Altered Character That Should've Remained Altered.

[Red Ranger]

I may be omitting a few here, but I'm a sucker for eps where a main character is drastically altered, but then reverts to his/her original status by ep end.

I always wondered which of these characters would've been an improvement over the original characters. Specifically, I'm speaking of the eps Facets (DSN), where Curzon and Odo refuse to return to Jadzia Dax's psyche; Faces (VOY), where B'Elanna is split into human and Klingon halves; and Tuvix (VOY), where Tuvok and Neelix are merged into one being in a transporter accident.

My favorite of all these incidents was the combination of Curzon and Odo. It was interesting to see how the melded Curzon Odo took perverse pleasure in messing with Quark and in arresting criminals. It would have been especially interesting to see how Curzon Odo would interact with Jadzia (who Curzon admits he loved) if they continued to stay merged.

I also like the idea of both B'Elanna and Tuvix surviving their alterations. I know B'Elanna was in danger of being unable to survive the split, but had both survived because the Doctor figured out how to stabilize them, which one would've continued as engineer? My money's on human B'Elanna, and then Klingon B'Elanna would transfer to command and become a pilot and rival of Tom Paris. Then the issue of which one keeps the name B'Elanna -- the Klingon, I'd say, and Torres would have to adopt a new first name.

Tuvix surviving would depend on the procedure for separating the two not working. Or I can imagine an even worse scenario -- the process creates two merged beings, one still Tuvix, the other calling himself Neevok, that one being a more Vulcan personality than Talaxian, while physically having more of Tuvok's appearance but Neelix's skin, eye, and hair color.

Again, which of those becomes security chief and which remains morale officer/chef?

What say you?

RR

 

[milo bloom]

These are all great ideas that the producers should keep in mind whenever an actor is wanting to leave the show, but they don't want to (completely) lose the character. A straight recasting wouldn't work as well on something like Trek, so a change-up would be a great solution.

One that sorta fits in my mind is the change from Jadzia to Ezri. Keep all the memories, but allow the new host to take them in a different direction.

 

[KimMH]

The Tuvix idea is infinitely fascinating (if you don't mind!). I still don't know how I feel about the entire ep - it is quite troubling to me - to have ended up with two blended beings would add a layer of angst because of all the controversey that went into the decision to split the merged single being and getting a result NOT anticipated would add to Janeway's horror.

To have Tuvok and Neelix restored as they previously were is also a little bit of a cop-out - the liklihood of that happening is as slim as the liklihood of such a perfect blending into an organism that isn't inherently unstable on the molecular level - did the molecules just compress? You start out with the mass of two people and in Tuvix had the mass of one. What happened to all that extra protoplasm? Maybe that isn't what you meant - it did send me off onto a strange thoughtway . . . - sorry!

 

[Captaindemotion]

Does Spock being dead at the end of STII:TWOK count?!

Not quite on topic, but Thomas Riker springs to mind. At one stage, the TNG writers considered killing Will Riker off during this episode and having Tom replace him. Being a more junior officer, with a more tortured background, more evidently in love with Deanna might have given them more options with him, they reasoned. But they were afraid of a fan backlash and the status quo prevailed.

In the DS9 episode, I've wondered how fans might have reacted if the Maquis-joining, Defiant-stealing traitor hadn't been Riker's clone, but had been the Will Riker we know and love. There would have been weeping, gnashing of teeth and cries of 'character assassination', but it would have been a pretty ballsy move, to have an established popular character join the rebellion.

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

Voy - Threshold.

I just wish more of the crew got turned into lizards - like anyone who wasn't the Doc.

 

[DevilEyes]

Does Spock being dead at the end of STII:TWOK count?!

Not quite on topic, but Thomas Riker springs to mind. At one stage, the TNG writers considered killing Will Riker off during this episode and having Tom replace him. Being a more junior officer, with a more tortured background, more evidently in love with Deanna might have given them more options with him, they reasoned. But they were afraid of a fan backlash and the status quo prevailed.

In the DS9 episode, I've wondered how fans might have reacted if the Maquis-joining, Defiant-stealing traitor hadn't been Riker's clone, but had been the Will Riker we know and love. There would have been weeping, gnashing of teeth and cries of 'character assassination', but it would have been a pretty ballsy move, to have an established popular character join the rebellion.

I don't think Will Riker, as we knew him, joining the Maquis would be believable. I can't see him doing that at all.

 

[Pemmer Harge]

While I don't wish she'd stayed that way, I can't help wondering what it'd have been like if Kira really had been a Cardassian.

 

[Red Ranger]

Wow, I forgot all about Tom Riker and the time Kira thought she was an undercover Cardassian. Actually, I like the latter idea more now that I think of it. Thanks for reminding me of these other altered character arcs, people.

