Editing Star Trek: Phase II (section)

===Cast===
[[File:Xon (David Gautreaux) from "Star Trek - Phase II".jpg|thumb|''Phase II'' screen-test photo of David Gautreaux as Xon]]
By August 1977, discussions had been held with the main cast from ''The Original Series'', as well as some of the actors who had played recurring characters. While none had been signed at the time, Roddenberry expressed confidence that they could do so with the exception of Leonard Nimoy, who had stated that he would not return to television.<ref name=starlog12/> However, Nimoy said separately that the first offer he received from Roddenberry for ''Phase II'' was only for the pilot and then guaranteed appearances in two out of every 11 episodes that followed,{{sfn |Nimoy |1995 |p=151}} which he rejected.{{sfn |Reeves-Stevens|Reeves-Stevens |1997 |p=28}} Nimoy and Roddenberry were not on good terms, following a legal suit launched by the actor against Paramount over merchandising rights featuring his likeness; Roddenberry had refused to support Nimoy in the case.{{sfn |Shatner|Kreski |1993 |p=47}} There was also a problem with the return of [[William Shatner]]: owing to the pay he was to receive for the pilot and the first thirteen episodes, the studio wanted a contingency plan to replace him afterwards. Shatner was aware at the time that the plan was either to reduce his appearances after the initial episodes and reduce his ongoing fees, or—he believed—to kill off the character permanently if he refused the pay cut.{{sfn |Reeves-Stevens|Reeves-Stevens |1997 |p=28}}{{sfn |Shatner|Kreski |1993 |p=46}} Negotiations began with Shatner on June 10, but it was not until September 12 that his return was announced.{{sfn |Reeves-Stevens|Reeves-Stevens |1997 |p=43}}

Each of the returning former cast members was signed to contracts stipulating that they would be paid for the pilot and the 13 episodes regardless of whether the series went into production.{{sfn |Nichols |1994 |p=215}} They were also given substantial pay increases over what they had received on ''The Original Series''. For example, [[DeForest Kelley]] was paid $17,500 for the first four weeks, then $7,500 per episode for the rest of the first season.{{sfn|Alexander|1995|pp=481–428}} Regulars actors including [[James Doohan]], [[Nichelle Nichols]], [[George Takei]], [[Walter Koenig]], and [[Majel Barrett]] had on ''The Original Series'' only had contracts for a certain number of appearances or been freelance players paid a daily rate, but here all were under contract for the initial series order. Roddenberry had expressed interest in including [[Grace Lee Whitney]] but she was not contactable at the time.

The problems with Nimoy and Shatner necessitated the creation of two new characters.{{sfn |Reeves-Stevens|Reeves-Stevens |1997 |p=28}} In Goodwin's first draft [[bible (screenwriting)|show bible]], he included descriptions for a new "Ship's commander" character, and a "Young Vulcan". The latter character was specifically attributed as being a second-cousin of Spock, and also a half-human/half-Vulcan. He also added a new Yeoman character, but Roddenberry was concerned at the time about the character, writing to Livingston "Simply adding a 'flunky' female to the bridge may not satisfy our needs for gender equality."{{sfn |Reeves-Stevens|Reeves-Stevens |1997 |p=30}} This discussion began the process that resulted in the creation of Ilia, a new female character who was not intended to replace one of the previous cast members.{{sfn |Reeves-Stevens|Reeves-Stevens |1997 |p=31}} In charge of casting these new members of the crew was Robert Collins, who had been hired to direct the pilot.{{sfn |Reeves-Stevens|Reeves-Stevens |1997 |p=40}} Xon would later be changed to a full-blooded Vulcan.<ref name="casualty">{{cite journal|last1=Gross|first1=Edward|title=Casualty of the Lost Generation|journal=Starlog|date=February 1989|issue=139|pages=12–14|url=https://archive.org/stream/starlog_magazine-139/139#page/n11/mode/1up}}</ref>

