With production starting in a month, the new Star Trek series featuring the return of Sir Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard continues to shape up.
Australian newcomer added to the cast
This morning it was announced on Deadline (and confirmed by CBS) that the Picard show has added another series regular. Australian actor and model Evan Evagora has been cast to star alongside Patrick Stewart. No details have been provided on the role Evagora will play. He joins Santiago Cabrera and Michelle Hurd, both of whom were announced as series regulars last week.
Evan Evagora
At 23, Evagora’s acting career is just getting started. He had a small role in the Australian drama Secret City, and has recently filmed a part for the upcoming horror comedy adaptation of Fantasy Island. According to his bio, he was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. His mother Marie is of New Zealand and Cook Island Maori descent and his father, Xristos, immigrated to Australia from his homeland of Cyprus. Before transitioning to acting, Evagora interests focused on sports, including winning a state boxing championship and competing in football finals.
Evagora has also been working in modeling over the last couple of years. Below you can see his Instagram post from the catwalk of Australia Fashion Week 2018.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi-9_9fDGFd/
One month to production
As we reported last week, the Picard series is set to start production at Santa Clarita Studios in California on April 14th. The first season of the show is expected to run 10 episodes, and be highly serialized. CBS has yet to confirm a title for the show, but according to Production Weekly, the show could possibly be titled Star Trek: Destiny or Star Trek: Picard. The first two episodes will be directed by Hanelle Culpepper. Patrick Stewart’s Star Trek: The Next Generation co-star Jonathan Frakes has also confirmed he will be directing.
Keep up with all the news on the Picard show and other upcoming Star Trek TV shows here at TrekMovie.com.
It shoots in a month but the cast still hasn’t been rounded out, the only production still is of an empty soundstage and it’s slated to premiere at the end of this year. This is cutting very close for a production of this scale and I’m starting to wonder just how locked in this 2019 date actually is.
Just because they’re trickling our cast announcements doesn’t mean that casting hasn’t been completed or is further along. CBS All Access has used casting announcements as promotional tools for their shows.
During the first season of The Good Fight, they would announce cast members while the season was already airing, months after the season had already been filmed.
Does it bother anyone else how much people read into things and over analyze to come up with some doom and gloom scenario? This is a production studio with decades of experience. They have the schedule locked in for months now. Just because Denny C isn’t informed and doesn’t like the limited information, means of course the production will be delayed.
Yep. Public announcements about a show only come close to production time (or sometimes evn later as noted by MattR).
It’s not like CBS woke up one morning a couple of weeks ago and went “oh crap, we need studio space and some actors!”
Securing studio space needs months in advance, and schedules need to be worked out. Then sets have to be built in the new studio space.
Casting is a weeks and sometimes months long process.
In the absence of information, people will invent it to fill the hole.
I remember when you had to read magazines to get you fix and updates on your favourite shows, without access to a smartphone or the internet. And I’m still in my 20s too so I’m not that old.
It’s not doom and gloom. It’s an observation. As for being informed, well, that’s why I’m wondering about how locked in that date is and I’ll just leave it at that.
Very much so. People seems unable to read between the lines.
I’m guessing they’ve all done this before and have a fairly good idea of their schedules. That being said, Discovery’s premiere was pushed back at least once (maybe twice?).
I often find it surprising how quickly a big, professional production like this can ramp up
the only production still is of an empty soundstage
There’s been no production pictures from the show released. If you’re referring to the header image of our article about production from last week, that’s a promotional picture of a generic soundstage we used for illustration sake.
This is cutting very close for a production of this scale and I’m starting to wonder just how locked in this 2019 date actually is.
You made a number of assumptions there.
We don’t know the scale of this show. There’s a good chance this is a more intimate show.
“End of 2019” is hardly a firm time frame. It’s been brought up in the context of a forecast for scheduling out the various properties on All Access.
The show has 10 episodes, episodes are usually shot in ~10 days/each. So that’s ~100 days of shooting. Which let’s them finish at the end of Summer. So there should be a pretty decent amount of time to do post-production and have the show ready for the end of 2019.
Right, end of 2019 which is why I was commenting on how firm that date is. If post follows a traditional single camera shoot with minimal post than, yes, 4th quarter of 2019 is pretty far off. If it follows a post schedule like Discovery or any other effects heavy series then we’re looking at a fairly aggressive production schedule for the sake of premiering at the end of 2019.
I can only assume you’re thinking of the entire series being done by Q4 2019?
The episodes will be released weekly, so they have some runway.
If the only goal is to deliver the first two episodes (as a pilot/premiere) by the end of 2019, that should be doable.
Ex: When DSC S1 was released they had done the post on about 5 episodes.
As long as they’re confident in their post-production process they could could do it. However, it’s also quite likely they could delay a few weeks into January.
But again, no one at CBS has said late 2019 was locked in, it’s a goal. The goal may change once they get into production.
Agree on all points. They could get it out before Christmas, air first five, take a hiatus, air the back five. Or they could just push the whole thing to the new year.
Discovery S2 started production in April 2018, took a longer than expected break over the summer after the showrunners were fired, and were still able to deliver effects-heavy episode by January.
