Lines (or moments) you expected that didn't happen

[at Quark's]

Yesterday I was (re-)watching The Search (DS9).

In it, there's a scene that has Sisko trying to convince Quark to come with him to the GQ to search out the Founders. Quark keeps refusing (and understandably so, since in the episode before that he went to the GQ with Sisko too, and that got him captured by the Jem'Hadar). So, out of the blue Sisko shows him the Grand Nagus's scepter, tells him he had a short meeting with the GN recently, who also thought it was a great idea if Quark went with him. Quark doesn't dare refuse anymore, and kisses the staff awkwardly after Sisko reminds him to do so, and leaves the room. Sisko then taps his commbadge and says : 'Sisko to engineering, you can now dereplicate that Ferengi scepter again'.

Well, except that the last line wasn't actually spoken, though I half and half expected it to, at that point in the ep. (In fact the staff features later in the ep, where Quark is carrying it, supposedly as a symbol of his negotiation authority, but I didn't know that at the earlier point).

So, are there scenes in which you expected something to happen, or something to be said, except it didn't ?

 

[Orphalesion]

DS9: Paradise

An alternate ending where not only several of the colonists come forth and ask to be taken back to a place that's not a batshit cult. But Starfleet also recognizes that those colonists where brainwashed into cult, and knowing about the psychology behind such events and what can happen if left unchecked, assigns a team of counselors, medical personnel and a small peace keeping force to the planet to help those people towards recovery.
Starfleet, recognizing that those people were basically brainwashed into a cult, and knowing about the psychology behind such events and what can happen if left unchecked doesn't just allow those people to sit around on their planet, but sends counselors, along with a peace keeping force to help them on the long road to recovering.

 

[Farscape One]

With that scene from "THE SEARCH, PART I", when it first aired, I thought exactly like you... that it was a clever prop and ploy by Sisko.

But... in "PAST TENSE, PART I", Quark calls him up in the teaser saying the Nagus needed him to get someone released from a Starfleet prison. Sisko acknowledged he did owe the Nagus a favor. The only thing, at that point in the show, I can think of where Sisko owed Zek a favor was if he indeed did talk with the Nagus.


With "PARADISE", I always expected at least a few people to leave. The entire village not wanting to leave? I never bought it. I still don't. I suppose those children at the end just staring where they were is an indication of thinking on it, but there should have been something more concrete.



One thing I always wanted to see... "ONCE MORE UNTO THE BREACH", a final shot of Kor reveling in his battle. I always imagined he took out 9 of those ships, and with no weapons left, run kamikaze into the last Jem'Hadar ship. Start that scene with debris from all the 9 ships, then the last one and Kor's dodging each other, with the Jem'Hadar scoring one final hit that destroys his weapons. Kor then orders ramming speed, and that is when he goes "Long live the Empire!"

 

[BK613]

I always imagined

This is why I think they didn't show it. They left room for the audience to imaging its own ending. Plus, if they didn't show Kor actually dying then his return wasn't precluded.


----------------

On topic: I expected a line in ST09 about not letting the Narada fall through the Red Matter vortex to cause more mayhem elsewhen rather than the bit about "making peace with the Romulans/I thought you'd like that."

 

[Orphalesion]

With "PARADISE", I always expected at least a few people to leave. The entire village not wanting to leave? I never bought it. I still don't. I suppose those children at the end just staring where they were is an indication of thinking on it, but there should have been something more concrete.

I just always really hate it in fiction when they show such a large group of people (settlement, tribe, whatever) making an unanimous decision like that, especially if it has cult vibes like that planet.
Sorry to be macabre but even Jonestown had defectors, for Christ's sake!

 

[Lord Garth]

After Jadzia phasered Worf and Kor in "The Sword of Kahless", I expected her to say, "Men!"

I know there are others, but that's the only one that immediately comes to my mind as the most obvious.

 

[Markonian]

I’m sorry I don’t recall an example.
But sometimes when I rewatch an old episode of movie I’m surprised by the ending because I somehow remember a different ending. Very bizarre.

 

[Qonundrum]

The Best of Both Worlds pt II - I was expecting a big big battle at the end, and the episode rather wisely eschews that for something more low-key and less predictable, while fitting into the story's narrative perfectly.

On the flip side and no less unexpected, the same story showing Earth's solar system defenses (the Mars Perimeter) being so utterly puny that even one malfunctioning Pakled ship ran by a half-asleep officer suffering from the cold and sneezing every 0.48 seconds could defeat them... one would expect a bit more for such a defense for the a important sector?

 

[Sisko_is_my_captain]

In Star Trek (2009):

The cop asks the kid what his name was. I always thought the line would have sounded a thousand times better if the cocksure kid replied:
"I'm James T. Kirk...who the hell are you?"

 

[at Quark's]

With that scene from "THE SEARCH, PART I", when it first aired, I thought exactly like you... that it was a clever prop and ploy by Sisko.

But... in "PAST TENSE, PART I", Quark calls him up in the teaser saying the Nagus needed him to get someone released from a Starfleet prison. Sisko acknowledged he did owe the Nagus a favor. The only thing, at that point in the show, I can think of where Sisko owed Zek a favor was if he indeed did talk with the Nagus.

