this post was submitted on 18 Jun 2023
22 points (100.0% liked)

Star Trek

10613 readers
97 users here now

r/startrek: The Next Generation

Star Trek news and discussion. No slash fic...

Maybe a little slash fic.


New to Star Trek and wondering where to start?


Rules

1 Be constructiveAll posts/comments must be thoughtful and balanced.


2 Be welcomingIt is important that everyone from newbies to OG Trekkers feel welcome, no matter their gender, sexual orientation, religion or race.


3 Be truthfulAll posts/comments must be factually accurate and verifiable. We are not a place for gossip, rumors, or manipulative or misleading content.


4 Be niceIf a polite way cannot be found to phrase what it is you want to say, don't say anything at all. Insulting or disparaging remarks about any human being are expressly not allowed.


5 SpoilersUtilize the spoiler system for any and all spoilers relating to the most recently-aired episodes, as well as previews for upcoming episodes. There is no formal spoiler protection for episodes/films after they have been available for approximately one week.


6 Keep on-topicAll submissions must be directly about the Star Trek franchise (the shows, movies, books etc.). Off-topic discussions are welcome at c/quarks.


7 MetaQuestions and concerns about moderator actions should be brought forward via DM.


Upcoming Episodes

Date Episode Title
11-21 LD 5x06 "Of Gods and Angles"
11-28 LD 5x07 "Fully Dilated"
12-05 LD 5x08 "Upper Decks"
12-12 LD 5x09 "Fissue Quest"
12-19 LD 5x10 "The New Next Generation"

Episode Discussion Archive


In Production

Strange New Worlds (2025)

Section 31 (2025-01-24)

Starfleet Academy (TBA)

In Development

Untitled comedy series


Wondering where to stream a series? Check here.


Allied Discord Server


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

I watched a review of the TNG episode "Thine Own Self" a while ago where it was mentioned that Picard doesn't appear until the very end after Data gets back to the Enterprise, after all the scenes of Crusher having the bridge and Riker observing Troi taking the test to becoming a commander. They suggested that Patrick Stewart may not have been around for most of the filming but they needed him to appear at least a bit in the episode because it was in the contract.

Is this a common thing? Yesterday I was watching DS9's "Paradise Lost" and couldn't help but notice that Bashir only has like 3 lines on the Defiant and could easily have not been there. But Quark doesn't appear in the episode at all.

But if Armin Shimerman didn't need to be in every episode they could easily have cut him from the episode "Duet" because the only line Quark has is him wondering whether Bajoran survivors of a labour camp like to gamble.

Maybe I'm just thinking too hard about what happens behind the scenes instead of just enjoying the show.

all 4 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My limited understanding is that the studio is paying for that actor to appear in every episode, regardless of if the actor is necessary. So to get their money’s worth, they appear in throwaway scenes.

Obviously depends on the contract, and it’s just as probable that I’m talking out my bum.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Maybe they want to ensure nobody else gets to use the actor while they are paying them to be on their show to avoid future problems when they do need them for episodes where they appear more often.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

It's also a time management thing. It's usually hard for an actor to do multiple projects at the same time (shooting days can be kinda intensive). So when they commit to a project, they want to know they aren't wasting their time.

If they say yes to one project it would mean they have to say no to another project, but they only get paid based on appearance. If one project pays more per appearance but then has them only appear in 1 or 2 episodes, they may have said no to a project that pays less, but would have earned them more because they would have more appearances. It's often not known in advance whos role gets how much screen time and how much shooting is involved.