Sarek, played by James Frain

[Morpheus 02]

I really like the actor, and the character makes sense...but I hate how they are disconnecting the movies with this new show. It's just silly, and doesn't help the Trek brand at all.

We'll see how it goes...

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

I wonder if he'll portray an unnamed Romulan commander as well.

 

[fireproof78]

It lessens the story for me. It ruins my suspension of belief. And, cynically, often the connections seem to be forced in for "shock" value or economic reasons when other, better, new options exist. It also restricts the story - no longer is there a fresh and new opportunity to explore - now the writers are beholden to existing characterization and histories. Or they're forced to re-write said characterizations and histories to tell new stories, rendering the point of connecting to existing characters moot.

Discovery promised new ships and new crews. A week from filming and of the few characters reveals, we've already got one who has been described as key and has already been in three TV series' and two film franchises spawning 50 real time years. That's hardly new.

Hence my disappointment.

I'm well aware a lot of people disagree on this, that's the nature of art. I'm not arguing that you or @Balok's Decoy or any of the others excited for the connection are wrong - it just doesn't work for me and seems a waste of a new opportunity to body go where no one has gone before.

Since we don't know how the connection is going to be, or Sarek's role, then I will wait and see on this one.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I wonder if he'll portray an unnamed Romulan commander as well.

WIN

And to further mess with people's heads, they should get Ben Cross to return, this time as Skon (Sarek's father).

 

[jamestyler]

Since we don't know how the connection is going to be, or Sarek's role, then I will wait and see on this one.

^ Indeed.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was something as simple as a respected ambassador checking in, much like Admirals have in the past.

 

[Kemaiku]

Maybe they were half brothers, and this is Sarek's personal Sybok moment *soap opera theme*

 

[RJDiogenes]

I have no idea, why Wikipedia lists him as a guest. They link there to the Entertainment Weekly article, which says this:

http://ew.com/tv/2017/01/18/star-trek-discovery-spock-premiere-date/

"The first is that the series will include Spock’s father Sarek as a key character."

Key character doesn't sound like a guest at all. So I am not so sure, if Wiki is right in that point.

Hmm. Well, it could be just EW's breathless promotion style. Or Wiki could be wrong. Or he could be key in the sense that he provides the impetus for the story in the first episode, but isn't seen again (until the end, perhaps, when Discovery returns home).

Well, it's a story not a real universe.

That's the long and the short of it right there.

 

[JonVP]

Great actor. Seems a better fit than Cross in Trek09. Guess Sarek will have an important role.

 

[Armus]

New cast announcement from StarTrek.com.

Sarek will be in the show! Played by a gentleman named James Frain (I'm unfamiliar with him). I'm pretty excited to see Sarek again.

Link: http://www.startrek.com/article/james-frain-joins-discovery-as-sarek

I'll always remember him as Thomas Cromwell in The Tudors.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Great actor. Seems a better fit than Cross in Trek09. Guess Sarek will have an important role.

I liked Ben Cross as Sarek, but I also like this as well. Besides, Crain kind of looks like Mark Lenard...

 

[queerTrekker]

It would be exciting to see Sarek in his prime. I was quite pleased to hear about the news, whether he is just doing a brief cameo or not.

 

[TheSubCommander]

Mixed feelings about this.

On one hand, James Frain is an awesome actor, I'm glad he is on the cast, and he seems to me ideal for the role of a Vulcan.

On the other, do we really need him to be Sarek? Surely, Vulcan has more than one ambassador.

 

[dahj]

On the other, do we really need him to be Sarek?

We don't need anything, but it's nice to link the show to its predecessors in this way.
Besides, he's only been in one episode of TOS and it could be interesting to see him outside of his relationship with Spock.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

It lessens the story for me. It ruins my suspension of belief. And, cynically, often the connections seem to be forced in for "shock" value or economic reasons when other, better, new options exist. It also restricts the story - no longer is there a fresh and new opportunity to explore - now the writers are beholden to existing characterization and histories. Or they're forced to re-write said characterizations and histories to tell new stories, rendering the point of connecting to existing characters moot.

Discovery promised new ships and new crews. A week from filming and of the few characters reveals, we've already got one who has been described as key and has already been in three TV series' and two film franchises spawning 50 real time years. That's hardly new.

Hence my disappointment.

Did you expect anything different from a series set in this period? A period one minute away from the most popular/significant part of the franchise? It would seem like Discovery was ducking and dodging nothing (person, belief, technology, event, etc.) was not seen or referenced in the new series.

If CBS wanted a clean break, they would have set the series in the 30th century, where you could believably create stories with no trace of a TOS influence. Not going to happen, as the PTB knows what the public considers real ST. That does not mean Discovery will not take its own direction (likely considering how fantasy TV is used at present), but it still needed a few connections to TOS.

 

[LtChange]

Some of us like the TOS connections

 

[jamestyler]

Besides, Crain kind of looks like Mark Lenard...

That hadn't even crossed my mind. Now I can't help but see a resemblance, especially with the post above yours!

 

[TheSubCommander]

We don't need anything, but it's nice to link the show to its predecessors in this way.
Besides, he's only been in one episode of TOS and it could be interesting to see him outside of his relationship with Spock.

Not true.

Sarek Appears in Star Trek 3 & 4 (Mark Lenard), Star Trek 5 (can't remember the guy's name right now), the TNG episodes Sarek and Unification, TAS episode Yesteryear, and Star Trek 2009.

It may yet be interesting, I'll agree there. Part of my apprehension is I had simply assumed they would just have Ben Cross from Star Trek 2009 if they were going to introduce Sarek (we had rumors of Amanda Grayson in Discovery, so I assumed that meant Sarek, too). Part of it is that it makes the universe a bit small. I wouldn't mind referencing Sarek, but why couldn't we get a new Vulcan character? Like Soval's son or protege?

In any event, I am warming up to the idea that Frain will be playing Sarek. Putting the picture of him and Mark Lenard side by side, I have to agree. He does look like Lenard. It's actually a shame they didn't cast him as Sarek for Star Trek 2009. Frain would have been 38 or 39 when they were filming ST 2009, and I think Mark Lenard was 42 when he appeared in TOS. Ben Cross was much older. I think he was about 60 in 2009.

 

[dahj]

Not true.

I know that, was talking about "young" Sarek.

 

[TheSubCommander]

I know that, was talking about "young" Sarek.

Fair enough. Just clarifying.

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

Sarek Appears in Star Trek 3 & 4 (Mark Lenard), Star Trek 5 (can't remember the guy's name right now), the TNG episodes Sarek and Unification, TAS episode Yesteryear, and Star Trek 2009.

Mark Lenard also cameo'd in Star Trek VI (IIRC, offering legal advice to the President on the issue of Kirk and McCoy's imprisonment and pending trial).

Jonathan Simpson played "Young" Sarek in Star Trek V.