TNG Season 8

[Orphalesion]

And too good a character to limit to a single season.

Agreed.

To bring this back to "Season 8" of TNG here's some other ideas I have:

1) Data and Gerodi start a relationship (alternatively Data or Gerodi start a relationship with a new male recurring character)
2) Introduce a new, possibly alien female main character who's the pilot (I know it was attempted with Ro, but since the actress didn't have interest in it, we need a new character)
3)At the end of the season, or possibly at the end of season, 9 Picard, Crusher and Data leave to star in the movies, and are replaced. TNG continues to run parallel to the movies, but frequently has characters leave or join.

 

[Oddish]

What might have been interesting would have been for Data to leave the Enterprise to work at the Daystrom institute. With his creation of Lal, even though she was an unsuccessful design, they might think that he and their experts could make a breakthrough if they worked together. They bump him up to CDR, of course. Worf could be promoted to LCDR and be second officer in his place.

 

[Arpy]

TNG gave us the Ferengi, Borg, Sheliak, and Cardassians, among others. And they gave the Klingons more depth.

If we were to introduce additional new baddies in these later seasons…

Actually, a few aliens I really would like to revisit are the Conspiracy Parasites, Nagilum, and the Schisms aliens. They could all be interesting in different ways.

The Parasites could be a bit like the Changelings in that you don’t know who’s friend or foe (they could disguise themselves further next time), and they could be taking over different people from different powers. You go to thwart a Parasitic takeover of New Romulus and the Klingon ship at your side turns on you. Plus, what is Parasitic culture like? Are there good guy parasites? What’s their homeworld like? Endless seas of zombie hosts? Are there different kinds of Parasites we have yet to see? What does eventual peace and normalcy look like with them — them crawling around trying not to get stepped on, or do they merge with hosts and walk among us?

Nagilum was one alien. What are the rest of his people like? Or his arch rival — “The Master” to his Doctor? How else might they toy with our heroes and learn about our lifeforms? What are they like? All we have is a face and know that they’re very different from us — they don’t die.

Are the Schisms experiments a prelude to extra-dimensional invasion? Are wormholes going to start appearing and fleets of soldier aliens spewing out over key worlds? What are their people like?​

…beyond them though, as we’re returning to the original mission and pushing outward into unknown space (the original mission for the Galaxy Class starship was to be away for 20 years, ergo the families and environments onboard), maybe we meet aliens who are a different shade of cybernetic. Ones that seem to be dancing on the razor’s edge of Borg-dom. I’ll call them the Vesuvians for the time being. They have AI’s that smoothly run their world industries and governments, and they plug their implants into their Metaverse-like realm in cyberspace, but now they’re also starting the earliest neural Links with each other. Artificial mind-melds. Can people Link in small groups then really choose to return to “reality” as more limited beings? Or once they get a taste of it, are they hooked like addicts? How benevolent are the AI’s running the hardware, and can they influence the Links? Or can extremist technocrats/oligarchs in their governments/economies — for the greater good, surely. This could well be us by the end of the century.

Visually, I’d see them as paler but very similar to us, with smoother features overall and more Transhumanist tendencies toward playing with their appearance to look sexier and to stand out. They color their hair, tattoo and pierce their bodies (both with great care to compliment their forms), and they play with their genome, adding animal (or Trill) spots, some playing with animal parts in decadent displays — not far off from where we might go in the age of cosmetic genetic-engineering. Their cybernetic implants are ergonomic and jewelry-like; that is when they’re not ironically ugly or anachronistically steampunky.

 

[Orphalesion]

Nagilum was one alien. What are the rest of his people like? Or his arch rival — “The Master” to his Doctor? How else might they toy with our heroes and learn about our lifeforms? What are they like? All we have is a face and know that they’re very different from us — they don’t die.
​

Who says there are others like Nagilum? I always had the impression that, whatever Nagilum was, it was a unique entity. And honestly bringing it back just runs the danger of turning it into yet another alien, like what happened with Species 8472 on Voy.
Nagilum is memorable because of how inexplicable and mysterious it is, another appearance would almost certainly diminish that. And it's not like Star Trek really needs another species of sufficiently advanced aliens running around.​

 

[Oddish]

I wonder what would happen if Naguilum tried to experiment on Q...

