David Jones Interview - "We're Gonna Need Backup!"

[00:00:00] Hey, this is David Jones and you're listening to Open Pike Night. The best podcast to have on in the background? Is this thing on? Hello, hello. Welcome to Open Pike Night, the Strange New Worlds podcast where your personal logs are the prime

[00:00:38] directive. I'm your host John T. Bolds here tonight with an amazing guest on stage and collars waiting in the wings to take a look back at some of the smaller roles our favorite

[00:00:48] actors took on before their names were on the poster, as well as some of the shining guest stars in the Star Trek universe. Joining me tonight are my co-hosts. First up, the man who named

[00:00:59] Under the Cloak of War as his favorite episode in a season that also contains those old scientists. Podcast Redshirt, Jesse Bailey. Look, it's not that those old scientists isn't amazing, obviously it's amazing. But under the cloak of war has so much more,

[00:01:16] dare I say, David Jones meat to it. And the man who is just so extra host of Green Shirt and Newbies Trek through the next generation, Cameron. Yeah. See, I went opposite of extra. I was, see, I like it. Expectations. Okay. All right.

[00:01:39] And as if that all weren't enough, tonight we're joined by an actual member of Starfleet Black Ops straight from the Moon of Jigal, actor and model, Mr. David Jones. David, welcome to Open Pike Night. Thanks for having me. It's an honor.

[00:01:53] Thanks for being here, man. I mean, you're, you know, we've had collars who have been guest hosts before, but this is our first collar who has also been a, then a guest on Open Pike Night, I believe. After Melissa Navia, of course. Yeah.

[00:02:09] You're a very exclusive club. Awesome. That's awesome. Absolutely. Well, let's just jump into it then, David. What did you want to be when you were growing up? I don't even remember. Like that was so long ago. Like I always grew up watching Star Trek,

[00:02:26] so I'm sure my earliest memories were always wanting to be in Star Trek. Like I even had a data costume when I was a kid growing up that my grandma made for me. And I still actually have the toy phaser with me. That right there. Nice.

[00:02:41] Nice. That's a good phaser. Yeah, exactly. I grew up, like I said, I grew up before. I think my first ever movie was first contact. I don't remember if I ever saw generations in theaters. So that just maybe grew up with a franchise and

[00:02:55] after COVID, I just decided to get into it finally and stop procrastinating. That's cool. Now, before that were you pursuing modeling before COVID then or how did you get into that? Yeah, actually, it was actually a funny story. It was actually modeling underwear for a local store.

[00:03:15] And then we ended up, you remember, obviously you guys know the movie Bad Santa, but Billy Bob Ford. So that was actually one of my first ever photo shoots was doing a Christmas themed Bad Santa photo shoot. So I'm sure you could tell how that went.

[00:03:28] And it just trickled down from there. I just had a lot of people say, you know, you have to look, let's go shoot something. And it just kept going year after year and finally after COVID that first year, a few friends of mine were like,

[00:03:42] why don't you go take it to the film industry? It's only down the road from you. And here we are. Nice. How many years were you doing it then? Seven years. I haven't done them much since I got into acting. So obviously time availability

[00:03:55] so chaotic. But yeah, well it just started in actually when my debut was in Gotham Knights. And then a few people were when I was on set on Gotham Knights were like, oh, I was on Star Trek Strange in World Season One. I'm like,

[00:04:07] I'm going to get there one day and I saw the opening and that was it. Very awesome. Were you doing it full time or was it just kind of a side gig the modeling? Just part time here and there just doing being creative having fun, right?

[00:04:21] So how accurate is Zoolander to the world of male modeling? That was a little bit not my area of expertise. But I definitely know people that definitely do that and it's interesting. Well, let's listen to Abby's question now then.

[00:04:40] Hey, open pike and David. This is Abby Summer from the First Flight Podcast. I love background actors and I love watching background actors. It's one of the things I do when I watch TV and especially Trek because there's a lot going on there.

[00:04:53] So could you tell me something that you have done as a background actor that you didn't expect to make a final cut but actually did? And what do you do to pass the time if things get a little

[00:05:05] tedious and boring sitting around waiting for all the things to happen? I figure that background actors get a lot of that just like you do when you're in any type performance. So I hope this finds all of you well and that we get to see David doing more

[00:05:19] background stuff under the cloak of war was exceptional and sticks with you and we will all talk soon. Great question, Abby. I always enjoy your content as well too. So when I was doing under the cloak of war that selfie I took with all the facial scars,

[00:05:36] I was actually expecting that to be my big intro into Star Trek. But it ended up being when we're on the Moon in Jigol and you see it is building with all the gadgets and computers and stuff like that. That ended up being my

[00:05:50] intro to Star Trek and the only time you see me with all the facial scars is actually in the Sonic Sour Sheen with Embega when he's having the flashbacks and you don't even get to see

[00:06:00] it. I'm like, come on man really? What in between takes like especially on Star Trek? I have ADD so I can't sit around for 12 hours doing absolutely nothing and you never know if

[00:06:13] you'll ever get back on Star Trek. So my whole thing was like when I did my costume fitting and everything even the wardrobe people definitely knew this is not just a regular job for this guy,

[00:06:23] he's a Trek-y. So that I think they all appreciated that and all the wardrobe people talking to the ADs, etc, etc. So I think they started realizing that on set. So they let me

[00:06:36] walk around even when we weren't shooting and stuff like that. So you gotta be in the right time in the right place, right? And you never know if you don't try. That's cool. That's really cool

[00:06:47] that they were like, let's give you kind of the lay of the land and let you do your thing because yeah I mean you realized a dream that a lot of people have man that's really cool. Yeah,

[00:06:58] you don't know if you don't try it right? Like it could be the only chance I ever get into there again and I want to be on camera, right? So just a lot of these workers,

[00:07:07] a lot of these producers were ADs. They all know who's good workers, who wants to work and I'm here. Use me, right? Right. That's great. Aside from Gotham Knights and Strange New Worlds what other projects have you appeared in or let's start with worked on and then we'll

[00:07:24] move to which ones you actually appeared in. So I was recently in the Eli Ross Slasher movie Thanksgiving. Yeah. I loved it. I've grown up all my life watching AMC Fear Fest on you know, in Halloween season. I watch it religiously every year as much as I can

[00:07:40] and definitely when the Halloween movie show up, gone there, PVR and recording it. So the minute I heard that there was going to be a Slasher movie filming they were really happy. It was

[00:07:52] Eli Roth as well too. I didn't think they want everybody knowing exactly what production it was going to be. So the minute I heard, I'm like, you know, I'm in let's go this and it like how well

[00:08:03] it ended up turning out to be right. I was hoping for a glorious death scene, you know, worth the song and story. Unfortunately, I did not get that. But you know, you do get a pretty good

[00:08:15] shot of what was your direction on that? How did they tell you to perform that? So Eli was there with us and he was like, you know, we're having a protest scene.

[00:08:24] It looks like you're going to be the main security guy in front of the store. Just get everybody they can't come in here to the store just get them to stay away, right? And let all

[00:08:33] the customers come out and stuff like that. And that was basically just it. It had just be a be a big intimidating security guards. And I loved every minute of it. And like did you kind of come up what were you thinking when you were performing the role?

[00:08:45] Well, did you kind of come up with what your character was thinking at the time or were you just kind of being a presence? Just being a presence or exactly just if you're on the security guard, you are not coming in my store. You're staying outside

[00:08:58] and that's as far as you're going to get. So when they chose you to be the security guard in front of the door that kind of gets the featured security guard in that sequence,

[00:09:09] like are you all lined up and they kind of walked by and picked you out or was it kind of more happenstance? How did that work out? So do you have any of you seen Thanksgiving?

[00:09:19] Right. Yep, I just watched it last night. Thank you for giving me a reason to finally get to it. So I was actually at the, you know, when their main cast go to the right march

[00:09:30] just before they rush to Black Friday. So I was there as well too with the other guys. But I think the camera cut me off in both spots. You can't see me there as well too.

[00:09:39] So there was about seven or eight of us all security guards, you know, hired for the job to be in the movie. Right? But there's he only picked maybe two of us

[00:09:49] to actually get used the whole time and everyone else was behind the store just out of focus. Right? So I don't know. Maybe maybe there's, you know, producers are seeing something the directors are seeing something than me. Like I am mixed, right? So I don't know if that's

[00:10:02] helping with all the BIPOC like the that they're really looking for right now and using in Hollywood or just maybe it's almost my time. Yeah, there you go. You know, Bruce, Bruce Willis was an extra. Stallone was an extra. You don't know if you don't try, right?

[00:10:17] 100%. Exactly. So what other what other productions have you been on? Ceno evil. I was an anchorage police officer in Ceno evil. You are not so invited to my Bob Mitzvah the Adam Sandler Netflix movie that came out during the strike.

[00:10:32] Hmm. I was playing about Mitzvah waiter that that was a lot of fun. As Adam Sandler was fantastic with all of us and you get to see work with Adam Sandler, right? How fun is that? And unfortunately, because of the strikes, there's been a few others

[00:10:48] that have yet to come out. Okay. Okay. So more to watch for. Keep an eye out for those. That's sweet. Yeah. Any any series where you've been able to appear on more than one episode? I rob it like there is a Canadian series called Robin Hood.

