February 2005

Starburst

Issue 320

THE DOMINIC PRINCIPLE

Steven Eramo finds Star Trek Enterprise’s Dominic Keating excited – yet strangely uncomfortable- about the shows future…

We can put a man on the moon, but we can’t make a spacesuit that’s comfortable for him to wear. Sadly, things don’t get any better 150 years from now as Dominic Keating, who plays Star Trek Enterprise’s Lt. Malcolm Reed, can attest to. “We recently finished shooting a story arc where Connor Trinneer [Commander Charles “Trip” Tucker III] and I were wearing the EV [environmental] suits for three episodes,” recalls the actor. “Jeez, those things just crucify you. It hurts so bad you have to laugh or you’ll cry. 

“We probably worked five or six days in those suits over a two-and-a-half week period. All I can say is thank God it was with Connor. He has the patience of Job, and I don’t. I was the last in line when they were handing out the patience, and I walked off. I was too impatient,” chuckles Keating. “Seriously, I love working with Connor. He and I always have a good time on-set together and I’ve really made a wonderful friend in him on this show.

“EV suits aside, these three episodes [Babel One, United and The Aenar] are great. For our bit, Connor’s and my character are transported to a drone ship, and sufficed to say they have to figure out who’s running the show. It’s a fun ride aboard the drone vessel, with a lot of action and a nice partnership between Trip and Reed.”

The aforementioned trilogy, which features appearances by the Tellarites, Andorians and Vulcans, is just one of several mini-story arcs this fourth season on Enterprise. At the end of last year, Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and the Enterprise NX-01 crew were transported back into Earth’s past after saving Humankind from being destroyed by the Xindi. Having since made it back to their own time during this season’s two-part opener Storm Front, our heroes are still going where no one has gone before. However, their course is now being charted by a new showrunner, Enterprise head writer/executive producer Manny Coto.

“This season of Enterprise is unfolding rather beautifully, and I would lay that largely at Manny’s feet,” says Keating. “A big part of that probably has to do with the fact that he grew up watching the original Star Trek and is himself a big fan. Manny has hired some new writers for the show who share his vision as well as understanding of Star Trek folklore, and together they’ve kept in the real spirit of Sci-Fi.

“Manny has been very smart with his approach to the storytelling and, fingers crossed, this fresh new blood in the configuration of the show might just be its saving grace. I say that not wishing to do any disservice to Brannon Braga [series co-creator/executive producer]. He is still heavily involved in the production of the show. Manny just took over the day-to-day running of things.”

As ship’s tactical/security officer, Lt. Malcolm Reed received plenty of training as a Starfleet officer prior to being assigned to Enterprise. Over the past three-and-a-half years, his skills have been further sharpened during encounters with various hostile aliens. Keating feels that his tour of duty on the show has been a positive learning experience as well.

“It’s funny, I was saying to someone just recently that I’ve grown up on this series, finally, as an actor,” he muses. “Now I can go to a set anywhere in the world and know exactly what’s going on at all times, whereas before I couldn’t do that. All the guest-spots and movie roles I’d done previously were, quite honestly, too few and far between. However, almost four years of filming into Enterprise, I much better comprehend the inner workings and rhythms of a film set.

“I come from a stage background and I think I have a natural understanding of working in the theatre. Some actors may feel that way about working in front of a camera, but not me. I had to learn it, and believe me I’ve learnt a lot. That, in turn, has given me greater confidence in myself as well as my abilities and helped me grow more into my part on the show. Malcolm Reed and Dominic have met in the middle if you will, and that feels good.”

Just prior to this interview (early December 2004), Keating had been on vacation for a week and was getting ready to head back to work on Enterprise. “From what I’ve been told, Malcolm is featured quite heavily in the next episode we’re shooting, so that should be fun,” says the actor. “It’s been an odd year because I didn’t have much to do in the first 10 or 11 episodes, but things sort of heated up a little bit in the last two or three. I don’t mind, though. Our writers and producers have given me quite a few meaty bits over the past three seasons, so it’s not as if I’m chomping at the bit to show them what I can do.”

When asked to name his favourite Malcolm moment so far this season, the actor is quick to reply. “In one of the episodes I spoke about earlier with Trip and Malcolm on the drone ship, there’s a scene where Malcolm rescues the two of them by making a bomb out of his phase pistol. There’s a huge explosion and as they’re running down this corridor Trip turns to Malcolm and says, ‘You did all that with one phase pistol?’ Malcolm says to Trip, ‘You build things, commander. Well, I blow them up.’’

I thought that was a fantastic line. I hadn’t had one like it since the pilot where Archer is holding a phase pistol and Malcolm tells him, ‘Stun and kill; it’d be best not to confuse the settings, captain.’”

It’s obvious from talking with Keating that he enjoys not only being an actor, but also working on Enterprise. While some might take a regular TV gig for granted, he knows better. “This is an absolute blessing,” says the actor. “Yes, sometimes it can get a bit tedious, especially when you’re sitting for hours on the bridge with only three things to say, but, you know what, I like it. I’d be very sad if this was our last year. However, the reactions have been pretty encouraging, so here’s hoping, things might just work out.”

Star Power

As in previous seasons, Star Trek Enterprise has managed to attract an impressive and memorable array of guest-stars this year. “I only had one or two scenes with him, but it was still a pleasure working with Brent Spiner [Dr. Arik Soong] in the Augments story arc,” says Keating. “I found him to be a very smart and funny man who enjoys being around people.

“I thought Abby Brammell [Persis] and the Scottish actor, Alec Newman [Malik], did an amazing job as the two lead Augments. Then there’s Paul Wight [a.k.a. Big Show], who played the big green Orion in Borderland. The guy is the size of a mountain. He lifted up Jolene Blalock [Commander T’Pol] with no effort at all,” jokes the actor.

“Joanna Cassidy was inspired casting as T’Pol’s mother T’Les, and it’s always a thrill to welcome back Gary Graham [Vulcan Ambassador Soval] to the set. Gary is such a gifted actor and he’s had a nice run so far on Enterprise this season. Our writers really gave him some good material to work with in the Vulcan story arc.”

Wicked Fun

We may know him now as the clean-cut and conscientious Lt. Malcolm Reed on Enterprise, but a few years back, Keating was getting up to no good as the devilish Mallos in the short lived fantasy TV series The Immortal starring Lorenzo Lamas. “They had initially earmarked me for the part of Lorenzo’s [Raphael “Rafe” Cain] sidekick, who, I think, was originally called Joe,” says Keating. “However, the producers then decided that they wanted the show to appeal to a younger and broader audience so they hired Steve Braun to play Joe, who was ultimately renamed Goodwin.

“As for me, they felt I could play the lead demon and Lorenzo’s main onscreen nemesis, Mallos. He was a neat character, wasn’t he? You had the devilishness, sheer camp and pure evil all wrapped up in one. I just loved the audacity of Mallos, and the fact that he was also written with a terrific sense of humour. On top of all that, he drove flash cars, wore expensive suits, and had a beautiful woman [Kira Clavell] on his arm. What more could you ask for in a job? I certainly had a good time working on the show.”