10 Actors Who Turned Down Star Trek

Tom Hanks as Zefram Cochrane?
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[@EKnight011]

I've always thought Star Trek's lack of "star power" was one of its best strengths.

[@yvindwestersund9720]

The fact that the show is the star is why we as trekis love it sooooo much That many of the people playing the characters has become stars is another thing But in my opinion the star of the show is star trek itself Just saying 🇧🇻

[@Excanda]

As you can see with Enterprise where they have a well known star as captain and it's the shortest series apart from TOS. Putting in well known actors isn't good for the series.

[@EKnight011]

@@Excanda The writing is still the biggest factor though. Even alumni actors couldn't save the writing/pacing on Picard 😓 🖖

[@bonusbaby801]

It's amazing the caliber of actors that turned down Star Trek roles, but how fantastic the people that took the roles are in them.

[@KnowTrentTimoy]

Funny how the universe works that way.

[@randoir1863]

Can u imagine Patrick Stewart NOT being Picard???? Like how freaking crazy would that be !!!!

[@OneOddDuck]

@@randoir1863 very hard to imagine, especially for me since Patrick Stewart and the entire cast of tng are the reason I'm the Trek fan that I am

[@KnowTrentTimoy]

@@randoir1863 Well, IF Yaphet Kotto had accepted the role of Picard we would've never known how good Patrick Stewart would've been. These actors that declined the offers is probably who we should be thanking.

[@Francois424]

Looking at Michele Forbes performance in Battlestar Galactica, I get shivers when thinking of what kind of Kira she could've been. Her performance as Admiral Kaine was breath-taking.

[@DelcoRanz93]

The Character of Berlinghoff Rasmussen in TNG's "A Matter of Time" was specifically written with Robin Williams in mind, Robin who is a massive Star Trek fan wanted to appear in the show but once it came time for casting, Robin was unavailable as his wife was nearing the end of her pregnancy, he had just finished filming Hook and was set to start working in another project he couldn't back out of, as a result the role was retooled and Matt Frewer was cast in the role instead.

[@duffman18]

Oh damn that would have been amazing. Would have become instantly one of the most popular one off characters in star trek history. At least we got Max Headroom to play him though, he was still great

[@curtischildress9580]

A star force like Robin Williams would never have appeared on Star Trek just as no other major famous people were...the main cast of all Trek are always the biggest stars...it was that way since the 60s so that no one could outshine the core cast members.

[@EKnight011]

I hate being reminded of this tidbit. Always made me sad, even more so now that he's gone. Have an upvote :)

[@sarahvaneps8141]

Whoopi goldberg?

[@adamlytle2615]

Michelle Forbes is all kinds of awesome and I love seeing her in anything, but the premise of DS9 works much better with the Bajoran female lead as a member of the Bajoran militia with deep ties to Bajor's recent history... Even if they'd written so that Ro resigned from Starfleet and joined the Bajoran miltia, they wouldn't have been able to have all the rich back story that Kira brought to the table.

[@Deltaflot1701]

And then Martin Landau gets replaced by Leonard Nimoy in Mission Impossible

[@johnbockelie3899]

Jeffery Hunter was great as Captain Pike. At least he laid the pavement for James T. Kirk as the next Captain. Hunter was born in 1926. Shatner in 1931.

[@HermanVonPetri]

Right! What a small world it is after all. Landau as an actor is _fascinating._ But I still love Nimoy.

[@darthXreven]

but Leonard was just as awesome as Martin was..... the MI series was such a smart show, way better than the movies, about the closest they've gotten to being like the show was the first movie, rogue nation got close too but that whole stealing the NOC list from Langley was pure Mission Impossible the laxative that kept the computer tech out of the room, the harness, the insane suite of sensors, the fire alarm ruse...just all of it was pure classic MI stuff and they just did the Hollywood thing bigger and badder for the sequels even going John Woo?? just so much fail there lolz MI was the thinking man's spy drama, Bond was the action man's spy thriller and both in the modern era have been perverted by activist idealists.....

[@dragonrune6800]

@@HermanVonPetri 👀 I see what you did there... 😏

[@Foolish188]

Nimoy didn't like MI because the character was all external, while Spock was all internal.

[@GrinderCB]

Interesting to note that when Martin Landau left Mission: Impossible he was replaced by...Leonard Nimoy. Landau played Rollin Hand, a master of quick change and disguise. When he left, Nimoy came on as a similar character, "The Great Paris" also a magician and master of disguise.

[@scottmantooth8785]

*Nimoy was also quite interesting as the reporter in the Outer Limits episode I robot (seson 2 episode 9)*

[@robertsutton8894]

@@scottmantooth8785 And as the radio operator who heard the word on Hiroshima on TTZ

[@diosnelfrica7589]

Benicio del Toro as Khan would’ve worked out so well.

[@wearwolf2500]

Yeah, that's the only one on this list I think I'd want to see.

[@HMcQ7891]

Would've liked to have seen Javier Bardem as Khan.

[@christianealshut1123]

@@HMcQ7891 Can only second that - Javier is just so good at playing deranged...Perhaps I would have liked him even more than Benicio. That being said, they probably initially wanted to go for a Latino actor because that had been the case with the first Khan. So in this respect, I like that they picked a non-Hispanic character to break the previous pattern. Of course his performance is top-notch, but I always felt the Khan aspect was shoehorned on the character to attract viewers who had been fans of the old movies. I think his performance would have been great even if he had "just" been John Harrison, because by that time Cumberbatch had enough drawing power as an actor by himself...I never saw the Khan influence in him that much - rather, he seemed to me some hyper-intellectual version of Roy Batty from the Blade Runner movie (there is of course the scene where he kills the Admiral, wjich is exactly the way Roy in BR kills industrialist Tyrell, and there is also a cut scene which is a direct echo of a scene in BR where we see Roy Batty in the rain, thoughb it's a shower in Cumberbatch's case).