[00:11:02] So that was not affected by the SAG after strike. There's all the Canadian production. I was playing a police officer in Robin Hood, you know, the show that it unfortunately did

[00:11:12] not do so well on INDB. But it was a fun Canadian production. I got to play a Sherwood Forest Police Officer with lines as well too. And it was actually it was actually hilarious

[00:11:24] because that was some of the hottest days of summer. And it was hot in those outfits. Oh my gosh. That's awesome. So do you have a strategy to kind of get seen when you go on set or do

[00:11:35] you just kind of follow orders and hopefully that's what helped you stand out? Full of orders, just be there to work, right? Not cause dramas on sets like that. Like some of these call times I've had are so super early on tour. I'm too old for drama. So

[00:11:50] I'm just here to work. Yeah, I'd rather be I'd rather be asleep than causing dramas on sets that some people do. But like I said, maybe because I'm mixed race that I seem to be in push to the

[00:12:03] camera more or just maybe everyone like you'll work with so many of these people on set right from different production to different production. So they always tend to see that you're a good

[00:12:13] worker, right? And who knows? 100% I mean, I'll take a little detour to just talk about my brief stint in the extra field real quick as I've been in a couple Portland productions. I was in an episode

[00:12:27] of Portlandia where I was actually getting to watch us trek in the park performance and that's why we got there because we knew someone who is part of that. And it's funny because you can see me

[00:12:36] right on the edge of frame and then all my buddies you see one of their arms and the rest are all off. It was to be in a next to right? That's right. I let continue that into grim where I

[00:12:47] came on for one you could blink and miss me but I'm there on that episode and then the next episode I came on and got to be a cop and that was cool. So I got like to get into costume

[00:12:55] and everything. And you see me pretty well on that one there came was kind of following me as I walk by and then the main guys walk up. And then and this is the lesson everyone is

[00:13:05] I got a call to come on and be a cop again. I was like, this is it. I'm going to be like that cop who's always in the background. I've got my blood splatter kit from last time.

[00:13:12] It's going to be great. So of course, I was like, yeah, I'll do it. But I just had my kid and we did not really have a set babysitter call sheet yet. So I was desperately calling all my friends

[00:13:22] to see if someone could watch the kid. And like the day before the casting lady called me. She's like, yeah, you haven't confirmed on our website yet. I'm like, yeah, I'm still trying to find

[00:13:29] a babysitter. And they're like, oh, well, we need a confirmation now. So sorry. And then they never called them out. So that's brutal. Be punctual, everyone don't have kids. I can't

[00:13:42] that's interesting. Yeah, I feel like if I were going to pick out a role for you like based solely on profession, I don't think cop would be in but that's no it's interesting. They gave me the

[00:13:53] blood splatter kit. So I was I was the dexter. Right. But I was definitely I was I was there and I was clocking where the cameras were and like the setups and so one of them they're

[00:14:02] like, okay, then once you walk off screen, just kind of go over in that direction. And I was like, well, they've already said the next shot is going to be pointing that way. So I'm going to

[00:14:09] make my character walk that way. And sure enough, you can see me way in the background in the next shot. I love it. That's fun. But yeah, no, it's a lot of fun being on set, right?

[00:14:18] And it gives you insight into the industry. If you want to continue further, because you get to see the ins and outs, right? Like I had that same experience on Gotham Knights, I was supposed to play a Gotham City police officer. It was shooting Good Friday in Canada.

[00:14:34] So I'm like, I am not trying to get around Toronto on a good Friday of all times. So they ended up shooting in Hamilton, the city next to them, filming the rest of the pilot episode

[00:14:43] of Gotham Knights, they're like, Oh, you know, you could be a cop. So this time you're going to just play Bruce Wayne or Warner for his best scene, right? So I actually I made the trailer,

[00:14:53] then they cut me off the shoulders in the episode. I'm like, come on. Oh, man. Like, Dave, you too. I'm like, come on. I was hyping friends up, you know, oh, look, I'm in Gotham Knights. Yeah. So what was that? What was your biggest surprise,

[00:15:09] like starting to work on movie sets? One of your early call times, I'm like, oh my lord. And the lack of like the anxiety, especially when I was doing Star Trek, the anxiety, because again, it was still COVID times, right? And Canada had some pretty strict COVID restrictions.

[00:15:27] So I was trying to avoid people like the plague, you know, because you caught anything, you were out, right? They weren't regardless of cold, whatever. So I was trying to avoid everybody.

[00:15:37] I'm like, this is my shot. I may never be here again. And then just get to that, just get to that sets. So the minute I walked into the wardrobe, I'm like,

[00:15:46] oh my god, this isn't a party city. This isn't a Halloween store. This is a real thing. I nerded out like I didn't even care that the patch said USS Enterprise and how inaccurate that was.

[00:16:00] I'm like, I'm wearing a patch and it says USS Enterprise. How cool is this? That's the right attitude to have. Yeah. Very cool is the answer. Yeah. Eddie, what's the weirdest experience on a movie set you've had so far?

[00:16:14] One of the funniest and maybe weirdest is when we're shooting, you're not so invited to my butt mitzvah. So it was almost about one o'clock in the morning. Everyone's been there since like eight o'clock in the morning, the previous day.

[00:16:25] And I'm on fumes and there's this old guy that's still dancing around to the butt to the Torah and stuff like that. And I'm just dying on set. I'm like, how's a seven year old guy doing me? Like really?

[00:16:37] That's great. That's good. So are you going out? Are you auditioning for speaking roles? I've just recently started into that. Like I'm trying to, like I got told by a few casting directors,

[00:16:52] you have to look, start looking at principal roles. So I've just been slowly trying to get into that. My family was nice to buy me some stuff for Christmas. So hopefully 2024, at least

[00:17:04] more. Hey, nice. What are the audition processes like these days? Are they still Zoom or are you coming in or? Still virtual. Yeah, still virtual. Yeah. But luckily I still have a few friends that

[00:17:18] are giving me tips, aka Michael Chen from Star Trek Discovery. He's helping me out as well too. Yeah. That's awesome. That's awesome. Yeah. Well, another David Jones had to change his name

[00:17:34] when he got in a show business to a certain David Bowie. If you were to have to Don a stage name, have you thought about what it might be? I have a stage name. It's been a modeling stage name for

[00:17:46] years just for privacy. That's why you see Damon on my Twitter page or something like that. I still use that. Just it was actually when I started doing the modeling, they're like, here, this is almost like your name. So I've just kept it for all these years.

[00:18:01] But I'm sure it'll have to get something a little bit more professional or better. Damon Jones, is that what it is? Yeah, exactly. DaoI, I think it was DaoI, Mowen. And I just kept it for years too lazy to change it.

[00:18:15] Okay. Well, there you go. I'm going to suggest David Stone because that's just cool. He's not trying to get into porn, Jesse. No, it's the chisel jawline. Stone is not a porn name. Come on. It's very 70s, whatever the genre is for sure.

[00:18:39] To me, he's going to 70s. So I was on Priscilla and they gave us the 70s Elvis looking mustaches and stuff like that. And I'm like, thank I so they were shooting to Elvis's back.

[00:18:50] So you avoided all our faces altogether. I'm like, oh, thank God because you'll never have to see the 70s porn steps they put on me. Oh, that's right. You were in Priscilla. That's awesome. Can you see your back? Can you spot your back?

[00:19:03] You can see my cop hats. I'm like, well, thank God they never see this mustache and cyclers they put on me. Awesome. Well, yeah, of course, many of our biggest actors started out as just another face on the

[00:19:15] screen at one time, whether it's extras themselves or in smaller performances that all but forgotten. So in that spirit, we are here to also discuss some of our favorite before they were famous roles in a section that we're calling the artist formerly known as Gangbanger

[00:19:29] Number Two. Don't forget to check out our Michael Benier episode. In honor of that, yes, even though his character had a name JoJo, Gangbanger Number Two is fun year. It didn't show up in the credits. So yeah. Yeah, exactly.

[00:19:42] Yeah, check out that episode. Michael also just great stories about like rising up the ranks and acting from small roles to big memorable ones. Yeah. And we did have some callers and write-ins for this. First up is Kate says,

[00:20:00] Greetings all my favorite pre-fame actor performance as Anson Mount as Reverend James Sterling in the Law and Order episode Church. I had yet to know his name when I first saw the episode but his portrayal as a closeted gay ultra conservative mega church pastor turned

[00:20:16] murder suspect really impressed me. Anson's Reverend Sterling is both charismatic and creepy, delivering an oh so sincere yet hypocritical righteousness with a soft southern twang and a wider than white smile. I won't spoil the episode for anyone who hasn't seen it

[00:20:33] but I will say that while Sterling is a slimy character you might also feel sorry for him by the end. That reminds me of another Starship captain's early role with Nathan Phillon and wasn't he the creepy pastor in Buffy? Yes. Oh, I believe so. I think so. Yeah.

[00:20:50] If you want to fly a Starship play a creepy pastor. Was that the beginning of his long storied relationship with the creator who shall not be named? I'm pretty sure it was yes.

