Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: Highlights from Convention in San Diego w/ Marina Sirtis
From: trekkie@netlink.cts.com (Bryce Newall)
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 93 20:07:55 PST
Organization: NetLink Online Communications, San Diego CA

Greetings, everyone!
 
Last Saturday, January 9, 1993, I attended yet another Creation Star 
Trek convention.  This time, the featured guest was Marina Sirtis.  
Also, earlier, we had Wendy Neuss (pronounced like Dr. Seuss), TNG's 
Post Production Supervisor.  (She supervises getting the sound
effects and music mixed in.)  We also got some upcoming news.
 
I should warn you that there are some Spoilers in here, so if you 
don't want to be spoiled about anything, please stop reading now.
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There, that should do it.  Now, to continue...
 
(A) UPCOMING INFO ON FUTURE DEEP SPACE NINE EPISODES
 
    - For anyone who is still unsure:  DEEP SPACE NINE WILL NOT
      AFFECT WHETHER OR NOT TNG CONTINUES.
    - The 2-hour premier of Deep Space Nine cost $12 million.
    - If you thought Terry Farrell looked good as Dax, you should've
      seen the slide they showed us of her off of Deep Space Nine. :)
    - Armin Shimmerman (Quark) reminded me a lot of Ross Perot.  You
      figure it out. :)  You'd probably never recognize him out of
      costume.
    - Quark and Sisko will develop a relationship of some kind (they
      didn't elaborate).
    - Kai Opaka will be reappearing, but not in every episode.
    - Lwaxana Troi will be appearing sometime soon.  (But we already
      knew that, right? <grin>)
    - The guy giving us the news said that some people from TNG will
      probably be making cameo appearances on Deep Space Nine.  He
      said he heard that Guinan will probably appear.
 
Now, for the upcoming episodes:
 
    - There will be a murder mystery episode, in which Odo is
      implicated.
    - "Babel" - A neurological contaminant is accidently released
      into the station's replicator system, affecting residents with
      a disease that makes them unable to communicate.
    - "Captive Pursuit" - A race of people are bred or the ritual
      tradidion of being hunted, something the hunted themselves
      consider an honor.  One of them escapes through the wormhole to
      Deep Space Nine.  The hunters soon follow.  Written by Michael
      Piller.
    - "Q-less" - Guess who's coming to Deep Space Nine.  Vash will be
      with him, with a priceless icon to be transported to a
      Federation research lab.  Several of the crew begin to have
      disturbing dreams, which compel them to take the icon,
      commandeer a Runabout, and travel through the wormhole.
    - "Dax" - Dax is brought to trial for a crime she supposedly
      committed while in a previous host.  Written by D.C. Fontana.
    - "The Passenger" - A female security officer arrives on Deep
      Space Nine in search of a renegade mail scientist.  The
      security officer and Dr. Bashir form a relationship, neither
      one of them knowing that the scientist has transferred his mind
      into her body.  (Hmmm...!)
    - (No name given) - Quark is forced by aliens to play a game
      which sends crew members of Deep Space Nine to a strange world
      where they become the playing pieces.
    - "Friends and Foes" - Naag (Quark's nephew) and Jake Sisko pal
      around, and Naag gets Jake into trouble.  Naag and Jake teach
      their elders a lesson in friendship and trust.
    - "Vortex" - Odo journeys through the wormhole in search of
      answers to his origin.
 
