John L.
@jlnmi.bsky.social
Star Trek, Star Wars, 60’s TV, Music/Reading, Sci-Fi, Mystery, Science, Space. Husband/dad/grandpa. Retired Software Engineer. 🚂 🏒 ⚾️ 🕵️
What perfect album came out the year you turned 16?
November 17, 2025 at 1:50 AM
What perfect album came out the year you turned 16?
Four Christmas movies to know me by:
November 16, 2025 at 12:40 AM
Four Christmas movies to know me by:
Age yourself with a film you saw in the cinema as a kid...
September 29, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Age yourself with a film you saw in the cinema as a kid...
![into his voice, "He tried to be involved
with un, but it was very difficult."
The success of Star Trek didn't make
it any easier. Suddenly, Leonard Nimoy
found himself transformed from serious
actor to pointy-eared pop icon. Grateful
as he was, he longed for people to know
that he was capable of other things. He
performed in the theater, wrote poetry,
directed plays, recorded albums. Asked
about Chekov, he was more likely to talk
about The Cherry Orchard than about
Trek costar Walter Koenig. Still, to the
world, he was Spock
So in 1975 he wrote a book about it, an
autobiography called I Am Not Spock, a
title that he says was horribly misunder-
stood. "People saw that title and said,
'What—he hates Star Trek? He doesn't
want anything to do with it?' That wasn't
the case at all. The book was an affirma-
tion of my relationship with Spock.
"But it was my fault," Nimoy adds. "I
totally take responsibility." Which is why,
20 years later, he has written a sequel,
due out this October (Hyperion). The title
this time? I Am Spock.
"I say in the new book that you can
take classes for acting, fencing, speech,
dancing, and dialects. But nobody gives
you classes on how to handle celebrity."
Adam Nimoy handled it by following a
path as different from his father's as he
could find. He became an entertainment
attorney, working for record companies
and finding himself increasingly disillu-
sioned with his chosen profession.
So when he decided to pursue a new
career as a director, his father, reaching
out, volunteered to open any doors he
could. "I could see," Leonard says, "that he
had a passion for [directing] that he'd nev-
er had for the law. And he was suddenly a
different person. He would ask me about
my work. We had passionate exchanges.
We found a way to a common ground."
That was five years ago, the beginning
of the path that led them to this court-
room set in the suburbs of Vancouver
Along the way, Adam gladly accepted his
14
father's favors; the chance to observe the
making of "Star Trek VI" and an entire
season of Star Trek: The Next Genera-
tion. Adam directed two Next Genera-
tion episodes and will soon direct an
episode of Deadly Games, the new UPN
sci-fi series on which his father is co-ex-
ecutive producer.
"He's been so helpful and supportive
to me," Adam Nimoy says, "I feel like I'm
getting back the relationship we didn't
have when I was a child."
"I wouldn't be doing this job if it weren't
for Adam," his father says. "I don't need
the work. For me, this was a personal
trip." He is chasing a career no longer: Not
that he doesn't have plenty of projects to
occupy his time. Besides working on the
autobiography and Deadly Games, Nimoy
is the cocreator of a series of comic books
called "Leonard Nimoy's Primortals,
based on a story he wrote with the late
Isaac Asimov. He is also negotiating with
Paramount to put out a special "Nimoy's
Notes" videotape edition of the 79 original
Star Trek episodes, to be released in 1996.
But he isn't looking to direct any more
films, nor does he expect to be involved
in any future Trek projects. That, he says,
would mean too much work, and work is
no longer what drives him. "I have five
grandkids, and two great homes where I
love to spend time. We have friends and
family, and I don't know how to tell you
how important all that has become to
me. I have no unfulfilled dreams."
T
he final shot of the episode has
just been completed. The crew is
packed up, ready to move on to
another episode. Leonard Nimoy, late for
a plane, poses briefly for photos with his
fellow actors.
"It was nice working with you," the di-
rector says, embracing his lead actor and
holding him tightly in his arms.
"Yes, it was," Nimoy says softly to his
son. "I'll see you when you get home."
Joe Rhodes te a Freelance writer based in
Portland, Ore
TY GUIDE JULY 15, 1995](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:q6w524go73n3lvcfpp3sfqaz/bafkreigxfnyh3wmoeqooh5zlfgnstzrnd56jewuws2scqmalugasdk4uay@jpeg)
![problem," and they'll go, "Absolutely not!"
Other times it's "Yeah, sure, change the
whole damn page if you want."
TVG: OK, so Beltran flubs the most
lines. Does everybody agree?
Everybody at once: Uh-huh (laugh-
ter all around).
Beltran: I wasn't aware of it until the
other day when Garrett says to me (adopts
a dorky, valley-boy accent): "Duuuuude,
c'mon, ya gotta admit you flub more lines
than all of us put together."
TVGi So whos the earliest?
Phillips: Kate is extremely punctual,
well prepared, never flubs a line.
Mulgrew: I do too!
