Who were the best Main Actors in Star Trek?

Tommy J · Post by **Tommy J** » 2005-04-04 10:15am

I was re watching the series finale of DS9 yesterday and was thinking, who were the best actors/actresses in ST, regardless if you disliked or liked their character.

Here's mine:

Patrick Stewart tops the list. I didn't always like his character but he's a first rate actor who unforunately more often than not had to be a one dimensional character.

John Delancy is a close second to Stewart. His portrayal of the Q was nothing short than outstanding.

Louise Fletcher as Kai Wynn. Didn't always like the character but I've seen Fletcher in other TV/Movies and she's a brilliant actress.

Robert Picardo as the Dr. on Voyager and his arrogant smugness was comedy relief.

Andrew Robinson's portrayal of Garrick was brilliant primarily because he made the character to believable.

Honorable mentions go to William Shatner and Lenorad Nemoy who both played their characters well, but I don't think either of which are particularly good actors in general. Also, they are deserving of some special mention because their acting careers [especially Nimoy] got destroyed in the type casting moving forward. [Shatner some what recovered with TJ Hooker]

An Honorable Mention as well to Brent Spiner. I give this to him because Spiner in real life is so different than the character he portrayed, Data.

An Honorable Mention as well to Tim Russ who played Tuvok. I give this to him because like Spiner in real life he's completely different. He likes to play music and I once attended a show at a local tavern where he was performing and met the man. In person, he's funny, interesting, a big and a big joker. Didn't hurt as well that I find him attractive.

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2005-04-04 10:29am

Nothing beats the chemistry between Shatner, Nimoy and Kelly. You actually felt that they cared for each other and were good friends. People may make fun of the way Shatner emotes but he always gets me with his performance in City on the Edge of Forever where his boyish charms are on full display and you can see why this man is banging every piece of tail across the galaxy yet he faces the hardest choice of all - let someone you love die to save everything you know. Nimoy plays the tortured Vulcan stuff with passion and heart and McCoy is the perfect curmudgeon.

Stewart is excellent but a bit too stiff for me - I know that's the way Picard's charcter is supposed to be - but I never really warmed up to Picard even through 7 seasons of TNG.

Dorn plays Worf with real delight, you can tell he enjoys it and his stuff on DS9 was lightyears ahead of what he was doing on TNG. He played Worf with an intriguing mix of Klingon warrior passion and human restraint and the conflict that arose from those two mindsets. He was the personification of what would eventually happen when the two cultures eventually assimalted each other.

Avery Brooks is by far my second favorite Captain. He had strength, courage, a sense of humor and when he got angry you fucking knew it. When Brooks goit into full rant mode his body would shake and his voice would tremble, and never ONCE did I look at him as The "Black" Starfleet captain. The man transcended all that shit and made Sisko his own character. Granted what happened to the character at the end was fucking cheap but Brooks really owned that role and made you like him. His performances in such epsidoes as By The Pale Moonlight, The Bennie Episodes and his duet episode with Gul Dukat trapped in that cave where stellar.

Tommy J · Post by **Tommy J** » 2005-04-04 10:44am

Stravo wrote:Avery Brooks is by far my second favorite Captain. He had strength, courage, a sense of humor and when he got angry you fucking knew it. When Brooks goit into full rant mode his body would shake and his voice would tremble, and never ONCE did I look at him as The "Black" Starfleet captain. The man transcended all that shit and made Sisko his own character. Granted what happened to the character at the end was fucking cheap but Brooks really owned that role and made you like him. His performances in such epsidoes as By The Pale Moonlight, The Bennie Episodes and his duet episode with Gul Dukat trapped in that cave where stellar.

Stravo, I had to warm up to Brooks. During the first year of DS9 I felt as though he was still stage acting with the exaggerated emotions/facial expressions and over the top speeches as though he's yelling at the camera. But I agree, over a period of time he really grew into the character even better than Stewart grew into Picard. The Bennie episodes, you're right were outstanding and Pale Moonlight is my favorite DS9 Episode for a number of reasons. Robinson was excellent in that episode as well.