Captaindemotion, I think Spock's death and resurrection counts to a certain degree, in that he was never quite the same Spock after his katra was reintegrated into his resurrected, mindless body. That was especially true in TFF, but by TUC, he was more like his old self, while embracing his human half more (like when he says to Sarek in TVH to tell his mother, "I feel fine.") Obviously, it took time for his body and memories to be totally in sync, and he also had the extra experience of being reeducated in order to organize his thoughts and memories.

Another possibility, of course, is what would've happened had the Fal Tor Pan ceremony not worked. Spock would be retrained, of course, but he would be a totally different person, with no memories of his past life. It would take him longer than a few months to be able to return to Starfleet or any other adult endeavor. He would essentially be a child in adult form. As a half-Vulcan resurrected by the Genesis wave, perhaps his learning abilities would've been accelerated along with his initial physical aging.

Another possibility is what if they were able to take the young Spock off the Genesis planet before he rapidly aged to adult status? He'd have to be brought up all over again on Vulcan or elsewhere. Would he be the same Spock if Amanda and Sarek brought him up once more? Possibly. Or, more likely, he'd be a somewhat different Spock, as Sarek had learned to be more accepting of Spock as an individual by that time, to the point he admitted opposing Spock joining Starfleet may have been wrong. Maybe he wouldn't even choose to go into Starfleet and join the Vulcan Science Academy instead. Or maybe, even more oddly, Saavik would become his mentor -- an interesting turnabout.

Oldstredshrtevr: I agree some of the aspects both of Tuvix's creation and separation are troublesome, but I believe they had a technobabble explanation in that a third, plant-like life form helped enable the melding. Certainly, it would make more sense if two melded beings materialized as a result of the transporter accident, along the lines of how I described the other being, who I called Neevok.

RR

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

While I don't wish she'd stayed that way, I can't help wondering what it'd have been like if Kira really had been a Cardassian.

YES.

Or if she had no way to ever know for sure...which I believe was the ending the writers initially wanted.

There's a fanfic by Rocky over at Ad Astra that addresses the "yes, she's a Cardassian" scenario, that I highly recommend: http://www.adastrafanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=359

It's the 5th vignette in this sequence...all 5 are well worth reading, but that one ("Charity") is the one dealing with what it might've been like if Kira did turn out to be a Cardassian.

 

[Timewalker]

What about the TNG episode where Guinan, Picard, Ro, and Keiko were transformed into children? I'd have left Keiko as a child, because I sure never liked her as an adult! And the child-Picard pretending that Riker was his dad was too funny...

 

[DevilEyes]

While I don't wish she'd stayed that way, I can't help wondering what it'd have been like if Kira really had been a Cardassian.

YES.

Or if she had no way to ever know for sure...which I believe was the ending the writers initially wanted.

There's a fanfic by Rocky over at Ad Astra that addresses the "yes, she's a Cardassian" scenario, that I highly recommend: http://www.adastrafanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=359

It's the 5th vignette in this sequence...all 5 are well worth reading, but that one ("Charity") is the one dealing with what it might've been like if Kira did turn out to be a Cardassian.

While on one hand it was a very interesting idea (I remember first watching "sleeper Cylons" storyline on BSG and thinking "This is a bit like the Kira the Cardassian storyline from DS9 if it had been true"), in the long run, it would have detracted from Kira's development in the series. If she had remained suspicious that she may really be a Cardassian, if we had thought that she was thinking in the back of her mind "I might really be one of them" all the time, then watching Kira overcoming her prejudice towards Cardassians and forging close relationships with some of them and even being a part of Cardassian Resistance, wouldn't have been really so compelling and such a big deal, would it? And her relationship with Tekeny wouldn't have been nearly as touching if she, and we, thought that he may really be her biological father.

BTW I read that fanfic before. I could find the AU situations believable for the most part, except for # 4 "Faith", I'm not really buying that one.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

I'm thinking that if Kira wasn't sure about who she was, her plots with the Bajorans would probably become the main focus instead--the tension with others due to the suspicion, the tension within herself about who and what she is, the challenge to her faith (if she is Cardassian, how does she relate to the Prophets?)...who knows? It would represent a major change in direction, for sure.

 

[Admiral Shran]

My thoughts....

Curzon Odo - This is one instance where I would have LOVED to see the change made permanent. Not only would it have made for some good relationships between him and Jadzia and Quark, but also with Sisko. It would be interesting to see Sisko have two close personal advisors, Jadzia and Curzon-Odo, giving him contrary advise all the time. And Curzon was just so much damn fun.

Human and Klingon B'Elannas - I think returning to the status quo was the right decision with this one. B'Elanna is one of my favorite characters from Voyager, so I think tampering with her is out of the question. Though, it does bring up an interesting point for me. If she hates her Klingon ridges so much, why doesn't she just have the Doctor remove them with some plastic surgery?

