Star Trek: Voyager Fan Cast

First of all, I really admire Kirsten Beyer's work on the series. This is why, though I know it's practically impossible for anyone to actually make a new Star Trek: Voyager series based on her work, I cannot help expressing my respect and admiration in the form of an imaginary cast. These characters have come to life for me, in a way hardly any original characters in a media-based novel ever have, and this is how I see them in my mind. It's silly, I know, and not to be taken seriously; thank goodness the Internet's a big place with room for all sorts of weird ideas.

Spoiler Alert

(Also, I feel so sorry for Captain Eden after The Eternal Tide that, fictional or no, I wish I could give her all the love and respect she should have had. It feels as if, plot and character wise, Eden was nothing but a stopgap for  Admiral Janeway, and was ignobly dispatched as soon as the latter came back to life. Nobody deserves that.)

End Spoiler

Lupita Nyong'o as Captain Eden
It was alarmingly difficult to find an actress with dark enough skin to fit the description. That doesn't say much about our progress as a society, does it? Anyway, since Ms. Nyong'o won critical acclaim for her role in the movie 12 Years a Slave, and since she has an ageless dignity and poise about her in the interviews that are perfectly Eden, I couldn't think of anyone better. She's a bit young, but the book does mention that she looks more thirty than fifty, and with her acting skills it wouldn't be a problem.

Tom Cruise as Admiral Batiste
Wouldn't that be an interesting subversion of his usual tough soldier roles? He does have depth - he proved that in Interview with a Vampire. He should use it more often.

Hugh Laurie as Counsellor CambridgeEven Ms. Beyer mentioned in an interview (see here) that Dr. House was part of her inspiration for this character, so who better to hypothetically play the part?

Dot-Marie Jones as Captain Farkas
Tough, sarcastic, no-nonsense, compassionate, and fiercely protective of those under her command - these words fit my unlikely namesake Regina Farkas just as well as they do Coach Beiste on Glee. It would be even cooler if Jane Lynch (Sue Sylvester) could play Dr. Sal opposite her. After playing such great enemies, how fascinating would it be to see them as friends?

Rhys Ifans as Commander O'Donnell
He was excellent as the tormented scientist turning into a lizard in The Amazing Spider-Man, so I can easily see him as the botanist mourning for his wife in Children of the Storm. It would be a great role, full of angst and internal conflict, and a serious challenge to portray his hallucinations of Alana without looking ridiculous.

Well, that's all for now. I hope you enjoy it, and that it adds some fuel to your imagination if you happen to read these books.
Live long and prosper!