Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Reboot

Good News Everyone! Hollywood's out of ideas! Remember how there was a super-successful relaunch of Star Trek a few years ago? Well, aside from reinvigorating the whole franchise, it was actually pretty fun too.

I, however, was always more of a fan of The Next Generation, so I'm really looking forward to the inevitable series of reboots about Picard and his crew. What with the canonical changes to the timeline that took place in 2009’s Star Trek and 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness, the makers of the TNG series essentially have carte blanche on the state of the galaxy 100 years later.

We could speculate on the plot all day, but what about the cast? It would take a pretty amazing bunch of actors to step into the iconic roles of the Enterprise crew, and if I were calling the shots here's who I would pick.

Bryan Cranston as Captain Jean-Luc Picard

I have no doubt that due to his consummate acting abilities and subtle sense of humor, Cranston would be just the anchor to keep this franchise centered. While Captain Kirk's cocksure attitude translates more easily to the action genre, Picard is more of a diplomat and tactician than his predecessor. In Breaking Bad, Cranston showed audiences that just because a man conducts himself with deliberation and composure, it doesn't mean he can't be a badass. Plus, we already know what he looks like bald, so...

Tom Hiddleston as Lieutenant Commander Data

Hiddleston's resemblance to Data in Thor: The Dark World actually inspired me to write this list. While Loki is devious and ruled by ego and emotions, Data is loyal, objective and methodical. He's also one of the only Androids in known existence, which begs the question, why would Starfleet send him to the intergalactic frontline? They might see him as a weapon, but Data’s personal quest to learn how to be human and essentially acquire a soul, was and always will be one of the most important facets of the TNG canon. Oh, and please, PLEASE bring on Lohr.

Idris Elba as Lieutenant Worf

The glimpse of the Klingons we saw in “Into Darkness” brought a whole new aesthetic to the alien race that's one of the Federation’s biggest pains in the ass. With a potential war in the mix, I’d like to see Worf’s experience as Starfleet’s first Klingon officer be a main through-line of the new films. Perhaps he could even start the series off as a Starfleet spy, trying to come to terms with going up against his ancestral people. That being said, we need someone with serious acting chops, but who’s also tough as nails. If there's another actor who better fits that criteria, then may god help us all.

Michael Fassbender as Commander William Riker 

Picard’s first in command is a charming swashbuckler who's a lot more willing to get his hands dirty, all the while maintaining a certain slick charm. I don't know of another actor that more of my male friends would want to grab a beer with than Michael Fassbender, and the ladies? Forget it. I actually think it would be entertaining to see Riker as a product of a society so far past the conventions of "untraditional" sexuality that he'll get with anybody: women, men, aliens or sentient vapor clouds. Fassbender will have to grow a beard though, so as long as y'all don’t mind it being bright orange.

Chadwick Boseman as Chief Engineering Officer Geordi LaForge

In the movie 42, Chadwick Boseman played the legendary Jackie Robinson, a normal guy who found himself in a remarkable situation. He managed to remain stoic in the face of adversity, cool under pressure and good-humored among his friends. These are all essential traits for fan-favourite Geordi LaForge. Besides being an energetic and gifted actor, I think Boseman has an "everyman" quality that a lot of viewers would find relatable. Or at least as relatable as a blind spaceship engineer who wears magic sunglasses is ever going to get.

Liv Tyler as Counsellor Deanna Troi

Yes she’s devastatingly beautiful, yes she has a certain softness that pulling off a feelings-sensitive “Empath” would require, but more importantly, Liv Tyler wouldn’t play Deanna merely as “Riker’s girlfriend”. She held her own in the Lord of the Rings trilogy as an Elfin Warrior, so I’d like to see Counsellor Troi in this world more than just a expositional sounding board for the unending parade of existential crises that plague the Enterprise crew.

Diane Lane as Chief Medical Officer Beverley Crusher

While being a gorgeous redhead in an appropriate age range to be the inevitable love interest to Bryan Cranston’s Jean-Luc Picard, Diane Lane is also an amazing actor who brings an intense energy to every role she plays. Having Lane’s no-nonsense Dr. Crusher on board the Enterprise would give viewers the feeling that there’s a lot more on the line than simple consular squabbles between made-up planets. It’s a matter of life and death up there, and no one knows better than Beverley.

Dane DeHaan as Wesley Crusher

Then there’s the other Crusher… Wil Weaton’s whiny Wesley is one of television’s most unpopular characters of all time. I say we play that up in the new films and cast an actor who often plays characters you just want to throttle. Dane Dehaan is actually one of Hollywood’s most promising young talents, but man if he doesn’t have a face you just want to punch.

A few more picks:

Octavia Spencer as Guinan 

Octavia has a nice balance of poise, attitude and charisma, and it would take an Oscar-winner to play a believeable 700-year-old sage who operates a bar on an intergalactic spacecraft.

Chris O’Dowd as Tactical Officer Miles O’Brien

I know it might seem silly, but once I got the idea of this Irishman playing O’Brien in my head I couldn’t get it out.

Charlize Theron as Tasha Yar

…And she would get killed by a black tar monster in the opening scene.

Ben Stiller as Q

The villains in this show were weird.

Rest In Peace Nelson Mandela

Valentine's Day, 1990:

While most of the other children in my Grade 1 class were, in all likelihood, filling their daily journals with hearts and Cupids and "Valentimes," I had something else on my mind. My mum had been telling me about a man who was put in jail for little more than being black. She had obviously simplified it for me, but it was clearly on my mind. The result was the following bit of journalism that I am still very proud of today.

