List of Star Trek: The Next Generation cast members
Preliminary casting began during March 1987, and the main cast was announced on May 15.[11] The initial press release highlighted the casting of LeVar Burton, known for appearing in the miniseries Roots, as Geordi La Forge.[12] Burton had auditioned for the role following a suggestion from executive producer Robert H. Justman, who had previously worked with him on a television movie.[13] The only other two members of the cast mentioned were Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard and Jonathan Frakes as William Riker.[12] Stewart was cast in the lead role after being spotted by Justman at a dramatic reading at the University of California, Los Angeles.[12] However, the series' creator, Roddenberry, wanted a French actor and was considering the role of Data for Stewart. Both Justman and Berman campaigned for Stewart to have the role of Captain Picard, and Roddenberry relented.[14] Frakes became Roddenberry's favorite for the role of Riker after the actor went through seven auditions for the role.[14]
The producers sought a black actor to portray Worf, as it would make the Klingon make-up easier. Michael Dorn was cast due to his theater training and the lack of a "street-accent".[15] The character was intended to appear in seven of the first thirteen episodes, but after Dorn's performance in the pilot "Encounter at Farpoint", this was expanded to a series regular.[15] Roddenberry's intention for the casting of the new series was to avoid using characters similar to those that appeared in The Original Series.[16] However, some of the elements of the characters of Riker and Deanna Troi were modeled on the characters of William Decker and Ilia, who were originally conceived for the unfilmed Star Trek: Phase II and later appeared in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.[17] During casting, the role of Troi was originally assigned to Denise Crosby, with Marina Sirtis cast as Security Chief Macha Hernandez. Roddenberry believed that Sirtis would be better in the role of Troi and switched the two actresses; Crosby was cast as a modified version of the security chief, called Tasha Yar.[14] Several candidates for the main roles were later cast in guest or recurring roles, including Eric Menyuk, who was second choice for the role of Data, and Rosalind Chao, who was originally considered for Tasha Yar.[18] Tim Russ, who was considered for the role of Geordi La Forge, had a guest role on the series and would later be cast in main cast of Star Trek: Voyager as Tuvok.[18]
Crosby left the series before the end of the first season,
Several actors were cast in roles which recurred throughout the seven seasons on television and into the four feature films.
Cast
- = Main cast (credited)
- = Recurring cast (4+)
- = Guest cast (1-3)
- Note
- ^ Alexander was played by Jon Steuer for one episode of Season 4.
See also
- List of Star Trek: The Original Series cast members
- List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine cast members
- List of Star Trek: Voyager cast members
- List of Star Trek: Enterprise cast members
- List of Star Trek: Discovery cast members
References
Citations
- ^ "Encounter at Farpoint, Part I". Star Trek.com. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ^ Ordway, Holly E. (December 31, 2002). "Star Trek the Next Generation – Season 7". DVD Talk. Internet Brands. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ^ Cloud, John (December 11, 2002). "Star Trek Inc". Time. Archived from the original on April 8, 2005. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- Independent Online. May 7, 2009. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ^ Asher-Perrin, Emmet (May 6, 2011). "In the End, Was it Worth It? An Appreciation of Star Trek VII: Generations". Tor.com. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ^ "Gene Roddenberry". The Daily Telegraph. October 26, 1991. Archived from the original on February 20, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ^ "Star Trek: The Next Generation Season One Credits". Star Trek.com. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ^ "Piller, Michael". Star Trek.com. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ^ "Taylor, Jeri". Star Trek.com. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ^ "Stage 8". Paramount Studios. Archived from the original on March 9, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ^ Nemecek (2003): p. 16
- ^ a b c Nemecek (2003): p. 17
- ^ Nemecek (2003): p. 19
- ^ a b c Nemecek (2003): p. 18
- ^ a b Nemecek (2003): p. 20
- ^ Nemecek (2003): p. 2
- ^ Gross (1989): p. 65
- ^ a b Sciretta, Peter (August 27, 2010). "Star Trek: The Next Generation Casting Memo". /Film. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
- ^ "Catching Up With Denise Crosby, Part 1". Star Trek.com. March 13, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ^ "The Doctor Is In: Gates McFadden Interview, Part 1". Star Trek.com. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ^ "Catching Up With Diana Muldaur, Part 2". Star Trek.com. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ^ "Catching Up With Denise Crosby, Part 2". Star Trek.com. March 14, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ^ "Wheaton, Wil". Star Trek.com. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ^ "Crusher, Wesley". Star Trek.com. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ^ a b "Barrett, Majel". Star Trek.com. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ^ Patrick Stewart (2006). Star Trek: The Next Generation Season Three (DVD). Paramount Home Entertainment.
Majel was... was always a welcome part of any story. Of course, we had her with us every day because she is the voice of the computer too. But the character that they created for her, Deanna Troi's mother, Lwaxana Troi, was perfect for Majel, for her style, for her sense of humour, for her flamboyance, and to get her involved in the way that she was with the captain in that sort of semi-humorous romantic way, provided all of us with a... with a lot of entertainment. A lot of us consider really to be, you know, a member of the inner circle.
- ^ Vary, Adam B. (September 25, 2007). "Star Trek: TNG: An Oral History". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ^ "Meaney, Colm". Star Trek.com. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ^ "Interviews: Nichelle Nichols on Whoopi Goldberg". BBC Cult. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ^ "Goldberg, Whoopi". Star Trek.com. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ^ Winfrey, Lee (November 26, 1988). "Whoopi Goldberg Joins 'Star Trek'". Chicago Tribune. Tony W. Hunter. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ^ Stape, Will (October 6, 2008). "The Best Whoopi Goldberg Star Trek: The Next Generation Episodes". Yahoo! Voices. Yahoo! Inc. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
Bibliography
- Gross, Edward (1989). The Making of the Next Generation. Las Vegas: Pioneer Books. ISBN 9781556982194.
- Nemecek, Larry (2003). Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion (3rd ed.). New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 0-7434-5798-6.