I am actually very glad Picard wasn't young, it just is far more realistic for someone to have some years under the belt once they reach the level of captain.
I agree that Captain Picard being older and Riker being young, they could explore more storylines with both characters, not to mention how much they both changed. Remember in the beginning Captain Picard being uncomfortable with kids on the ship, to mellowing out later on, and Riker being impetuous and a little brash to being a little more refined as a Starfleet officer
I always assumed english is the basic language everyone learns and ther own natural language as a secondary. So Picard spoke both french and english all his live wich of course would eradicate his accent.
I seem to recall an episode where Data refers to “an obscure language known as French” and Picard glares at him for a moment before moving on to other things.
I wonder if that led to the french government banning by law the use of certain English words in order to protect the "purity" of the french language. Strange lot them frogs.
I met Doohan around 1980 and he shook my hand with his left hand, which I thought was awkward and strange. I didn't know he was missing a finger until many years later. He didn't want his injury to frighten a ten year old boy. He was a very thoughtful man.
i met him in 1990 and he felt me up with his right hand, so i guess he still used it for some things. It was a trek con in Tx. The trip home was the most stressful 24hrs in my life. Getting felt up was pretty much what kept me going. i knew i had a great story after that. Never really told it, but i had it to tell if i wanted to!
I had no idea that Frakes had a back injury. Once again we have a case of an actor who chose to "own" his limitation and use it. It looked so natural for him to swing his leg over chairs and lean on objects that way. Very dominating.
Same here. I love how he incorporated his back problem into his character. Same with Andrew J. Robinson, drawing on his real life claustrophobia in certain episodes of DS9.
A non trek example is the Bartlett maneuver in West Wing, Martin Scheen has a shoulder injury from birth and because of it has a unique way of putting a suit jacket on, to the point that it became a trope in the show.
Its not a fact, just an urban legend. I have seen both arguments both without a confirmation of Frakes himself, just third parties affirming of denying the fact. But i actually think that the maneuver is a personal trait, He is tall and commands respect with the beard and the eyes, and he was a predator of any human and alien females alike. He was just displaying his physical power. Injury or not lol.
Also, the reason Riker has a beard in is because of a writer's strike. During the strike between season 1 and 2, Frakes let his beard grow. When Gene Rodenberry saw the beard, he loved it and thought it was very nautical, so the beard stayed.
I seem to remember he also bulked up to almost twice his season 1 size. Lots of gossip about a padded uniform, but his face and neck even looked more beefy.
My dad, a man bald on top since his 20s,was quietly delighted when he watched the pilot of TNG and this fantastic new captain was bald. As time went on and Picard was proven every bit as "manly" as Kirk, but polished and sophisticated, he grew even happier with the new show vs the old. Picard did a lot for mainstreaming bald men as virile leads, VS as paunchy cowards, it was long overdue.
@@zerrodefex I remember Telly Savalas (Kojak) and Yul Brynner (The King and I, Westworld) were touted as sexy bald men for my parents generation, but there were fewer examples back then, but they really paved the way for Stewart, Willis etc to mainstream bald on appealing action heroes and I feel like these days bald down by have any kind of societal taint (as long as it's all well groomed). It's a nice changed because it's s u c h a common thing for most men to have to deal with.
@@60sSam I think that's why it's harder to spot, half a finger missing is obvious but an entire one missing well if you don't see the entire hand at a brief glance you think "hmm his fingers are spaced further apart than normal" and don't think anything more of it.
Here's a fun fact about a character quirk: The reason Picard is always pulling his top to straighten it is that the uniforms were a size too small so they wouldn't ever crease, but this meant sitting down would cause it to shift, and he was always adjusting his outfit as a result. I think it was after season 1 they got properly fitted uniforms because Patrick Stewart's doctor said if he kept wearing that outfit it was gonna damage his spine, which meant he no longer needed to pull his top to adjust it every time he stood up. However, by that point, it had become such an iconic quirk of his, he continued doing it for the rest of the show.
How ive heard it is that the first few seasons (or season? i cant remember when they changed uniform designs) they wore a jumpsuit which was the one you're talking about: a size too small to not crease. Then they got pants and a shirt (i think even because of the issues the actors had with wearing the small clothes for so long). Im guessing the shifting of the shirt just comes from sitting down and standing up, since the fabric seems pretty stiff. (Heard this in an interview with patrick stewart and johnathan frakes)
I noticed just Yesterday the episode where he got turned into a teenager, the kid was Such a good actor! He had all his mannerisms perfect, including the shirt pull! 😁😁😎🖖
I also remember the episode where Data is in command while they search for Riker and Picard, when he takes Worf into the Captain's Lounge to lecture him he does the move himself before turning around to face Worf like he's trying his best to mimic Picard.
I saw him perform once too. Sometime in the middle, he said he was going to do some Picard. I was so excited! He sat down & straightened his shirt, then got up & continued on with his act. It was great!
It seems weird to add one of the Vulcan traditions Nimoy added and not the other: he's the one who came up with the Vulcan neck pinch. He was supposed to punch someone (Shatner, I think) to knock them out. But he thought it seemed to unnecessarily violent for Spock's character, so he suggested Vulcans knew enough about anatomy to hit a pressure point and knock people out. He was asked to demonstrate it, and did so on Shatner, who was an expert at fainting on cue so it would look good on camera.
@@pierrebroussseau9359 Doohan mentioned a nerve pinch he learned in the army. That's why it's in the place of a real nerve center. Do NOT try it, if the person has a lo threshold they might faint. If they don't they'll be really pissed, so not good. :(
@@wilomica I still get a chuckle from McCoy trying to use a Vulcan neck pinch on the Starfleet Security guy in Search for Spock, and the guy just looks at him like "Really, Dr. McCoy? Can we go now?"
g : "what the hell are you doing?!" LS : "the vulcan neck pinch?" G : "no, no , stupid, it's up here, higher. . " ls : "like this?" g : "yeah, you got it!" *faints*
Kate Mulgrew has explained that putting her hands on her hips was actually to help her appear less emotive with her hands on screen. The producers did a lot to try to lessen the fact that the first female captain in a series was in fact female. Including getting her to gesture less with her hands. So Kate simply put her hands on her hips so she wouldn't use them.
That makes sense, since female body language and speech has a tendency to be soft, and agreeable, which is not exactly believable or plausible for what is basically a Navy ship commander. I would not be surprised if RL female commanders use similar tricks. Other than that, I never found that Janeway was stripped of her femininity. In private, she is often seen as very caring and motherly. Imho, they nailed the whole female captain thing. It was never on the nose, or obnoxious, she was just a captain that happened to be a woman.
@@RossTheNinja I dunno, I find leaders to sound more authoritative when they speak softly in situations that allow it. It is an imposition of superiority over another to force them to make an effort to listen to your words with extra care.
@@harryh5620 By friendly fire, no less. After he stormed and took out a pair of machine gun nests with a pistol and a grenade, he was coming back through the smoke and a member of his own squad got jumpy and fired off a shot through the smoke, severing the finger.
The pauses in Kirk's cadence came largely from William Shatner trying to remember his lines. He had a lot of dialogue to learn for every episode and was given very little time to rehearse. (notice that in the films, the long pauses are nearly absent) By his own admission, Shatner is not very good at adlibbing, unlike DeForrest Kelly who was excellent at filling in lines he would forget.
It was also a style of the time - watch some big production films from the 60's and you can find other actors speaking similarly. It was thought to be 'dramatic' at the time.
@@HeatherSpoonheim the style became popular; because it was a way to extend an actors screentime. Adam (Batman) West was infamous for it, and his costars complained about it because he was known to abuse the use of dramatic pauses to a fantastic degree.
Also, watch an episode of Miami Vice in the 80s and they used dramatic pauses slightly differently. “Did you know her?” (Very long pause) “I knew her.”
I seem to remember from reading Shatner’s autobiography that he began using his now iconic cadence when doing some stage work early in his career. Possibly off (off) Broadway? Anyway, small stage, small house, and it was easy for the actors to become aware that the audience wasn’t paying attention to the stage. So he started using dramatic pauses to bring attention to the ‘good bits’... and himself I presume. Of course, a few TOS cast mates were less than impressed with that book, so take it as you will.
There's a video around somewhere that explains that in they switched the tight one-piece uniforms between seasons and replaced them with more more comfortable, loose fitting versions. However, they would bunch up which is why Stewart would straighten it while getting up. On occasion you also see other characters doing it. I think it's just so prominent with Stewart because, well, you see him get up a lot.
Rene Aubrjonois (Odo) and Armin Shimerman (Quark) talked a lot to each other because there makeup chairs used to be so close together that they became friends. They decided to add that to ds9 with having their characters Odo and Quark slowly become friends with each other too.
I had the priviledge to hear Nichelle Nichols singing live at the helper's dinner after the Star Trek Convention in Mannheim (Germany) back in 1994. One of the helpers had her birthday that day and Nichelle insisted to sing her a Happy Birthday. Boy, what a voice!
