Star Trek almost cast these actors as William T. Riker instead of Jonathan Frakes

In the years since he was first cast in the role of Starfleet Officer William T. Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Jonathan Frakes has become an integral part of the Star Trek franchise not only as an actor but also as a director. Shaping things behind the scenes. However, when the role was cast in the late 1980s, Frakes was not the first choice for the handsome first officer. In fact, he was actually facing off against some other talented artists.

In the end, it all worked out, and Frakes ended up playing a guy who simply couldn’t sit in the chair the way it was designed.As “Star Trek: Lower Decks” once parodied). However, things could have been very different on “The Next Generation” if one of the other actors in the running had gotten the role. In fact, the person who almost took the role and flew with it was none other than Billy Campbell, who would go on to star in the film. The underrated superhero masterpiece “The Rocketeer” In 1991.

In the Star Trek oral history “The 50 Year Mission: The Next 25 Years” by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, producer Rick Berman revealed that Campbell was originally intended to play Riker. However, the head of Paramount Studios at the time, John Paik, didn’t think he would cut the mustard:

“For the role of Riker, we cast an actor called Billy Campbell, who later did a bunch of other good things, and (John) Pike didn’t like him. He didn’t feel he had a sense of leadership. He was going to do it.” “Don’t follow this guy into battle. I think the biggest reason is that he didn’t audition well for the role, and that’s when we went to our second choice, which was Jonathan Frakes, and he turned out to be a great choice.” “

Although it’s better that Campbell doesn’t end up playing Riker (otherwise, he probably wouldn’t have been able to play the Rocketeer). In addition to the wonderful acting of Alan Arkin), and it is interesting to think about him in this role. Perhaps Pike was onto something about his credibility as well; It’s hard, admittedly, to imagine a “Next Generation” character like Worf taking orders from Campbell, especially clean-shaven and looking as good-looking as he was in “The Rocketeer.” He wasn’t the only competitor aside from Freaks, as there were some other famous faces in the mix during the audition process.

Casting for “Star Trek: The Next Generation” began in March of 1987. Then, on April 13 of the same year, The test note came out with the “wish list” For the actors needed for each character in the show. For the role of Riker, then spelled “Ryker,” John Ferraro (who was senior vice president of Paramount Pictures at the time) noted that Ironweed star Michael O’Gorman was a “favorite” for the role because he had a unique charm. O’Gorman was still relatively unknown and had stopped acting only a few years after he auditioned for “The Next Generation,” though he certainly had a rougher look around the edges that would have been more suited to a number one on the show. at that time.

Also named in the memo are Greg Marks, the TV star who played David Bannings in “Days of Our Lives” and Tom Hughes in “As The World Turns,” as well as Ben Murphy, who played Kid Curry in the western “Alias.” The seventies. Smith and Jones.” While Frakes ultimately outdone them all, there was another actor in the mix who perhaps could have beaten him in the role — an actor who would become a “Star Trek” legend himself, no less.

Actor Jeffrey Combs is one of the giants of the genre, much loved from the world of horror and sci-fi. He starred as crooked doctor Herbert West in the “Re-Animator” films, who once played a strange role. Doctor Strange eluded Doctor MordredAnd, perhaps most importantly, he’s portrayed nine different characters in the “Star Trek” series (if you don’t count the multiple versions of Weyoun as separate characters). This is too much Screen time in the “Star Trek” universe.And it all happened because Combs tested Riker.

Although Combs lost out to Frakes for the role, the latter remembered Combs when he had the opportunity to direct an episode of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and have him play Tyrone. As much as Combs struggled with the character’s makeupThis allowed him to work with René Auberjonois, who played the mutant Odo and later directed the “Deep Space Nine” episode “Family Business.” While casting that episode, Combs suggested the Ferengi villain Liquidator Brunt, and since makeup would hide his appearance enough to fool audiences, the show’s producers gave him the green light. This in turn led to Combs playing characters in four different “Star Trek” shows, making him one of the most prolific “Star Trek” actors.

Basically, Freaks getting the role of Riker was probably the best possible outcome. Otherwise, we would never have gotten to see Combs as one of Weyoun’s characters sniffing around and discovering the textures of all the foods in the replicator (and that’s a world I don’t want to live in).