If you had to replace a guest star with somebody else ...

[Talos IV]

Read something yesterday about "The Conscience of the King" (one of my very favorite episodes). The writer said Arnold Moss gave one of TOS' best guest star performances (as Karidian), and Barbara Anderson one of the worst (as Lenore). Now I've always thought Moss was perfect as Karidian, and Anderson's performance has grown on me over time. (Is she over the top? Yeah, but maybe she's supposed to be?)

Got me wondering who could have played the part of Lenore Karidian better, or with a different slant. If Barbara hadn't been available -- who would you have cast instead? (think: 1966 TV actresses around age 20).

Any other guest stars have (better) substitutions, too?

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

Genevieve Bujold. Whatever her age then, she was arguably more adaptable to TV productions at the time.

 

[Talos IV]

Genevieve Bujold. Whatever her age then, she was arguably more adaptable to TV productions at the time.

Yes. Good choice. She was 23 at the time, had done Shakespeare, and would have been interesting as Lenore.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

In the pre-VCR era, I would have moved appointments around to see Donna Douglas, Elizabeth Montgomery, or Julie Newmar in an edgy role.

But I'll tell who would have absolutely crushed it on talent, and who was the exact age of 20 at the time: Patty Duke. Bam. Mic drop. It should have been her.

 

[Forbin]

The thing about her performance being over the top - well, it was Shakespeare!

 

[Tosk]

I'd boot Marvin Belli and replace him with someone like Martin Balsam.

(Or if they could get him, Orson Welles. Make that connection with the TMP trailer! )

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

In the pre-VCR era, I would have moved appointments around to see Donna Douglas, Elizabeth Montgomery, or Julie Newmar in an edgy role.

But I'll tell who would have absolutely crushed it on talent, and who was the exact age of 20 at the time: Patty Duke. Bam. Mic drop. It should have been her.

Intriguing speculation. She could be more versatile than people realized. About ten years ago I commented to her that her British twin on her show didn't seem to get to do much, she responded ''She still got half the check.''

Donna Douglas? Is this a Filmways presentation ah see before me?

I'd boot Marvin Belli and replace him with someone like Martin Balsam.

(Or if they could get him, Orson Welles. Make that connection with the TMP trailer! )

Welles was probably 33 percent more household-name than Balsam. While the latter did do TV at times, his movie work was prolific enough that I suspect he might not have been be affordable for TV sci-fi either. (Movie sci-fi voice work, perhaps.)

 

[Henoch]

But I'll tell who would have absolutely crushed it on talent, and who was the exact age of 20 at the time: Patty Duke. Bam. Mic drop. It should have been her.

I also thought of Patty Duke, but on further research as far as I found, Patty never played any Shakespeare plus, this would have been her first "adult" role after her show was cancelled earlier the same year. I think people would be shocked to see her smooching with a thirty year old man.

 

[scotpens]

Any other guest stars have (better) substitutions, too?

I recall reading in one of David Gerrold's books that the character of Cyrano Jones in "The Trouble with Tribbles" could have gone in a different direction. He could have been written as a gentle, doddering old eccentric who was just trying to spread a little joy throughout the galaxy by selling tribbles -- and was innocently unaware of the havoc his little furry critters were capable of causing if allowed to reproduce unchecked. It would have been a perfect role for Boris Karloff.

 

[Kor]

He didn't do much television, but I always thought Yul Brynner would have made a formidable TOS-era Klingon. Perhaps a bald Klingon general, 25 years before Chang. Shatner was one of his brothers in The Brothers Karamazov! But if we are limited to existing characters, maybe Kang, even though Michael Ansara completely owned the role.

Kor

 

[Poltargyst]

He didn't do much television, but I always thought Yul Brynner would have made a formidable TOS-era Klingon.

We will kill two hundred Organians per hour until the Federation spies are turned over to us! Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera! So let it be written! So let it be done!

 

[publiusr]

I'd boot Marvin Belli and replace him with someone like Martin Balsam.

Before Douglas Rain made the voice of HAL his own—I think Balsam did some HAL voice work…which I would love to hear someday, as a more sympathetic AI perhaps.

Imagine a younger Peter Wyngarde in Star Trek…now he showed promise

GENERAL KLYTUS: From Behind the Mask

Written by Peter Wyngarde For those of you who don’t know, General Klytus was the characterization of Lorenzo Semple Jr; he never appeared in Alex Raymond’s original comic strips. According to some…

peterwyngarde.uk

 

[WarpTenLizard]

He didn't do much television, but I always thought Yul Brynner would have made a formidable TOS-era Klingon. Perhaps a bald Klingon general, 25 years before Chang. Shatner was one of his brothers in The Brothers Karamazov! But if we are limited to existing characters, maybe Kang, even though Michael Ansara completely owned the role.

Kor

Yule Brynner would also make a fantastic Vulcan, Romulan or Orion!

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

Jack Nicholson could perform about as well as Michael Pataki. But if he declares the Enterprise should be held between somebody's knees, James Doohan's going to knock him into the third season finale.

 

[I am not Herbert]

I know some folks around here have, shall we say, strong feelings about her, but the actress who played helen noel in dagger of the mind was not very good. she has that geena davis 'isn't this funny, everyone, that i'm in a movie and they're filming me and everything' thing that doesn't fit the situation and that breaks my suspension of disbelief. and yes I realize she sort of looks like geena davis, too, but that doesn't invalidate my point.

I wouldn't say the actress who played mira romaine was any great shakes either

in general, though, one of the things I love about TOS is that the guest stars were of generally high quality and, at times, almost single-handedly make flawed episodes still rewatchable. (kathie browne, france nuyen, william marshall, jeff corey, theo marcuse, joanne linville, morgan woodward- twice!)

compare this to 90s era trek, where the only other role half of them had was corpse #2 on "silk stalkings"

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I know some folks around here have, shall we say, strong feelings about her, but the actress who played helen noel in dagger of the mind was not very good. she has that geena davis 'isn't this funny, everyone, that i'm in a movie and they're filming me and everything' thing that doesn't fit the situation and that breaks my suspension of disbelief. and yes I realize she sort of looks like geena davis, too, but that doesn't invalidate my point.

I wouldn't say the actress who played mira romaine was any great shakes either

I have always thought Marianna Hill was fantastic, and if DeForest Kelley was not there, her doctor part would have rounded out the Big Three to perfection.

Jan Shutan was perfect for what her episode required. It was a ghost story, a demonic possession concept, and she gave it an eerie, slightly "off" manner. Mira's beauty was clouded by a solemn kind of inner awe. She wasn't supposed to be playing Jane Ordinary. It's more like she was crossing over into... The Twilight Zone.

They were both great.

 

[Poltargyst]

I know some folks around here have, shall we say, strong feelings about her, but the actress who played helen noel in dagger of the mind was not very good.

**Takes white glove, slaps I am not Herbert with it**

Choose your weapon, we duel at dawn.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Goldie Hawn replacing Terri Garr as Roberta Lincoln.

 

[Henoch]

Goldie Hawn replacing Terri Garr as Roberta Lincoln.

Or Judy Carne: Sock it to me!

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

I know some folks around here have, shall we say, strong feelings about her, but the actress who played helen noel in dagger of the mind was not very good. she has that geena davis 'isn't this funny, everyone, that i'm in a movie and they're filming me and everything' thing that doesn't fit the situation and that breaks my suspension of disbelief. and yes I realize she sort of looks like geena davis, too, but that doesn't invalidate my point.

Except that the underlined bolded crux to your point doesn't pin down that Geena Davis ''thing'' in any understandable way. And since 1966 Mariana Hill no doubt resembled the much more youthful Davis before Davis probably did herself, I see no validation in the theory, let alone a point to validate.