For one, I love the thought of Seven rejoining the Borg, and becoming the Queen’s mate, and using subterfuge, enabling Janeway somehow in the mission to change history.
How would you rewrite Endgame?
- Thread starter chris of nine
- Start date
Do away with time travel. The crew stumble across an old transwarp hub, one damaged in a plasma storm and since abandoned by the Borg. The crew find that they could be able to repair it and use it to get home, though also realise they could deal a significant blow to the Collective it they used it to sabotage the network, they also face the highly likely probability that when they reactive it they'll open up that region of the DQ to a new Borg onslaught. Janeway is faced with yet another impossible decision, similar to that which started them in the DQ.
The crew decide to attempt and use the hub to get home as well as carry out sabotage, however to do both someone must remain behind to initiate the computer virus that will cripple the network. Janeway takes it upon herself to be that person (as she has done in the past). As the hub repairs are completed an energy surge activates it prematurely, signifying to the Collective that it is operational again. A Sphere is sent to investigate and emerges. Voyager raises its shields to defend against the Sphere, stranding a team (most likely including Seven) on the hub. As the ship takes a beating, Seven manages to beam the other back to the ship and insists they use the hub to escape, she will carry out the sabotage.
With no other options and only a couple of hits away from destruction, Janeway orders the ship into the hub, heading for the Alpha Quadrant. It could essentially end there, with Seven doing the most human thing possible and sacrificing herself for her family, or if there has to be a happy ending for all then a Wedge crewed by the freed Borg from Unimatrix Zero shows up just as she is about to press the button and takes on the Sphere. One of the liberated drones takes her place, whilst she is beamed aboard and taken into the hub after Voyager and emerges in the AQ to be reunited with them.
The crew decide to attempt and use the hub to get home as well as carry out sabotage, however to do both someone must remain behind to initiate the computer virus that will cripple the network. Janeway takes it upon herself to be that person (as she has done in the past). As the hub repairs are completed an energy surge activates it prematurely, signifying to the Collective that it is operational again. A Sphere is sent to investigate and emerges. Voyager raises its shields to defend against the Sphere, stranding a team (most likely including Seven) on the hub. As the ship takes a beating, Seven manages to beam the other back to the ship and insists they use the hub to escape, she will carry out the sabotage.
With no other options and only a couple of hits away from destruction, Janeway orders the ship into the hub, heading for the Alpha Quadrant. It could essentially end there, with Seven doing the most human thing possible and sacrificing herself for her family, or if there has to be a happy ending for all then a Wedge crewed by the freed Borg from Unimatrix Zero shows up just as she is about to press the button and takes on the Sphere. One of the liberated drones takes her place, whilst she is beamed aboard and taken into the hub after Voyager and emerges in the AQ to be reunited with them.
I don't dislike "Endgame" as it stands, it manages to maintain interest despite spoiling it all in the pre-credits teaser. Exploring Tuvok's mental condition was a stroke of genius. The ending, right down to Voyager inside the Sphere still managed to work as we were caught up in the suspense and the dialogue wasn't overblown, events were sufficiently taut to forget that the opening revealed they all survived (though wouldn't it be funny if a show started off by spoiling the ending and then using time travel and showing a different ending. Not since 'Quantum Leap" has there been a somber end to a TV show...)
The episode is not dissimilar to "Timeless", similar time travel template but different nitty gritty content and it's inspired that they had alt-Harry Kim remining future-Janeway about the temporal prime directive that you know many species wouldn't abide by. And I generally like this sort of time travel story. (Just be thankful the Borg, who also have such time travel technology, despite having a million billion drones, never fathomed to do the same thing to change history twice. They tried in STFC but would they really expect Picard to follow them every time they did a time jump?)
I'd write the move along home episode a few episodes earlier, so we can see the crew get home to Federation space and have a proper aftermath for the characters, a wind-down.
The Maquis would be pardoned given their service and would serve as a bridge to resolve the Federation/Maquis conflict more positively.
Tom Paris would reveal he changed his name from Locarno, as a segue to a possible spin-off series, or if nothing else it's pointless little in-joke to cause fan debates with.
