Its evident Star Trek and Hollywood in general seems to have a perpetual hard on for prequels. So I believe this concept is invetable whether we should get it or not. I don't think we'll get a total reboot of TNG for quite a long time. Perhaps not until the next creative owners of the Franchise take over or most of the TNG cast has passed on.. A Kelvin universe TNG I guess is also a possibility but Im not sure about that. But Strange New Worlds' success likely serves as a convincing proof of concept to decision makers . Not a direct reboot of a main cast but they instead skirt around that with a quasi reboot prequel instead . So let's talk about it. I see alot of interesting possibilities with casting. Including Jack Crusher and a young Beverly Crusher . Plus the Stargazer doctor we saw in Star Trek Picard . Perhaps some of the crew members mentioned in TNG's "The Battle ". The Tholians could be thier "Gorn" reimagining which could open the door to seeing Kyle Riker. Another alien that comes to mind that could get a cool make over are the Sheliak. I imagine the Stargazer itself would have a visual reboot. Likely a sleek retro look. Still Constellation class but more modern looking like The Enterprise in Strange New Worlds. Thoughts?
There’s obviously Picard’s relationship with the Crushers that would be explored. Jack being his best friend until his death. And Beverly leaving to intern under Doctor Dalen Quaice. Picard meeting and befriending Guinan. A Guinan that’s also a few decades removed from being rescued from the Nexus and may be still suffering withdrawal symptoms from being rescued from it. There are also the other friendships to explore - Marta Batanides, Cortan Zweller, Walter Keel, Donald Varley, and Benayoun. As well as Admiral Dougherty from INS, as he’s a contemporary of Picard and graduated from the same class as Picard, Batanides and Zweller. There are Stargazer crewmen Gilaad ben Zoma and Idun Asmund. And the Vigos, both Miranda Vigo and Vigo the weapons officer. There is also Sarek, and a younger Doctor Pulaski. And his romance with Phillipa Louvois. There is also Picard being mentored by Doctor Galen. And him serving alongside Janeway’s father. As captain, his visit to Chalna in the 2350s. And the Battle of Maxia and subsequent invention of the Picard Maneuver. And there is Picard recovering from being stabbed. And his next encounter with Nausicaans that he told Riker about. A Stargazer show could show how the destruction of the Ent-C in 2344 led to a destabilizing time in the 2350s. where the Federation also had to deal with Tholian, Talarian, Tzenkethi and Ersalrope Wars alongside the continuing border conflict with the Cardassians. Only to end up with Pax Foederatio in the early 2360s. (I do not know if the Tholians would be the "re-imagined Gorn" of this series. The Tholians might be saved for an early 23rd century series set prior to the hostilities between the Federation and the Klingons; beta canon goes into Tholian expansion programs in that period. If there is going to be a "re-imagined Gorn", it might the Talarians, and only because a Young Sisko series - if that ever happened - would get dibs on the Tzenkethi.) The Federation choosing not building another Enterprise in this timeframe, and choosing a different ship as its flagship. The state of the Klingon Empire (possibly as a member of the Federation in this period). And the second Romulan withdrawal period, where they do not interact with the Federation, but are engaged in conflict with the Klingons. A series could also discuss the takeover of New Sydney colony by the Orion Syndicate. And Turkana IV having a planet wide civil war that lead to them declaring independence from the Federation. Its not like the writers would be short on ideas.
Lots of great ideas here. Your putting my TNG era knowledge to shame. Good post. Yea there's a mountain of material for Paramount. Much more than what Strange New Worlds had to build on from TOS source material. I imagine though they will strategically chose which cannon storylines to cover. They likely wouldn't want to alienate new- to -Trek viewers
Speaking of Guinan. I wouldn't mind the actor who played young Guinan in Picard to play her in a TNG prequel . I thought she did a pretty good job even if the lines and direction she was given missed the mark somewhat IMO.
Some cool discussion in here. It’s not an idea that especially calls to me, but I’m a little more into it after reading the posts.
I would go for a young Picard/Stargazer show. But not if they’re going to make it look nothing like how the era is supposed to look. You might as well just have it take place in 2401 if you’re going to make it look like 2401.