 

[Arpy]

Who says there are others like Nagilum? I always had the impression that, whatever Nagilum was, it was a unique entity. And honestly bringing it back just runs the danger of turning it into yet another alien, like what happened with Species 8472 on Voy.
Nagilum is memorable because of how inexplicable and mysterious it is, another appearance would almost certainly diminish that. And it's not like Star Trek really needs another species of sufficiently advanced aliens running around.​

I thought of him like the Douwd from "Survivors" or the aliens from "If Wishes Were Horses" -- very alien beings curious about other, less sophisticated, beings. He could have been a lone-creature...but how would he have evolved?

 

[Oddish]

I've heard it said that in a sense, there WAS a TNG season 8... it was called Voyager, season 1.

 

[Arpy]

I've heard it said that in a sense, there WAS a TNG season 8... it was called Voyager, season 1.

Eh…

This is more “what might have been if” than “what would probably have been if.”

 

[Orphalesion]

He could have been a lone-creature...but how would he have evolved?

Probably the same way he evolved and lived without a concept of death. As I said he was this weird, unknowable thing, who knows how something like that comes into existence.

 

[Wally]

Similar to other ideas. The structure for the show would remain largely the same; Ent-D, same costumes and keeping with the largely episodic setup that had worked for the previous few seasons. Just the characters would get a little bit of a shakeup.

Will Riker leaves - common idea. With the Dominion crisis heating up, Starfleet is really pushing for new vessels and able bodied commanders, and Will Riker is WAY overqualified and way past time to getting promoted. So he leaves for a new command. For him this is now or never, and plus it's getting awkward with the Troi-Worf romance whether anyone will admit it or not. He gets the USS Titan and exits the show.

Data is promoted - Takes on the red as Picard's XO. Outside of his comfort zone he is now in a role that is almost purely social interactions forcing him a season long of arc struggling whether to the use his emotion or chip. At one point using it for a few episodes where it doesn't work out very well at all, but learning from the experience he realizes he never really needed it anyways and continues on with his personal growth

Lt. Thomas Riker takes the Conn - Frakes remains on the show as his transporter duplicate. Thomas has had a rougher life is more of the aggressive and headstrong Riker from yesteryear and having a bit of a troubled career since his rescue. Knowing full well his potential and wanting to help, Picard recruits him for his ship. This will trigger a love triangle with Thomas-Troi-Worf with Thomas being the underdog but being far more passionate than the reserved Worf. Since he would be wearing red, to differentiate the character, Thomas will shave either being cleanly shaven or wearing a goatee.

Worf and Troi are a couple - As weird as it seems, but it was already established. Worf is promoted to Lt. Cmdr because he needs to be, and also to ensure that him and Thomas are not equal footing for the love triangle stories. Besides that, the Worf and Troi relationship will be the typical meshing of opposites attract relationships that likely will bring out more empathy and calm with Worf and more aggressiveness with Troi

Lt. Cmdr Sonya Gomez takes Ops - Replacing Data's position. The character who always was intended for a love interest for LaForge now occupies the position of whom he had the greatest bromance ever. Geordi is now 2nd officer, but much of his stories will probably be navigating an actual longer term and mature relationship.

Picard and Crusher are the rocks- I really don't have anything for them. Pairing the two never felt right and there doesn't seem to be much growth opportunities (other than promotions and leaving). Picard would probably end up trying to mentor Thomas will frequent outbursts that might happen when Thomas reminds him he's "not like Will, and never will be"

 

[Arpy]

If we’re getting back to exploring the great unknown reaches of space, we should probably be spend some time in Stellar Cartography. Season 2 brought us Guinan and Ten Forward, let’s reinvest in the show and build a cool new set. Like GEN’s, but rounder, with less dead space at the top and bottom, and a few more stations for background characters/the SC staff.

