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Posted by Ben in Some Other Things on January 18th 2009 @ 1:10am GMT
io9 just posted this unfortunate article concerning a casting decision on the latest season of Chuck...
...which led me to post this comment...
io9 is not a particularly great blog. They're not above posting wholly inaccurate information, and their editorial slant is "Scifi we think is great is great, scifi we think sucks is sucky, and dems der fax." This is another example of that, and it's just... irritating. It's akin to complaining about Wil Wheaton being cast in something simply because he spent a couple of years playing Wesley "We're from Starfleet, we don't lie" Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation, ignoring the fact that he's played some great roles incredibly well in recent years.
D'oaaargh. It's enough to make me want to kick a puppy.
NBC has named the actor who'll portrayChuck's missing father at the end of the current season, and he's definitely got a sci-fi pedigree. In fact, that might be why we're so conflicted about him.
Scott Bakula will don nerdish guise in his new role as Chuck and Ellie's missing dad for at least three episodes of the NBC show (Presumably, the three episodes that will also feature Chevy Chase as the man who stole his great ideas), and we're... torn.
On the one hand, Bakula's Sam Beckett inQuantum Leap remains one of our favorite time-travel shows (not least of all because of Dean Stockwell's garish and dated outfits as sidekick Al Calavicci), but on the other... Star Trek: Enterprise. I think you all understand where we're coming from with that one (Somewhere in between is his turn in the 1990s mini-series version of The Invaders, fittingly. It wasn't that great, but it wasn't that bad, either).
Depending on which Bakula turns up to the Chuck set - the stern, stiff Enterprise one, or the more charming and laid backQuantum Leap one - we're either looking forward to his episodes when they start in April, or hoping that Adam Baldwin can cover for the wit deficiency.
Scott Bakula spies pivotal role [EW.com]
...which led me to post this comment...
Y'see, this is why I don't like io9 anymore. You're questioning the quality of an episode that hasn't even been filmed yet, that probably hasn't finished being written yet, simply because it might feature a brilliant actor who was unfortunately cast in the worst chapter of an otherwise fine scifi franchise.
You have dismissed every role Bakula has played competently (and I'd hold his role as Captain Archer up there, even if Enterprise was a "Phantom Menace" grade disappointment) based on his association with a bad show, which is remarkably disrespectful.
io9 is not a particularly great blog. They're not above posting wholly inaccurate information, and their editorial slant is "Scifi we think is great is great, scifi we think sucks is sucky, and dems der fax." This is another example of that, and it's just... irritating. It's akin to complaining about Wil Wheaton being cast in something simply because he spent a couple of years playing Wesley "We're from Starfleet, we don't lie" Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation, ignoring the fact that he's played some great roles incredibly well in recent years.
D'oaaargh. It's enough to make me want to kick a puppy.
8 Comments
Posted by Phil on January 18th 2009 @ 1:22am GMT
You're well within your rights; kick that fucking puppy. Posted by Roger on January 18th 2009 @ 4:15am GMT
Meh. Do yourself a favor. Go back and WATCH Quantum Leap again now that 20 years have passed. It's awful: hokey, overly religious without need, horrible soundtrack, awful effects, and the acting - with a few exceptions - is trite and immature.Now I will be the first to say that ST:Enterprise was not the best ST series. But the acting was polished. Scott Bakula inhabited that role more than he ever did Sam Beckett. And the series is infinitely more watchable than Quantum Leap. I know because I've watched both of them in the last year via Netflix - and I couldn't finish QL, because it's just too cheesy to keep.
Posted by Ben on January 18th 2009 @ 4:37am GMT
I've also been rewatching Quantum Leap, and it's still (in my mind at least) a brilliant show.But we're not debating whether or not QL is better than ENT. What we're discussing her is io9's dismissal of Bakula's casting in Chuck because of his involvement in ENT. It's awful journalism, but that seems to be what io9 is all about - misinformation.
Posted by Euan on January 18th 2009 @ 12:25pm GMT
"the worst chapter of an otherwise fine scifi franchise" - excuse me but what? Have you even seen Voyager? It's terrible. None of the characters are likeable, the storylines can start out strongly (although most don't even do this) but always have crap endings. It's just.... ugggh.Personally, I'd rank Enterprise under TNG and TOS but above Deep Space 9 and miles above the crap-fest that was Voyager. It really hit its stride in the third series but sadly it was already too late to win back the viewers (after a lacklustre series 2). I'd agree with you if you were just talking about the finale of Series 4, though. That was awful (and I discount it from canon due to the fact it all takes place in a holosuite program, which has got to be at least a bit innacurate).
Also, Quantum Leap was gold. It could be even better if done today but it's still gold.
In conclusion - nobody diss the Bakula, for he is mighty.
Posted by Euan on January 18th 2009 @ 12:26pm GMT
Also.... Voyager - Neelix. NEELIX. Worst chapter... sheesh.
Posted by Ben on January 18th 2009 @ 7:01pm GMT
Deep Space Nine > Next Generation seasons 3-7 > Enterprise season 4 > TOS > Voyager > Next Generation seasons 1-2 > Enterprise seasons 1-3And Bakula is one of the finest actors in the business.
Posted by Catherine on January 18th 2009 @ 9:37pm GMT
Stay thy boot! If someone kicked a puppy every time they read a crappy blog, we'd be knee-deep in dead puppies. Posted by tim on January 26th 2009 @ 1:34pm GMT
I'll jump on the puppy-kicking bandwagon, too. The problem with Archer wasn't Bakula but the writing and production. Berman and Braga went to great pains to make it "not Star Trek" to appeal to non Trek fans (for no apparent reason) that it sucked. Then in the fourth season Coto tried to lure back Trek fans with tired and trite stories (bogus explanation for Klingon differences and a pointless revisit to the Mirror Universe). Gaah! Let Bakula show up and judge him for his performance once you see it. 
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