Tommy J · Post by **Tommy J** » 2005-04-04 10:47am

Stravo wrote:Nothing beats the chemistry between Shatner, Nimoy and Kelly. You actually felt that they cared for each other and were good friends. People may make fun of the way Shatner emotes but he always gets me with his performance in City on the Edge of Forever where his boyish charms are on full display and you can see why this man is banging every piece of tail across the galaxy yet he faces the hardest choice of all - let someone you love die to save everything you know. Nimoy plays the tortured Vulcan stuff with passion and heart and McCoy is the perfect curmudgeon.

On screen the three are good. My problem with Shatner, it he played Kirk like Shatner. Williams Shatner to me, is good a playing himself and that's not acting in my opinion.

With regard to their real life friendship, it is my understanding the Nimoy and Shatner had a falling out for a number of years for some reason.

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2005-04-04 10:54am

Tommy J wrote: With regard to their real life friendship, it is my understanding the Nimoy and Shatner had a falling out for a number of years for some reason.

They actually all despised Shatner, a fact that he always expresses surprise over when asked about it, but he was not everyone's favorite person on the cast. I think Doohan hated his guts the most vehemently, but Nimoy and Shatener did not get along for many years. Considering the shenanigans that Shatner would pull on set ie. stealing people's laines, deleting people's lines and closeups if what the others say is true, who could blame them? However I think that the fact that they still come off as close dear friends on screen speaks to their acting ability.

Lord Pounder · Post by **Lord Pounder** » 2005-04-04 10:59am

Robert Picardo deserves a lot of praise for making Voyager even half way watchable. His character development was infinately more entertaining to watch than Brent Spiners Data and he can rant as good as Avey Brooks when the mood takes him.

Spacebeard · Post by **Spacebeard** » 2005-04-04 02:54pm

TOS
DeForrest Kelley

TOS Movies
George Takei (I think he was much better in the movies than on the show)

TNG
Patrick Stewart
Brent Spiner
LeVar Burton (actor and character both underappreciated by fans, IMO)
Colm Meaney

DS9
Avery Brooks
Armin Shimerman
Rene Auberjonois
Colm Meaney (again)

VOY
Robert Picardo
Jeri Ryan (admit it, she was a talented actress as well as good looking)
Tim Russ ("Mr. Paris, this is not a 'hot rod'.")

ENT
No one whatsoever. I even had trouble telling the characters apart in the first few episodes, the actors were so wooden.

Dahak · Post by **Dahak** » 2005-04-04 05:37pm

Patrick Stewart is an excellent actor. I still think he's way better in the X-Men movies, but that may be because with Ian McKellen he has a formidable counterpart.

Avery Brooks is a close second. He can show a tremendous amount of passion, and when he had an idea and would laugh, I always found that he really shone with mischief and fun.

Nieztchean Uber-Amoeba · Post by **Nieztchean Uber-Amoeba** » 2005-04-04 06:24pm

TOS: Kelley, Nimoy and Shatner just seem to do it so well that even if they aren't good actors on their own, they're great together.

TNG: Patrick Stewart: A superb actor, he managed to be a cultured captain very well.

Brent Spiner: So much wasted talent. The man is an incredible actor, and even if his character is naturally wooden, he manages to make him entertaining.

Levar Burton: One of the few actors who's managed to do plenty of things after Star Trek. A great actor, unfortunately he's underappreciated because Geordi is mostly relegated to technobabble gee-whiz solutions.

John DeLancie: An incredible actor in his own right, he's in practically every Sci fi show now, and he manages to pull off the smug, arrogant god part impeccably.

DS9:
Avery Brooks: What Stravo said. His monologues at the end of practically each episode may have been pompous, but he was damn good at them.

Alexander Siddig: He managed to play the part of the arrogant, young doctor quite well. I enjoy any scene where he has a part.

Andrew Robinson: He's Garak. What else can you say?

Armin Shimmerman: He pulls off the part of a stereotypical Ferengi so well, even if the Ferengi is a stupid stereotype. Plus, he was the principal in Buffy.

VOY:
Robert Picardo: The only thing which makes Voyager tolerable. He got plenty of character development, and his constant arrogance and caustic wit always make the episode more enjoyable. Plus, he actually does sing.