[00:21:01] It must have been yeah. Wow. I think so. Yeah. Now he's going to be in Superman. Come on. All right. And we do have a couple other calls. First up here is Marcy. The section

[00:21:13] about before they were famous, obviously I freaking love Ashley Judd and she was in Darmock in the game as Robinson Robin Leffler and TNG. And man, as she became a bigger and

[00:21:28] bigger star like Double Jeopardy was my jam. Like I love that. But if I was going to go for another one it would be Tom Hardy as Clone Picard and Nemesis because Tom Hardy he's so hot.

[00:21:39] Marcy being on brand. I was gonna say. And then finally we have Newman. Hi, open pike night. Newman the space hippie here from the movies for days podcast just want to say hey how's it going to you and Mr. Mr. Jones you got a thing going on.

[00:22:10] And it's pretty cool to say hey to you man. So the call to action this week asked about before they were big stories and as is my want to do I'd love to shout out some horror titles and some

[00:22:26] actors that were in these horror titles who would go on to become big names. These are in no order and there's no organization to this at all. Kevin Bacon early in his career appeared in the

[00:22:39] first Friday the 13th. Charlize Theron very early in her career appeared in Children of the Corn 3. Leo de Caps appeared in Critters 3 very early in his career. Jennifer Aniston as many know appeared in the first leprechaun movie with the great Warwick Davis. Renee Zellweger in The

[00:23:00] Texas Chainsaw Massacre the next generation for those keeping score that's part four in the series and Catherine Heigl in Bride of Chucky. Mr. Jones I'm sure greatness is also ahead for you

[00:23:15] and dude you've already realized such a massive dream that I think deep down a lot of us trek heads are very jealous of so a happy day to all at the open pike night this is Newman the space

[00:23:28] to be out. I'll second Catherine Heigl with the classic under siege to dark territory. I think you're the only person who saw that movie John. I saw it but I don't remember anything. Yeah it's crazy so many people were back like extras right or

[00:23:50] you know some of this list is some of the biggest people in Hollywood now. Yeah I mean you kind of forget that actors usually have a long long career before whatever role you

[00:23:59] know brought them to your attention. It's always fun to kind of go back and watch those movies and be like look at that baby face right there. Yeah. Sonner when he didn't remember then he goes into

[00:24:08] Star Trek or I was even going to say myself in Femme Cajet and she was in the next generation then goes into Goldeneye. Oh man and she's in that really strange new movie Boy Kills World

[00:24:23] where like the main actor is a scars guard but he's mute so his internal monologue is played by H John Benjamin and Femme Cajet is like the main antagonist in the movie so I'm glad to see her

[00:24:36] back in things. Check out that trailer because it is very wacky. All right well we each brought three of our favorites kind of before they were famous performances so it looks like John you're

[00:24:48] starting us off. Okay mine is I say I guess if I'd had to pick a single person I would pick Michael Fassbender from this but I'm just going to shout out the entirety of Band of Brothers

[00:24:59] because there are tons of huge stars in that and it's funny because there's also a really great after they were famous role played by David Schwimmer in that series. If you haven't seen it like I think he like he really really helps cement the tone for

[00:25:18] this series and but I will say Michael Fassbender like he's in I think five or six of the of the episodes throughout the whole. I believe his the character who was playing survived the war but he

[00:25:30] is never the focus of the episode but it's like this giant movie star is just sitting there you know now but also I think Tom it was Tom Hardy's first acting role and he's even a

[00:25:42] smaller role but he's got he's got some lines in there and yeah there are just tons and tons of people in that series mostly men yeah I cannot miss the opportunity to whatever the opposite of a positive shout out is mentioned the while they were famous

[00:26:01] random scene with Jimmy Fallon in Band of Brothers like what and why did somebody owe him a favor like why was he in that I did not like that but I you know like you said it's still

[00:26:15] a bit of a tear jerking scene like yeah it's not a terrible scene I mean it's gravitas but it is an amazing series fully agreed well I really want to thank Newman for calling in with that

[00:26:27] list of horror movies I actually kind of thought of doing that too just because so many people did get their start in horror films I want to single out Kevin Bacon who you know he's fine

[00:26:36] in the movie but his death scene in the first Friday 13th is one of the greatest death scenes of horror movie cinema and cemented Tom Savini as a special effects artist which leads

[00:26:47] into my choice which I kind of reflects John's as well as I'm going to kind of mention a cast and not a single person instead of going on to Friday 13th too Tom Savini went ahead

[00:26:57] and worked on another camp slasher movie called The Burning and The Burning is a kind of stereotypical summer camp slasher film what I love about this movie and it does not get the

[00:27:08] love it deserves is if you pluck the villain Cropsey the the burnt previous caretaker of this summer camp who is here slashing teens left and right if you take him out of the movie if you

[00:27:21] take that plot out of the movie it's actually a pretty good kind of summer comedy and that is solely because of the performances of three of the actors here we have Jason Alexander, Holly Hunter and Fisher Stevens just as we bitty babyface teenagers and they're putting out these

[00:27:41] are all great little characters that you enjoy watching they're actually funny on their own outside of the horror movie context and it's just one of those performances watching it you could go oh yeah these three are going to do something someday I may have to look around

[00:27:55] for that I had always assumed Jason Alexander was just born 30 so that's interesting to hear he doesn't look not well you guys know me I'm all about the Star Trek all about that space if you

[00:28:11] will and I am going to mirror Kate's pick but it's from a different role so I think ants and mount in crossroads hear me out this is a role where he's opposite Britney Spears okay

[00:28:26] a lot of actors might consider this a throwaway gig just play the pretty guy get your check go but mount offers us an effective sample of his non-toxic masculinity that he has become known

[00:28:40] for as Captain Christopher Pike and the most impressive part about that is that his character is a total bro who loves his car more than anything and is literally wearing a pukashell

[00:28:53] necklace for most of the movie so I remember the first time I watched this movie with my wife and I was like okay that guy it has like serious magnetism I don't know if I've seen him in anything

[00:29:06] else I don't know who he is but he can freaking act yeah all right David who's your first pick I was gonna lean on Stallone um like I think I was reading Stallone did something called

[00:29:18] Bananas by Woody Allison before he did Rocky oh look at the career Sylvester Stallone went on Bruce Willis um how many actors and actresses can we say Jamie Lee Curtis like did she do anything

[00:29:31] before Halloween she did some stuff I believe she did some other horror movies before Halloween I think but it definitely made Halloween made her yeah that was her yeah Brad Pitt always

[00:29:44] laugh on sets with Brad Pitt forced to line on Charlie Sheen's movie that's how he's got noticed and stuff like that so we all try to do something similar like that yeah interesting yeah I almost

[00:29:55] picked Brad Pitt in true romance he has a great small role on that uh kind of like a year or two before he blew up yeah you don't know if you don't try right exactly I was also considering uh

[00:30:04] Christopher Walken from Woody Allen's Annie Hall is another fantastic uh one scene performance all right back around to John my my round two I'm gonna go with uh Tuatel Ejiah for um and I'm gonna I'm gonna pick Amistad which was one of his first tiny roles

[00:30:23] he's very very good in that also just remember that movie because it is has a massive cast and it was a massive movie when it came out but it sure seems like it's like gone by the wayside

[00:30:36] these days but holy crap is that movie just jam packed with stars but it was like his I think his like second role and then I mean he didn't have a lot of big roles and then uh he was he made

[00:30:49] a I know he made a splash in kinky boots and then Serenity and then it was kind of off to the races there I want to say probably what made him very I think um inside man I think his

[00:31:02] little role as the other cop with Denzel Washington and inside man might have been what really started getting him noticed because he took off after that and became a huge star yeah I mean he's just one

[00:31:14] of those performance as a presence like whatever you first saw him in is what you remember yeah to be able to step into the cast of firefly and like make your mark on their movie is deeply

[00:31:26] impressive yeah and yeah if you're not part of that cast like the tone of Serenity and his character specifically is so precise like to be able to hit that all right my number two is who

[00:31:39] what should I go with let's go with Jeff Goldblum in Nashville I don't think he has a single line in this movie I don't think he does but he has such a presence he's the best character in

[00:31:51] the movie you're laughing every time he's on in his weird like 70s western get-up writing his big ol chopper um it's just I don't know if any of you have seen Nashville I saw it once in the theater

[00:32:03] a few years ago and I remember being like oh well yeah you could watch this and go well that dude's gonna blow up because just every time he's on screen without any lines it's amazing

[00:32:13] Jesse's looking up an image right now and he's about to grin big yeah I'm that and I'm double checking the IMDb of another actor because I cannot remember if this was before he was famous or

[00:32:24] not no yes Jeff Goldblum again another actor who like I'm sure whatever you first saw him in is what you remember him from because there's no one else like him absolutely even before I mean

[00:32:37] what's the first thing you really remember him from earth girls are easy probably that or uh the big chill or the fly yeah that for me it was definitely earth girls are easy first time I saw

[00:32:50] that I was like is that Jeff Goldblum of Jurassic freaking Park? Jim Carrey? Jim Carrey? I love that like in the throughout the 80s because I think most people our age kind of picked up on

[00:33:02] Jeff Goldblum from Jurassic Park and then Independence Day and like oh he's the he's the nerd okay he's the nerdy guy the funny nerd everything in the 80s he's playing the