Beltran: I've counted three times this
season.
Picardo: When Kate flubs a line, don't
you all feel just a little better about your-
selves?
McNeill: It even makes me feel better
about bad things that happened years
ago. (Mulgrew, holding her sides, nearly
falls off her chair again.)
I think the Internet is terrifying.
Picardo: Yeah, being made fun
of in fourth grade doesn't hurt as
much when Kate flubs a line.
The fans know everything."
TVG: Do you guys monitor the
chat on the Internet?
-KATE MULGREW
Russ: Garrett does. (Every-
body laughs.)
Mulgrew: I think the Internet
is terrifying. I hate the whole idea.
¿ What does it mean but a total loss
¿ of privacy? [The fans] know ev-
erything
Wang: How do they know this
# stuff?
Mulgrew: Garrett has compiled statis-
tics on everybody.
McNeill: He even knows our uniform
SIZeS.
TVG: So who's the tardiest? (The ac-
tors, looking toward Wang, laugh up-
roariously.)
Phillips: Gee, that's a hard question….
Beltran: Oooooh, that's a really hard
question.
Biggs-Dawson: Yeah, we gotta think
real hard about that one (more laughter).
Beltran (to Wang, in the valley boy ac-
cent): Duuuuude, c'mon, ya gotta admit..
Wang: Oh, great, this is just what 1
need. Let me just clarify. The reason I'm
late is that, uh...I am so overwhelmed by
this fine cast that I find it really hard to
get out of bed in the morning. I'm not wor
thy of being in their presence no I try to
show up late to sabotage myself
McNeill (to Bettran): Is that why you
flub your lines?
10
Mulgrew (cackling): Because you tell
them, Garrett! (Everyone laughs.)
Wang: I do not tell them!
Biggs-Dawson: We're sitting at this
table wondering (who leaks information],
and he's sitting right over there! (She
points at Wang.)
Wang: I cooperate, I don't tell them. I'm
not leaking out any information.
Picardo: No, we're just kidding. But we
do have a leak somewhere a leak in the
[production] office.
TVG: Is there an upside to the Internet?
Like Instant fan reaction to an episode?
Picardo: Yes, and that's a good thing. I
also got the best explanation of holo-
graphic theory in Star Trek from a fan's
four page treatise on the Internet. Before
that, I never quite understood how my
character was supposed to work
TVG: This show has made a huge
splash in the media.
Picardo: Well, when you do four hours
€ 11 7F 16, 1905
of interviews for each hour of shooting,
it's bound to show.
Mulgrew (gritting her teeth): But we
do it with a smile.
TVG: Why is Miss Mulgrew so reluctant
to make personal appearances?
Mulgrew (looking uncomfortable): I
hesitate to say anything about anything
because somebody inevitably gets of-
fended! See, it's a double-edged sword
for me. There are many people who feel I
should attend the conventions because
that's part of the job and I do want to
honor the fans. I in no way want to pa-
tronize them. But I find [conventions] a
bit of a gray area. I went to one yesterday
and I'm on the set today feeling exhaust-
ed. It's just not worth it. Not even to do
two a year. Because something's going to
suffer in my work. And that's what really
drives me nuts.
Picardo: You have to find a balance
between honoring the history of the show
and doing the work itself. You don't want
the fans to think you're purposely mak-
ing yourself unavailable, but, in theory,
what they love the most is what's on-
screen. Compromising that is not doing
the fans justice.
Mulgrew: And it's intensely individu-
al. If you go around this room, you'll find
some of us really enjoy it. (Beltran starts
laughing, and the rest follow suit. Every-
one is looking at Wang again.)
Phillips: There will be plenty of time
for appearances we'll be doing this show
into the next millennium.
Beltran: Unless science discovers that
dilithium crystals cannot run a ship, and
then our whole premise will be out the
window. We'll all be out of a job.
TVG: Then what will you do?
Phillips: I guess we could change the
title of the show to F Troop.
Mulgrew: We could do Voyager Christ-
mas specials.
Picardo: I have my hair replacement
clinic to fall back on.
Russ: And there's always Tuvok's Psy-
chic Hotline. I
It isn't so much that Hallmark has
over 1,000 cards for $1.50 or less.
Hit ape thin outer
TRS
Hallmark
When you care enough to send the very best](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:q6w524go73n3lvcfpp3sfqaz/bafkreihjyzco5n6sglljfgfptslzhiq3pkfkdcrnf4wkl7j4fozn3cduaa@jpeg)
![McNeill: She gave us all confidence
Roxann Biggs-Dawson (B'Elanna):
After we lost Genevieve Bujold, there was
a little bit of terror that this might not
happen at all.
TVG: You mean, that nobody could be
found to play Janeway?
Russ: No, that they might be forced to
cast a man and that would have a [domi-
no] effect on the rest of us.
Garrett Wang (Harry): Some male
roles would switch to female and [vice
'After we loss Genevieve
Bujold, there was a little bit
of terror that this might not
happen at all.'
