SeaQuest DSV
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Roy Scheider and Steven Spielberg on the set of NBC's seaQuest DSV (1993) |
In the first season finale, Bridger sacrifices the
seaQuest to prevent an
ecological disaster, and for a short time it was not known if the show would be renewed for another season. When it was decided the show would return, NBC and
Universal used this opportunity to tinker with the show's format. Both
Royce D. Applegate and
John D'Aquino were fired by NBC as the network wanted a younger cast for the show's second year (D'Aquino subsequently returned for a guest appearance in the third season).
Stacy Haiduk, who was not happy with her character's development, informed producers she did not wish to return if the show went on to a second season.
Stephanie Beacham, who as Dr. Kristin Westphalen was one of the first season's strongest characters, had been asked back for the second year, contrary to popular rumour; however, she quit when it was decided the show would move production from Los Angeles to Florida. (The move also changed the show's location from Pearl Harbor to
New Cape Quest). Beacham also blamed poor writing and continued fighting between the network and the show's producers as major reasons why she did not return. The series had suffered in the ratings, pitted as it was against
Lois and Clark.
The studio wanted more
sci-fi oriented episodes, a direction moved toward at the end of season one, when
seaQuest encounters a million-year-old alien ship buried in the ocean floor. The marine trivia presentations during the credits by oceanographer
Bob Ballard were now presented by the principal cast of the show. These changes attracted a new audience, but many of the original fans of the first season were unhappy at the show's change from "sci-fact" to "sci-fi" and abandoned the show.
By the end of season two,
seaQuest DSV was again suffering, partly attributed to a decrease in the quality of the writing. The season's heavily sci-fi climax, "Splashdown", sees the crew and the boat transported to another planet, where the majority of them die (or so it seems). The threat of cancellation loomed large but Universal gave it one more chance.
Another revamp resulted in the third season, the series now called
seaQuest 2032.
Roy Scheider had been vocal in his anger of the show's new direction and wanted out. However, Scheider had a contract with the network so it was decided that Bridger would make several appearances throughout the season.
Rosalind Allen was fired as her character,
Dr. Wendy Smith, proved to be unpopular among fans (Dr. Smith, introduced in season 2, was essentially seen as a weak mixture of two female characters from
Star Trek: The Next Generation: the attractive
doctor, who is the captain's unrequited love interest, and the
Empath, who can sense emotions).
Marco Sanchez was also fired after NBC decided it wanted the principal cast number dropped from ten to eight.
Edward Kerr was fired for the same reason as Sanchez -- however, he was asked to play his character for the first five episodes so they could kill him off for dramatic effect. The marine trivia presentations at the end of the show were cut. The
seaQuest reappears, its crew intact, ten years after their abduction at the end of season two. Captain Bridger steps down to raise his grandson (although Scheider appears in two further episodes of the season), and
Michael Ironside enters the fray as the more militaristic Oliver Hudson as the UEO faces the threat of the Macronesian Alliance. Much darker than the previous seasons, some fans felt that
seaQuest had finally found its feet. However, Universal and NBC disagreed, and cancelled the series after 13 episodes.
Fans of "seaQuest DSV" have campaigned for the release of the series on DVD. Universal Studios, which owns the distribution rights to the series, had at one time stated that it had no plans to release the show on DVD. Over the past few years, illegal
bootleg recordings of the series have been sold on
eBay and other online auction sites in VCD and DVD format.
In 2005 Universal announced that the first season of "seaQuest DSV" would be released on DVD on
December 26 2005 along with a week long marathon of the show on the
Sci Fi Channel. Universal credited the fans with changing their minds about a DVD release. However, some also credit the successful sales of bootleg copies of the series. The DVD release included numerous deleted scenes as well as alternate versions of broadcast scenes.
A short series of novels based on the characters and concepts dipicted on seaQuest DSV were available during the first season of the show. They were:
*A novelization of the
pilot episode by
Diane Duane and Peter Norwood.
*
"Fire Below" by Matthew J. Costello. Published January 1994. ISBN 0-441-00039-8
*
"The Ancient" by David Bischoff. Published March 1994. ISBN 0-441-00042-8
One issue of a "seaQuest DSV" comic book was also published by
Nemesis Comics.
* The show's first season theme song was nominated for an
Emmy Award, and in 2000 was named the 48th best theme song of all time by
TV Guide.
* Two of the show's cast members died in 2003.
Royce D. Applegate (Chief Manilow Crocker) died in a
New Year's Day house fire and
Jonathan Brandis (Lucas Wolenczak) committed suicide in November.
* Edward Kerr's character, Lieutenant James Brody, was named after Police Chief Martin Brody, played by castmate Roy Scheider, in
Jaws.