(B) WENDY NEUSS
 
    - Wendy showed us clips from several episodes, --  "Cause and 
      Effect", "Redemption", "The Ensigns of Command", "Devil's Due", 
      and "Unification" -- first without music and sound effects,
      then with.  It was interesting, and often funny, watching the
      clips without music and sound effects.  For example, in "Cause
      and Effect", is was rather amusing to hear Riker yell "Red
      Alert!", and then not hear any Red Alert klaxon.  And then,
      when the Bozeman hits the Enterprise's warp nacelle, and the
      view changes back to the Enterprise Bridge, you can hear the
      camera shaking! :)  And then Picard shouts "All hands abandon
      ship!  Repeat, all hands abandon--" (pause).
    - Sound effects include everything from ship beeps and phasers to
      footsteps and punches (as in "Redemption", on K'Ern's ship).
    - It usually takes 2 days (2 long days) for the sound effects
      crew to mix in all of the sound effects and music.
    - They have 2 post-production teams, and they work on alternate
      episodes.
    - They use about a 40-piece orchestra for the music.  While
      that's small compared to a symphony orchestra, it's a lot
      larger than most TV show orchestras.
    - Looping - when they record a voice off camera to replace one
      that was recorded on camera because it didn't sound very good
      for the part, or there was a lot of noise.  For example in
      "Unification II", when Riker went into the bar on Quaylor II to
      talk to that four-handed piano player, the actress' real voice
      had a Brooklyn accent.  So, they got a different access to read
      the part, and then edited it in over the original actress'
      voice.  They also do that for log entries, as in "Unification
      II" -- in the "before" clip, we heard another voice reading the
      First Officer's Log entry.  In the "after" clip, of course, it
      was Frakes' voice.
    - The woman who re-voiced the four-handed piano player in
      "Unification II" is the same actress who does the voice of the 
      computer in Deep Space Nine.
    - The guy who played Gosheven in "The Ensigns of Command" got his
      voice done over because the actor "sounded too much like John
      Wayne". :)
    - Someone asked what the most embarrassing post production error
      was.  She couldn't think of one offhand, but then another
      person in the audience suggested the reflection of a boom
      operator off of the crystal in Sela's office in "Unification
      II".
    - Most of the time, the behind-the-scenes crew are not allowed to
      appear in front of the camera.
    - The Transporter effect is a composite of 3 different tracks.
 
OK, folks, the part you've all been waiting for:
 
