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[–] AnchoriteMagus@sh.itjust.works 73 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Walter Koenig was a great Chekov, but his role as Bester the PsyCop from Babylon 5 was a more nuanced role that gave him way more to do.

Bester was so great. Great vilain

[–] astronaut_sloth@mander.xyz 15 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I came here to say this. I first saw Walter Koenig as Chekov, but I really loved him as Bester. I've heard that he lights up when people bring up Bester at conventions and such.

[–] AnchoriteMagus@sh.itjust.works 11 points 2 months ago

Can confirm. I was an avid 90s Star Trek convention attendee, and got to hear a couple quick Bab5 anecdotes from him years ago.

[–] i_stole_ur_taco@lemmy.ca 13 points 2 months ago

Bester still gives me the creeps.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 12 points 2 months ago

Best character in the entire series. Never before would have imagined Walter making my skin crawl.

[–] Mostly_Gristle@lemmy.world 31 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Karl Urban was an okay Dr. McCoy, but the 157 different roles he played on Xena Warrior Princess was where he really shined the brightest.

[–] Enkrod@feddit.org 12 points 2 months ago

I honestly enjoyed him more in Dredd (where he had to do more with less) than in Star Trek.

[–] okwhateverdude@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago (2 children)

TIL!

Really only a handful, but that hilarious he had a few characters

[–] cybervseas@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago

Jeffrey Combs must have been busy.

[–] justaman123@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

He really did have range with them. I watched Xena when I was a kid, and I had no idea they were the same actor

[–] ValueSubtracted@startrek.website 30 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Bakula on "Quantum Leap"

Eve Harlow on "Agents of SHIELD"

[–] FordBeeblebrox@lemmy.world 14 points 2 months ago (1 children)

There’s an episode of Scrubs where Bakula plays a janitor and secretly wants to leap back as a little Easter egg

[–] macaw_dean_settle@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Also, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

[–] dohpaz42@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago

Bakula on “Men of a Certain Age”.

[–] Kojichan@lemmy.world 22 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Definitely Scott Bakula.

At the same time, I'm getting the feeling they weren't given the greatest scripts or directors to work with on Enterprise.

I was excited to see where Archer and Malcom would go with their characters, but now they've been distilled too far into an angry little men.

I get the reasoning, but come on. Malcom's a complete wanker past season 3, and Archer's face never changes beyond "It's all about the mission!"

Conversely, I believe Robert Picardo nails his hammy characterization of The Doctor perfectly.

[–] FordBeeblebrox@lemmy.world 12 points 2 months ago

I love the fact that even still with shows like Prodigy or Academy, he’s still willing to show up with that trademark EMH snark

[–] mercano@lemmy.world 21 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Andreas Katsulas had a recurring role as Commander Tomalak on TNG, but he absolutely shone as G’Kar on Babylon 5, especially in later seasons.

[–] crimson_iris@piefed.social 6 points 2 months ago

He gave me goosebumps in several scenes, especially this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJmuHNDcXLQ

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[–] nullPointer@programming.dev 19 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Jeff Combs was excellent in "The Frighteners"

[–] Zorque@lemmy.world 17 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Jeff Combs was excellent in everything, though.

[–] lividweasel@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago

Jeff Combs was ~~excellent~~ in everything, though.

[–] SiliconAvatar@startrek.website 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

And Re-animator, and Castle freak. He has a very good track record in a certain subset of horror movies!

[–] Soupbreaker@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Ayy, +1 for Castle Freak. Isn't that the one where the freak rips off his own ding-dong?

[–] SiliconAvatar@startrek.website 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I honestly don't recall. You'd think that sort of thing would be etched onto your memory 😬

[–] Soupbreaker@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Oh, I was just referencing a bad movie podcast that has frequently mentioned that movie. One of the hosts repeatedly recommended Castle Freak, and claimed that the freak ripped off his own ding-dong. This was subsequently disputed by listeners, and one of the other hosts.

At one point, one of the show's listeners tweeted at Stuart Gordon, asking if the freak ripped off his own ding-dong. Stuart Gordon responded, simply, "No." However, Jonathan Fuller, who played the titular freak, provided the show an autographed picture on which he wrote, "I ripped it off myself!" So the matter still pends.

