The year is 2388, thirteen years after the Dominion War ended. Aboard the U.S.S. Renown, Captain Ezri Dax assumes her first command, with a newly assembled crew on a mission of peaceful exploration beyond the Cardassian Union (a region previously inaccessable to Starfleet), they begin their mission to go boldly into the new frontier. It was a thought that occured to me whilst replying to another thread. If they want an established character as Captain, instead of the overused Worf idea, they could do Ezri right. Give her thirteen years to get to the rank, make it her first command, on a slightly older ship, add to that an eleven year old, half-human child and a marriage across light-years to a certain station-based doctor. Thoughts?
I once had an idea of a 25th-Century male Dax that was a Starfleet captain, commanding his own ship (not the Enterprise, though). He would be somewhat of a Doctor Who-type in the sense of being somewhat whimsical at times and have an outsider's perspective on Humans. He would every once in a blue moon call upon the experiences of either Jadzia or Ezri.
I'm aware of that. But this would be an older Ezri, with more hands on experience, on her first commnad aboard an older ship, married to Bashir and with a daughter.
Since Dax was alive in the 23rd C, there's no reason he/she couldnt appear in a series in that era. But there would need to be more effort put into delving into what its really like for a person who has memories of others injected into their consciousness like that. Since Dax would be too young/too few previous hosts to be interesting in the 23rd C, which is most likely where the next series would be set, maybe it should be another Trill. The Trill concept is more intersting than either Jadzia or Ezri. Dax, much more than any of its hosts, is a character who could bring something new to the next series.
There was nothing about the Ezri Dax character that we saw on TV that makes me think she could be a starship captain. I cringe everytime I hear about Lt. Commander Ezri Dax being promoted to captain of one of the fleets most advanced ships with little to no experience. Give me an original character with a unique background that seems fit to hold a command.
To be fair if I showed you Picard as an Ensign getting impaled through the back because he picked a fight with some Nausiccans, you probably wouldn't think he's fit to hold a command either. Ezri has a unique enough background. I'm not sure at all about the apparent "competence on" button she just hits inside the Dax symbioant but I guess it works being it's selling novels. I'd actually find it more interesting having Bashir take command of a ship. Having a doctor be a captain would be an interesting aspect that Trek never explored beyond the very occassional single episode.
Janeway was willing to murder Crewman Lessing and she was promoted to Admiral, a far more serious incident IMO.
I'm not meaning this as a real premise, but as an alternative to a Captain Worf series (despite his Starfleet career being pretty much dead). It could be done with any character really: Captain Paris, Captain La Forge, Captain Molly O'Brien.
She does get more experience in the novels leading up to her command, in conjunction with the symbiont becoming more assertive; she is, after all, over three hundred years old, depending on your perspective.
Ya, know, I think a Captain Molly O'Brien, could actually be a really cool character. We know nothing of Grown up Molly (Not counting Savage Molly), all we can do is guess at what influence her parents would have on her. Take a little of Keiko's Bitchy Streak, have her Be A Top Notch Engineer following in Daddy's footprints and with Daddy's Military Competence and I think you could grow a really great Captain chanracter out of her. Could be similar to Janeway in some ways, but, different in others
This discussion is convicing me even more that that the next series should have a NEW captain, not someone dragged in a dusted off from an old show.
My job here is done. I've always found this opinion of Keiko to be a bit harsh, but that's been discussed elsewhere.
Now, now. let's not take that comment out of context. That was not an insult in the "Keiko is a bitch" variety. It was not a judgement of wether she was justified or unjustified in any circumstances. But, there is no question, that there were times when Keiko's Tail Fluffed up full, such as with Vedek/Kai Winn over her teaching cirriculum. Again, that is not a judgement of wether she was justified to act like that, I personally believe she was justified.
You said it. The next Trek series needs to be all new characters. Though it would be nice to have a few episodes guest star some famous characters from old an series.