—ROXANN BIGGS-DAWSON
versa], so some of us might be out of a job.
Kate Mulgrew (Janeway): The mu-
tual support here is extraordinary. In a
cast this size there will invariably be one
bad apple but there isn't.
Ethan Phillips (Neelix): That's be-
cause we can go months without playing a
scene with one another.
Biggs-Dawson: It's true! Here we've
finished our first season and Ethan and I
have only had one or two lines together. I
really haven't had lines with Jennifer at all.
Jennifer Lien (Kes): That's because
Ethan and I are the alien outcasts.
Phillips: But as Neelix and Kes's love
continues to grow, we will discover each
other in ways the others can't. We are the
principal love interest.
Lien: We are the only love interest
TVG: The audience has really taken to
this beauty-and-the-beast pairing
Phillips: What do you mean "beauty
and the beast"" This is the story of an in
credibly handsome Talaxian who has
fallen in love with a weird looking—
Lien: — chick with funny ears
Phillips: Neelix is intensely...how
should I say it?
Lien: Virile! A true hero. A man among
aliens.
TVG: Does most of your individual
character growth happen when an episode
specifically focuses on your character?
Biggs-Dawson: Not necessarily. There
is (potential] for development even if you
just have a few lines in somebody
else's story, because the writing is
very (illuminating]. The lines are
very specific to your character.
You can't just hand them to any-
body.
Robert Picardo (Doc): I hate
to disagree, but in the episode that
just aired, you and I had exactly
the same line: "Wait, it gets worse!"
Biggs-Dawson: No! Seriously?
Picardo: Not that I'm disagree-
ing with what you said about
(leans into tape recorder) OUR
WONDERFUL WRITERS.
Biggs-Dawson: Well, maybe our char-
acters are related
Picardo (patting his bald dome): I've
always wondered about that enormous
forehead we share. (Mulgrew, in hyster-
ics, nearly falls off her chair:)
Biggs-Dawson: Hey, we do have the
same hairline!
TVG: Do you feel free to take your
gripes to the producers?
Beltran: Garrett, why don't you tell us
about your experience?
Wang: What?
Beltran: Well, you went to the office
to [suggest] some storylines. (Everyone
laughs.)
TVG: And?
Wang: Well. let's junt say I'm going to
stay on the bridge for the next 12 years.
Beltran
walict what
chang
powers that
bel w
retimes you
think
shanged. No
HE JULY 15. 1995](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:q6w524go73n3lvcfpp3sfqaz/bafkreiencn5f2vqr4ad5kg3pozi4ngkd6aa5ezvijlbfvclvcaorimc4ca@jpeg)
![ROBERT
O'REILLY
Chancellor Gowron
longtime Star
A Tich tan, O Reilly
relished the chance to
play a Klingon. But he
almost blew the audi-
tion for Gowron, a competitor for the
Klingon throne in ING's "Reunion,"
because his interpretation of the
character was too understated. "At
first, I played him subdued," says
O'Reilly. "To me, he was calculating,
analytical, Machiavellian, really—
but I lost everyone!" Realizing his
mistake, O'Reilly switched to a more
aggressive approach. "In the second
scene, I just went nuts and used my
eyeballs, and I think I scared them,"
he laughs. "Jonathan [Frakes, who
directed the episode] looked at me,
tipped his head, and said, 'Inter-
esting! Would you read that first
scene again?' "
DAVID L. LANDER
A Ferengi Tactician
ander remembers a crowded aud
-tion for the role of the diminutiv
Ferengi officer who would match wits
with Picard in TNG's "Peak Perfor-
mance." "Every actor below five foot
eight must have been there," he says.
Lander, who played Squiggy on Lav-
erne & Shirley, felt somewhat alienat-
ed since the others were so well-
versed in Trek lore. "They knew all the
characters, even the planets they came
from," he says. Lander had only tried
out at his agent's insis-
tence. "That was the
first thing my agent had
ever come along to see
me do. I think he just
wanted me to do it so he
could be there."
SCHULTZ
Lieut. Reginald Barclay
ranted, Barclay
Gi wasn't really
malevolent, but after an
alien space probe imbued
this meek officer with
keen super-intelligence in TNG's "The
Nth Degree," he became distinctly dan-
gerous. "He wasn't really evil," Schultz.
says, "he just didn't have time to deal
with his newfound intelligence." Schultz
owes his appearance on the show to
the intercession of TNG regular Whoopi
Goldberg. "We'd just wrapped up a film
together ("The Long Walk Home"| and
she suggested that I do the show,
calls Schultz, who is best known for
playing "Howling Mad" Murdock on
The A-Team. "Next thing I know the
casting director is on the phone."
LOUISE FLETCHER
he recurring role of Winn. rutl
• less leader of an orthodox rel
gious sect on DS9 (introduced in the
"In the Hands of the Prophets"
episode), allows Fletcher a welcome
opportunity to be flamboyant. "It's
like performing grand opera," she
says. "Because the show is set in
space, you can do things you would
never think of doing sidelong
glances, coy looks. I love playing
Winn; to me she's the Bajoran pope."
Fletcher's favorite line- said with a
straight face-came in a sick-bay
scene as she gazed upon her chief
rival, who was clinging
to life through a series
of transplants. "So tell
me, doctor, as you've
already replaced most
of his organs, can't you
do something with his
JOHN
DE LANCIE
n omnipotent,
mischievous life-
force who puts Picard
and the crew of the
Enterprise on trial for
the crimes of humanity, Q was the
first Next Generation villain, and re-
mains one of the most popular and
complex adversaries in the Trek
canon. "He's a great comic foil to the
ever-serious Picard," explains de
Lancie. "Q is really just a prankster."
When de Lancie's not doing guest
shots as Q on TNG, DS9, or Voy-
ager-he's appeared 10 times, more
than any other villain—he's busy in a
new partnership with Leonard Ni-
moy, a multimedia production com-
pany called Alien Voices. Their first
projects will be adapting the sci-fi
classics Time Machine and Journey
to the Center of the Earth for audio-
cassettes.
DENISE CROSBY
Romulan Commander Sela
or Denise Crosby, who first played Th
- Next Generation's sexy security chie
Tasha Yar, turning bad was the best way to get
a good part. Yar, she felt, had never amounted
to more than window dressing. "Often they
just wanted me to stick my chest out, wear a
tight uniform, and shake my butt!" she says.
"I could do that, but I wanted some substance,
too." She got two opportunities, returning
as an alternate-reality Tasha in "Yesterday's
Enterprise," and as Tasha's evil half-Romulan
daughter, Sela, in "Redemp-
tion." *I had the best roles after
my character died," she says.
Having found a niche being
nasty, she's talking to DS9 pro-
ducers about bringing Sela
back. "They love the idea, but
I haven't seen any scripts yet."
MICHAEL ANSARA
Klingon Commander
Kang
Villains are usually one-
dimensional," says
Ansara, who, as Kang, bat-
tled Kirk in Star Trek's "Day
of the Dove." *Kang is much
more complex. That's what fascinates
people about Klingons. He's also strong
and noble, everything you want in a vil-
lain." Klingons' emotional makeup may
not have changed through the years, but
their facial makeup has. In Ansara's era,
Klingons simply had dusky skin and Fu
Manchu-like facial hair. Today, the war-
rior race is distinguished by their
formidable furrowed brows. Why the
change? "Klingons live many, many more
years than humans," he says. "Their looks
evolve over time."
TV GUIDE AUGUST 24, 1996
RICARDO MONTALBAN
Khan of tessiested Bars dictator he-
first played in Star Trek's "Space Seed" and
reprised in the 1984 film "Star Trek II:
The Wrath of Khan." Montalban, who
ruled over Fantasy Island for years, re-
calls, "In the film, I had to play him much
bigger than before but not excessively
so. [Director] Nicholas
Meyer agreed I had to be
full of passion, but he
never let me go really
over the top where I'd be
ridicutous." And Khan is a
charater that Trek fans
remain passionate about.
The actor, who now uses
of spigal-cord surgery he
underwent three years
ago, says, "People still
come up to me on the
street and ask about](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:q6w524go73n3lvcfpp3sfqaz/bafkreid3uxq2dqc7yyutudfqvx2qzi6gtxcitczdcub4bnoy64bvjj5tjy@jpeg)
![Exclusive Book Excerpt
A Shaky
Launch
A pair of Star Trek staffers describe the often desperate wrangling
that went on behind the scenes of the original series
"bottling up" the action. There
As we celebrate the monumental success that
were few new sets, no expen-
Star Trek has enjoyed over the last 30 years,
sive locations and equipment
it's easy to forget just how precarious the
to rent, no additional union
prospects for the show were back in its infancy.
drivers to pay-and, other than
In 1966, Herbert Solow and Robert Justman
the regular cast, no more than
were production executives at Desilu, the
a few outside actors, which
Hollywood studio owned by Lucille Ball that
guaranteed that the episode
developed the original Trek series. In their new
would be a "cheapie." Our ship
anecdotal memoir, Inside Star Trek: The Real
shows took place entirely on
Story, the authors recall the difficulties they
board the Enterprise and cost
faced trying to create an ambitious,
visionary series on a shoestring
budget with a nervous network
second-guessing every decision. In
the first excerpt, Star Trek coproducer
Justman relates how budget consider-
ations dictated all elements of the
show's creation- even its plots.
tan Robertson [NBC program man-
Sier submited what don cake
were submitted that didn't take
place at least partially on an alien planet.
Part of NBC's continued demand for planet
shows week after week was the basic se
ries concept of exploring "strange new
worlds." Unfortunately, we couldn't afford
to visit a different planet week after week.