[@janicewymore3860]

I'd prefer to see Benicio Del Toro as Harry Mudd if they ever decide to include that character in a movie.

[@darthXreven]

the new Trek movies shoulda ignored the past and done something different movie 1 the paradox 2 tensions with the Romulans after the whole nero thing 3 Klingons seeing the hobus Star and Vulcan go up in flames and the romulans on the warpath start a fight with the federation, in the end it leads to the creation of the neutral zone 4 on a routine patrol in deep space the enterprise encounters the doomsday weapon and after a long chase that destroys an entire solar system the weapon is finally destroyed 5 an expedition into the alpha quadrant..to neighboring sectors starfleet meets the Trill, the betazed's and the Bajoran's [the occupation hasn't happened yet] but a warlike species the Tzenkethi start a fight and try to destroy the enterprise..... that would make up the 5 year mission.....each time a bunch of adventures are reverenced through the movies so you get some sense that the crew is getting better and has seen more each outing.....since it's not a show that's the only way to do it.... this is why JJ sucks....he lacks this kind of creativity, anyone can spit an idea out but tell me if you wrote more on these would these be good ideas?? we're seeing a similar series of events play out in different ways, classic villains are put back into those roles and who knows some of the characters we'd see would be guys like Kruge or Gorkon, Kang, Martok and a Duros?? also how about a Tomolak? or sadly IDK many Romulan names that were villains but I think Sela would be out of the question but kahn was sacred ground, so was all of Star Trek 2....it's poetic to see the roles reversed but come on the deeper you go it's BS....it was desperation of a man who has no idea what he's doing and just likes to vandalize the stuff we love so much

[@NorthernChev]

If Martin Landau thought acting the part of a Vulcan wouldn’t be a challenge, then he certainly hasn’t seen Jolene Blalock’s phenomenal and unbreakable performance as T’Pol. She was a ROCK!

[@DMSProduktions]

A HOT rock!

[@milesmayhem5440]

How could he? She wasn’t even born then.

[@handletag]

Fascinating, when watching Jolene Blalock's performance, I also begin to share characteristics with a rock.

[@DMSProduktions]

@@handletag Yes, but she has OTHER, less rock like attributes!

[@joelellis7035]

@@DMSProduktions Scott Bakula can attest!

[@poorman-trending]

Can you do a video about all the different sounds used in Star Trek? The engine background, phasers, doors opening, lift sounds, etc... how they made them, what are we actually hearing?

[@GabePuratekuta]

And the mouth noise versions.

[@NMiller_]

OK internet, get working on Deepfaking all the alternate histories of other actors portraying our beloved characters! We will call it "Deep Fake 9"

[@dompuma9620]

The Jim Carrey one was awesome.

[@MartinPittBradley]

I believe there’s a deep fake tackling hair now, but the voices remain... soon!

[@birkinsmith88]

good luck with yaphet

[@aquariandawn4750]

Underrated

[@murasaki848]

@@MartinPittBradley When George Lucas released the CGI... for lack of a better word, "enhanced"... version of the first trilogy, Mark Hamill commented that he hoped they could do something about his hair, which he didn't like back then.

[@gmajor1273]

I'm sure Ro would have been good but Kira (Nana Visitor) was great on DS9.

[@darthXreven]

I loved Ro....good gods she made that uniform sexy RAWR! but seriously she looked awesome in it....Kira was a great character too though on DS9 Jadzia Dax had my heart lolz

[@gmajor1273]

@@darthXreven me too man.

[@user-vu2zh8pv2r]

Nana did do a good job, but Ro was a better character, and quite honestly Michelle was a better actress because she was more believable in the part... Nana was more like a cub scout den mother than the leader of a battle hardened rebelion! DS9 could have been a LOT better with Michelle while at the same time bringing continuity to the ST universe.

[@zaphodb9213]

Still hot A/F.

[@butch7911]

Diehard Trek fan here, but absolutely hated, hated, the Kira character... kept hoping she'd be killed off like they killed off Tasha Yar...

[@SuperJJx]

I think not knowing about Sybok makes sense, considering he didn't tell anyone about his parents until they were in the room. We don't really know how much older Sybok is than Spock, he was disowned and disappeared when Spock was perhaps quite young and hasn't been seen or heard from since. It makes sense for Spock to not bring that up.

[@WilliamHostman]

Sybok is also considerably older than spock, the hild of a prior mate of Sarek... The one that's an issue is Michael - we should have seen her during _Yesteryear_...

[@duffman18]

It's pretty much a star trek trope to not ever mention family unless it's the same episode where they first appear on screen. Worf did it twice with both his brothers, one being a human brother, never talked about him before or since but they had to invent him just for the sake of that episode so that they could argue with each other for comedy. It's like the writers don't wanna say anything concrete and so then have to stick to that backstory if they ever do bring their family into an episode. Gives them more flexibility. But yeah every time, everyone's like "you have a brother/sister!? Why didn't you tell us?“

[@jonnystorm1]

@@duffman18 "And allow me to introduce you to my parents, the Vulcan Ambassador and his human wife. By the way Mother, how is T'Pring these days"

[@lokisgodhi]

We kind of do know how old Sybok is. Vulcans have Pon Farr every seven years. So that's the interval between Vulcan siblings. Sybok doesn't appear in Discovery's flash back scenes of Michael and Spock in the 2nd season. So he's old enough to have grown to adulthood and not living at home. So he's at minimum 14 years older than Spock. Probably more. So likely 21 or 28 years older.