Well, it's the second scene in the same episode with that staff that convinced me already that it was real. In it, Quark carries that staff and says stuff to the Karemma like 'I am authorised to increase purchases of your tulabarry wine by 3%...' So he probably had contact with the GN for instructions. And even if Sisko had forged those, Quark would still report back to the GN as to the success or failure of his negotiations, so it would have come out sooner or later, which in turn probably would have been very damaging for the relations between the GN and the Federation. I don't think Sisko would have sacrificed that only to get Quark along on that trip.

I just always really hate it in fiction when they show such a large group of people (settlement, tribe, whatever) making an unanimous decision like that, especially if it has cult vibes like that planet.

Don't remember that episode clearly (except that Sisko had to sit in a metal box), but I had that same experience with Voyager's the 37's, that no one opted to stay on that planet. And also, that it's about the only time I remember that Janeway actually offers that choice.

The Best of Both Worlds pt II - I was expecting a big big battle at the end, and the episode rather wisely eschews that for something more low-key and less predictable, while fitting into the story's narrative perfectly.

On the flip side and no less unexpected, the same story showing Earth's solar system defenses (the Mars Perimeter) being so utterly puny that even one malfunctioning Pakled ship ran by a half-asleep officer suffering from the cold and sneezing every 0.48 seconds could defeat them... one would expect a bit more for such a defense for the a important sector?

The BOBW ending works well as a surprise ending, but it's the kind of ending that can only work once. Also, if you think about it, it's of course exceedingly unlikely that the Borg, having assimilated thousands of species, wouldn't have encountered (such an attempt at) exploitation that Achilles' heel earlier and patched it up. Well, at least, they should do so now.

As for the weak Mars Perimeter defense, probably no one threatened Earth directly seriously for decades, and if any foe were to, Starfleet would be expected to take care of that threat. Except that they were beaten at Wolf 359.

Another end I thought should have a few additional lines. (VOY: Friendship One)

CHAKOTAY: The urge to explore is pretty powerful.
JANEWAY: But it can't justify the loss of lives, whether it's millions or just one.
CHAKOTAY: Really, captain?
JANEWAY: Of course not, silly! We're Starfleet, exploration is our very charter and we've all accepted the risk of dying in the line of duty!

In this particular case, I didn't expect those lines as such, as Janeway utters that 'can't justify' line deadly serious, but it's an utterly bizarre ending, contrary to what Starfleet stands for.

 

[Farscape One]

I agree with you about that second scene and thought the same myself. I just added the other for reference outside that episode.

One thing I would like to have seen in PICARD is him delivering Admiral Jarok's letter to his family. Even if it was a flashback and he was delivering it to the Romulan Senate, and maybe cut to Jarok's daughter reading the letter. That would have been a nice scene that ties into such a great episode.

 

[Forbin]

When Geordi asks Leiah Brahms out at the end of Galaxy's Child, there was what I thought was a big missed opportunity. She tells him, "I thought you knew... I'm married."
I seriously hoped, for an instant, Trek would take a big social step and have her say, "...I'm gay."
Oh well.

 

[AresB]

In TNG: the Enemy, I expected Worf to give in and "do the right thing" by donating blood to the wounded Romulan. Refreshingly, he remained Klingon and didn't.

 

[Farscape One]

In TNG: the Enemy, I expected Worf to give in and "do the right thing" by donating blood to the wounded Romulan. Refreshingly, he remained Klingon and didn't.

I'm very happy he didn't, but also equally happy Picard respected his wishes enough to not make it an order.

 

[DonIago]

I really expected or hoped that at least one bridge crewmember would stick up for Tuvix, even half-assedly.

I consider it one of the EMH's finest moments when he refuses to perform the procedure and cites the Hippocratic Oath.

 

[at Quark's]

I consider it one of the EMH's finest moments when he refuses to perform the procedure and cites the Hippocratic Oath.

It was. That was one of the moments he legitimately could have used as one of his grievances in Author, Author. (except that in that version Janeway would of course say: you do it now or I'll have your entire program decompiled!).

 

[matthunter]

In Star Trek (2009):

The cop asks the kid what his name was. I always thought the line would have sounded a thousand times better if the cocksure kid replied:
"I'm James T. Kirk...who the hell are you?"

Frank Miller's Star Trek.

Bonus points if the cop replied "I'm the goddamn Robocop!"

 

[Sisko_is_my_captain]

I agree with you about that second scene and thought the same myself. I just added the other for reference outside that episode.

One thing I would like to have seen in PICARD is him delivering Admiral Jarok's letter to his family. Even if it was a flashback and he was delivering it to the Romulan Senate, and maybe cut to Jarok's daughter reading the letter. That would have been a nice scene that ties into such a great episode.

That would have made a great final scene with Donatra in Nemesis.

 

[Sisko_is_my_captain]

Did Mayweather ever point out to Shran that 'pink skins' was not only racist, but incorrect?

 

[Brennyren]

In the Voyager episode "Dark Frontier," Janeway comes up with a plan to steal a transwarp coil from an active (as opposed to damaged or deactivated) Borg cube, and everyone in the briefing room treats it like a perfectly normal proposal. I was really waiting for someone, anyone, to point out that this was insanely dangerous, but no one ever did.