So we consciously alternated planet
shows with ship shows. Most other se-
ries called them "bottle shows," but re-
gardless of what they were called, their
purpose was the same: to save money by
DeForest Kelley faces off against a gladiator in
"Bread and Circuses," a pricey "planet show."
much less to produce.
Curiously enough, many Star Trek
bottle shows were enormously com-
pelling, as indicated by both fan reaction
and the ratings.
30
TV GUIDE AUGUST 24, 1996
Star Trek was ordered as a weekly series
No character looms larger in
Star Trek lore than Spock. Yet his
appearance in the show's first
episode was fiercely contested by
factions at the network, as
Solow, Star Trek's executive
in charge of production, re-
lates in this second excerpt.
by NBC and the "anti-ear, anti-Spock
campaign" heated up again. Schlosser
continued in his role as NBC point man.
"Sales says they're having serious problems
selling the show to local sta-
tions in the Bible Belt. You
§gotta help me."
AMI
"Sales is paranoid."
Schlosser understood, but
*he NBC Sales Department
was concerned. it was as if
She had NBC Sales on his
back. "Will you hold off
they believed that, after Satan
shows that really feature
had been cast out of the Garden
Spock until after the first 13
of Eden, he was reincarnated as
weeks?"
actor Leonard Nimoy and cast
I reluctantly agreed and
into Star Trek as Science Officer
met with Gene Roddenberry
Spock, a pointed-eared, arched-
and Bob Justman. "Listen,
evebrowed "satanic" Vulcan
NBC doctored Spock's
we have a balancing act. We
ears and eyebrows in
have to protect the show, and
NBC feared its advertisers and
an early publicity shot.
we have to protect Schloss.
local stations would be targets
We know the Spock charac-
of a religious backlash protesting this
ter will help Star Trek succeed, but NBC
"devil incarnate."
Sales has serious doubts. Can we hold
So shortly after NBC ordered the sec-
back the heavy Spock shows until later?"
ond pilot (the first pilot, with significantly
Bob complained, "We're already scram-
different cast and characters, was rejected
bling for shootable scripts. We can't hold
by the network], NBC v.p. Herb Schlosser
anything back. And the optical effects
called. "The Sales Department wants
just make it more difficult."
Spock to have regular ears and eyebrows."
We agreed to tell NBC what they want-
*NBC Sales is mad. Tell them to kindly
ed to hear, but we also agreed we'd do
butt out! The whole concept of having a
space alien aboard the Enterprise would
It took several weeks for us to learn
be destroyed. No deal."
the extent to which NBC Sales had gone
"Then we might not go ahead with the
to disguise Spock's "satanic" pointed
second pilot. They're really serious.
ears. NBC had sent a very attractive Star
You'd better talk with [series creator
Trek sales brochure to its station affili-
Gene] Roddenberry."
ates and advertisers. Close scrutiny
I met with Gene and called Herb back.
showed, however, that an artist working
"Schloss, listen. Sales is living in fear
for the NBC Sales Department had air-
while we're trying to make a successful
brushed Spock's pointy ears round in all
television show."
the photographs. NBC Sales was selling
"What did Roddenberry say?"
a lie to the Bible Belt.
"He agrees with me. No ears, no pilot."
[Within a month of Star Trek's debut,
Several days later, Schlosser advised
NBC was] deluged with fan mail for
me NBC would approve Spock's ears for
Spock. An ecstatic Schlosser phoned.
the pilot film only if "you agree to keep an
"New York wants all major Mister Spock
open mind if Star Trek goes on the air as
episodes to air as soon as possible." So
a series." I agreed. We'd fight it out later.
much for the Bible Belt.
On the basis of the second pilot film,
Inside Star Trek is published by Pocket Books.
31](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:q6w524go73n3lvcfpp3sfqaz/bafkreie454tnhoc64x45eq5xcrptvcweal23rdmwopjom4ly7oabmhm7yq@jpeg)
![mine on Star Trek only be-
cause of Barbara Eden on
1 Dream of Jeannie. She
paved the way for all of us.
TVG: Some of your outfits
seemed a little makeshift.
BL: On Star Trek they
were very, uh, how shall I
put this...inventive. One of
my outfits didn't work at the
last minute, so they just
grabbed a bunch of material
and made one up.
LS: I simply stood still in
Kirk waltzes with Louise
Sorel's adorned android.
the dressing room and they
ran around me with this huge piece of sil-
ver lamé and wrapped me like it was an
Ace bandage.
TVG: And what about those hairdos!
LS: They gave me an Annette Funicello
bouffant-and a ponytail borrowed from
Ben Cartwright's horse.
NN: People don't realize that Gene
had a lot to do with the styles. As a mat-
ter of fact, he created Uhura's pointed
hairstyle, which became a big craze.
BL: My hair was a scream. It kept get-
ting bigger and bigger as the episode went
on. By my last scene it's piled up to the
ceiling. If I leaned forward, I would fall.
