Argyle just kind of shuffled out of being chief engineer. I wonder if he didn’t test well with audiences or something.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen it so I may be slightly fuzzy on the details, but the reason he was shuffled out was kind of hilarious. I remember hearing this from someone who was quoting Wil Wheaton. I’ll have to find the source.
So TNG is airing and they’ve got different options for the Chief Engineer character to take over, all depending on public reaction to the character. Argyle is offered up as one option. Letters start coming in saying that Argyle should take over as the Chief Engineer. Problem was that these letters started coming in before the episode where Argyle was featured. Theory was that the actors wife had started a letter writing campaign to try and get Argyle as a main cast member. Argyle was quietly shuffled off after that and not considered as a serious candidate.
He got caught in a time distortion and wound up on Earth in the early 21st Century. He was able to survive by becoming a construction contractor in Star’s Hollow Connecticut.
The Greatest Generation latched onto this early and started seeking out every trading card featuring and signed by Biff Yeager, such that they actually created a bubble and raised the value of Chief Argyle cards.
As a result, a “Natural Yeager” as they call it currently goes for almost $300 on eBay. By comparison, a similar signed Jonathan Frakes card goes for around $100.
No fucking way. That is fucking hysterical.
