August 27, 2019 | By As we celebrate in 2019 the 40th anniversary of the premiere of Star Trek: The Motion Picture and the 50th anniversary of the final episode of the original series, it seems clear that Gene Roddenberry’s creation has a pretty good jump on its own 400-year cultural legacy — and it couldn’t have got there without William Shakespeare. In the movie, "undiscovered country" is a reference to the future. Alien species such as the race known as the Klingons, created for the show, quote Hamlet, both in English and in their own fictional language. An insane captain's green consort Marta tries to recite some poetry she wrote, When the captain points out the poetry is taken from Shakespeare's Sonnet XVIIII, she insists she still wrote it. Star Trek fans may be horrified to learn that Sir Ian McKellen actually warned Sir Patrick Stewart not to take the role of Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Following a spell with the Royal National Theatre in the mid 1980s, he went to Los Angeles, California to star on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), which ran from 1987-1994, playing the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. In another episode, Data intentionally misquotes The Merchant of Venice when he asks, “If you prick me, do I not… leak?”, Quoting Shakespeare, of course, is a great shortcut to legitimacy, a way to give your characters (and your project) a depth and richness they might not earn on their own. I had no scenes with the great captain so we were only able to exchange a pleasant “hello” and “nice to meet you,” and I resisted the impulse to gush and tell him how much his performance as Captain Kirk meant to me — because I was pretty sure that if I did, the Shat would have hit this fan. Of possible anecdotal interest: I got to meet William Shatner once when I guest-starred on an episode of Boston Legal. The latest incarnation of the series, STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, is as similarly engaged with Shakespeare as its predecessors. Technically correct. All the Shakespeare to be found in the Star Trek universe is provided here, complete with interesting and entertaining commentary. ), in which the Klingon general played by Oscar-winning Shakespeare veteran Christopher Plummer (whom Shatner famously understudied at the Stratford Festival) quotes Shakespeare repeatedly and Klingon Chancellor Gorkon (played by another Shakespeare veteran David Warner) claims that “You have not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Klingon.”. Stewart joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966, to begin his 27-year association. LiveAbout uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Star Trek: The Wisdom of Picard is available today in hardcover. Although Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted in 1987 — four years before Star Trek VI hit theaters — The Undiscovered Country laid the groundwork for the Klingons' lasting peace with the Federation as seen in TNG.Proof positive is the fact that Worf (Michael Dorn) is a senior officer aboard the U.S.S. If Shakespeare is the It’s called “Star Trek’s Shakespeare Problem,” and is in the just-published collection Shakespeare On Stage and Off (McGill-Queen’s University Press), edited by Kenneth Graham and Alysia Kolentsis. Stewart's Shakespearean background was one aspect that made Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek's creator, consider him for the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. The next generation of ThinkGeek’s Star Trek: The Next Generation uniform hoodies is here! Star Trek: The Next Generation - Perchance to Dream Wildstorm mini-series #1 Feb 2000 ... Chapter titles taken from "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare. Star Trek: Discovery ’s Mirror Universe episodes have two titles and several narrative threads inspired by the writings of William Shakespeare, continuing a tradition linking the Bard to the 23rd and 24th centuries that began in the earliest days of Star Trek. Shatner established a boldness in performance that subsequent starship captains needed to match or surpass, which Royal Shakespeare Company veteran Patrick Stewart easily did, playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the second series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and soon-to-be (what, the seventh? Home to the world's largest Shakespeare collection. Returning in this episode is the late Andreas Katsulas as the devious Commander Tomalak. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! TNG actor Brent Spiner put this "title" on a sign and hung it on Stewart's trailer door. It's a good way to highlight their appreciation for the depth of his work. Thanks again, Arch! When Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) began in 1987, Patrick Stewart was referred to as an "unknown British Shakespearean actor" by the Los Angeles Times. Both "Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Season 5 on Blu-ray hit shelves Tuesday, Nov. 19. When assigned to investigate an unknown probe, Lt. Barclay is electrocuted through a shuttlecraft's computer, where he receives an unexplainable boost of confidence and a vast increase in his knowledge. "The Defector" is the tenth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the 58th episode of the series overall. This is a compilation, in chronological order by broadcast or release date, of quotations from Shakespeare, allusions to Shakespeare, or borrowings from Shakespeare in various and sundry Star Trek episodes and films. In this episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, a defector from the Romulan Empire comes to the Enterprise for asylum. This entire episode is an adaptation of Hamlet with Kirk taking on the titular role, grappling with the question of guilt