Family Guy's TNG episode airs Sunday March 29th on FOX.

The current Royal Shakespeare Company production of Shakespeare's Danish tragedy stars not only Tennant (in his first of two Shakespeare roles this year; he does Love's Labors Lost later this year, before taking Hamlet to the West End in December) but also Star Trek: The Next Generation's Patrick Stewart as Claudius, and despite concerns over stunt-casting, the production has been winning critics over, with many reviews as positive as this one, from the Guardian:

The big news from Stratford is that Gregory Doran's production is one of the most richly textured, best-acted versions of the play we have seen in years. And Tennant, as anyone familiar with his earlier work with the RSC would expect, has no difficulty in making the transition from the BBC's Time Lord to a man who could be bounded in a nutshell and count himself a king of infinite space. He is a fine Hamlet whose virtues, and occasional vices, are inseparable from the production itself.

More importantly, the stars' popularity has brought a new audience to Shakespeare; the AP quotes attendees of the previews professing their love for Stewart and saying things like, "The last thing I lined up for was 'ET' when it came out," and the RSC have been forced to make a statement asking fans not purchase scalped tickets online, according to the Times:

Sci-fi fans have been camping overnight in the hope of return tickets or, at least, a glimpse of the actor between rehearsals. While ten £5 seats are set aside each day for 16 to 25-year-olds, who have to turn up at the box office in person, tickets are changing hands on eBay for hundreds of pounds, to the dismay of the RSC. Chris Hill, the company’s director of sales and marketing, said: “The RSC does not support the selling of tickets at inflated prices on eBay or other internet auction sites. The reselling of any RSC ticket on such sites violates the terms and conditions associated with the purchase of the ticket.”

He cautioned: “We are contacting anyone who lists a ticket to explain that they must remove the listing . . . People who do purchase a ticket in this way run the risk of being refused admission.”

While it may not be as impressive as helping old William fight off witches determined to steal his soul, Tennant's latest rescue attempt does have more real world value; if the demand for Hamlet's end of year run is as great as the current production, does this mean that we'll see more SF faces in "serious" theater to come? If so, I'm holding out until Stargate's Robert Picardo takes on Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Royal Shakespeare Company warning over David Tennant Hamlet tickets [Times Online]

Stewart admitted that he was not a fan of the neat-fitting bodysuit that he had to wear during the start of his tour of duty on the starship Enterprise:

I came to loathe it. We actually got rid of it after the second season thanks to my chiropractor, who said if they don't take you out of that costume we are going to slap a lawsuit on Paramount for the lasting damage done to your spine... They were made from Lycra and one size too small. The producers wanted to have a smooth, unwrinkled look. It put a terrible amount of strain on the shoulders, neck and back.

When you're onstage, aren't you worried about weird Trekkie fans in the audience?
Oh, come on, that's just a silly thing to say.
But they are weird.
How many do you know personally? You couldn't be more wrong. Here's the thing: if you say the fans are weird, that means there is something essentially weird about the show, and there is nothing weird about it. I'm very passionate when people like you snigger.

Image from Costume Craze

Mr. Stewart Loves His Trekkies [Newsweek]

Famous names: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Wil Wheaton, Rick Berman, Brannon Braga, Ronald Moore, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn

Crunchy goodness: 4

Design breakthrough: The boxy furniture and swivel chairs of the original series give way to sleek curvy consoles and luxury car seats. Plus, the Borg borrowed zombie imagery to make cyborgs creepier than ever before.

Stunt casting: Patrick Stewart brings a whole fancy Shakespearean veneer to the role of Jean-Luc Picard, elevating lines like "Engage," or "Let's see what's out there," to an almost mythic timbre.

Sights you'll never unsee: Klingon cowboy vs. android cowboy.

Tim Lynch reviews a number of Next Generation episodes.