I always imagined the Beverly / Picard thing was still going on between the movies. They're just open enough so that Picard can date Anji as well. (and Vash too)
I posted this in the Future of Trek forum, but it fits here as well. A re-imagining of TNG as a Game of Thrones style epic with multiple POV and arcs. Deep Space Nine- Formerly an orbital Cardassian ore processing station, the Bajoran Provisional Government has turned it over to Starfleet to serve as the base of operations for the defense and exploration of the Bajor Sector and beyond. In addition to Starfleet and the Bajoran Militia, there is a large civilian population on the station that includes Bajorans, Starfleet dependants and other foreign nationals. Commodore Benjamin Sisko- Starfleet Commander for the Bajoran Sector. Sisko is veteran of the Cardassian Wars. His wife, Jennifer and son, Jake live with him on DS9, but he has misgivings about them being so close to the Cardassian border. Lt. Commander Tuvok- Starfleet Intelligence. Tuvok oversees various on ongoing SI operations in the sector. Some of which might be above Sisko's "pay grade". Commander Katherine Pulaski- Chief Medical Officer. A veteran officer with strong opinions, she's often a thorn in the side of Sisko and his unofficial conscience. She's also fond of needling Tuvok and has a low opinion of "spies". Lt. .Commander Data- Chief Operations Officer. An android. Data is in charge of keeping the station running. Given its blend of Federation. Cardassian and Bajoran technology it a task that keeps Data busy around the clock. Not needing sleep he is well suited for the task. As an android wishing to become more "human" Tuvok finds him fascinating. Colonel Kira Nerys- Bajoran Liaison Officer. Kira was a member of the Bajoran Resistance during the Cardassian Occupation. She is still wanted in the Cardassian Union for terrorism. She coordinates activities that involve Starfleet and the Bajoran Militia. Constable Odo- Chief of Law Enforcement for the station. A shapeshifter of unknown origin, Odo was raised on the station by Bajorans. He is strongly attached to the station and sees it as his only home. While nominally in charge of civilian law enforcement, Sisko likes to use Odo for Starfleet related operations as well. Quark- A Ferengi merchant who runs a casino on DS9's promenade. He is also heavily involved in various criminal activities in the sector. As such, he and Odo have an adversarial relationship. Garak- A Cardassian tailor who runs a shop on the promenade. He is the only Cardassian still on the station. His reasons for staying are currently a mystery. Though Tuvok certainly has a few ideas. Dukat - A Gul in the Cardassian military. Dukat is the former Prefect of Bajor and presided over the transition from the Cardassian Union to the Bajoran Provisional Government. Currently he is the military commander for the Cardassian territory adjacent to the Bajor Sector. He would very much like to be Prefect of Bajor again. The USS Enterprise- A Galaxy class vessel, the Enterprise is the newest and most advanced ship in Starfleet. It's primary mission is establishing diplomatic relations with the new worlds beyond Bajor. It's staff includes a large diplomatic team. Captain Jean-Luc Picard- The ship's Commanding Officer. Picard is a man weary of war. The prospect of commanding a mission of exploration and diplomacy has kept him Starfleet. He sees a new war on the horizon and is making every effort to change course. Commander Chakotay- The ship's Executive Officer. Chakotay's homeworld was on the frontlines of the Cardassian Wars and now lies in Cardassian territory. He's not happy being a ship who's main objective is to "make nice" with the Cardassians. Ambassador Deanna Troi- The sector's Chief Diplomatic Officer, she divides her time between DS9 and the Enterprise. As a civilian, she's not always greeted with open arms by Starfleet. Her goals are often at odds with Commodore Sisko's, the sector's military commander. Picard is more open minded and she prefers the Enterprise to DS9 Lt. B'Elanna Torres- The ship's Chief Engineering Officer. She served with Chakotay in the Cardassian Wars and shares his views on making peace with them. Lt. Commander Beverly Crusher - The ship's Chief Medical Officer. The widow of Jack Crusher, Picard's former XO and closest friend. Her son is in