I've heard a lot of ideas of how TMP could be redone (the story particularly) but what about the other movies? Amy missed opportunities/cast changes? Should Generations have been a more ambitious crossover? Should the TOS movies have been closer to the series? Should Nemesis have been a different story involving Spock & Sela? I know this is the movie thread btu I guess episodes are welcome? Over to you guys! Mock poster art, screengrabs etc welcome!
If'n I was in charge: STIII would not have gone the way it did. The story would end with Kirk not finding Spock alive, or perhaps not at all. And having to face up to being middle-aged, a father, having lost his best friend, and his ship and maybe his career and the cold fact that some times even a really cool plan and the best intentions might not work out. At that point, Trek could have really used that sort of veracity and gravitas in its storytelling, IMO. David would not have been killed-off and would be around for future movies. STIV could still be a redemption story, but Kirk would not just be handed a spanking brand-new identical Enterprise replacement - he may have regained command status but it's be in a different ship, maybe Excelsior or a Reliant-type vessel perhaps. Saavik would not have been sidelined. William Shatner would not have been let anywhere near the director's chair or writer's room for STV. Beyond that the butterflies take over any it's anyone's guess.
For Generations, I would've made it far less of a crossover. TNG had already proven they could stand on their own two feet (having been hugely successful for seven years already) and already had a passing of the baton (McCoy in "Encounter..." and Spock in "Unification"), so they didn't really need to waste a film with it. Ok, maybe they could've had an opener on the E-B encountering the Lakul trapped in the Nexus and have a daring mission to rescue them. Perhaps even interspace it with scenes of Soran and Guinan in their moments of perfect happiness, so the audience knows just what he was being ripped away from and why he wants to get back (I can imagine the moment when he feels the transporter beam that his Nexus illusion becomes more like reality, with the Borg appearing and taking his family from him as he dematerialises). This would set up Soran as a far more sympathetic antagonist, as well as the first ship continuing the good name of Enterprise (with a Captain who isn't written as a moron to make Kirk look better). I would've missed out the sailing ship as well, have a promotion ceremony and shindig for Worf in Ten Forward, all in dress uniform for the big moment, get a live band on, etc. Show the crew relaxed and informal, before Picard gets his heart-breaking news and leaves. Just before the call comes in from the bridge about Amargosa, have Guinan pause by the viewport and look out, frowning. I would also give the E-D a little action scene as they arrive at the observatory, engaging a small Romulan ship (definitely not a Warbird), before an away team is beamed over to search for survivors. With no Kirk, then the Nexus scenes wouldn't totally stall the pace, whilst the future of the Veridian System and the crew of the Enterprise falls completely onto Picard's shoulders. Seeing how his first attempt to get through to Soran and stop him failed, Picard can then alter what he does, perhaps even make his heart-felt plea get through to Soran--who then chooses to sacrifice himself instead of become a monster. In the end, as the crew are sorting through the wreckage, I'd have Data find Geordi instead of Spot (as Brent Spiner, who hates cats, suggested), a little tongue-in-cheek joke from Troi about crashing the ship with one of the others (Riker or Worf) offering her something positive from the experience, Crusher helping Picard in the ready room, before they and a couple others assemble in the bridge to be beamed out. Just some initial thoughts.
They should have filmed the novel Federation and taken care of two movies in one. There would have been both the Kirk/Picard stuff, plus Zephram Cochrane. Closer in what way? Nemesis should never have been made. For Star Trek III, they should have tried harder to get Kirstie Alley, and explained to Leonard Nimoy that his idea of how Saavik should act (like a piece of cardboard) would not endear her to fans who liked Alley's interpretation of the character.
Or made but with a completely new story, script and director. I wish they'd tried for Kirstie Alley again, she was far better in the role (though that could be because the character was far more interesting in TWOK).
In a perhaps misguided attempt to rehabilitate The Final Frontier, I'd have given the Nimbus-III Three some backstory, especially the Klingon general, if indeed the resolution is to depend upon him. We'd suggest his past importance contrasted to his present wretchedness, and thus give his redemption some weight. Trim the other silly stuff to make room for this.
The entire movie was nothing but silly stuff... Although we did get marshmelons, plus a YT video about Captain Kirk climbing a mountain, so I guess that's something. It was one of the few really inspiring parts of the whole thing...
I think Generations was just fine although its blindingly obvious the original script featured Kirk, Spock and Bones and it's a pity that couldn't happen. Nemesis should've had Frakes directing, I think. The Final Frontier? I don't know where to start. All the other movies I like just as they are.