There is more to the Vulcan Salute. The phrases "live long and prosper" and "peace and long life" are both from the Abrahamic Blessing, which is the blessing recited by the Rabbi's when they use the hand gesture that inspired the Salute. So the whole thing is a shortened, interactive version of one of the biggest blessings in the Jewish faith. Which I find AWESOME. I actually had a teacher at a college I went to who was a Rabbi and he had also peaked during the service, so he is the one I first learned this tidbit from.
I am Jewish and familiar with the ritual. It's not a direct translation. The full translation is "May God bless you and watch over you! / May God's face shine toward you and favor you! / May God's face lift up toward you and grant you peace!" (Num. 6:24-26). It's also technically a "Priestly Blessing" and not an "Abrahamic Blessing," recited by kohanim, and not the rabbi, but those are such minor details.
Yes, the traditional "law" is that you're not supposed to look when they do it. It is said that if you look once, you'll be struck blind. And if you look a second time, you'll die. So then the question is: How can you look a second time if you're blind?
@@PhilBagels I guess if you turn your face in ther direction of the speaker, with your eyes open, with the intent of looking if you could see? 🤷♀️ But yeah, peeking a second time after blindness does sound funny. 😂
Everybody peeks. Imagine you're brought to synagogue as a child, and during part of the ceremony, you're told not to look. Can you imagine a child actually not taking a peek? By the time you're an adult, closing your eyes becomes a spiritual thing, and besides - you already saw everything as a child, no reason to peek.
All the French people I knew who were fully fluent in English spoke it with an English accent, since they learned it from british teachers... This is why Picard's English accent never bothered me, and made sense to me...
According to the show, French has become something of a dead language by the 24th century and everyone speaks with an English accent. Always seemed a bit silly to me, why not just have him be educated in England?
Since English is the dominant language on every planet and species in the galaxy, I"m going with what I heard back in the TV days, that the audio track was run through a universal translator. Don't tell me that's not true.
So true. I wondered about it until a high school exchange program to France. All the French kids had British accents when speaking English and I'm then thinking "Ooooh of course! Like Captain Picard!".
i was around 5-6 years old when i started watching TNG and i never even thought about how Picard was British, i was a kid and i had no boundaries of any stereotypes. French accent however would have been quite weird sounding to a kid
In fact, Takei terrorised the entire set and cast with his rapier. It even led to the cast and crew banding together and insisting that he never be let anywhere near a sword again...
Bit like Matt Smith and a fez (Dr Who). His co-stars in the show are the ones who proposed taking it off his head and blasting it with a gun because they knew how he gets about costume oddities.
I feel for Frakes. I severely injured my back a couple years ago, and since then, I noticed how much he does to prevent hurting or even bending his back. He often leans down and rests his hand/arm on something, and leans in his chairs as well.
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The TOS episode The Naked Time is crazy, conceded, but not absurd. It was the time in which every character revealed his true nature, like Bones being essentially a doctor pursuing a cure, Kirk feeling the crushing responsibility of his rank, and most of all, Spock revealing the inner conflict of being biracial. That episode was crucial for the development of that character, of all the characters, and gave the franchise its true beginning.
I was looking for this comment. The virus attacks the brain and neurological symptoms can cause the sufferer to appear drunk. Really unnecessary putdown of a great episode.
Armin Shimerman's portrayal as Ferengi in The Last Outpost served as the default for all Ferengi going forward as well, with his role as Quark being that which all other Ferengi are compared to.
I'm not sure I would say "the default" as in the Last Outpost Ferengi are quite different than we see them later. Similar to Trill & Cardasians but those are changed less. That said Armin's Quark is no doubt the definitive Ferengi. He is fantastic in the role.
Agreed. And I was blown away a few years ago when I realized the same actor Andy Robinson portrayed the crazy serial killer antagonist in "Dirty Harry" over 20 years earlier!
He was the ONLY real character in DS9. I found all the others to be very shallow and you could actually see they were just acting. Garak was so believeable as a character and his acting was so good, he just seemed to be the real deal.
Lt. Doohan was shot six times on Juno beach in a bullet spray from a Bren: 4 times in the leg, once in the chest (stopped by a cigarette case), with the sixth severing his finger. He was shipped back to England to recover, after which he signed up to become a pilot, and was attached to an artillery unit. You really buried the lead there.
Frakes/Riker also has a habit that somehow disappeared later on: he also SAT on consoles a LOT during the first season (and probably 2nd season as well). That gaff was hilariously highlighted when some enterprising (pun full intended) fan edit showed Riker sitting on a console and *BLOWING* up the Enterprise D via butt-dial.
LMAO hilarious edit, but the LCARS panels were a lot smarter then that and could tell the difference between a finger and a butt. In fact they theoretically could also identify WHO's fingers they were and deny access to functions based on that person's intended access level... at least according to the TNG technical manual.
Two comments: I saw an interview with Patrick Stewart on the Tonight Show and toward the end the host ( I can't remember which) said the next guest was to be Reba McIntyre. Steward leapt up with an expression of unalloyed joy and started to shake like a teenager awaiting the arrival of The Beatles. I cannot imagine a more human reaction to meeting a personal idol. If, for no other reason, I have always loved him for that. The second is a memory of getting my 80y/o mother to watch ST:TOS rerums. Like many of "that older generation" she had refused to watch it mostly because of Spock. This episode was the one with Frank Gorshon (sp?) as the man at war with his mirror image. She instantly recognized the deeper meaning and over her remaining years we would watch and discuss various episodes.
@@piratejenny23 The "generation" didn't. There were some people that felt he looked too much like "the Devil", though - And it was a time before science-fiction was generally accepted "mainstream" fodder (Until _Star Wars_ made a ton of money it was considered "kid-stuff")
@@jeric_synergy8581 There were some people (not a majority by any means) in the 60s that felt it was a concern. As stated, up until then science-fiction on TV was _Flash Gordon, Rocky Jones: Space Ranger_ and _Tom Corbett: Space Cadet. Star Trek_ was the first network series aimed at adults. (Twilight Zone and other "anthology" series didn't count). Apparently they were worried how it might affect children...
Always thought it was weird when Riker would do that next to Data, but I also noticed when he'd leave a room it seemed he was slightly leaning to the 1 side as he walked out ... now I know why
Don't forget Walter Koenigs hairstyle as Chekov in TOS was based on The Beatles haircuts, the look of the Borg was based on necessity. They weren't supposed to be humanoid but the production budget in the first series was quite stretched so they gained their look as a cost saving measure. Also Ricardo Montalbans excessively macho appearance in Wrath of Khan was because he wanted to show off his physique and Marina Sirtis had to adopt a neutral accent as Troi because the producers thought two actors with English accents in TNG would have been a bit weird.
I fully identify with Jonathan Frakes. I injured my back and my right foot on my 13th birthday. Because of that, my right leg tended to be longer than the other one. This caused me to develop a limp and made it painful to stand still for any period of time. I tend to stand/lean just like Riker, except to the opposite direction. As for the mounting chairs like Riker, if you sit down the normal way you have to adjust or scoot your chair to get comfortable, which can be painful. But if you lift your leg over the back of the chair and sit down, you are able to get positioned properly without any adjustment necessary. Less movement, less pain. To be able to incorporate a real-life injury and your adjustments for it into a star-making role like Riker is just incredible.
I did something very stupid, just like most 13-year old boys are known to do. I tried to jump out of the back seat door of a 1979 Chevy Nova. This was on a caliche road. My right foot slipped on a rock and it went under the right rear tire of the car. I yanked my foot out from under the tire, but I left my shoe and my sock under the tire. I ended up with two bones in my foot and ankle being broken, and my right leg was stretched by me yanking my foot out from under the tire. At one point my right leg was about one full inch longer than my left leg. I underwent extensive chiropractic treatment for the next 5 years to try and correct the problem, but it still causes me problems to this day, 44 years later. Due to this, I have developed a degenerative disc in my lower back which will act up frequently and cause me to have a noticeable limp due to my favoring my right leg.
Picard works so well as the captain of a ship that is meant to go and do first encounters. I could not imagine anyone better for humanity to send to represent us.
When I met Andy Robison at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 22, I thanked him for being willing to do the wall scene. I told him I had see the episode for the first time in 2020/2021 during a very very difficult period in my life and seeing him perform that scene, under conditions that were very difficult for him to function under, made me realize that YES I did have what it took to get through my own tribulation.
Some of those weren't actual "quirks." Frakes, yes, that was a quirk of Riker. Another example should have been the "Picard Maneuver" where he would tug on his uniform tunic whenever he sat down. This was because the spandex in the uniform caused it to ride up or bunch up, and he incorporated the necessary adjustments into the character.
In the episode where Data is acting captain and Worf is filling in for first officer there is a scene where Data chews out Worf and he even emulates the "Picard Maneuver" just before verbally dressing down Worf.
