- "The 21st century. Mankind has colonized the last unexplored region on Earth: the ocean. As captain of the SeaQuest and its crew, we are it's guardians. For beneath the surface lies the future."
- ―Captain Nathan Bridger
| "To Be or Not to Be" | |
|---|---|
| Series SeaQuest DSV Season 1, Episode 0 | |
| |
| Air date | September 12th, 1993 |
| Writers | Rockne S. O'Bannon; Tommy Thompson |
| Director | Irvin Kershner |
| Producers | Rockne S. O'Bannon; Steven Spielberg; Tommy Thompson; Philip Carr Neel |
| Starring | Roy Scheider; Stephanie Beacham; Stacy Haiduk; Don Franklin; Jonathan Brandis; John D'Aquino; Royce D. Applegate; Ted Raimi; Marco Sanchez |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous — |
Next "The Devil's Window" |
"To Be or Not to Be" is the premiere episode of the science fiction adventure series SeaQuest DSV. It is the first episode of season one of the show, which comprises twenty-two episodes, out of a total series span of fifty-seven episodes. The episode was directed by Irvin Kershner with a script written by Rockne S. O'Bannon and Tommy Thompson. It first aired on NBC on September 12th, 1993.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Roy Scheider as Captain Nathan Bridger
- Stephanie Beacham as Doctor Kristin Westphalen
- Stacy Haiduk as Lieutenant Commander Katherine Hitcock
- Don Franklin as Commander Jonathan Ford
- Jonathan Brandis as Lucas Wolenczak
- John D'Aquino as Lieutenant Benjamin Krieg
- Royce D. Applegate as Chief Manilow Crocker
- Ted Raimi as Lieutenant j.g. Timothy O'Neill
- Marco Sanchez as Sensor chief Miguel Ortiz
Co-starring[]
- Clark Brolly as Renegade sensor chief
- Mark Fauser as Weapons Officer Phillips
- Dan Hildebrand as Helmsman
- John Schafer as Pollack
Featuring[]
- Brad Hunt as Le Chein guard
- Michelle Holden as Earthcast anchor
- Brenda King as Carol Bridger
- Bruce Klassen as Ensign
- Buckley Norris as Territorial governor
- Michelle Sullivan as Crew member
- Frank Welker as Special vocal effects
- Michael Zurich as Renegade sensor #2
Notes & Trivia[]
- First episode of the series.
- This episode is included on disc one, side A of the SeaQuest DSV: Season One DVD collection.
- This is the last professional work for director Irvin Kershner before retiring. Kershner is also known for directing the 1980 film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.
- Actor Roy Scheider is better known for playing the role of police chief Martin Brody in Steven Spielberg's 1976 blockbuster Jaws, as well as Doctor Heywood R. Floyd in the 1984 film 2010: The Year We Make Contact.
- This is the first of four episode with John Debney as composer.
Allusions[]
The title to this episode is taken from the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. One of the more infamous literary lines of dialogue of all time, it was the opening to a soliloquy from Act III, Scene I. The opening of the passage reads as follows:
To be, or not to be– that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And, by opposing, end them. To die, to sleep No more – and by a sleep to say we end The heartache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to – ‘tis a consummation Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause.