Which would you choose?

[Shatnertage]

Total hypothetical here: you're cruising down the 10 freeway and see someone struggling to change a tire. You get out and help. Turns out, the guy you're helping is JJ Abrams. Seeing your Star Trek t-shirt, he tells you that, in gratitude, he'll let you do one of two things:

1) Have minimal input into one line of the script--enough to make a "shout out" to something. Like, "Captain Garth's sent word by subspace--he can't respond to the situation because his ship's been delayed at Antos IV," when Uhura explains that the Enterprise is the only ship that can respond to the plot.

2) Be seen onscreen as an extra, just an unremarkable crewperson in the background.

Which would you choose, and what would it be--which specific reference, or which division would you be in?

 

[F. King Daniel]

I'd be an extra, to visit the sets if nothing else. How awesome would it be to walk around on the "real" USS Enterprise? Sitting at a bridge station and pretending to press buttons would be awesome. I'd even settle for being a hapless redshirt in the engineering brewery.

Plus, I might meet the actors, which would be very cool.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I'd rather be an extra.

The experience of being on a working film set is remarkable - I wouldn't trade a day or two of that for being able to say that I'd added one more tiny bit of continuity porn to the Franchise.

Now, if the hypothetical opportunities posed were more substantial - ie, would you rather have a featured part in the movie or be able to write a scene or two for the script that you were assured would make the final cut - I'd probably go for the writing assignment. I might carry the latter off with at least a minimal level of competence, whereas I'd pretty surely stink up the screen.

 

[iguana_tonante]

Single line. It would be "The USS Iguana Tonante has been delayed at Wrigley's Pleasure Planet - indefinitely."

More seriously, I would like to be an extra, possibly as a science officer doing science-y doodles at a console or whatnot. Visiting the sets would be awesome, and I would love to have my mug on the silver screen for a Trek flick.

 

[M'Sharak]

Since I don't have any personal laundry list of shout-out items I'd like to see in a future movie, I'd be an extra. That would be great fun and good for all the geek points I could ever want.

Single line. It would be "The USS Iguana Tonante has been delayed at Wrigley's Pleasure Planet - indefinitely."

That would be funny, even if only as something so buried in the background chatter that it would take you until the fifth viewing to notice.

 

[Wynterhawk]

Definitely an extra. Then I could watch it over and over and point out my scenes to everyone

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I'm far more interested in writing than acting, so I gotta take the script option.

 

[I Grok Spock]

Would I get residuals on the script line? If yes, then script.

 

[Sector 7]

I have had the opportunity to be an extra in a few films. It would be the experience of a lifetime to be in a Trek movie. I would do so without hesitation.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Adding a line to a script hardly counts as significant writing - one reason there's a WGA arbitration process.

 

[Shatnertage]

I'd want to be an extra--it'd be fun to be some guy looking at a scanner or a security officer just standing there while the serious shit goes down.

So if you chose "script," what would you add? Remember, it's at best only one line, and it has to fit in with the rest of the story, so it's just going to be a random mention.

I'm glad people are having fun with this.

 

[zar]

So if you chose "script," what would you add?

I'm guessing something about snakes on a starship...

 

[Jack Bauer]

Extra. I'll get to wear a Starfleet uniform without being considered a total dork.

 

[Nerd unRage]

Defintely an extra. I like watching how movies are made and to actually be on a set and watch that would be awesome.

That and staring at ZQ wouldn't be a bad thing.

 

[Pauln6]

I'd kidnap him, tie him to a chair and brainwash him to include Janice in the sequel. What are we talking about again?

 

[Gul Re'jal]

An extra. It would be fun to really "be" in Star Trek universe for a moment

 

[Skywalker]

I'd rather be an extra. Visiting the set (preferably the bridge), hamming it up in the background while Kirk, Spock, and Bones argue, stealing a prop to bring home as a souvenir...good times.

Plus then I could point at a screencap and prove I was in the movie. If I told people I wrote a line in the script, they'd just be like, "Yeah, right."

 

[cooleddie74]

A background extra. Call it stroking of the ego if you like, but at least I'm being honest. I'd rather see myself in a Starfleet/Enterprise uniform walking around in the background holding a plastic prop than contribute one measly line of dialogue to the overall script. At least you can PROVE you were a background extra. It might be a lot harder to prove you contributed dialogue.

 

[urolles]

To be really honest, neither option would truly represent my heart´s desire. However, if I would be allowed to sit in on one of the writers´ room sessions ...

 

[Captain Rob]

I'd like to play a set of red-shirt wearing identical brothers. In each future movie one gets killed off in a memorable way. Thus ensuring the red-shirt curse in the alternate timeline.