Breaking News: Ben Cross cast as Sarek

Now this really makes no sense. Maybe Sarek was supposed to be this much older than Spock's mother in the original Star Trek? Cross is 59, Winona Ryder is 36.

George Takei is also trying to master JJ Abrams' new math. Takei notes in the Glasgow Daily Record that he was only 27 in his first appearance as Sulu. New Sulu John Cho is 35, he says. Takei said of William Shatner, "Bill is a magnetic actor, but he is not the easiest person to work with."

www.startrek.com
www.dailyrecord.co.uk

Breaking News: Kirk's Father and Henchman Cast

Variety reports that Chris Hemsworth will play George Kirk, father of Captain James T. Kirk, and Clifton Collins will play the evil henchman to Eric Bana's Nero in the new Star Trek film. Reaction ranges from, "Who?" to a defiant shrug of the shoulders. Apparently, these guys are in a few movies currently in production, and therefore are unknown and - most importantly - cheap to hire for the studio. Ho hum. This is boring news, but it will be interesting to find out more about Kirk's father in the movie.

www.variety.com

Breaking News: Avoid Star Trek Spoilers Today

There is a report on the web that some familiar plot device in the new film will be achieved through a familiar device in the Original Star Trek, but to say more would be a spoiler. A number of spoilers are coming out in the last few hours, so avoid the Daily Herald or IESB.net if you don't want to know! But if you do want to know...

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=76097

www.iesb.net

Something called Hollywood UK is also claiming to have the first photo of Zachary Quinto as Spock.

Breaking news: Winona Ryder to play Spock's mother

This is a few hours old. Variety reports Winona Ryder has been cast as Spock's mother, Amanda Grayson. Others have reported this in the last few hours, but here is exclusive analysis: While she may be a good actress, isn't she way too young (36) to be Zachary Quinto's mother? Am I the only one who realized this?

www.variety.com

Lights, Camera, Action!

Filming has officially begun on the new Star Trek movie, reports TrekMovie.com. These are outdoor shots as sets for the Enterprise, etc., are still under construction. No word if Chris Pine was involved in today's scenes. In a related report, an open casting call will be held this weekend in Burbank for extras with "unique faces." No word if the Gorn has submitted his head shot.

www.trekmovie.com

The Negotiator's Master Class

Consider the mastery of communication through facial expressions on display in William Shatner's Priceline print ads. Of course, these ads are in the new Shatner persona. But any actor - including Chris Pine - should consider these print ads a free master class by the master himself, William Shatner. There are words, ad copy, in the design. But the face says all that and more. Think about it: you have to sum up an idea in one frame of film. The man is simply leaping out of the page! When the new Star Trek movie tickets go on sale, will the Negotiator let you Name Your Own Price?

www.priceline.com

A Professor's Opinion

Even the academics are weighing in on the casting of Chris Pine as Captain Kirk. Lawrence Krauss is professor of physics and astronomy at Case Western Reserve University, and also wrote the books The Physics of Star Trek, and Beyond Star Trek. Does this guy have any spare time? If you missed the class, Julie E. Washington of The Cleveland Plain Dealer took notes for you:



"Will fans — who are understandably wary after the fast demise of television's "Star Trek: Enterprise" and the mothballing of the movie franchise — learn to love Pine, Quinto and Urban with the same fervor as Shatner, Nimoy and Kelley?"



Capt. James T. Kirk
Original actor: William Shatner, currently portraying attorney Denny Crane in "Boston Legal."
New actor: Chris Pine.
Where we've seen him: Music manager Jake in "Just My Luck," neo-Nazi assassin in "Smokin' Aces."
Krauss says: "He looks like a fine young man. The key thing is, can he overact?"



www.cleveland.com/plaindealer

And the Oscar goes to... William Shatner

William Shatner received acclaim for his acting skills in an article today on www.washingtonpost.com - regarding his performance in Star Trek III:

"Our beloved hero Admiral Kirk has just found out that his son is just murdered, stumbles backwards and falls, then declares in a dramatic outcry, 'You Klingon bastard, you killed my son.' He then musters the strength to get up and utters the line more emphatically and angrily. It's not so much just his declaration but the reaction shots from his friends and colleagues Scotty and McCoy, who look onward with equal grief with glistening tears in their eyes, sharing the shock and grief of the moment. . . . People joke about men crying in movies but I say, hey, it's dark and who is going to see you?"
-Joe Darr, 42, Bowie, MD

Can Chris Pine stack up to Bill Shatner? That is why we are here.

From Martinsville, Indiana

The news is hitting the midwest and Morgan County's Reporter-Times has this Chris Pine nugget:

Pine, 27, has appeared as Lindsay Lohan's love interest in "Just My Luck" and as a neo-Nazi assassin in "Smokin' Aces." His father, Robert Pine, has played a couple of roles in Star Trek ("Liria," "Tavin") and performed with Michael Dorn on CHiPs, according to the Star Trek Web site.

http://www.reporter-times.com

Sarge

The example of acting technique in the previous entry is particularly relevant to our analysis of Robert Pine, and how his acting skills - if inherited or learned by his son - would make Chris Pine a worthy successor to William Shatner as Captain Kirk. We were discussing the ability of an actor to express something without words. Shatner has that skill. And so does Robert Pine.