(C) MARINA SIRTIS
 
    - As usual, the first thing she did was pose for pictures.  
      Everyone crowded up to the front to grab a picture or 5 before 
      she made us stop.  Of course, my camera's flash picked just 
      that time to quit working, but I got it working again later.  
      At least I could take a few pictures later, after everyone had 
      sat back down, without flash.
    - Just as the pictures were ending, someone asked her what color 
      her eyes are.  The answer:  HAZEL.  There!  No more debates 
      about that one, eh? :)
    - Don't call her "Ms. Sirtis", because she says it maker her feel 
      like she's her aunt.  Call her Marina. :)
    - She says married life is great!
    - Don't worry, she's not pregnant...yet.  We'll know if she is if 
      they start filming her from the neck up only.
    - "Face of the Enemy" - Marina gets to be a Romulan!  She'll be 
      kidnapped from the Enterprise and surgically altered to look 
      like a Romulan.
    - She's renamed Romulus to "The Bad Hair/Bad Clothes Planet".
    - Carolyn Seymour will be guest-starring in this show.  (You may 
      remember her as Sub-commander Taras (sp?) from "Contagion", and 
      also as Mirasta Yale from "First Contact".)
    - Troi actually gets mad in this episode.  Makes us happy!
    - She poked fun at Picard being naked in "Chain of Command" --
      she said, "Old Baldy's showing off his bits and pieces."
    - A vote seemed to indicate that most people liked Troi's 
      original hairdo the best, the one with the hair down (no, not 
      the bun!).  She calls the original 'do the "Country and Western 
      hairdo".
    - Guess what, folks?  The answer to our prayers!  Troi *will* be 
      wearing the standard uniform most of the time (while she's on 
      duty, I assume).  She'll still wear other stuff when she's off 
      duty or counseling.
    - Her theory on why Troi & Riker won't be happening:  Riker is 
      the "Stud of the Galaxy", and has to be available for all of 
      the female guest stars. :)
    - She feels that Riker is not very brighg when it comes to women:
      In "Conundrum", Riker and Ensign Ro think there's something 
      going on between them.  Then Riker finds this book, in which is 
      inscribed, "To Will, all my love, Deanna."  And it doesn't 
      compute!  He doesn't figure out that he and Deanna must have 
      had something going.
    - She and John Frakes try to play a relationship, but it usually 
      ends up on the cutting room floor.
    - For those who don't know already, Marina's new husband is 
      Michael Lamper (whom she says has better hair than she), a rock 
      musician.  He hates the scenes where Troi is having some kind 
      of romantic encounter.  He tells her, "You're too good.  That 
      looks real!"  To which she says, "Oh, honey, I hated him.  He 
      had bad breath!"
    - In "The Icarus Factor", when Riker was going to be leaving the 
      Enterprise, and he and Deanna say goodbye to each other and she 
      starts to cry a little, she said Michael started to cry a bit 
      when he saw that episode.  When they got married, he cried all 
      the way through the service, while she was all smiles.
    - Someone asked who does her voice, and got a rather strange look 
      from Marina. :)  Someone else said, "Prove it", and she refused 
      at first, but then the whole audience wanted her to 
      demonstrate, so she said, in her Troi voice, "Captain, he's 
      hiding something."  (Real original line, eh? <grin>)
    - There was one instance where she had to say that line, and
      Patrick Stewart turned to her and said, "We know that, you
      stupid cow!  You waste of space!..."  To which she replied,
      "Well excuse me, your majesty!  I don't write the lines,
      Patrick, I just say them, OK?!"
    - Someone asked if she wears hip pads (and got a strange look 
      from Marina).  No, she does not, she says the TV puts 10 pounds
      on you.
    - She very much enjoyed working with Howie Seago (as Riva) in
      "Loud as a Whisper".
    - A tip:  To get attention at a convention, Marina says "wear the 
      guest".  Someone in the audience had a jacket with a big
      autographed picture of Troi on the back.
    - She and Brent Spiner are addicted to the TV, she says -- when 
      they're not working on TV, they're watching it.
    - When asked about whether or not there would be any more blooper
      reels, she told us "No", then went on to explain why (and get
      Wendy in trouble, she said):  Wendy made a blooper reel at the
      end of the second season.  But, it wasn't just a blooper reel,
      it was edited bloopers.  Remember the episode "Time Squared",
      with the double of Captain Picard?  There was a scene where the
      second Picard was in sickbay thrashing around on a bed, and
      Troi was trying to get a sense of what was going through his
      mind.  At one point, it overwhelmed her for a second, and she
      started panting very briefly.  Well, Wendy took and edited that
      together with Picard's thrashing around.  They were watching
      the reel at the second season wrap party.  Marina was sitting
      on Wil Wheaton's lap (she said don't ask why), and, well, let's
      just say Wil got very excited. :)  There have not been any
      blooper reels since then.  Maybe Patrick had something to do
      with it?
    - She loves working with Majel, and she makes fun of the 
      extravegant costumes that Lwaxana wears.  ("Majel, are you 
      doing an episode this season?"  "Yes, Marina, I am."  "OK, 
      that's why I didn't get a raise this year.")  The cast is 
      normaly a pretty rowdy bunch, but they decided that they would 
      be really good the first time Majel guest-starred.  However, 
      about halfway through, they discovered that Majel was even 
      nuttier than the rest of them!
    - Here's another credit for Marina:  The very first movie she 
