both TOS and TNG movies lucky? Because there was not a major recast of any of the TNG characters either.

But either way, we're all lucky because this is an exception when a TV series gets made into a movie.

 

[Doug Otte]

You know, I've never thought of it that way. While I didn't bash them for simply being human and aging, I guess I just took it for granted and expected for the intact cast (within reason) to show up and to perform their magic.

You jogged my memories. Although I posted a rose-colored reverie above, now I do remember fans' anxiety leading up to the actual filming of each movie. There were often rumors circulating at conventions and probably in the Fan Club magazine as well regarding whether or not all the actors would sign up. Then, after everything was locked down, somebody at a con (Richard Arnold or a cast guest) would confirm that everybody was on board.

Doug

 

[Warped9]

We could have gotten...some half-assed TOS crew...

Hmmm...

 

[22 Stars]

I remember these days well, and miss the convention floor at the old Roosevelt Hotel, then later, the Hotel Pennsylvania here in NY. News you could get nowhere else, merchandise you could get nowhere else, and a true sense of Trek family.

 

[Whill]

I love all of the main TOS characters (the seven). I do feel thankful that we at least got 4 good TOS movies out of 6. (However I'm inexplicably a little dissappointed that we only got 3 out of 4 good TNG movies.)

But who says you can't love a thing and at the same time bash them for being old and fat? I was actually very happy they finally ended it with TUC because it was getting a bit painful to watch them busting out of their uniforms and to hear Nimoy's increasingly worse cigarette-damaged voice.

The "Genesis Trilogy" was a great story arc with an awesome ending (I still get goosbumps and tear up when the Enterprise-A appears), and it was nice to get closure to the Klingon story arc and end with such an poignant final mission.

 

[Whill]

Re: TOS Captains

It did start to stretch credibility that Sulu's captaincy was on hold so long and that, at one point, the Enterprise had three captains (demoted Kirk, Captain Spock and Captain-of-Engineering Scott).

And yeah, about all the Captains... Sulu notwithstanding, I rationalize that Kirk's command crew just wanted to hold onto a good thing and stay together through that last 7-year mission instead of taking promotions (that were long overdue) to other positions in Starfleet. The formally ensign Chekov was already a Commander and first officer on another ship by 2285! Kirk decided to retire with the decommissioning of his second Enterprise, so maybe the others thought they would just also retire from Starfleet without having Kirk in command. Captain Spock does leave Starfleet to become a Federation Ambassador.

In my mind... After Kirk "died" in the 23rd century prologue of Generations, McCoy, Chekov and Uhura were inspired to return to/stay in Starfleet and accept promotions to Captain as well. In fact, it was such a travesty that the loser captain John Harriman was ever given command of the Enterprise-B that after Kirk's disappearance, he is reassigned and the new captain Chekov is instead given command of the new Enterprise, an assignment he accepts in honor of Kirk's memory. Captain Scott is the only one to really retire, and feeling partially responsible for the death of Kirk, he leaves Earth to travel far away from the reminders of Kirk (and the ship he was on was lost for 75 years).

And after watching the new 2009 film, I got the idea that after the "death" of Kirk, Ambassador Spock and Captain Uhura develope a romantic relationship and get married, although their respective duties often keep them apart (You know Spock needs to see her at least every 7 years, right? ). She eventually dies in the 24th century and Spock eventually remarries in a ceremony that Lt. Picard attends.

Captain Sulu and Captain Chekov both command excelsior-class refits for many years (and Saavik serves under Checkov with Sulu's daughter on Enterprise-B). I'd like to think that Chekov eventually becomes an admiral in Starfleet, to make his anesthesia-induced fantasy from TVH come true...

McCoy eventually rises above the rank of captain to become the retired admiral of Starfleet Medical he was in TNG pilot. Captain Scott and Spock also appear in TNG series. And besides those TNG episodes, we were also lucky enough to see the real 24th century death of Kirk in the first TNG film, as well as Ambassador Spock's instrumental role in the promotion of (the alternate universe) Kirk to Captain of the Enterprise!

 

[Pauln6]

We got all the original actors in the original roles, for all the movies right up to their TUC sign-off.