@@ledeasoakenbough hmm no it's definitely not Attached, they talk about the past in that episode, but there are no flashbacks. I'm pretty sure this is just a screen test.
In TNG one noticeable oddity is that most French people speak with a French accent, but Picard _and his entire village_ (La Barre) speak with a posh South English one, the only exceptions being people who originated in another area of France (and even some of those, after living in La Barre for decades, have adopted the posh English accent). My fanon theory is that during World War 3, there was a mass exodus of South English refugees to La Barre (it's fairly close to England) and their massive influx changed the local accent. It was mostly wealthy, upper middle and upper class families that managed to escape, hence the accent being Queen's English rather than Cockney or Essex.
Patrick's native Yorkshire is audible in certain episodes, e.g. "twenty two years ago, one ship could have stopped this war before it *started*". Shame Geordie wasn't actually a Geordie, e.g. "Haway, Leah, man, pet, man!"
Oh, that's right! On day seventeen, when the auditions were dragging on and no actor stood out, John D turned up in a flash. On the second flash, he pulled off a perfect Aldebaran Serpent and the part was his.
@@karlsmith2570 when asked at a Trek convention if she’d watched any other Trek, Kate said only the Q episodes because you couldn’t go to a John DeLancie dinner party unless you’d seen his work.
@@helencaleb2188 every one of you know nothing about casting. Talk all you want but you dont know that we cast the correct person for the role. We dont settle.
Not the only such instance. When they were casting "My Fair Lady", they snubbed Julie Andrews (who played Eliza on Broadway) for Audrey Hepburn, then dubbed the latter's voice.
When talking about Doohan's missing finger, I can't believe you didn't show the clip from Star Trek !V: The Voyage Home in which Scotty attempts to use a computer mouse to talk to the computer. His missing finger is never more visible than in that shot. "Hello, Computer."
I’ve often wondered if John Le Carre was a Star Trek fan and the writers of Ds9 were LeCarre fans. The name Elim Garak is quite close to being anagrams of the names of the protagonist and antagonist of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Smileys People Elim-Smiley and Garak-Karla. And three years after DS9 premiered LeCarre came out with the novel The Tailor of Panama about a tailor with a secret past who joins the spy business.
@SciFiDude 79 Gary Burghoff is another. Radar's hand was always hidden - except you can catch it a couple of times if you're paying attention. Especially in one scene in the OR when he's made to scrub up and put gloves on. He comes in with his hands up, and you can see the filling in the glove for his fingers.
I grew up with and still have a friend who has been missing most of her fingers from birth and people who knew her for years didn't notice and even got angry when I mentioned it thinking I was lying. She is very good at misdirection when it comes to her hand.
I was ignorant of Doohan's and Frakes' injuries - that alone made this video worth watching! Aside from that, I'd like to state that Martok is next to Worf my favorite Klingon mainly because of the way Hertzler played him - the level of contained badassery between the two is off the charts!
I always assumed that the reason for Picard speaking with an English accent was during World War III, the English finally achieved their millennia long goal of conquering France.
I met Andrew Robinson around 1999 or 2000 in Marietta, GA and he's really one of the good guys. Very kind, generous with his time. Genuine. He and Alexander Siddig too. both just super. All good wishes, fellas!
Marc Alaimo is actually the funniest and well rounded convention cast from the DS9 cast. He was surprisingly warm and cordial in the 90s. He really did method acting for the villain part.
I met him at the flea market in Topanga in 2021, and he was such a nice and down to earth man! I was so excited and thankful :) He even took a selfie with me so I could show my Dad
French-English would make one wonder if Picard was Norman French. The La De Spencers of my family were Norman French until Phillip II kicked them out of Normandy.
@@davidford3115 or an expulsion that occurred post-WW3, for that matter. A possibility that amuses me is he's trying to do 20th-century French, in the same way that Early Modern English sounds to us like oo-arrh English country bumpkin. When he's speaking 24th-century French on the vineyard de hear it fine, 'cos translation convention.
@@davidford3115 There is actually a kind of explanation for that in the Picard "autobiography": At some time in the future, England will conquer parts of France and that's why the Picards, originally English, ended up owning land in France. Shortly after there was world peace and no hard feelings. Or some BS like that, it's been a while since I read that.
I know I'm a little late to the party but I loved this. Great job on it. I didn't realize that the person who played Garak was actually claustrophobic. No wonder it seemed extremely real when those particular scenes were shot. I know how this is as I myself have suffered from claustrophobia and still do to this day.
Could be. I always found his love fore the sport endeering it made him seem more approachable than Picard in my eyes. Then again Sisko in generall was a far more social man then Picard.
As a longtime Star Trek fan, I'm surprised I never noticed Scotty's missing finger! Also the whole bit about Riker and the chairs was pretty funny lol. Stay well out there everybody, and God bless you friends! :)
Gotta give props Franks and being a good actor, by throwing his all into the role, but still respecting his body by not pushing the role to ignore injuries.
My drinking game includes both the Picard and the Riker, and the 1000+ times characters have drinks AND NEVER FINISH THEM, usually just walking away, leaving untouched glasses for someone else to clean up.
My opinion is based on my experience with foreign visitors. For instance Russians studying English would use Great Britain style grammar. So a French person using a nearby language source would be influenced in this study. No surprise.
I think it was mentioned that French was all but a dead language by the 24th century so it would be funny to think that the universal translator translated Picard's french accent to English to make it comprehensible to his fellow officers and aliens.
@@177SCmaro I think JL was just a native bi-lingual character. Grew up on English & French AT the same time. School would have been in English as the entire global education system would have been standardised in every country!
"J. G. Hertzler had autitioned for just about every alien role in Star Trek"... only to lose to Jeffrey Combs every time, who played damn near everyone on Star Trek.
I have to reluctantly agree, A Italian man in italy we had as our groups tour guide spoke in an american sounding accent when using englis, he studied english in America i think and lived American films, so it is possibe
Doohan should have NEVER concealed his hand. That was something to be proud of. A reminder he was part of THE event that changed the course of human history.
Totally agree. I never knew he served on d day till a few years ago. But not I’m watching every scene with him and noticing that he dies hide his right hand.
I agree that he shouldn't have concealed his hand, for the simple reason that they could have made up a story for his missing finger in-universe and it could have connected to a plot or character whenever they liked. It had potential that nobody realized.
@@blazerocker1734 I saw him in person at a public signing event at a store in the late 80’s and the funny thing is I completely missed that he was missing any bit of a finger. And yes, as unpleasant as it surely was to have that happen, I consider that was a well-earned badge of honor, nothing to be ashamed of.
Because the only time they showed His actual hand without it being hidden was on the bridge seen of search for Spock,when they stole the Enterprise. He was handing the parts he took out of the Excelsior's transwarp drive,when he said"Here Doctor,from one surgeon to another" That was the first and only time!! All those control movements,on the transporter etc were stunt fingers!!!
@SciFiDude 79 it appears they cut the uniform fabric on the bias (cockeyed) to get that assymeyrical band at the bottom. Stretchy cloth cut that way will always ride up, tight or not. Also Stewart and Frakes were extremely skinny in S1 and the cloth was seeking their narrow chests to bunch. Looks like they both worked out before season 2 and especially 3 and put on a few lbs in the right places.
Perhaps the best way to make characters relatable is to incorporate the actor's personality into the character. When the actor beings their own experiences and moods to a role, it feels more genuine. On a similar tack, the animated series Archer's characters look like the actors themselves, which is pretty cool.
Andy Robinson said that putting on the costume for the first time was hard because of his claustrophobia, but seeing himself in the mirror made it worth it.
Picard's British accent was later partially explained by the fact that in WWIII, the French population was basically wiped out and the country repopulated by the British. This doesn't really address some of his family members having French accents (though not all of them do), but I think it's kind of a cool explanation... and a very dark one, for a very dark time in Star Trek history. It's rarely spoken of on screen but any time it is, the details of that war just get more and more horrifying.
Rikers back issue I never heard, and also subconsciously it must have gone into my brain, but I watched it religiously in the late 80's early 90's and it never occured to me until you pointed it out.. holy crud!
I met James Doohan, and Walter Koenig years ago, when they were doing appearances for the release of one of the movies on video. It had been a long day for them, and both were clearly tired from signing autographs. When I approached them, I told them I just wanted the chance to meet them, and thank them for their work on the series, both were genuinely nice, and frankly I never noticed the missing finger when I shook hands with James Doohan.
In the Season 1, Episode 5 of “Picard” (Stardust City Rag), Patrick Stewart plays his JLP character who pretends to be a Frenchman - complete with a (ridiculously) thick French accent. You’re welcome! PS: Please have the money transferred to my bank account. (I don’t trust cheques.)
I find it funny that the Cardassians were designed around Alaimo and was so well liked they made him the main antagonist but in the DS9 documentary he says he never felt the love from show runners.
