Obscure Star Trek Joke Beams Into The A-Team Movie June 11, 2010
by Jordan Hoffman , Filed under: Great Links,Humor,Trek Franchise , trackback
Guest Blog from UGO's Jordan Hoffman
Star Trek enthusiasts have a special treat waiting for them should they get in the van and see The A-Team this weekend. What I’m about to tell you can only be described as a SPOILER of pretty nifty Easter egg, so go no further if you want to experience it on your own. .
Obscure Trek Joke Beams Into The A-Team
At about the forty-five minute mark of Joe Carnahan's The A-Team, there’s a scene where the gang is about to bust Sharlto Copley’s version of Captain H. M. “Howling Mad” Murdock out of a psychiatric prison. (‘Cause that’s what the A-Team does.) Murdock gets a mysterious package with a DVD and a whole bunch of 3-D glasses. He leads his fellow inmates to a mini screening room.
As other things are happening (like bad guys approaching) the DVD plays in the background. If you are paying attention, you’ll see the list of actors in the opening credits for the movie-within-the-movie (which is called “The Greater Escape.”) The first name to come up clearly reads “Reginald Barclay.”
How many people will get this joke? Surely you, a reader of TrekMovie, are able to connect the dots between Murdock, the actor Dwight Schultz and his other great role of Lieutenant Reginald Endicott “Reg” Barclay III, the diagnostics engineer seen in The Next Generation, Voyager and (briefly) Star Trek: First Contact.
Dwight Schultz as Murdock in "The A-Team" (1983) & as Barclay in "Next Generation" + Sharlto Copley as Murdock in "The A-Team" (2010)
But we may be the only ones who get the joke. At the screening I was at, people applauded at all the other moments of fan service, but only I was heard to shout “woah!” when I saw ol’ Broccoli’s name up there.
The A-Team, by the way, is a really fun summer movie for a season dry of any Trek. You can take a look at my review at UGO.com (www.ugo.com/movies/the-a-team-review). Also, If you check out The A-Team, be sure to stick around until after the credits, too. There is a quick comic appearance by Schultz in a deleted scene as a German doctor.
And here is a clip from a different scene featuring Murdock in The A-Team (doesn't show the "Barclay" gag).
But, if all you care about is Star Trek, here’s a chestnut from a little while back on my favorite moments from Lt. Worf ( www.ugo.com/movies/top-worf-moments ).
Jordan Hoffman is a friend of TrekMovie.com, and the Movies Editor for UGO Entertainment.
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Comments
Schultz is a completely underrated actor. Too bad he’s blacklisted.
Communist?
Open conservative.
@2 No, he’s a right-wing super-douche.
Ryan that is over the top and uncalled for
Let’s not derail this into some silly political thing please
@4 is that really necessary? some of us trekkies might take offense to that.
Maybe #4 meant “super-douche” to be his sig and just forgot to hit “enter” before-hand ;)
Right. For me the only thing of relevance is that both the characters Schultz created for “The A-Team” and TNG are among the most memorable and iconic in TV history. (His Oppenheimer was great, too.)
#5…Anthony…aside from the douche part, is it really uncalled for? most of post 60s Trek was treating right wingers much the same way as #4′s comment did, except through cinematic symbolism instead of calling them douches…granted #4 couldve said it with more tact, but the basic point stands.
Shultz’s Barclay was a great character, and he’s a terrific actor.
If it’s true he’s a conservative, thats even better. What supports the assertion that he leans to the right?
Maybe JJ can return the favor in ST 12 by showing a quick scene with Kirk watching an A-team episode in his quarters.
Here we go… When trekkies get political and go mad….
Well, Jordan, thanks for at least trying to bring attention to this easter egg.
…well at least #4 didn’t get censored.
I’ve seen far worse here from the right, go untouched…
It’s true though. ST has always had a leftist agenda. Everyone works for no money. No pollution. Save the whales. It’s like a liberal’s dreamworld. Even JJ destroyed a gas burning car in ST09… lol.
Oh, and it was a MINING ship that destroyed Vulvan. The ultimate strip-mining cliche! Ah, the evils of industrialized societies…
Star Trek is not leftist. It is fair and just and logical.
So why is it that when Mr. Pascale asks posters not to turn this into a thread of political diatribes, it starts happening nonetheless?
IDIC people! Please!
Now, let’s get back to talkin’ Trek!
I haven’t a clue what everyone’s talking about re: Dwight Schultz’s political views. Can someone explain to me in a rational, un-biased way please? I’d appreciate it.
