How characters could have been handled better?

It's a cheesy line from the new ad

 

I seem to remember him eating in a few episodes, does that count as a hobby?

 

Depends what he was eating, maybe trying different species food, a galactic foodaphile maybe?
Him getting excited about visiting planet D because the whiskey is great, and the glowing crab meat is delicious

 

Both Archer and Mayweather needed the wide eyed boy scout stuff toned down. I'm not talking about making them dark and edgy or gritty but just a little less naive

 

I really with Star Trek would do a little less of just sticking alien food on their mouths

 

The Kreesasians would agree with you.

 

I mean, it's hard to take it as ribbing when he is talking about the ship suffering catastrophic failure. I mean, I have a darker sense of humor but that strikes me as completely out of line for Trip.

Indeed. He needed more moments like that.

 

He could be ribbing him that he is or isn't a trained diplomat and still be mindful of the situation they're in. One doesn't preclude the other. No matter what his background is he wants Archer to stop being a pussy and go apologise.

 

No, one doesn't preclude the other, but the pacing of the dialog would be odd to go from super serious engine talk to ribbing about his experience. But, the episode is so weirdly written that I can't rule out the possibility.

 

I was never a fan of Enterprise, so if I was gonna cast the first "Star Trek" prequel, I'd have basically a completely different cast. Frankly, I feel that the Abrams movies and "Discovery" are doing what "Enterprise" *should* have done, but waited until it was "safe" to do so.

But let's pretend it's 2001; "Star Trek: Voyager" has just ended; and the casting of the next "Star Trek" series, a prequel about the first starship from Earth, has been left in the claws of a highly evolved reptile (that's me). Here's what I'd do.

• The new captain is a Black woman from an African country. Sound uber-politically correct? Perfect. That's what "Star Trek" has been since Day 0. After Kirk, every new captain has broken another glass ceiling (not in universe obviously, but for the audience). Picard wasn't American; Sisko wasn't white; Janeway wasn't male. Now with "Voyager" just ending, the audience is ready for a captain who's all three. In terms of realism, there is also no reason why 75% of all the humans in Starfleet have to be from the U.S., much less the first starship captain ever. "Star Trek" is the lasts franchise that should be feeding 'Murica's already out of control ego. Think of it; Earth's first starship captain was a Black "foreign" (to the American audience) woman? That's the message of "Star Trek" in a nutshell.
• An Arabic Muslim character. When America's mortal enemy was the Soviet Union, what did the Original Series do? Put a Russian hero on the Enterprise. The 2001 needed an Arab hero on the bridge of the Enterprise more than any other. Make it a woman, and give her a hijab that matches her Starfleet uniform.
• An openly gay character. In the 1960s, they had a Black woman on the bridge of a starship. And an Asian man as well. Had "Star Trek" not lost its balls, they'd have had a gay character back on TNG, in the late '80s, when the gay rights movement was starting to gain traction. But 2001 needed it just as badly.
• Keep the space boomer: Ironically, Travis Mayflower or whatever his name is was the only character from the real show who actually had a sci-fi related background. So I'd keep Travis, and give him some lines.
• Keep the beagle. Did Porkroast or whatever he's called make sense? No. Do I want him gone? Heck no.

Now's the part where I wait for all the people who only skimmed my post to start pelting me with, "But Discovery has a gay character, you whinny SJW!"

 

Regarding the gay rights movement, I'd say "regain traction". The Stonewall riots of 1969 actually established the then-incredible notion that people had the freedom to love as they chose, however repellent others might find it. But the AIDS crisis of the mid 80's gave homophobia a new lease on life. I seriously don't think an openly gay character would have worked in TNG, when AIDS was still pretty much lethal and unmanageable.

And I am SO calling Porthos "Porkroast" from now on.

 

What? No Chinese or Indian woman captain? You know, the most populace countries? USA 3rd, then Indonesia, Pakistan, brazil, Nigeria, Bangladesh Russia then Mexico to top off the 10?

 

Not at all, typically Star Trek has trailed other programing, often by years. TOS did a good job with racial equality, with Kirk having Black and Hispanic superiors, but that was just keeping up with the then television standard.

Having a Black lead in DS9, or a woman lead in VGR, were both well behind other show that had such leads years before as standard fare.

Avery Brooks had been the lead of a show four years before.