[@seymssogood]

@@duffman18 Worf did briefly discuss his human brother and growing up with human foster parents in the tng season one episode "Heart of Glory". Worf discussed it with the two Klingons in his quarters.

[@dompuma9620]

No one could have played Vic Fontaine better than James Darren.

[@HMcQ7891]

Frank Jr may have had the pipes but he wouldn't have had the heart. Darren brought both.

[@dompuma9620]

@@HMcQ7891 agreed.

[@albatrossd]

@@HMcQ7891 Very well stated. James Darren was never above playing the computer program hologram and giving us that brief gift of Mirror Universe Fontaine. Jr would have been too cool for school for some of these things.

[@gryphman]

The story about his audition is pretty amazing.

[@WilliamHostman]

Jerry Lewis could have. But he was probably too busy with MDA, and would have been too expensive even if he was available. Darren as Fontain was a brilliant casting tho', and was able to channel the mannerisms of Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr... He'd have fit right in on stage with them.

[@jessewilley531]

Yaphet Kotto turned down Star Trek: TNG but got to do one of the best cop shows ever, Homicide: Life on the Street.

[@MarcelLWalker]

Yes, that was a lateral move that worked out fine.

[@blackwolfharris3920]

Yaphet Kotto as Captain Picard? That would have been interesting.

[@HacksignKT]

yeah it would have been, when I see stuff like this. it makes me wish I could have access to an alternate universe where he did play Picard. And I sit down and watch Yaphet Kotto on one tv and Patrick Stewart on another through all seven seasons. So I could make a final judgment based on the drama and funny parts of TNG.

[@jonnystorm1]

Commanding the United Federation Starship USS Nostromo.

[@SayAhh]

The Orville shows you how much Seth loved all things Trek, particularly TNG. Yaphit on Orville vs. Yaphet almost on TNG...

[@achimsinn7782]

Yeah - I would imagine Yaphet Kotto more as a character like Benjamin Sisko from DS9 than as Captain Pickard. I would be interested in whether they changed the character for Patrick Steward and what they wanted the character to be like if Kotto would have taken the role.

[@txhansolo22]

yes it would have been. would have been a bold casting especially for the time

[@Nebagram]

"however you feel about Spock gaining a sibling we knew nothing about" Subtle!

[@00chla50]

In fairness in TOS spock said nothing to his closest friends about who his father was until Sarek was already on the Enterprise. When confronted about this Spock told Kirk that he had never asked. It is well established that Spock keeps family history close to the chest. Kirk: You never told us you had a famous father, a secret brother, and a human sister!! Spock: Captain you never asked. Bones: You green blooded devil. Never asked my left foot!

[@redapol5678]

@@00chla50 exactly!

[@mem1701movies]

Doesn’t matter. DC FONTANA who was responsible for Spock’s family and background was ADAMANT he was an only child. It shaped his character being alone in the universe. She hated STV.

[@redapol5678]

@@mem1701movies I’ll just repeat your words back to you. “Doesn’t matter”. Times change. Stories evolve

[@beauxguidry5373]

@@00chla50 I didn't know he hada sister until you said something about it and I am a fan.

[@justachick9793]

This video has taught me to be extremely grateful for Nana Visitor. I just can't imagine anyone else bringing the strength and tenderness and heart to the role like she did. 🤗

[@billc6762]

She sang Fever as good as Madonna.

[@jpwphoenix1701]

I seem to recall Eddie Murphy was meant to be Doctor Taylor in ST4 and Robin Williams was meant to be Berlinghoff Rasmussen in TNG's "A Matter of Time".

[@BigAL68xyz]

My understanding is that it was Paramount that shot down Murphy being in Star Trek, because they knew they could make more money by giving him his own movie that same season, which was The Golden Child.

[@GabePuratekuta]

@@BigAL68xyz I've always heard he refused because they insisted his character be comic relief and he wanted a more serious role.

[@curtischildress9580]

Those major stars Murphy & Williams would never have been allowed on any Trek project...the core cast members were the big stars & no one was going to outshine them...Shatner would've walked too fast to talk about.

[@joshuacalkins]

Landau was really good in the X-files movie! Robert Picardo feared the wooden nature of The Doctor, and wanted to play Neelix. Lucky for him he was the best written character, and the most sci fi.

[@MartinMazur]

But then, there would have been a remote chance that Patrick Stewart could have played Lt. Al Giardello, on Homicide: Life on the Streets. A character that I think Yaphet Kotto, excelled at.

[@josephperdomo1536]

Its probably a good idea that yaphet turned down the roll cause if he did take then deep space nine would have had an entirely different captain for that show and that captain might not have been black.

[@emperornortoni2871]

@@josephperdomo1536 Damn, good point. Anti-quotas and all that. Still, between Uhura, Geordie, Sisko, and Tuvok (yeah maybe he doesn't count but whatever), Star Trek was once a bastion of representation.

[@squidproquo2241]

@@josephperdomo1536 Well, he is still rolling for sure, because he turned down the role.

[@jimhenderson9173]

Stewart would have hammed that one up as he did Jean Luc. No one overacts like Johhny Shakespear.

[@sarahscott5305]

Into Darkness is still my favourite Star Trek film (yes really) but I did have to headcanon Cumberbatch into a different character. Like, he was one of Khan's minions (maybe an engineer or scientist) but he just pretended to be Khan to keep his leader safe after Admiral Marcus defrosted him.

[@BirthQuakeRecords]

Honestly, ID was good! It still had that “bro” vibe, but it was solid and it had a great story. Cumberbatch was great too, he just wasn’t Montalban, and that’s fine with me

[@GrimmShadowsII]

@@BirthQuakeRecords I don't know if I'd go as far as good but it's definitely not as bad as it's reputation

[@alphanerd7221]

That isn't even a real Star Trek film.