So there’s a pretty good possibility that the Picard show starting filming in April and not having a break in filming, could deliver by December, and possibly earlier if the show is less effects-heavy than Discovery.
And it’s very possible that it is less effects heavy depending on the tone of the series and what little has come out about this series seems to indicate that it will be somewhat different than what has come before.
“And it’s very possible that it is less effects heavy depending on the tone of the series ”
I’d be very pleased if they don’t replace the meat of the story with special effects for once! Also we don’t need phaser and fist fights every week; the most successful Trek series ever (TNG) showed that’s very much possible.
One can hope.
What you were looking at was a facilities shot of the soundstage. The important detail is that it was under contract. CBS ponied up the cash for it, you can bet your starship bridge there’s a set in there now. Probably not done, but there’s something there.
Keep in mind that the public doesn’t learn about decisions made behind the scenes WHEN they happen but after the fact. Now if you were part of the production team that would be different but…yeah…think about that.
And even after the fact much isn’t known until much, much later. Like, after the show has been cancelled when there’s less risk of repercussions from the studio or others associated with the show.
Star Trek: Destiny makes perfect sense. Star Trek: Picard sounds silly and childish.
Personally, not digging the exotic dancer name for the show, but then, I don’t get paid to make those kinda decisions, either.
Phil it needs a title that doesn’t sound cringy or edgy
Never known a dancer named Destiny. Now Candy, that’s another story.
I’d watch Star Trek: Candy. Who shoud we cast in the titular role? :-P
I would assume that Candy wouldn’t be referring to a character, but to the Federation starship USS Candy. If I was in Starfleet, that is definitely the ship I would want to serve on.
What about the USS Lollipop? She’s a good ship.
That ship can take a real licking!
I see what you did there… cheers!
Now I have the picture of Picard in Quark’s bar dancing on a pole in my head.
Pasties and a thong. My work here is done.
I bet it looks something like this
Patrick Stewart from American Dad
https://youtu.be/e-9jtW_6zxI
Ohhhh, Jean Luc…..mmmmmmmmmmm manly
And I now I do, too. Oh, my…
In your head seems like an odd place to put a stripper pole. 😁
Which sets up a great joke but I’m gonna leave it alone!
Gives a whole new dimension to the ready room, though.
Both sound silly and childish to me.
Says the guy using the handle “TacoTuesday.”
If the premise relates in some way to the politics of the Federation, or the Federation as a whole, then Star Trek: Federation would make a lot of sense. Particularly as a slight riff on ‘The Next Generation’.
But it doesn’t feel like they’re going in that direction.
I don’t care what it’s called. Seriously, people hung up on that sort of thing make me laugh. Would “Attack of the Clones” have been any better had it been titled something cooler?
Star Trek: Destiny sounds generic and boring. Like a Videogame or a c-Movie… please no!
I want Star Trek: Ambassador
Who else is going to be on this show? I’m happy they are not casting any TNG characters. Star Trek needs this right now because Discovery is not enough to satisfy that itch for Star Trek. When this comes out, I will sign up for CBS All Access again. I’m not watching The Twilight Zone but that’s nice.
I still think there will be important roles for some of the TNG characters.
I think they should wait until season 2 to have some of the other TNG cast make guest appearances. It could make sense to have Guinan and/or Q show up in season 1 though.
We might not get a season 2 Legate Damar and although we don’t know a great deal about the plot it’s seems logical to assume that the show will document a pivotal period in Picard’s life. So for me it makes sense that those crew members that he considered to be family would be involved in some way. It’s been made clear that this isn’t TNG phase 2 but I would not be surprised in the least to see several TNG cast members given recurring roles similar in size to the likes of Cornwell and Sarek in DSC.
They are being pretty coy about if we will see other characters. No one yet has outright said no one else from TNG is showing up this season so I suspect a few surprises. But even if for some reason we didn’t get any I agree there will probably be some popping up in season 2 just like Discovery has introduced a lot more TOS characters and elements.
But I think there will be at least 1 or 2 recurring roles this season as well. CBS knows end of the day fans want to see familiar characters, hence why Vina showed up again last week after 50 years.
I do give them a lot of credit for the Picard show at least going a different direction and obviously trying to do something different. But I also have a feeling IF this is a Picard goes rogue story line as so many seem to think it will be, I would be stunned a Riker or a Worf wouldn’t show up at some point to either help him or talk sense into him, especially if they are all still in Starfleet.
What strikes me as odd is that “doing something different” is almost always equivalent to “going dark”, which is not at all the same necessarily…
Exactly. These people lack imagination. Star Trek is optimistic, so to them, “different” can only mean pessimistic and dark, like every other current sci fi show.
That is supposed to be imaginative?
How about an equally positive show, true to the essence of Star Trek, but presented in a new way? That would be a creative accomplishment. Evil mirror universe Georgiou and section 31 stuff are like Captain Proton or Flash Gordon- cartoon-like mustache-twirling characters. Is there intelligent life out there?
Well Michael Chabon actually said in an interview several months ago that the Picard show will NOT be dark and cynical. He made the point saying he was tired of that type of stories and want the Picard show to be positive and uplifting as TNG (usually) was. So I have a faith if nothing else it will go back to positive Trek again. And I think people were so negative about Discovery first season being so dark they took that to heart to. Season 2 at least feels a little more positive, hence Pike feeling like a version of Picard.