[00:33:11] hunk and it's so weird like go back and try to make him an action hero like yes right it's such a strange career I've had he's like got his you know off like celebrated pose when he's

[00:33:24] there injured shirtless I mean that's true that was the transition from like the abs to the nerdy glasses yep all right well that's still classic I have confirmed for myself pick number

[00:33:37] three but you're gonna have to wait to hear that because up first because like I said I'm trying to mostly stick to Star Trek nope not for any reason other than I love Star Trek

[00:33:50] Rainn Wilson in his first credited movie role as Lonk in Galaxy Quest which I'm sure everyone listening has seen but if you haven't please please watch Galaxy Quest it's a movie that

[00:34:03] lovingly jabs at the Trek Obsessed nerds that I so readily identify with and he was able to keep the joke running during his time as Dwight on the office as a big Star Trek fan he famously wanted

[00:34:15] to name his child after a Klingon and eventually he gets to end up playing a pitch perfect Harcourt Fenton Mudd in Discovery so my second pick is Rainn Wilson I mean Galaxy Quest has

[00:34:30] a few I mean we got Sam Rockwell for sure and was Tony Shaluba big name early Tony Shalub too yeah I think he was I mean he's bigger than the other two but yeah Justin Long was wings out before then

[00:34:44] wings was out of bed yeah yeah okay so he was brown justin long was also in Galaxy Quest I think he was yeah one of the nerds they called to like check the blueprints of the ship or something

[00:34:53] like that yep yeah Jack Black definitely has some of the most fun kind of like before he was famous dude spotting him in all those different like 80s or 90s action movies he was in the jackal

[00:35:03] right I want to go see the jackal right now yeah he's a huge role in that but Demolition Man he's got a small part in yep there's another big action movie he's I mean Mars Attacks he's

[00:35:14] Mars Attacks yeah yep yeah he's one of the like underground guys and Demolition Man I don't even know if he has a line but he's there I think he's there right near because don't we also have

[00:35:24] a weird Dennis Leary like rant in the middle of Demolition Man yeah I think I think you see him right around that same time uh also he's in Waterworld the Gunner in Waterworld yeah also just crazy career yep all right David who's your next pick

[00:35:44] George Clooney I was staying here George Clooney was in the miniseries the Centennial in 1978 where he appeared as an actor as an extra thank you for not choosing Grizzly Tube yeah because that performance has nothing to write home about but he looked good he did look good

[00:36:01] so then you're 17 years old when he did Centennial wow oh man I'll have to look I mean he's in one of the Killer Tomatoes movies too isn't he yeah he was in Reverence of the Killer Tomatoes I love

[00:36:11] that was on my shortlist wow but I don't actually remember his role I don't remember if there was anything uh worth mentioning yeah I loved him in from Dust Hold On that's still my favorite

[00:36:22] George Clooney movie 100% for sure yeah yeah also I mean like that was I think part of that a lot of people saw that as like his breaking away from the ER hunky doctor like oh this guy can play

[00:36:35] something else besides just a good looking face I really love yeah and then there's Rizzles there's Rizzles in it too yeah I really love anytime somebody starts watching ER for the first time they're like is George Clooney is in this

[00:36:53] yep damn right uh my last pick I'm gonna go with comedy I'm gonna go with Steve Carell and his run on The Daily Show with John Stewart as one of the contributing members because uh

[00:37:05] like this was back in the when it was the news show and even just before it was the news show and then all of a sudden he went from popping up on segments now and then and there to the

[00:37:19] 40 year old virgin like almost an immediate jump between those two and like man and then just took off from there but I always like finally remember his time he's he was great he was

[00:37:30] great on that show every comedian back then like that show is a who's who of early 2000s late 90s comedians a lot of those people went on to get their own shows in a similar format even like it

[00:37:42] exactly definitely a star maker yeah so before my final one I do kind of want to give a shout out I was gonna do this one but uh it wasn't an acting performance that I wanted to mention so

[00:37:54] honorable mention to Ricky Dervais and his singing career before he started acting with Shauna Dancing it's spelled S E O N A dancing if you're a fan of cheesy 80 synth pop you like me

[00:38:07] you might actually really enjoy the music I think he's got four or five singles from it that I have on on my playlist it's good stuff but it is just so bizarre hearing there's not an ounce of irony

[00:38:18] in this music he is so sincere and earnest when he sings with Shauna Dancing and just to go from that to like what Ricky Dervais has gone on to do and become like it's night and day so it's very

[00:38:31] bizarre look up a picture of him it's crazy but my actual final pick I will go with um Peter Dinklage I think his first movie role was in a film called Living an Oblivion it was an independent film

[00:38:44] about making independent films starring Steve Buscemi as the director uh German mole uh no German Mulroney yeah German Mulroney wasn't it Catherine Keener a lot of great people uh Peter Dinklage plays an actor who has to play a dwarf in a dream sequence who gets very upset

[00:39:03] about that and he says he doesn't even dream about dwarves the only time you see dwarves and dreams are in shitty independent films like this obviously taking the piss out of Twin Peaks a

[00:39:12] little bit it's it's it's a great performance from him and you could watch him go oh that guy might actually go on to do some stuff and yeah I think I think it's safe to say he did

[00:39:23] this I gotta just jump back one moment to Ricky Dervais Cameron I really wonder now if his his like offhand joke in the UK office about having sung for a band called Forgon Conclusion

[00:39:36] was a reference to his time as a musician I have to 100% believe that oh man I would hope that's so cool I love it yeah it was just that was one of those mind-blowing discoveries

[00:39:48] where you're like wait I need to re-examine my place in the world with this new knowledge all right well my last honorable mention because now I know we can do those is a little bit of a

[00:39:59] cheat um but I think it fits right in here because she doesn't have a ton to do in the episode that she's in but she fully embodies the role and it's tiny little bit of a

[00:40:10] deep space nine spoiler Cameron but nothing that's going to ruin the plot for you Gabrielle Union as a Klingon in deep space nine I believe it's like within her first two or three credited roles

[00:40:24] ever it was definitely before she was the Gabrielle Union but like man she understood the assignment and you totally believe her as a Klingon on a bridge of a bird of prey but my actual pick

[00:40:39] for this and this is the one Gabrielle Union I think I think I recognize the name but I couldn't name anything if you google her you will you will go oh I know how Gabrielle Union is okay so

[00:40:53] my actual pick for this this is the one that I had to look up is going to be Chris Evans in not another teen movie I he was in a few like TV shows prior to that um he was all also obviously

[00:41:08] in the Marilyn Manson Tainted Love music video as the same character but yeah he was you could see that it was like oh they cast him because he's pretty and he fits the teen movie heartthrob role

[00:41:23] but like he he really brought it with that like that I like he is one of the funniest parts of that movie a hundred percent because uh yeah I yeah I went into that movie like oh they got

[00:41:34] the pretty boy and like this guy's hilarious well and I'm like the same thing with push I'm like oh they just got the good-looking guy I'm like oh no this guy's really good yeah and he gave us such good

[00:41:45] meme fuel right because after the Avengers Infinity War part one came out people were able to put that's America's ass over the shot of him with a banana and whipped cream yep and it was like

[00:41:58] I mean he feels like the kind of guy who could laugh at himself and I appreciate that about Chris Evans yeah the one part where I was completely sold on him watching that movie the first time

[00:42:08] not another teen movie is when the little brother accidentally punches him trying to fend off bullies and he's trying to stop the fight the little brother actually hits him but he just starts beating the car his reaction when he gets punched like oh he is fully into

[00:42:26] this role like yeah that's a good pick I might need to watch that movie again I know oh you guys you know what I'm also gonna toss out Ryan Gosling in are you afraid of the dark

[00:42:43] oh he's in one episode he's like maybe 13 and I mean it when you see him you're like oh that's Ryan Gosling right there like but it's I believe it was a Canadian show a Canadian produced show that

[00:42:56] got really big on Nickelodeon here in the States so there's actually quite a few big names in that show when they were children um and it's I mean I'm not gonna sit here and pretend that you

[00:43:09] could watch that and go that guy's gonna be huge someday because it's that's not the kind of role that it is but like I was watching through it recently with my wife and I was like

[00:43:19] that's Ryan Gosling and she was like yeah this is like his first thing did you not know that I grew up watching that show yeah that was definitely a very popular show up here and

[00:43:28] yeah there were so many great actors and actresses that came out of a lot of the Canadian productions and like one of the best TV theme songs of all time like kids of a certain generation will still

[00:43:41] get goosebumps by hearing that song and not so much for the goosebumps theme song in my opinion oh man yeah all right well yeah let's let's start talking about Star Trek I mean we did a little

[00:43:55] bit for sure in both those sections but we had another write-in for you David from um well Gaynor Jones is their relation there to that that's my mama oh okay

[00:44:10] she says hi this is David's mom son I am so proud of you doing Star Trek I remember as a little boy and grandma made you your data suit oh we got we got some backup on that story there we go

[00:44:22] you would not take it off I had to argue with you to do it I swear people if I didn't put my foot down he would have ate slept and gone to the bathroom and school in it David what uniform role would you