 

If we have to stick within the confines of the characters and set-up we got, I'd look at doing something like this:

Captain Jonathan Archer: An older, more experienced and grizzled officer, he didn't need nepotism or pilot training to get him where he is. The NX-01 is his third command, having spent a number of years as Captain of a pair of escorts/frigates assigned to safeguard Earth and her colonies, during this time he has made a number of first contacts with other races (most of which have gone favourably) as well as shown his tactical prowess. When hand-picked for this prestigious new ship, he is surprised and a little uneasy about the amount of scrutiny his actions will be under, but seeing it as a force of good, something to make Starfleet more than just a defensive/military force, he takes the opportunity to embrace being an explorer.

Sub-Commander T'Pol: Assigned by the Vulcan High Command as the NX-01's Communications and Diplomatic Officer, she is an accomplished mediator, linguist and sociologist, as well as being one of the VHC's best and brightest officers on Earth. Almost 70, she has had a long and diverse career, including time spent as an Intelligence Officer, as such she has a diverse range of skills to draw upon. Part of her orders is to monitor the human crew and report back on their actions, especially is they prove to be counterproductive to Vulcan objectives.

Lt. Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker III: He is pretty much as he is in the show, though maybe tone done the "Southern-isms". He's a brilliant engineer, supervised the work on the NX-01, but hasn't been very far away from Earth-held space, so is keen and eager to get out and explore, as such he is sometimes a little awestruck by what he finds out there.

Lieutenant Malcolm Reed: A hardy Mancunian (so none of that stiff upper lip and overly polite British crap), his family have a long and proud military service, his mother is a MACO General, so his decision to enter Starfleet has caused a rift that hasn't been healed. He likes things very strict and regimented, but thanks to influence from Archer, Trip and Mayweather he begins to loosen up and learns how to enjoy life a little more. When the MACO contingent comes aboard, he butts heads with Major Hayes but this takes a turn when the pair end up sleeping together, though Hayes' later death will be a source of pain and remorse for him.

Lieutenant (jg) Travis Mayweather: The twenty-something Boomer who has been to more worlds and travelled more light-years than any of the other humans onboard, he is a font on knowledge and tall tales. Though this is his first posting his vast experience and exceptionally piloting skills saw him jump the rank of ensign entirely. Despite his vast wealth of experience he is still a young man and often lets his enthusiasm and exuberance get the better of him.

Ensign Hoshi Sato: The Chief Science Officer. Though young and inexperienced, she is brilliant (even outshining a few Vulcans) with a vast knowledge of numerous scientific fields, but has yet to really find her voice. All she has wanted her whole life is to get out into space and explore, though the realities and dangers prove to be a little much for her at times, but she is determined to tough it out and prove she has what it takes and doesn't want to let Archer down--especially after all the faith he has placed in her.

Doctor Phlox: Again a character who is pretty much how he is in the show, though I would say make him weirder, how he approaches situations or looks at things from a very different perspective, to give the humans on the ship a unique POV that they would never have considered.

 

Archer – make him the first gay captain. Backstory is the same otherwise. Regularly fights against charges of nepotism, both for his promotion to captain as well as who he selects as his crew or calls on for assistance. Working for the Mayweathers for a couple of years is what helped turn Archer’s attention to joining Starfleet. Also has an aversion to hand phasers and rifles, preferring hand to hand combat instead.

Trip – the same as in the show, although is known to have been a regular activist against Terra Prime like the rest of his family.

T’Pol – a human named Teresa Paul who was born and raised on Mars. On good terms with the Vulcan Science Directorate and the Vulcan Embassy on Earth, and therefore does not have a negative perception of the Vulcans that is pervasive throughout the majority of the crew. She is also the ship's stellar cartographer and astrophysicist, and used to work for UESPA prior to joining the crew.

Reed – a female British armory officer. Similar background as Reed in the show, although acknowledged a part of Starfleet Security and Starfleet Intelligence sooner, as well as an expelled MACO trainee. Regularly keeps tabs on Vulcans to know if they their reports sent to Starfleet are accurate or if they are withholding information. Also shown to be an inventor, and is shown to have taken initiative and is responsible for the vast majority of security and weapons progress made that has been seen throughout the series, from the force fields to the shields to different weapon frequencies for the ship’s phasers.

Mayweather – liaison for the Earth Cargo Service, as Starfleet and Earth Cargo Serve work together; Starfleet focusing on first contact and the Earth Cargo Service focusing on second contact and setting up new trade routes and mining operations for United Earth. Although the most experienced officer – having made the most first contacts of anyone onboard – he is also the most optimistic officer. Has regularly declined being a captain of his own ship in Starfleet, including Enterprise, as he intends to return to the Horizon once his tour of duty is up. He is also the officer turned to in order to negotiate during tense situations when someone from the Earth Cargo Service steals a priceless artifact from the new species contacted for the purpose of selling them on the black market.

