Posted:
14:49:38 on January 22 2002
By: GustavoLeao
Dept: Enterprise | www.stenterprise.com
Trek Nation just posted an exclusive interview with ENTERPRISE actor John Billingsley (Doctor Phlox), who talks in great detail about the upcoming episode 'Dear Doctor', including that episode's original ending.
"I had a great time doing that episode' he told the website "I think it was the first step we've taken foward on the show in giving the Doctor a greater range. My concern from the beginning has been that he be more than the guy that's in a perpetually good mood and everybody would go for a laugh. In terms of giving him a full rounded personality, I think 'Dear Doctor' really does begin to move in that direction. He has a crisis of conscience, and I think you are allowed to see that this is somebody who is a very intelligent person with a depth and feeling to him. I hope there will be other episodes that continue to explore that."
"The ending that had initially been created [for the episode] I was fairly confortable with. But the head of the studio suggested some revisions on the ending. What do you do ? I wasn't as happy with the revisions, but it's not my show, you have to sort of adjust, even if sometimes it does seem a bit of a contradiction in terms for what your character is supposed to be about."
"[In the original ending] in this crisis of conscience, the Doctor essentially does something that violates the standard issue hierarchical obligations of a crewmember to his captain. In effect, he makes a decision that's rooted in 'I've got bigger fish to fry', rather than honoring his captain wishes. The network essentialy felt that no, it was important to essentialy make sure that everyone was here to support the captain's decisions. Personally, I thought 'Well, I think you've kind of lost something interesting in this potential tension. But, that's not my call."
You can read the full interview, in which Billingsley talks more about the episode and his experiences at conventions, here.
See Also: STENTERPRISE.com
Mission Logs