Neelix wouldn't go prior to that due to a remarkably convenient arrival of others of his species, he'd stay and be a living witness. I did like the optimism of how he was written out but there's something more interesting had he remained and how he would be seen by others in the Federation.
If the Borg were used, I'd make it closed-ended. The Borg are still out there and have other transwarp hub things. Is it that epic an ending if Janeway didn't ultimately destroy the Borg?
Ditto for how quickly Borg can or cannot adapt depending on plot needs. As with most major monsters from all shows, the writers do end up in an impasse so something has to give and the Borg were cool enough to do such a thing to extend their lifespan.
I sometimes wonder if Q could have been the adversary and Q thanks them by sending them home. There was a small arc regarding their "Q civil war", which started out interestingly enough with "Death Wish", but became an episode of Three's Company within the Continuum for the middle segment and that's when it all fell to pieces. Not to mention the Q2 episode, which felt like 8 Simple Rules and also took place in the final season.
Another Caretaker type being would be arguably more cheesy than Q snapping his fingers to get them home.
The episode is not dissimilar to "Timeless", similar time travel template but different nitty gritty content and it's inspired that they had alt-Harry Kim remining future-Janeway about the temporal prime directive that you know many species wouldn't abide by. And I generally like this sort of time travel story. (Just be thankful the Borg, who also have such time travel technology, despite having a million billion drones, never fathomed to do the same thing to change history twice. They tried in STFC but would they really expect Picard to follow them every time they did a time jump?)
I'd write the move along home episode a few episodes earlier, so we can see the crew get home to Federation space and have a proper aftermath for the characters, a wind-down.
The Maquis would be pardoned given their service and would serve as a bridge to resolve the Federation/Maquis conflict more positively.
Tom Paris would reveal he changed his name from Locarno, as a segue to a possible spin-off series, or if nothing else it's pointless little in-joke to cause fan debates with.
Neelix wouldn't go prior to that due to a remarkably convenient arrival of others of his species, he'd stay and be a living witness. I did like the optimism of how he was written out but there's something more interesting had he remained and how he would be seen by others in the Federation.
If the Borg were used, I'd make it closed-ended. The Borg are still out there and have other transwarp hub things. Is it that epic an ending if Janeway didn't ultimately destroy the Borg?
Ditto for how quickly Borg can or cannot adapt depending on plot needs. As with most major monsters from all shows, the writers do end up in an impasse so something has to give and the Borg were cool enough to do such a thing to extend their lifespan.
I sometimes wonder if Q could have been the adversary and Q thanks them by sending them home. There was a small arc regarding their "Q civil war", which started out interestingly enough with "Death Wish", but became an episode of Three's Company within the Continuum for the middle segment and that's when it all fell to pieces. Not to mention the Q2 episode, which felt like 8 Simple Rules and also took place in the final season.
Another Caretaker type being would be arguably more cheesy than Q snapping his fingers to get them home.
M
marlboro
Guest
1) Happy ending. Complete the Caretaker storyline. Janeway and company are faced with another tough moral decision, one that may undo all the progress they've made over the last 7 years. They stick to their principles, but, miraculously, they are rewarded with a speedy return to Earth. Cue montage of them returning to their friends and family. Last scene is a reunion at an indefinite point in the future showing where their lives have led them while still reassuring the audience that the Voyager crew is still a family.
2) Bittersweet ending. I think I would have a large number of the crew decide to make their homes somewhere in the Delta Quadrant. Not all in one place; different characters choosing different locations for different reasons. Janeway and the remaining crew would continue the long journey home. The adventure continues.
3) Horrifying Ending. Due to Admiral Janeway's selfish and dangerous exploitation of time travel technology, Voyager returns home...only to find the entire planet was assimilated long ago. closeup of Janeway staring at the screen in dumbfounded horror. Fade to black. Just before the credits roll you hear "Resistance is futile."
2) Bittersweet ending. I think I would have a large number of the crew decide to make their homes somewhere in the Delta Quadrant. Not all in one place; different characters choosing different locations for different reasons. Janeway and the remaining crew would continue the long journey home. The adventure continues.
3) Horrifying Ending. Due to Admiral Janeway's selfish and dangerous exploitation of time travel technology, Voyager returns home...only to find the entire planet was assimilated long ago. closeup of Janeway staring at the screen in dumbfounded horror. Fade to black. Just before the credits roll you hear "Resistance is futile."