[00:44:32] want to wear next I want to be a Klingon I want to be a Klingon someday all right but but I want to be on the Enterprise bridge I never got to see the Enterprise bridge when I was

[00:44:43] on Strange New World and I want to be on the Enterprise bridge at one point at some point as a Klingon yeah what so what a what a video conference call count where they like hail your

[00:44:56] ship and then we see your face on the bridge of the Enterprise or do you want to physically be standing on that bridge I want my butt right now captain's chair yeah I like it I'm thinking

[00:45:07] if they let me of course alternate timeline some kind of weird thing going on with that I could see it I like it so when you wore the data outfit would you also get into like some white paint

[00:45:19] and just paint your face white because I feel like that's what my kids would do I do like even I still have the photo this day um and it still has sorry and it still has the white data paint on it right

[00:45:31] there oh hey that's cool fortunately my my grandma made this for me when I was a kid I think there's about 1996 and I think I was just watching best before the best of both worlds

[00:45:42] before that came out so I think that's when I really got into Star Trek but unfortunately she passed away during COVID so she never got to see me put on the real things oh dang yeah

[00:45:54] but but she was there and she was making sure I wasn't getting it editing out yeah there you go exactly exactly she was your first Bernadette Croft I think I met Bernadette Croft when

[00:46:05] we were in the wardrobe I was gonna everyone was everyone was still behind masks and 95s and stuff of that so it's hard to guess everyone's faces but I'm pretty sure she was one of the people that

[00:46:16] was there you know altering the suits and everything the wardrobe people were great she's she and Jess Bush she and Jess Bush stick out with those Aussie accents on a Canadian set I

[00:46:27] would imagine Jess Bush was great like I remember I was there for a couple days and she we were doing long days right and she was she had kids there everybody Jess Bush was fantastic with everybody

[00:46:40] I have nothing but great memories with her there's nice good so outside of strange new worlds would you say next generation is your like home Trek the Trek you really grew up on and it got you

[00:46:54] into it yeah I would say so but I've always had to see I've always loved the Kirk movies the Shatner movies like I will I will die on the hill right now and say I liked the final frontier

[00:47:06] more than I did the motion picture I think there's a lot of people on that hill with you I would guess yeah like them sitting around the campfire and you know singing uh all the songs and everything

[00:47:21] like it was it had its moments it was not the greatest Star Trek movie but it had lots of great moments and James Cromwell yeah and James Cromwell James Cromwell we were talking

[00:47:31] about him before hitting record I'm not realizing I'm not making a reference to something that was appearing in this episode so when you were on set David like were a lot of the other extras

[00:47:43] big Trekkies or were some of them like yeah I'm just here for a paycheck like what was what was the makeup of that like I'm guessing like I knew like a lot of my friends are extras so

[00:47:54] that we've all been on different productions right I don't think they were as enthusiastic like as big as a Trekkie as I was and I am um I know a lot of the others were in Discovery as well too

[00:48:11] because again it's all filmed here right but I think I definitely probably would take Bragg and right so that was probably the biggest Trekkie out of that whole bunch of people yeah excellent that Star Trek like we're saying is full of great guest stars whether they were

[00:48:24] known for their acting chops ahead of time like many of those villains or you know they were just working actors putting on a uniform or the alien forehead appliance for a day or two and making

[00:48:33] a paycheck so here's a few of our favorites Galaxy guests oh nice nice Galaxy guests I didn't tell these guys ahead of time because I knew they would nix it you know it's a good punch line

[00:48:45] when you have to repeat it yeah that's the right the best when you have to hide it from your co-host into your galaxy guests yeah it feels like it should work better it feels like it should be better I

[00:48:59] don't know I think it's good I like cheese I'm here for it I think it's good Cam yeah all right well first up let's hear from some of our callers uh here is Marcy favorite Star Trek guest star

[00:49:10] well I know Carol Kane wasn't necessarily a guest star but damn her portrayal of Pelia was amazing and when she popped on I was like yes Pelia but if you want me to pick another one I'll go ahead

[00:49:23] with Rainn Wilson as Harry Mudd he was hilarious and it was a great character and here's Abby and as far as my favorite guest star oh that's really hard I guess I would really go back to

[00:49:38] the most toys in TNG and call out Saul Rubinik who plays Keevis Fajo because he is amazing in everything he does and that performance in that episode and that ethical quandary would not have

[00:49:51] worked without him being stellar and if you want more of him being stellar I'm plugging again for all of you to go watch warehouse 13 where he plays Artie Nielsen one of my favorite characters ever fine I'll go watch it Abby yeah his one episode of Stargate like he

[00:50:07] brings the heat like it is a very memorable episode of Stargate and it's part of mostly because of him I think and before we get into Kate's writing I just have to say you guys I feel very confident about

[00:50:19] having similar pics to Abby and Marcy because yeah I mean they're two of our best callers they always take the prompt seriously they know what they're doing so in your face

[00:50:32] all right we did get right in from Kate uh says Star Trek has had so many great guest stars that it was hard to choose but I had to pick Mark Leonard as my favorite he appeared in two of my favorite

[00:50:46] TOS episodes balance of terror as the Romulan commander and journey to babble as Spock's father ambassador Sarek as well as one of my favorite Star Trek movies the Klingon commander in the

[00:50:57] motion picture at one time he was the only actor to portray a Vulcan a Romulan and a Klingon his performances always stood out and his great work made Sarek one of the most memorable figures

[00:51:09] in all of Star Trek man him and journey to babble agreed is like I mean talk about a tone setting performance like the dude is dying he needs a blood transfusion and he does not give a single

[00:51:22] shit he's like yeah I guess if my half human son wants to help that's fine but I don't care well balance of terror is still goes down was one of the greatest episodes of Star Trek ever

[00:51:38] no made even greater by strange new worlds I mean quality of mercy was so good like that's how you remake an episode properly like I'd love to see the guy that played that Romulan

[00:51:50] commander I would love to see him come back and play maybe a future Spock's dad yes we want Matthew McFadden as Sarek I know a lot of the Franiacs disagree but we are here for Matthew McFadden

[00:52:01] absolutely that's how you remake an episode and almost make it as better than the original was yeah and it makes the original better too like it makes it I think it makes it more impactful

[00:52:12] to go back and watch it after you've seen quality of mercy like yeah there those two of those together are a superb but 54 years apart something like that like it's fantastic

[00:52:25] it arguably sets a lot of groundwork for the wrath of con like it's similar tone like submarine style starship chase you know like it I mean it is seminal in the Star Trek universe would you call would you call quality of mercy strange rules his best episode yet

[00:52:46] I have my issues with quality of mercy so Cameron Cameron is going to pick the Elysian kingdom which is 100 percent justifiable I mean like I said earlier under the cloak of war you know not just because you're here David it really was one of my favorite episodes

[00:53:03] it might be at the top those old scientists as I mentioned is also amazing it's it's mind blowing for the amount of stuff they crammed into it it's it's an Easter egg heaven it's a Trekkie

[00:53:17] heaven but it also has meaningful moments I think we discussed that in our review of it it's like that moment where Una realizes why Boimler was so awkward around her it's like that kind

[00:53:28] of that kind of makes me tear up a little bit still to this day like that was some serious acting and the scene between Mariner and Uhura is like one of the most human scenes in all of Star Trek so

[00:53:43] I would say for me it probably goes under the cloak of war those old scientists and then maybe Memento Mori combined with quality of mercy because those two episodes have very similar vibes as well it's it's that submarine movie in a starship yeah Jesse hates

[00:54:03] enterprise because it feels like a submarine in a starship no because it looks like a submarine they're literally wearing jumpsuits that I could like go buy at a home depot I think we're gonna have to do some episodes where we do a

[00:54:19] ranking and eliminate and elimination ranking for best episode I know we've talked about before but I like when we game of fire episodes we don't do it very often but it always ends up being fun

[00:54:31] yeah speak like when I was when we're filming under the cloak of war we just the episode where inbenga put his daughter in the transporter that just finished that just finished I think the

[00:54:43] day before we started I was walked on sets so I was just an awe of babs I'm like oh great performance all right well John I think you're starting us off on the favorite guest stars

[00:54:55] Star Trek guest stars I went pure full DS9 for all three of my picks so I'm gonna start with the villain on actually some of the episodes we're watching right now Frank Ling Jella

[00:55:07] I very thoroughly enjoy his three episode arc at the beginning of season two I think he he really just brings the quality of like somebody who's trying to take as much advantage in a term you know like a tumultuous time in a planet's history and development and just

[00:55:29] trying to run with it as far as he can and I think yeah I think it goes down like I always forget how good those first three episodes are and I think a big part of that is because of him

[00:55:40] I thought of him and some of the other villains in those episodes too but I haven't seen the whole thing yet I haven't seen the third episode or you know most of Louis Fletcher's performance

[00:55:50] yet so I didn't pick them I actually went full TNG because I you know have watched and talked about and analyze a lot of TNG over in Green Shredded and to be directed next generation catch it now

[00:56:01] wherever you're listening to it so smooth so I will start with you know I I got to is it is it am I biased because he's Leland Palmer and Twin Peaks probably but Ray Wise as Liko