[@sarahscott5305]

@@alphanerd7221 It is, actually! I don't think it's the best (because Undiscovered Country) but it is the one I have fondest memories of ☺️

[@alphanerd7221]

@@sarahscott5305 No it isn't.

[@Kundalini12]

Eddie Murphy turned down a role in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

[@starsiegeplayer]

He was already comitted to "The Golden Child."

[@alm2187]

I doubt he'd have kissed Kirk at the end. Then again, Trek is known for its progressiveness.

[@PaulMcElligott]

@@alm2187 I don’t think Shatner would have been on board, either.

[@antonnurwald5700]

He could have played himself in that one.

[@HacksignKT]

@@alm2187 kissed Kirk at the end, very weird...

[@HMcQ7891]

Yaphet Kotto would later become Commander Lt. Giardello on _Homicide: Life On Street_ (another show Michelle Forbes would kill it in & then prematurely exit). As Giardello, Kotto had a warmth, humanity, experienced command, & hard edged darkness that would've suited any Starfleet bridge. Del Toro would've been cool in _Into Darkness_ but Javier Bardem would've been a terrifying, brilliant "Kelvin Khan". And had Forbes joined _DS9,_ she probably would've become the star she was hoping to become in the 1990s.

[@arklestudios]

I don't blame Yaphet Kotto (RIP) for regretting the role, but at the same time, had he taken it we wouldn't have had him as Giardello on Homicide: Life on the Street, and I just can't picture any other actor taking on *that* role.

[@OldDood]

I forgot that Yaphet Kotto has died recently. Any info as to how he died?

[@ILikeMyPrivacytbt]

Is that why there's a character in "The Orville" called Yaphit?

[@tubawritaguy]

In regards to Jeff Hunter, there's also the story that his wife told him not to do Star Trek.

[@edlaprade]

She not only told him, she told the Trek execs. SHE showed up at the 'negotiations', not him, and told them flat out that her husband was a Movie Actor and would NOT be doing TV.

[@David_B_Dornburg]

@@edlaprade Poor guy, talk about being pussy-whipped. She ended up being the ruin of his career. smh (of course it didn't help that he was pretty much on the way out anyway due to his alcoholism)

[@tubawritaguy]

@@edlaprade I wonder if she's still around? Don't really care.

[@jasonwalker9471]

@@tubawritaguy She died in 2005. It's not fair to blame her for Hunter's decision though. He was simply busy, and sent her as his agent to deliver his decision. They were not on good terms at the time, and were close to divorce (it was finalized shortly after in 1967), so it's unlikely she had any influence over him at that time.

[@robertholmberg6485]

Thank goodness that the lady who passed on Captain Janeway turned the role after playing Anne Boleyn, they didn't change the captains name to Catherine Howard! Don't lose your head over this!

[@commanderbracey7501]

We got lucky.

[@artiek1177]

(Insert drum rimshot here) 😉

[@nickolasstephens6211]

Its all Parr for the course.

[@myredenvelopes]

Yaphet Kotto as Jean-Luc Picard would have been brilliant! I had no idea about this. The really cool spin on the character with that he would have played Picard as a Haitian. And it would have worked!

[@flashgordon6238]

Michelle Forbes returned to Sci Fi with the higher rank of Admiral as Admiral Helena Cain commanding the Battlestar Pegasus on Battlestar Glactica.

[@KalEL224]

And spoiler alert gets shot in the head by her ex cylon lover lol

[@Francois424]

Her performance was exceptional. I still get shivers when I think about it.

[@OneOddDuck]

@@Francois424 She made Admiral Cain a intimidating person whom I wouldn't want to piss off. Definitely very well acted

[@KalEL224]

@@OneOddDuck disobey an order get shot in the head.

[@erikanoebel3890]

I remember that. The Adama Maneuver, you remember that?

[@PunkSolar22x]

🖖Without Leonard Nimoy the Vulcan salute wouldn't even exist in Star Trek. It would have remained a only a Jewish blessing. I think it worked out for the best.

[@lokisgodhi]

Martin Landau is JEWISH. Using it might well have occurred to him as well.

[@Steve_in_NJ]

Don't forget that the Vulcan Nerve Pinch was also "invented" by Leonard Nimoy!! By the way, not all of us Jews can do that Vulcan salute. My Rabbi said that you have to have a certain recessive gene to form that symbol and my hands could never do it. Nobody in my Orthodox Jewish family could do the "Shinn" which is the Hebrew letter the Vulcan salute is really.

[@lokisgodhi]

@@Steve_in_NJ Not remotely Jewish. So as a kid Trekker it really annoyed me that I couldn't manage it. But Landau was an intelligent man. He might well have came up with that idea of using the Shinn gesture as well. I've always cynically and sarcastically claimed Nimoy came up with it because the producers told him that props were expensive and if he broke one phaser whipping someone, they'd fire him. ;-)

[@j.jenkins7887]

I understand why people might not have been for Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan, however he did extremely well.

[@michaelramsey1299]

He was doomed to fail before he started but in typical fashion nailed what he had to work with and as he said in the video had it been a totally unique character he’d have received far note praise.

[@forcewielder2000]

It isn't that we were against Benedict Cumberbatch per se, it's just that (like the video said) he should have played a new character and not been expected to try to reinvent one of the greatest Trek villains of all time.

[@alphanerd7221]

No he didn't.

[@j.jenkins7887]

@@alphanerd7221 ok 😂

[@Steve-gc5nt]

He played it like a pantomime villain. Cringy.