Exactly. I could easily see Riker being charged with tracking him down and I wouldn’t be surprised if Worf has left Starfleet so maybe Picard will seek out his assistance on some random Klingon outpost.
I really think that’s where they are headed Corinthian7. That someone will pop up to assist Picard or him asking for someone else’s help and probably how a TNG character will become part of the story. But I been totally wrong before. ;)
That requires the other TNG cast to go along with the plan.
Michael Dorn has said he doesn’t want cameos, and he and his agent were very negative on the attempt to pull him into Discovery – said the financial offer was insultingly low.
Marina Sirtis has also avoided cameos, and had to be persuaded to meaningfully reprise her role as counsellor to Reg Barclay on Voyager.
Last, it sounds as though much of the TNG cast that was involved in the Enterprise finale regrets it.
Dorn said he wouldn’t want to do only a cameo which I can’t blame him given all those hours of make up just to show up in a scene for five minutes. It sounds like if he was offered something with a bit more meat he would do it. And I don’t think fans want that either. They haven’t seen these guys in over a decade so if they appear it should be worth their while for both actors and fans.
I think everyone is suggesting beyond just a cameo or a walk on role. Like we been saying if they have a few characters more than likely it will be more recurring. Not every episode but probably a few a season. I’m not saying it will happen but if we do see other characters I have a feeling they will do something more like that.
Michael Dorn has been campaigning for a Worf show so regardless of his recent comments I think he’d jump at the opportunity. After all what better opportunity does he have to put his character in the shop window? Frakes is already involved in the show as a confirmed director. He’s also gone on record recently to confirm he’s not retired from acting, he appears to have lost weight and he’s grown back his Riker beard. Spiner has left his role on Supergirl and they’re reportedly looking for an actor to play a character who is an expert on positronic brains. Wil Wheaton and Whoopi Goldberg have both made comments suggesting that they would both be open to returning and don’t even get me started on Sirtis. If she really has been trying to avoid cameos she’s doing a terrible job. She appeared in the final televised instalment of the Berman era and you can’t possibly be suggesting that she’s been turning down cameos in the Abrams’ and Kurtzman productions?
I’d be surprised if there’s a single one of them that’s not hoping to return. That’s not to say we will see them all of course, this new series is clearly it’s own thing. A few may be offered meaty roles but some may only be offered a token cameo and that might not be enough for them. I’m confident that we’ll definitely see Riker and Data though and very probably Worf. Rikers involvement could lead to a small role for Troi and given their history an appearance by Crusher wouldn’t be out of the question.
Good point about Sirtis. She claims all the other Star Trek spin offs were inferior to TNG but she had no problem having a recurring role in Voyager and being in the finale on Enterprise. Of course she was working with her TNG co-stars again so that was probably a big plus but nothing she has said suggested she would turn down the Picard show if asked to appear. All she said about it was that she hasn’t been asked yet.
I just can’t imagine them NOT using Jonathan Frakes as Riker since he is basically back working on Star Trek. I refuse to believe they haven’t tossed the idea around to him coming back as Riker, especially as loved as that character is in the fanbase. Seeing Riker showing up on the Enterprise to help his former Captain even just for an episode would get the fans excited just like seeing the original ship on Discovery.
For me more so because its the original actors again in their iconic roles!
I like him already! He’s gonna look extremely hot with those pointy ears. ;)
I don’t know if it’s the first photo but I also thought “pointy ears”. However, playing a Vulcan well seems to be no small feat and from the description he doesn’t have a lot of acting experience. Maybe a Romulan since the show supposedly deals with the aftermath of Romulus’ destruction?
Yes, Romulan martial arts kiddo K’Bar…
Boze he is probably a Romulan refugee because of the supernova.
We know there’s a young Romulan in the cast. This is him.
Agreed Afterburn
That’s some inspired casting! This guy looks Romulan even before putting the ears on ;)
Hmmmmm….
I’m wondering if this positronic brain scientist is in fact a some sort of post-Data/Lore/B4 Soong-inspired android himself…a project Data left behind, or a more sophisticated model left hidden within B4’s subconscious to be build by Data/B4 to download Data’s backup into.
It’s Data rebooted into a new body.
If Mr. Evagora is programmed in multiple techniques… the mind boggles.
I dread to think of the hardcore fanboy reaction if this happens.
Posible but I think it’s more likely that it’s the scientist who reboots Data into a new age appropriate Brent Spiner like body.
Why can’t Data’s personality and memories be rebooted into a fitter and much younger body? Spiner was making noise that he was getting too old to play an ageless android twenty years ago.
@Douglass Abramson Data was an Android, there was no correlation between his outward appearance and his physical fitness. Spiner was making noise about about playing a character that’s not supposed to grow physically older but we’re discussing the possibility of Picard directing somebody to download Data’s consciousness into a new body so that neatly bypasses that particular issue. Most of Picard’s other friends have outwardly aged so this could be a deliberate cosmetic choice to host his mind in something more age appropriate . Obviously he’s an artificial life form so you’re right he could be put into any physical form but if Spiner is willing to return then this provides a less costly solution than using cgi to de-age the actor and if it’s eye candy that you’re looking for then you will still get that with the likes of this young Australian newcomer that they’ve just cast.
