Re-booting TNG For TV?

[Temis the Vorta]

You guys really want this show on the CW, don't you? Make Picard, Data and Wilhelmina Riker all Starfleet cadets, whomp up a love triangle, and move over Vampire Diaries, you've got a new lead-in show.

Imagine the angst of being in a relationship with an android! Does he love me for myself, or is he just programmed that way...?

[Witterquick]

Temis the Vorta wrote:

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Does he love me for myself, or is he just programmed that way...?

You only love him because he's your maker! You should love me - I'm pretty! (And smart!)

[Skywalker]

middyseafort wrote:

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Or Riker could become Wilhelmina "Mina" Riker, who would be Picard's female equal and executive officer who often clashes with him on command decisions. The only person on the ship that could go toe-to-toe with Picard. Some crew members speculate that there's more sexual tension than strife in their relationship.

The executive officer is never the commanding officer's equal.

And why can't a woman named Wilhelmina go by the name Wil (or Will)?

[Temis the Vorta]

Willie. Very CW.

[Skywalker]

I'm not quite desperate enough for new Trek to want to see a CW-ized version of it.

[ColeMercury]

middyseafort wrote:

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Or Riker could become Wilhelmina "Mina" Riker, who would be Picard's female equal and executive officer who often clashes with him on command decisions. The only person on the ship that could go toe-to-toe with Picard. Some crew members speculate that there's more sexual tension than strife in their relationship.

...And at this point you're basically creating entirely new characters anyway, so what's the point in pretending this is a "reboot of The Next Generation" when it is very clearly an entirely new show?

[middyseafort]

Skywalker wrote:

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The executive officer is never the commanding officer's equal.

And why can't a woman named Wilhelmina go by the name Wil (or Will)?

The XO may not be the equal in terms of position and rank, but I meant figuratively that Riker could be Picard's equal in terms of strength, determination and intelligence. In other words, by quality of character not by pecking order.

Frankly, Riker and Picard were originally meant to be the captain role split evenly and equally into two.

ColeMercury wrote:

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...And at this point you're basically creating entirely new characters anyway, so what's the point in pretending this is a "reboot of The Next Generation" when it is very clearly an entirely new show?

Well, BSG was a reboot and recast the gender of Starbuck. Why not Riker in a reboot of TNG?

After all, Riker was a pretty bland square-jaw type that got castrated as a character after "Best of Both Worlds." I'd say any reboot of TNG would need to do some serious overhaul of the character.

Besides, this is all in fun so who cares how far this speculation goes.

[Skywalker]

middyseafort wrote:

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Frankly, Riker and Picard were originally meant to be the captain role split evenly and equally into two.

Exactly, and when Picard began to take more of an action-oriented role, the character of Riker became completely superfluous. He would be equally superfluous in a reboot, so we might as well get rid of him. Doctor Crusher can and should be the one who goes toe-to-toe with Picard when the situation calls for it.

[ColeMercury]

middyseafort wrote:

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Well, BSG was a reboot and recast the gender of Starbuck. Why not Riker in a reboot of TNG?

The difference is that BSG didn't already have 5 separate series plus 11 movies. Star Trek is so general that you can just start a whole new spinoff with no "rebooting" of existing material necessary, while BSG has a very specific premise ("start with a nuclear holocaust and then follow the fleet of human ships as they flee to Earth") which means you can't.

[Temis the Vorta]

ColeMercury wrote:

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...And at this point you're basically creating entirely new characters anyway, so what's the point in pretending this is a "reboot of The Next Generation" when it is very clearly an entirely new show?

Because then you can watch into the CBS pitch and say "it's based on The Next Generation, which was the last successful Star Trek series." That's even better than your other key selling point, the success of Star Trek at the movies, because you're specifically talking about TV. (CBS would be right to be skeptical that movie success means anything for a TV show.)

The fact that TNG's success could not be replicated today because the TV biz has changed, and your show has virtually nothing to do with TNG anyway, is immaterial. It will increase the odds of your show getting greenlit just because it gives the appearance of being a sure thing.

Otherwise, what's the point of all the TV and movie remakes that are constantly happening? Just because The Munsters or Bewitched were successes in the 60s, why should they be successful today? What if tastes have changed too much? What if the element that made them successful cannot be replicated? Those are valid questions but nobody cares. They just want the illusion of certainty because it's good for butt-covering in case the remake flops, and most shows do flop.

...and after typing all that, I've suddenly realized there is a strong chance that the next TV series will be based on TNG (with as much fidelity as Ron Moore's BSG was based on the original) because of what I just outlined. When I saw this thread title I originally thought "pshwah, dream on" but now I'm not so sure.

[Jeff O'Connor]

Temis' CW-fied Trek examples are a healthy reminder that Trek on TV at all costs is not something we should be rooting for!

I've experienced something similar by going through this thread, by the way. It really clicks; "it's a modern spin on the one and only very successful variation of the franchise" is probably the most alluring thing a hopeful producer could say to CBS.

[Temis the Vorta]

Jeff O'Connor wrote:

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Temis' CW-fied Trek examples are a healthy reminder that Trek on TV at all costs is not something we should be rooting for!

Oh but it would make the discussions around here so very interesting!

I've experienced something similar by going through this thread, by the way. It really clicks; "it's a modern spin on the one and only very successful variation of the franchise" is probably the most alluring thing a hopeful producer could say to CBS.

Yep. And let's all pray that they're making TNG: The Completely Unrecognizable Reboot for Showtime and not the CW.

The way to pitch it to Showtime is to throw the ratings and critical success of Game of Thrones at rival HBO in their faces, a series that built a big following off an initial interest by a rabid fanbase, certainly a smaller fanbase than Trekkies represent. Showtime has got to be looking at that success with some degree of envy. What big-name sf/f franchise can they push out there, that could be an even bigger hit?

Sadly, I can just as easily see a successful approach to the CW. They're making $$$ off supernatural and superhero teen angst dramas. It would be so tempting to take a half-step over to space opera teen angst drama. They could do that without Star Trek of course, but since they're part of the company that owns the rights...

[Jeff O'Connor]

Before Kirk and Sisko...

Before Janeway and Picard...

There was...

Dawson's Trek

Fridays this Fall on The CW

[ChristopherPike]

^ Yep. That's the Enterprise UPN actually wanted...

Although the then producers of the franchise tried to get close to that, before Paramount dictated any Star Trek needed to involve deep space exploration from the get-go, transporters, Klingons and time-travel. Instead of spreading the first season out on Earth, across the Solar System and then only just visiting our closest stellar neighbours.

There's no need to go right the way back to the teenage angst stage of course. In their mid-to-late 20's would've done it, where career paths have already been chosen and a couple of older father-figures in charge of them.

[Jeff O'Connor]

Every time I hear about that original first-season pitch I sigh. It sounded so good.

I'm a fan of the show, by the way, so don't take that as me saying what we got was terrible. But those first couple of seasons definitely weren't as good overall as the latter ones and if the creative team had gotten the time they asked for and the setting they decreed...