Moments where you knew you were seeing Spock and not Zachary Quinto?
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Re: Moments where you knew you were seeing Spock and not Zachary Quint
I was fine with Quinto from the get go. After all, actors do something called acting, despite how some people here overreact and/or are too stupid to separate the actor from the character when it's "convenient" for them to do so.
I was fine with Quinto from the get go. After all, actors do something called acting, despite how some people here overreact and/or are too stupid to separate the actor from the character when it's "convenient" for them to do so.
Re: Moments where you knew you were seeing Spock and not Zachary Quint
NONE of the actors really look or sound like their counterparts. I'm hardly going to count that against them.
And they still have enough of the "general look and feel" to convince me they are the characters-- Pine has the square-jaw, Quinto the long, thin face, etc.
Bottom line for me is I can't wait to see these actors playing these characters again.
NONE of the actors really look or sound like their counterparts. I'm hardly going to count that against them.
And they still have enough of the "general look and feel" to convince me they are the characters-- Pine has the square-jaw, Quinto the long, thin face, etc.
Bottom line for me is I can't wait to see these actors playing these characters again.
Re: Moments where you knew you were seeing Spock and not Zachary Quint
I thought for the most part the actor did good work (especially in the banter with McCoy and his scene with Kirk on the Jellyfish).
And while his look was much softer then Nimoy's, I think he really nailed the mannerisms of Nimoy's interpretation of the character of Spock.
I do feel the one thing that did on a few occasions bother me was the vocal difference. And that is a very mild complaint.
But that is something that occurs with characters and the actors that portray them. After all with characters you aren't supposed to be seeing the actor, your supposed to see the character. And truly is a deeper voice really a big part of Spock's character?
In two years (hopefully) we are going to be seeing the film the Hobbit. Yet are we going to be complaining about how Bilbo doesn't act or sound like Ian Holm?
Hell years later we might see another Lord of the Rings series, does that mean that the new actors have to match the actors that played those characters?
The character of Spock was created and given a voice before Nimoy was ever a factor in the equation. Then between the actor being hired and the writers seeing what the actor could do, his character was developed. Which explains why some times the characters seems more real in certain episodes and movies then others (as the writers influence also impacts the actor), not to mention the directors as well.
I am biased though, having spent a lot of my early years close to the theatre, where one does see multitudes of actors playing the same character. Some play those characters in the same style (with quality levels from awful to awesome) to playing in completely different styles (and quality levels from awful to awesome).
And I think Trek is strong enough to be material that different generations can interpret.
Now that doesn't mean that I liked all the characters, or thought they were played in the same manner. For example I love Simon Pegg, but at no time did I like his' Scotty. And Anton Chekov was nothing like Walter's but this interpretation I actually liked.
But for all the film's faults (my opinion of course but really that plot...), I thought the characters, the interactions of the characters, and the spirit of the film were great. In those categories it's my favorite Trek film (including the plot and some of the humor Khan and First Contact easily beat it).
I thought for the most part the actor did good work (especially in the banter with McCoy and his scene with Kirk on the Jellyfish).
And while his look was much softer then Nimoy's, I think he really nailed the mannerisms of Nimoy's interpretation of the character of Spock.
I do feel the one thing that did on a few occasions bother me was the vocal difference. And that is a very mild complaint.
But that is something that occurs with characters and the actors that portray them. After all with characters you aren't supposed to be seeing the actor, your supposed to see the character. And truly is a deeper voice really a big part of Spock's character?
In two years (hopefully) we are going to be seeing the film the Hobbit. Yet are we going to be complaining about how Bilbo doesn't act or sound like Ian Holm?
Hell years later we might see another Lord of the Rings series, does that mean that the new actors have to match the actors that played those characters?
The character of Spock was created and given a voice before Nimoy was ever a factor in the equation. Then between the actor being hired and the writers seeing what the actor could do, his character was developed. Which explains why some times the characters seems more real in certain episodes and movies then others (as the writers influence also impacts the actor), not to mention the directors as well.
