Recast TOS!

[Ensign Benson]

I recently read that before hiring Shatner, Roddenberry was negotiating with Jack Lord to play Captain Kirk.
That got me thinking about who else could have played various TOS characters well, either at the time, or later (whenever they were the right age).

I came up with these:

Captain Kirk
Robert Conrad
Burt Reynolds
Jack Lord
Russell Crowe
Chris Pratt
I think all these actors had the sort of command presence needed to make Kirk believable. I don't think Chris Pine does.

Spock
Zachary Quinto (of course. He's perfect)
Martin Landau
Hugo Weaving
Liam Neeson

Dr McCoy
Gary Sinese
Karl Urban (of course)

Chekov
Simon Helberg (Howard from The Big Bang Theory)
Davy Jones (from The Monkees)

Captain Pike
Ray Liotta (Every time I watch Goodfellas I'm struck by how much he looked like Jeffery Hunter.)

Related to all this, I recently discovered the fan series "Star Trek Continues" on youtube. I think it's very well done, and the cast is very good. Vic Mignogna, the actor playing Kirk, looks quite a lot like Shatner, and has his movements and speech cadence down so well it's eerie, and Todd Haberkorn does a very good Spock, but both of them have such soft, high-pitched voices that it really makes it hard for me to buy them as military commanders. Spock in particular needs a very deep voice, like Nimoy and Quinto.
Chris Doohan is really good as Mr. Scott, but I think he should spend some time in Scotland and work on his accent.
Grant Imahara from Mythbusters is really good as Sulu, and sounds exactly like a young George Takei.

Well, whaddya think? Anyone you've always thought could have been a good TOS character?

 

[Marsden]

First of all, "Welcome, Welcome! You are most welcome, my friend"

I like most of your choices, I'm not good at casting though.

I really like Star Trek Continues. I don't think of Mignogna trying to be Shatner as much as being Kirk. That's hard to separate, but I do think there's a difference. I think Haberkorn has improved much since the first episode, especially getting it with the third installment.

 

[Ensign Benson]

Thank you! I agree with your take on Mignona and Haberkorn. I thought them both outstanding as the mirror universe characters, especially Mignogna! he really did a good vicious Kirk. I'd like to see him take over the movie role from lightweight Chris Pine. I'd also love to see Zachary Quinto get to play Mirror Spock.

 

[FormerLurker]

Grant Imahara may sound like a young George Takei NOW, but he didn't the first couple of episodes. There he sounds like the old, current George, and it threatens to take me out of every scene he's in. I think someone told him what he was doing, and he worked on it to make it better.

 

[Tracy Trek]

I think Martin Landau was one of the ones considered for Spock back then.

 

[telerites]

Just replace the TOS cast with Gilligan's Island cast members.

Kirk is Alan Hale, Jr.
Spock is Bob Denver (no not Russell Johnson)
McCoy is Johnson
Uhura is Dawn Wells
Scotty is Jim Backus (he'll just buy whatever equipment the ship needs)
Louise Schaeffer is Nurse Chapel
Tina Louise is either Sulu or Checkov and that is where it may fall down a bit
Oh and of course the Enterprise would be the USS Minnow.

 

[FormerLurker]

That's Natalie Shafer, not Louise.

 

[telerites]

That's Natalie Shafer, not Louise.

Doh' I knew that. Just had Ginger on my mind. Lol.

 

[ToddPence]

Didn't we just have this exact same thread?

 

[telerites]

Didn't we just have this exact same thread?

Similar for sure - someone started a thread but specifically for 1960s actors although some posted post 1960s actors.

 

[Terok Nor]

I wouldn't change any of them. I think they got the casting just right for the main 3 (also in the JJ movies). I think the supporting characters were so thin it was down to their portrayers to make them stand out. In that way I think Doohan, Takei and Nichols are Scotty, Sulu and Uhura. I was never a fan of Koenig's acting. I think anyone could have played that character and brought the same level of nothingness to it. I can't comment on the JJ versions of all these characters apart from Pegg who is appalling as Scotty. The rest haven't had much to do so far.

 

[Marsden]

Just replace the TOS cast with Gilligan's Island cast members.

Kirk is Alan Hale, Jr.
Spock is Bob Denver (no not Russell Johnson)
McCoy is Johnson
Uhura is Dawn Wells
Scotty is Jim Backus (he'll just buy whatever equipment the ship needs)
Louise Schaeffer is Nurse Chapel
Tina Louise is either Sulu or Checkov and that is where it may fall down a bit
Oh and of course the Enterprise would be the USS Minnow.

That's great, but I'd have Tina Louise be Sulu and have Walter Koenig stay as Chekov.

I'd would be great!

 

[Nyotarules]

I'd change the genders, 6 females and one stand out male.
T'Pol grand daughter of The T'Pol - Captain
Jamie Kirk - XO
Lena McCoy - CMO
Irina Chekov - Navigator
Patricia Scott - Chief Engineer
Linn Sulu - Pilot
Jomo Uhura - Chief of Operations
Carlos Chapel - Head Nurse
Christopher Masters - Communications officer
Karen Kyle - Transporter technician
Janet M'Benga - Doctor , specialist in xenomedicine
Katherine Riley - Crew in engineering

 

[Elder Knight]

Didn't we just have this exact same thread?

Yes, and I killed that one. Shall I do it again??

 

[T'Bonz]

^ No.

 

[2takesfrakes]

I'm having trouble seeing Liam Neeson as Spock ... he's a bit brawny to be playing an introverted scientist, it seems like.

 

[FormerLurker]

I could see Liam Neeson as Kor. That would be interesting.

 

[Elder Knight]

The grumpy but capable Vince Edwards (from Ben Casey) could have stood in nicely for McCoy.