Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 14, 1994 TAG: 9406140365
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Ian Spelling
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
LeVar Burton's turn didn't come until his sixth year with the show. Neither did Gates McFadden's.
What these actors did was beam behind the ``Next Gen'' cameras to make their television directorial debuts.
Now ``Deep Space Nine's'' Avery Brooks has joined this elite group of ``Trek'' actors-turned-directors - and he's done it in just his second year of Trekking.
Brooks recently directed ``Tribunal,'' an episode that debuted last week and will be repeated in most markets this week.
``From the beginning of `DS9' I knew I wanted to direct,'' Brooks says by phone from a hotel in Toronto, where he is filming two ``Spenser: For Hire'' TV movies.
``I should have made this turn a while ago, but it was just a matter of timing that I didn't do it earlier. I like to think of myself as an actor-director,'' he says, referring to the stage productions he has worked on, ``and it was time to direct in an electronic way.''
``Tribunal'' focuses on the plight of Chief Operations Officer Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney), who faces execution by the Cardassians for a crime he didn't commit.
``More importantly, it's a look at the instrument of justice, Cardassian-style,'' Brooks says. ``So it's not about right or wrong, but about justice.
``We see O'Brien in the throes of Cardassian justice, where the verdict is always guilty ... and the penalty is always death.''
Though he didn't really enjoy directing himself as Cmdr. Benjamin Sisko, Brooks says he had a good time guiding his co-stars and working with the show's behind-the-scenes crew (including director of photography Marvin Rush, executive producer Rick Berman and the episode's editors) to fashion an exciting and thought-provoking hour of television.
Is the final version everything he hoped it would be?
``Ah,'' Brooks says, laughing. ``Nobody ever truly gets the episode they want in the can. Television is still done by committee.
``But I'm very pleased with `Tribunal,' and I sincerely want to do more directing.''
Over the first two seasons of ``DS9,'' Brooks' commander character has grown closer to his senior staff, particularly O'Brien. Sisko and his young son Jake (Cirroc Lofton) have also developed a strong bond.
And Sisko's warmer moments - hugging Jake, dispensing stern fatherly advice to Bashir (Siddig El Fadil), opening up to Dax (Terry Farrell) - have gone a long way toward revealing the commander's emotional side.
Still, some fans find Brooks' portrayal of Sisko a bit too stiff.
The Indiana-born actor says he has heard the gripes but considers the criticism to be misguided.
``Tell me what commanding officer in the military doesn't have Sisko's distance and this veneer,'' he says, raising his voice a bit. ``Ask anybody in the military if they had a commanding officer they could just hang out with.
``Sisko's stoicism is a function of my role, of what I'm asked to do.''
What Brooks is doing is acting - or, as he says, expressing himself ``through the art of acting.''
It's something he has been doing for a long time.
Brooks' credits include such stage productions as the musical ``X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X'' and a one-man show, ``Paul Robeson,'' which he recently performed in Los Angeles.
Television audiences know Brooks as the imposing Hawk on ``Spenser'' and on its spin-off series, ``A Man Called Hawk.''
Brooks, who lives in New Jersey with his wife and three children, is also a tenured professor at Rutgers University, a jazz musician and the artistic director of the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta (to be held in late July).
He says his role on ``DS9'' has become an important part of his life.
``The work is good, the writing is good, and they've assembled such a substantial group of talented people in every area of the show,'' he says. ``It's been a good experience for all of us so far.
``And, indeed, I certainly think you can see that on the screen.''
Trek/sci-fi alert
If you have Trek news or trivia to share - or if you have quesitons related to "Star Trek" - write to Ian Spelling, in care of the Features Department, Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491. Be sure to enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you would like a reply.
by CNB