Earlier than securing the function of Information on “Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology,” actor Brent Spiner was maybe most well known for his recurring function as Bob Wheeler on the sitcom “Evening Courtroom.” He additionally had one-shot appearances on numerous different hit TV exhibits like “Tales from the Darkside,” “The Paper Chase,” and “Ryan’s Hope.” He additionally had a bit half within the glorious cult musical “Girls and Gents, the Fabulous Stains” and was one of many background college students in “Grease 2.” Spiner had been appearing in Broadway productions all through the Seventies.
Information was a boon to his profession, making him a family title, and giving him a task that he would proceed to revisit for many years. Spiner has all the time felt ambivalent about Information, nonetheless, loving the celebrity, however resenting how he had been typecast. He has since referred to Information as a double-edged sword. That mentioned, his post-“Star Trek” profession is extra expansive and diversified than one would possibly assume.
Spiner might have performed Information, however plainly he wasn’t on the “want record” of finalists for the function. A 1987 interoffice memo — written from producer John Ferraro to Paramount TV president John Pike — listed all of the actors that the makers of “Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology” had been most intently eyeballing for the present’s eight major roles. The memo has handily been revealed on the Slice of Sci-Fi web site, and it is an attention-grabbing learn. A few of the studio’s actor preferences are stunning and tantalizing. Wesley Snipes, as an illustration, was into consideration for Geordi La Forge. Yaphet Kotto was being thought-about for Captain Picard.
As Information, the studio was 4 different candidates: Eric Menyuk, Mark Lindsay Chapman, Kevin Peter Corridor, and Kelvin Han Yee.
Eric Menyuk and Marc Lindsay Chapman nearly performed Information
Eric Menyuk will immediately be acknowledged by Trekkies as he went on to play the mysterious Traveler in three episodes of “Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology.” Meyuk has a mild demeanor and would have made for a disarming, nearly soulful Information. In fact, Information is an impassive android, so “soulful” might not have been appropriate for the half. Menyuk, like Spiner, had a TV profession that included largely one-time appearances on hit TV exhibits, with Menyuk showing on “Melrose Place,” “Cheers,” “Married… with Youngsters,” and “Prognosis: Homicide.” Menyuk retied from appearing in 1998.
Mark Lindsay Chapman was into consideration for Information as effectively, and he had a extra in depth TV profession than any of his rivals for the function. He was in 24 episodes of “Days of Our Lives,” and performed a number of roles all through “Homicide, She Wrote.” He later performed the constable in James Cameron’s “Titanic,” and performed one of many lead roles in all 72 episodes of the 1990 model of “Swamp Factor.” Chapman was into consideration to play John Lennon within the 1985 biopic “John and Yoko: A Love Story,” however he was fired when the producers seen that his title was just like that of John Lennon’s assassin, Mark David Chapman. He would find yourself enjoying Lennon within the 2007 movie “Chapter 27.”
Kevin Peter Corridor and Kelvin Han Yee have been additionally into consideration
Kevin Peter Corridor was additionally being thought-about, and monster film followers will acknowledge him because the stunt participant contained in the alien swimsuit in John McTiernan’s “Predator.” At 7’2″, Corridor lower a powerful determine and was employed to play a number of creatures in his function, together with the title Bigfoot in “Harry and the Hendersons,” the title monster in “Monster within the Closet,” and Charon within the demonic journey “Freeway to Hell.” Corridor was additionally being thought-about for the function of Geordi La Forge. His peak did not appear to be a lot of a problem for casting administrators. Previous to his Trek auditions, Corridor performed one of many major roles on “Misfits of Science,” and turned up in exhibits like “The Dukes of Hazzard” and, sure, “Evening Courtroom.”
Corridor would find yourself enjoying an alien character named Leyor in an episode of “Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology” known as “The Worth.” Sadly, Corridor died of issues associated to AIDS in 1991, shortly after his “Star Trek” function. He was 35.
In among the early character descriptions of “Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology,” Information was described as an Asian character, and it appears at the least one actor of Asian heritage was into consideration. Kelvin Han Yee, an amazingly prolific stage actor, was being closely thought-about. He did not have many display screen credit earlier than his “Star Trek” audition, however Yee had been a repertory participant in a number of theater troupes in San Francisco and Los Angeles. After Spiner was forged as Information, Yee’s profession took off, and his credit are too plentiful to record right here. He did seem in movies like “The Island” and “Milk,” and extra not too long ago, “Destroyer” and “Could December.”
Information would have been a boon for him, however he appears to have accomplished effective with out it.
