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BEHIND-THE-SCENES:
INTERVIEW WITH ED BEGLEY JR.
who plays Henry Starling
in [#50 and #51 Future's End] |
adapted from ST Monthly's interview by Ian Spelling; screenshots by me
Words by Ed Begley Jr. are in this color.
Ed, who is the son of late noted character actor Ed Begley, has a lengthy list of genre credits to his name, including 'Battlestar Galactica', 'Batman Forever', 'Meet the Applegates' but until his appearance on [Star Trek: Voyager] had never played a part in the Star Trek universe. In the Season 3 two-part story [#50 and #51 Future's End], he plays troublesome 20th century computer magnate Henry Starling. Ed is also known for his vocal support of environmental causes, and drives an electric car.
I was actually very familiar with the whole Star Trek phenomenon. Like so many people, I was a fan of the original Star Trek series. I saw several of the movies when they came out and I had seen a few episodes of the different television incarnations. I've always liked what Star Trek stood for and the moral messages it imparted to its audience. I'd also done a couple of movies, 'Eating Raoul' and 'Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills', years ago, with Robert Beltran (Chakotay). I liked the whole Star Trek genre. Actually, I'm a fan of science fiction in general. I read a lot of Ray Bradbury as a kid growing up. I've always liked those kinds of movies, 'War of the Worlds' and all that kind of stuff. So, you're really quite right; it was about time that I finally did one of the Star Trek shows.
Most people probably figured I'd play a good guy if I ever did a Star Trek episode. I liked the idea that I was playing someone completely unlike me, who does things I could never live with were I to do them myself. I was obviously quite pleased that the Star Trek producers were willing to cast me as Starling, because he is, I guess, completely opposite to me.
Ed Begley Jr. as a younger Henry Starling... |
...and as encountered by Voyager's crew |
 Ed, who lives in Los Angeles, reports that he enjoyed his days on the [Star Trek Voyager] sets, getting a kick out of working with Kate Mulgrew, captaining a spacecraft and dealing with special effects (which he had done nearly two decades earlier as Ensign Greenbean on 'Battlestar Galactica'), shooting on location in downtown Los Angeles, catching up with Robert Beltran and discovering that, years before, he had worked on an episode of the Emmy Award-winning medical drama 'St. Elsewhere' with Robert Picardo.  Bob told me I was actually very nice to him then. I don't remember it, but he certainly returned the favour to me on [Future's End]. I have to tell you, everyone on the show made me feel very welcome. I thought the script (by Brannon Braga) was a lot of fun and very inventive. I loved that it suggested that Starling caused the whole late 20th century computer boom by cannibalising the equipment from a starship. I loved that it's Starling who created this whole time warp thing that could cost billions of people their lives. I loved the idea that the U.S.S. Voyager crew had to come to the 20th century to try and stop me. And I thought it was great that Starling got to challenge them for two episodes. I have to say that he did pretty well for a man who was really just a 20th century Neanderthal! (That echoes a line by Starling himself, who tells Janeway: "Give me some credit, Captain. I did pretty well for a primitive.") I just had the best time. I really did.
Below: as Henry Starling, irate about a poor quality computer chip, torturing the Doctor, unconscious on Voyager's transporter, and last second of life
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