There are major factors in ALL of the movie's I'd love to see not be there, but STAR TREK 5's Sybok is the most anticlimactic, least interesting villain in the entire movie series. You feel emotions! Oh, you naughty Vulcan, you! And you believe that God waits for you in the Centre of the Galaxy - how charming. And you have powers of persuasion to spirit yourself and your lowlife friends away on a starship to get there ... only to realise that you were so very vain and foolish in your quest. It's just not compelling, to me. Once it was revealed that He Who Has No Name lives on a planet, the entire plot just falls apart. The Windex barrier not withstanding ... it's just incredibly lame and boring. Sybok was acted way over the top, which was fine, I liked the performance. It was everything else about him that had to go. The abuses of religion by fundamentalists was an interesting theme to have gone after, but doing it this way, there's just nothing there to hold interest. A "god" who's powers seem to be limited to zapping people with his eyeballs, in a way that has no lasting effects really tops all that off, too. Coming from Bill Shatner, Mister "Over-the-Top Action Guy" and everything, this is a real let-down.
I think Final Frontier was always DOA, I don't intend to try and resuscitate it, but I would love to take another crack at Insurrection. That's the one that, for me, was the biggest missed opportunity. A nugget of a good idea was destroyed in turning it into a nice safe story full of 'jokes' and easily forgettable clichéd villains.
I think Final Frontier could have been greatly salvaged if they took out all of the humor that wasn't organic to the situations in the film. Of course, the special effects would have to be improved, and the sets should have matched those of the first three films more than they did TNG. Write away some of the logic errors, such as getting to the center of the galaxy in such a short period of time. Perhaps explain it by the ship enters a wormhole or something.
Yes, it needed a major script rewrite. My favorite part of TFF was simply seeing a 1701-A hangar deck interior set with two full-scale shuttlecrafts inside. Those are the scenes that I never miss. In TMP the 1701-Refit had a much different looking hangar deck inteior matte scene.
Actually, although there were differences between the two, they weren't THAT different to me. The Enterprise hanger deck looked like it had a large interior door that could close up and leave a space similar in size to the Enterprise-A's hanger deck.
Yes, I was just glad they actually built the hangar set and two shuttlecrafts for TFF. For myself, that is what made this film interesting.
I actually like "The Final Frontier" (gasp) so I don't know how much my opinion should be worth ;-) I don't think it is great exactly, but I like the (albeit sometimes simplistic) turn on the Star Trek phrase the Final Frontier. Because what is "out there" turns out not to be the frontier and just a sham. The frontier is the struggle inside themselves. Maybe I'm just not too bright, but I always thought when Kirk defends holding onto his "pain" to define itself, it was a really valuable point and telling about his character. Just my two cents. But, to answer the question, I wish Frakes had directed Nemisis and they had made it more of a Romulan story. Romulans, I always thought, were an interesting "Cold War" enemy and it would have been more TNG style. But then I always thought, the action centric format didn't work as well for that cast. I'm all for some action, but Picard is really at his best out maneuvering people. I thought the main plot problem in Nemesis is nobody really used the skills that defined their characters.
If Shinzon had been a Romulan renegade, recruiting the Remans to stand with him in a revolt against the Romulan senate, and the Romulan commander had been Sela, forced to ask for outside aid and then having to accept that aid from Picard, I could see the story being better told than what we got. That and a different director, preferably Frakes.
I would love to see a better version of Trek III. Some ideas I've had were: Get Kirsty Alley back or at least have Robin Curtis try to evoke more of her performance, with similar make-up and hairstyle. Give the other major non-trio cast members more to do and have Saavik and David mixed in with them instead of off on their own. I'd have Sulu be promoted to captain of the Excelsior and be the one forced to chase Kirk down, maybe with Scotty in tow, who eventually starts sabotaging things. Sulu wants to be the one to bring Kirk back safely but they both end up rejoining Kirk and company again. (Maybe) Have Genesis falling apart because it turned the nebula into the planet and not because David was reckless. Just have Spock reborn as the same age instead of a baby or whatever happened. Have David and Saavik part of Kirk's cadre, who help steal the Enterprise in place of Scotty and Sulu, and have Uhura here as well. David still gets killed saving Spock somehow. I'd like to have seen David Marcus more but I think there needs to be a cost to saving Spock and I like how his death is still felt in Trek VI. Use location shooting for scenes on Genesis. Do something more with Kruge. I can't think of what but he just doesn't seem very interesting to me.