If tng had an 8th season.

[Dukhat]

There’s no way I would have brought in new characters for season 8, unless they were going to segue into a new show about them. But honestly, the only way I would have made season 8 would be to have the season be all about the original crew going their separate ways instead of unrealistically staying together for the next four movies.

 

[Arpy]

• Riker becomes captain
• Shelby first officer
• Worf (Horatio Hornblower) gets promoted to ops/second officer and his character changes a bit — we see more of the Klingon efficiency, creativity, and clarity that maintained their second-only-to-the-Federation empire
• New alien woman (cyborg?) at tactical

Picard (guest star) becomes an ambassador and conflict arises when Starfleet Riker and civilian Picard have different priorities. Ultimately he and Crusher wed?

Newly emotional Data goes off to find his new bearings. Various strange emotional/HAL episodes, and when he discovered a vast galactic secret underground society of artificial lifeforms. Has children.

Storylines:
The hunt for Ro?
Reunification coup on Romulus?

I’ll try to think of others later.

 

[CoveTom]

• Riker becomes captain
• Shelby first officer
• Worf (Horatio Hornblower) gets promoted to ops/second officer and his character changes a bit — we see more of the Klingon efficiency, creativity, and clarity that maintained their second-only-to-the-Federation empire
• New alien woman (cyborg?) at tactical

Picard (guest star) becomes an ambassador and conflict arises when Starfleet Riker and civilian Picard have different priorities. Ultimately he and Crusher wed?

Newly emotional Data goes off to find his new bearings. Various strange emotional/HAL episodes, and when he discovered a vast galactic secret underground society of artificial lifeforms. Has children.

Storylines:
The hunt for Ro?
Reunification coup on Romulus?

I’ll try to think of others later.

This kinda makes me think of the third season of seaQuest where they went in a new, much more militaristic direction and where Bridger became a guest star and ended up at odds with seaQuest. It didn't end well for them. Not sure how well it would work out for TNG.

 

[Arpy]

This kinda makes me think of the third season of seaQuest where they went in a new, much more militaristic direction and where Bridger became a guest star and ended up at odds with seaQuest. It didn't end well for them. Not sure how well it would work out for TNG.

The show would remain the same with Worf being less of a meathead and hothead Shelby gaining perspective from experience. Riker adapting to not being the one in the field, he and Troi maybe getting together…if she doesn’t continue with Worf.

I like the new tactical officer being an unknown alien race. Being the new Spock/Data/Odo/Doctor/Phlox/Saru character to get to know. Less shooty, more understandy.

EDIT: in my mind, she’s 6.5-7 feet tall, with a tall headpiece (like the Ellora but with more face makeup), and Seven-of-Nine or Bynar-like cybernetic implants. A good guy version of the Borg? She doesn’t talk much but can body slam an intruder, and we slowly get to know her species and its weird ways. Maybe she likes short males half her size. Or better yet is pansexual.

 

[Oddish]

• Riker becomes captain
• Shelby first officer
• Worf (Horatio Hornblower) gets promoted to ops/second officer and his character changes a bit — we see more of the Klingon efficiency, creativity, and clarity that maintained their second-only-to-the-Federation empire
• New alien woman (cyborg?) at tactical

Picard (guest star) becomes an ambassador and conflict arises when Starfleet Riker and civilian Picard have different priorities. Ultimately he and Crusher wed?

Newly emotional Data goes off to find his new bearings. Various strange emotional/HAL episodes, and when he discovered a vast galactic secret underground society of artificial lifeforms. Has children.

Storylines:
The hunt for Ro?
Reunification coup on Romulus?

I’ll try to think of others later.

I'd totally watch that. Even if it meant putting up with... (shudder) Shelby.

 

[Takeru]

• Worf (Horatio Hornblower) gets promoted to ops/second officer and his character changes a bit — we see more of the Klingon efficiency, creativity, and clarity that maintained their second-only-to-the-Federation empire

The problem with that is that Michael Dorn was too big for that console, it looked ridiculous when they put him there in Future Imperfect, it was like he sat at a little kid's table.

 

[Arpy]

The problem with that is that Michael Dorn was too big for that console, it looked ridiculous when they put him there in Future Imperfect, it was like he sat at a little kid's table.

They made various cosmetic changes to the sets, uniforms, and make-ups throughout the series, and now this highly successful series being renewed for another few seasons I can see them splurging for a new ergonomic station for his great Klingon hulk. Maybe a uniform change too? A new baldric for his new position? He replaced the gold one from the first season...

Stories-wise TNG was doing 1-2 two-parters a season, whether or not they revisited Reunification in season 8 or 10 or the Big Screen eventually, we need to think of a two-parter or two for this season.
They did the Klingons with “Redemption,” the Borg with “Best of Both Worlds,” the Cardassians with “Chain of Command,” etc… Who now?

Could this be the season that brilliantly revamps the Ferengi? Maybe they win in Part I, acquiring Bajor or another planet we like before the good guys win in Part II or at least a more amenable status quo is struck.

Or maybe we explore the great Houses of Betazed in palace intrigue and telepathic weirdness. Is there a telepathic internet? Maybe this is also when Riker and Troi take the leap? Or do we do that elsewhere? This is where Lwaxana plays Game of Thrones.

I got it: “Conspiracy” aliens two-parter.

And we find out where the Romulans were before they declared “We are back.”

And why Q was afraid of Guinan.

And whatever happened to Riker’s adopted nephew Barash “Jean-Luc” from “Future Imperfect.”

 

[Dukhat]

I doubt Elizabeth Dennehy had any plans to return to Star Trek.