This is very likely the “Teenaged Romulan Martial Artist”
I wish they’d hire people who are excellent actors, rather than hiring models who just started acting this year. Sure, Evagora is pretty, but it takes way more than that to make a great character.
Robert Picardo was fabulous as The Doctor, even though he was a balding middle-aged man, whereas Robert Beltran was very pretty but was so bland that he was nearly a piece of the set. Doug Jones is actually somewhat strange looking, but he can act his socks off, and he’s a fan favorite as Saru. Shazad Latif, on the other hand, is very pretty but is not making much of an impression as Tyler. And I’m sure I don’t have to mention Leonard Nimoy’s Spock. :-)
Over and over again we see that the popular characters are usually the ones portrayed by the strongest actors, not by the prettiest actors. Please, folks, hire the best actors you can find.
He may be talented even if he doesn’t have a lot of experience. I would hope that they didn’t just cast him for his looks but who knows?
Acting is a skill, and most people need to learn it. But I’d be happy to be pleasantly surprised!
I could argue against that by pointing out a lot of Trek actors who were by no means “the strongest actors” but performed really well in their roles. Casting directors see something that we don’t get the luxury of seeing until finally seeing someone on-screen.
Who were you thinking of?
Over 90 percent of main cast actors from previous Trek shows are generally considered workman character actors, not stars.
“Strong actor” is NOT the same as “star.” Workman character actors is exactly who I’d like to see hired, not some model who just started acting THIS YEAR.
Most of the cast of the original Star Wars were almost complete unknowns. Harrison Ford was a carpenter building sets who had a few bit parts. If nobody hires actors with less experience there won’t be any experienced ones after a while.
Dwayne Johnson’s first acting role was on Star Trek. As was Ashley Judd’s.
The thing about many American actors, at least the biggest ones, never had any formal training. From Tom Cruise to Jennifer Lawrence.
Don’t get me wrong, most people acting has had training of some kind and gone through the top acting schools, but that never has been an actual factor breaking into acting itself. Most with a pretty face literally shows up, learns it as they go, lands for a few small roles that gets them on the map and go from there.
And of course today many just start acting by pivoting from another entertainment field like being a comedian, athlete or a musician. It’s crazy how many wrestlers has had acting careers lol. But they are wrestlers, they are use to acting anyway. ;)
What an obtuse statement. If no actors worked after just starting acting “this year” there would be no child actors or new actors at all. It’s always “this year” in the year that actors start working. So, just truly clueless comment. Also, look no further that the actress nominated from the film Roma for an Oscar. She was a schoolteacher last year before she filmed her first role… only to be nominated for the highest acting honour. Also, Lady Gaga was in her first role and was nominated for an Oscar. Observe the obvious before you type your random embarrassing thoughts :)
Let’s all be honest, acting is considered an art but art isn’t the same as learning medicine, business or rocket science. Literally anyone can do it if you work hard at it and have the slightest bit of talent. And no one is claiming all actors have great range where they can play anything or anyone. Most has a certain range or character type they are good at doing and stick to that. That’s why they have character actors in the first place, they have developed acting in certain type of roles and thats where they excel, period.
So yes, its kind of weird to judge someone we have never seen before or who and what he’s playing. Maybe he’s not Patrick Stewart and can play a role in Shakespeare but someone think whatever part he is playing he is capable of doing. Hopefully they’re right. We won’t know for awhile. But as pointed out, people have literally been nominated for awards in their first acting roles because they were at least capable enough in the part they were given despite lack of experience.
But Lady Gaga has been acting for a few years now on American Horror Story, so not her first role.
“Acting is considered an art but art isn’t the same as learning medicine, business or rocket science. Literally anyone can do it if you work hard at it and have the slightest bit of talent.”
Tiger2, let’s not put all arts into the same basket (and all art periods – “anything goes that sells” contemporary art surely has lesser requirements than the great masters of art history). Acting is performing art and is very different from visual arts, for example. Some art is more a matter of training than talent, while for others it is the other way round. You can polish a raw crystal, but turning a stone into a crystal may be an exceedingly difficult thing to do.
Yeah, that’s what I meant, its a performing art obviously. But its something anyone can learn. Its why you can find someone to play the same role in something if they had either 20 years of formal training or its their first big role. Its not exactly like going to medical school. You can’t just ‘be’ a doctor without any actual training. Tons of people however become actors, writers, singers, etc with little to no training at all as long as they have some modicum of skill to do it, discipline and practice. But the ones who are truly serious about it are the ones who take the time learn it formally.
Corylea we’re going to have to agree to disagree on Shazad Latif’s acting skills.
I think he’s great. He seems to be able to create chemistry/tension with just about any other actor.
I do wonder if having to work through an American accent, which seems to make him mumble, gets in the way at times.
And the rushed beats that have been characteristic of Discovery up until recently have been an issue for many of the actors.
Point of order: I absolutely love Shazad Latif as Ash. He hasn’t had much to do in Season 2 but he was great in Season One.
I agree! Still holding out hope that Shazad gets more to do in the remaining episodes this season.
Exactly what I was thinking.
