Merritt Butrick/David Marcus

[Praetor]

I was thinking about the Merritt Butrick, the late actor who played David Marcus. Beyond what is said at Memory Alpha and IMDB, is anything else known of him, his life, and the process that led to him being cast as Kirk's son? It seems a shame that a rather good actor died so young and relatively obscurely, after having his character die young in STIII.

 

[Kryton]

I remember I had trouble accepting him because of his role on the CBS sitcom "Square Pegs". Beyond that, not much.

 

[Praetor]

I thought he worked well, particularly in TSFS when he seemed a bit more Kirk-like.

Then again, I've never seen 'Square Pegs.' What's it about?

 

[cardinal biggles]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_Pegs

 

[Praetor]

Oh, that show. Well I can see why you'd have a problem with it then.

I may have to watch an episode, it looks like they're available online. He still looks like a good Kirk-son and was still IMHO a good actor.

 

[Captain Mike]

I remember seeing him, although it was after TWOK, as Gary Cutter in the movie ZAPPED! Especially the poem he read in that movie called "Chicks"....

 

[RobertScorpio]

Dreadful casting, I'm sorry to say. His part on TNG was much better, and he did a great job..but as Kirk's son? I didn't 'feel' it.

It is strange how many actors/actresses from that one TREK movie are no longer with us...Khan, David, Terrell, Carol Marcus, McCoy, Scotty...Still a great movie, the best TREK movie IMO..

Rob

 

[Praetor]

I dunno, I think he did fine in both, although as David was better in TSFS than TWOK.

 

[RobertScorpio]

I dunno, I think he did fine in both, although as David was better in TSFS than TWOK.

Not for me. I just don't think,with all due respect for Merritt, that they casted a big enough name at the time. I know that Shatner had issues with his casting at the time, though I am not sure as to why. And, true, shatner wasn't the producer of the movie and should have no say.

But I think killing David off as fast as they did, to me, is proof they didn't care for how the character turned out. Oh, you can say it was the 'plot' of the movie. But I can't disagree more. I think killing him off was one of the objectives that drove the plot the way it did.

And, with all due respect to the second Saavik, they did pretty much the same thing to her one movie later when it was apparent, and I know this isn't universal opinion, but it was apparent she just didn't have the spark that Alley had. And since I have seen barely anything from the lady who played SAVVIK #2, except for her pretty good TNG appearence, I think Hollywood came to the same conclusion I did; Good, but no star.

Rob

 

[Praetor]

Oh, I know you're not trying to be direspectful to a dead man and I see where you're coming from. I actually agree that TPTB thought so, about both David and Saavik, especially when you consider that both characters were originally added to inject 'youth' into the crew, and, in some ways, supersede their older counterparts so the franchise could continue. Earlier drafts for the script of TWoK place much greater emphasis for this and even made David Marcus a sort of 'rebel leader' on a planet taken over by Khan. From what I understand, though, Harve Bennett also felt films had to have a 'karmic' balance - the death of Spock was in exchange for the salvation of the Enterprise, the death of David and the Enterprise in exchange for the salvation of Spock. I agree that clearly no one was that fond of Robin Curtis, and even I always preferred Kirstie Alley, although perhaps it was more the character approach - half Romulan vs. full Vulcan.

I imagine Shatner might have felt threatened by David in a similar way that Kate Mulgrew felt her job a bit endangered by Jeri Ryan, but obviously it didn't work out the same way.

There's actually a somewhat relevant quote (the only one) from Merritt Butrick's imdb page:

I'm part of a legend. I gave what I had to give at the right time and place for my own personal gratification. I look at my resume at this point and it reminds me of how well I've done in the few years I've done it. What I'm working on in my career is longevity and not instant success. I haven't particularly found the leading man image that I have yet to give, but I certainly explored certain aspects of him. Hopefully, I'll look in the mirror someday and he'll be there.

Poor guy.

 

[RobertScorpio]

Oh, I know you're not trying to be direspectful to a dead man and I see where you're coming from. I actually agree that TPTB thought so, about both David and Saavik, especially when you consider that both characters were originally added to inject 'youth' into the crew, and, in some ways, supersede their older counterparts so the franchise could continue. Earlier drafts for the script of TWoK place much greater emphasis for this and even made David Marcus a sort of 'rebel leader' on a planet taken over by Khan. From what I understand, though, Harve Bennett also felt films had to have a 'karmic' balance - the death of Spock was in exchange for the salvation of the Enterprise, the death of David and the Enterprise in exchange for the salvation of Spock. I agree that clearly no one was that fond of Robin Curtis, and even I always preferred Kirstie Alley, although perhaps it was more the character approach - half Romulan vs. full Vulcan.

I imagine Shatner might have felt threatened by David in a similar way that Kate Mulgrew felt her job a bit endangered by Jeri Ryan, but obviously it didn't work out the same way.