[@sarahscott5305]

Preemptive Strike is one of the best episodes of TNG. Largely because it felt like a DS9 episode, with its moral ambiguities and good people (Picard) put in the position of the villain.

[@STiBebi]

And that is why im sad that TNG just ended when DS9 and the Dominion War started and we did not hear nor see nothing from the war in the movies. Instead we had that shitty Insurrection and a more shitty Nemesis... Nemesis could have been a big crossover movie with DS9 and Voyager crew helping the Enterprise. I really like the novel Rogue Saucer witch is a follow up to Preemptive Strike. Imagine that with the new Enterprise 😊

[@bonghunezhou5051]

@@STiBebi Indeed, Insurrection absolutely ought to have been about the role of Enterprise-E (the so-called flagship of Starfleet) in the Dominion War. And Nemesis should have been about the aftermath (about 2~3 years after the Founders surrendered) of that war.

[@Jimmy-ci7zn]

@@STiBebi I don’t mind Star Trek Insurrection and Nemesis per se. But yeah, a huge crossover movie event would have been my ultimate Star Trek dream

[@robocelot]

@@bonghunezhou5051 We did get a token reference to 'Ketracel White' in Insurrection. Too bad there wasn't more.

[@jasonwalker9471]

@@robocelot Yeah, the Sona were on-again-off-again allies of The Dominion. With that in mind the plot of Insurrection was all about the Federation Council and their pawns (like the Admiral) trying to negotiate with one of the subordinate civilizations to The Dominion, like The Negas did in DS9 with his pawn Quark. So it really was *kinda* a Dominion War movie, it was just about the political drama and side actions of the war rather than the battles at the front lines.

[@danielbigham6290]

The role of Khan was pretty difficult to remake after Montalban absolutely nailed the character. Nobody else could have done better. And Kotto as Picard... Yeah, no. Stewart owned it from the very beginning.

[@mjrxero]

This is what I was thinking. I like Yaphet Kotto as an actor, but I don't think he would have brought the same gravitas that Sir Patrick did.

[@HMcQ7891]

@@mjrxero Kotto had immense gravitas. Watch more _Homicide._

[@benjbk]

I never noticed before that Sybok's horse is actually a space unicorn. Wow.

[@mibeatleman6767]

I heard Jack Lord ( Pre- original Hawaii 5-0) had been eyed as Captain James T. Kirk, before William Shatner became the man, but Lord wanted 50% of Star Trek's profit, Roddenberry said "forget it."

[@joelellis7035]

yeah, because 50% was already going to Roddenberry. Plus he was getting extra money for writing credits and musical credits (for writing lyrics to the theme song). Roddenberry was actually a sneaky SOB.

[@Cofe82]

Benedict should have played another Augment instead: Judson Scott's character in ST II - Joachim.

[@HMcQ7891]

That would've made so much more sense. And would've been far more interesting.

[@GrimmShadowsII]

I think they should've changed the character to Garth of Izar, it would've worked so much better. Kirk would be determined to track down Garth in memory of his mentor Pike but at the same time he would be intimidated chasing after this hero he studied and looked up to at the academy and it would have fit one of the best lines in the movie, "There's greatness in you but not one ounce of humility" What better way for Kirk to learn humility then to take down someone he looks up to and thinks might be unbeatable.

[@Revan2908]

@@GrimmShadowsII Oh, man, Garth of Izar? Hell yes!

[@dancole5795]

Martin Landau's reason for turning down Spock is interesting since the characters in Mission Impossible were pure, emotionless professionals. I love, love, love Sir Patrick Stewart dating back to I, Claudius and the BBC Hamlet (where he played Derek Jacobi's Uncle/Father, despite only a 2 year difference in age). But the idea of Yaphet Kotto as Jean Luc is kind of amazing.

[@NMiller_]

Oh god, Benicio Del Toro would have been absolutely amazing!

[@diosnelfrica7589]

Yes he would’ve

[@HermanVonPetri]

It just leaves me wondering what kind of speech impediment he would choose to give Khan.

[@NMiller_]

@@HermanVonPetri Imagine if he gave Khan a Shatner speech cadence. MIND BLOWN

[@jennifersman7990]

And Del Toro would’ve brought that Latin machismo element that Ricardo Montalban had

[@joeldfisher]

tbf, Martin Landau did get an Oscar eventually

[@danielroberts6212]

A wooden log has more acting chops

[@randoir1863]

I think as Trek fans we should count our blessings for the actors we got playing the characters we came to love and enjoy . That's not to say that the other actors/ actresses could've done the job, I just don't think it would've been the same . It's kinda funny how many people turn down a " TV acting job " in hopes of a Hollywood gig .

[@hhale]

I'm surprised that Paramount didn't approach Yaphet Kotto again for the role of Benjamin Sisko. He would have been excellent.

[@HoldenNY22]

That is what I thought if you wanted a Black Captain in the Series. Avery Brooks did a great job in the role, but Kotto would have been a much bigger star. Yaphet was a goood enough Actor to have done a great job in the Role also.

[@davidcottone2700]

I've seen the small clip of buijold as Janeway believe me kate mulgrew was born to play Janeway she was 100 percent better

[@retrogamer33]

Agreed

[@OnTheNerdySide]

You could just tell how uncomfortable Bujold was with the technobabble.

[@davidcottone2700]

@@OnTheNerdySide she was also dull I be asleep if they kept her

[@vernicesyers5021]

So much more authoritative than Ms Bujold

[@HMcQ7891]

Mulgrew played Janeway with command, empathy, & _swagger._ Bujold did not.

