Earl Grey 59: The B, C, & D Team

Casting TNG with Larry Nemecek. The familiar credits roll during every episode of The Next Generation. But how did our favorite actors get these timeless roles? And how close did other actors come to crewing the first version of Star Trek to take place in the 24th century? In this episode of Earl Grey, "Dr Trek" himself, Larry Nemecek, joins us to discuss casting The Next Generation. Darren, Phillip, and Daniel talk about how important it was to get "famous" names in Trek's second televised live-action incarnation, where each of the actors were in their careers in the mid 1980s, and how close Wesley came to being "Leslie" Crusher. Larry also reveals what actors lost out in being cast in the main roles and in what subsequent episodes they appeared in as guests, as well as which actor ended up being cast in a main role in a later Star Trek series. Get your glossy headshots ready, break a leg, and join us in discussing the casting process on TNG.   Hosts Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser   Guests Larry Nemecek   Editor and Producer Darren Moser   Associate Producers Become one! Support Trek.fm and Earl Grey at the $25/month level or higher! Visit http://patreon.com/trekfm   Chapters Patrick Stewart (3:07) LeVar Burton (10:17) Marina Sirtis / Denise Crosby (18:30) Phillip Returns (24:08) Wil Wheaton (25:10) Gates McFadden (29:28) Runner-up Choices (31:40) Jonathan Frakes (33:55) Big Names (35:15) Brent Spiner (38:25) Michael Dorn (43:15)   Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact Visit the Trek.fm website at http://trek.fm/ Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.com/trekfm   Support the Network! Become a Trek.fm Patron on Patreon and help us keep Star Trek talk coming every week. We have great perks for you at http://patreon.com/trekfm