I’m very pleased that an actor of Indigenous (Maori) descent has been cast.
We had a robust discussion, when the last casting announcement came out, about the need to enlarge the definition of diversity in the current Trek.
It’s good to know that those doing the casting are thinking along the same lines.
Now let’s hope that TPTB will allow him to retain his Australian accent, and not force-fit him into an American bio.
Though it’s doubtful he’ll retain his Aussie accent if he’s playing an alien!
“Jolan tru, mate!”
:-D
” That’s not a disruptor… THAT’S a disruptor!” 😆
” That’s not a disruptor… THAT’S a disruptor!”
Indira welcoming K’Bar aboard the ship: is this a disruptor in your pants or are you just happy to see me?
I will see myself out…
So all aliens speak standard with a mid-American accent?
Like why?
Discovery has a global audience.
And I believe Americans can handle off-shore accents — the core market for a Picard show can in any case.
I agree, I think it’s rather annoying that so far they’ve had folks take on an American accent. There’s no need for that.
Same. One of the things I love about shows like The Expanse is that all the actors in the roles are actually pretty diverse and are allowed to speak with their real accents. It feels much more realistic when your show is global in nature so naturally so would the people be on it.
Star Trek, for whatever reason has shied away from this in practically every show. They had a few like Scotty and Picard of course but overwhelming majority are American accents even when the actors weren’t. You figure anyone who wouldn’t have a problem with this would be Star Trek fans.
I have to disagree with you Tiger2 when it comes to TOS.
Roddenberry seems to have wanted a diversity of nations and accents for TOS even if the actors had to put on the accents.
Jimmy Doohan, a Canadian, told the story that was asked after he was cast, to do a number of accents to see which nationality the chief engineer would have. However inauthentic his Scottish accent was, the tradition of Scots engineers decided the issue.
Uhura was intended to be of African not American background. Later, Chekov added a Russian accent.
So, it seems more that show has gone from North Americans putting on international accents, to global actors putting on American accents.
I mentioned Scotty! But yes I did forget about Chekhov. Uhura should’ve had an accent to be honest if she was actually from Africa but we knew so little of her background (could’ve moved to America as a child) its easier to get away with it. And the actress herself was American.
The only real point being made is we have a total of six shows (and counting) and you can probably count all the non-American accents on both hands. Even most of the aliens speak with an American accent lol. But thats a pretty common thing in sci fi in general.
“Roddenberry seems to have wanted a diversity of nations and accents for TOS even if the actors had to put on the accents.”
I think because with TOS, he was more concerned with truly reflecting the United Earth future and putting aside contemporary divisions in the interest of peaceful coexistence, rather than stunt-casting and preaching to a partisan audience.
Of course Picard was supposed to be French but spoke with a British accent.
Scotty, Chekov, and Mr. Kyle would agree with you as well.
I’m not saying it should be that way, only it’s doubtful the accent will be retained if he’s playing an alien.
Like why?
I don’t know, ask Hollywood.
Not to sound “Ugly American”, but I quit watching National Geographic’s “Mars” show because I couldn’t understand what half the cast was saying, the accents were very thick.
It’s typically American, British or an odd nondescript Eastern European thing.
Because the Universal Translator was developed by someone with that accent.
Chur bro
Maybe he resettled in Australia and acquired the accent. Yeah, that’s it…
I really felt that as well after watching the Star Trek Continues episode with Daniel Logan from Star Wars
Maori are not Indigenous to Australia, and he is also half Greek-Cypriot.
So he not representative of an Indigenous people, he is the son of immigrants.
….and therfore very, if not typically, Australian!
True Maori aren’t Indigenous to Australia, but certainly NZ and Cook Islands Indigenous heritage is still Indigenous descent.
The fact that the actor lists this identity says he has and acknowledges this identity. It’s not for us, outside the Maori, to assess it. His identity is his identity.
Representation is another matter. An actor is not representing his/her community in any official sense.
In the casting sense, it is meaningful to have an actor of Indigenous descent. Cara Gee (on the Expanse) is of Ojibway Anishinaabe identity on her mother’s side. She’s played Indigenous roles in Indigenous film and TV productions in Canada. However she’s also an advocate for more Indigenous actors to be cast in roles like this one and hers that are not written to be Indigenous.
By the way, whether or not he has legal status is not the point and varies by community and country. The US nations use a blood quotient, but that’s not the approach elsewhere. Some Indigenous peoples have used patrimonial descent, others matrilineal.
Current citizenship may not be relevant either. e.g. US and Canadian Indigenous peoples recognize that their historic boundaries are not prescribed by current borders and have rights of movement.
BTW I don’t have Indigenous identity myself, but have been doing my best to listen.
Indigenous only has meaning in the country that you are from. I am technically Indigenous to Ireland, but have never actually been there. Therefore it is a meaningless identity. Just like to be half Maori in Australia.
The problems of hiring a cast of international ACTORS (expanding the definition of “American diversity”) and having a cast of international CHARACTERS (something, as pointed out, TOS already achieved) are two different pairs of shoes.
Technically, they could achieve the latter with a cast of Anglo-American actors already, as they did in TNG (Brit Stewart playing a French character). In reverse, Discovery seems content with striking positive marketing points with the target group in relation to its American diversity acting “achievements”, but does not go one inch further.