The Hornblower books are indeed a marvel. The character depht and honesty is a joy. A must for people who enjoy buccaneer napoleonic wartime sailor adventures and a good bit of historic accuracy
Great episode! I heard in an interview that George was asked to wield a Samuri sword, but since he was in a fencing class at the time and felt more comfortable with a foil he asked if he could use that.
Star Trek has been my favorite show, movie, or whatever, ever since the very first episode! When my friends and I get into discussions about it, my wife says we sound like we are talking about REAL people, and events!
awesome! thx for the back stories! i've seen every single series a dozen times in replay but i have never seen that scotty is missing a finger! always new stuff to learn.
Thank goodness for this video. I had no idea Frakes had a back injury. I'm now much more forgiving of his stilted acting style. The Doohan revelation was news to me too. Bravo. Once again, Star Trek ... treks the trek with sincerity.
A Frenchman who learned his English in Britain could easily have picked up a taste for it. That episode with his brother implies that Picard was the "lucky" kid who passed the French educational system's big exam and got to go to university, while his brother failed it and went to trade school.
Ahh yes...Earl Grey. I tried it as a result of STNG. I found Earl Grey tea is far better with a squeeze of lemon juice and half a teaspoon of sugar. Try it. It's way better..
Apparently more than one Desilu staffer walking by Takei's trailer thought untoward things about the trailer rocking back and forth during the runup to shooting "The Naked Time"... but it was merely George doing push-ups like his life depended on it.
"Jonathan Frakes asserts his dominance over ever chair he encounters" is a fantastic line kudos to whoever wrote that.
*every
Never be able to forgive him for THAT Thunderbirds debacle though.....
@@daveroche6522
Am I the only person who liked that movie?
@@RhinoBarbarian My mom loved it. I’ve never seen it.
I could not agree more!
I am actually very glad Picard wasn't young, it just is far more realistic for someone to have some years under the belt once they reach the level of captain.
Agreed. Several young women auditioned for Captain Janeway but were deemed not old enough to be a Captain. 👍
Yep.
I would hope so.
I agree that Captain Picard being older and Riker being young, they could explore more storylines with both characters, not to mention how much they both changed. Remember in the beginning Captain Picard being uncomfortable with kids on the ship, to mellowing out later on, and Riker being impetuous and a little brash to being a little more refined as a Starfleet officer
Me too, especially the flagship
I like to think that Picard was speaking French the whole time and the universal translator was giving him an English accent.
Nice one!
LoL I like that suggestion.
I always assumed english is the basic language everyone learns and ther own natural language as a secondary. So Picard spoke both french and english all his live wich of course would eradicate his accent.
Best explanation yet!!
An interesting theory. The only question then is why the translator never worked on Q's French
I seem to recall an episode where Data refers to “an obscure language known as French” and Picard glares at him for a moment before moving on to other things.
One if the first Q episodes, I think?
He did more than glare at him, he went on a mini rant about it.
1st season, "Code of Honor"
I wonder if that led to the french government banning by law the use of certain English words in order to protect the "purity" of the french language. Strange lot them frogs.
@@fus149hammer5 the French government has recently loosened the regional language restrictions.
I met Doohan around 1980 and he shook my hand with his left hand, which I thought was awkward and strange. I didn't know he was missing a finger until many years later. He didn't want his injury to frighten a ten year old boy. He was a very thoughtful man.
i met him in 1990 and he felt me up with his right hand, so i guess he still used it for some things. It was a trek con in Tx. The trip home was the most stressful 24hrs in my life. Getting felt up was pretty much what kept me going. i knew i had a great story after that. Never really told it, but i had it to tell if i wanted to!
@@slaveteri Did you wonder where the middle finger went then when you couldnt feel it? hahhaa
I had no idea that Frakes had a back injury. Once again we have a case of an actor who chose to "own" his limitation and use it. It looked so natural for him to swing his leg over chairs and lean on objects that way. Very dominating.
Same here. I love how he incorporated his back problem into his character. Same with Andrew J. Robinson, drawing on his real life claustrophobia in certain episodes of DS9.
A non trek example is the Bartlett maneuver in West Wing, Martin Scheen has a shoulder injury from birth and because of it has a unique way of putting a suit jacket on, to the point that it became a trope in the show.
I never knew about The Barlett Maneuver. It looks pretty cool.
Its not a fact, just an urban legend. I have seen both arguments both without a confirmation of Frakes himself, just third parties affirming of denying the fact.
But i actually think that the maneuver is a personal trait, He is tall and commands respect with the beard and the eyes, and he was a predator of any human and alien females alike. He was just displaying his physical power. Injury or not lol.
The alternative was muscle failure.
Also, the reason Riker has a beard in is because of a writer's strike. During the strike between season 1 and 2, Frakes let his beard grow. When Gene Rodenberry saw the beard, he loved it and thought it was very nautical, so the beard stayed.
I seem to remember he also bulked up to almost twice his season 1 size. Lots of gossip about a padded uniform, but his face and neck even looked more beefy.
And Frakes would normally have a beard anyway, he was required to shave for the role.
sorry, but that's not true
I like him better with the beard.
He grew the beard for North and South miniseries in the middle of the 1980's
My dad, a man bald on top since his 20s,was quietly delighted when he watched the pilot of TNG and this fantastic new captain was bald. As time went on and Picard was proven every bit as "manly" as Kirk, but polished and sophisticated, he grew even happier with the new show vs the old. Picard did a lot for mainstreaming bald men as virile leads, VS as paunchy cowards, it was long overdue.
It's funny how baldness in men went from being a sign of unmanliness to the complete opposite nowadays.
@@Ezullofyou make me think about the way women mentality has been changed too. Idk if I want to say the words of what's happening to them lately
Picard plus guys like Michael Jordan in the 90s then later on Bruce Willis did a lot to make baldness look badass and more socially acceptable.
@@zerrodefex I remember Telly Savalas (Kojak) and Yul Brynner (The King and I, Westworld) were touted as sexy bald men for my parents generation, but there were fewer examples back then, but they really paved the way for Stewart, Willis etc to mainstream bald on appealing action heroes and I feel like these days bald down by have any kind of societal taint (as long as it's all well groomed). It's a nice changed because it's s u c h a common thing for most men to have to deal with.
I'm 33 years old and have been watching Star Trek since I was 5.... I never caught that James Doohan was missing a finger.
same... except I'm 34. lol
It really is hard to see even though it is the whole finger. I knew it, but could never really spot it without slowing things down.
Only appears once in one of the films. IV I think...at the"transparent aluminium" scene. Wait for it...
@@joshuajudas2414 And in V, as mentioned in the video.
@@60sSam I think that's why it's harder to spot, half a finger missing is obvious but an entire one missing well if you don't see the entire hand at a brief glance you think "hmm his fingers are spaced further apart than normal" and don't think anything more of it.
Here's a fun fact about a character quirk: The reason Picard is always pulling his top to straighten it is that the uniforms were a size too small so they wouldn't ever crease, but this meant sitting down would cause it to shift, and he was always adjusting his outfit as a result.
I think it was after season 1 they got properly fitted uniforms because Patrick Stewart's doctor said if he kept wearing that outfit it was gonna damage his spine, which meant he no longer needed to pull his top to adjust it every time he stood up. However, by that point, it had become such an iconic quirk of his, he continued doing it for the rest of the show.
How ive heard it is that the first few seasons (or season? i cant remember when they changed uniform designs) they wore a jumpsuit which was the one you're talking about: a size too small to not crease. Then they got pants and a shirt (i think even because of the issues the actors had with wearing the small clothes for so long). Im guessing the shifting of the shirt just comes from sitting down and standing up, since the fabric seems pretty stiff. (Heard this in an interview with patrick stewart and johnathan frakes)
I noticed just Yesterday the episode where he got turned into a teenager, the kid was Such a good actor! He had all his mannerisms perfect, including the shirt pull! 😁😁😎🖖
I also remember the episode where Data is in command while they search for Riker and Picard, when he takes Worf into the Captain's Lounge to lecture him he does the move himself before turning around to face Worf like he's trying his best to mimic Picard.
Ah yes, the Picard Shrug
Commander (later Captain) Benjamin Sisko was also pulling his top down all the time (just watched the entire seven seasons of DS9).
Saw Stewart on stage once and when he stood up, he automatically performed the "Picard maneuver". Audience gasped and then clapped.
OMG, I would have died.😂🤩 I see you as very lucky!
Lovely!
I missed Stewart doing Hamlet. My life is truly incomplete.
I saw him perform once too. Sometime in the middle, he said he was going to do some Picard. I was so excited! He sat down & straightened his shirt, then got up & continued on with his act. It was great!
I had the good fortune to see him play Shylock ten years ago, which was a real treat.
It seems weird to add one of the Vulcan traditions Nimoy added and not the other: he's the one who came up with the Vulcan neck pinch. He was supposed to punch someone (Shatner, I think) to knock them out. But he thought it seemed to unnecessarily violent for Spock's character, so he suggested Vulcans knew enough about anatomy to hit a pressure point and knock people out. He was asked to demonstrate it, and did so on Shatner, who was an expert at fainting on cue so it would look good on camera.