* Unsure if the show would be picked up for another season upon the conclusion of the first, the writers decided to destroy the
seaQuest in the first season finale; had the show been cancelled, it would have ended with a note of finality, and had it been picked up, another
seaQuest could have been built. The latter eventually came to pass. Also, had the show been picked up for a second season, it would have moved production from California to Florida. Since the existing sets were too big to cost-effectively move, it was easier to just destroy them and rebuild.
* Roy Scheider had not been pleased with the direction of the show in the second season (moving more away from science-fact and towards heavy science-fiction), and had been vocal about his displeasure. Although he had a contract with NBC, Scheider was allowed to bow out in the third season, only required to reappear occasionally as a recurring character.
* Michael Ironside had considerable input as to the direction of the show during his season.
* John D'Aquino (Benjamin Krieg) was the only first season castmember that ever returned for a guest appearance ("In the Company of Ice and Profit").
* The image of Captain Bridger's wife, Carol, was played by Roy Scheider's real-life wife; Brenda King.
* Many scenes in the episode "Playtime" were filmed in Lakeland, Florida, especially the campus at Florida Southern College to take advantage of the buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
* In the episode "
Daggers, Part II", Dr. Wendy Smith states that Dagwood is like an uncle to the baby GELF, Genetically Engineered Life Form.
Peter DeLuise is in truth the baby's uncle. She is Riley DeLuise, the daughter of
David DeLuise. In another scene in the same episode, her other uncle
Michael DeLuise, playing Anthony Piccolo, is seen holding her.
* Captain Bridger never refers to Dagwood by name. The closest he ever got was calling him "Dag" in the episodes "Special Delivery" and "The Siamese Dream."
* Despite the numerous changes to the show in the second season, the episode "The Sincerest Form of Flattery" contains many "throwbacks" to the first season, such as the reappearance of Admiral Noyce and Professor Martenson, as well as the "Internex" from the episode "Photon Bullet."
* The episode "By Any Other Name" uses stock footage from season one episodes. As a result, John D'Aquino as Lieutenant Benjamin Krieg can be seen (briefly) running onto the bridge as the clam-doors close.
* Jonathan Brandis (Lucas Wolenczak) and Ted Raimi (Lieutenant Tim O'Neill) both wrote episodes for the series. (Brandis wrote "The Siamese Dream" and Raimi "Lostland", respectively.)
* Don Franklin, Ted Raimi, and Jonathan Brandis are the only three castmembers to remain with the show for all three seasons.
* Jonathan Brandis is the only castmember to appear in every episode. Don Franklin appears in every episode except "And Everything Nice."
* Jonathan Brandis made a guest appearance on "
Saved by the Bell: The College Years" where
Kelly Kapowski (
Tiffani Thiessen) introduced him as "Jonathan Brandis from 'seaQuest.'" She also wondered "what he was doing above water."
* The Regulator and his orangutan Verne can be seen in the opening credits of every third season episode.
* Ralph Willcox and Karen Fraction, who both become recurring guest stars in the third season, had previously appeared as different characters in the second year.
* In the episode "
Hide and Seek", when guest star
William Shatner appears on a
seaQuest vidlink, the I.D. code at the bottom of the screen reads "JTK NCC1701", referring to "
James T. Kirk" and the registry number of the
U.S.S. Enterprise on
Star Trek. Later, when Shatner's character's enemies demand the
seaQuest turn him over, the I.D. code on the vid-link reads "NCC1701A", referring to the newer
Enterprise from
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Similarily, towards the end of
Star Trek: The Next Generation`s seventh season, in the episode "
Eye of the Beholder", when Counselor Deanna Troi looks up the crew manifest of the
U.S.S. Enterprise, one of the crewmembers is listed as serving aboard the
U.S.S. seaQuest. Tying even more in to the world of
Star Trek, Shatner's character's son is played by
Christopher Miller, who played
Captain Jean-Luc Picard's nephew in
Star Trek: Generations, which was released later in the year (also starring William Shatner).
* Both regular doctors (Stephanie Beacham [Dr. Kristin Westphalen] and Rosalind Allen [Dr. Wendy Smith]) guest starred on
Star Trek: The Next Generation (Beacham portrayed Countess Regina Bartholemew in "
Ship in a Bottle" while Allen portrayed Yanar in "
The Outrageous Okona").
* The bridge on the
seaQuest II was designed to resemble the bridge of the
U.S.S. Enterprise-D from
Star Trek: The Next Generation. (specifically, the command column where Captain Bridger, Commander Ford, and Lieutenant O'Neill usually sat resembles the command center where Captain Picard,
Commander Riker and Counselor Troi usually sat.)
* The chair in the holographic-projection room aboard the
seaQuest II (as seen in such episodes as "
Vapors" and "
The Sincerest Form of Flattery") is the captain's chair from the
Enterprise from
Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The chair was also used in the "execution tape" in "
Splashdown."