versus innocence. With the Reduced Shakespeare Company, my ironic claim that “Shakespeare is America’s greatest living playwright” plays off Shakespeare’s timelessness and the idea that in every country I’ve performed him (the US, China, Israel, Singapore), Shakespeare is claimed as a product of that nation; he belongs to everyone. Patrick Stewart, Actor: Logan. One of the main villains General Chang is constantly quoting Shakespeare, including Hamlet, Henry V, and Merchant of Venice. We discovered you at the Novato Renaissance Faire over 30 years ago and have been fans ever since! Austin Tichenor. There’s a provocative new essay on this topic by Brandon Christopher. Shakespeare is a major theme of the film. The title itself is a reference to a line from Hamlet, referring to death. There are hundreds of other Shakespearean echoes across the Star Trek universe, including Shakespeare’s coat-of-arms worn inexplicably on the tunic of a character on a planet where the Roman empire never declined and fell. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. This episode is brought to you by T-Mobile. Whole episodes have been based on Shakespeare's plays. With Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn. Michael Dorn, left, of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," plays two character in his first major Shakespearean thatrical role. View Folger Shakespeare Library’s profile on Facebook, View FolgerLibrary’s profile on Instagram, View FolgerLibrary’s profile on Pinterest, View UCBOl-Rnudd-b0XJsmKDId-g’s profile on YouTube, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), is the artistic director of the Reduced Shakespeare Company and the co-author of, Give a gift, get a mask! https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/The_Defector_(episode) By 2293, the works of Shakespeare were known to Klingons such as Chancellor Gorkon and General Chang.Gorkon stated that Shakespeare could only truly be experienced in "the original Klingon," and Chang quoted liberally from Shakespeare's plays as his last words were "to be, or not to be. Support the Folger with a, From our collection: a 1923 gouache, watercolor, a, Wednesday, December 9 on the ⚡Shakespeare Lightn, The weather is starting to get chillier and winter, “Strong reasons make strong actions.” Here are, This month on the Shakespeare Lightning Round, we', 🎼 Join Folger Consort for a virtual holiday con, From our collection: This miniature set of Shakesp, Global gobble-gobble! In the opening scene, Data is performing Henry V on the holodeck. Watch the series for yourselves with a copy of Shakespeare in your lap, and you'll find many more. Episode titles are borrowed from Will (“Vaulting Ambition,” “What’s Past Is Prologue,” and “Such Sweet Sorrow”), they share thematic elements, and in Season 2, ep 11, a young Lt. Spock says, “The time is out of joint; O cursed spite that ever I was born to set it right.” Our hero(ine)’s response: “Hamlet. But it was Captain James T. Kirk himself, in the form of actor and Stratford Festival alum William Shatner, who brought an authentic (and weirdly old school) Shakespearean swagger to the 23rd century. Was this line ever used in Trek? Star Trek: Lower Decks begins in 2380, and Star Trek: Picard continues Jean-Luc Picard's story in the year 2399. 3:47. That idea is expanded across galaxies in the film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (another title borrowed from Shakespeare! Enterprise-D under Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Explore our collection with #FolgerFinds. Star Trek and Shakespeare have been linked since the very first series. My husband and I also love Reduced Shakespeare Co.! and The Taming of the Shrew, respectively. Star Trek: Nemesis, the final Next Generation film, occurs in 2379. Shakespeare coat of arms used as Claudius Marcus' insignia. You can almost hear the tree saying, "Weeeeeeeeee! Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard holds his “Globe Illustrated Shakespeare” in Star Trek: The Next Generation. This episode is about the Romulan defector who says he has vital information for the Federation concerning a Romulan invasion. Those sequences included character names from Shakespeare's The Tempest. The show even started with a recreation of that play in the ship's holodeck. series, Star Trek: Picard. Star Trek: The Next Generation actor Wil Wheaton reviewed the episode for the Huffington Post after the end of the series, describing John de Lancie in his role of Q as "brilliant casting and masterful acting", and thought that overall the episode was reminiscent of the original series and had some good points. Directed by Robert Legato. In his attempt to rescue her, Picard claims to be a jealous lover and recites poetry  Picard tries to recite poetry to bring her back by quoting various Shakespearean sonnets. Within the framework of the original series, The Next Generation series and the films, Shakespeare has become an integral part of the universe that Star Trek inhabits. Here are some of the most significant Shakespearean moments in the franchise. Star Trek: The Next Generation) has a worn copy of The Complete Works of William Shakespearehandy. Sign up! This Wednesday, November 18, at 5 pm ET, actor Joh, We’re remembering the great Alex Trebek by re-wa, Who's your favorite of Shakespeare's clowns, jeste, For Veterans Day, listen again to our interview wi, 🌩️🌩️🌩️ This Friday may be Friday th, From our collection: a photo of Millicent Bandmann, the 19th-century tradition of Shakespeareans performing in saloons and camps across the American west, whom Shatner famously understudied at the Stratford Festival, Shakespeare’s coat-of-arms worn inexplicably on the tunic of a character, William Shakespeare: International man of mystery. 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