 

[Arpy]

I doubt Elizabeth Dennehy had any plans to return to Star Trek.

Does it matter here?

Plus, you don’t think Michelle Forbes had second thoughts after the work Nana Visitor did on DS9?

Or Denise Crosby after the show went on to be such a hit?

I think a lot of us have wondered what might have been.

 

[Oddish]

For this, it doesn't matter. We are playing with what might have been, not what was.

 

[dupersuper]

Hasn't Twitter answered this?

 

[Oddish]

Considering who its most famous user is, I'm not sure I'd believe Twitter if it told me doughnuts are tasty and fattening.

 

[SalyutBuran]

There’s no way I would have brought in new characters for season 8, unless they were going to segue into a new show about them. But honestly, the only way I would have made season 8 would be to have the season be all about the original crew going their separate ways instead of unrealistically staying together for the next four movies.

Well I think one implication of the idea is that there is no voyager no ds9.

So a lot of their plots and arcs could be transplanted into TNG.

Maybe combining lost in the delta quadrant with crossing into the gamma quadrant.

So the 8th season would end up being something like being temporarily trapped in the delta, meeting the dominion and coming back to warn earth in season 9 prepping for war.

More me the meat of the equation is how would you merge tng-voy-ds9.

 

[Mojochi]

So... Working with this premise...

Actually, the Future Imperfect fantasy kind of works, except Worf instead of Data as #1, if Spiner is gone. Also have that part where Deanna leaves to work with Picard. I swear he was the only reason she was on that bridge anyhow, & her being there with Captain Riker is odd imho. So bring in a new counselor, who is more a diplomatic relations advisor than a psychotherapist. Geordi stays put, but becomes 3rd in command. Wesley comes back at the OPS post, & work in a new tactical officer

It might help to have a time jump of a year or so, so things are marginally established at season's start, & I wouldn't be opposed to an altered premise where they go deep in space, like the Delta quadrant

I dunno if any of this would work mind you. A show losing its lead is catastrophic, but losing its lead & breakout fan favorite too? It might as well be another show now, which is why I suggested something of a revamp, with removing more & adding a few. You end up with the same show but a whole new dynamic, like M*A*S*H or Cheers went through around that time. Or for a drama example, E.R.

Sadly, as a show lead, Frakes is not Stewart. It's a loss that hurts.

 

[NigellaDeanna20]

Honestly I'd just bring in two new characters to replace Picard and Data. Probably a new female First Officer. And maybe a permanent helmsman (for that role they could try offering it to Ro's actress again)

Or better still, bring Commander Shelby back. I never had any issue with her as a character so I wouldn't have minded seeing her back again.

 

[Qonundrum]

There’s no way I would have brought in new characters for season 8, unless they were going to segue into a new show about them. But honestly, the only way I would have made season 8 would be to have the season be all about the original crew going their separate ways instead of unrealistically staying together for the next four movies.

That was a bug back in the day as well. TOS had the crew in new duties and coming back together with an organic and crafted feel*. TNG flicks cram and shoehorn everyone back, sometimes with a flimsy or even no reason except *ding* they're back!! Now whip out the beer and par-tay!

* yes, Chekov remembering Khan aside and even I'll admit that was too pedantic**, they took more time to find ways to blend the main bridge crew back in and move forward.

** there's no reason Chekov can't be wandering down a corridor off screen, Khan sees him and knocks him out while taking over the ship. I'd rather see smaller hiccups from an era that had no home video for the span of two decades than the continually botched handling of Worf in STFC onward. (STFC's made the most sense, ignoring how they wouldn't send the experienced crew to fight the big bad borg. In a ship designed to fight the borg. In a ship designed to fight the borg that's almost destroyed and not because it was flying itself to piecces... In a ship designed to fight the borg that's almost destroyed where ramming it will clearly save the universe but at least plenty of letters remain for Enterprise... ugh...) Ditto for Data with nobody agreeing on what to go do with the "fused and cannot be removed" emotion chip that was short circuiting the rest of him as he (1) learned to deal with and integrate by self-writing some "AI" for, (b) then put in an pointless on/off switch instead of integrating controlling them, (c) then didn't bring it with him because he desoldered then added in a socket so he can put in any of over 800 exciting video game cartridges in there (prior to the Sona/Baku family feud nonsense), and finally (d) then acted as if he never had it at all - which is probably one of the few things NEM did right via the retcon-by-omission... unless Data is that pedantic too...

 

[Kor]

If TNG had an 8th season, maybe they could have done stories like "Star Trek: Insurrection" that would have worked better on television anyway.

Kor

 

[Orphalesion]

Or better still, bring Commander Shelby back. I never had any issue with her as a character so I wouldn't have minded seeing her back again.

IDK, I'd rather have a new character. Shelby was created for a very specific purpose in the plot of BOBW, so I think she would have to be overhauled to make her work as a main character anyway.
And at that point, why not create a new character. That opens up opportunities like bringing a bit more diversity into TNG by casting an actress who isn't white and things like that.

 

[WarpFactorZ]

TNG does have an eighth (and ninth) season. It's called The Orville.

Anyway, that being said, I think an eighth season should have contained the four movies as two parters (because they flopped as movies), and still should have ended the series with All Good Things.

 

[Arpy]

TNG does have an eighth (and ninth) season. It's called The Orville.

Hmmm…think they’re about as close to TNG as DSC is to TOS?

Anyway, that being said, I think an eighth season should have contained the four movies as two parters (because they flopped as movies), and still should have ended the series with All Good Things.

Oh no you don’t…you’re not adding those to the series proper!