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Star Trek actors are no strangers to getting intimate with their characters’ characterization, especially Robert Picardo and Jonathan Frakes, and the latter is even responsible for one of Sir Patrick Stewart’s favorite Star Trek movies. Robert Picardo, on the flip side, is famous for pitching ideas to writers and actively seeking opportunities to continue working with the revered franchise.
Robert McNeill was another Star Trek star who aspired to extend his Star Trek career beyond his onscreen presence, but unlike Picardo, he took a different and more cautious approach.
Robert McNeill treaded carefully to jump to directing
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While Robert Picardo‘s insistence on pitching ideas has contributed to his long-standing run in the beloved franchise, as he has been successful in having a say in his creative ventures in Star Trek, McNeill didn’t follow in his footsteps. Given his desire for directing, McNeill confessed that he channelled his energy into that route, and avoided pitching his ideas to the creative team during his tenure as an actor in the franchise.
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The actor further added that he wanted to avoid creating any confusion among the creatives by leaning toward all three at once (writing, directing, and acting).
He said (via Trek Movie):
I didn’t really pitch, no. Most of the time with Star Trek. I looked at it as, ‘You guys, tell me what you want, and I’ll do it.’ Because I wanted to direct, too. I was like, ‘I don’t want to confuse them with trying to be a writer and a director and an actor. Let me just do my actor job and keep focused on the directing’. So that’s where I put my energy.
Despite not being as persistent as Picardo, McNeill did eventually land the opportunity to helm his own project, marking his directorial debut with Star Trek: Voyager, and even went on to direct episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise.
Robert McNeill isn’t the only Star Trek actor to excel as a director
Robbie McNeill isn’t the lone successful actor-turned filmmaker who marked their directorial career in Star Trek, as Jonathan Frakes‘ career followed a similar trajectory. Interestingly, among all the Star Trek stuff he has helmed, including two feature movies, it’s the first one that remains one of Sir Patrick Stewart‘s favorites in the series, especially when it comes to the technical feats.
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Elaborating on his directorial chops, Sir Stewart commended Frakes for harboring a positive environment on set and having a knack for extracting emotionally authentic performances beyond “what we’d given on the show”.
In his memoir Making It So: A Memoir (via Looper), he wrote:
We all loved being directed by him during the show’s run, but here he really elevated his game. Jonathan is a funny, light-hearted man who always creates a positive atmosphere on the set, but this time, he sharpened his focus, demanding of us an emotional authenticity beyond what we’d given on the show. This was the big leagues, after all.
Despite the stark contrast in their approach, both Robert Picardo and Robbie McNeill have proven to be icons within the Star Trek community, and the latter is adamant about returning to the director’s chair for more Star Trek.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire