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

[Grant]

They missed out on a ton of actors who were active then....

Balsam, James Shigeta, Ivan Dixon, Joseph Wiseman, James Hong, Michael Rennie, Robert Loggia, John Dehner, James Best, Karloff, Leslie Neilsen, Gail Fisher, Claude Akins, Joe Maross, Raymond St Jacques, Simon Oakland, Aki Aleong, Dabbs Greer, Don Gordon, Mako, Michael Constantine, Phillip Ahn, Vaughn Taylor, Miyoshi Umeki.....
and they did re-use about 20 actors in multiple roles which kind of bothers me even if they were good in both or even 3 roles. For a show that was about a united Earth they really didn't have a great cross section of actors. I suppose they did the best they could considering as each season went by they had fewer speaking roles per episode.

 

[BozoThePerson]

Or Judy Carne: Sock it to me!

Spock it to me!

 

[Nerys Myk]

They missed out on a ton of actors who were active then....

Balsam, James Shigeta, Ivan Dixon, Joseph Wiseman, James Hong, Michael Rennie, Robert Loggia, John Dehner, James Best, Karloff, Leslie Neilsen, Gail Fisher, Claude Akins, Joe Maross, Raymond St Jacques, Simon Oakland, Aki Aleong, Dabbs Greer, Don Gordon, Mako, Michael Constantine, Phillip Ahn, Vaughn Taylor, Miyoshi Umeki.....
and they did re-use about 20 actors in multiple roles which kind of bothers me even if they were good in both or even 3 roles. For a show that was about a united Earth they really didn't have a great cross section of actors. I suppose they did the best they could considering as each season went by they had fewer speaking roles per episode.

Constantine, Aikins or Oakland as Klingons. Mako or Nielsen as a Starfleet officer. John Dehner as bureaucrat. All would have been great.

 

[Grant]

Constantine, Aikins or Oakland as Klingons. Mako or Nielsen as a Starfleet officer. John Dehner as bureaucrat. All would have been great.

Really good suggestions for those actors!
Shigeta as a Captain would have been awesome!
Perhaps in the Commodore Wesley role in UC.
Jack Nicholson as Dr. Severin and Gail Fisher as hippie girl #3 (both 2nd appearances by the actors used). Although Nicholson was probably making Features by 1968.
Karloff as "old man" in FTWIHAIHTTS.
Miyoshi Umeki as Miranda Jones's character.

 

[Grant]

Hazel Court or Ann Blyth as Philana in Plato's....

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

Jack Nicholson as Dr. Severin and Gail Fisher as hippie girl #3 (both 2nd appearances by the actors used).

He was a bit less leery when EDEN came out, though his voice could pass for humanoid on the sitcoms.

I can surely see him as Tongo Rad. And a certain NAKED TIME navigator......

 

[Grant]

Dabbs Greer as the barber in Spectre....
It was Ed Mcready's 4th TOS role!

 

[Greg Cox]

Goldie Hawn replacing Terri Garr as Roberta Lincoln.

I seem to recall that Dawn Wells tried out for the part of Roberta Lincoln. That could've been interesting.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I seem to recall that Dawn Wells tried out for the part of Roberta Lincoln. That could've been interesting.

A different energy than Garr or Hawn, to be sure.

 

[Grant]

Charles Lane for Mr. Atoz.

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

Jack Nicholson for Virgil Earp! Not much of a killer stare this time, but why not? Would he take a flying keg kick well?

 

[Nerys Myk]

Not a guest star but Robert Ito as Sulu.

 

[Artoo Atari]

Couldn't they have found someone other than Charles Napier to dress in a skirt and thigh-high boots?

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Couldn't they have found someone other than Charles Napier to dress in a skirt and thigh-high boots?

That's insane. Charles Napier was perfect: Incredible screen presence, incredible voice. He even co-wrote the songs, with Arthur Heinemann and Deborah Downey (the blonde hippie). On short notice! And then he did his own singing, and did it extremely well.