Sorry Brett. I’m just messing around. I never even thought about it until I read #9. Movies are movies and they sshould be treated as such. Trek movies are great because they have great characters combined with special effects. Just like “Ice Pirates”.
What’s with the Keenser character issue? If they are thinking of doing a Laurel and Hardy with Keenser and Scotty, it’ll wind up being the Jar Jar Binks of Star Trek!
“IDIC people! Please!”
exactly! if conservatives and liberals can get along in the world of star trek, perhaps it will happen in the real world someday, too.
i actually plan on seeing the big screen version of a-team. thanks for the bit of information!
Gosh sakes people, RELAX.
Why must we always label people either Liberals or Conservatives?
I never believed someone was purely one-sided. I think people should just respect people , no matter what.I don’t need to disrespect a conservative, even if i don’t agree with his/her view.
Relax people….
I’m what some people would catagorize as a “right-wing nut”, so what are you triny to imply. Luckly I’m not ever too terribly insulted by such comments, usually because they are made by people who don’t really want to sit down and talk about issues. they just want to bash people, and feel good about it. #4, although I don’t think people should be overly concerned about your comment, it doesn’t reflect realyl well on you when you resort to such name calling. if you have an issue with right wing types, refute there arguements. If you find that you can’t then it’s either time to join us or leave us alone.
What do you think #4.
#14 is it actually said anywhere that people don’t get paid to work in the Trekverse? I always assumed it was just a cashless society. All done with plastic etc. Kirk says on more than one occasion that ‘you’ve earned your pay for the week’. And he only says they don’t ‘have money’ in the 23rd Century in TVH. It doesn’t mean they don’t have electronic cash.
I vaguely remember Picard actually saying something about people working to improve themselves and society. I can’t honestly recall. TNG wasn’t really my thing.
I’ve read somewhere or other that the original A Team actors are not fans of the new film. Too much violence and killing apparently.
And Dwight was great in the original A Team.
And I will add as a Barclay I’ve never, not once, been called Brocolli! Its normally shortened to Barcles. But never Brocolli!! Never!
#24 (Buzz Cagney) Mr. T said he didn’t like the film because it focused too much on sex and violence, which is a really weird statement, because there is no sex in it, and because the original series was violent, too, albeit cartoonishly violent. And in one of today’s reviews I read that the new film’s violence/action is similarly cartoonish as in the original series, few people dying, bad guys still missing a couple of yards wide etc. Dirk Benedict, who played Faceman, didn’t like the fact that his cameo appearance was edited down. But he didn’t say anything about the film itself. (Neither has Dwight Schultz.)
I love Reg! Definitely gonna go see the movie now. And cheer when his name comes up. XD
I never realized that the original Murdock and Barclay were one in the same. They’re so different.
Barclay is one of my favorite TNG characters too.
Schulz was great as the crazy guy in that Babylon 5 episode.
#26 oh I see, thanks for clarifying.
Dirk wanted a bigger role I assume! lol
#28 yep. Thats great acting for you. Very hard to believe indeed.
That 3D joke was hugely funny. Especially with the easter-egg build up.
Copley sometimes looks in this clip like he was about to do a DeNiro impression.
who has time to catch these things?????
Why is everyone afraid of conservatives and those that lean to the right? I would like to think this is an OPEN forum. Why is it even an issue what Dwight’s political views are here?
#13 – What has been said that is worst then calling someone a nasty name just because of their? It has been my experience that name calling occurs when you can’t defend your views.
Three words: Gold Pressed Latinum.
There is an economy in the 23rd century. If you live on-planet, you will have to pay for stuff. If you live onboard a ship, you have no need for currency until shore leave since all your needs are provided for (much like the armed services now).
Even in the first episode of TNG at Farpoint Station, there weee merchants selling fabrics and such and I am sure crew members had to pay for what they wanted.
#34 His political views per se are not an issue—at least not here. The real issue is that his political stance has repercussions, as for so many other openly conservative actors and filmmakers. Hollywood has deprived us of so many first-rate artists, simply because they didn’t conform to the community’s liberal/leftist agenda. (At least the Star Trek franchise never dumped the Barcley character, so kudos there.)
As a member of the Middle Majority, I have no problem with Dwight’s political views. His creation of the unpredictable kook genius of Murdock, and the paranoid anxious Barclay were masterful acting. What’s not to like?
I’d think his problem might have been that because of those two key roles he was seen more as a comedic rather than dramatic actor.