I’m afraid the casting of an Australian (Anglo-American) actor to play a Romulan, as much as I welcome that particular role, does not do much to alleviate that problem. TOS showed that you can have Russian and African officers on the bridge even without casting outside of America, so if that’s a big problem, just go ahead with casting that way.
The actor does not have to match the character exactly as long as the ethnicity is right (Trek is also notorious for casting Koreans as Japanese etc. which is a big no-no if you want to appeal to people in Asia).
So I’d like to have the human characters for once reflect the UNITED EARTH idea all the while making some subtle points that go beyond the myopic American view on diversity, such as by having a Russian, North-Korean or Iranian character that challenge the preconceptions of the viewing demographic and are actually ballsy and revolutionary (regarding the Russian, once again) rather than preaching to a choir.
Owosekun is from Nigeria and Detmer from Germany. And of course Georgiou is Malaysian (with a Greek ex-husband, according to “Desperate Hours”). Rhys we don’t know about. I don’t see how you can say the entire cast is from the USA, though (that would be Voyager’s cast).
” I don’t see how you can say the entire cast is from the USA”
Because every single information you list is non-canon. Most people would not be aware of it since reading any and all books, which also often contradict themselves, is not required. As long as it’s not been mentioned on screen, most of these characters remain cardboard cutouts speaking with American accents and are therefore assumed to be American.
If the rumored character descriptions are right, then I have a feeling he’s the young Romulan.
Random side note, I’ve written a script for a film about Achilles. He would be an incredible actor for Patroclus (by looks).
Who?
Achilles’ BFF (and, possibly, lover), in The Iliad. He did not end well.
No he definitely did not Michael.
… yes indeed … looked at him and immediately thought Vulcan / Romulan.
He already has that enigmatic Romulan look of curiosity and intrigue. My guess is he’s playing a young Romulan.
I’m guessing he’s playing the Romulan.
He probably will be playing K’Bar the young Romulan so a young and raw actor is a good choice.
Picard’s Son?
Combo breaker
HA!
I don’t know if it’s all the characters synopsis or the hired actors, but the buzz has mellowed out for me. I know that will change. I’m just not as excited I was at the original announcement.
I haven’t read the character synopsis (no need to get worked up about something that may be fake anyway). The initial hype was probably exaggerated. Going in with low expectations increases the chance of being pleasantly surprised whereas too high expectations are almost bound to lead to disappointment ;-)
Yeah, hence Discovery! So I agree. I am super excited but I am open to anything they do so I don’t have any real expectations other than its a good show on its own and not my expectation of what the show should be. That’s what really disappoints people and I admit why I had such an issue with Discovery in the beginning.
Me too, Tiger. I learned a lot from Discovery, specifically about tempering my own expectations when it comes to Trek these days. Luckily, I’m not as invested in the TNG era/crew as I am in the TOS era/crew, so they can basically do what they like with any characters we know from TNG and I likely won’t be disappointed (unless it’s ridiculous). I just want a well-written, tight story for the Picard show, and as I’ve mentioned before, I’m thrilled the timeline is FINALLY moving FORWARD.
Cool. I wonder if the character will be Australian, or if he’ll be putting on an American accent. We’ve not seen many Aussies in Star Trek.
he is probably the Romulan.
Exciting news! Obviously no idea who he will play and a bit interesting they didn’t give us any background on his character like the first two actors so maybe they are trying to keep him a surprise. He could be the Romulan as others are speculating. I’m pretty excited if we get a Romlan on the show because it would be something different and left field. Sort of like Worf when TNG started or Seven on Voyager. And we never had a full time Romulan before.
The funny thing is I remember suggesting that for Discovery (before I knew when the show would take place) and thought it would be interesting we had one who defected from the Empire and basically sought asylum in the Federation. This might be something close to that if a Romulan is indeed on the show.
Totally agree! The Romulan character is the one part of the casting sheet that has me excited, as it IS something new rather than well-trodden path for either Trek or generic dystopian scifi (thief? drug addict? holographic male doctor?)
More than that, it gives us a chance to finally delve deeply into Romulan culture after they have been neglected ever since the Klingons became the favorite villain race of Trek. For me, the Romulans with their enigmatic, chess-playing approach have always been infinitely more interesting than the brutish Klingons, so it has been sad to see that the last time Romulans got serious treatment was all the way back in TNG! And when Romulans got the big picture treatment, such as in Nemesis or Trek 2009, that was just a minor plot backdrop as the movies were not really about Romulan culture but playing up their particular villains.
On the other hand, it gives them a near blank canvas to develop this species and separate them from Vulcans, for once freed from the shackles of canon (especially with going forward again). 2000 years since the Vulcan-Romulan split is a long time – for Earth cultures, that meant the leap from pre-industrial polytheism and slavery all the way to now!
This is exactly why I was hoping they kept the Hobus star explosion canon in the first place because now it gives them a reason to do something actually different with the Romulans instead of playing the same boogeyman they been playing for decades now. Although I will say I did like them a lot on DS9 because while they were never the main story like the Dominion, Cardassians and Klingons were we at least saw them DO something for a change and fight with the Federation to end the Dominion war. And it was the first time we seen them given some kind of arc. TOS and TNG it was the same status quo nearly every time (although Spock’s unification story line gave it a new layer and funny enough one that will probably stretch into the new show but then it was wasted). At least on DS9 we got to see them not in just the freaking neutral zone for an episode. Why I looooove DS9!
