Matt Smith is ‘House of the Dragon’s’ ‘agent of chaos.’ And he’s loving every minute of it
The story of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “House of the Fire” has become legend: “If Spock is good enough to save the day, then I have no doubt that he can put a little oomph in his own self-improvement.”
The “House of the Fire” arc of the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, with its story of a Vulcan stranded on an unevolved, dangerous Earth, is well-known among the Trek-watching public, but there is one story that has been passed over-and-over by fans who were not there for the original broadcast in the late ’80s. The origin of “House of the Fire” is not just an adventure in science fiction. It is a story about the human condition.
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“I was in junior high and I had no idea what was going on,” said Gene Roddenbury, who plays Lt. Commander Data on The Next Generation. “I used to watch the ‘Star Trek’ movies and I had no idea that ‘House of the Fire’ was from that film.”
That is how Roddenbury came into contact with a young version of himself, who was a fan of “House of the Fire,” and who in turn was a fan of Data, and who in turn was a fan of Roddenbury’s role on The Next Generation.
“He was actually talking to me about ‘House of the Fire,’ and saying, ‘If you only knew how much I wanted to be an actor,’ he said.
“I was a fan of ‘House of the Fire,’ and I had read the scripts and so I was already familiar with the characters, and I also was going to the studio to read them.”
It was then that he met Kirk and Spock, and “The Man Trap” and “Kirk’s Gamble,” all in one day.
“They became a part of my life, and then I became a fan