It was the "bad" Kirk in "The Enemy Within" Nimoy said he suggested this to the director, who didn't "get it". Shatner understood exactly.
@@pierrebroussseau9359 Doohan mentioned a nerve pinch he learned in the army. That's why it's in the place of a real nerve center. Do NOT try it, if the person has a lo threshold they might faint. If they don't they'll be really pissed, so not good. :(
Oo cool bonus fact. 🤏
@@wilomica I still get a chuckle from McCoy trying to use a Vulcan neck pinch on the Starfleet Security guy in Search for Spock, and the guy just looks at him like "Really, Dr. McCoy? Can we go now?"
g : "what the hell are you doing?!"
LS : "the vulcan neck pinch?"
G : "no, no , stupid, it's up here, higher. . "
ls : "like this?"
g : "yeah, you got it!" *faints*
Dukat’s delivery was awesome and those eyes gave him the intelligent madman look that is so much scarier than a raging Klingon
Kate Mulgrew has explained that putting her hands on her hips was actually to help her appear less emotive with her hands on screen. The producers did a lot to try to lessen the fact that the first female captain in a series was in fact female. Including getting her to gesture less with her hands. So Kate simply put her hands on her hips so she wouldn't use them.
That makes sense, since female body language and speech has a tendency to be soft, and agreeable, which is not exactly believable or plausible for what is basically a Navy ship commander. I would not be surprised if RL female commanders use similar tricks.
Other than that, I never found that Janeway was stripped of her femininity. In private, she is often seen as very caring and motherly. Imho, they nailed the whole female captain thing. It was never on the nose, or obnoxious, she was just a captain that happened to be a woman.
I wish they'd told her to not whisper all the fucking time instead
@@RossTheNinja I dunno, I find leaders to sound more authoritative when they speak softly in situations that allow it. It is an imposition of superiority over another to force them to make an effort to listen to your words with extra care.
Doohan lost his finger on D-Day as part of the Canadian assault on Juno Beach. That man was a true hero.
yeah, it wasn't merely "severed" - it was shot away.
@@harryh5620 By friendly fire, no less. After he stormed and took out a pair of machine gun nests with a pistol and a grenade, he was coming back through the smoke and a member of his own squad got jumpy and fired off a shot through the smoke, severing the finger.
A-Trekkin'-Men!
The pauses in Kirk's cadence came largely from William Shatner trying to remember his lines. He had a lot of dialogue to learn for every episode and was given very little time to rehearse. (notice that in the films, the long pauses are nearly absent) By his own admission, Shatner is not very good at adlibbing, unlike DeForrest Kelly who was excellent at filling in lines he would forget.
It was also a style of the time - watch some big production films from the 60's and you can find other actors speaking similarly. It was thought to be 'dramatic' at the time.
@@HeatherSpoonheim the style became popular; because it was a way to extend an actors screentime. Adam (Batman) West was infamous for it, and his costars complained about it because he was known to abuse the use of dramatic pauses to a fantastic degree.
Also, watch an episode of Miami Vice in the 80s and they used dramatic pauses slightly differently.
“Did you know her?”
(Very long pause)
“I knew her.”
"I'm a doctor not a ..." is always working.
I seem to remember from reading Shatner’s autobiography that he began using his now iconic cadence when doing some stage work early in his career. Possibly off (off) Broadway?
Anyway, small stage, small house, and it was easy for the actors to become aware that the audience wasn’t paying attention to the stage. So he started using dramatic pauses to bring attention to the ‘good bits’... and himself I presume.
Of course, a few TOS cast mates were less than impressed with that book, so take it as you will.
I was sure the "Picard Maneuver" with the uniform pull down due to them being so tight would be on this list.
Maybe the Picard maneuver is too well known?
There's a video around somewhere that explains that in they switched the tight one-piece uniforms between seasons and replaced them with more more comfortable, loose fitting versions. However, they would bunch up which is why Stewart would straighten it while getting up. On occasion you also see other characters doing it. I think it's just so prominent with Stewart because, well, you see him get up a lot.
I have also heard from interviews that Gene Roddenberry had a big pet peeve about wrinkles showing on the futuristic uniforms.
I had a sweater a few years back that also would require this every so often. I'd been doing it for weeks before I noticed it.
@@raenfox Stewart
Rene Aubrjonois (Odo) and Armin Shimerman (Quark) talked a lot to each other because there makeup chairs used to be so close together that they became friends. They decided to add that to ds9 with having their characters Odo and Quark slowly become friends with each other too.
Distant friends?
The actors may have been friends, but the characters were frenemies. I always found their interactions hilarious.
I had the priviledge to hear Nichelle Nichols singing live at the helper's dinner after the Star Trek Convention in Mannheim (Germany) back in 1994. One of the helpers had her birthday that day and Nichelle insisted to sing her a Happy Birthday. Boy, what a voice!
Terrific. That would have been great.
Nichelle Nichols is 100% pure class.
There is more to the Vulcan Salute. The phrases "live long and prosper" and "peace and long life" are both from the Abrahamic Blessing, which is the blessing recited by the Rabbi's when they use the hand gesture that inspired the Salute. So the whole thing is a shortened, interactive version of one of the biggest blessings in the Jewish faith. Which I find AWESOME.
I actually had a teacher at a college I went to who was a Rabbi and he had also peaked during the service, so he is the one I first learned this tidbit from.
I am Jewish and familiar with the ritual. It's not a direct translation. The full translation is "May God bless you and watch over you! / May God's face shine toward you and favor you! / May God's face lift up toward you and grant you peace!" (Num. 6:24-26). It's also technically a "Priestly Blessing" and not an "Abrahamic Blessing," recited by kohanim, and not the rabbi, but those are such minor details.
Yes, the traditional "law" is that you're not supposed to look when they do it. It is said that if you look once, you'll be struck blind. And if you look a second time, you'll die.
So then the question is: How can you look a second time if you're blind?
@@PhilBagels I guess if you turn your face in ther direction of the speaker, with your eyes open, with the intent of looking if you could see? 🤷♀️ But yeah, peeking a second time after blindness does sound funny. 😂
@@PhilBagels Only opened one eye the first time?
Everybody peeks. Imagine you're brought to synagogue as a child, and during part of the ceremony, you're told not to look. Can you imagine a child actually not taking a peek?
By the time you're an adult, closing your eyes becomes a spiritual thing, and besides - you already saw everything as a child, no reason to peek.
I just love that Frakes turned an injury into making his character look SOOOOOO cool!
till he screws it up
Yep he borrowed from the Ken Curtis* school of leg up acting. *Festus from Gunsmoke was also a director of B sci-fi films.
UGH. Poor Brent Spiner having to have Johnathan Frakes' manhood in his face all the time. DISGUSTING
I always got a kick out of his Capt. Morgan stances.
@@CieJe.Alexander Riker was the whole reason Captain Morgan was invented at all
All the French people I knew who were fully fluent in English spoke it with an English accent, since they learned it from british teachers... This is why Picard's English accent never bothered me, and made sense to me...
According to the show, French has become something of a dead language by the 24th century and everyone speaks with an English accent. Always seemed a bit silly to me, why not just have him be educated in England?
Same.
Since English is the dominant language on every planet and species in the galaxy, I"m going with what I heard back in the TV days, that the audio track was run through a universal translator. Don't tell me that's not true.
So true. I wondered about it until a high school exchange program to France. All the French kids had British accents when speaking English and I'm then thinking "Ooooh of course! Like Captain Picard!".
i was around 5-6 years old when i started watching TNG and i never even thought about how Picard was British, i was a kid and i had no boundaries of any stereotypes. French accent however would have been quite weird sounding to a kid
That Spock hand 🖖 is also engraved on the placks mounted on the 2 voyager probes. Both of which are now beyond Pluto. Where no one has gone before.
It's gonna be hilarious when First Contact actually happens and the aliens are gonna think 🖖is the human gesture of greeting
In fact, Takei terrorised the entire set and cast with his rapier. It even led to the cast and crew banding together and insisting that he never be let anywhere near a sword again...
Bit like Matt Smith and a fez (Dr Who). His co-stars in the show are the ones who proposed taking it off his head and blasting it with a gun because they knew how he gets about costume oddities.
I feel for Frakes. I severely injured my back a couple years ago, and since then, I noticed how much he does to prevent hurting or even bending his back. He often leans down and rests his hand/arm on something, and leans in his chairs as well.
The TOS episode The Naked Time is crazy, conceded, but not absurd. It was the time in which every character revealed his true nature, like Bones being essentially a doctor pursuing a cure, Kirk feeling the crushing responsibility of his rank, and most of all, Spock revealing the inner conflict of being biracial. That episode was crucial for the development of that character, of all the characters, and gave the franchise its true beginning.
Agreed.