This is what I think is needed, to see another side of them. Go a different way and add a full time Romulan on the show. Let’s see them as actual people for a change. It worked wonders for characters like Worf, Seven and even Quark. They made these species feel more than just a one note stereotype. Its about time someone FINALLY do that for Romulans who are literally Trek’s oldest adversary at this point and yet very little else.
I too appreciated them in the latter seasons of DS9, but it also reminded me how much more they could have done with them beyond Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges! And let’s not forget TNG had Tomalak as a recurring foe for Picard. He was never trying to destroy Earth like Shinzon or Nero but he was so much more memorable than either for representing the complex differenceness of an alien culture, as the opposing player in a chess game. He was the General Chang of the Romulans.
BTW, I wonder if they will include the Remans in the story given that unlike the explosion of Romulus this is not “their” lore but part of probably the most universally disliked Trek movie (even by the actors!) I wouldn’t mind if they forgot about them…
Very true about Tomalak. I actually rewatched Future Imperfect a week ago (yes technically not him) and I forgot he was basically TNG’s foe, but actually had real layers to him. And he was only in a few episodes. He wasn’t exactly Gul Dukat but the closest for TNG at least.
It’s pretty crazy now that you mention it, outside of Tamalak there isn’t even that many recurring Romulans and they been on five of the six shows lol. But the other species from the Founders to the Klingons, there is a wealth of recurring characters who appear pretty often. Even the Borg has the freakin Borg Queen. But the Romulans has 1 or 2 at best and they are in just a handful of episodes. Meanwhile Martok was in so many DS9 episodes he could’ve had his own spin off show. What does that say about how important Romulans were? I do hope the Picard show change THAT image at least.
As far as the Remans, I can’t imagine them showing up again. I’m sure they will be referenced but that’s it. Although they did show up on Enterprise so who knows? I’m like you though, I’m fine if they forgot them too.
“Very true about Tomalak. I actually rewatched Future Imperfect a week ago (yes technically not him) and I forgot he was basically TNG’s foe, but actually had real layers to him. And he was only in a few episodes. He wasn’t exactly Gul Dukat but the closest for TNG at least.”
I think a lot of those layers should be credited to the late, great Andreas Katsulas who played Tomalak. I don’t know if you ever watched Babylon 5 Tiger but he was brilliant in that show as G’Kar.
Actually never seen B5 Corinthian! Obviously heard great things but never gave it a chance unfortunately.
After an intriguing pilot, I found the first season of B5 pretty unbearable, and checked back in from season 2 on.
I’d like to see it again now with our kids, but it’s not available at present where I am.
Same for Space 1999 and Star Lost.
I must admit TG47 there were times during season one when I considered giving up but I’m glad I didn’t. I’ve still got it on DVD for the simple reason that it is difficult to get hold of now. Tiger2, if you do give it a chance you might need to be patient with it but the pay off is worth it. The effects haven’t dyed so well but as sombody that’s used to TOS I suspect you can get past that.
Don’t forget Tauris/Toreth, either.
Well, he could certainly be Jean-Luc’s son born after Nemesis.
Woah, didn’t occur to me, but yes that would be interesting too.
Well, he has a strong resemblance in the face, he isn’t likely “flashback picard” with MacEvoy making his availability known. One could even make the supposition that he was born before Nemesis, say on the Baku planet. Or suppose he is both Picard’s son and the Romulan martial artist, say that drink with Donatra went very well. Which strengthens the show’s ties to Spock and adds more weight (not that any was really needed) to Picard adopting Spock’s mission of reunification. Or hey total wild card, Spock’s half Romulan son, born sometime before Hobus. All 3 scenarios fit timeline wise.
Did he have a son in one of the novels set after Nemesis? I don’t remember anything about having a son in the movie itself.
The novels don’t matter.
I know that they can ignore the novels. I have read some Trek novels many years ago but never really followed the books. I was just wondering why people were talking about a son like there actually was one.
Don’t speak for all of us Who Cares.
Several of us are very invested in the novels and anthologies. They’ve kept many of us interested in Trek since Nemesis.
And in those books Picard is married to Crusher and they have a son born in 2381 named Rene (after Picard’s late nephew).
Notably, the books haven’t progressed to the time of the destruction of Romulus. Picard seemed to be at the natural end of his time on Enterprise-E as of early 2387. So, they could keep them as backstory and move on from there.
For my part, I would hope that the current powers that be on the TV side only jettison the literature for a truly incredibly great story.
The novels post-Nemesis (Relaunch series) developed a long term storyline across TNG, DS9 and Voyager.
I rarely could get into the novels previously, because they had to follow the ‘put the toys back where you found them’ rule of tie-in fiction. But the Relaunch books converted me.
Not all the authors are to my taste, but enough really great stuff has been written that I won’t be able to resist comparing what comes out to what might have been if they keep to the book arc.