Often, actors such as Robert Pine - underrated and therefore given few leading roles - can utilize their abundant talent to make the most of a supporting performance. Pine did so for many years on CHiPs. In the character of Sarge, he was able to project leadership qualities much as Shatner did as Kirk. Pine is one of those actors, like Fred Thompson or Morgan Freeman, who can play a leader so well that you wonder why he hasn't been drafted to run for public office yet.

But acting without words - there is one example of Robert Pine's mastery of this that comes not from a TV show or motion picture, but rather from a commercial. As I recall, it was for a car battery. Two men have left their cars in the long-term lot at an airport while traveling for business. Upon arriving back, there is a terrible blizzard and it is 20 below zero. Of course, one man (Robert Pine) has the brand-name battery in his car. The other guy has XYZ brand. Pine's car starts right up; the other won't start. But the story here is told through Pine's expressions. First as the confident businessman. Then, when he realizes the other guy's cheap battery has failed, he shakes his head, chuckles, and makes an expression of "what a knucklehead." In the end, Pine gives the other guy a ride home. His acting was the only memorable thing about this commercial.

So, the question is, has Chris Pine inherited that ability and others? If he has, he will be well suited to follow an actor such as Shatner, who can make a 30-second scene into an Oscar-worthy performance.

Can anyone else be Captain Kirk?

William Shatner, best known as Captain James Tiberius Kirk, is often highly underrated as an actor. Many people are caught up in the post-Star Trek IV era, when Shatner embraced the comedic side of his public persona. Primarily because it was working for him. But before that, Captain Kirk was a very serious character. Just watch the original series or the first 3 Star Trek films. Certainly, as in many great examples of literature and film, there was always an element of humor in Star Trek. But it was only an element. Only with Star Trek IV and the later films did humor become more central in both fiction and real life.

It is therefore hard for some people to realize that Shatner is a serious and accomplished actor, and in fact, a Shakespearian understudy. All of these skills came into play when Shatner took on the role of Captain Kirk. His unique mannerisms are synonymous with Star Trek's greatest Captain. Shatner not only has tremendous screen presence, but also the ability to project an aura of leadership, charisma, intelligence, strength, and integrity. You could understand why Kirk commanded respect from his crew and opponents. Kirk is a uniquely American hero, but also a hero and leader in the traditions of Western Civilization. Just ask yourself which captain you would want defending Earth against alien invaders, or even just in a global crisis. The only post-original series moments when anyone came close to matching Kirk were Riker at the end of Best of Both Worlds, Part I and Picard in the later TNG movies. But neither one had all the elements of Kirk.

You have to examine even the minor details of a Shatner performance to fully appreciate his acting skill. One of the greatest challenges in acting is to express something without words, whether it be emotions, information, thoughts, etc. This is an area of expertise for William Shatner. Consider the episode with the Kirk double loose on the Enterprise. The evil Kirk is hiding when he hears the real Kirk alert the crew over the intercom. Kirk notes that the evil Kirk can be distinguished by the scars on his face. Evil Kirk thinks in a moment of panic, then finds concealing makeup left out. Using the mirror, he applies some to the scars. As they begin to vanish, his face changes from wondering if it will work to realizing that - yes! - this is going to work! A series of thoughts are communicated solely through facial expressions. Then he flawlessly switches from Evil Kirk into his regular Kirk persona to fool a crewmember into giving him his phaser.

This particular acting skill is something William Shatner has in common with another great actor, Robert Pine.

Permission to come aboard

Proceed at Warp Ten to the new destination for news and analysis of Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk. Welcome to the first entry and I hope you will visit again soon. Of course, there are many Star Trek websites where one can get "inside information." This blog is not trying to compete with those. Instead, I am presenting the latest developments and providing my own analysis of Chris Pine's attempt to become the "new" Captain Kirk.

When it was first announced that new actors were going to be cast in the roles of the original series, I thought this would be a complete disaster. William Shatner is Captain Kirk. He made the character and embodies the role. Aside from his great acting skill, his mannerisms and screen prescence made Captain Kirk the icon he became.

Then it was announced that actor Chris Pine had been cast as Kirk. While my concerns are still valid - can Pine possibly become Captain Kirk in convincing fashion? - this particular choice has also created intrigue for me. The reason for that intrigue is that Chris Pine is the son of another immensely talented actor, Robert Pine. Most people remember Robert Pine as "Sarge" on the television series, CHiPs. While that performance was a tour-de-force, he also has starred on other programs - including later Star Trek series, ironically - feature films, and commercials. Which leads me to wonder, what if Chris Pine has inherited his father's acting skill and were to bring that to the role of Kirk?

I should begin by discussing what makes Captain Kirk, as played by William Shatner, virtually impossible to cast.