I am biased though, having spent a lot of my early years close to the theatre, where one does see multitudes of actors playing the same character. Some play those characters in the same style (with quality levels from awful to awesome) to playing in completely different styles (and quality levels from awful to awesome).
And I think Trek is strong enough to be material that different generations can interpret.
Now that doesn't mean that I liked all the characters, or thought they were played in the same manner. For example I love Simon Pegg, but at no time did I like his' Scotty. And Anton Chekov was nothing like Walter's but this interpretation I actually liked.
But for all the film's faults (my opinion of course but really that plot...), I thought the characters, the interactions of the characters, and the spirit of the film were great. In those categories it's my favorite Trek film (including the plot and some of the humor Khan and First Contact easily beat it).
Re: Moments where you knew you were seeing Spock and not Zachary Quint
Star Tresk TNG, Voyager and Enterprise are full of guest and principal actors who don't look at all Vulcanoid to me, much less anything like Nimoy's Spock, and they stick out like sore thumbs. Y'all have no idea how awful the casting coul've been. To me, Nimoy is actually inimitable, in the true sense of the word. the filmmakers found an actor of similar physical type, in the right age range, who can carry the part even though confined to a limted expressive range. That is a huge bill to fill. The role and actor's performance must be organic - to mimic Nimoy would've been disastrous and out of place.
I love Sarek, he's my favorite Vulcan, and he was played by a wonderful stage trained actor with a beautiful voice. But Sarek is actually not like Spock at all - they always seemed very different and distinct characters to me...even very different Vulcans. Athough we get to see very little of Sarek, he always struck me as a mature, powerful and immensely formidable leader, but in a very quiet way, the power held in reserve -the ultimate Vulcan in my book. Tuvok...ya gotta be kidding by contrasting negatively with ZQ's performance. Maybe some day I'll warm to Voyager but it's a tough sell.
I'm generally hard to please when it comes to Trek movies, and very hard to please when it comes to casting. But I still think ZQ did a great job of capturing the character and spirit of Spock. This Spock is not going to be a typical Vulcan or exactly like Nimoy's Spock. And that's OK by me.
Well... so far Quinto hasn't written a book claiming that he isn't Spock.
"Technical limitations." That's a good way to put it. Frankly, I tend to put more emphasis on sound than looks, which may be part of why Quinto is a harder sell for me than for others.
I wonder if there's some new Hollywood trend towards higher voices. That seemed to be a frequent divergence between the new cast & the old cast. Not only was Quinto missing Nimoy's sonorous baritone but also John Cho wasn't anywhere close to George Takei's trademark congestion. And Simon Pegg's Scottish accent reminded me less of James Doohan and more of Dr. Carson Beckett, the high-pitched worry-wart from Stargate Atlantis.
That's something else I found about Quinto's performance. While he was somewhere on the outskirts of "a believable Spock sort of range," I felt he was further from the Nimoy bullseye than Tim Russ' Tuvok or Mark Lenard's Sarek, and they weren't even trying to play exactly the same character that Nimoy was.
Star Tresk TNG, Voyager and Enterprise are full of guest and principal actors who don't look at all Vulcanoid to me, much less anything like Nimoy's Spock, and they stick out like sore thumbs. Y'all have no idea how awful the casting coul've been. To me, Nimoy is actually inimitable, in the true sense of the word. the filmmakers found an actor of similar physical type, in the right age range, who can carry the part even though confined to a limted expressive range. That is a huge bill to fill. The role and actor's performance must be organic - to mimic Nimoy would've been disastrous and out of place.
I love Sarek, he's my favorite Vulcan, and he was played by a wonderful stage trained actor with a beautiful voice. But Sarek is actually not like Spock at all - they always seemed very different and distinct characters to me...even very different Vulcans. Athough we get to see very little of Sarek, he always struck me as a mature, powerful and immensely formidable leader, but in a very quiet way, the power held in reserve -the ultimate Vulcan in my book. Tuvok...ya gotta be kidding by contrasting negatively with ZQ's performance. Maybe some day I'll warm to Voyager but it's a tough sell.