GLW: Mine was so heavy it kept listing
to the left. When the bad Kirk is trying to
rape Rand in "The Enemy Within,"
you
can see me trying to hold my wig in place.
It was gorgeous, indestructible, Max
Factor hair. It cost a lot of money and
somebody stole it. Back then, your un-
derwear would get stolen if you didn't
have it on. But it's much worse now.
When I did Voyager, they wouldn't let me
leave the Paramount lot till they checked
my trunk. I still have visions of that damn
wig turning up. I go down to skid row for
my recovery program-I'm 15 years clean
and sober-and I keep expecting to find
some bag lady wearing it.
TVG: The Kirk/Uhura kiss was very
controversial. Did you have much dis
cussion with Roddenberry or the studio
28
NN: (big laugh) Nobody
discussed anything with
me ever. I didn't even real-
ize we'd have TV's first in-
terracial kiss until the di-
rector told me. I couldn't
believe no one else had
done it! Gene had us shoot
the scene two ways—-with
and without the kiss but
Bill very cleverly messed
up all the takes without it.
So we had to keep it in.
TVG: OK, how was Shat-
KD: He was a very nice kisser. I looked
forward to it very much.
NN: He was great. Lived up to all ex-
pectations. We did about 30 retakes-by
his insistence.
BL: I had strep throat and a 103-degree
fever, so we had to postpone the kissing
scenes for three weeks. But he was a
good kisser. Nice, soft lips.
LS: Ours was sort of a virginal kiss. Af-
ter all, I was an android and it was my
first time with a man.
TVG: So he had no chance to get fresh?
LS: Only in the dressing room.
TVG: What about you, Ms. Whitney?
GLW: Let's see...did we have a kissing
scene? We did! I think. Well, no, I don't
think I ever did kiss him. Oh, I can't
TVG: Well if you did, it couldn't have
been too monumental...
GLW: Well, I can't talk about what ?
did off-screen, and I'm trying to trink
which it was. Did we kiss on or off? Oh,
do I know tales! I'll have to take those se
crets to the grave.
TVG: OK, let's settle this once and for
all: Who's sexier-Kirk or Picard?
KD: Picard-but I wouldn't have said
that 30 years ago.
LS: Who's Picard?
NN: No doubt in my mind. Kirk!
BL: Kirk! But, then, I have to say that.
I am the Captain's Woman. •
TV GUIDE AUGUST 24, 1996
T
hey'll be beaming up some familiar
faces when Deep Space Nine and
Voyager celebrate 30 years of Star
Trek. Through the use of "Gump" tech-
nology, DS9 is now shooting an episode
(scheduled to air the week of
November 4) that will put Cap-
tain Sisko and his crew together
with Kirk and Spock as they ap-
peared in 1967's much-loved
"The Trouble with Tribbles" epi-&
sode. But not everyone is thrilled
to be aboard. William Shatner,
for instance, feels as if he has
been shanghaied.
"I've only heard about [the
episode], but I'm not a party to
it," says Shatner, who insists, "I
don't remember giving my per-
from the script at the 11th hour when the
actress insisted on an expanded role.)
The duo was last seen in 1991's "Star
Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country," in
which Sulu was captain of the U.S.S.
On the Voyager set, Tim Russ (left) reviews the script
with Whitney, Louis Ortiz, and Takei.
Special Episodes
Look Who's Trekking
Star Trek's current series will celebrate with "classic" stories
mission. Either I've forgotten, which I
doubt, or they haven't asked." In fact,
Shatner and Leonard Nimoy are report-
edly so miffed about the deal (or non-
deal, as the case may be) that they have
retaliated by demanding a king's ransom
from Paramount's marketing division,
which needs the stars' OK to peddle an-
niversary merchandise bearing their like-
nesses. (Paramount declined to com-
ment.) But if truth be told, Shatner is a
little flattered. "It seems like the era of
the new actor is out and the old actor is
in," he says. "With computer technology,
we won't need new ones anymore. We
can just close down all the acting studios."
Birthday plans are going much more
smoothly at Voyager, where original Trek
cast members George Takei (Sulu) and
Grace Lee Whitney (Rand) will appear in
the September 8 episode, "Flashback."
(Nichelle Nichols' Uhura was dropped
Excelsior and Rand was his communica-
tions officer. And they've been lobbying
for a tandem TV return ever since, first to
The Next Generation, then to DS9. Says
Takei: "After hearing nothing for years, it
was suddenly on the Internet that we
were going to be on Voyager. My agent
knew nothing about it. And I was skepti-
cal because they are lost in space. But it
turned out to be true."
They were more than ready: The 56-
year-old Takei, who does 200 sit-ups
each morning, had to have his Sulu suit
taken in an inch at the waist. Whitney,
who is 66, says, "I must have been in a
time warp since the movie. I had the
same length hair, was still dyeing it the
same color, and the costume still fit.
There was onfy one difference: The Para-
mount wardrobe department now uses a
device they call the Star Trek bra. It
points you toward the stars."