The "Naked" episodes are my favorites, in both series.
I was looking for this comment. The virus attacks the brain and neurological symptoms can cause the sufferer to appear drunk. Really unnecessary putdown of a great episode.
Damit Jim I'm a Doctor not a Doctors Doctor
Yes! The naked time is a well written and not out of place for the time (ironic) at all. People are so harsh on TOS for the mindsets of the 60's. Smh.
Armin Shimerman's portrayal as Ferengi in The Last Outpost served as the default for all Ferengi going forward as well, with his role as Quark being that which all other Ferengi are compared to.
A giant among Ferengi
@@macswanton9622 That doesn't take much, does it?
9
They can always make a Part 2!
I'm not sure I would say "the default" as in the Last Outpost Ferengi are quite different than we see them later. Similar to Trill & Cardasians but those are changed less.
That said Armin's Quark is no doubt the definitive Ferengi. He is fantastic in the role.
Garak was seriously underused in my opinion, really loved that character.
Agreed. And I was blown away a few years ago when I realized the same actor Andy Robinson portrayed the crazy serial killer antagonist in "Dirty Harry" over 20 years earlier!
The actor playing Garak wrote a star trek book describing his early life as a Cardassian Spy. Adds a nice history to the character.
Garak and Quark are the two best characters on DS9. And all the characters are good
@@gymnastoman1 I loved Jadzia Dax, but I also thought Ezri Dax would have been great, given the time to develop.
He was the ONLY real character in DS9. I found all the others to be very shallow and you could actually see they were just acting. Garak was so believeable as a character and his acting was so good, he just seemed to be the real deal.
When I first saw Doohan carrying the tribbles way back then, I just assumed his finger was folded in for some reason.
Or that a Tribble was noshing on it and it was was just gone and healed after the Tribble decided it wasn't actually food lol.
I just thought the tribble was so fluffy his finger disappeared into the fur.
Did not expect to see you David here! As a huge fan of your channel and a Star Trek fan, Live long and prosper!
@@ShalmendoGlineux that’s what I thought, too.
I learned about the missing finger reading his autobiography. I remember calling into a quiz show with that bit of trivia.
Lt. Doohan was shot six times on Juno beach in a bullet spray from a Bren: 4 times in the leg, once in the chest (stopped by a cigarette case), with the sixth severing his finger. He was shipped back to England to recover, after which he signed up to become a pilot, and was attached to an artillery unit. You really buried the lead there.
Woah! One tough guy!
From a Bren, yes. Friendly fire, poor chap. Shot by other Canadian soldiers. Literally adding insult to injury, I would think.
@@kinsmansteve My father knew a man who was at D-Day and he was so traumatized by it that he refused to talk about it, even to a fellow WWII veteran.
Lead. Buried. Ha!
@@kinsmansteve they apologized, so it's okay.
Frakes/Riker also has a habit that somehow disappeared later on: he also SAT on consoles a LOT during the first season (and probably 2nd season as well). That gaff was hilariously highlighted when some enterprising (pun full intended) fan edit showed Riker sitting on a console and *BLOWING* up the Enterprise D via butt-dial.
😂😂
LMAO hilarious edit, but the LCARS panels were a lot smarter then that and could tell the difference between a finger and a butt. In fact they theoretically could also identify WHO's fingers they were and deny access to functions based on that person's intended access level... at least according to the TNG technical manual.
@@ShalmendoGlineux How about identifying who's butt it was? :P lol
I saw something similar with Picard saying an expletive then the ship going to warp.
You're talking about Alison Pregler's (AKA obscurus lupa) manic episodes. That bit always cracked me up.
Two comments: I saw an interview with Patrick Stewart on the Tonight Show and toward the end the host ( I can't remember which) said the next guest was to be Reba McIntyre. Steward leapt up with an expression of unalloyed joy and started to shake like a teenager awaiting the arrival of The Beatles. I cannot imagine a more human reaction to meeting a personal idol. If, for no other reason, I have always loved him for that. The second is a memory of getting my 80y/o mother to watch ST:TOS rerums. Like many of "that older generation" she had refused to watch it mostly because of Spock. This episode was the one with Frank Gorshon (sp?) as the man at war with his mirror image. She instantly recognized the deeper meaning and over her remaining years we would watch and discuss various episodes.
What objection did her generation have to Spock?!
@@piratejenny23 IRC with the pointy ears he looks like the devil. 😈😈
@@piratejenny23 The "generation" didn't. There were some people that felt he looked too much like "the Devil", though - And it was a time before science-fiction was generally accepted "mainstream" fodder (Until _Star Wars_ made a ton of money it was considered "kid-stuff")
@@_XR40_ , "the Devil". Wow. I'm sorry, but that is simply nuts.
@@jeric_synergy8581 There were some people (not a majority by any means) in the 60s that felt it was a concern. As stated, up until then science-fiction on TV was _Flash Gordon, Rocky Jones: Space Ranger_ and _Tom Corbett: Space Cadet. Star Trek_ was the first network series aimed at adults. (Twilight Zone and other "anthology" series didn't count). Apparently they were worried how it might affect children...
Always thought it was weird when Riker would do that next to Data, but I also noticed when he'd leave a room it seemed he was slightly leaning to the 1 side as he walked out ... now I know why
Don't forget Walter Koenigs hairstyle as Chekov in TOS was based on The Beatles haircuts, the look of the Borg was based on necessity. They weren't supposed to be humanoid but the production budget in the first series was quite stretched so they gained their look as a cost saving measure. Also Ricardo Montalbans excessively macho appearance in Wrath of Khan was because he wanted to show off his physique and Marina Sirtis had to adopt a neutral accent as Troi because the producers thought two actors with English accents in TNG would have been a bit weird.
Monkees! Not Beatles. But yes.
I fully identify with Jonathan Frakes. I injured my back and my right foot on my 13th birthday. Because of that, my right leg tended to be longer than the other one. This caused me to develop a limp and made it painful to stand still for any period of time. I tend to stand/lean just like Riker, except to the opposite direction. As for the mounting chairs like Riker, if you sit down the normal way you have to adjust or scoot your chair to get comfortable, which can be painful. But if you lift your leg over the back of the chair and sit down, you are able to get positioned properly without any adjustment necessary. Less movement, less pain. To be able to incorporate a real-life injury and your adjustments for it into a star-making role like Riker is just incredible.
How did you injure your back?
I did something very stupid, just like most 13-year old boys are known to do.
I tried to jump out of the back seat door of a 1979 Chevy Nova. This was on a caliche road. My right foot slipped on a rock and it went under the right rear tire of the car. I yanked my foot out from under the tire, but I left my shoe and my sock under the tire. I ended up with two bones in my foot and ankle being broken, and my right leg was stretched by me yanking my foot out from under the tire. At one point my right leg was about one full inch longer than my left leg. I underwent extensive chiropractic treatment for the next 5 years to try and correct the problem, but it still causes me problems to this day, 44 years later.
Due to this, I have developed a degenerative disc in my lower back which will act up frequently and cause me to have a noticeable limp due to my favoring my right leg.
Picard works so well as the captain of a ship that is meant to go and do first encounters.
I could not imagine anyone better for humanity to send to represent us.
When I met Andy Robison at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 22, I thanked him for being willing to do the wall scene. I told him I had see the episode for the first time in 2020/2021 during a very very difficult period in my life and seeing him perform that scene, under conditions that were very difficult for him to function under, made me realize that YES I did have what it took to get through my own tribulation.
Some of those weren't actual "quirks." Frakes, yes, that was a quirk of Riker. Another example should have been the "Picard Maneuver" where he would tug on his uniform tunic whenever he sat down. This was because the spandex in the uniform caused it to ride up or bunch up, and he incorporated the necessary adjustments into the character.
And Spock's eyebrow lift was overlooked.
In the episode where Data is acting captain and Worf is filling in for first officer there is a scene where Data chews out Worf and he even emulates the "Picard Maneuver" just before verbally dressing down Worf.
I love the episode where Picard goes home and the actor that played his brother actually looked like his brother
I actually wonder where the scene at 11:29 can be seen. It looks so weird.
@@bernds6587 it is an episode in the memory of Beverly and Jean-Luc. It involves the death of her husband. S7E8 Attached
@@ledeasoakenbough hmm no it's definitely not Attached, they talk about the past in that episode, but there are no flashbacks.
I'm pretty sure this is just a screen test.
@@bernds6587 screen test I think?
@@sendtothisone I don't know what episode but I've seen it, it's a flashback.
In TNG one noticeable oddity is that most French people speak with a French accent, but Picard _and his entire village_ (La Barre) speak with a posh South English one, the only exceptions being people who originated in another area of France (and even some of those, after living in La Barre for decades, have adopted the posh English accent).