To complete the story: they find the assimilated Earth Jean-Luc was unable to safe. Seven returns home, just to have a meeting face-to-face with Locutus. Seven is re-assimilated and issues the said 'resistance is futile'. Janeway releases the self-destruction. Quite a horrifying story from a parallel universe.
M
marlboro
Guest
^ I like that.
Chakotay: "I TOLD you we couldn't trust her!"
Chakotay: "I TOLD you we couldn't trust her!"
I would have avoided time travel and had them meet a third Caretaker that somehow gets involved, to make it a full circle kind of thing.
I wouldn't change anything about them getting home but I might have had them get home with a couple episodes left so we could see the crew readjusting.
I wouldn't change anything about them getting home but I might have had them get home with a couple episodes left so we could see the crew readjusting.
I agree with the full circle type of ending, even so far as 'Caretaker' pretty much setting up the ending; Kes's short lifespan and the Ocampan city being able to survive for five years- it was all set up that without the Caretaker the Ocampa will have to adapt and survive, and just like Kes would have increased their telekinesis powers.
Eventually, it would have been the Ocampans sending Voyager home as a thank you for fending off the Kazon before they moved to a higher plane. I guess there are elements of 'The Gift' in there, but a return of Suspiria and an eventual battle with Voyager, which could have included a dilemma for Janeway as a counterpoint to her original decision to strand Voyager in the Delta Quadrant could be in there.
Eventually, it would have been the Ocampans sending Voyager home as a thank you for fending off the Kazon before they moved to a higher plane. I guess there are elements of 'The Gift' in there, but a return of Suspiria and an eventual battle with Voyager, which could have included a dilemma for Janeway as a counterpoint to her original decision to strand Voyager in the Delta Quadrant could be in there.
A perverse part of me wish they had the guts to televise this. The novelverse would have fixed it anyway
The novelverse had a perverse joy in
turning our beloved Voyager characters in the Mirror Universe completely evil and let them massacre each other.
What is that story called? I want to read it!
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Trek:_Mirror_Universe
I guess it was the Voyager story in Obsidian Alliances. Rise Like Lions was also great.
Thanks I have those in my kindle library to read
M
marlboro
Guest
The modern MU novels have been brilliant for the most part.
I actually don't mind Endgame all that much, I mean time travel does kind of fuck up any sense of continuity which is why usually time travel and mirror universe episodes, I don't count as canon.
It was an interesting idea, to have a play on the idea that they got home and it wasn't fairy tales.
There are however some fantastic ideas above in this thread.
It was an interesting idea, to have a play on the idea that they got home and it wasn't fairy tales.
There are however some fantastic ideas above in this thread.
I'd have taken out all of the time travel nonsense, which was what killed "Endgame" for me, and turned it into a straight-up Janeway and company figure out how to use the transwarp hub to get back home. Seven can figure out how to disable the Borg to let it happen.
One thing about Endgame, did the BQ forget that Voyager possessed multiple counters to assimilation? They must have known what happened in Child's Play, and if not, definitely Unamatrix Zero.
Even if she did not have reason to think Future Janeway had the Trojan horse virus, wouldn't she have been more careful about assimilating ANY Voyager crew if she knows it exists, knows Voyager has it (Which she would have learned in Unamatrix), and has no way to adapt to it?
Even if she did not have reason to think Future Janeway had the Trojan horse virus, wouldn't she have been more careful about assimilating ANY Voyager crew if she knows it exists, knows Voyager has it (Which she would have learned in Unamatrix), and has no way to adapt to it?
M
marlboro
Guest
How would it have been if Endgame was the next to last episode? What if the actual final episode was in the mold of Enterprise's early fourth season episode "Home" or TNG's "Family"? An episode where we get to see the crew return to Earth and reacclimate.
I would have loved to have seen a series of scenes of the guys reuniting with their families. I would have also liked to see scenes involving the families of other characters like Seska, Suder, and Hogan. An update on Kes would have been cool, too.
I would have loved to have seen a series of scenes of the guys reuniting with their families. I would have also liked to see scenes involving the families of other characters like Seska, Suder, and Hogan. An update on Kes would have been cool, too.
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