Phase II Speculation

[Mysterion]

I've read that if the Star Trek - Phase II series had gone forward back in the 70s, Shatner might have only done the first 13 episodes because of the cost of his salary. At that point, the character of Will Decker would have been promoted to command of Enterprise, with Kirk making the occasional guest appearance as story and budget allowed.

My question is this: who would have been Decker's first officer at this point? One of the existing characters seems to be the likely outcome. Sulu, maybe? Seems like the logical choice to me.

Or might there have been a new character brought into the storyline to fill this role?

 

[xortex]

Xon was Spock's replacement and would have been Decker's first officer. Man, Trek has never had an emotionally available Captain.. in all this time. Collins would have been cool. Xon was really cool and younger. Take her out Mr. Decker..

 

[Mysterion]

Xon was Spock's replacement and would have been Decker's first officer.

I don't think so. Xon was only going to be a Lieutenant, and reletively inexperienced. He wouldn't have been ready to be a first officer.

 

[Dukhat]

Almost certainly Xon would have been the first officer. Since Decker would replace Kirk, and Xon already replaced Spock, it would have been the most "logical" choice.

I really wish that Phase II would have happened instead of TMP and TNG. IMHO, it would have worked out so much better in the long run, instead of the 78 year gap we got for TNG. Of course, then the terrific triumvirate of Star Treks II, III, and IV would never have happened either, so maybe not

I don't think so. Xon was only going to be a Lieutenant, and reletively inexperienced. He wouldn't have been ready to be a first officer.

Good point, but I'm sure they would have found a way around that.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I've read that if the Star Trek - Phase II series had gone forward back in the 70s, Shatner might have only done the first 13 episodes because of the cost of his salary.

Not salary at all. Shatner desperately wanted a movie career at that point in his life, and signing a standard five-year TV contract would have prevented him accepting most film offers. He told Roddenberry he'd commit to 13 episodes and then, perhaps, guest appearances.

One of the existing characters seems to be the likely outcome. Sulu, maybe? Seems like the logical choice to me.

It was never specified in the Writers' Bible. They hadn't planned that far ahead.

 

[Mysterion]

One of the existing characters seems to be the likely outcome. Sulu, maybe? Seems like the logical choice to me.

It was never specified in the Writers' Bible. They hadn't planned that far ahead.

Exactly the point of this thread - they didn't specify, so let's speculate.

 

[C.E. Evans]

It was never specified in the Writers' Bible. They hadn't planned that far ahead.

Exactly the point of this thread - they didn't specify, so let's speculate.

I think they would have found a way for Xon to be first officer to continue the id, ego, and superego trinity. Xon would have probably frustrated the never satisfied McCoy even more than Spock did by not being Vulcan enough, IMO.

 

[T'Girl]

if the Star Trek - Phase II series had gone forward back in the 70s

The Next Generation was very much a creature of the mid to late 1980's, so maybe it would be reasonable to expect Phase Two to have influenced by the times of the late 70's, early 80's in tone.

Longer hair on the actors (from photos of "Xon") for example.

Also, Gene Roddenberry hadn't completely moved into full loony toons zone, so some of what we saw in the first couple of seasons of TNG would have been missing.

 

[Frontier]

As curious as I am about Phase II, I think that if it had happened? Trek would only be a memory today.

Even if Phase II had run a good long run, 5 or more years. After that? It would have been over, I imagine. I don't see a third or fourth series, I don't see the movies...

We'll never know, mind you. Perhaps it would have been such a success as to go into feature films after a 6 or 8 season run. Perhaps it would have pulled a Law & Order an run for 20 years, spawning copies as it went.

That said, I like what we have. The franchise may not be perfect as is, but... I think it's as big as it is because of the path it's taken.

My guess for XO though? Sulu is logical in terms of his experience, but I think Gene would have wanted to try some boundary pushing. So I see him going after Uhura or Illia as XO, to get a woman first officer like he wanted back in "The Cage" rather than promoting another man. Being the late 1970s, it could have been possible. Women's lib was a lot more advanced than it had been in the 60s.

So my vote is that Gene would have pushed hard for Uhura as XO, and failing that, Illia.

 

[T'Girl]

So I see him going after Uhura or Illia as XO ...

To be frank, I've seen a few of Persis Khambatta acting performances and have never been overly impressed. That's assuming you meant her for the role of Ilia, casting the role with a better actress could have resulted in a interesting Captain/Exec. team.

... to get a woman first officer like he wanted back in "The Cage"

Roddenberry could have had a female first officer back in the '60's. All he would have had to do is replace Majel Barrett in the role.

 

[seikialice88]

Xon was Spock's replacement and would have been Decker's first officer.

I don't think so. Xon was only going to be a Lieutenant, and reletively inexperienced. He wouldn't have been ready to be a first officer.

I also think so.