Starfleet and she worries about his future. Ensign Ro Laren- The ship's Flight Control Officer. Born in a Bajoran refugee camp she's never been to Bajor before this assignment. She's at odds with native born Bajorans, who see the refugees as cowards who fled rather than fight The USS Defiant- A Defiant class light cruiser. Its primary mission is defense of the station and the Bajor system. It serves as the flagship for the commander of DS9.The Defiant is a warship, part of the legacy of the Cardassian Wars. It's crew is small and most are experienced combat officers. Commander William T. Riker- The Defiant's Commanding Officer. Riker comes across as a genial sort, quick with a joke and a twinkle in his eye. He's also known to have an eye for the ladies. In a combat situation he's all business, though. A clever commander with a trick or two up his sleeve. Lt. Commander Elizabeth Shelby- The ship's Executive Officer. She's all business, all the time and isn't afraid to speak her mind if she thinks Riker ( or anyone else) is wrong. She has high standards and if she had her way the crew would be drilling around the clock. Lt. Worf- The ship's tactical officer. On a ship the size of the Defiant, tactical includes flight control. He respects Riker and admires Shelby. EMH-. Experimental Medical Hologram. A new technology currently being tested on the Defiant. It's inventor, Dr. Louis Zimmerman is on board overseeing the test. (or is he?) Lt. Ezri Tigan- Medical Officer. Tigan is Combat Field Medic and provides backup for the EMH. An unjoined Trill, who's not on the candidate list, she lives life to the fullest. Lt. Geordi La Forge- The ship's Chief Engineering Officer. Blinded in the Cardassian War, La Forge can interface with the ship's systems through his VISOR, a device that enables him to see. As such he feels and senses what the ship does. At times this seems to cut him off from his crewmates and he wonders if he is losing his humanity. Ensign Harry Kim- Operations Officer. A rookie right out of the academy he's in awe of these "heroes". The USS Voyager- An Intrepid class scout ship. It primary mission is science and exploration. Most of its crew are in the Science division and the rest is comprised of young officers, some just out of the Academy. Because of this, the ship has been nicknamed "The School Bus". Voyager spends most of its time away from the Bajor Sector in explored territory. Commander Kathryn Janeway- The ship's Commanding Officer. Formerly in the Science Division, this is Janeway's first command. For her the thrill of the "hunt" is what drives her. She needs to know what's behind the next nebula and beyond the farthest star. Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax- The ship's Executive Officer and Chief Science Officer. A joined Trill, Dax can call upon decades of experience from her previous hosts. Which is at odds with her youthful appearance. A close friend of Sisko in her previous host, he still calls her "The Old Man". A name that followed her to Voyager. Chief Petty Officer Miles O'Brien- The ship's Chief Engineer. The real old man aboard the ship, he has a decade on most of the crew. A veteran of the Cardassian Wars, He's one of Janeway's trusted advisors and a father figure to the younger crewmen. (Just don't tell him that). His wife, Keiko, lives on DS9. Lt. Julian Bashir- The ship's Chief Medical Officer. Young, inexperienced and on his first deep space mission, Bashir is out of his element and tries to cover it up with bravdo. O'Brien has taken him under his wing. Ensign Wesley Crusher- Operations Officer. A gifted young man, Crusher competed Starfleet Academy in record time. He's the youngest member of the crew and very aware of this As such he is over eager to prove himself. His mother is the CMO on the Enterprise, Lt. Tasha Yar- The Ship's Chief Security Officer. Growing up as an orphan on failed colony where every day was a fight for survival, Yar feels out of place on a ship full of scientists and overachievers. Lt. Tom Paris- Flight Control Officer. Paris is onboard the Voyager as a favor to Admiral Owen Paris, Janeway's former CO. Paris has been a disciplinary problem (and embarrassment to his father) in the past. Voyager is his "last chance".
His relationship building with Crusher in "All Good Things..." didn't preclude him from having romantic feelings for Anij.
