Is it just me, or is every episode with a child guest star in it regardless of series god awful. It's a pretty general statement, so if you have an exception, I'd like to know. I'm not blaming the kids for not being good actors, because they are so young. Whenever I see a kid on a Star Trek episode, I cringe and think "Oh.. THIS is going to be bad/cheesy."
Prejudiced against child actors?
- Thread starter snuffles
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I doubt that anything as lofty as prejudice is involved. But child actors rarely have the range of adult actors. There's also just plain bad luck - some of the handful of shows with a significant number of child actors - like "And The Children Shall Lead" and "When the Bough Breaks" - have simply appalling scripts.
But every so often the use of child actors works, as in "Disaster"; which admittedly kept the role of the children as one of many plots but was a rather well written one. I thought "Rascals" was also pretty good; though I think opinion is divided in that case.
But every so often the use of child actors works, as in "Disaster"; which admittedly kept the role of the children as one of many plots but was a rather well written one. I thought "Rascals" was also pretty good; though I think opinion is divided in that case.
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^ I think you mean "And The Children Shall Lead". 
However, I am certainly not prejudiced against child actors. I've never understood this sentiment either. I could see the problem if they were all that bad, but I think the Trek series were generally blessed with rather good child actors. Some seem to despise the mere notion of a children on their "adult" series it seems.
However, I am certainly not prejudiced against child actors. I've never understood this sentiment either. I could see the problem if they were all that bad, but I think the Trek series were generally blessed with rather good child actors. Some seem to despise the mere notion of a children on their "adult" series it seems.
^ I think you mean "And The Children Shall Lead".
Major Freudian slip on my part.
Also true. I felt Cirroc Lofton was pretty good.
It is true that the main character child actors have been pretty good. Star Trek also has the advantage of being able to cast adults into child roles because of makeup (see: Nog). However, I'm going to guess that the original poster is referring to episodes with several child guest stars as primary protagonists.
Star Trek seems to be ambivalent about children. . They either veer to the William Golding "Lord of the Flies" view or an opinion that children are empty vessels.
In TOS "Miri" was a great episode that showed what happened when kids went without guidance or supervision for a long time.
On the other hand, on other series, like DS9 Keiko and Miles O'Brien's daughter is a cypher.
The Star Trek Verse needs to make up its mind.
In TOS "Miri" was a great episode that showed what happened when kids went without guidance or supervision for a long time.
On the other hand, on other series, like DS9 Keiko and Miles O'Brien's daughter is a cypher.
The Star Trek Verse needs to make up its mind.
I don't have a problem with child actors and no I don't think child-centered episdes are awful-actually the opposite. I enjoyed The Bonding, Disaster, Rascals, Hero Worship on TNG.
I think that the problem has not so much to do with the child actors but with episodes with children often ends up being soppy.
I used to cringe every time Worf' s on did show up. "Oh, we're in for that kind of episode today, sigh". Not to mention when both Alexander and Lwaxana Troi did show up in the same episode!
Nevertheless, there have been some really good episodes with children involved.
"And The Children Shall Lead" in TOS is actually good even if I admit that my liking of the episode is because the Gorgan was a dead ringer to a crazy boss I had at one of my previous jobs!
I liked the TNG episode "Rascas" and the Voyager episode "Innocence". TNG:s "Disaster", "Hero Worship" and "Imaginary Friend" were good chldren-based episodes too.
I used to cringe every time Worf' s on did show up. "Oh, we're in for that kind of episode today, sigh". Not to mention when both Alexander and Lwaxana Troi did show up in the same episode!
Nevertheless, there have been some really good episodes with children involved.
"And The Children Shall Lead" in TOS is actually good even if I admit that my liking of the episode is because the Gorgan was a dead ringer to a crazy boss I had at one of my previous jobs!
I liked the TNG episode "Rascas" and the Voyager episode "Innocence". TNG:s "Disaster", "Hero Worship" and "Imaginary Friend" were good chldren-based episodes too.
RobertScorpio
Pariah
^ I think you mean "And The Children Shall Lead".
However, I am certainly not prejudiced against child actors. I've never understood this sentiment either. I could see the problem if they were all that bad, but I think the Trek series were generally blessed with rather good child actors. Some seem to despise the mere notion of a children on their "adult" series it seems.
I agree NCC...we had a thread on this not to long ago, and I asked people to name GOOD episodes with kids and there were many I hadn't thought of. So I think this is a bad rap TREK gets, and it is unwarrented!!! IMO of course..
Rob
It varies.
There was that TNG episode where the human kid had been raised by the hostile aliens. I thought it was a very interesting episode, really.
If you count teens, few people have ever had much to complain about Jake (as opposed to Wesley). And that episode of Voyager with Q's son was good for a comedy episode.
There was that TNG episode where the human kid had been raised by the hostile aliens. I thought it was a very interesting episode, really.
If you count teens, few people have ever had much to complain about Jake (as opposed to Wesley). And that episode of Voyager with Q's son was good for a comedy episode.
Too true.
About half the time, I got the feeling that the kids were inserted for their cuteness, which turned me off. I thought the teen actors were generally good, though.
Mrs Paris
Captain
the problem with child actors is that the time that they're allowed to legaly be on set is very short. The younger the child, the shorter the time is. So where an adult can redo a scene over and over again until they get it right, production only has time for a child to do a scene once possibly twice.
You beat me to the punch on this one. Scarlett Pomers did a GREAT job as Naomi Wildman, and that comes from someone who can't stand child actors in science fiction.
PS-another exception to this rule, granted it is not Star Trek, is Carrie Henn, who played Newt in 1986's "Aliens."
Child actors definitely don't send a thrill down my spine. While some child actors are ok, the reality is that they don't have the time investment (professional adult actors spend years of their lives perfecting their craft) or the life experiences to act as well as an adult actor can.