I’ve dabbled with the novels but I personally feel that the the show should not be beholden to them. I would rather they took a similar approach to Lucasfilm and treat the expanded universe like there legends line. Writers could then pull characters from the books and even adapt storylines whilst those that are invested in the novels narratives can still be rewarded for their efforts.
I’m not speaking for anyone, I’m passing on what the owners of Trek have said. Only they get to decide that.
I believe, Who Cares, that the owners have said, via Kirsten Beyer who is managing the lit tie-ins, that the books are canon unless and until a better story idea comes up…the television and video products come first.
@TG47 they certainly suggested that when they were launching Discovery but that all seems to be out the window as early as season 2.
@TG47
That applies only to the Discovery tie in novels and not to any other novels.
@Who Cares Also I’ve read the DSC tie in novels and some of those have already been directly contradicted or even completely invalidated. It’s clear that they’re not considering novels to be part of the official continuity. However, that doesn’t mean that they won’t canonise elements from the tie in media in much the same way as they have with TAS and Licasfilm/Disney have been doing with their Legends continuity.
@corinthian7
So far as I have heard/read the only supposed contradiction was Michael telling Pike she had not seen Spock in years. The novel Desperate Hours, which is the last time Michael saw Spock, was 2 years before Discovery season 1, and contrary to the claims of contradiction, is precisely what it should be. No other supposed contradictions have been mentioned on any Trek sites or anywhere else.
I just added the first of the Relaunch novels to my Amazon list due to your suggestion, TG47. Many thanks.
Yes, with Dr Crusher. They named him Rene. Troi and Riker have a daughter named Natashia.
I think it’s more likely that Picard ‘adopted/fostered a Romulan child post Hobus supernova. I suspect that it’s Santiago Cabrera playing his biological son, born approximately 9 months after season 3’s “Captain’s Holiday”.
Lucky young man. Also great that he’s an Aussie native. Would be even better if his character is Australian …. why you ask? Because in most Treks it seems we Aussies either don’t exist or maybe we’ve ceased to exist! Just one Australian regular character in a Trek series is surely not asking all that much?
Mate, many Earth cultures, especially non-Western ones, have never been shown on Trek, even outside the regular cast! So welcome to the club :)
Even when they supposedly showed a Frenchman, the character was played by a Yorkshireman who regularly quoted Shakespeare.
I have honestly thought that when they cast Patrick Stewart they really should have adjusted the character to make him English rather than have this odd situation. I wonder what Picard would have been called if they had.
“I wonder what Picard would have been called if they had.”
MISTER PICKERT! (Time’s Arrow)
Compared to casting Sean Connery to play an Egyptian pretending to be Spanish while speaking with a better Scottish accent than the Belgian you hired to play a Scottsman. Jean-Luc Picard is not a big deal.
Real life example, Eddie Izzard, born in Yemen to a French family, primarily schooled in the UK, British accent.
He has the skin tone of a Romulan/Vulcan. He’s playing the Romulan martial artist.
Wow. He is cute. Can’t wsit to see him with his Romulan ears and eyebrows. And for the whining people here that are saying he’s just being cast because he’s a model… do you really think they are going to cast someone who can’t act, to act next to Sit Patrick? Please. Super excited about this new show. Seems like it might be archeologist Picard pulling a kind of Indiana Jones in space from the description… so we watched TNG’s “The Chase” last night. :)
He’ll be fine and this is obviously an amazing opportunity for him. He could end up being the breakout character of the series since Star Trek has never been featured a Romulan as a regular character.
Spock’s half Romulan son. That would be insanely great. Picard sort of acting as his foster father. Hmmmmmmm. After his mind-meld with Sarek and time with Spock he would be an appropriate mentor. Hmmmmmmm.
Hmmmmm indeed.
Hmmm…..
OK everyone breath lol. The theories are getting crazier, not that I would be against something like that. But they already gave Spock a sister out of nowhere, I’m not sure they want to play that hand twice and now give him a son he never mentioned too.
It might also feel a little too contrived to some to keep the Spock angle going, now on two different shows 150 years apart from each other. But if the Picard show does a time travel story to meet Spock again, noting stops them from having Peck on standby. ;)
Agreed. It would be a bit too much having everything somehow link back to Spock. Still…
That would prove these showrunners truly believe this universe is actually the size of a thimble.
Any guest appearances that would make fans *squee* will not be announced. We all remember back in 1987 when we heard about the “remarkable” Admiral McCoy’s cameo on “Farpoint,” right? It was leaked pretty much right before it aired.
You know of whom his face actually reminds me? – A very VERY young Mark Lenard! It’s in the eyes and the chin mostly and obviouly the hair.
So, given Kurtzman&company’s propensity for a small universe, maybe he’s the original Romulan commander’s grand-grand-grand(-grand?)son…
Interesting. .. (and with interesting I mean HOT)
Oh good another model. Do they work cheaper than actors?
Do yourself a favor and go look up how many actors started as models
You have to bring something to the table when you audition and he had whatever is was they were looking for. I’m guessing that a young, attractive guy with an exotic look who can act to play a Romulan works on a number of levels.
Anyone think Evan Evagora might be playing a young Picard?
Maybe Troi and Riker had a son?
Might he play that Romulan karate kid?