 

[YARN]

if the Star Trek - Phase II series had gone forward back in the 70s

The Next Generation was very much a creature of the mid to late 1980's, so maybe it would be reasonable to expect Phase Two to have influenced by the times of the late 70's, early 80's in tone.

It would have been terrible. It would have been Disco Trek.

 

[Relayer1]

So I see him going after Uhura or Illia as XO ...

To be frank, I've seen a few of Persis Khambatta acting performances and have never been overly impressed. That's assuming you meant her for the role of Ilia, casting the role with a better actress could have resulted in a interesting Captain/Exec. team.

I loved her as Illia - there was something otherworldly and alien about her as a Deltan, and she was certainly the most beautiful woman ever to appear in Trek. Oddly I didn't find her as attractive with hair !

It was a great pity what happened to her - seeing more of her in a series would have been fabulous.

 

[C.E. Evans]

So I see him going after Uhura or Illia as XO ...

To be frank, I've seen a few of Persis Khambatta acting performances and have never been overly impressed. That's assuming you meant her for the role of Ilia, casting the role with a better actress could have resulted in a interesting Captain/Exec. team.

... to get a woman first officer like he wanted back in "The Cage"

Roddenberry could have had a female first officer back in the '60's. All he would have had to do is replace Majel Barrett in the role.

Unfortunately, no. Before being given the go-ahead for the second pilot, NBC gave Roddenberry a list of things they wanted changed from the original pilot. Among them was no female first officer.

 

[SiddFinch1]

It would have been interesting, but probably would have killed trek for a while No movies, no TNG/DS9 etc.

I like the idea of Uhura as First Officer. Of course, he may have had Majel put on a black wig and go back to Number One

 

[Bixby]

The late 70's was a great time for science-fiction at the movies (Logan's Run, Star Wars, Superman the Movie, Alien), but not so good for sci-fi on television. Most attempts never seemed to survive past its second season (Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, Logan's Run), unless the sci-fi aspect was at best minimal (Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman and the Incredible Hulk).

I'd like to say that had Bob Justman and Roddenberry been given the chance they could've bucked the trend, but given GR's bizarre obsessions at the twilight of his life (having the Enterprise meet ''God'' for ST:TMP, and repeatedly angling for ST's II through 6 to have Kirk and Spock go back in time to save JFK), I seriously have doubts on Phase II's success.

This is my opinion, but he seemed to avoid straying far from TOS's proven formulas, such as having Xon and later on, TNG's Data as the Spock substitutes, or Will Decker and Will Riker as the action hero/ladies' man Kirk substitutes...

I did glance at the proposed episodes' synosises (synopsii!), but apart from Kitumba all I had to say was ''meh...''

Perhaps Star Trek as a movie series was the best option after all...

 

[Forbin]

I loved her as Illia - there was something otherworldly and alien about her as a Deltan, and she was certainly the most beautiful woman ever to appear in Trek.

Nuh-uh, that would be Sherry Jackson in "What Are Little Girls Made of?"

 

[BillJ]

So I see him going after Uhura or Illia as XO ...

To be frank, I've seen a few of Persis Khambatta acting performances and have never been overly impressed. That's assuming you meant her for the role of Ilia, casting the role with a better actress could have resulted in a interesting Captain/Exec. team.

... to get a woman first officer like he wanted back in "The Cage"

Roddenberry could have had a female first officer back in the '60's. All he would have had to do is replace Majel Barrett in the role.

Unfortunately, no. Before being given the go-ahead for the second pilot, NBC gave Roddenberry a list of things they wanted changed from the original pilot. Among them was no female first officer.

I'm pretty sure that the memo had nothing to do with the first officer being female. They just wanted Gene to cut Majel loose.

 

[BillJ]

I loved her as Illia - there was something otherworldly and alien about her as a Deltan, and she was certainly the most beautiful woman ever to appear in Trek.

Nuh-uh, that would be Sherry Jackson in "What Are Little Girls Made of?"

 

[C.E. Evans]

To be frank, I've seen a few of Persis Khambatta acting performances and have never been overly impressed. That's assuming you meant her for the role of Ilia, casting the role with a better actress could have resulted in a interesting Captain/Exec. team.

Roddenberry could have had a female first officer back in the '60's. All he would have had to do is replace Majel Barrett in the role.

Unfortunately, no. Before being given the go-ahead for the second pilot, NBC gave Roddenberry a list of things they wanted changed from the original pilot. Among them was no female first officer.

I'm pretty sure that the memo had nothing to do with the first officer being female. They just wanted Gene to cut Majel loose.

Well, we know how well that worked since he simply recast her as another more friendly (and less in the forefront) character later.

But aside from the idea that NBC may have disapproved of Roddenberry casting his girlfriend as the ship's second banana, early screenings of "The Cage" revealed that test audiences--particularly women--responded rather negatively to Number One. They just didn't like the character, which was reason enough for NBC to want her gone.

The infamous NBC memo also told Roddenberry to get rid of "the guy with the funny ears" too.