      made was called "The Thief of Baghdad".  She told us a story 
      from that movie:  She did a scene with Rodney McDowell (I think 
      that was his name), where he says to her, "Feed me a cumquat".  
      Well, Marina had no idea whatsoever what a cumquat was, and the 
      only thing she could find that looked edible was a grape, so 
      she hands him a grape.  He says, "That's a grape, stupid!"  She 
      says, "Well, OK, what's a cumquat?"
    - Regarding whether or not the wives of guest stars whom Troi has 
      had relationships with (i.e. Matt McCoy as Devinoni Ral from 
      "The Price"), Marina has made an agreement, which she whispered 
      into the microphone:  "No tongues."  The says she has blocked 
      "The Price" from her consciousness. :)
    - A group of guys started leaving, so Marina stops and says,
      "Where are you going?  You're missing the best part!"  No
      answer.  "Where're you going?"  I shouted, "They're going to
      the restroom!" Marina then said, "To the restroom?  I thought 
      only girls went to the toilet together."  Lots of laughs on 
      that one! :)
    - One of the people who was working at the convention happened to 
      walk by the stage.  She was wearing a Data shirt (which said, 
      "I am not less perfect than Lore" on the back).  Marina saw the 
      front of the shirt, stopped the girl, and said, "Now, if he 
      were appearing at this convention, I could understand you 
      wearing that T-shirt."  The girl said that Brent had read it 
      (he was here on November 8, 1992).  Marina answered, "Yeah, but 
      it's me here today."  The girl then asked if Marina liked the 
      cookies she made.  "Oh, did you make the cookies?  Yes, I got 
      them.  Thank you very much.  OK, you're forgiven for wearing a 
      Brent Spiner shirt."
    - One of her long-term goals is to work for the National 
      Shakespeare Company in England (not the Royal Shakespeare
      Company).  Another is to do a Broadway play.
    - She has a space on her mantle for "the oscar that one day 
      I'm gonna win."
    - She says working with Faye Dunnaway ("The Wicked Lady") was
      like working with the Queen of England.
    - Before, when asked what what goal she had for Troi, Marina
      would say she would like Troi to be captain for the day.  Well,
      along came "Disaster", and now she has revised that statement
      to be captain for the day and know what she's doing.
    - About practical jokes:  She says they don't play practical
      jokes on each other, because practical jokes are mean.  She
      told us a story about how one time she brought her dog Skilaggi
      (I don't know about the spelling, but it's Greek for "Little
      Dog") to the studio with her one time and left him with Brent
      Spiner while she went to shoot a scene.  Well, after the scene
      was done, she was coming back to Brent's trailer shouting from
      about 100 yards away, "Skilaggi!  It's mommy, I'm coming!"  She
      gets to Brent's trailer, and Brent is putting the dog in the
      microwave!  Another time, Brent had the dog again.  He sees
      Jonathan Frakes and says, "Hey, Jonathan!  Take it long!"  
      Michael Dorn calls the dog a "hairy cockroach".
    - She's a bit miffed that they keep passing up her Skilaggi when 
      they use a dog on the show, and also that they didn't want to 
      use either of her 2 cats for Spot.
    - Another of Marina's goals is to work with Robert De Niro.
    - If the transporter were ever invented during her lifetime, 
      Marina says, "I ain't getting on it!" :)
    - Of the entire TNG cast, the only one who hasn't done theater 
      work is Michael Dorn.
    - Several scenes were cut from "Relics", including a scene where 
      Troi stopped in to see Scotty after a big argument with Geordi 
      (which was also cut).  (Read the book version of "Relics" to 
      get an idea of what was *supposed* to happen.)
    - For "Man of the People", Mike Westmore asked her to get her 
      face waxed (she says she has a bit of peach fuzz on her face).  
      Unfortunately, the glue for the makeup burned her face, and she 
      was in agony for two days.  (Ugh!)  She said she felt like she 
      had 20,000 bees crawling all over her face.
    - She feels her best episode is "The Child".
    - She and her husband had their honeymoon in Cabo San Lucas.  He
      surfs; she doesn't.  He tried to teach her twice, and both
      times she ended up on the beach, completely covered with sand,
      with her bikini around her ankles.
    - Marina has never had a class in psychology, but during the
      first season, she subscribed to "Psychology Today".
    - In case anyone's wondering, she's 5'3.5" tall.
    - Jonathan Frakes really does play the trombone, and the cast 
      hates it when there's a scene involving the trombone, because
      Jonathan "doesn't stop all day long with that bloody trombone."
    - She likes the "entity" shows, because she likes being mean or 
      forceful, and it doesn't happen very often.
    - Her favorite character on the show is Data.
    - She saw the Deep Space Nine promo twice.  None of the regular
      TNG case (except for Patrick Stewart, of course, for the pilot
      episode) has been asked to be on Deep Space Nine.
    - Someone asked how she felt after the pilot episode.  She said 
      she felt horrible.  "Why do I still have a job?", she wondered.  
      She was a little scared.
    - Marina doesn't know whether or not there will be more seasons 
      of TNG or not, but says that if there are, she *will* be in it.
 
    - Her parting words were thanks:  She thanked us for watching the 
      original Trek in reruns and making it feasible to do TNG.  She 
      also thanked us for her job, her car, her house, her clothes...
      basically everything she has, she thanks us for.  Very 
      heartfelt.
 
The end!
 
                                                -- Bryce

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