[@JakeR0bH]

Imagine Tom Hanks' Zeferan Cochran in ENT "In A Mirror Darkly"; "Reach for the sky..."

[@sijdnsd6460]

If Hanks would have been in First Contact, he might have brought more momentum to the saga. However, the run of Star Trek shows probs ly would have not changed since CBS either way would cancel Enterprise.

[@jedcauffield1858]

Could easily have been a Holodeck character for Shakesphere in TNG if he can talk to Wilson

[@SnarkNSass]

Oh😟 I didn't know about Jeffrey Hunter... 😥 Star Trek Characters and the Actors that played them have a real place in my real heart. RIP All Star Trek Stars Departed. You shall live long in our hearts. 🖖🏻✌🏻☮️🕊️🕉️😎

[@jasonrodgers9063]

Supposedly DeForest Kelly was in the running to play Spock. VERY early on, when Spock was originally intended to be from Mars, have a red tint to his skin, and did not eat, but rather absorbed energy through a metal plate in his abdomen. I'd say the right choices were made all around!

[@evildrganymede]

Martin Landau played Commander Koenig on Space 1999 though, so he still became a sci-fi icon one way or another! (let's not mention season 2 though...)

[@danielroberts6212]

Martin landau and Barbara Bain were Star graduates at the Jack Webb school of acting. Terrible. I think they were reading cue cards.

[@jay-day]

To be fair to Kotto, Stewart later said that he was never expected TNG would made it past the first season, reasoning that Roddenberry could never recreate an iconic series like Star Trek.

[@rwuttke]

I believe he never actually unpacked his bags during that season, because of that.

[@emeraldaly7646]

Slight correction - the Janeway character was originally scripted with the first name Elizabeth, but Bujold requested the name Nicole be used, and it was in the smattering of scenes she filmed. Mulgrew of course subsequently had it changed to Kathryn.

[@derekbrou]

are you kidding me, Yaphet Kotto?! That would have been awesome, and now I'm doubly saddened because I just realized he passed away in March. Damn.

[@abelgarcia514]

Terri Garr I have always loved her acting

[@artiek1177]

She was so funny in Young Frankenstein.

[@MultiClassGeek]

It’d be lovely to see Ro Laren back in Trek, given the connection between her and Picard, she’d be a perfect fit for Picard S2, and easy to explain if there’s timey-wimey shenanigans going on

[@Nerd704]

Best I can do is Picard Season 3.

[@opiewinston443]

It's a shame that they didn't ask Yaphet Kotto to play the captain of either the Enterprise-B (Star Trek: Generations) or the Enterprise-C (TNG: Yesterday's Enterprise).

[@00chla50]

I could see it working for Enterprise C.

[@joeschembrie9450]

"I love Kirk, and I love Shatner as Kirk." Many people share that sentiment, but the people who don't are surprisingly vehement.

[@GoGreen1977]

I have followed and admired Kirk since I was 11 in 1966 and saw "Man Tap." I admire Shatner because he is a survivor and a "thriver." He is amazing.

[@christopherstephenjenksbsg4944]

Very nice list! One question: I thought that Genevieve Bujold's character was named "Nicole Janeway." Was I misinformed?

[@pax2009]

Robert Duncan McNeill (Tom Paris) and Garrett Wang (Harry Kim) have always referred to her as "Nicole Janeway" on their podcast.

[@atzuras]

"I want to focus on my film carrer" ... friendzoning ST catchphrase since 1965.

[@lokisgodhi]

Genevieve Bujold was and is a phenomenal actress. It's a shame she didn't fit in with Voyager. Also too bad they didn't find a guest starring role for her. Having her play Elizabeth Janeway, Katherine Janeway's sister in a recurring role, like what they did with Reg Barclay and Admiral Owen Paris towards the later seasons of the show would have been interesting.

[@AnthonyWLeone]

Great video, as always. I'm sure I can google this, but why did they make/keep Jean-Luc Picard French when Patrick Stewart is British? Wouldn't it have made more sense to change Picard British once Stewart signed on?

[@kenwaid8239]

I’ve seen the footage of Genevieve Boujold as Janeway. she was awful, simply simply awful. An important part of trek is to speak technobabble and make it believable, as though it’s a real thing, like an inverse tachyon field. she simply couldn’t do it.

[@RobertSetter]

I remember reading a magazine interview with Mulgrew early in Voyager's run. She talked about how IRL, she is not a technobabble kind of person, but that she found it in herself to pull it off because she understood how important it was.

[@lokisgodhi]

Pfft. So what? It was incomplete footage without the sound track and visual effects added. You're comparing apples to oranges.

[@RobertSetter]

@@lokisgodhi When actors are being screened for roles, you don’t have any of that to judge their performance. Likewise, you don’t need any of that to see she had no zest for the captain’s chair.

[@evensgrey]

@@lokisgodhi I've seen them put together, side by side, for the same scenes. Mulgrew is VASTLY better. Bujold didn't have the ability to give the character a believable delivery. (God help her if she ever tries comedy.)

[@lokisgodhi]

@@RobertSetter Sure you do. They generally run through the scenes before they actually film them.

[@UberNeuman]

Not getting Javier Bardem as Khan is just a crime.

[@rhabdoviridae]

💯‼️

[@johnminehan1148]

Apparently, the part William Windom played in the Doomsday Machine was written to Robert Ryan who was unable to do it (health issue?). Ryan apparently liked the show and had contacted Roddenburry about doing a guest shot. I lot of veterans who were not SF fans liked the show because the staff relationships were fairly well handled..