Mind you, I was really looking forward to the oft-mooted Decker & Ilia telemovies, all those great TMP aliens popping up, and the Saavik & David-led ST stories that never happened. It did start to stretch credibility that Sulu's captaincy was on hold so long and that, at one point, the Enterprise had three captains (demoted Kirk, Captain Spock and Captain-of-Engineering Scott).

I think it is a shame that they didn't diversify a bit early on too so the passing of the torch could have been more gradual. It's also a shame that they didn't make more of the supporting cast. Rand could have been in charge of the transporter in STIII or Chapel could have been chief of Starfleet Medical or an aide to Admiral Morrow or Cartwright. I think the ST II-IV arc is great but using the reset button for V didn't work as well. Placing Sulu and Chekov at helm and navigation again makes them look like chumps.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I remember these days well, and miss the convention floor at the old Roosevelt Hotel

Were you there for Walter Koenig and Howard Weinstein - and a ST III advance publicity slideshow from Paramount publicist, Eddie Egan - in January 1984? I was!

I'd already corresponded with the Star Trek Welcommittee for any convention dates during my six-week holiday around the USA - no luck - but they didn't mention any of the Creation Cons, and I ended up in New York the same weekend as the Koenig one! Too cool!

 

[Therin of Andor]

Chapel could have been chief of Starfleet Medical or an aide to Admiral Morrow or Cartwright.

They actually had Chapel surgical uniform modifications all ready to go for ST II, but Majel Barrett refused to participate when Gene was "demoted" to Creative Consultant and thus Chapel was never added to the script. (If you watch carefully, there's a dark-haired female doctor helping McCoy in Sickbay and she's probably wearing the Chapel scrubs.)

If you check out the ST IV comic adaptation, it includes the cut scene wherein Commander Chapel escorts Ambassador Sarek to the door of the trial.

As for Rand, Director Leonard Nimoy realised she'd been left behind since TMP so he made a point of asking Grace Lee Whitney to do the cafeteria cameo after principal photography and ended. Her scene was actually filmed at ILM, not Paramount. The DC Comics linking the adaptations of ST III and ST IV with regular issues ended up previewing what was to come canonically in ST IV by showing Rand as an assistant to Admiral Cartwright.

Whitney and Barrett really got into their roles for ST IV. They ended up meeting before the day of filming and rehearsing their lines together, even though the lines were written up onto cue cards for the scene. (I have Majel's lines on a cue card, bought at a charity auction, and then signed by Majel herself at a different event; was she ever surprised to see that the card survived all those years!)

 

[Pauln6]

Chapel could have been chief of Starfleet Medical or an aide to Admiral Morrow or Cartwright.

They actually had Chapel surgical uniform modifications all ready to go for ST II, but Majel Barrett refused to participate when Gene was "demoted" to Creative Consultant and thus Chapel was never added to the script. (If you watch carefully, there's a dark-haired female doctor helping McCoy in Sickbay and she's probably wearing the Chapel scrubs.)

If you check out the ST IV comic adaptation, it includes the cut scene wherein Commander Chapel escorts Ambassador Sarek to the door of the trial.

As for Rand, Director Leonard Nimoy realised she'd been left behind since TMP so he made a point of asking Grace Lee Whitney to do the cafeteria cameo after principal photography and ended. Her scene was actually filmed at ILM, not Paramount. The DC Comics linking the adaptations of ST III and ST IV with regular issues ended up previewing what was to come canonically in ST IV by showing Rand as an assistant to Admiral Cartwright.

Whitney and Barrett really got into their roles for ST IV. They ended up meeting before the day of filming and rehearsing their lines together, even though the lines were written up onto cue cards for the scene. (I have Majel's lines on a cue card, bought at a charity auction, and then signed by Majel herself at a different event; was she ever surprised to see that the card survived all those years!)

Kudos on the cue card - that is sooo coool! It's a shame that a bit of office politics crept in, I would have loved Majel to be in TWoK. I guess we're lucky that Shatner's ego didn't deter any of the other actors from signing up! I actually applauded when Grace appeared in STIII. The rest of the audience probably thought I was a nut (I am, obviously).

As you can tell from my new avatar I'm planning to use Chapel and Rand in my little fan-fic stories. I even cut and pasted the head of the cat lady from STV onto Uhura's body for a passable M'Ress.