There's a lot there! So much lore but, like SNW, plenty of space for Easter Eggs as well as original ideas. I wonder if you could do a nuTrek trick of introducing a new post-TUC pre=-TNG uniform? Maybe reintroducing the Red-Teal-Gold colour scheme?
That was the original plan for a short trek when they approached SPS before it turned into PIC. Concerning the rough time it would be set in... Spoiler The Section 31 movie seems to be set close to the same period, might even have the Stargazer with younger Picard in it
Honestly, I'm sick of Picard. If we were going to do a show in the lost era, I'd rather do it with either an entirely new character or a previously established character that we know little about. Which is probably why I'm excited to see what they do with Rachel Garrett in Section 31.
It's funny, if you had come at me with this idea just last week I'd probably have been on board with it, mostly because I'd have accepted that latching onto a popular character like Picard and showing his younger days on the Stargazer as a necessary evil in order to explore the Lost Era. But now that it seems we're getting the Lost Era in the Section 31 movie without Picard or the Stargazer, I say leave them be. If they want to further develop the Lost Era from a Starfleet perspective, do so with Rachel Garrett either aboard the Enterprise C or whatever her assignment is in the Section 31 movie Besides, there's an entire novel series about young Picard and the Stargazer if anyone is so inclined to see those adventures. Garrett is someone who has barely been developed, even in the novels there hasn't been anything too significant done with her. I think the last novel she appeared in was over twenty years ago.
Not Jean-Luc again. Please. For the love of everything. No. They should leave him alone already. Trek has so many other characters. And I sincerely doubt they'd use anything from the Stargazer novels for the plot. They'd do their own thing all over again and people would get mad all over again because they missed this or that or didn't include this or that or got this and that detail wrong and "things look too modern again" etc etc etc. Please, no. No more Jean-Luc. Yes I realize how ironic this is coming from someone like me.
With Star Trek Picard recently released , Im not thinking they would consider this until after SA and the next new series after that. 10 years from now would be my guess. As this thread illustrates, there's a bit of a Picard overkil sentiment at the moment. But I do believe it's something TPTB won't be able to resist down the road .
Not disagreeing with you necessarily. But I just cant see them doing a new series using the same clunky bridge and designs of the Stargazer we saw in the 80s . A ship even at that time , was not produced with the intention of it being able to hold up as a lead set design for a show. Honestly is the NX01 how you imagined it would be as pre-TOS? I've come to accept every iteration of Star Trek, to some degree will be reflective of the real time period it was produced in. TOS, feels like it was made in the 60s with those room sized computers in alein worlds and bases. TNG, the 80s . Along with that VCR, CRT clunky tech ENT feels like early 2000s with those early thick flat screens. And I'm sure in 20 years , people will look back at Discovery/Picard and say " that's so 2018/2020s For me it's all about not crossing that fine line of looking too modern in relation to establised canon. It's achievable I think with the right vision and nuance.
As with practically any Trek series, if they actually made it I’d watch it. But as to whether they should? Nah. All the things we might see in it cited in posts above would be interesting to deep-cut Trek fans — but nobody else. After TNG, every subsequent series has a premise that makes it unique: a dark, formerly enemy space station! Lost in far-off space! Earth’s first major starship! Etc. Take out all the fannish Easter eggs, and a Stargazer show would just be “another starship has more adventures!” Which as I say, I’d watch, but there’s nothing special in that.
Fun fact: Tom Hardy is currently only one year younger than Patrick Stewart was in TNG's first season.
I'd love a Stargazer prequel series, far more than a Legacy sequel series. Show me the young Picard who was getting into bar fights with Nausicaans, and how he matured into the Captain we know from TNG. Let's meet the OG Jack Crusher and see how he died. Let's have adventures in the beaten up old Stargazer.
Much like TOS, lots of people wouldn't be able to rectify a reckless Picard with the stoic version we see in TNG.
X At least in TNG its CLEARLY stated that Picard was wreckless in Tapestry. The canon purists would ironically have no leg to stand on if they say Picard is portrayed like he is a totally different character. At least young Picard before he made capt.