[00:56:17] Liko I think in Who Watches the Watchers plays the proto-vulcan who almost dies gets beamed up to the enterprise thinks Jean-Luc Picard is God like we all do so we can relate and I mean it is I

[00:56:32] think it was filmed around the same time as Twin Peaks and he's bringing a lot of that same like is he crazy how crazy is he energy to the role and it is a delicate balance because like

[00:56:42] he shoots Troy I think it is and I mean he is going kind of baddie the whole time but you still have to you know he still has a lot of compassion because of what he's gone through

[00:56:54] and he's able to pull both of that with this role yeah Ray Wise is just one of those actors like he is amazing and I don't understand why he never blew up more than he did but like

[00:57:04] anything he's in he just nails well he was also big in a time where it was like if you didn't want to be in more than a few things you didn't have to you could just

[00:57:13] make a living on those few things like true syndication was a very good model and I feel like we'll probably get back to it at some point this was hard I I I don't know if Mark

[00:57:26] Alimoh would be considered a special guest in DS9 but I know he was a special guest in TNG when he played the first ever onscreen Cardassian Gullmaset and it makes it really hard not to

[00:57:42] pick him because I have to pick David Warner as Gullmadred in Chain of Command like like yes Mark Alimoh originated the Cardassians but I feel like David Warner really kind of became the blueprint for Mark Alimoh's Golducot work like in so many ways he balances that ferocity with

[00:58:05] what might be called humanity were it not for their numerous atrocities and fascist foundations Well, Cardassianity, yes, yes, sorry, the very name is racist but the heavy gravity of that episode just lives on right like Chain of Command parts one and two

[00:58:25] are rightfully lauded as classics in the entire Star Trek franchise and a big big big part of that is David Warner as Gullmadred and I think I've mentioned this before but I saw an interview

[00:58:38] with him where they asked him about that episode and he referred to it as a makeup job opposite Patrick Stewart and I'm like for him to be able to boil that down to that and still give such

[00:58:51] a meaningful performance really just shows what a professional he is and I love love love the role. Yeah, David. I'm gonna go I was almost gonna say John Locke when he played Admiral

[00:59:07] Klingon to Pegasus. That was a great performance but still goes down to Pegasus will always go down as one of the Star Trek's greatest episodes ever but I'm a sucker for Uncle Fester so I'm always

[00:59:20] gonna lean on Christopher Lloyd because again he's always had very comical roles right? He had Uncle Fester obviously the other movies he's done as well too but to play such a badass

[00:59:34] Klingon and to do it so well I'm always gonna say Christopher Lloyd he's always been one of my favorite actors and I love the Addams family. Well and to be like one of the few villains ever

[00:59:46] who actually arguably beats Kirk right? Like Condon do that. No, it's a serious claim to fame. I mean yeah. I know he didn't blow up the Enterprise but like yeah I'll still give him credit for it.

[01:00:07] Get out of there. So class that is like I don't watch Star Trek 3 often but his performance is probably why I would go back to watch it again. Can we go back and say maybe

[01:00:19] Ricardo Montabong? Has nobody's made that kind of performance since? Oh arguably yeah. I mean he's the mold right? He's the giant pectoral muscle mold. I mean yeah he did such a good job in his

[01:00:36] episode they brought him back a couple decades later to be the big bad feature length movie. I was seeing this with like the Captain's Quadrants in nerdy up north do you think Christopher Plummer could have done that performance and reversible do you think they both could

[01:00:52] have done each other's performances? I think they're both good enough. Davey Jones asked sorry I think Davey Perez asked us that same question when we discussed Star Trek 5 with him right? Star Trek 6. Yeah, 6. But I personally don't,

[01:01:12] I can't picture that just because of Space Seed right? Because like so much of Khan gets established in Space Seed and if you watch the two back to back you're like oh he didn't

[01:01:22] miss a beat. It's like one led right into the other and there was no time between them. So that's hard for me but I will say I think Christopher Plummer has the chops for it.

[01:01:34] It was just like I don't know. And it's crazy too because Ricardo and Shadiner never worked together on in the same room together for Rathakon right? And it just it works so well.

[01:01:46] Yeah. So if you guys were captains and you could captain any ship in Starfleet what would be the ships you would want to captain? If you exclude enterprises I would say probably one that doesn't

[01:02:00] have a life and death situation every week. Well no not me because I would say discovery. Like is the sport drive maybe overpowered? Yes, do I care? No. Like I really feel that and what's really cool about Disco obviously outside of the show itself

[01:02:21] is that the ship is based on the original enterprise design with a more triangular hull than we ended up with on the original series. So it's like they took something out of mothballs, out of archival concept work and turned it into the star ship and I just

[01:02:40] oh I have star ship, unintentional pun. So I really love the look of that ship and honestly even the Discovery A like say what you will about Detachna cells whatever people want to

[01:02:53] say that's fine but I love that ship because it goes from looking old in the Star Trek universe to looking very futuristic and I love the spinny. I can't get over the spinny like it's just cool. All right well my second one would have to be

[01:03:12] you know I was playing around with choosing Major Barrett as Lawaksona Troy because I adore Lawaksona Troy she is one of my favorite characters in the entire series and we left

[01:03:24] interpretation of guest star open so I mean no one's breaking any rules but for me I was really trying to think of like one or two episodes actors who came in and really kind of just

[01:03:33] own something and elevated the material so from a Major Barrett episode I'm going to choose David Ogden Steers as Timison in Half a Life where he plays her romantic lead the doomed scientist who almost starts a revolution on his planet but then goes down and accepts his fate

[01:03:53] much to Lawaksona's chagrin. Chagrin seems too light in this situation but I'm slightly chagrin that my lover is gone to go kill himself. I mean it's not like it's the last one she ever had.

[01:04:08] Yeah that's true that's true in her autobiography he'll get like a page in half maybe but you know he brings such gravitas to this role it's really an episode that could have gone south except for those two performers taking the helm and their relationship and chemistry and it's

[01:04:27] so touching and heartbreaking and a lot of that is thanks to the fantastic actor who is David Ogden Steers. And his little makeup spots were later reused and became the official look of the Trill. The first time we saw the Trill they did not look like that.

[01:04:45] The cracked egg effect yeah like I was going to say even looking like Humpty Dumpty he was still managed to deliver an amazingly moving performance. Yeah it was great.

[01:04:55] Spots we know now go all the way down. So okay so Cameron as per your mention of the rules I actually did double check the credits on these episodes to make sure that these people were

[01:05:07] listed as guest stars because I was worried that I would break the mold here. So I have to go with Paul Winfield as Captain Dayton in Darmock he manages to convey empathy and pathos while covered in prosthetics and literally speaking nonsense and it offers genuine stakes to an

[01:05:27] episode that we all know isn't going to kill Captain Picard like you can't put Picard on a planet with a predator and kill him right so all of the tension comes from Dayton and this whole

[01:05:40] first contact situation or like second and a half contact whatever it may be. Bonus we also know him as Captain Terrell in the Wrath of Khan and of course the police lieutenant who tries to

[01:05:53] keep Sarah Connor safe in the original Terminator movie. He's great. This is David number two. I was going to say I've always been a sucker for Seinfeld so I'm going with Jason Alexander

[01:06:10] I thought that episode in Voyager is one of the best of Voyager and he just he owned like you guys said he owned the role. Yeah man I'm so excited to get into Voyager half just because

[01:06:23] of the guest stars that I know are awaiting me in there. The only Voyager episode I've seen is the one with the rock so I've got a good start. Soon cut scene. I can't wait. Yeah yeah yeah

[01:06:34] All right my next choice I've got to give it to the great Mr. Wallace Sean as Grand Mega Sick. I definitely thought of that again I've only seen one episode with Wallace Sean but he blew

[01:06:46] me away in that one knowing he comes back for nine more I felt like I couldn't choose him yet but I'm glad you did John. Well and that's one of those roles where you're like

[01:06:55] he's not really not just being Wallace Sean but like how can you not like he's too recognizable but it does not it doesn't take away anything from the performance like

[01:07:05] sometimes when you see a big actor in a smaller role you're like oh that's all I can see but here it actually totally works. Like Clint Howard he was born to play a hundred percent. My next choice

[01:07:16] though I absolutely would be criminal not to include Tony Todd. Oh man as Worf's brother Kern Another one I thought of John definitely shortlisted for me Tony Todd is just amazing in anything he's in

[01:07:30] and brought such weight and gravitas to Worf's brother. Kern is one of my favorite characters and Cameron again I'll just give you something to look forward to that is not the only role that Tony Todd plays in Deep Space Nine. Oh interesting I haven't even seen Kern in

[01:07:47] Deep Space Nine does Kern come into Deep Space Nine? Spoiler alert yes. I think I heard he did yeah I mean I know a lot of Worf stuff comes into Deep Space Nine and I cannot wait to see Deep Space

[01:07:57] Nine handle Worf's Mama drama because DNG is kind of handling of it is okay at best. Yeah Deep Space Nine is really where Worf is best honestly. I cannot wait that's so cool yeah Tony Todd is just

[01:08:15] so cool and an amazing person who responded to one of Green Shirt's tweets and talked about how his grandma would watch Star Trek with him and loved his role in eating the replicated