My fanon theory is that during World War 3, there was a mass exodus of South English refugees to La Barre (it's fairly close to England) and their massive influx changed the local accent. It was mostly wealthy, upper middle and upper class families that managed to escape, hence the accent being Queen's English rather than Cockney or Essex.
it wasn't after ww3 it was after brexit
Patrick's native Yorkshire is audible in certain episodes, e.g. "twenty two years ago, one ship could have stopped this war before it *started*".
Shame Geordie wasn't actually a Geordie, e.g. "Haway, Leah, man, pet, man!"
@@neiloxley7229 “I’ll be doon in engineerin’ if yee need owt!”
@@popstalerfilm7782 I mean the Vulcans did Brexit, so it can’t _all_ be bad, right? …Right? 🫠
my last name is gauthier...neither i nor my husband or the family speak in a french accent....so why should picard:)
It's a little known fact that John DeLancie nailed his portrayal of Q by simply... being Q. Now that's method acting!
Oh, that's right! On day seventeen, when the auditions were dragging on and no actor stood out, John D turned up in a flash. On the second flash, he pulled off a perfect Aldebaran Serpent and the part was his.
I think you mean Q has nailed his performance of John DeLancie...
;)
A d that he and Kate Mulgrew are really good friends in real life
@@karlsmith2570 when asked at a Trek convention if she’d watched any other Trek, Kate said only the Q episodes because you couldn’t go to a John DeLancie dinner party unless you’d seen his work.
@@helencaleb2188 every one of you know nothing about casting. Talk all you want but you dont know that we cast the correct person for the role. We dont settle.
I have seen scotty most of the scenes you showed and NEVER noticed the hand. You learn something new each day.
I feel so sad and angry on behalf of Nichelle about that singing bit, now. They pulled a Smelly Cat on her. Funny in fiction. Infuriating IRL.
Not the only such instance. When they were casting "My Fair Lady", they snubbed Julie Andrews (who played Eliza on Broadway) for Audrey Hepburn, then dubbed the latter's voice.
When talking about Doohan's missing finger, I can't believe you didn't show the clip from Star Trek !V: The Voyage Home in which Scotty attempts to use a computer mouse to talk to the computer. His missing finger is never more visible than in that shot. "Hello, Computer."
I’ve often wondered if John Le Carre was a Star Trek fan and the writers of Ds9 were LeCarre fans. The name Elim Garak is quite close to being anagrams of the names of the protagonist and antagonist of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Smileys People Elim-Smiley and Garak-Karla. And three years after DS9 premiered LeCarre came out with the novel The Tailor of Panama about a tailor with a secret past who joins the spy business.
I believe that James Doohan hid his missing finger because people would have been too busy looking at it, and wouldn't pay attention to his character.
@SciFiDude 79 Gary Burghoff is another. Radar's hand was always hidden - except you can catch it a couple of times if you're paying attention. Especially in one scene in the OR when he's made to scrub up and put gloves on. He comes in with his hands up, and you can see the filling in the glove for his fingers.
@@tonsilsthecat3430 That was at least partly because a missing finger would mean he was ineligible to serve in the army.
To be honest, when his right hand was shown, even openly in "Relics", I never noticed the missing finger!
to this day he is the most quoted character of TOS
I grew up with and still have a friend who has been missing most of her fingers from birth and people who knew her for years didn't notice and even got angry when I mentioned it thinking I was lying. She is very good at misdirection when it comes to her hand.
I was ignorant of Doohan's and Frakes' injuries - that alone made this video worth watching!
Aside from that, I'd like to state that Martok is next to Worf my favorite Klingon mainly because of the way Hertzler played him - the level of contained badassery between the two is off the charts!
I always assumed that the reason for Picard speaking with an English accent was during World War III, the English finally achieved their millennia long goal of conquering France.
The English have learned to ignored French. It is easier to to keep a eye on them, when they live in France.
this is show that i cant live without it ..even in 2021...
I met Andrew Robinson around 1999 or 2000 in Marietta, GA and he's really one of the good guys. Very kind, generous with his time. Genuine. He and Alexander Siddig too. both just super. All good wishes, fellas!
Dude's been around forever, he was the bad guy in Dirty Harry which was like 1970.
Geez, I never noticed that about Doohan's hand before. Guess they did a damn good job hiding it.
I met James Doohan once and managed to shake that hand.
They did the hand thing with radar on mash. Always a clipboard or paper in his hand.
@@HHh-qe2ch, that one I knew about because my Mom pointed it out to me. But never knew about Scotty.
@@mcarp555, was it one of the coolest moments ever? I imagine it would be. Were you tempted to ask for "warp speed Mr. Scott"😂😂
haha, when i first read your comment, my brain turned it into "damn good hand job" 😳😂
Marc Alaimo is actually the funniest and well rounded convention cast from the DS9 cast. He was surprisingly warm and cordial in the 90s. He really did method acting for the villain part.
Apparently he was pretty weird, but hey, to pull off the excellence that was Dukat, you might just have to be a bit weird.
I've heard from a fair number of directors that the nicest people make the best acted bastards...
I met him at the flea market in Topanga in 2021, and he was such a nice and down to earth man! I was so excited and thankful :) He even took a selfie with me so I could show my Dad
I love that, in Star Trek: Picard, Jean-Luc talks both in actual French and, separately, weez uh comedee Fronch accsont.
Awww-hawhawhaaaww!
French-English would make one wonder if Picard was Norman French. The La De Spencers of my family were Norman French until Phillip II kicked them out of Normandy.
@@davidford3115 or an expulsion that occurred post-WW3, for that matter.
A possibility that amuses me is he's trying to do 20th-century French, in the same way that Early Modern English sounds to us like oo-arrh English country bumpkin. When he's speaking 24th-century French on the vineyard de hear it fine, 'cos translation convention.
@@davidford3115 lol Normandy was a country long before the formation of France.
@@davidford3115 There is actually a kind of explanation for that in the Picard "autobiography": At some time in the future, England will conquer parts of France and that's why the Picards, originally English, ended up owning land in France. Shortly after there was world peace and no hard feelings. Or some BS like that, it's been a while since I read that.
I know I'm a little late to the party but I loved this. Great job on it. I didn't realize that the person who played Garak was actually claustrophobic. No wonder it seemed extremely real when those particular scenes were shot.
I know how this is as I myself have suffered from claustrophobia and still do to this day.
I’m so glad they decided against the wig for Picard.
Almost as glad as I am for the continued existence of the audition footage of Stewart wearing it.
I wasn't as bad as the one on Reg Barclay.
I had always thought that when Scotty was carrying the Tribbles, his finger was just tucked under, so interesting! Great list here!
omg.. me too!!!😂
I've always wondered if Sisko's absolute adoration for baseball is rooted in a real-world love of the sport for Avery Brooks...
Could be. I always found his love fore the sport endeering it made him seem more approachable than Picard in my eyes. Then again Sisko in generall was a far more social man then Picard.
I was surprised at his backstory hatred of Picard and the Borg due to what happened when Jean-Luc was Locutus.
@@ElectroDFW He basically designed the ultimate Borg-killer ship, I was surprised when he punched Q in the face.
@@Reddotzebra *you* were surprised? Imagine how surprised Q was! 🤣 ROFL
It's implied, but not a sure thing. Of course, anyone who survived that battle, or lost somebody close it, potentially could have a grudge vs Picard.
In case you didn't know, Patrick Stewart referred to his hairpiece at the time as "George". Just thought it was a detail you'd like to know.
It's not a tribble?
I'm shocked!!!
😅😅😅😅😅
As a longtime Star Trek fan, I'm surprised I never noticed Scotty's missing finger! Also the whole bit about Riker and the chairs was pretty funny lol.
Stay well out there everybody, and God bless you friends! :)
Gotta give props Franks and being a good actor, by throwing his all into the role, but still respecting his body by not pushing the role to ignore injuries.
I''d always assumed it was Nichelle doing the singing as well as the dancing in Star Trek V. Man, that's a new low.
I don't blame her for being pissed when she learned of the unnecessary voice switch.
Nichelle has an amazing voice
That is cruel. Especially since she can sing.
The "shirt tug". We used to have a drinking game based on this. Every time a character tugged their uniform tunic, you had to drink. 😂😂
The *real* Picard Maneuver!
How did you survive?
My drinking game includes both the Picard and the Riker, and the 1000+ times characters have drinks AND NEVER FINISH THEM, usually just walking away, leaving untouched glasses for someone else to clean up.
I always thought that Picard's english accent could just be the universal translater aclimatising the french so that its easier to understand
My opinion is based on my experience with foreign visitors. For instance Russians studying English would use Great Britain style grammar. So a French person using a nearby language source would be influenced in this study.
No surprise.
I just assumed the British reconquered France during WW3.
@@RunnerX13
They might as well. Everyone else has.
I think it was mentioned that French was all but a dead language by the 24th century so it would be funny to think that the universal translator translated Picard's french accent to English to make it comprehensible to his fellow officers and aliens.
@@177SCmaro I think JL was just a native bi-lingual character. Grew up on English & French AT the same time. School would have been in English as the entire global education system would have been standardised in every country!