Civil War Man · Post by **Civil War Man** » 2005-04-04 08:41pm

Dahak wrote:Patrick Stewart is an excellent actor. I still think he's way better in the X-Men movies, but that may be because with Ian McKellen he has a formidable counterpart.

Second the Patrick Stewart thing. He was also in his element when, in TNG, he had to recite Shakespeare (episode name slipped my mind, can someone help me out?).

I also like Walter Koenig. Besides being Chekov, he plays a great shady cop (Bester). Plus he's real good at screaming.

Lord Pounder · Post by **Lord Pounder** » 2005-04-05 05:25pm

Stewart is a good actor but he was up against it working in Trek. I emember him being interviewed by GMTV just before Abominations, i um mean Generations, came out and he basically said the same as Spinner has in other interviews. He does the job simply for apaycheck and he has no love or affection for the franchise.

FTeik · Post by **FTeik** » 2005-04-05 05:30pm

Yeah, you just played Shakespeare and now you are talking to a black puddle of liquid evil.

What about Marc Alaimo, Casey Biggs and Jeffrey Combs? I always had a soft spot for those three.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2005-04-05 06:16pm

In modern trek I'd have to say Andrew Robinson/Garak was my favourite actor and character. Garak could be many things - snide, contemptuous, deceptive, cheerful, condescending, soulful, enigmatic, funny - but one thing he couldn't do is be dull. In an otherwise dull show, he was often the only spark that inspired me to watch.

Spacebeard · Post by **Spacebeard** » 2005-04-05 09:11pm

CivilWarMan wrote:
Dahak wrote:Patrick Stewart is an excellent actor. I still think he's way better in the X-Men movies, but that may be because with Ian McKellen he has a formidable counterpart.
Second the Patrick Stewart thing. He was also in his element when, in TNG, he had to recite Shakespeare (episode name slipped my mind, can someone help me out?).

.

Well, he recited Shakespeare many times in the holodeck, but the one time I can think of when he had to was "Menage a Troi", when he was in the unfortunate situation of having to convince some Ferengi that he was so madly in love with Lwaxana Troi that he would destroy their ship in a fit of rage. Me, I would've just let them have her.

Old Plympto · Post by **Old Plympto** » 2005-04-05 11:44pm

Stofsk wrote:In modern trek I'd have to say Andrew Robinson/Garak was my favourite actor and character. Garak could be many things - snide, contemptuous, deceptive, cheerful, condescending, soulful, enigmatic, funny - but one thing he couldn't do is be dull. In an otherwise dull show, he was often the only spark that inspired me to watch.

Andrew Robinson's Garak caught my attention the first time he appeared on DS9 and was a joy to watch throughout the entire series. How he pronounces his lines carefully and seem to make Garak hide a busload of secrets behind his every innocent line. It's like he's sniggering behind others' back,... in front of their faces.

Had a hell of a time finding out what he actually looked like, until I saw his name in IMBD... saw him as that were-dog thing on X-files, episode named "Alpha".

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2005-04-06 01:20am

Destructionator XIII wrote:I also like Brent Spiner's performances as Data, Lore and Dr. Soong. Without his talent, those characters would have been nothing.

Too right. I actually thought he was wasted for the entire seven year run. Lore was by far the best villain - or potential villain - introduced into TNG. And yet he only appeared three times! And at the end of the third time, he gets a lobotomy! What the FUCK.

For villains in the movies we get Malcom "Time is a predator, best not be late! Ho ho" MacDowell, Alice "We borg value green lipstick" Kruge, and Shinzon. imagine the plot of Descent played out on the big screen, with all the budgetary possibilities that implies. Not to mention Data has an emotion chip, making him easily manipulatable. Oh the possibilities, squandered like shit down a bowl...

The Silence and I · Post by **The Silence and I** » 2005-04-06 03:45am

Stofsk wrote:
Destructionator XIII wrote:I also like Brent Spiner's performances as Data, Lore and Dr. Soong. Without his talent, those characters would have been nothing.
Too right. I actually thought he was wasted for the entire seven year run. Lore was by far the best villain - or potential villain - introduced into TNG. And yet he only appeared three times! And at the end of the third time, he gets a lobotomy! What the FUCK.

