First viewed : Uncertain
Without being a particularly devoted fan of the original series, the idea of a re-boot with Yorkshire thespian Patrick Stewart replacing William Shatner seemed pretty dodgy. It seemed like the Beeb thought so too as there was a three year time lag between its first broadcast in the U.S. and its appearance here on BBC Two. I don't think I ever watched a full episode right through but occasionally I'd end up catching snatches of it before or after something else. The only thing that really sticks in the mind is an episode that was some sort of thirties detective parody with Stewart as a Sam Spade-type character ; stumbling on it mid-way through, it took me some time to realise which series I was actually watching.
Ironically, it was the exorbitant salary demands of Shatner and Nimoy that gave the project the green light in the first place. Credit to Stewart and his colleagues that they did manage to carve out their own niche and overcome the resistance of hardcore Trekkies. The series came to an end in 1994 with the show still high in the ratings because the makers wanted to concentrate on films with the new cast instead. Spin-off series have kept the flag flying to this day.
Though never one for the original (or even subsequent) series in the franchise, I enjoyed this, though it did take a fair while to find it's own voice beyond Gene Roddenberry's cliches. Stewart's acting chops also doubtless carried what might have been some ropey stories through, but the cast did grow over time that the pressure was taken off the lead.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's stuck in my memory enough to know, without Google, that Captain Picard's detective alter-ego was called Dixon Hill.