I think the cast of TNG was too big. I think several of the main cast could have been relegated to recurring guest stars and I think the show would have been all the better for it. Tasha - Dropped from the show and nothing was lost. Also gave more screen time to more interesting characters like Worf. Wesley - I'm not saying that he shouldn't have been on the show at all, but he should have been a background character who infrequently gets pulled into a larger plot. Deanna Troi - What was the point of this character? Why is she on the bridge? Of the 10 or 12 Troi-centric episodes, how many were actually interesting? One? I was watching an episode the other day, and she basically followed Picard around for the entire show, occasionally interjecting with a comment that could have been just as easily spoken by another character in the scene. Lwaxana Troi - Not a regular cast member, but whatever. Nine appearances on TNG and DS9. Nine painful, boring, unfunny episodes. Well, I did like "Half a Life" but any middle aged female character could have been inserted into the story and it would have been stronger since you wouldn't have to deal with all the baggage that comes with the Lwaxana character. How great would it have been if all of the episodes that were wasted on these superfluous characters had been used to flesh out the characters of Geordi, Dr. Crusher, or Miles O'Brien? If I were to add a character, it would be Ro Laren. The character had an interesting background, and would have added some much needed conflict between the crew. Speaking of conflict, I would have liked to see Riker and Picard clash more often.
Riker was loyal and that is typically what most Captains would prefer in a first officer, so that's probably why he rarely gave Picard a hard time. I always believed Troi to be superfluous. Bare minimum, she didn't need to be on the bridge all of the time. She should have been like Dr. Crusher; seen occasionally when her opinions were required. Her presence just seemed to clutter the bridge. And no, this has nothing to do with her being a woman.
Oh my God! I love this! You should make this a thing, somehow. Could you write it out, a serialised fan-fiction or something? Because, if you did, I'd read.
For the stories to work ('Show more human colony worlds'), you'd need real science fiction writers just like the original series, I'd think. Berman and Braga would not need to apply, and it would be somebody like Moore & Eick from the recent version of BSG. Having Lesley Crusher be a fuck-up, I don't like-there's already too much of that on TV.
I'd pretty much keep the original tng much the same with a short list of changes. 1)Beverly crusher, isn't just a doctor but has extensive training with Starfleet intelligence(and section 31). She's also far less of a GP and more of a geneticists with pulaski actually being the more of the GP. 2) Deanne Troi, is a counselor however she has much more active role in HR. Namely promoting and demoting crew members, away team selections, dealing with PTS that is common among red shirts, and handling more in depth neurological/psychology profiles of aliens species. 3) Wesley crusher is a far more important, being a product of section 31 genetic research, the boy isn't simply a genius but more in line with something along the lines of a khan. 4)Riker is way more kirkesque. A loose cannon, narcissitic all the way not good for starfleet and yet still rises to the top. 5) Data is being watched by section 31. As they have a vested interest in keeping AI,and Augments under the control of the federation. 6) Picard has led a double life, however due to memory augmentation has a false sense of memories regarding the crusher family. He also has a much stronger academic background with Anthropology and law. He's also gay, however this will have little effect on the character as he's still married to the job. 7) Leforge is closer to a transhuman cyborg than someone that is simply blind. 8)Worf is much the same except female, being more focused on navigation and operating away teams. Illustrates that Klingons have a much stranger reaction to Trauma than humans. 9) Chief obrien is a main character with his war experience and ability to fix things, gives him a high regard among federation. 10) Ensign Ro Laren is closer to kira in character. Less of a bratty officer and much more responsible and critical of the federation. The characters in lower decks episode have a much more prevalent role in the series. The blonde woman that wanted rikers job in the borg saga gets it. When picard becomes a central part of the borg collective. DS9 becomes the home base for Enterprise post Borg. The Professor Galen saga with finding ancient aliens is a central plot of the series. TNG never ends, simply has main characters killed off and replaced with time. (like Doctor who) Riker eventually becomes an evil admiral(12 th season timing)