For villains in the movies we get Malcom "Time is a predator, best not be late! Ho ho" MacDowell, Alice "We borg value green lipstick" Kruge, and Shinzon. imagine the plot of Descent played out on the big screen, with all the budgetary possibilities that implies. Not to mention Data has an emotion chip, making him easily manipulatable. Oh the possibilities, squandered like shit down a bowl...

Damn. That right there is a hell of a great thought. And I think you are right, Lore had the most potential of any recent Trek villian to be sure (I don't know if he can top Kahn, but we will never get a fair comparison

).

IMO Spiner is among the top actors of the franchise; he played Data so freakishly well, and could play up to five characters at once convincingly. Were it not for his acting I would not have cared for TNG most likely. I was hooked at a young age because of the cool android, but it was really Spiner's Data that got me. I've seen other androids but none are so inspired (which is odd considering how boring Data is on paper).

Dorn and Stewart are of course very very good in their own right and the award for best chemistry goes hands down to Kirk Spock and McCoy. Avery Brooks strikes me as capable and I hear good things from several other actors but DS9 is largely unknown to me, as is Voyager--although Ive seen enough of that to know Robert Picardo is probably the best actor there.

I don't really see much inspired talent in ENT, the doctor is at least interesting and T'Pol seems to be quite good. Other than that I am not sure.

DocHorror · Post by **DocHorror** » 2005-04-06 08:39am

DeForest Kelly. He actually had a career before Star trek came along. Plus he gave the series more warmth than almost anyone else. IMHO.

Tommy J · Post by **Tommy J** » 2005-04-06 08:51am

The Silence and I wrote:IMO Spiner is among the top actors of the franchise; he played Data so freakishly well, and could play up to five characters at once convincingly. Were it not for his acting I would not have cared for TNG most likely. I was hooked at a young age because of the cool android, but it was really Spiner's Data that got me. I've seen other androids but none are so inspired (which is odd considering how boring Data is on paper).

I find it ironic that so many Trekkies love Spiner. Of all the ST actors [save Nimoy and Shatner since reformed] he's the most public about his dislike of the franchise and its fans. He's said time and again in interviews how the whole thing was one BIG PAYCHECK to him.

[and those Wells Fargo Wagons keep a comin, and a comin

]

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2005-04-06 10:48am

Patrick Stewart is obviously the best actor of the lot (not suprising, he's a classically trained British actor and thus has the magically expressive eyebrows that all classically trained British actors seem to have) and of course Spiner was very talented, but of the performances I actually like Colm Meaney or the lady who play Pulaski the best. They beat the hell out of stinkers like Jonathan Frakes and whats-her-face-the-dancer who played Crusher. Colm Meaney particularly in "The Wounded" and later on when he goes to DS9, he's really decent and has good chemistry with the others. I just wish he got a line where he'd go "Ah, fookin' hell!" just to see how accented he deliver it.

Out of the like I like Armin Shimmerman alot and Andrew Robinson in DS9. Both characters and actors had a ton of character and subtly to them. Very nicely done I'd say.

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2005-04-06 12:18pm

Old Plympto wrote:[
Andrew Robinson's Garak caught my attention the first time he appeared on DS9 and was a joy to watch throughout the entire series. How he pronounces his lines carefully and seem to make Garak hide a busload of secrets behind his every innocent line. It's like he's sniggering behind others' back,... in front of their faces.

Had a hell of a time finding out what he actually looked like, until I saw his name in IMBD... saw him as that were-dog thing on X-files, episode named "Alpha".

The best movie to look for him in is Dirty Harry. I think he was billed as Andy Robinson the but in the movie he's the Scorpio Killer that Harry Callahan is after. He's really young looking in that movie and it's almost hard to believe he's the same guy who played Garak.

aerius · Post by **aerius** » 2005-04-06 01:14pm

Gil Hamilton wrote:Colm Meaney particularly in "The Wounded" and later on when he goes to DS9, he's really decent and has good chemistry with the others. I just wish he got a line where he'd go "Ah, fookin' hell!" just to see how accented he deliver it.

I could be wrong, but I remember him saying something similar to that in Under Siege. Been a while since I watched that movie.