Sirtis Talks Baird's Approach To Trek X

Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi) today talked about what it was like working with director Stuart Baird on 'Star Trek: Nemesis.'

"Stuart doesn't have the knowledge of Star Trek that anyone who's been involved with the show — whether it's Jonathan [Frakes] or even ['Generations' director] David Carson or the actors — would just naturally have," Sirtis told the Sci Fi Wire.

"We have butted heads a little bit," she continued. "Because we'll say, 'This is the history,' and Stuart will say, 'Well, I don't really care about the history. I'm approaching this like it's the first Star Trek movie.'

"I don't think anybody's really done that before. I think it's going to be interesting to see how it turns out. I think it's possibly a good way to approach it, to have a new voice in there who's not locked into the past. It might bring some freshness to the franchise that it might not necessarily have had otherwise. The risk is that you could go too far away from what people want and expect. But hopefully it's somewhere in between."

The previous two Next Generation feature films were directed by William Riker actor Jonathan Frakes. Stuart Baird came to the franchise with a host of big-name titles on his resume; including directing 'US Marshall,' and 'Executive Decision' and editing work on 'Tomb Raider.' 'Nemesis' is the first time he has been involved with the Star Trek franchise.

Sirtis gave an example of the way Baird butted heads with the actors on the movie. "You had the actors saying, 'My character wouldn't do that or say that,' and I'm sure Rick [Berman] talked to Stuart about not straying too far from what's worked for so long. And John Logan [screenwriter] certainly knows the show inside and out.

"So if it's fresh and familiar at the same time, we could really be on to something."

The original interview with Sirtis can be found by following this link to the Sci Fi Wire.

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