How would you change or Re-Write TNG?
- Thread starter Snowdrop82
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I would keep Maizlish away from Roddenberry. And if I may take this "what if?" scenario into a bit of a dark turn, I would also have Maizlish take a long walk off a short pier.
Yep.
DS9 needed to really shine, and it did.
But TNG's latter days (seasons 6 and 7) can be described as "neglected". Many of its episodes weren't great at the time, feel flat, and haven't held up well either. A lot of season 1 outshine a lot of latter-era TNG. Wasn't TNG originally to have an 8th season, but they changed their minds due to "running out of steam" and then focusing on their first big movie? (GEN's clearly a mess, with focus given to ATG in a nice ironic twist...)
I find the first two seasons of DS9 not as good as 6th and 7th of TNG although I admit, the quality wasn't there as much as before.
If there was to be one more seasons of TNG I think it would've been nice but if it were possible to change history I wouldn't risk it because losing 'All Good Things...' would be a disaster.
I have never mentioned this, but the channel I watched that did re-runs of TNG followed "All Good Things" with "Gambit" and then "Thine Own Self" It worked that way, forecasting the future, looking to the past on Vulcan and therefore linking to TOS, and finally, the ending of Thine Own Self," presented in this context seems to leave the question, "Does Data remember any of this?" Or perhaps he only remembers part of the last few years. The episode does not make it clear, we just know he remembers from future movies.
On a re-watch, I tried watching "Gambit" after "All Good Things," and really felt the impact of Picard supposedly being dead. It was as if he had shown them how to stay together, and then was suddenly gone. The transition to Generations also felt smoother that way, with "Gambit" being their first "movie" adventure (as in after they learned of their possible fates), and Generations being more cinematic as the follow-up.
Not sure if this counts as a "change" to TNG, but it provides a sort of "short" 8th season, of the equivalent about 5-7 episodes with "Gambit," "Thine Own Self," and "Generations," as the finale of their mission.
It's interesting to know about different versions on how people watch TNG.
Sometimes I have used 'All Good Things...' as the pilot, it tells the audience they're about to watch a trial of humanity.
I absolutely love the original cast of TNG and wouldn't change a single one, but if you subscribe to the many-worlds theory, it can be fun to imagine a universe where some of the actors who were considered for the crew of the Enterprise-D back in the 1980s actually landed the job.
The cast for this imaginary scenario:
Stephen Macht as Jean-Luc Picard
Billy Campbell as William Riker
Eric Menyuk as Data
Tim Russ as Geordi La Forge
Denise Crosby as Deanna Troi
Marina Sirtis as Macha Hernandez
Jenny Agutter as Dr. Crusher
Robin Lively as Leslie Crusher
Of course, there were many other actors considered for these roles—Rosalind Chao was an early favorite for Tasha, to cite only one—so these choices represent merely one possible cast for this alternate universe scenario.
BTW, I selected Robin Lively as my candidate for Dr. Crusher's daughter, Leslie, simply because she was a popular young actress of the era who also happens to be the same age as Wil Wheaton—as I understand it, Dr. Crusher's offspring was changed from a teenage girl to a teenage boy very early in the process.
The cast for this imaginary scenario:
Stephen Macht as Jean-Luc Picard
Billy Campbell as William Riker
Eric Menyuk as Data
Tim Russ as Geordi La Forge
Denise Crosby as Deanna Troi
Marina Sirtis as Macha Hernandez
Jenny Agutter as Dr. Crusher
Robin Lively as Leslie Crusher
Of course, there were many other actors considered for these roles—Rosalind Chao was an early favorite for Tasha, to cite only one—so these choices represent merely one possible cast for this alternate universe scenario.
BTW, I selected Robin Lively as my candidate for Dr. Crusher's daughter, Leslie, simply because she was a popular young actress of the era who also happens to be the same age as Wil Wheaton—as I understand it, Dr. Crusher's offspring was changed from a teenage girl to a teenage boy very early in the process.