A new recurring character can be the head of Stellar Cartography, a brilliant but eccentric and gay (hello, 1994!) character in sciences blue. Probably a man, since all the other mains in blue are women. Shall we go for a minority? There haven’t been many Indians in Trek. Polynesian? Native American?

One of his staff members is an overworked Lower Decker we’ll also meet in other episodes. We’ll see them semi-frequently as we mysteries of these new areas of space recur and add up. Maybe meet their rivals in Stellar Sciences or Exobiology or something too.

 

[Arpy]

Maybe the aforementioned head of Stellar Cartography’s arch rival is the head of Cetacean Ops, a “Lt. Frazier” who we never see but over the course of the season get clued in on the likelihood that he’s a dolphin, and maybe we see the great facility in the season finale or during sweeps week or something.

To make up for the cost of some of these great new sets could be bottle shows introducing more crew members, especially department heads and their assistants, who could themselves be in bottle shows focused on the lower decks. The ship is huge, yet we’ve seen very little of it or its 1000+ crew, including civilians and that shipboard culture.

One bottle show could be a comedy of errors during a celebration in Ten Forward as rivaling department heads vie for the captain’s attention and greater access to ship resources. We could see Troi, La Forge, Crusher, and Worf in a different light too as department heads themselves. And meet their assistants. Maybe we’d see Dr. Selar and Sonya Gomez again!

Maybe the B-story is Data thinking they’re possessed by an alien life form for acting so strangely, especially after Geordi came down with something upon returning from a recent away mission. Adding to the hilarity are the interruptions to a serious discussion between Riker, Troi, and Worf moving that storyline forward.

Come to think of it, it could even be a two-parter, with the second half viewed from the points of view of the lower deckers, including the assistants, Ten Forward wait staff and Guinan, and La Forge in sickbay.

 

[Oddish]

Similar to other ideas. The structure for the show would remain largely the same; Ent-D, same costumes and keeping with the largely episodic setup that had worked for the previous few seasons. Just the characters would get a little bit of a shakeup...

Except for Worf/Troi (which I thought was a bad move on the writers part), I like your ideas. I like some of them a lot.

new recurring character can be the head of Stellar Cartography, a brilliant but eccentric and gay (hello, 1994!) character in sciences blue. Probably a man, since all the other mains in blue are women. Shall we go for a minority? There haven’t been many Indians in Trek. Polynesian? Native American?

Why not normal and gay? The best way to defeat homophobia (and it was far more of an issue back then) is focus on common ground.

 

[JesterFace]

Have I already mentioned that I think 'All Good Things...' is such an awesome final episode and a bookend to the trial of humanity that I wouldn't take the risk of losing it in exchange for a possible season 8?

 

[Arpy]

Except for Worf/Troi (which I thought was a bad move on the writers part), I like your ideas. I like some of them a lot.

Thanks for saying so! Sometimes I’m not sure if I’m only talking to myself lol, but I like thinking about these things so that’s okay. I didn’t like the Troi/Worf storyline either, but since it’s there, I’d just want to briskly () run its course.

Why not normal and gay? The best way to defeat homophobia (and it was far more of an issue back then) is focus on common ground.

I meant eccentric as in brilliant, not campy or what have you. He’s an eccentric cartographer in a cool lab — that sounds pretty cool to me. The gay part is secondary. I’m wondering if we could hook him up with one of the players of the week at the helm. Those poor sods never have much to do.

Have I already mentioned that I think 'All Good Things...' is such an awesome final episode and a bookend to the trial of humanity that I wouldn't take the risk of losing it in exchange for a possible season 8?

We keep All Good Things…, the best series finale in all Trek IMHO, we just move it to the end of Season 8 — or 10, if we keep going a bit.

 

[HappyMcWonderful]

I think TNG needed more years in general. Some bullet points:

The Borg Arc needed a better resolution than it got at the time. Making no assumption at that point that First Contact would even be written let alone filmed, I would have tied it up with a formal understanding between The Collective and the Federation -- tread not in our space or we will reduce you to individuals.

I would have liked a quick and dirty tie-up with Yesterday's Enterprise. Research into Sela's claims has led to some time-hopping shenanigans by all three major powers, leaving the survivors of the wrecked Warship Enterprise to set things right once more.