Sato – works for the diplomatic wing of United Earth. Despite being the most skilled at the job, is known to have a temper of sorts. Her temper jeopardizes a few first contact missions, and results in frequent warnings from Starfleet that she will be recalled.

Dr. Phlox – a human named Dr. Philip Xavier. Cited as a frequent candidate for head of Starfleet Medical. Due to the interplanetary medical exchange, he has access to a wide variety of different treatments and medical professionals. Triples as the CMO, the ship's counselor & the ship's botanist.

 

As much as many of us enjoy seeing an attractive woman in a complimentary outfit, did we not roll our collective eyes when the first pic of T’Pol was released? It was catering to the lowest common denominator- something Trek did too often during Voy and Ent and, I believe, contributed to the downfall of the franchise by 2005. Jolene Blalock might not be the best actor in the world but she never had a chance, did she?
Also, the complete ignorance that Anthony Montgomery was on set for many (lineless) episodes is downright insulting to him.

 

Archer: completely different casting. character needed to be rewritten and recast. Hernandez was a better captain. I would have rather Hernandez be the captain. Or just kill Archer off in the first episode and replace him, letting it be known that this was not going to be the same 'ol. I don't like Archer.

Tpol: I think Tpol was fine as she was portrayed, oddly enough. But give her a uniform for crying out loud.

Trip: Trip doesn't need fixing.

Merryweather: casting was fine. As a boomer he could have so much more than he was. They just ignored him. It wasn't that large of a cast. It's a glaring void.

Phlox: one of the highlights of Ent, I would not have changed a thing about him or the casting.

Reed: they should have had Reed be gay. It was a missed opportunity.

Sato: Sato was ok. Trek had not had a proper comms officer for awhile. I might have written her more as a linguist + anthropologist but thats about it.

I just want to add in again because I can, and if you've read this far down you're immune to boredom that I don't like Archer.

Chef: show the chef's face so that TATV can never happen.

Also use those NX-01 ballcaps more. Those were cool. Non-Abrams Trek has a glaring lack of hats. The NX-01 was a glimmer of wonderful hatness in a hatless galaxy.

 

If I had free reign of characters but had to stick to the Earth Starfleet/Pre-UFP setting then I might go for something along these lines:

Captain Indira Sholi: Martian-born human woman of Indian-British origin, in her mid-late 40s. Among the first class of the newly formed "Starfleet", she graduated in the top 5% and has made being in space her life. Despite the initial intent of Starfleet being primarily to defend Earth-held space, as she rose through the ranks and gained more prestige and sway (thanks to her sharp tactical mind as well as her ability to foster positive relations with other species) she has taken a vocal stance for Starfleet to be more, for humanity to truly take its place as an interstellar species and get out there and explore, instead of just dipping their tow in to test the waters. Due to the persistence of Sholi and others, Starfleet Command opted to expand their horizons, and when the NX-01 was commissioned her name was at the top of the list for candidates to lead the mission. She believes in leading from the forefront, almost always going on landing parties (especially those that involve first contacts) and embracing the role of being a trailblazer and explorer.

Commander Hunter McCain: Sholi's right-hand man and Chief of Security. The two have served together for a number of years and have a close bond, she is affectionately known as Auntie Indie to his children and his husband call her Hunter's "work-wife". Since they have been through so much, they know how one another thinks and have formed a solid and dependable team, though when she asked him to join her on the NX-01 he was hesitant as it would mean so much time away from his family, but they were the ones to persuade him to take the post, turning down a command of his own to be a part of such a monumental mission. When the excrement hits the fan he is a force to be reckoned with, but off the clock he is a warm and welcoming man who puts all at ease.

Sub-Commander T'Pol: A concession made to the Vulcan High Command by Starfleet Command was to permit them to have a representative onboard, to provide them with their knowledge and advice, as well as access to the extensive database the VHC possesses. She fills that role as well as being the ship's Navigator, making the most of Vulcan star charts and her expertise in cartography, mathematics, and astrogation. Though she may appear cold, detached and utterly logical, she has held a great fascination of humanity and all that they have accomplished is such a short space of time, having been almost at the point of decimating their world and one another.