—M.L.
29](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:q6w524go73n3lvcfpp3sfqaz/bafkreieacuojjminadvihmizpu7ybmqlvtzq4cbv2ttc56lw4vp7be47be@jpeg)
!['hey're known to fans as Kirk's
"space babes." Some were sweet,
some were sinful, but they all
stole the starman's heart and
made life in the 23rd century a
truly out-of-this-world experi-
ence. There was Rayna, the perfect
woman android played by Days of Our
Lives star Louise Sorel. And Marlena,
"the Captain's Woman" on the parallel-
universe Enterprise, played by Barbara
Luna. And Miri, the little orphan girl
with big-girt desires, played with true
grit by Kim Darby. But it wasn't just love
with perfect strangers. Kirk flirted on
the job, too-especially with Grace Lee
Whitney's Yeoman Rand. And, of course,
there was the famous kiss with Nichelle
Nichols' Uhura that rocked (and shocked)
the nation. These women are such a vi-
tal part of Trek history, we just had to
get 'em dishing about Kirk, William Shat-
ner, and those what-the-hell-were-we-
thinking fashions of the 1960s!
Romancing the
captain was an
essential Star
Trek duty, as these
women will attest
A
BY MICHAEL LOGAN
Uhura were forced by aliens with kinetic
powers to kiss in this sexual charade, so
it was not a romance. They were two
professional people in a very embarrass-
ing situation.
TVG: Anyone offended by the micro-
skirts? The sausage-casing blouses?
Grace Lee Whitney: Oh, no! Every-
one thinks we got rooked into it, but that's
what we wanted to wear. I was very in-
strumental in getting us those mini-
skirts-which, by the way, were skorts.
We all had shorts underneath. It started
the day they were taking preproduction
publicity shots of me, Shatner, and
[Leonard) Nimoy, all in the same unisex
uniform. I told the costumer, "Hey, I look
just like the men. What a shame to waste
my legs. You know, I've got great legs."
And then I got this image of space babes
with the tight waists, cinched belts, short
skirts, and lots of legs and boots and
boobs, and great big "Barbarella" hair. So
we got that look together and showed it
TV GuIDe: Wasn't Kirk's girl-in-every-
to [creator] Gene [Roddenberry). He just
port behavior pretty damn sexist?
about fell off his chair. After that, the
Louise Sorel: That was episodic tele-
skirts couldn't get too short. Nichelle
vision in the '60s. You had to bring in a
was notorious. You can actually see her
woman every week who was sort of titil-
in some episodes sitting in a chair and
lating pardon the pun—so it never oc-
trying to sneak her hem up.
curred to me to be offended. They really
Kim Darby: I didn't deal with any of
tried to say something on Star Trek.
that. My episode was set in this ruined
There was always a wonderful little
city where only the children survived, so
moral tale. It wasn't just about babes.
all I wore was this odd, loose fabric. I
Nichelle Nichols: I loved the roman-
was never the type who was hired to wear
tic stuff but let's get one thing straight: 1
a bikini, anyway. I was never the sexy
was not the skirt of the week. Kirk and
love interest. I guess I was hired to..
26
On Every Planet
Jeer. and be very complicated. But I'd
Shatner, surrounded by (clockwise from top)
look authe other girls and think, "Gosh, I
Grace Lee Whitney, Kim Darby, Barbara
Luna, Nichelle Nichols, and Louise Sorel.
wish I was pretty like that."
TVG: Mir's thing with Kirk was quite
bold, considering you were playing a
very young teen.
KD: She had a crush on him in a big
way and they really took it pretty far. It
was shot in such a way, with all these
shadows and thoughtful pauses, that
there were tremendous intimations.
TVG: Referring to Marlena Moreau as
"the Captain's Woman" seemed a polite
way of saying "concubine." Did it worry
Barbara Luna: Heavens, no! We
didn't need somebody standing with a
gun to our heads. We just knew what to
do and what not to do-unlike today. It
wouldn't even have occurred to us to
open our mouths while kissing.
concerre was about our navels. I showed
PHOTOGRAPH: MARK HANAUER FOR TV GUIDE, GROOMING: BRIAN MEMANUS, HAIR & MAKEUP: LORI JEAN SWANSON/CLOUTER.