If anything, Charles Napier SAVED "The Way to Eden" from being another drippy, weak, and pointless rock-n-roll parody episode that the Sixties had enough of. Bewitched was saved by Boyce and Hart, and Elizabeth Montgomery as Serena could get away with anything, but Lost in Space's two hippie episodes were comparative flops, and Gilligan's Island didn't exactly shine with brilliance in "Don't Bug the Mosquitoes." They had a vastly better episode when they staged Hamlet as a musical, but it wasn't a rock opera.

 

[Greg Cox]

That's insane. Charles Napier was perfect: Incredible screen presence, incredible voice. He even co-wrote the songs, with Arthur Heinemann and Deborah Downey (the blonde hippie). On short notice! And then he did his own singing, and did it extremely well.

If anything, Charles Napier SAVED "The Way to Eden" from being another drippy, weak, and pointless rock-n-roll parody episode that the Sixties had enough of. Bewitched was saved by Boyce and Hart, and Elizabeth Montgomery as Serena could get away with anything, but Lost in Space's two hippie episodes were comparative flops, and Gilligan's Island didn't exactly shine with brilliance in "Don't Bug the Mosquitoes." They had a vastly better episode when they staged Hamlet as a musical, but it wasn't a rock opera.

I remain amazed that GILLIGAN'S Hamlet episode was co-directed by Ida Lupino of all people.

 

[Artoo Atari]

That's insane. Charles Napier was perfect: Incredible screen presence, incredible voice. He even co-wrote the songs, with Arthur Heinemann and Deborah Downey (the blonde hippie). On short notice! And then he did his own singing, and did it extremely well.

If anything, Charles Napier SAVED "The Way to Eden" from being another drippy, weak, and pointless rock-n-roll parody episode that the Sixties had enough of. Bewitched was saved by Boyce and Hart, and Elizabeth Montgomery as Serena could get away with anything, but Lost in Space's two hippie episodes were comparative flops, and Gilligan's Island didn't exactly shine with brilliance in "Don't Bug the Mosquitoes." They had a vastly better episode when they staged Hamlet as a musical, but it wasn't a rock opera.

Ummm... it was a joke, guys. I just meant that, in my humble opinion, someone like... I dunno.. Julie Newmar... would have looked a lot better in that costume than Charles Napier. But hey, to each his own.

 

[DarrenTR1970]

I remain amazed that GILLIGAN'S Hamlet episode was co-directed by Ida Lupino of all people.

I see her name pop up while watching MeTV and MeTV+.
To me, 'The Masks', one of the few good episodes of 'The Twilight Zone's' fifth season.

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

I remain amazed that GILLIGAN'S Hamlet episode was co-directed by Ida Lupino of all people.

She has a few theatrical hits under her belt as well, though they were before my time. Her track record certainly rivals Streisand's.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

I second the suggestions to have someone, anyone replace Melvin Belli. The part should've gone to an actual actor.

I would've loved to have seen Robert Culp guest star on a TOS episode. He would've made a good Captain Ron Tracy in "The Omega Glory."

Dawn Wells as Lenore in "The Conscience of the King" could've been interesting. Wells was so adorable you could totally understand why Kirk would instantly fall for her and seeing her play crazy at the end would've been really unexpected.

I would've liked to see Julie Newmar return to TOS in a different role. It'd be fun to see her as a femme fatale (imagine her as the Romulan Commander in "The Enterprise Incident" or as Mara in "The Day of the Dove"), or as a love interest for Kirk.

Actually, Joanne Linville would be one of my choices of a guest actor to replace. Her Romulan Commander is easily fooled throughout "The Enterprise Incident," and I honestly wonder what Spock is supposed to see in her. I could see either Honor Blackman or a returning Arlene Martel playing the part instead.

I wouldn't mind replacing both Robert Brown and Janet MacLachlin in "The Alternative Factor," too. Neither one of their performances does much for me. How about Martin Landau as Lazarus? It'd be fun to see Landau and Nimoy acting opposite each other.

 

[Poltargyst]

Actually, Joanne Linville would be one of my choices of a guest actor to replace. Her Romulan Commander is easily fooled throughout "The Enterprise Incident," and I honestly wonder what Spock is supposed to see in her. I could see either Honor Blackman or a returning Arlene Martel playing the part instead.

The script is going to call for the Romulan Commander to be easily fooled regardless of who's playing her.