I'm generally hard to please when it comes to Trek movies, and very hard to please when it comes to casting. But I still think ZQ did a great job of capturing the character and spirit of Spock. This Spock is not going to be a typical Vulcan or exactly like Nimoy's Spock. And that's OK by me.
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Re: Moments where you knew you were seeing Spock and not Zachary Quint
Agreed. As cool as Nimoy's deep voice was, I hardly considered it a defining aspect of Spock's character on TOS. It might have imbued him with a bit more authority than he would have otherwise had, but I still thought Quinto was able to convey enough of that when he was in command.
I did think it strange that his voice sounded deeper at times on Heroes though. Of course he was playing a really dark character, and it's possible the audio guys deepened it for effect.
Agreed. As cool as Nimoy's deep voice was, I hardly considered it a defining aspect of Spock's character on TOS. It might have imbued him with a bit more authority than he would have otherwise had, but I still thought Quinto was able to convey enough of that when he was in command.
I did think it strange that his voice sounded deeper at times on Heroes though. Of course he was playing a really dark character, and it's possible the audio guys deepened it for effect.
Re: Moments where you knew you were seeing Spock and not Zachary Quint
You know, as much as I detested VOY, I have to admit I always liked Tim Russ's Tuvok.
I thought he nailed the Vulcan attitude and mannerisms reall well, while bringing a little bit of swagger into it too. I just thought it was a cool combination.
It's just a shame he was stuck on such an awful show (same with T'Pol, for that matter).
You know, as much as I detested VOY, I have to admit I always liked Tim Russ's Tuvok.
I thought he nailed the Vulcan attitude and mannerisms reall well, while bringing a little bit of swagger into it too. I just thought it was a cool combination.
It's just a shame he was stuck on such an awful show (same with T'Pol, for that matter).
Re: Moments where you knew you were seeing Spock and not Zachary Quint
He probably didn't want to use the same voice he used for Sylar for Spock, for fear of reminding people of Sylar.
No, he speaks like that when he plays Sylar. He also did it in some interviews when he was imitating the Sylar voice. He can raise or drop his voice a few octaves. If you want to hear him speak with a really high voice, search Youtube for a clip from a sitcom called Off-centre, he did a ridiculously sqeaky voice for comedic purposes.
He probably didn't want to use the same voice he used for Sylar for Spock, for fear of reminding people of Sylar.
Re: Moments where you knew you were seeing Spock and not Zachary Quint
The only time that Spock ever existed totally independently of Leonard Nimoy was during a brief period of pre-production on the original series, and even then, only a handful of writers & production staff were aware of it. For the general public, Spock began for them when Leonard Nimoy made his first entrance in the first episode of the TV show. The same goes for the rest of the cast as well. Every major Star Trek character began on a TV series with a specific actor playing them. This is the fundamental factor that distinguishes Kirk & co. from every other character of popular mythology that they're compared to-- King Arthur, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Batman, Superman, Bilbo Baggins, etc. The rest of them all started out as literary creations, independent of any actor's influence.
I'm glad you agree. While Voyager was sometimes a spotty show, Tuvok was always one of the highlights. One thing I looked forward to every season was the yearly Tuvok episode. (Sadly, he only ever seemed to get one per year.) Tim Russ is quiet badass the way that Samuel L. Jackson is loud badass.
I disagree about T'Pol. She & the other Enterprise Vulcans were plagued with such terrible writing from the beginning that I could never really get into any of them. Actually, some of the other Vulcans in the new movie reminded me of the Enterprise Vulcans, the way they weren't so much logical as just pissy to everyone else. I mean, what is the logic in daily taunting Spock to provoke an emotional response?
The only time that Spock ever existed totally independently of Leonard Nimoy was during a brief period of pre-production on the original series, and even then, only a handful of writers & production staff were aware of it. For the general public, Spock began for them when Leonard Nimoy made his first entrance in the first episode of the TV show. The same goes for the rest of the cast as well. Every major Star Trek character began on a TV series with a specific actor playing them. This is the fundamental factor that distinguishes Kirk & co. from every other character of popular mythology that they're compared to-- King Arthur, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Batman, Superman, Bilbo Baggins, etc. The rest of them all started out as literary creations, independent of any actor's influence.