Maybe this isn't the place for this, but why the last name "Crusher"?
I would ditch Geordi's visor by season 4 or 5. Watching Picard this season reminded me what a wonderful actor LeVar Burton is and how much more his emotional range could have been utilised in TNG. The most effective way to convey certain emotions is with the eyes, which Burton does so well in Picard but for obvious reasons, could not be done on TNG. The visor made him an iconic character but it should have been replaced with synthetic eyes much sooner than the First Contact movie.
I know I won't be the first to say your but I feel like Guinan was underutilised. I would have loved her to get the A story in a few episodes, particularly developing her backstory/relationship with Picard.
I wonder, when Guinan said she is attracted to bald men because a bald man was kind to her once, might that have been during the events in 'Time's Arrow'?
I'd make Worf the chief engineer and keep Geordie as the pilot, Deanna would be the second officer and in the command division, instead of the ship's counselor she'd be a specialized diplomatic and first contact officer. Tasha stays as security chief, Data is the science officer in blue (I've seen photoshops, Brent Spiner did not look bad in blue), Crusher and Picard do pursue a relationship, Riker and Troi do not, they gave it a shot in the past, it didn't work out an they've both moved on.
Wesley is not some super smart prodigy only hanging out with officers, I'd let him be the teenager he is, he can work shifts in ten forward after school.
Wesley is not some super smart prodigy only hanging out with officers, I'd let him be the teenager he is, he can work shifts in ten forward after school.
The Klingons changed over time... I'd like the Tribbles to have evolved into a humanoid species and become a potent furry enemy to the Federation.
An enemy not because they're evil or have any ill intent but they just join the Federation in such startling numbers that they're "Takin' oor Jobs!"
Tribbles promote fellow tribbles to leadership positions so they have prime access to replicator privileges. Yum yum. :3
An enemy not because they're evil or have any ill intent but they just join the Federation in such startling numbers that they're "Takin' oor Jobs!"
Tribbles promote fellow tribbles to leadership positions so they have prime access to replicator privileges. Yum yum. :3
The animation? Haven't seen that.
I'd lean into the class warfare of the Ferengi. They're all about money, even if it means literally marauding for it. Money may not exist in the 24th century for the Federation but it does for everyone else. Show the effect a financial superpower like the Ferengi can have on the quadrant. The tug of war for the hearts and minds of less advanced civilizations. And the way losses there can effect the safety and security of the Federation.
...they came up with the Ferengi but didn't do much with the concept, you know? I'm sure Counselor Troi does.
...they came up with the Ferengi but didn't do much with the concept, you know? I'm sure Counselor Troi does.
Sounds like an alternate timeline story - a cautionary "don't mess with time travel!" kinda thing.
Because "Pulverizer", "Decimator", and "Annihilator" are all a little much.
Is it even a last name now? I don't think I've ever heard of anyone real with that name.
Probably in a phone book somewhere... if they still exist. Can you get someone's number from a phone book anymore?
Sometimes it's hard making realistic changes, given the demands of the show. While personally, I would have sent Riker onward to his own command, Jonathan Frakes's popularity would make that problematic. But some smaller things I would do...
1. Dump Riker's age retcon. Jonathan Frakes was 34 when TNG started. That's 12y seniority, just about ideal for a newly minted commander who with an excellent service record. But at some point, they knocked five years off his age/seniority, making him 29 when he was offered a command. That's just as silly as Harry Kim's career path, albeit for opposite reasons.
2. Give Data his third pip. He's third in command on the flagship and he's saved the Federation twice that we know of. And he rates it WAY more than Deanna "took a dozen failed attempts to kill a hologram of Geordi LaForge" Troi.
3. Have Geordi's mother turn up safe and sound. Picard's parents, Riker's mom, Deanna's dad, Beverly's parents, Worf's parents, Wesley's dad, Tasha's parents are all dead... can't we have ONE crew member whose family's still alive?!
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