[@adamlytle2615]

It's been reported that Robin Williams was interested in appearing on TNG, and the character of Berlinghoff Rasmusin in "A Matter of Time" was supposedly written with him in mind. He obviously did not do it and so the role ended up being played by Matt Frewer. Though I tend to take this one, along with the Tom Hanks one, with a grain of salt. I'm sure they genuinely liked Star Trek and probably did have some *conversations* with someone about doing it, but that's a big distance from actual casting negotiations, etc. I don't know how close we ever actually came to seeing those guys in those roles.

[@HAL_NINER_TRIPLE_ZERO]

Landau Turns down Spock because the role was emotionless 10 years later, goes on to play John Koenig in Space:1999 BWAHAHAHAHAHA

[@txhansolo22]

Space:1999 was terrible. the premise was ridiculous and it was just weird.

[@Shootingstarcomics]

@@txhansolo22 Space: 1999 is awesome and it has the best intro of any show on tv.

[@artiek1177]

Fly me to the moon, ……

[@HAL_NINER_TRIPLE_ZERO]

@@txhansolo22 I agree the premise was pretty silly. But the show had very high production values and some slick effects. Gotta love the Eagle transport craft. Very cool.

[@txhansolo22]

@@HAL_NINER_TRIPLE_ZERO seems to be a common thing with Gerry Anderson, he also was behind UFO which i liked but both shows where costly due to all the effects needed. in fact a second series of UFO was planned but never got off the ground and some of the elements were used in Space:1999 which was the most expensive TV show ever made at the time. that pretty much killed it. sci-fi in general is always costly to do if you want it to look good.

[@bazblackadder]

Tom Hanks as Cochrane: " And then there was this one time when my friend Lily and I built a very fast space ship, I flew it and some pointy eared aliens came to visit, they didn't give no particular reason....Would you like a chocolate?"

[@Erik_Swiger]

"Life is like a transporter accident ... you never know what you're gonna get"

[@masere]

The first few words remind me of the lass from American Pie.

[@starguy2718]

Magic Carpet Ride, Steppenwolf

[@cavecookie1]

"And that's all I have to say about that."

[@masere]

Geordi - "Hey we've got a red light on the second intake valve." Hanks' Cochrane - "Ignore it. Montana, we don't have a problem."

[@marktjeffrey]

Of course, Martin Landau went on to command Moonbase Alpha in "Space 1999" assisted by fellow Mission Impossible alumnus Barbara Bain, and gave that show a terrific lead especially in the first season.

[@tomitiustritus6672]

Imagine Sinatra played a klingon version of himself called Sinatrok, singing Sinatra songs in klingon. And Martok claims that the human versions of the songs lost their soul in the translation from the klingon original.

[@emeraldaly7646]

Robin Williams as the time-traveling "professor" from A Matter of Time. The role was written with him in mind.

[@bcbock]

That would not have gone well because they wouldn’t have let him ad lib, which was his biggest strength.

[@seanderrick9566]

@@bcbock There were many instances of ad libs in ST, Brent Spiner did it quite a bit, actually. Besides, Williams did just fine in his roles in movies where he, for the most part, stuck to the script.

[@GeoStreber]

Imagine that slime thing from The Orville being Picard.

[@johnbockelie3899]

Two people who were almost Spock: Martin Landau & De Forest Kelley. At least one became a famous doctor who argues with a famous Vulcan.

[@StarFleet_Tech1701]

Not that Yaphet!

[@DMSProduktions]

LOL! Nice pun!

[@BenjaminWirtz]

Patrick Stewart was originally considered for Data. Marina Sirtis and Denise Crosby originally auditioned for the opposite roles, but they were switched and foind to fit better That way. Roddenberry had wanted to cast DeForest Kelly from the very beginning but it never worked out until he finally got the chance with McCoy.

[@StormsparkPegasus]

Before they decided to go with Avery Brooks, one of the actors that was considered for Sisko was Richard Dean Anderson. Imagine an alternate universe where he was Sisko. DS9 would've been a totally different show, and SG-1 as we know it wouldn't have existed.

[@GrimmShadowsII]

He would have fixed the Defiant with pocket lint from his uniform

[@patrickradcliffe3837]

To be honest I couldn't see that RDA he's a great actor, but I only see him as McGyver or O'Neill (with two "L's")

[@StormsparkPegasus]

@@patrickradcliffe3837 Oh yeah me too...I'm just thinking of a "what if" scenario where he ended up being Sisko. SG-1 and DS9 would've both been very different from the shows we know.

[@artiek1177]

@@StormsparkPegasus then things worked out for the best . Both shows are terrific.

[@StormsparkPegasus]

@@artiek1177 Oh yes I agree...but it can still be fun to speculate about a "what if" scenario where Richard was in DS9.

[@johnc.bojemski1757]

Jane's Darren should put out an album of his "HOLODECK" performances. I'd "beam" THAT onto my stereo for sure!

[@robleesejones]

He did, it's called "This One's From the Heart" and it's really good.

[@johnc.bojemski1757]

@@robleesejones Great! Thank you for the info! Much appreciated. Will go and get ASAP! He deserves to be more widely recognized as a true "CROONER" in the best tradition of Crosby, Sinatra, and company.

[@dancole5795]

Tom Hanks in Star Trek would have been amazing. But I absolutely love That Thing You Do (a horribly overlooked film) so I'm okay with it.

[@alphanerd7221]

It's okay.

[@curtischildress9580]

No big famous personalities were allowed on any Trek project because the main cast were the big stars, plus Shatner would've walked had anyone come into the game to rob his light.

[@johnmichael702]

How about Jack Lord turning down the role of Captain Kirk?

[@Revan2908]

And Lloyd Bridges.

[@commanderbracey7501]

@@Revan2908 bet they didn't see that coming. 🤣🤣

[@masere]

Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the USS Essesses....