[–] SiliconAvatar@startrek.website 4 points 2 months ago

Ha, sometimes even the production crew suffer from the Mandela effect 😆

[–] i_stole_ur_taco@lemmy.ca 7 points 2 months ago

How many roles did he play?

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[–] ruuster13@lemmy.zip 18 points 2 months ago

Whoopi Goldberg, Sister Act II

[–] SiliconAvatar@startrek.website 16 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It would be easy to just gesture vaguely at all of Sir Patrick Stewart's career. But your question was about better performances than in Trek, and I actually think he did an excellent Picard during the original TNG run. Not quite a hot take, I know.

However, for a double off-Trek billing, I suggest Green room (2015) where he plays against Anton Yelchin among others. It's a pretty taut little thriller about a punk band on the road that realise to their horror that their gig for the night is at a neonazi club out in the sticks. It goes downhill from there.

[–] Mediocre_Bard_Redeux@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Oh fuck yeah. That movie was wild and Sir Patrick Stewart delivered a truly evil performance.

[–] SiliconAvatar@startrek.website 5 points 2 months ago

It's jarring if you only know him for his cool-headed leader or mentor roles like Picard or professor Xavier... He really lets rip as this extremist POS.

[–] SteleTrovilo@beehaw.org 16 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock

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[–] Zephorah@discuss.online 15 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Mulgrew. Flemeth. (Kidding).

Levar Burton will always be reading rainbow guy, no matter what he does.

Zachary Quinto. Silar. One of the better villains, until the writers went on strike and the show fell off the rails. Granted, this likely just marks the man’s range as an actor.

John Cho. The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon.

Koenig. Bester.

You could argue that everything Stewart does is equally well done. Scrooge. X. Gurney.

[–] SteleTrovilo@beehaw.org 13 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] Rhaedas@fedia.io 19 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Any of his roles are awesome, but I'd hold McCoy up there with the rest. I believed he was the doctor. Criticize the script for lines and actions, but Karl nailed the mannerisms. As he always does. He's got a Gary Oldman ability to become something different every time.

[–] astronaut_sloth@mander.xyz 11 points 2 months ago (1 children)

100% agree. Of all of the Kelvin cast, he felt like Bones. Karl Urban was a fantastic casting decision.

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[–] SteleTrovilo@beehaw.org 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] Zephorah@discuss.online 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

She participated in the greatest movie fight scene ever. Crouching Tiger.

[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)
[–] Zephorah@discuss.online 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)
[–] Zorque@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I think Patrick Stewart was pretty great in that episode of Extras.

[–] MalikMuaddibSoong@startrek.website 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Anthony Montgomery (Travis Mayweather) as Postmaster P in Leprechaun in the Hood

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[–] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 10 points 2 months ago

There's a an admiral in Star Trek Beyond that looked familiar, I had to look it up and it's Shohreh Aghdashloo. A forgettable role, only noteworthy because I recognized the actor.

She plays Avasarala in The Expanse. Total powerhouse performance.

[–] sanzky@beehaw.org 8 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (5 children)

Whoopi Goldberg for The Color Purple.

Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All at Once

Louise Fletcher in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

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[–] Dippy@beehaw.org 7 points 2 months ago

Brent Spiner was brilliant in Master of Disguise, a phenomenal movie

[–] thebardingreen@lemmy.starlightkel.xyz 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Armin Shimmerman was just as good as Principal Snyder as he was as Quark.

I met him at a convention once and got him sign a letter as Principal Snyder, suspending my friend (who's a huge Buffy fan) from Sunnydale High and threatening to expel her. He read it and thought it was hilarious.

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[–] Enkrod@feddit.org 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Damn, nearly did not recognize Keating, his performance in that gif gives heavy David Tennant to me.

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[–] sanzky@beehaw.org 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

curiously, the podcast "the incomparable" made an episode exactly about this topic (more specifically, performances before their trek appearances ) https://www.theincomparable.com/theincomparable/823/

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