[01:08:27] bird meat and great stuff. I remember I don't specifically remember the episode that I had on but my wife walked into the room Kern was on screen and she went oh it's the guy from

[01:08:38] Final Destination and I was like uh I don't know about that and she like immediately got out of the DVD and was like see it was like oh okay like I didn't know he was in a ton of stuff

[01:08:50] Oh shit it's the Candy Man. Yeah I mean he's in so many things great pick John thank you All right then my last one is this is one that is definitely not a great episode

[01:09:08] debatably great character but their actor the performer brought it in and made it memorable I I always look back at it as a great episode and then I rewatch and go oh no

[01:09:16] it's just Billy Campbell as the outrageous Okona that makes it so good he I love Billy Campbell he's the rocketeer he's one of the dudes in Dracula he's so charismatic he probably

[01:09:28] should have blown up a bit more than he did and it's probably just bad luck that there is a bunch of like really charming white guys that kind of looked like him around the time yeah

[01:09:37] but yeah I don't know I love Okona I'm glad they brought him back for Prodigy uh it was is a really fun role yeah that's good pick and gotta get all smoochy smoochy with Terry Hatcher

[01:09:46] yeah right yeah what about Ronnie Cox when he played Jellico yeah I shortlist there for sure yeah yeah he's just fantastic he's it's been fun to see how reviled he was and then over the years more

[01:10:01] and more it's like no he's he's pretty good captain he's he's good at his job and uh Riker's being a petulant child for most of this I was gonna say William Marshall is well too he

[01:10:12] was great as Dr. Daystrom in the TOS episode the super computer yeah the other big thing with Ronnie Cox is that his character offered that chance for the writers to like fix some stuff right

[01:10:26] that arguably needed to be fixed so it I think it worked really well um so I do have one honorable mention here before I get to my actual pick uh and that is going to be William Windham

[01:10:41] from the TOS episode the doomsday machine because I mean wow right it's hard to really put that performance into words but if I had to I'd say it's one of those guest spots that just sticks

[01:10:56] with you and it's also one of those guest spots that makes that episode one of the best episodes of all of Star Trek not just TOS but I could not help myself and I had to go with Michelle

[01:11:12] Yo as both Philip a George O and Philip a George O in Star Trek Discovery giving equally believable performances as an inspiring optimistic captain and a murderous ego maniacal empress from the

[01:11:26] universe kicking ass and taking names all the way to the bank where she cashed her check for her own Star Trek movie absolutely and yes credited as guest star every time I was gonna say it felt like

[01:11:42] she was a regular cast member for at least a season and a half there but but there's no episode where she's not special Cameron oh to say I gotta go to Ricardo Maltobon like

[01:11:54] I've didn't you go a space seed was a very good episode and then he just went he just hit a home run in the Rathakon and just took that performance to another level I don't like

[01:12:08] we'll ever see like any performance like that in Star Trek as a villain ever again but like Plummer came very very close um but it's gotta be I gotta get props to Ricardo Maltobon he's gone down as the greatest Star Trek villain of all time

[01:12:22] a mantle he wears for reason absolutely all right well with that we will move into our final segment here which is specific to your episode under the cloak of war and we're going to kick this off with one more question from our caller and good friend Marcy

[01:12:43] hey gentlemen it's Marcy from idle ride podcast I heard you have David Jones on the show and he was in my number one favorite episode of strange new worlds under the cloak of war partially because

[01:12:55] it featured Mbenga my favorite character who it took me a long time to figure out who my favorite character was and if he has a story about babs on the set of under the cloak of war that would

[01:13:06] be great if not tell us about those costumes I mean this is one of the first times we see like a super war armor related costume anyway thanks guys bye it's special like unfortunately being an extra there's etiquette and you're not supposed to talk

[01:13:22] to the main actors unless they speak to you first and like I said previously we just came off that episode of you know him putting his daughter in the transporter so I just wanted to you know

[01:13:33] talk to him left right and center unfortunately you know I didn't get the chance to do that I don't know I wanted to of course but I'm like yeah don't get kicked off now

[01:13:42] don't get sent home you're here um like it's special there those armor pieces are heavy like we're on the air our wall right so it already was hot in there you're wearing a N95s and face

[01:13:54] shields because it's still COVID times um put it on the cot like like put it on the costumes especially like um like I said to you before imagine walking into a costume fitting you

[01:14:05] don't know like I was originally supposed to play an Orion in the Raijul 7 episode so we I had scheduling conflicts with my previous job so I think I had a back out of it and then they said wounded

[01:14:17] soldier we're looking for people for a wounded soldier not a human not a Klingon that no idea what it was so I'm walking into there into the wardrobe department you know and I'm seeing the

[01:14:26] gold uniforms the command the engineering the white medical costumes all hanging up the mood board has all the blanket signeas and everything and I'm seeing you know um phasers and all that hanging

[01:14:38] around I'm like oh my god this is so cool like I'm here I finally made it if I you know um so imagine it's like being kidnapped in a candy store right like you're really here this is not some Halloween

[01:14:50] costume store this is the real thing these are the real outfits so I'm going there touching everything and I'm like being respectful of course um so when I saw the enterprise badge on my

[01:15:00] arm I didn't care that it was you know the enterprise wasn't in the Klingon war I'm like I'm a member of the USS Enterprise hell yes still counts like it was yep exactly just the

[01:15:12] the outfits were tight and of course you know I'm a big broad shoulder guy so in the zippers are right at the back so I fell a few times like I was going to pull my shoulder socket I'm trying

[01:15:23] to get it off so I can go to washroom um but it was cool like you're walking on sets and you're seeing all the briefcases and everything that say United Federation of Planets like

[01:15:34] it was surreal like I was nerding right out and trying to keep her professional at the same time too right like it's it's special this is Star Trek this is the biggest franchise in the world

[01:15:44] outside of Star Wars and I'm here I'm a part of it I finally did it I finally said to myself you're gonna be there some somehow or some way and then you know imagine walking on the sets

[01:15:54] and you're wearing the real Star Trek outfits it's something that'll live with me forever and I got to be a part of one of the greatest episodes of Star Trek. Goosebumps totally agree

[01:16:06] now you did mention being on the AR wall we've heard that acting on the volume stage can be a little bit disorienting at first what was that like? Oh it's cool like what you see

[01:16:16] on the AR wall is what you see on the TV right or streaming boxes or whatever it's it's massive and that thing puts off so much heat like we're filming this at the end of May

[01:16:28] so it was again like I said you're wearing the full costumes they're tight it's hot in there it's pitch black it's dark so there's cables everywhere you're trying not to fall over and

[01:16:38] break your neck it's cool like the thing is massive it's surreal it really was I'm like I finally did it I'm finally here so they weren't and I enjoyed every minute of it and I yes I accidentally almost did walk offset with a phaser

[01:16:57] luckily wardrobe they're very picky and very particular for everything and you can't go past them and I didn't even realize it like the costumes are so heavy to begin with so I didn't

[01:17:08] it's like a 3d printed phaser right so there's not much weight to it and I was like they're like oh you know you got a phaser on your waist I'm like oh crap I'm like you know

[01:17:18] I'm not trying to walk off with this like it almost busted for me for it but I'm like I'm not walking off to take your stuff I'd love to have your stuff like I even joke with them

[01:17:27] you can keep my paycheck if I can keep the phaser so they weren't dripping surreal they weren't dripping glycerin onto your forehead you're saying the sweat was real from the heat on the set

[01:17:39] this in you're doing like 14 hour days and stuff like that it was it was and you still had to wear like I said your face shields and masks too right because candidate some pretty strict COVID protocols

[01:17:52] back then so it was hot but I'm like suck it up David you're on Star Trek brutal all right so in this shot David I would say that you have a look on your face that I would describe

[01:18:06] as determined but not optimistic was that direction that you were given or was that just kind of what did they give you like a mood and you managed to get that across yeah they were like

[01:18:20] you know you're on the Klingon planet you're in war just uh you know just look like you're playing on you know uh monitors and stuff like that and like I said I didn't even think this was going

[01:18:32] to even be a part of the shot I totally forgot I even filmed part of this I thought one because when the whole makeup and everything was for the flashback scene in the sonic shower

[01:18:41] with a manga and I was hoping that was going to be a big grand debut into Star Trek and it was definitely it ended up being that shot but it was cool like your long lifelong trek is you know how

[01:18:54] to play around the gadgets and stuff like that so you have a history with the franchise so you know what to do right just act your best and hope for the best very cool did you and

[01:19:04] it's cool too right even on the monitors you see like Rigel 7 Kronos they have all like maps of everything too I'm like this is so cool yeah and that's somewhat new to the

[01:19:15] franchise because it used to just be all green screen or you know backlit l cars buttons did you get to know the actor next to you in this shot who's definitely not as tall as you are

[01:19:31] not really like a lot of them you know when you're put off the sets you obviously we have a look what's called a background holding that's where all the extras go and hang out and wait

[01:19:40] till they bring you for your next scene and stuff like that like I knew a lot of the people so we're all chitchatting because we're already on previous stuff together um so yeah most of

[01:19:49] what we're all just chitching you know it's long days right so you gotta chitchat or it's gonna be a very long day of sitting around and doing nothing so you did mention the heavy COVID protocols but I heard on another show captain's quadrant shout out that you literally