NATALIE MILLER/CLOUTIER, SHAWNA CLARK/CLOUTIER, HELEN JEFFERS, CLOUTER, CYNDRA DUNN/CLOUTIER, STYLIST: LINDA
27
TV GUIDE AUGUST 24, 1996
MEDVEN/CLOUTIER, DARBY'S ORESS: LAUNDRY, SCARF, MACY S. OTHER OUTRITS: ZORAN/SARS FIFTH AVENUE.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:q6w524go73n3lvcfpp3sfqaz/bafkreielgmuam2kz3em7chjlq4yhkg4grpt6t6p6n4oodwzpmgvwaxm6ti@jpeg)
![P
atrick Stewart baldly went
where no man had gone before
and turned Star Trek: The Next
Generation's Captain Jean-Luc
Picard-a finicky, cerebral,
middle-aged Frenchman with
an artificial heart and a penchant for
detective novels and Earl Grey tea-into
the most unconventional sex symbol in
the history of TV. Though he will star this
November in the first all-TNG big-screen
epic, "Star Trek: First Contact," the actor
has long been rumored to be sick of Trek
and eager to put it light-years behind
problems with Shatner. As far as the last
(TNG] episode was concerned, I was just
exhausted, and between the intensity of
my role in the two-hour finale, the 18-
hour days, and a multitude of press on
the set every day—well, it just became
overwhelming. I did my fair quota of
yelling, that's true.
TVG: But the rumors didn't stop there.
PS: There were reports that Patrick
was pulling out of Star Trek altogether.
"He doesn't need it anymore. He's got a
life elsewhere. You'll never see him again."
This is such nonsense. I can understand,
The Captains
Patrick
Stewart
Fed up with Star Trek? No way, says this actor of many moods
him. Here, Stewart—who often refers to
because I have been so busy with other
himself in the third person-talks can-
film and theater projects, that people
didly about his future as a Fedhead.
might think I no longer need this but I
do need this, actually. "First Contact" is
TV GUIDE: You had quite the bad-boy
very satisfying. I have a deep commit-
reputation during the final days of TNG.
ment to seeing this work continue. I want
Patrick Stewart: True. There were
to see us go into the next millennium-
reports that Patrick was becoming too
but I also want to see us getting better
much of a diva, having hysterics on the
and better with every movie we make. I
set, throwing people off the set. And
want the Next Generation cast to be-
then, when we went on to "Star Trek
come the dominant force in Star Trek.
Generations," it was reported that there
TVG: How did the rumors get started?
were problems between him and Bill
PS: I was openly anxious, and had been
Shatner-none of which was true.
for several years, that TNG- great gift as
TVG: None?
it was to me-might end
PS: At least not the By MICHAEL LOGAN
up as something of a
16
TV GUIDE AUGUST 24, 1994
blight. Actors who have too intense an
identification with certain roles can have
difficulty shedding that. But I also wor-
ried that the terrific security and the
comfortable environment of a series
would cause me to lose my nerve. The
outside world can suddenly look like a
hostile place when you're a freelancer.
And so you're tempted to play it safe.
TVG: What must you prove to your-
self as an actor?
PS: I want (long pause)...it's so easy at
this point to sound pompous and preten-
tious...I want to do important work. "Dead
Man" with Johnny Depp- that is a very im-
portant movie. So is "Dead Man Walking."
TVG: Those are intimate, arty films.
Are you disappointed to be making yet
another big-budget popcorn picture?
PS: Oh, no, because I also believe in
entertainment! I have never gotten over
the thrill of being in Hollywood and mak-
ing movies. I was once a 9-year-old sit-
ting enraptured in the cinema in my
small industrial town in the north of Eng-
land-and now here I am where it was
all created. Remarkable! The happiest
moments of my childhood were in cine-
mas. Nothing came close-not scoring a
goal for my team, not bringing home a
good exam paper. I was unbearably hap-
py, even in the most tragic movies. I could
see "A Streetcar Named Desire" and be
awash with joy. I want to do the same for
other people.
TVG: You recently won raves on
Broadway in "The Tempest," yet the entire
production was snubbed by the Tonys.
PS: There was personal disappoint-
ment, but it was quickly superseded by a
real sadness that what critics described
as "a world-class production of Shake-
speare" was overlooked as if it did not
happen. It still irritates me.
TVG: Do you fear there
are roles you cannot play?
PS: Yes, but you can't
let it stop you. For in-
stance, I am advertised to
sing the role of Arthur in
"Camelot" at the Holly-
wood Bowl in September.
When it was offered, I
could not live with the re-
ality of having said no.
But I know that the night
before, I will be in a cold
sweat and go to bed curs-
ing I ever agreed to do it.
TVG: You have had tre-
mendous post-TNG suc-
cess movies, TV, theater.
Is showbiz your oyster?
PS: Not quite. I recent-
ly lost a theater role I passionately want-
ed, and I've not gotten over that. I even
confided in Brent Spiner [TNG's Data] to
help put-it in some kind of perspective. It
hurts far more than the Tonys.
TVG: Still, you are on quite a roll for a
midlife actor. It usually doesn't happen
that way in Hollywood.
PS: True. Im 56 and very lucky. But at
the same time, I wish I'd found the confi-
derice I now have years earlier. I once tend-
ed to distrust everything about myself and
that can be so crippling. But there's little
else I would change if I had the chance.
Though, if I have my druthers, next time
I'm coming back as Johnny Depp.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:q6w524go73n3lvcfpp3sfqaz/bafkreigf6njx3drdeqf2wwdgem7rlgc3unp4et44og2bjraage2wd2fefy@jpeg)