There's actually a somewhat relevant quote (the only one) from Merritt Butrick's imdb page:

I'm part of a legend. I gave what I had to give at the right time and place for my own personal gratification. I look at my resume at this point and it reminds me of how well I've done in the few years I've done it. What I'm working on in my career is longevity and not instant success. I haven't particularly found the leading man image that I have yet to give, but I certainly explored certain aspects of him. Hopefully, I'll look in the mirror someday and he'll be there.

Poor guy.

It may be, and I don't know, that David's demise (and savvik's as well) were brought about by Shatner/Nimoy feeling threatened. But what I absolutely didn't like what they did to David, and this is the writing not the actor, was they made that whole thing up with the proto-matter. He was the one in KHAN who had worries about Starfleet even having such technology, and it turns out, its his protomatter thingy that helped make the thing such a great weapon...Having him turn out to be an unethical scientist, just so that he could be a cheater like his dad, really undermines his 'anti-starfleet' lines in KHAN...

While I never saw his work on SQUARE PEGS, as I said before, I think he nailed the part on TNG. Maybe they casted him, a relatively unknown actor, to show Shatner that he wasn't really a threat to Kirk. Interesting idea....just one of literally thousands of behind the scenes stories that give Star Trek, the production, a complete life of its own....

Rob

 

[Praetor]

It may be, and I don't know, that David's demise (and savvik's as well) were brought about by Shatner/Nimoy feeling threatened. But what I absolutely didn't like what they did to David, and this is the writing not the actor, was they made that whole thing up with the proto-matter. He was the one in KHAN who had worries about Starfleet even having such technology, and it turns out, its his protomatter thingy that helped make the thing such a great weapon...Having him turn out to be an unethical scientist, just so that he could be a cheater like his dad, really undermines his 'anti-starfleet' lines in KHAN...

Agreed. From what I read, this was again an instance of Harve Benett's theory of 'story karma.' Apparently Bibi Besch who played Carol Marcus asked why she wasn't coming back, and Bennett explained that if she came back, she would have to be the one to take the 'protomatter' hit and apparently they felt it was better that David be the sacrificial lamb.

While I never saw his work on SQUARE PEGS, as I said before, I think he nailed the part on TNG. Maybe they casted him, a relatively unknown actor, to show Shatner that he wasn't really a threat to Kirk. Interesting idea....just one of literally thousands of behind the scenes stories that give Star Trek, the production, a complete life of its own....

I have still yet to see him on 'Square Pegs' myself, and am actually rather interested in seeing him in it. I had wondered about them casting someone that Shat might not perceive as a thread, but perhaps did anyway. And he really did nail the part of T'Jon. I have always remembered the quality of his line "Give us the medicine, or this person dies." Sadly, there has been speculation that Butrick had a heroin problem in life that was the origin of the AIDS that he died from, so he may have been overly qualified for that particular role.

 

[Kryton]

In SP he played a high school wanna-be hipster nicknamed "Johnny Slash" but he was just as much of a misfit as the gawky Sarah Jessica Parker and the other two members of the group as well.

And frankly, Johnny Slash was just swishy enough to make a mental impact on me that when I saw Buttrick in TWOK, I was just unable to separate the person from the role.

 

[Praetor]

That happens to me a lot, actually, Kryton. For example, Ben Foster of 'Six Feet Under' will always be the hated Russell to me, and frankly if he wasn't a better actor I couldn't have bought him at all as Angel in X-3 (although that choice by itself is a whole other story.)

I actually just saw a bit of Merritt on hulu on 'SP.' I see what you mean about swishy. That purple hair is wild. I can't help but wonder if he was actually gay as has been suggested? Something I read suggested that he lived in a gay-friendly neighborhood (where Roger C. Carmel 'Harry Mudd' also lived, and died.)

 

[Ronald Held]

I think of him more as Johnny Slash.

 

[Praetor]

Having just watched a full 'minisode' of 'Square Pegs,' I actually enjoyed it, despite hating SJP. I could see how Johnny Slash would be difficult to put out of one's mind when seeing Kirk's son, though.

 

[Kryton]

Well, he did die of complications from AIDS....

 

[DonIago]

^If I'm reading this right, you're making some dangerous interpolations there.

If I'm reading it right.

 

[NathanielM]

I remember that series, man that was like early eighties. LOLOL!

It is also ashamed he died at such a young age of AIDS too...

That is the reason they killed his character, he had become too ill to possibly do another trek movie.


=Praetor;2681510]I thought he worked well, particularly in TSFS when he seemed a bit more Kirk-like.

Then again, I've never seen 'Square Pegs.' What's it about?[/quote]

 

[Praetor]

Well, he did die of complications from AIDS....

In fairness, I'll point out again there's more than one way to get HIV/AIDS, and even then there are several different possibilities.

That is the reason they killed his character, he had become too ill to possibly do another trek movie.

An interesting notion. He did look slimmer in TSFS and he looked a lot older just a few years later on TNG.

Is this supposition or do you have a source?