When my teacher Mrs. Hanson, impressed by my "exellent" reporting, asked where I got my information I essentially hashtagged the phrase that defined the first ten years of my life: #MYMOMTELLSME

'FORD NATION' EXCLUSIVE: Interview with the hit TV show’s creator and star

Much has been said about the supposed “Golden Age” of television drama currently taking place on cable and online streaming services, but Canadian programming has remained on the sidelines…until now.

Ford Nation on HBO Canada, which had its season four premier last month, has not only captured the attention of viewers across the country but also the much-coveted American following that has eluded Canadian drama.

I sat down with Ford Nation’s creator and showrunner Aemon Pfeffer and its notoriously reclusive star Teddy Chalmers-Headley who plays the embattled Mayor Rob Ford.

Ford Nation creator Pfeffer, left with star Chalmers-Headley

S.J. – Aemon, where did you get the idea for Ford Nation?

A.P. – The idea came to me near the end of the W. Bush administration. I noticed that, at least among my American friends, there was such a vocal loathing for the President, but still he got re-elected. No matter what fucked up shit he did -- or I should say he got caught doing -- he stayed in power and there was nothing to be done about it. I kind of just took that idea and turned it up to eleven.

S.J. – Teddy, you’ve been working as an actor in Canada for a long time, how does it feel to finally get your break playing such a divisive character?

T.C-H. – To be completely honest, it’s a mixed blessing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful to finally be able to show people what I've always known I could do, but playing someone so… (Long pause) I used to be afraid that I’d only ever be remembered for playing Duncan the retard boy on Road to Avonlea, but now, no matter what I do, I’ll always be recognized as the guy who played Rob Ford. It’s tough.

S.J. – You’re a very private person, how have you dealt with the sudden attention from the media and internet?

T.C-H. – That’s all part of it. I used read the reviews and message boards, but you can only read so many negative comments about your weight, and your teeth, before it starts to affect you. But one day I said to myself, you know what? I’m going to use it. You either feel sorry for yourself, or you channel it and I think I owe a lot of my performance to those feelings.

A.P. – I think it’s really obvious that a lot of Rob Ford’s motivation comes from insecurity. That’s why we went with Teddy in the first place. He’s no one’s idea of a Hollywood lead, no offense, (Teddy nods) but he can project this stubborn, jock-like bravado that is one of Rob’s most defining characteristics.

T.C-H. – Luckily I have the support of an amazing person who has helped me a lot. (Chalmers-Headley is married to actor Jeff Wagner, who plays Giorgio Mammoliti)

S.J. – This season certainly took off with a bang, with Chief Blair (played by James Laszlo) holding a press conference to declare that the “Crack Tape” from season three was real. Was this a conscious effort to cut to the chase?

A.P. – Definitely. After watching these two characters circling each other like sharks for three seasons, we felt that it was time to throw down the gauntlet. We knew the viewers were ready to see it happen.

T.C-H. – When I first read the script I said to Aemon, ‘How are we going to get away with this?’ In my mind there was no way Rob could go on being the Mayor, but apparently there’s nothing in the City of Toronto statute that says that a sitting Mayor can be kicked out of office without actually being convicted and incarcerated first.

A.P. – It’s true, we do our research.

T.C-H. – That’s why I live in Vancouver (Laughs).

S.J. – One thing we haven’t really touched on is the show’s wicked sense of humour, especially the slapstick element. Where does that come from?

T.C-H. – There’s the age-old adage in comedy that if you’re not laughing you’d be crying, and that’s been very important to me in my portrayal of Rob Ford. If he was just being played as this villain, doing all these horrible, horrible things without any levity, I think it would be a whole different, and much less enjoyable show. Rob Ford isn’t in control of himself, if he won’t admit it verbally, I try to show that physically.

S.J. – I have to say, you’re pretty nimble for a big guy.

A.P. – He’s amazing. Half the time it’s not written in, he just surprises us all. Like in season three episode four when he walked into the camera? We had no idea that was coming.

S.J. – My favourite was the football fall.

T.C-H. – I have to admit, that was unintentional. (Laughs)

S.J. – Another favourite joke of mine is that we never see Rob’s wife Renata. Is that an homage to Frasier and Cheers?

A.P. – Yeah, I wrote for Frasier for a few years, and I always liked the unseen wife gag… But truthfully, Renata is meant to symbolize Rob Ford’s loss of humanity. I mean, at one point he must have been a normal guy, he has a wife and kids, but now all he cares about is his life in politics, which is very much symbolized by his brother Doug.

T.C-H. – That’s the thing that has frightened me most about doing this show. As time goes on I realize there are people who don’t seem to get that it’s satire, these people who view the character of Rob Ford as sympathetic, when he’s not supposed to be at all. When people on the message boards say they would actually vote for Rob Ford, I know most of the time it’s a joke, but it’s kind of scary.

S.J. – That brings me to my last question. Toronto is the fourth-largest city in North America, and by all appearances a pretty liberal city. How are viewers meant to believe people would actually vote for a person like Rob Ford?

A.P. – I don’t know, I think you might be surprised…

Phil Moorhead is a freelance writer and comedian in Toronto. Ford Nation airs on HBO Canada Sundays at 10, and is currently in negotiations for a fifth season.