Just a short question about the extras on Star Trek. Is there a reason that they always change?

Submitted by takeitassaid t3_11e4735 in television

Hi all,

i know that in the US there are some pretty weird regulations about actor payment etc. by the screen actors guild or what it is called.

Is that maybe the reason why the extras always change? I mean it's a Starship with a fixed crew, some transfers here and there but in general it should be the same people. But the extras, like the one non main cast guy that occupies a console etc. are always changing.

Is there any reason behind this like being obligated to pay them more when they are essentially members of the cast that are named and will be reused?

Maybe i am reading to much into this but that is something i always wondered about, why not use some people that are reused for stuff like this so that it looks more like a crew and not like some main cast members reinforced by random people.

I realize the shows are about big ships/stations etc. and it is completely rational to think that there are just so many people that we only see everyone once. My real question is not in-universe but for the production reasons, like i said above. Is there some regulation that people that will be reused in the same role will be entitled to be upped from extra to cast member?

0

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

Jack_Q_Frost_Jr t1_jacd3ry wrote

Hi. I'll try to answer.

I don't think they always change. On The Original Series there were several actors that were regularly in the background or used for playing small roles. Yes, there were even actors as redshirts that got killed more than once. And there are different types of extras. Most extras come in for a day or two on an episode by episode basis, and will just be put at whatever station that helps make the screen look like it's filled with activity. Sometimes there are a small core group of regular extras that will appear in multiple episodes throughout the season and get paid a little more. I worked a background office worker extra on a TV show for two seasons. On the show Two Broke Girls, some of the regular diner patrons pulled double duty and worked as stand-in's for the main actors during set ups.

Day players (actors with one or more lines) are different. But, like extras, day players are not under a contract, so their appearances are subject to their availability. Basically Trek has always reused actors and does put some effort into trying to retain them, though it's not always possible, and keeping them at the same stations all the time is obviously not a priority.

8

takeitassaid OP t1_jacesys wrote

Thank for the answer, sheds a little more light on what i asked about. I put too much of star trek stuff into the question i guess, what i am interested in is really only the production side for this question.

1

Jack_Q_Frost_Jr t1_jacgl1e wrote

There's not a regulation or obligation for upping an extra to a semi-regular extra, or for promoting a day player to a cast member. It's all up to the producers to make those decisions. Colm Meaney is a good example of someone that started out as a day player with an unnamed character that was later given a name and promoted to full cast member. Sometimes it happens like that, but there's no official process for that to happen to every actor.

2

takeitassaid OP t1_jaclii3 wrote

Thanks again for staying with what i really asked. Colm Meaney is probably the best example for this.

Seems it was a pretty obvious question, i just read that the Screen Actors Guild has some pretty strict rules about stuff like that. Just for example who is mentioned in the credits and where etc. Maybe, what i was thinking about, only applies to movies.

I guess i did overthink this one a bit.

1

yes_its_him t1_jac9va2 wrote

The guys in the red shirts who beam down with the landing party are not good candidates for recurring roles.

4

takeitassaid OP t1_jacc9ks wrote

Well they die mostly. I just meant the other bridge staff or staff in general, sometimes you see a person twice, mostly on the next episode then. But there are never recurring characters that are not on the main staff. (Edit: In Tng there is a nurse that is seen more often, that is actually what i mean, why are there not more of those "named" background characters.)

Like a person that is on the bridge now and then, or in the medical station. Those are always new people.

2

MtPollux t1_jacdjjf wrote

How sure are you that they don't do exactly this? Have you really paid close enough attention to who is in the background of every scene to know for sure that those same people don't show up in the background of other scenes down the road?

2

takeitassaid OP t1_jace45a wrote

No i didn't, it was just something that came to mind when i thought about always seeing new persons that i never saw before.

But why is that so important instead of the question i asked, if there is some rule or law that prohibits using extras more than a few times without upping them to cast members?

1

yes_its_him t1_jacdjyq wrote

While I am not an expert on this, my understanding is there are 'background actors' who don't have lines, and 'principal performers' who do. An actor can remain background even over an extended period of time, so there's no contractual reason to churn them, but there's also probably not that much benefit to trying to ensure some concept of continuity for individuals in roles where it's not essential to the story.

2

takeitassaid OP t1_jaceja9 wrote

Thanks, that is more in line of what i meant. They just use new extras because no one really cares. I was just wondering about it because i read about some laws that gives more rights (money, insurance, etc.) to people that are continually employed by a specific show in one role.

1

SurrealRaypissed t1_jaco21p wrote

I do background acting on shows and movies. Some tv show directors are very particular about background, like to hand select them and are adamant in the casting calls about "only fresh faces " meaning you had not worked on camera on that production.

I think it just helps with authenticity in their mind. In practice, it doesn't make a huge difference to the average viewer.

4

takeitassaid OP t1_jacv56a wrote

I can understand that, as i said in the case of Star Trek those are ships with over a 1000people on board, so it may make sense to always see new people.

2

Varekai79 t1_jadf70d wrote

I think the various Star Treks do try to keep some sense of recurring extras. Voyager did this as much as they could due to the premise of the show. TNG tended to stick to a handful of day players for the helm position and various other background crew. DS9 had Morn. Discovery's bridge crew has more or less stayed the same since the beginning, existing in a weird state somewhere between day player and actual cast.

It's also not a fixed crew, other than Voyager and Discovery because of their unique circumstances. Realistically, most of the crew would only serve a few years at most at a single post before being transferred and/or promoted somewhere else.

3

contrarian1970 t1_jads6z0 wrote

Spock and Riker had the job of creating the work schedules. If it was ALWAYS the same person at the same console that credibility goes down (like Tom Paris, Harry Kim, and Tuvok on Voyager though they were in a situation where they literally couldn't pick up a new qualified Starfleet officer.)

3

jaguarthrone t1_jacc9zr wrote

They keep getting into the teletransporter with Kirk, Spock, and Scotty, which is the Kiss of Death...Nobody can survive that!!

2

Prax150 t1_jaczo5f wrote

Some of the Star Treks made more of an effort about. Voyager had a few extras who were around pretty much the entire series. Understandably, of course. I remember one guy even had his own wiki entry.

Ultimately as others have pointed out it's often a matter of logistics. Someone won't necessarily be available to do extra work for 6+ months of the year, for seven years. Certainly they wouldn't want to be paid the same for that entire time either.

2

takeitassaid OP t1_jad111p wrote

Voyager is a good example for this as it was one isolated ship in a far away place without any crew transfers.

I still think that there were a lot of new people brought into it for extra roles instead of relying on a small pool of people.

I actually should have brought that up in my original post.

1