As to #4, I point out the Law of Conservation of Douche. For every right-wing super-douche, there is an equal yet opposite left-wing super-douche. ;)
Met him once at a convention in Glasgow, and found him to be a very friendly, likeable guy. And while I don’t share his political leanings, the point he made a while back about liberals and conservatives actually debating issues and talking, rather than simply trading barbs back and forth, is spot on.
Am I the only one who noticed 1,3,8,26 and 36 is calling himself Shultz? Sure if it’s really Dwight, he’s referring to himself in the third person and would seem a bit narcissistic, but it would be pretty cool if it is actually him. And if you are the Dwight Shultz, which after reading some of your comments I’m pretty well convinced you are, I never saw any Conservative overtones or anything, which wouldn’t have bothered me personally, but you focused on your work instead of your opinion. Also, Barclay should have been a main character in First Contact… As well as Sisko, Dax and O’Brian.
“I point out the Law of Conservation of Douche. For every right-wing super-douche, there is an equal yet opposite left-wing super-douche. ;)”
That needs to go on a very large bumper sticker.
So true, so true.
Schultz is a great character actor, btw, from a wave of great character actors from the ’80s, like John DeLancie, Jeffrey Combs, Terry O’Quinn, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
@ 36.
“Hollywood has deprived us of so many first-rate artists, simply because they didn’t conform to the community’s liberal/leftist agenda”
hmm… I’m a bit reserved about that statement. One might even say, Hollywood has cut off soo many actresses/actors because of their nationality/culture/race. I know Richardo Montalban always had a hard time getting a role in hollywood, simply because he was of espanic background.
But look at it right now….. Would a muslim actor/actresses be allowed in hollywood, even though they were born in the US ? Not a high probability.
I think hollywood isn’t completely a Liberal’ish land. Its maybe more conservative if anything….
#41
Move out of your Grandma’s basement and into the real world and then come back and comment.
#39 (Captain Conrad) :D No, I’m definitely not *the* Schultz, but I chose the nick a long time ago because I’m a fan of the actor—and because Schultz is a name from Germany, which has been my place of residence for the past few years. :)
#41 (jas_montreal) Well, I probably exaggerated it a bit (“so many first-rate artists”), but the testimonies coming from pariah conservative filmmakers are out there, and I’ve heard similar stories from friends in the business. Though I guess you’re right about Muslim and Hispanic actors etc. But conservative Hollywood filmmakers are not a minority like Muslim Hollywood filmmakers, so that may be apples & oranges. You’re right that Hollywood isn’t all liberal. There *are* many many conservatives, but a disproportionately large percentage of them doesn’t get the good jobs (or as much good jobs), if they go public with their political stance.
Also most of the major motion picture companies don’t sponsor Conservative filmmakers. The only reason Paramount puts up with Micheal Bay, is because Bay is a moron who brings in the cash.
#44 (CC) Same was valid for Schwarzenegger, when he was still making movies. But the man was a sustainable triple-A for most of his career. Anyone below that status will have a hard time and should better keep quiet. As regards Bay: Are you sure he’s conservative? (I didn’t get the impression.)
Daud
warning for trolling
everyone else, for god’s sake stop feeding into the political trolling. This is an article about an f’ing joke in the ateam movie, not a chance for stupid partisan attacks.
any more will just be deleted so don’t bother
Barclay Lives!
I wish they had given Mr.T and Dwight a proment role in the new A team film,
dwight is seriously talented I mean I didnt even know this was him in most of the video game work he does nowadays
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0776239/
The last I saw of Dirk Benedict was a few years ago when he did Celebrity Big Brother here in the UK
On entering the house one of the other housemates exclaimed ‘its Dirk f**kin Benedict’! To which Dirk replied, ‘yes, its is, but I don’t use my middle name too much’!
Brilliant!
When I saw the scene you’re talking about, I was the only one in the theater that laughed. If you can find out who thought of that gag, please let us know. We’ll out him as a closet Trekker! Another funny part of this scene are the 3-D glasses. A witty hit at the 3-D craze.
I saw the A-Team: funny, especially Sharlto Copley. I must have blinked on the Reginald Barclay reference and missed it, but the 3D bit was funny, like every other bit Copley did. The movie was action packed and entertaining. I recommend it!
I don’t know about Dwight Schultz’s political views, but I always thought he was a very good actor and did a great job as Barclay.
Was Schultz in the new movie at all? apart from the deleted scene?
I’m frankly offended by any suggestion that douchery belongs to any particular political camp. Post #37 has it nailed.
What I’m more interested in knowing is if the A-Team is any good. The trailers did not thrill me … made it look like a standard-issue, joyless, forced Hollywood grave-digger hauling an old property out of mothballs for lack of any new ideas, slathering it with CGI, and marketing it as cheap nostalgia.