I'm glad you agree. While Voyager was sometimes a spotty show, Tuvok was always one of the highlights. One thing I looked forward to every season was the yearly Tuvok episode. (Sadly, he only ever seemed to get one per year.) Tim Russ is quiet badass the way that Samuel L. Jackson is loud badass.
I disagree about T'Pol. She & the other Enterprise Vulcans were plagued with such terrible writing from the beginning that I could never really get into any of them. Actually, some of the other Vulcans in the new movie reminded me of the Enterprise Vulcans, the way they weren't so much logical as just pissy to everyone else. I mean, what is the logic in daily taunting Spock to provoke an emotional response?
Re: Moments where you knew you were seeing Spock and not Zachary Quint
Yes! Yes! Exactly!
Yes! Yes! Exactly!
Re: Moments where you knew you were seeing Spock and not Zachary Quint
Actually, that should remind you of TOS and TAS Vulcans. Since, you know, they did the same thing in TAS and were said to have taunted Spock because of his half-human heritage in TOS.
Speaking of which, what is the logic of being pissed off by your son's careeer choice so much you don't talk to him for 13 years?
Actually, that should remind you of TOS and TAS Vulcans. Since, you know, they did the same thing in TAS and were said to have taunted Spock because of his half-human heritage in TOS.
Speaking of which, what is the logic of being pissed off by your son's careeer choice so much you don't talk to him for 13 years?
Re: Moments where you knew you were seeing Spock and not Zachary Quint
Ok, I admit, it was probably more her look than anything else.
But still though, while the writing was definitely off, I thought Blalock played what she was given really well. Unlike with Jeri Ryan, there actually seemed to be an interesting and complex personality underneath the pretty face and big boobs.
Ok, I admit, it was probably more her look than anything else.
But still though, while the writing was definitely off, I thought Blalock played what she was given really well. Unlike with Jeri Ryan, there actually seemed to be an interesting and complex personality underneath the pretty face and big boobs.
Re: Moments where you knew you were seeing Spock and not Zachary Quint
Overall I think Quinto did a good job. There was no moment where it just clicked that he was Spock for me. Nimoy just had such a distinctive look and sound.
I also think it was a mistake to put Nimoy in this film. Wasn't fair to Quinto to have to compete. If the story required an aged Spock, Quinto should have played that role as well.
Overall I think Quinto did a good job. There was no moment where it just clicked that he was Spock for me. Nimoy just had such a distinctive look and sound.
I also think it was a mistake to put Nimoy in this film. Wasn't fair to Quinto to have to compete. If the story required an aged Spock, Quinto should have played that role as well.
Re: Moments where you knew you were seeing Spock and not Zachary Quint
I don't feel qualified to answer the thread's original question because I saw Star Trek XI before I watched the original series. However, in response to the voice issue: while ZQ Spock sounds nothing like Nimoy's rich, resonant voice, his voice is at least rather distinctive, which I think is more important than sounding exactly like TOS Spock. He has a cool, pleasant voice with an interesting lilt that seems befitting of someone who isn't entirely human. If he just talked like any other guy, I could see how it might be problematic. As it is, there's no mistaking Spock for anyone else in Star Trek XI when he speaks.
I admit I'm a little surprised by those who find no physical similarities in the two actors. Nimoy and Quinto definitely favor each other in my eyes. Quinto has even commented on it in interviews.
I don't feel qualified to answer the thread's original question because I saw Star Trek XI before I watched the original series. However, in response to the voice issue: while ZQ Spock sounds nothing like Nimoy's rich, resonant voice, his voice is at least rather distinctive, which I think is more important than sounding exactly like TOS Spock. He has a cool, pleasant voice with an interesting lilt that seems befitting of someone who isn't entirely human. If he just talked like any other guy, I could see how it might be problematic. As it is, there's no mistaking Spock for anyone else in Star Trek XI when he speaks.
I admit I'm a little surprised by those who find no physical similarities in the two actors. Nimoy and Quinto definitely favor each other in my eyes. Quinto has even commented on it in interviews.