[[David Gautreaux]] was cast as Xon on September 26,{{sfn |Reeves-Stevens|Reeves-Stevens |1997 |pp=48–49}} after approaching the casting director himself, having no agent.{{sfn |Reeves-Stevens|Reeves-Stevens |1997 |p=54}} He had heard about the part, as he was dating the employee of an agent at the time.{{sfn |Shatner|Kreski |1993 |p=49}} The final audition for the role had eight actors, including Gautreaux, of various ages and sizes. Gautreaux later said that the one thing they all had in common was a slightly alien appearance. He was hired to a $15,000 fee for the pilot, a [[guarantee (filmmaking)|guarantee]]d payment for the 13 episodes whether or not they were filmed, and a six-year option on his contract. Despite this, he was required to return for a further audition within a couple of weeks. [[Majel Barrett]] was due to return as [[Christine Chapel]], this time as a doctor, and the actress was concerned that the romantic chemistry she shared with Nimoy might not work with a younger actor. She instead wanted an older British actor to play the role. Gautreaux, now with an agent,{{sfn |Reeves-Stevens|Reeves-Stevens |1997 |p=54}} secured a further $2,500 fee to return and audition again, since it would cause him to miss out on a guest appearance for the same fee on the television series ''[[Fantasy Island]]''.{{sfn |Shatner|Kreski |1993 |p=54}} He retained the part, saying that the other actor was "absolutely abominable". It was only after this further audition that he was told what few others knew at the time: that ''Phase II'' had already been cancelled, and they were instead going to make a feature film.{{sfn |Reeves-Stevens|Reeves-Stevens |1997 |p=54}}

Following announcements of Gautreaux's Xon replacing Nimoy's Spock, Gautreaux began to receive threatening fan-mail suggesting that he was going to be poisoned or dosed with [[lysergic acid diethylamide|LSD]].<ref name="casualty"/> He began to prepare for the role by purchasing a television set and watching old episodes of ''Star Trek'', in order to portray the most accurate Vulcan he could. He fasted over the course of ten days and grew his hair long. Gautreaux sought out potential coaches who had worked on ''The Original Series'', and later highlighted the help provided by [[Jeff Corey]] who had appeared in "[[The Cloud Minders]]". Despite not being a ''Star Trek'' fan previously, he said he had begun looking forward to portraying Xon by that point.<ref name="casualty"/>

[[File:Ilia (Phase II).jpg|thumb|left|''Phase II'' screen-test photo of Persis Khambatta as Ilia]]
On October 28, [[Persis Khambatta]] was hired to portray Ilia. She had been required to wear a bald cap for her screen test, although at this point the character also wore elaborate headgear in some footage.{{sfn |Reeves-Stevens|Reeves-Stevens |1997 |pp=48–49}} Roddenberry was insistent on this as a character attribute, but others such as Eisner hated the idea of a bald female character.{{sfn |Reeves-Stevens|Reeves-Stevens |1997 |p=54}} His notes said that while a bald female character would be an interesting addition, it may prevent the audience from feeling at ease with Ilia and so the style may need to be given to a different character entirely.{{sfn |Reeves-Stevens|Reeves-Stevens |1997 |p=56}} The auditions by this time were not held under the pretence that they were to play a part in a television series, but were openly talking about ''Star Trek'' becoming a feature film.

The casting for first officer Willard Decker had been delayed, both because of a slight delay in the production but also because the writers were no longer sure that the character was needed at all.{{sfn|Reeves-Stevens|Reeves-Stevens|1997|p=54}} This was despite auditions being conducted at the same time that Gautreaux was cast as Xon,{{sfn|Shatner|Kreski|1993|p=50}} during which, in his second audition with Barrett, he also read lines against ten actors competing for the role of Decker.{{sfn|Shatner|Kreski|1993|p=54}}

One further change to the cast was to have been the return of [[Grace Lee Whitney]] as [[Janice Rand]]. In 1977, having read the back cover of [[Susan Sackett]]'s ''Letters to Star Trek'' book and discovering that one of the [[frequently asked questions]] sent into the production team was "Whatever happened to Grace Lee Whitney?", Whitney herself got in touch with Sackett and was invited along to meet with Roddenberry at his office in Paramount Studios. He was excited and happy to see her, and immediately offered to bring back the character for ''Phase II'', describing the removal of Rand from ''The Original Series'' as his greatest mistake and blaming it on NBC executives. He said that "when Captain Kirk came back from having affairs with all these other women on all these other planets – he'd have to deal with [Rand]. What a great plot-thickener that would have been!".{{sfn |Whitney|Denney |1998 |pp=130–131}}