"J. G. Hertzler had autitioned for just about every alien role in Star Trek"... only to lose to Jeffrey Combs every time, who played damn near everyone on Star Trek.
Combs played a few characters in DS9, but not until three years after The Wounded.
Combs as Weyoun was the perfect toady. He spit on those below him and groveled to those above him.
😂
@@ntdscherer Combs had a total of 4 characters on DS9. He was a Cardassian in one of the early seasons
@@Ertwin123 Yes, starting in 1994. Three years after The Wounded aired.
Having met many, many Europeans in my life, it makes perfect sense for a Frenchman to have an English accent when speaking English.
I have to reluctantly agree, A Italian man in italy we had as our groups tour guide spoke in an american sounding accent when using englis, he studied english in America i think and lived American films, so it is possibe
Doohan should have NEVER concealed his hand. That was something to be proud of. A reminder he was part of THE event that changed the course of human history.
Considering that the original series aired back in the 60's, the point of view was likely very much different than it would be today
Totally agree. I never knew he served on d day till a few years ago. But not I’m watching every scene with him and noticing that he dies hide his right hand.
I agree that he shouldn't have concealed his hand, for the simple reason that they could have made up a story for his missing finger in-universe and it could have connected to a plot or character whenever they liked. It had potential that nobody realized.
@@blazerocker1734 I saw him in person at a public signing event at a store in the late 80’s and the funny thing is I completely missed that he was missing any bit of a finger.
And yes, as unpleasant as it surely was to have that happen, I consider that was a well-earned badge of honor, nothing to be ashamed of.
@@blazerocker1734 True, though living in the 23rd century, they'd also probably want a story reason he didn't just get a new finger.
How, the actual F, have I never noticed Doohan's missing finger?
I read it was missing years ago, but he hid it pretty well. Today was the first time I really saw it.
Because the only time they showed His actual hand without it being hidden was on the bridge seen of search for Spock,when they stole the Enterprise. He was handing the parts he took out of the Excelsior's transwarp drive,when he said"Here Doctor,from one surgeon to another" That was the first and only time!! All those control movements,on the transporter etc were stunt fingers!!!
I knew. Bummer he felt he had to hide it.
Same here. I didn’t know he served up to a few years ago. I’ve rewatched the STO and only now noticing it. Apparently Radar from MASH was the same.
@@mgrant011 Radar's fingers on his left hand ,I think,were webbed on his middle and ring finger almost up the second knuckle.
I like the Picard Maneuver: Whenever he stands up, he tugs the front of his tunic down into place.
@SciFiDude 79 it appears they cut the uniform fabric on the bias (cockeyed) to get that assymeyrical band at the bottom. Stretchy cloth cut that way will always ride up, tight or not.
Also Stewart and Frakes were extremely skinny in S1 and the cloth was seeking their narrow chests to bunch. Looks like they both worked out before season 2 and especially 3 and put on a few lbs in the right places.
Later on they also changed the overalls into shirts and pants. That helped quite a bit.
Garak was by some margin the best DS9 character.
It's between him and Martok, but I think Garak edges it.
Perhaps the best way to make characters relatable is to incorporate the actor's personality into the character. When the actor beings their own experiences and moods to a role, it feels more genuine.
On a similar tack, the animated series Archer's characters look like the actors themselves, which is pretty cool.
Andy Robinson said that putting on the costume for the first time was hard because of his claustrophobia, but seeing himself in the mirror made it worth it.
"asserts his dominance over all chairs" , lol. Amazingly I never noticed it. The legleaning yes, but the chairs ^^ damn.
indeed, and I also hadnt noticed several of the quirks pointed out in the vid. ... "Fascinating".
Yeah it’s not some thing that Ever caught my attention either. Seems odd that I never noticed it
Picard's British accent was later partially explained by the fact that in WWIII, the French population was basically wiped out and the country repopulated by the British. This doesn't really address some of his family members having French accents (though not all of them do), but I think it's kind of a cool explanation... and a very dark one, for a very dark time in Star Trek history. It's rarely spoken of on screen but any time it is, the details of that war just get more and more horrifying.
Rikers back issue I never heard, and also subconsciously it must have gone into my brain, but I watched it religiously in the late 80's early 90's and it never occured to me until you pointed it out.. holy crud!
I met James Doohan, and Walter Koenig years ago, when they were doing appearances for the release of one of the movies on video. It had been a long day for them, and both were clearly tired from signing autographs. When I approached them, I told them I just wanted the chance to meet them, and thank them for their work on the series, both were genuinely nice, and frankly I never noticed the missing finger when I shook hands with James Doohan.
I will gladly sell all my earthy possessions just to get my hands on that tape of Patrick Stewart attempting a French Accent.
I second this
I can assume then that you didn't watch ST: Picard because he does it as a disguise in one of the later episodes....it is baaaad
In the Season 1, Episode 5 of “Picard” (Stardust City Rag), Patrick Stewart plays his JLP character who pretends to be a Frenchman - complete with a (ridiculously) thick French accent.
You’re welcome!
PS: Please have the money transferred to my bank account. (I don’t trust cheques.)
@@benjamindorrance1361
Great, I’ll take your money too!
@@M-20-100 I'll send you some gold pressed latium asap
"Gold the cat". LOL People who watch with the captions on will get this.
I find it funny that the Cardassians were designed around Alaimo and was so well liked they made him the main antagonist but in the DS9 documentary he says he never felt the love from show runners.
I got the impression that while not a bad guy Alaimo is just one of those people that can be difficult.
He was truly great as Dukat though.
The Hornblower books are indeed a marvel. The character depht and honesty is a joy.
A must for people who enjoy buccaneer napoleonic wartime sailor adventures and a good bit of historic accuracy
You can see a great side of Martok when Sirella arrives on DS9. He sounds gentlemanly. And when he says "Shall i escort you?" he sound almost posh.
This list demands to be a series in and of itself more please
Second this!!!
Great episode! I heard in an interview that George was asked to wield a Samuri sword, but since he was in a fencing class at the time and felt more comfortable with a foil he asked if he could use that.
Nope, that was a lie George used to justify not using a katana.
@@gpettigrewgmailcom :o
Star Trek has been my favorite show, movie, or whatever, ever since the very first episode! When my friends and I get into discussions about it, my wife says we sound like we are talking about REAL people, and events!
You are!! We have all been so impacted by the characters that we treat them like family!
awesome! thx for the back stories! i've seen every single series a dozen times in replay but i have never seen that scotty is missing a finger! always new stuff to learn.
That was the best French accent EVER from voiceover man ! It was almost as if I was in Paris !
1901: “speak softly and carry a big stick.”
2021: “speak slowly and have a long neck.”
And drink beer from a long neck.
🤣🤣😂
@@boydmerriman but avoid the Corona
I can sympathize with Frakes' manspreading chair mount it does relieve my back pain.
This was absolutely amazing to witness. Thank you for all of your hard work to provide us such wonderful entertainment!
The Riker maneuver is now even more awesome than it already was.
What fun! I've been a Trekker for years and have never noticed these mannerisms before! I shall go back and watch the episodes with fresh eyes.
This is def one of my fave TrekCulture vids. Love it Marcus. Great Job!
"Bones, this man's leg is broken."
"Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor not a..... Oh right."
Lol!
Thank goodness for this video. I had no idea Frakes had a back injury. I'm now much more forgiving of his stilted acting style. The Doohan revelation was news to me too. Bravo. Once again, Star Trek ... treks the trek with sincerity.
I knew he had a back injury but how bad or how he got it wasn’t sure.
It's funny, it never registered for me back when TNG was on the air originally that Riker stepping over chairs was out of the ordinary.
I don't know why, but the Marc Alaimo story made my week. Thanks.
"Beyond Antares" is Star Trek's most beautiful musical contribution. Nichelle Nicholls gave it life.
Ah, yes: Picard and his very French love of Earl Grey.
Don't forget his intricate knowledge of Shakespeare and the fact that a real rider owns his own saddle.
@@HappyBeezerStudios It's the 23rd century, I guess by then (especially including transporters) planet earth has become quite multicultural :D
A Frenchman who learned his English in Britain could easily have picked up a taste for it. That episode with his brother implies that Picard was the "lucky" kid who passed the French educational system's big exam and got to go to university, while his brother failed it and went to trade school.
Ahh yes...Earl Grey. I tried it as a result of STNG. I found Earl Grey tea is far better with a squeeze of lemon juice and half a teaspoon of sugar. Try it. It's way better..
@@chuckymcnubbin1518 Make it so
My headcanon is that Scotty lost his finger in his early years as an engineer in an accident
An accident at a pub, yes ...
yup!!!
I am glad to FINALLY know what's up with Riker's leg thing. Thank you for making this.
Apparently more than one Desilu staffer walking by Takei's trailer thought untoward things about the trailer rocking back and forth during the runup to shooting "The Naked Time"... but it was merely George doing push-ups like his life depended on it.