Summary
- Robin Curtis compares working with William Shatner and Patrick Stewart, noting Shatner's distance from the cast in Star Trek III.
- Curtis describes Patrick Stewart's engagement and quick adaptation to complex dialogue on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
- She reflects on her limited small talk with Shatner but acknowledges it's not a complaint.
Star Trek actor Robin Curtis compares what it's like working on set with William Shatner and Patrick Stewart. Curtis is the second actor to play Lt. Saavik; she took over the role originated by Kirstie Alley in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, and Curtis reprised Saavik in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Curtis then played Tallera in Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Gambit" two-parter, placing Robin on the short list of Star Trek actors who have worked opposite both Starship Enterprise Captains, James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard.
Robin Curtis was a guest on The D-Con Chamber to discuss her life, career, and Star Trek with hosts Dominic Keating and Connor Trinneer. When Curtis was asked what her impressions were of Leonard Nimoy directing William Shatner on Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Robin described Shatner as being respected by the production but distant from the rest of the Star Trek cast. Curtis then contrasted Shatner with Patrick Stewart on the set of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Read Robin Curtis' quote and watch The D-Con Chamber video below:
What I saw was a lot of respect and deference to [William Shatner], what I didn’t know at the time, [I] learned later, was that I think Bill was off doing another film. There was pressure on him to wrap things up, and then he needed to go to someplace else. So unlike all the others [actors] who were very available and hanging out on set… Bill was removed. Like, he wasn’t a part of that as the other actors were. It’s a shame. I don’t know if I ever had more than two minutes of small talk with the man. Which is okay, I’m not complaining.
It was almost the same way with Patrick Stewart, but for a different reason… He really was engaged. They changed scenes one day, and I marveled at how this man took a whole scene of dialogue - you know the Star Trek dialogue, the multisyllabic, high-techy, gobbledy-gooky words - [Patrick] wraps his brain around it in a matter of minutes.
William Shatner & Patrick Stewart Worked Together In Star Trek Generations
Two Captains, One Destiny
10 years after Robin Curtis first worked with William Shatner in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, and one year after Curtis guest starred opposite Patrick Stewart on Star Trek: The Next Generation, the two Captains of the Enterprise teamed up in 1994's Star Trek Generations. Shatner's Captain Kirk passed the Star Trek movie franchise torch to Patrick Stewart's Captain Picard and the TNG cast. Star Trek Generations also culminated in the death of Captain Kirk, which marked the final time Shatner portrayed his iconic character.
Star Trek: Picard season 3 updated Saavik's fate, revealing the Vulcan became the first Captain of the USS Titan.
Robin Curtis had the challenge of replacing Kirstie Alley as Saavik in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, and she admitted playing a stoic Vulcan was not in her "wheelhouse" on The D-Con Chamber. However, Curtis held her own in her scenes with Williiam Shatner's Admiral Kirk in both Star Trek III and in her brief appearance in Star Trek IV. Comparatively, Curtis had a meatier role on Star Trek: The Next Generation, but she can take pride in counting both Star Trek Captains as scene partners in TV and film.
