What are best acted scenes in Trek?
- Thread starter indolover
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My picks:
A sequence in "The Empath" (TOS), where Kirk and Spock discover Bones dying. Bones's cough is very painful to watch--and Spock's reassuring hand on his shoulder, with Bones saying, "You've got a good bedside manner, Spock..."
Say what you will about TOS Season 3--that episode in general was superb, in every single way.
Old Jake's death scene in "The Visitor".
The scene in Trek XI where Sarek helps pull Spock out of the gutter, and tells him the real reason why he married Amanda.
And of course...Ezri's scene in "Till Death...", after she's been tortured by the Breen, when she goes through her memories of the season. Nicole de Boer's acting is brought to full intensity here...and she channels it all beautifully.
A sequence in "The Empath" (TOS), where Kirk and Spock discover Bones dying. Bones's cough is very painful to watch--and Spock's reassuring hand on his shoulder, with Bones saying, "You've got a good bedside manner, Spock..."
Say what you will about TOS Season 3--that episode in general was superb, in every single way.
Old Jake's death scene in "The Visitor".
The scene in Trek XI where Sarek helps pull Spock out of the gutter, and tells him the real reason why he married Amanda.
And of course...Ezri's scene in "Till Death...", after she's been tortured by the Breen, when she goes through her memories of the season. Nicole de Boer's acting is brought to full intensity here...and she channels it all beautifully.
Nana Visitor and Harris Yulin in "Duet."
Marc Alaimo's performance as Dukat undergoing a breakdown in "Sacrifice of Angels." (The bad writing of the character happened later on, but that episode was good.)
Casey Biggs as Damar throughout DS9, depicting the evolution of the character from simplistic thug to seething Dominion pawn to heroic rebel/martyr.
From a logistical standpoint, the scene where Worf breaks the neck of Weyoun (7 I think?) was well done - looked real!
Marc Alaimo's performance as Dukat undergoing a breakdown in "Sacrifice of Angels." (The bad writing of the character happened later on, but that episode was good.)
Casey Biggs as Damar throughout DS9, depicting the evolution of the character from simplistic thug to seething Dominion pawn to heroic rebel/martyr.
From a logistical standpoint, the scene where Worf breaks the neck of Weyoun (7 I think?) was well done - looked real!
Any of Brooks' scenes in "In the Pale Moonlight". The scene where Sisko explains what he did while waiting for Vreenak to inspect the recording is particularly good:
"I don't think of myself as an
impatient man. I don't agonize
over decisions once they're made.
I got that from my father. He
always said that worry and doubt
were the greatest enemies of a
chef. "The souffle will rise or
it won't," he used to say.
"There's not a damn thing you can
do about it, so just sit back and
see what happens."
"I don't think of myself as an
impatient man. I don't agonize
over decisions once they're made.
I got that from my father. He
always said that worry and doubt
were the greatest enemies of a
chef. "The souffle will rise or
it won't," he used to say.
"There's not a damn thing you can
do about it, so just sit back and
see what happens."
I'd say Sisko's last monologue in that ep was particularly powerful, when he finally goes over all he did--"So I lied, I cheated, I bribed men to cover the crimes of other men...I am an accesory to murder."
As he says this...he breaks the fourth wall, and looks directly at the camera, at the audience....
His eyes bore deep down into our souls, as if asking us, "So you disapprove of what I did? All right, then...what would you have done?"
As he says this...he breaks the fourth wall, and looks directly at the camera, at the audience....
His eyes bore deep down into our souls, as if asking us, "So you disapprove of what I did? All right, then...what would you have done?"
Patrick Stewart and Paul Winnfield when telling the tale of Gilgamesh in "Dathon".
Avery Brooks at the end of "In the Pale Moonlight".
Patrick Stewart alone in "The Measure of a Man", "First Contact", "Chain of Command" and "Family".
Andrew Robinson in most of his scenes.
Nicole de boer in most of her scenes.
Kate Mulgrew when she finds the watch from Chakotay in "Year of Hell".
Colm Meany in "The Wounded" (all his scenes are absolutely fantastic), "The Ship" with Enrique Muniz "Whispers" as the duplicate O'Brian and "Hard Time"
Brent Spiner in "The Most Toys" (genuinely chilling) and most of his other scenes.
Due to excellent writing and acting this is just the tip of the iceberg, but these lept to my mind.
Avery Brooks at the end of "In the Pale Moonlight".
Patrick Stewart alone in "The Measure of a Man", "First Contact", "Chain of Command" and "Family".
Andrew Robinson in most of his scenes.
Nicole de boer in most of her scenes.
Kate Mulgrew when she finds the watch from Chakotay in "Year of Hell".
Colm Meany in "The Wounded" (all his scenes are absolutely fantastic), "The Ship" with Enrique Muniz "Whispers" as the duplicate O'Brian and "Hard Time"
Brent Spiner in "The Most Toys" (genuinely chilling) and most of his other scenes.
Due to excellent writing and acting this is just the tip of the iceberg, but these lept to my mind.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=FabCYDywwRM#t=465s
That's actually one of my favorite scenes in the entire show. They managed to deliver it as a very sad moment. Blalock, Keating, and Park aren't hurting it either.
I had almost forgotten what a great performance Steve Ihnat gave! Thanks for that!
'Captain Ahab has to go hunt his whale...'
First Contact. Picard's drawing the line and the subsequent fallout are beautiful to behold.