[01:20:05] bumped into Clint Howard can you give us that story yes I did so I think it was was it the first day we're shooting yeah it was the first day we were filming and um like I said I have

[01:20:15] ADD so I can't sit around for 12 hours doing nothing right so they were kind the crew were great and kind enough to let me walk around this side they're just like stay out of the way

[01:20:24] don't you know just have fun right and then I'm walking up there and I didn't even know Clint Howard was on this episode so I'm and I recognized him in a second because I've seen him in Mary with

[01:20:34] children the little Nikki you know obviously in the previous episodes the Star Trek so I was just nerding out um and I wanted to go and talk to him and I'm like no David you know

[01:20:45] you know the etiquette don't do don't do anything stupid that's gonna get you kicked up while you're finally here um but accidentally bumped into him and he was like oh I'm sorry I'm

[01:20:54] like oh I'm sorry Mr Howard so that was really nearly interaction I had with him or I definitely would have loved to talk more if I could have man that's I thought you're gonna be like oh you

[01:21:02] started talking to me I can talk to you now okay so in episode you broke the day it's hard too right you said non-disclosure so it was even hard not you know keeping that quiet for the

[01:21:12] for the longest period right yeah a long period so we're kind of dying to know how are the craft services on Strange New Worlds oh man I got fed um that was some of the best

[01:21:28] food I've ever had um a film project or TV project I've had some really good ones I was on the cues and they gave us like these barbecue spare ribs and they're like don't be because I was playing

[01:21:39] a male nurse they're like don't you drop any of that on your outfit of course I accidentally did so I had to take that out very quickly but Star Trek all the everything except for the instant

[01:21:50] coffee I ever since I walked onto Gotham Nice and Star Trek I'm like I make sure I bring energy tricks with me just in case this be a long day and it's definitely better than instant coffee

[01:22:03] I love it nice yeah so we know from both you and your wonderful mother that being in Star Trek has always been a dream of yours so now that you have had a taste of the realized dreams

[01:22:16] are there any other big franchises on your list that you'd really like to be a part of yeah I want to be a Jedi knight in Star Wars I want to be in Star Wars one day

[01:22:27] yeah but I also like my family are all English born as well too so I have a lot and I've of course been a male you know model on the side you I've always had that I've always wanted to be in

[01:22:38] James Bond oh good good answer the quality about you or I love to be in a double exactly I'd love to be in a 007 movie I was a bit like I remember when they were saying they're filming uh Beetlejuice

[01:22:53] and I heard it's gonna be filming in London I'm like oh is that coming to Canada I'm like nope definitely I would have loved to been in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice again I've grown up with Michael Keaton or Beetlejuice Batman everything he's done and I'm like that would have been

[01:23:08] something special to work on too absolutely yeah you know he's got he's in is it much to do about nothing I think uh and I don't know if we can say that's before he was famous but it's

[01:23:19] definitely an early role of his where I remember just being like oh well this this guy's incredible this guy can do anything like are you talking about my mom loved him and mr mom you're talking about

[01:23:28] the much to do that has Keanu yes I got like 30 minutes into that movie and I was like I can't do this like I now to be everybody's on that to be totally fair I was like probably 14 or 15

[01:23:42] when I watched it so like I could probably get through it now but I remember being like well this really is what it says it is on the box like oh yeah it's strange Shakespeare but that

[01:23:53] that's gonna be my comment was like it even made like a 14 year old teenager laugh out loud at Shakespeare well Michael Keaton's performance you were a much better read 14 year old than I was I have no

[01:24:03] doubt but look at the slag Michael Keaton got from going from Beetlejuice to the Batman role everyone was like oh you can't play Batman like all that turned over right oh man I recently saw

[01:24:14] an awards acceptance performance of him where he like really stuck it to all the people that said he couldn't be Batman and it was it was fun to see because growing up like my first exposures to him

[01:24:25] really were Beetlejuice and Batman so later on when it's like oh wait he's a comedian he's supposed he does a bunch of comedies and stuff like oh I did not realize this and and I don't think going

[01:24:36] back I don't think comedians are right word but yeah like oh no I just Michael Keaton to me has always been a serious actor so yeah this could be controversial but it still goes down as one of

[01:24:46] the greatest Batman movies ever oh both with that and Batman Returns like I will go on the lam right now and say I'd like Batman Returns more of a Christmas movie than die hard I like

[01:24:57] that take I don't know about that but it is my favorite Batman movie so I'll give you that it's just usually my top five Christmas movies well David Jones open pike night is an open

[01:25:08] Mike night theme podcast so do you have a joke for us today not really a joke but I did tease it to you guys earlier a funny moment I'm actually pretty quiet guys so I'm not one to pop jokes or anything

[01:25:19] like that but a funny moment I had actually was a Toronto Comic Con the last year before COVID hit I met with Marina Sertis so I was that photo I shared with you guys I was wearing a Superman

[01:25:31] under armor shirts and it was one of the funniest moments I'll ever have with her she walks up to me with her assistant and says hey you know how's it going yada yada and she laughs

[01:25:42] and says are those real I like I laughed her assistant laughed so hard as well Tim like yeah that's Marina Sertis you were for you that's fantastic and you were able to say yes that's a hundred percent David Jones I joker there I'm like yeah that's not padding

[01:26:00] and they both laughed for quite a few minutes to you I'm like oh is she such a doll I honestly think that might have been Marina Sertis flirting with you a little bit just like having seen some

[01:26:12] of her interactions like she's very real all the time right like she does not play so that's that's really cool I love it well thanks so much David we've been excited to bring you on

[01:26:23] and appreciate all your calls and support through uh through the time and glad to have you on the side of the mic absolutely I appreciate it thanks for nice for having me this

[01:26:31] meant a great time okay guys so is it just me or does David kind of sound like how I might sound to find it up on Star Trek like please don't fire me I hope I'm not doing anything wrong

[01:26:42] David was able to form complete sentences so I think uh he's got me be a start contrast yeah yeah we would just make sounds of glee for and that freaking jawline man like it's no wonder

[01:26:55] that David made it on camera yeah exactly and and it's man it's interesting I'm curious when we will get to a point in our interviews with folks where everybody being masked up and distanced

[01:27:07] isn't going to be a factor I'm wondering how season three is going with if they're doing many or heavy or any COVID protocols like I'm sure they're as worried about health and safety

[01:27:19] as they always have been but what does that look like for season three we'll have to see yeah from what I hear like the film industry is one of the last to still be taking any precautions so I'm interested to see what they are and that's

[01:27:33] got that had to be so weird like to be with so many big names super professional people and not really get to see most of their faces at all seriously yeah very strange but man

[01:27:47] I appreciate David coming on here and sharing sharing his stories with us and and how much he's contributed and how much our collars contributed Jesse how can folks do that if they

[01:27:58] haven't before or want to again how easy is it to get your voice on open pike night it's stupid how easy it is John all you have to do is go to open pike dot substack dot com and sign up for

[01:28:10] our free newsletter to get call to action for free again directly into your email inbox so that you know who's coming up next on open pike night you can also follow us on basically

[01:28:22] any social media at open pike we don't monitor them all the same but we do reply to everyone as much as we can on every single one of those and I'm going to go ahead and say you know what

[01:28:32] check out open pike dot com as well because it has everything you need all in one place and if you're not following David on social media make sure you do that on twitter he's

[01:28:41] at the big guy 86 and he's got great photos he's a huge star trek fan good memes fun time all around highly recommend yeah and cam that that username ending in 86 is that sound familiar

[01:28:56] for any reason a little bit as uh you could also follow green shirt at green shirt 87 on twitter is the the account for my other show with john green shirt and newbies trek the next generation

[01:29:09] where i'm watching tng for the first time also ds9 skidding the season two lots of good stuff there um yeah kai win not not a great character i mean a good character but not a great person

[01:29:22] right right i'm discovering this yeah your end here i it's so fun to hear you talk about her and like make predictions about her and stuff because you are just scratching the nasty surface right now

[01:29:37] like a bushel you just can't stop scratching pretty much on her on duke hot what did you call garak on the most recently so i'm guy yeah creepy sewing guy yeah clothes designing

[01:29:51] i love him i want more of him yes i i'm really enjoying listening to both green shirt and the deep space nine minute yeah and uh i do i just want to mention um i want to say it's got

[01:30:03] star trek how dare you how dare you i can't believe you guys said that this is in the future right i'm just gonna you know say presumably they've said something yeah yeah they they've

[01:30:13] turned on us it's it's very strange and we're heartbroken take back all the nice things we said last time we're starting a podcast beef we're sick of being in a community if you want to hear what they said

[01:30:23] go listen to the most recent episode of it's got star trek i'm sure they said some work we just read a marketing newsletter that said drama brings more people than than unity so exactly

[01:30:32] we need a beef will you be our beef yeah it's got star trek we didn't start this podcast to make friends will you beef us please that's how it works right that's pretty crazy that is how it works yep oh well thank you once

[01:30:50] again for joining us beef stroke uh yeah nice call back thank you we have to clean up all the beef stroganoff so be sure to clean up after yourselves be sure to tip your servers you can go anywhere you want but you can't stay here