Ich hatte ja ursprünglich gedacht, daß würde besser in den Nostalgie-Thread passen.
Aber da Stone mit seinem letzten Post doch eine so "schicksalshafte" Überleitung liefert... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
Einen Link weiter vom
Hobbit-Artikel auf
Entertainment Weekly, den Ralf so dankenswerterweise gepostet hatte, fand sich zufällig noch eine nette anekdotische Schilderung wie es überhaupt zur Wiederaufnahme des uns heutzutage so allseits vertrauten Universums
Gene Roddenberrys kam, nachdem die "Original Series" schon lange Geschichte war.
Darin finden sich einige nette Sachen, wie zum Beispiel sich das Autoren- und Produktionsteam unter dem Einfluß bildete, die Schwierigkeiten bei der Besetzung und die ersten Eindrücke der Darsteller.
Zum Beispiel daß man der Betazoiden
"Deanna Troi" erst drei Brüste verpaßen wollte - bis sich eine der Produzentinnen und Schreiberinnen doch noch dagegen verwahren konnte. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
Oder daß
Denise Crosby (Sicherheitschefin "Tasha Yar") und
Martina Sirtis (eben zuvor genannte, dann doch nicht dreibrüstige "Troi" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> ) zunächst für die jeweils andere Rolle vorgesprochen hatten.
Ich fand das einen netten Zeitvertreib und obwohl eingefleischte
"Trekkies" das alles schon alte Hüte sein mögen, so war es für mich als jemanden der zwar Fan der neueren Serien und der Kinofilme ist, aber sich eigentlich nicht zu dieser "Hardcore-Truppe" zählt, meistenteils noch nicht bekannt und daher doch einigermaßen interessant und amüsant.
Vielleicht geht´s ja noch einigen mehr so.
Kommen wir also zu besagter Überleitung:
"Star Trek: TNG": An Oral History[/b][b]As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the sci-fi classic's premiere, several key figures who were
there at the show's creation give us an insider's view of how the series took flight
[color:"orange"]"Make it so."
It's such a stirring phrase, isn't it, this favored command of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation starship
U.S.S.
Enterprise. Patrick Stewart uttered it with his rich, Shakespearean baritone countless times over the
seven glorious seasons of
Star Trek: The Next Generation — to Riker, Data, Worf, and Dr. Crusher, to Geordi,
Troi, Tasha, and young Wesley, and probably even to a petulant Ferengi or two. And yet, the first time
Picard said those three rousing words, on Sept. 28, 1987, in the premiere episode, "Encounter at Farpoint,"
it was to order the mundane task of setting his ship into a "standard parking orbit."
Of course, actually making that episode so was anything but mundane. Indeed, Gene Roddenberry's update
on his optimistic vision of humanity's future set
Trek on a blistering 20-year mission — including four
TNGmovies, three more
Trek TV series, and an explosion in first-run syndicated TV — that no one could have
foreseen. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of
TNG, we're looking back at the genesis of the episode
that (re)started it all.
...
THE CAST...
Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, and Wil Wheaton all easily landed their respective roles as Lieut. Worf, Dr.
Beverly Crusher, and her son, Wesley. Not surprisingly, the hardest role to cast was the most important:
Capt. Jean-Luc Picard.FONTANA I was [pushing for] Stephen Macht, who had a booming career at the time and was a very
attractive man. He was more of a Kirk-type captain, more of a physical guy. Bob Justman was pumping for
Patrick Stewart, who had been on [PBS' 1977 miniseries]
I, Claudius.
JUSTMAN My wife, Jackie, and I were enrolled in a UCLA Extension [class] on Humor in the Arts. One night,
an actor and actress were brought in to do cold readings of Shakespeare comedies. I don't remember her
name, but I saw Patrick — he hadn't gotten more than a sentence or two off when I turned to Jackie and
said, "I think we've found our new captain."
I arranged for a meeting between him, Gene, and myself at Gene's house. Patrick spent about 45 minutes
talking with us. We saw him to the door and stood watching him drive away. Gene closed the door, turned
to me, and said, quote, "I won't have him."
BERMAN Gene thought he was a charming and delightful guy, but said, "I'm not going to have a bald
Englishman in his 40s become my new captain."
JUSTMAN Everybody liked Patrick, except Gene Roddenberry. We were interviewing possibilities three
weeks before the shoot, and we didn't have anyone.
BERMAN It was very, very difficult. There were a lot of actors who weren't interested in doing a syndicated
science-fiction show. So I said, "Let's bug Gene into reconsidering Patrick." And Justman, using the
wisdom of someone who'd worked with Gene for many years, said, "Once Gene makes up his mind, he's
not going to change his mind — don't waste your breath." But me, being in my mid-30s, full of piss and
vinegar, started bugging Gene about reconsidering Patrick.
JUSTMAN We were in our office, and the last possible, viable candidate left the room, closed the door
behind him, and there was a long silence. Gene heaved a heavy sigh, turned and faced us, and said, "All
right, I'll go with Patrick."[/color]
One problem remained: Can the captain of the Enterprise be bald?[color:"orange"]
JUSTMAN We said we better not take any chances.... The day he was to go up and meet the brass at
Paramount, we had him affix his hairpiece. I took him to the mirror, I looked at him, he looked at me, and I
said, "Ahhh! Take it off, take it off!" It was just awful.
BERMAN The president of network television at the time, a gentleman named John Pike, was wise enough
to say, "He's your man, but have him lose the wig."
...[/color]
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