Return to Tomorrow

[arthurb16]

Yesterday METV showed the episode "Return to Tomorrow."
As you know three people are possessed by aliens. The voice of Sardon was so unusual That I did a search to find out who's voice was used for Sardon.

I was shocked to find out it was James Doohan!

I am sure most of you knew this but the voice of Sardon was so authoritive and so different from Scotty's voice it was a shock to find out it was him.

 

[Melakon]

Sargon. The name started showing up on computer chess software in the late 70s, but the name itself dates back thousands of years.

Doohan did a lot of uncredited voices in the series. He's heard in "A Piece of the Action" as a radio announcer plugging "Bang Bang, the makers of the sweetest little automatic in the world."

 

[Kor]

I always thought Mr. Doohan's voice acting for such roles in TOS was much better than the voice acting he did a few years later for secondary roles in TAS, which all sound rather decrepit to me. What happened?

BTW, this should be in the TOS forum, not General Trek.

Kor

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

"Have no fear. Sargon is here!"

 

[Green Shirt]

"Have no fear. Sargon is here!"

Very Sardonic.

 

[Misfit Toy]

Moving to TOS...

 

[Push The Button]

I always thought Mr. Doohan's voice acting for such roles in TOS was much better than the voice acting he did a few years later for secondary roles in TAS, which all sound rather decrepit to me. What happened?

BTW, this should be in the TOS forum, not General Trek.

Kor

He was a little older, a little heavier, maybe a little more tired.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Director Ralph Senensky weighed in on this very subject:

http://senensky.com/return-to-tomorrow/

When we filmed the scene where Sargon inhabits Kirk’s body, I recognized Bill’s performance had taken it to the limits, but I still found it acceptable. When viewing the scene in the completed film, I have always been uncomfortable with it. Bill seemed to be doing a vocal imitation of the stentorian performance of James Doohan, who had acted Sargon’s voice-over in the show’s opening scene and the scene in the chamber when the group first encountered Sargon in the receptacle. Which is ironic, because Bill wasn’t copying Doohan’s performance; Bill’s performance came first. When James recorded his performance in postproduction, he was modeling his interpretation on what Bill had done.

 

[Jeri]

^ Huh; well, that is interesting!