Re: Moments where you knew you were seeing Spock and not Zachary Quint
The weird thing is that Quinto looks more like Nimoy OUT of makeup than he does in. Once he's in the full Vulcan getup, he loses some of the resemblance for some reason.
It's not a big deal to me though. He still looks close enough.
The weird thing is that Quinto looks more like Nimoy OUT of makeup than he does in. Once he's in the full Vulcan getup, he loses some of the resemblance for some reason.
It's not a big deal to me though. He still looks close enough.
Re: Moments where you knew you were seeing Spock and not Zachary Quint
Interesting discussion re: Nimoy v. Quinto as Spock.
I thought Quinto did well to remind of original Spock (*like his speech to Kirk before Starfleet and *his stubborn adherence in general to logic and regulations, of course), but his story, like Kirk's, is very different from TOS' Spock.
From his romance with Uhura, his mother's death, and Vulcan's destruction, there's a whole new side of Spock to explore for Quinto than for Nimoy.
To me, both Shatner and Pine are Kirk (in different timelines), both Nimoy & Quinto are Spock, etc. One doesn't negate the other, because the writers took care to write it in an alternate timeline. I could see if they had simply started at the beginning again in the same timeline that there would be more critical comparisons, but there are enough similarities in the portrayals, IMO, to do justice to the originals.
Interesting discussion re: Nimoy v. Quinto as Spock.
I thought Quinto did well to remind of original Spock (*like his speech to Kirk before Starfleet and *his stubborn adherence in general to logic and regulations, of course), but his story, like Kirk's, is very different from TOS' Spock.
From his romance with Uhura, his mother's death, and Vulcan's destruction, there's a whole new side of Spock to explore for Quinto than for Nimoy.
To me, both Shatner and Pine are Kirk (in different timelines), both Nimoy & Quinto are Spock, etc. One doesn't negate the other, because the writers took care to write it in an alternate timeline. I could see if they had simply started at the beginning again in the same timeline that there would be more critical comparisons, but there are enough similarities in the portrayals, IMO, to do justice to the originals.
Re: Moments where you knew you were seeing Spock and not Zachary Quint
I guess I must be psychic. Then howcome I haven't made a billion dollars on the stock market? Damn psychic powers don't work on anything useful.
I buy him as Spock far more readily than Sylar. But that might be because Spock is a wonderful, iconic character and Sylar is pretty much a botch in the writing department, being held together as a character solely by the force of Zach's talent and screen presence. On the one hand, I appreciate Zach's heroic efforts to make a half-assed - no, wait, quarter-assed at best - character work, when many actors would have just said, "frak this shit, someone get my agent on the phone!" OTOH, why should he have to do the writers' jobs for them? That rankles me. So much nicer to see him given decent material.
Then it's very strange how, oh around 2003-ish, when Zach appeared on 24, my FIRST thought was, "gee I wonder if anyone in CTU thinks its strange that one of their co-workers looks exactly like a young Leonard Nimoy"?
I guess I must be psychic. Then howcome I haven't made a billion dollars on the stock market? Damn psychic powers don't work on anything useful.
I watched only the first season of Heroes. Fortunately, I have only seen Quinto in the role of Spock, so I do not end up comparing him to his other well-known role. Perhaps that is why I only judge him on his work in this movie.
I buy him as Spock far more readily than Sylar. But that might be because Spock is a wonderful, iconic character and Sylar is pretty much a botch in the writing department, being held together as a character solely by the force of Zach's talent and screen presence. On the one hand, I appreciate Zach's heroic efforts to make a half-assed - no, wait, quarter-assed at best - character work, when many actors would have just said, "frak this shit, someone get my agent on the phone!" OTOH, why should he have to do the writers' jobs for them? That rankles me. So much nicer to see him given decent material.
Re: Moments where you knew you were seeing Spock and not Zachary Quint
Is John Cho in the last clip during the rooftop scene of Off Centre? Or am I reading what I want to see in this?
Is John Cho in the last clip during the rooftop scene of Off Centre? Or am I reading what I want to see in this?
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