How would you change or Re-Write TNG?

[Jonesy]

1. No Leonard Maizlish involvement in the show (beyond his legal work/contract negotiations for Gene R).

2. Remove the overly dramatic music cues just before commercials for season 1.

3. Substantially re-write or change the first season's episodes, and a good slice of the second season. That would have been difficult given Gene's state of mind and perspective, but that is what I would change nonetheless.

4. No firing of Gates McFadden.

Other than that, there is nothing major that I would change about the series.

 

[Pumpkin Bread]

Substantially re-write or change the first season's episodes, and a good slice of the second season. That would have been difficult given Gene's state of mind and perspective, but that is what I would change nonetheless.

I think a lot of us would... but maybe the show needed to stumble a little before it found its footing.

 

[MurphyCooper]

From my initial post a year ago, I still agree with a lot of the things I have Re-Written but I would have loved to see more of the Cardassians. Have entire arcs and plots based around the Cardassians.

 

[Jonesy]

I think a lot of us would... but maybe the show needed to stumble a little before it found its footing.

Well, there is the notion that I could understand where the actors are finding the characters, and the writers/producers are also finding the characters and the 'drive' for the series. I'm speaking more of the quality of the stories that they produced for most of season 1 and a good chunk of season 2. I think they could have done a lot better.

 

[TheAdmiralty]

Do something else with the uniforms, which looked like kids pajamas. Either keep the maroon monster or start with something similar to the first contact uniforms.

More color. Maybe make the chairs on the bridge red as someone else suggested.

Have Yar at the helm and Worf and Geordi in their normal spots to start with. A hotshot pilot seems like it fits her character archtype. Her sitting next to Data up front also would have given them more opportunity to develop that relationship and have her being the one who gives her his human lessons.

 

[MurphyCooper]

@TheAdmiralty
TNG really lacked a good Ensign character, it struck me as strange.

 

[Pumpkin Bread]

TNG really lacked a good Ensign character, it struck me as strange.

Wes and Ro Laren were fine, they just both moved on to other things. And in any case, no one has to be the ensign!

 

[MurphyCooper]

Wes and Ro Laren were fine, they just both moved on to other things. And in any case, no one has to be the ensign!

Would you change anything about the cast?

 

[somebuddyX]

@TheAdmiralty
TNG really lacked a good Ensign character, it struck me as strange.

They tried a bit with Lefler and that girl that threw chocolate on Picard but I guess it didn't work out. I've always liked the Lefler and Wesley dynamic in "The Game" but as a pairing, so in a way if he wasn't there I wasn't really bothered she wasn't.

 

[Pumpkin Bread]

Would you change anything about the cast?

I'm tempted to say "have Riker get his own command and depart in S4", but given the sheer success of the existing cast... not sure I'd want to advocate changes. I'll settle for saying "promote Data to Commander".

 

[TheAdmiralty]

@TheAdmiralty
TNG really lacked a good Ensign character, it struck me as strange.

I'm fine with that, ensigns on the senior staff always strikes me as strange. Seems like you'd be doing support jobs until you got promoted to lieutenant and then get transferred somewhere to be a section chief.

 

[Pumpkin Bread]

I'm fine with that, ensigns on the senior staff always strikes me as strange. Seems like you'd be doing support jobs until you got promoted to lieutenant and then get transferred somewhere to be a section chief.

Same. There's a TNG episode about ensigns. It's called "Lower Decks", and it makes perfect sense: that is where new officers start out: taking orders, learning their job, and not really knowing much about what's going on.

 

[JesterFace]

About Ensigns and Conn position.
I think it was better there wasn't the same regular Conn officer always on duty with the main cast, makes it more believable when there's a rotating pilot in the helm.

 

[MikHutch]

A few ideas I think could've helped:

1. Make Troi more interesting. Counselor as a role is interesting in theory for character development but she's too bland. Also the Betazoids in general are the least interesting recurring alien race. I'd expand on their culture and give them a more interesting and actually alien design.

2. Have some more recurring appearances of Romulans, Trills, even Bolians to flesh them out more, like what DS9 did but still more episodic. Also make the Bajoran and Trill designs more alien than just some forehead ridge aliens.

3. Do the Ferengi right from the beginning: not make them jump around but actually substantiate the capitalist vs post scarcity conflict.

4. Have more appearances by TOS races like Vulcans, Andorians and Tellarites.

 

[Mres_was_framed!]

I'm fine with that, ensigns on the senior staff always strikes me as strange. Seems like you'd be doing support jobs until you got promoted to lieutenant and then get transferred somewhere to be a section chief.

It seems like there has usually been a younger officer that was made part of the senior staff, often as either helmsman or Chief of Operations, either because Starfleet has some system in place to give younger officers experience with where they could be years later, or more likely just because it is good for drama on a show.

"The Cage"--I have read that Jose Tyler was supposed to be like this
TOS-Chekov
TNG-early-Geordi, later-Wesley Crusher
VGR-Harry Kim

 

[tafkats]

I'm going to ignore some of the dumb stuff from the first few seasons and file that under "the show had to find its footing." I'm also going to ignore specific episodes that were weak.

So with that said, I'd do something about the wildly inconsistent characterization of Troi. The show started off with "oh, she can sense feelings, that will be really useful, and also full-blooded Betazoids can straight-up read minds," and then it's like the writers immediately realized that ability was too useful. So in episode after episode, there had to be some excuse for why Troi's sensing abilities didn't work in this particular case, and they also had to ignore the question of why every starship wouldn't just have a full-blooded Betazoid on board for the strategic advantages.

A better approach would have been to say that Troi and other Betazoids (and she doesn't need to be half-human if you develop the Betazoid species this way) may have mild sensing abilities, but the vast majority of Troi's usefulness as a counselor to the captain comes from her being a highly trained professional with degrees in xenopsychology, maybe linguistics, and whatever else. So she doesn't read minds, she's just really good at picking up nonverbal cues and she's studied the crap out of every sentient race known to the Federation.

 

[MikHutch]

To fix Trio's abilities, they just needed to give some limitations, like weaker across long distance

 

[Pumpkin Bread]

If Troi's abilities weren't limited, she would be like Picard's "win" button. Indeed, I'm surprised it's not Starfleet policy to actively recruit Betazoid officers, and have a full blooded one on the bridge of every capital ship.

 

[MikHutch]

If Troi's abilities weren't limited, she would be like Picard's "win" button. Indeed, I'm surprised it's not Starfleet policy to actively recruit Betazoid officers, and have a full blooded one on the bridge of every capital ship.

So they should either not make the Betazoids abilities too powerful, or introduce rival telepaths to even the playing field.

 

[Pumpkin Bread]

So they should either not make the Betazoids abilities too powerful, or introduce rival telepaths to even the playing field.

Or telepathy-resistant species like the Ferengi.