As for character development -- Leave Riker. Ditch Picard. Picard is needed back at HQ with the situation in Cardassian space getting hot, Riker is needed on the front line. Civilians are transfered off of the ship much to the amusement of Picard "I leave they leave isn't that funny."

Worf/Troi reaches a critical point, then fizzles out. Being professionals they put it behind them.

Depending on how things progress with that OTHER Trek show, we could have Season 8 ending with orders to report to the Cardassian border and assigment to a military taskforce.

Season 9 opens with a battered Enterprise leading the remains of a squadron/taskforce out of a bad situation. The Enterprise returns to drydock. Several existing crew didn't make it out of the battle: Laforge is dead, Gomez acting chief engineer. Ship is refit and returns to the front lines.

Whereas Deep Space Nine focused on the war from one angle, The crew of the Enterprise struggling to uphold the ideals of the Federation without selling out like Sisko did makes up the bulk of the war stories. Eventually Riker and crew are forced into a Pale Moonlight situation and choose to take the high road, at great cost.

As the war winds down and the final battles are fought off-screen / on Deep Space Nine, a beat-to-hell Enterprise-D returns home to stand down, it's frame battered beyond repair. The ship will be decommissioned and a new ship will carry the name, as Admiral Picard informs Captain Riker... But Q has one last adventure for them... even though all good things come to an end the story is just beginning...

 

[JesterFace]

We keep All Good Things…, the best series finale in all Trek IMHO, we just move it to the end of Season 8 — or 10, if we keep going a bit.

In that case....
Even if many don't like it the WorfTroi relationship continues. There are few awkward moments with Riker, him being Troi's ex.
Eventually it leads to Worf asking for tips from Riker, what does Deanna like and what she doesn't. That's a problem for Riker, will he help his friend and colleague or give some really crappy advice in order to saparate Worf and Deanna so he could get back together with her? Worf doesn't suspect a thing.... until Riker tells Worf that Betazoid brides' mother usually spents the wedding night with the new groom. Worf thinks it might be a trick but doesn't want to risk it and tells Deanna he doesn't like marriages, lets keep it casual.
In season 8 is the first time Data tries out his "bloody skunk" look, as his maid described it in AGT. Guinan advices to hold on it for like 20 years or so. Data says that if he ever gets a position as teacher, like in Cambridge, he'll try it then.
Wesley drops by telling he's a Traveller now.
Geordi beging his quest to separate Leah Brahms from his husband and the tries to swoop in.
Beverly sends a suggestion to Starfleet that a medical starship should be named 'Pasteur' at some point.
Picard invites Tomalak to ease tentions between Federation and Romulus. He accidentally reveals secrets which could lead into Klingons taking over Romulan Empire in the next few decades.

 

[maneth]

My hope for Geordi is that he finds true love. Not with Leah Brahms, though, she's happily married and I don't see Geordi as a homewrecker. I'd prefer to see him with an empath/telepath, for whom his visor wouldn't be an issue, because she'd be able to sense his emotions anyway. It's not for nothing that eyes are said to be the windows on the soul. Not with Deanna Troi, either, both because I'm a T/R shipper, and because no sane man (other than Riker who's already toyed with the idea once) would want Lwaxana as his mother-in-law. Possibly a Betazoid engineer on assignment to the Enterprise who ends up staying because she and Geordi fall in love, and because she has skills the Enterprise can use even if she isn't a member of Starfleet. Her mom is dead so when they get married, there's no question about who Geordi will spend his wedding night with. They become Imzadi, which means that she'll be able to sense where he is even if he's on a mission to a planet where atmospheric interference is so bad that the ship's sensors can't find any lifesigns, comms don't work, and the transporter can't get a lock, so they'll be able to transport some trasporter signal magnifiers down to rescue the away team. I really should get my fanfic story about Geordi and Lia Brum written down...

 

[Oddish]

If we take "Timeless" as an indication, we know Geordi goes on to get his own command. It's doubtful that Voyager's survival would change that. So, having Lia as a civilian would simplify things.