How common is it for certain actors to be contractually obliged to appear in every episode of a series? (startrek.website)

submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by horta@startrek.website to c/startrek@startrek.website

3 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I watched a review of the TNG episode "Thine Own Self" a while ago where it was mentioned that Picard doesn't appear until the very end after Data gets back to the Enterprise, after all the scenes of Crusher having the bridge and Riker observing Troi taking the test to becoming a commander. They suggested that Patrick Stewart may not have been around for most of the filming but they needed him to appear at least a bit in the episode because it was in the contract.

Is this a common thing? Yesterday I was watching DS9's "Paradise Lost" and couldn't help but notice that Bashir only has like 3 lines on the Defiant and could easily have not been there. But Quark doesn't appear in the episode at all.

But if Armin Shimerman didn't need to be in every episode they could easily have cut him from the episode "Duet" because the only line Quark has is him wondering whether Bajoran survivors of a labour camp like to gamble.

Maybe I'm just thinking too hard about what happens behind the scenes instead of just enjoying the show.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[-] Thorry84@feddit.nl 1 points 2 years ago

It's also a time management thing. It's usually hard for an actor to do multiple projects at the same time (shooting days can be kinda intensive). So when they commit to a project, they want to know they aren't wasting their time.

If they say yes to one project it would mean they have to say no to another project, but they only get paid based on appearance. If one project pays more per appearance but then has them only appear in 1 or 2 episodes, they may have said no to a project that pays less, but would have earned them more because they would have more appearances. It's often not known in advance whos role gets how much screen time and how much shooting is involved.

this post was submitted on 18 Jun 2023

21 points (100.0% liked)

Star Trek Social Club

10686 readers

35 users here now

r/startrek: The Next Generation

Star Trek news and discussion. No slash fic...

Maybe a little slash fic.

New to Star Trek and wondering where to start?

Rules

1 Be constructive

All posts/comments must be thoughtful and balanced.

2 Be welcoming

It is important that everyone from newbies to OG Trekkers feel welcome, no matter their gender, sexual orientation, religion or race.

3 Be truthful

All posts/comments must be factually accurate and verifiable. We are not a place for gossip, rumors, or manipulative or misleading content.

4 Be nice

If a polite way cannot be found to phrase what it is you want to say, don't say anything at all. Insulting or disparaging remarks about any human being are expressly not allowed.

5 Spoilers

Utilize the spoiler system for any and all spoilers relating to the most recently-aired episode. There is no formal spoiler protection for episodes/films after they have been available for approximately one week.

6 Keep on-topic

All busmittions must be directly about the Star Trek franchise (the shows, movies, books, etc.). Off-topic discussions are welcome at c/Quarks.

7 Meta

Questions and concerns about moderator actions should be brought forward via DM.

Upcoming Episodes