* "Die-hard" fans of the show refer to themselves as "Questies"; a play on words of
Trekkies.
*
Roy Scheider as
Captain Nathan Hale Bridger (seasons 1-2, 3x01, 3x07, 3x09)
*
Jonathan Brandis as
Lucas Wolenczak (later Ensign Lucas Wolenczak, third season only)
*
Stephanie Beacham as Dr. Kristin Westphalen (season 1)
*
Stacy Haiduk as Lt. Commander Katherine Hitchcock (season 1)
*
Don Franklin as Commander Jonathan Ford
*
John D'Aquino as Lieutenant Benjamin Krieg (season 1, 3x02)
*
Royce D. Applegate as Chief Manilow Crocker (season 1)
*
Ted Raimi as Lieutenant Tim O'Neill
*
Marco Sanchez as Sensor Chief Miguel Ortiz (seasons 1-2)
*
Rosalind Allen as
Dr. Wendy Smith (season 2)
*
Kathy Evison as Lieutenant Lenore Ellen "Lonnie" Henderson (seasons 2-3)
*
Edward Kerr as Lieutenant James Brody (seasons 2-3)
*
Peter DeLuise as Dagwood (seasons 2-3)
*
Michael DeLuise as Seaman Anthony Piccolo (seasons 2-3)
*
Michael Ironside as Captain Oliver Hudson (season 3)
*
Elise Neal as Lieutenant J.J. Fredericks (season 3)
*
Frank Welker as voice of Darwin
*
Bob Ballard as himself, marine trivia during credits (season 1)
Recurring Guest Cast
*
Richard Herd as Admiral/Secretary General William Noyce (season 1-2)
*
William Morgan Sheppherd as Holographic Professor Martenson (season 1-2)
*
Jesse Doran as General Francis Gideon Thomas (season 1-2)
*
Kent McCord as Commander Scott Keller (season 1-2)
*
Dustin Nguyen as Chief William Shan (season 1)
*
Robert Engels as Malcolm Lansdowne (season 1)
*
Timothy Omundson as Dr. Joshua Levin (season 1)
*
Dan Hildebrand as Helmsman Carleton (season 1)
*
Roscoe Lee Browne as Dr. Raleigh Young (season 1)
*
Sam Jenkins as Mariah (season 2)
*
Mark Hamill as Tobias LeConte (season 2)
*
Michael Costello as Secretary General McGath (season 2-3)
*
Michael York as President Alexander Bourne of Macronesia (season 3)
*
Andrew Stahl as General Stassi (season 3)
*
Tim DeKay as Larry Deon (season 3)
*
Ralph Willcox as Mason Freeman (season 3)
*
Karen E. Fraction as Dr. Perry (season 3)
Additionally,
seaQuest DSV employed a significant amount of guest stars familiar with the sci-fi genre, many of whom would go on to star in other shows. Notable guest stars included
William Shatner (
Captain James T. Kirk),
Charlton Heston (star of
The Ten Commandments,
Planet of the Apes and other classic 1960s-70s SF films),
Tim Russ (later
Tuvok on
Star Trek: Voyager),
Seth Green (later
Scott Evil in the
Austin Powers films,
Oz on
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and
Chris Griffin on
Family Guy),
Kent McCord (Officer Jim Reed of
Adam-12, Captain Troy of
Galactica 1980, Unger in
Airplane II: The Sequel, and later
Jack Crichton of O'Bannon's
Farscape),
William Morgan Sheppherd (numerous appearances in
Star Trek,
Max Headroom and
Babylon 5), and
Mark Hamill (
Luke Skywalker). Additionally, Richard Herd is also notable for the recurring role of Admiral Owen Paris on the aforementioned
Star Trek: Voyager.
This song was performed in the second season episode "Watergate" and was performed by guest star
Dawn Robinson.
To ease her grief with comfort,
To say something,
To turn her hurt and pain away,
Sighs often,
His heart being moved by his great love, most deeply,
And still the Gods give orders,
He obeys them,
He goes back to his fleet,
To his fleet.
By night, by day, the portals of darkness stand open,
It is easy by descending,
Down to all the news,
His heart being moved by his great love, most deeply,
And still the Gods give orders,
He obeys them,
He goes back to his fleet,
To his fleet.
Official
*
seaQuest DSV DVD Official Universal Studios Site*
"seaQuest DSV" at spacecast.com - Canadian science-fiction channel's show page
Unofficial
*
New Cape Quest - fan site
*
Atlantis DSV - fanfiction site
*
SciFi Directory - seaQuest - Links
*
TV.com - seaQuest DSV *
TVIV.org - seaQuest DSV - show info and episode listing
*
An Extra's Story - An extra remembers his time on the show. Photos.