[@GoGreen1977]

He was meant to play Mcgarrett. Can't imagine anyone else.

[@DucNguyen-bd5ir]

James Darren was a teen heart throb back in the day and was a Las Vegas act in early Vegas.

[@jennifersman7990]

He also had a recurring role with William Shatner in T.J. Hooker

[@DavidLee-df888]

I love the character of Vic Fontaine. Definitely one of the best in DS9. Also, I feel Sean Connery IS in Final Frontier, since Laurence Luckinbill looks just like him so if you squint....

[@butch7911]

The Vulcan Sybok with a thick Scottish accent... hmm... hmmm...

[@GF_Baltar]

Yaphet Luc Picard: "Make it goddamn so, Number One"

[@jonsumner1382]

I can't see Tom Hanks as Zefrin Cochran but what I could see Tom Hanks as admiral Paris. now that Tom Hanks a little bit older admiral Paris because if you look at Tom Hanks and you look at the actor that played Tom Paris they kind of similar and so yeah I could see Tom Hanks as Tom Paris's dad and that role would only require maybe coming on for a scene here and there maybe one time each season.

[@daviniarobbins9298]

Can't really blame the actor for turning down the chance to play Picard after all at the time the actors didn't expect the series to go beyond 1 season.

[@RandomYT05_01]

Tom Hanks would have looked a bit more like TOS Cochrane so there is that going for you.

[@keepinmeuppodcast76]

Actually, Nicholas Meyer has flat out that that he had no interest in bringing Robin Curtis back as Saavik.

[@alphanerd7221]

So?

[@lavern007]

You might want to mention that both Landau and Nimoy both did Death Valley Days, both did Gunsmoke, and both were regulars on Mission Impossible.

[@cgavin1]

Yeah I mean Nimoy in particular must have considered Star Trek a bum gig and a threat to his career.

[@ibm6789]

I would love to see all of these actors play an iconic scene of the character they turned down.

[@NorthernChev]

Naw. I love Tom Hanks, but Cromwell knocks it out of the park. Cromwell was born for this part.

[@joemasters2270]

As much as I enjoyed James Cromwell's performance as Zephram Cochrane, it would've been epic to see him played by Tom Hanks.

[@lindajokensinger8690]

Sean, I really enjoyed this video(as always). ❤🖖

[@calvingrondahl1011]

I watched Star Trek in 1966 at 16 years old... I respect all of it.

[@A-Legitimate-Salvage]

I believe they wanted to get Edward Olmos to play Picard, but he didn’t want to be in a show involving aliens

[@lennyernquist1246]

You are thinking of actor Stephen Macht who went on to appear on DS9.

[@HoldenNY22]

Funny- I think Battle Star Galatica without this rediculous demand of his. The original Series had Alien Creatures besides from Cylons.

[@Rob8729]

Voyager fans thank the Prophets every single day that number 6 never happened.

[@Heymrk]

Voyager is the worst thing to ever happen to Trek.

[@achimsinn7782]

IMO Martin Landau made the right call. From that interview I take that he wasn't into the character and didn't know what to do with it. Because of that he would likely have struggled giving a good performance in the character which would have lowerde the quality of the series and his reputation as an actor.

[@seanderrick9566]

Great list. Though I would have made sure to include Robin Williams for a part in TNG "A Matter of Time" as Berlinghoff Rasmussen. The episode was written for him. He had to decline it due to filming conflicts with "Hook". THAT would have been amazing.

[@johnc.bojemski1757]

Apologies to the lovely and talented Genevieve Bujold for misspelling her name in my previous "POST". GOOGLE is innocent this time! That blunder was all mine. The computer is innocent for once. Yay.

[@lokisgodhi]

It would have been interesting to see Jean-Luc Picard actually played by a French actor. I'm thinking Jean Reno.

[@Ideo7Z]

For me I would have loved for a 40 year old Alain Delon be Picard. Then you could have had Elizabeth Dennehy as Shelby be number 1.

[@callicordova4066]

So glad James Darren was cast as Vic Fontaine. And James Cromwell is perfect as Cochran.

[@ehsnils]

Sometimes it works out better to have lesser known actors play roles in some productions. That way you'd avoid over-use of an actor, which also is a problem for people watching a show.

[@DKwiatkowski]

Ahh, Yaphet Kotto should have been in ST:TNG in *any* capacity

[@morrisgautreau6704]

Another fantastic list! 🖖🏻👨🏻‍🦲

[@brianwinkle8785]

Got me on the Picard one. Good shot man👍

[@GoodVideos4]

Meantime, Star Trek is one of the most successful, and longest running, series ever. So, a case of some of them regretted.

[@PaulMcElligott]

As much as loved Michelle Forbes as Ro, I’m glad she opted out and we got Nana Visitor as Kira.

[@JLConawayII]

I'm glad we got Kate Mulgrew as Janeway. Bujold had none of her fire or energy.

[@danpayne8042]

On what do you base your assertion?

[@JLConawayII]

@@danpayne8042 On the scenes she filmed before leaving the show.

[@ymeynot0405]

I'm glad that Yaphet Kotto turned down Star Trek. We got Patrick Stewart AND Yaphet went on to do Homicide: Life on the Street. Homicide is still the most accurate and best police proceedural ever made and the reason why we ended up with THE WIRE another amazing series. I mean we got three great shows from that decision.

[@donfelipe7510]

Hey Trek Culture. I have an idea for a video you could possibly do. Earth's history in the Star Trek Universe pre-first contact. This would include the Eugenics War and World War III. Who was fighting who? Who won? How? I realise this may take quite a bit research into canon however. Just thought it might be an interesting topic for us fans since it doesn't get covered much.