Lt. Commander Charles Tucker III: Still in as Chief Engineering Officer. He is pretty much as he is in the show, though maybe tone done the "Southern-isms". He's a brilliant engineer, supervised the work on the NX-01, but hasn't been very far away from Earth-held space, so is keen and eager to get out and explore, as such he is sometimes a little awestruck by what he finds out there. [What can I say, the producers made a damn good character]

Major Thyris th'Shar: Following Sholi's adept handling of first contact with the Andorians a few years earlier, great strides has been made in forging new working relationships with them, as such they were given the chance to have a representative on the NX-01 to help solidify their good public relations. Th'Shar was appointed as the Chief Science Officer. Though far from a great supporter of the Andorian-Earth relationship, as well as having great misgivings about the Vulcans, he is one of the Imperial Guard's best scientists (his superiors also see it as a test, if someone like him can get along with the primitive humans and condescending Vulcans then anyone can).

Lieutenant (jg) Travis Mayweather: The ship's Helmsman, he often tells about how he learned how to fly before he could walk. The twenty-something Boomer who has been to more worlds and travelled more light-years than any of the other humans onboard, he is a font on knowledge and tall tales. Though this is his first posting his vast experience and exceptionally piloting skills saw him jump the rank of ensign entirely. Despite his vast wealth of experience he is still a young man and often lets his enthusiasm and exuberance get the better of him.

Lieutenant (jg) Hoshi Sato: Her uncanny ability to pick up new languages and perform translations faster than the universal translator made her Sholi's only choice for Chief Communications Officer. Despite her rank, she hasn't spent any time on starships, having been assigned as an instructor or translator on Earth, as such the dangers and realities of life in space prove to be a little much for her at times, but she is determined to tough it out and prove she has what it takes and doesn't want to let Sholi down--especially after all the faith she has placed in her. [Again not really all that different from what was on the show, Hoshi was a character I also liked, though with some more consistency here]

Doctor Phlox: Again a character who is pretty much how he is in the show, though I would say make him weirder, how he approaches situations or looks at things from a very different perspective, to give the humans on the ship a unique POV that they would never have considered. [See Trip and Hoshi]

 

To expand this topic to secondary & recurring characters...

Daniels – Federation temporal historian and anthropologist from the 31st century. Instead of jumping back and forth through time as a time cop trying to preserve the timeline, he actually lives in the Sol system a bit and on the NX-class ships to study events and humans of the 22nd century. He’d be akin to Boothby.

A.G. Robinson – He actually does captain the NX-02 for a bit – as its launched a year after the NX-01 – which allows the viewers to see the friendship and competitiveness between him and Archer. And he still dies rock climbing, but while on shore leave on either Risa or Wrigley’s Pleasure planet instead of on Earth. Which would then lead to Duvall to be the one that takes over from him, and in the process makes him an onscreen character instead of an offscreen character that’s mentioned a few times. It would mean that Erika Hernandez would get to command the NX-03 or NX-04 instead in later seasons.

Silik – instead of being a follower of Future Guy, he is a noted eugenics leader of the Suliban Cabal. And rather than follow the other Suliban that are making pilgrimages to the Beta/Gamma/Delta Quadrants to resettle, he uses genetic enhancements to make Sulibans adaptable to live on any planet, as well as a way for them to defend themselves. And due to his philosophy, it pushes the Tandarans - already suspicious of all Suliban, genetically enhanced or not - to also get involved in eugenics and results in a Eugenics (Cold) War between the two species that later involves Earth. It’s a way to make the line in DS9 about a 22nd century Eugenics War make more sense.

Slar – would have him get involved earlier in the series. And while we would never really get a good look at him specifically, we would get to see a Gorn warship that he commands. And he would replace Duras during the Klingon tribunal arc in S2 since it would be a Gorn tribunal instead.

Valdore – Introduce him earlier as a member of the Vulcan Ministry of Security. He would be very much like Degra in that he cared about his family on Vulcan, but was also strongly wary of growing human expansion and subsequent influence and regularly brings up his concerns to the Vulcan High Command. Everyone would be unaware that he is a Romulan spy and that his true goal is to protect Romulan Star Empire and their current efforts at expansion and conquest. He would then go missing and be presumed dead, only to reappear on his homeworld in the Romii system of the Romulan Star Empire.

Minister Samuels – bring into the show earlier to interact with both Admiral Forrest and Soval, to show how the NX-missions are being received on Earth, and the politics behind the days leading up to the birth of the Federation.