First Contact. Picard's drawing the line and the subsequent fallout are beautiful to behold.
Like Indolover said, that was a great dramatic scene and Patrick Stewart really pulled it off. Captain Picard really got his mind messed with, you had to feel for him.
Made you wonder if he was ever going to get out of there, then you felt the relief and the triumph.
And like the others said, Sisko's ending scene in "The Pale Moonlight"
Turnabout Intruder T.O.S, when Kirk's body is switched with an unstable woman's and he gradually goes completely bonkers, acting erratically with a feminine tone.
There's a scene during a hearing where he completely loses it.
You have to see it to believe it.
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All of these are good.
This one always gets me every time I watch it, from The Search for Spock:
Granted, editing has a lot to do with the success of this scene, but the voices are great, I think.
This one always gets me every time I watch it, from The Search for Spock:
Granted, editing has a lot to do with the success of this scene, but the voices are great, I think.
The acting at the end of FBTS is some of the worst acting ever, not best.
Best acted scenes in Trek:
- Any scene with Jeffrey Combs in it
- Any scene with Armin Shimerman in it
- Any scene with Leonard Nimoy in it
- Any scene with with Rene Auberjonois in it
- Any scene with Louise Fletcher in it
- Any scene with Marc Alaimo in it
- Any scene with Andrew Robinson in it
That may sound like a lot, but those actors always delivered an immaculate performance during every second they were on-screen. There is no objective way to say which of their scenes are better-acted than the others; they are all as perfectly acted as any human would ever be capable to do.
Best acted scenes in Trek:
- Any scene with Jeffrey Combs in it
- Any scene with Armin Shimerman in it
- Any scene with Leonard Nimoy in it
- Any scene with with Rene Auberjonois in it
- Any scene with Louise Fletcher in it
- Any scene with Marc Alaimo in it
- Any scene with Andrew Robinson in it
That may sound like a lot, but those actors always delivered an immaculate performance during every second they were on-screen. There is no objective way to say which of their scenes are better-acted than the others; they are all as perfectly acted as any human would ever be capable to do.
I don't think there's anyone on this site I've disagreed with as intensely and as frequently as Navaros, but this is 100% right. I think the 'nervous breakdown' in the office and Sisko's monologue at the end of that episode are the worst acting I've seen in the whole series. I can't watch "Far Beyond the Stars" anymore (even though I like the rest of the episode) because those scenes make me so uncomfortable. They give me the bad goosebumps.
I think one of the finest pieces of acting I've seen in the Star Trek franchise is at the end of "The Offspring". It's almost beyond explanation. Somehow, Brent Spiner manages to convey Data not having any emotion in reaction to Lal's death, while at the same time making his reaction powerful and heartbreaking.
When she thanks him for her life and he says he wishes he could feel what she feels with her...I don't know how, but he says it without any conviction and it still makes me teary. Same goes for him telling the crew how she enriched his life. He says it quite casually, but it has tremendous emotional resonance.
Right on about The Offspring. Hallie Todd and Brent Spiner are both completely brilliant, especially in the scenes you described. That is very fine Trek. Very fine.
I showed the scene to a non-fan and he said it was amazing. the whole point of a nervous breakdown is that it never SEEMS right or appropriate. They always seem a bit over the top, out of place, and always more intense than the moment demands. So in that regard, Brooks nailed it. Nailed it
Okay, on further review... that was pretty well acted. Now, I'm not the biggest fan of Brooks' acting in several scenes - like I think some of his monologue in "In the Pale Moonlight" was pretty badly presented - he's just a very over the top, Shatnerian actor at times. But, I actually think he really did an amazing job with this break down at the end of FBTS.
it's amazing that he directed that episode as well.
The breakdown might not be to everyone's taste, but it is acting of the highest order.
The breakdown might not be to everyone's taste, but it is acting of the highest order.
"Risssk...risk is our business. That's what this starship is all about. That's why we're aboard HER!" - Kirk, "Return to Tomorrow"
"No! I loved my father. I released him!" - Bones, Star Trek V
"Let's make sure history never forgets the name...'Enterprise'" - Picard, "Yesterday's Enterprise"
"No! This weakness disgusts me! I hate it! Where is my logic? I am betrayed by desires. I want to feel. I want to feel everything. But I am a Vulcan. I must feel nothing. Give me back my control." - Picard/Sarek "Sarek"
"Whenever I look at you now, I won't see a powerful Cardassian warrior. I will see a six year old boy who is powerless to protect himself." - Picard "Chain of Command, Part II"
"Please state the nature of the medical emergency. Seven downloaded my program into her cybernetic matrix. An interesting sensation, to say the least." - EMH/Seven "Body and Soul"
Several others throughout all the series...
"No! I loved my father. I released him!" - Bones, Star Trek V
"Let's make sure history never forgets the name...'Enterprise'" - Picard, "Yesterday's Enterprise"
"No! This weakness disgusts me! I hate it! Where is my logic? I am betrayed by desires. I want to feel. I want to feel everything. But I am a Vulcan. I must feel nothing. Give me back my control." - Picard/Sarek "Sarek"
"Whenever I look at you now, I won't see a powerful Cardassian warrior. I will see a six year old boy who is powerless to protect himself." - Picard "Chain of Command, Part II"
"Please state the nature of the medical emergency. Seven downloaded my program into her cybernetic matrix. An interesting sensation, to say the least." - EMH/Seven "Body and Soul"
Several others throughout all the series...
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