Which means, historically speaking, I might like it (and see it twice), but I’m leery. May just be this acute case of Liam Neeson fatigue I’ve been suffering; dunno.
Just saw A-Team, it was brilliant!
Completed the trifecta of movies I wanted to see since I was 8:
Transformers, GI Joe & this!
So good, I was shocked!
If you read the other character names in the sequence they describe, they are all charcters played by the original A-Team actors.
Very nice touch.
says that he was in a team as german doctor number 1
#53: You should check out the scenes that are floating around on the web, 7 or 8. They’ll give you a much better impression than the trailers. Definitely feels a lot like the original TV series.
I saw the movie yesterday and recognized the name when it played in the movie but didn’t get it until later in the day when I thought to myself “did that really happen?”
Great movie. Much better than expected.
I didn’t know he was Uncle Paulie Franchetti in the game The Darkness! He killed my girlfriend Jenny!
Schultz is definitely a serious conservative. He describes himself as such. He is often a substitute for Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levine. He has his own radio show, “Howling Mad Radio,” where he attacks liberals.
+1 to Mr. Schultz for standing up for what he believes in. No matter what anyone else’s opinion of it is.
@40: I would totally buy that bumper sticker. That’s some serious bipartisan funny right there. :D
#60 I think his radio show is currently stalled. Last time I checked it was said that there’ll be a regular podcast in the near future. But he was on for Jerry Doyle this week.
#41 Tom Selleck (Magnum, P.I.) is famously conservative. He seemed to do pretty well over time. Also, Kelsey Grammer is a well-known Republican, to give a Star Trek example. صدّيق الطاهر الفاضل الصدّيق عبدالرحمن محمد أحمد عبدالكريم المهدي (Alexander Siddig El Fadil) is an example of an actor who is a Muslim who has had no problem obtaining roles. There’s no way Hollywood is conservative, but there might be favoritism in the sense one picks one’s friends before those who aren’t friends. That’s probably the source of much of the perceived liberal favoritism in Hollywood. Then you have Mel Gibson….
#40, 53, 62. Thank you folks! I’m rather stunned to receive a warning when I took someone’s trolling slam on Dwight, who’s always been a friend to fandom, and turning it back in a bipartisan and funny manner.
Being the resident physicist, laws of conservation can often become amusing. Since I’ve already been shot down for being funny, my original remark was going to be IDIC: Infinite Douchery In Comments.
#46 Considering Daoud, and not Daud, is the proper transliteration of the Arabic form of my name, I presume you’re trolling me by misspelling my name purposely. That’s not very nice of you. Nor is your use of “f’ ing”.
they also did “s.g starbuck” for face i was laughing so hard when i saw that it was awesome, really the only easter egg i noticed
#58 – Glad to hear it’s a good movie. My son wants to see it, but some of the reviews have been less than good.
#65 I’ve seen it already—couldn’t wait—, and it’s a very good film, carefree action fun, just like the series. But don’t expect more than what the series had to offer… otherwise you’ll be disappointed. I’ll definitely see it again.
#46 and #64 -
Anthony – I don’t think Daoud realizes you “own” this website/blog and therefore have the right to make the rules and direct the conversation. I also don’t think he realizes you don’t “troll” people on this blog, but rather monitor them.
That being said, I would just like to say that sometimes it’s good to let everyone in a “family” speak their mind (without name calling) once in a while. Sometimes it can be kind of bonding, but it can also be polarizing – so I do appreciate your caution.
Dwight Schultz is an under rated actor. Period.
There are too many reasons that Hollywood
blacklists actors (and actresses, if I may use
the old term). Many refuse roles because of
their personal beliefs or because they refused
to sleep with a leading actor, director, or producer.
How sad it is that the studios will blacklist a
super talented actor, who can very well sell a lot
of box office tickets, simply because of their
political views…
PS – can’t wait to see the movie!
I liked it. Rampage was great in Mr. T’s old role. And it had some really funny moments.
If you like(d) the A-Team television show, you’ll like this movie.
=A=
Did dwight Schultz ever have a hair transplant?
#72 (Walshy): Yes. If I recall correctly, that’s what he once said in one of his radio shows two years ago (“Howling Mad Radio”). But I’m not 100% sure.
Having not been a regular viewer of “The A-Team” when Schultz showed up on Next Gen it was no big deal to me. I never recognized him as anything other than some guest actor on the show.
Cant we keep this political crap out of these topics. I come to this page for escape.