Should any Trek actors from other series direct episodes of this series?

[SailorLadyGaga]

I remember Roxann Dawson directed quite a few episodes on Enterprise.

 

[VOODOOXI]

With the exception of Leonard Nimoy none of the actors from the other series were very good directors.

 

[Tosk]

Sure, why not?

 

[Locutus of Bored]

SailorLadyGaga, please put some more effort into your threads from now on.

 

[Refuge]

LeVar Burton and Tm Russ did some good work in my opinion.

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

Discovery looks and feels cinematic so any potential directors should have movie experience.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

I seem to recall that some former Trek acting alumni (with Trek episode directing on their resumes) have already been announced as in talks or confirmed for upcoming directorial spots on Discovery, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[BillJ]

Roxann Dawson is about the only prior actor/director that I would like to see behind the camera.

 

[Qonundrum]

From memory: LeVar Burton, Jonathan Frakes (obviously!), Michael Dorn, and Avery Brooks all come to mind with episodes that had some great direction. (Many of the stories were of solid quality as well but I remember the direction having some panache that was above average for the show...)

And assuming they'd want to direct again.

 

[Blooded]

From the visuals we've seen in the trailer, none of the Trek alumni are good enough to direct this show.

 

[Mad Jack Wolfe]

Based on Insurrection alone, Frakes should never direct anything again.

Yeah, I know. The script was banal. But so much of the direction was really terrible.

 

[Michael]

From the visuals we've seen in the trailer, none of the Trek alumni are good enough to direct this show.

Now hold on, that's just bullshit. Most of the Trek director alumni would be perfectly capable of directing an episode of Discovery. We are not talking Hollywood movie productions here, where the director has a much more significant influence on the look of the end result. The look of a television show is determined primarily by a committee of producers who oversee and ensure the consistency and quality of the visuals over the span of the whole show. The job of television directors is to block scenes and to instruct and guide the actors' performances during the production of one episode. Television directors are pointedly not hired to give an episode a unique look or make cinematographic decisions, like a Hollywood auteur who controls every aspect of a production.

 

[Greg Cox]

Roxann Dawson, in particular, has become quite an an accomplished and prolific TV director. In recent years, she's directed for such high-profile shows as THE AMERICANS, AGENTS OF SHIELD, SCANDAL, HOUSE OF CARDS, THE GOOD WIFE, MERCY STREET, etc.

Pretty sure that qualifies her to direct a DISCOVERY ep.

 

[fireproof78]

Now hold on, that's just bullshit. Most of the Trek director alumni would be perfectly capable of directing an episode of Discovery. We are not talking Hollywood movie productions here, where the director has a much more significant influence on the look of the end result. The look of a television show is determined primarily by a committee of producers who oversee and ensure the consistency and quality of the visuals over the span of the whole show. The job of television directors is to block scenes and to instruct and guide the actors' performances during the production of one episode. Television directors are pointedly not hired to give an episode a unique look or make cinematographic decisions, like a Hollywood auteur who controls every aspect of a production.

Exactly.

 

[Spider]

Roxann Dawson, in particular, has become quite an an accomplished and prolific TV director. In recent years, she's directed for such high-profile shows as THE AMERICANS, AGENTS OF SHIELD, SCANDAL, HOUSE OF CARDS, THE GOOD WIFE, MERCY STREET, etc.

Pretty sure that qualifies her to direct a DISCOVERY ep.

She directed season 5 episode "Crossbreed" on The Americans, I had to look that up. The Americans and Game of Thrones are my two favorite TV shows right now. I had not noticed she was the director, so thanks for a nice little trivia tip there!

 

[Blooded]

Now hold on, that's just bullshit. Most of the Trek director alumni would be perfectly capable of directing an episode of Discovery. We are not talking Hollywood movie productions here, where the director has a much more significant influence on the look of the end result. The look of a television show is determined primarily by a committee of producers who oversee and ensure the consistency and quality of the visuals over the span of the whole show. The job of television directors is to block scenes and to instruct and guide the actors' performances during the production of one episode. Television directors are pointedly not hired to give an episode a unique look or make cinematographic decisions, like a Hollywood auteur who controls every aspect of a production.

We'll agree to disagree on the abilities of the Trek actors turned directors.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Frakes, Duncan-McNeil & Braga are each directing an episode of The Orville if nothing else.

 

[Michael]

We'll agree to disagree on the abilities of the Trek actors turned directors.

Oh, okay then. Maybe one of these days you can explain to me how those Trek actors turned directors can be “unable” or “not good enough” to do something they're not even supposed to do.

 

[Jedman67]

Oh, okay then. Maybe one of these days you can explain to me how those Trek actors turned directors can be “unable” or “not good enough” to do something they're not even supposed to do.

Based on the direction of some of the trek episodes directed by [previous] cast members, most of them barely registered as average. Some of them turned out to be fairly good directors, and if so, I see no reason not to have them work on Discovery.
However, the virtue of being a Star Trek Alumnus should not be the primary consideration to the showrunners - at best, that should only be the deciding factor if they'd have the same talent as anyone else considered.

 

[Greg Cox]

Based on the direction of some of the trek episodes directed by [previous] cast members, most of them barely registered as average. Some of them turned out to be fairly good directors, and if so, I see no reason not to have them work on Discovery..

And I'm inclined to think that they should be judged on more than just their TREK episodes, which are invariably going to be their first stabs at directing. In the case of people like Frakes, McNeill, or Dawson, those early directorial efforts are at least a decade or two in the past. They've gained a lot more experience since then.