Tuvix - Again, returning to the status quo was the right call. I'm certainly no fan of Neelix, but Tuvix was even worse, in my opinion. Though it would have been interesting to have a Neevok character to balance him out.

Spock (after his death) - I'm glad they returned him to the way he was before his death in TWOK, even if it did take a couple of movies to do it. The only thing I would have changed is that I would have made Saavik a full-time main character. I always found her fascinating. And it would have made things truly interesting if they had stuck to their original plan of having her bear Spock's child.

Thomas Riker - Another instance where I think the change should have been made permanent. By that, I mean they should have killed off William Riker and had Thomas Riker be a main character on TNG. It would have opened up a lot of character development between Thomas and Troi. It also would have allowed Data to become First Officer (that character deserved a promotion for crying out loud!) while Thomas Riker took his place as Operations Manager.

Cardassian Kira - ElfEars got this one right. It would have detracted from Kira's development.

Child Guinan, Picard, Ro, and Keiko - I would have kept Picard and Ro as kids. Changing Guinan to a kid permanently just seems unfair. She already lives for centuries, and now gets several more added on? Changing Keiko to a kid permanently is simply unacceptable for me. Rosalind Chao is just too beautiful. With Picard, however, it would definitely be interesting to see how the crew would deal with a child running the show. With Ro, she had such a tramatic childhood, it would be interesting to see how she enjoys her new one. Or, would she even allow herself to enjoy it? - interesting.

How about when Troi loses her empathic abilities? I think it would have made the character more interesting if she had to continue with her duties while living with what she considered a handicap.

 

[Timewalker]

My thoughts....

Curzon Odo - This is one instance where I would have LOVED to see the change made permanent. Not only would it have made for some good relationships between him and Jadzia and Quark, but also with Sisko. It would be interesting to see Sisko have two close personal advisors, Jadzia and Curzon-Odo, giving him contrary advise all the time. And Curzon was just so much damn fun.

Yes, he was. And Rene Auberjonois seemed to really enjoy that role.

Spock (after his death) - I'm glad they returned him to the way he was before his death in TWOK, even if it did take a couple of movies to do it. The only thing I would have changed is that I would have made Saavik a full-time main character. I always found her fascinating. And it would have made things truly interesting if they had stuck to their original plan of having her bear Spock's child.

At least Spock took a reasonable length of time to recover (in ST terms, that is). And he never actually did become exactly like he was before. He always had a little extra "humanity" to him after his having resided in McCoy's mind all that time...

Child Guinan, Picard, Ro, and Keiko - I would have kept Picard and Ro as kids. Changing Guinan to a kid permanently just seems unfair. She already lives for centuries, and now gets several more added on? Changing Keiko to a kid permanently is simply unacceptable for me. Rosalind Chao is just too beautiful. With Picard, however, it would definitely be interesting to see how the crew would deal with a child running the show. With Ro, she had such a tramatic childhood, it would be interesting to see how she enjoys her new one. Or, would she even allow herself to enjoy it? - interesting.

We will never agree about Keiko. I don't find Rosalind Chao attractive, and I HATE her voice. She whined throughout her appearances in TNG, and she whined throughout DS9. If I had been Miles O'Brien, I'd have sat her down and said, "Lookit, my name is MILES. One syllable, not 'MY-ULZ'."

Besides, the little girl who played Keiko in that episode later played the grown-up Molly in the DS9 episode where Molly spent years alone on a planet. That little girl actress (Hana Hatae) grew up to be quite lovely.

How about when Troi loses her empathic abilities? I think it would have made the character more interesting if she had to continue with her duties while living with what she considered a handicap.

I would have transferred her off the ship if she felt she could not perform her duties just because she didn't have that extra advantage that most other successful psychiatric professionals didn't have.

 

[KimMH]

^ I think Troi would have successfully learned to be an effective counselor w/o her empathy - I think it almost would have made her a more interesting character.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

How about when Troi loses her empathic abilities? I think it would have made the character more interesting if she had to continue with her duties while living with what she considered a handicap.

This would really have forced her to step up to the plate as a character, too..."I sense anger" wouldn't cut it anymore. It would be a real sink-or-swim test that would give her a lot of depth that she didn't get in the show.

 

[scout]

Yes...I think Troi could have benefited from the writers actually researching what a counsellor does in a session, rather than just pandering to a stereotype. More structure, more focus on resolving issues in evidence - based practice rather than just her chiming in "I sense confusion" which well...is not helpful in an ongoing way, surely.

I think her character could have been much more interesting - if she had been taken seriously which she never was, unless it was as a victim. I think the "abilities" she had were part of what handicapped the writers - they fell back on "telling" rather than "showing" the character's ability to connect to crew members.

I like the idea of split B'Elanna however I also like B'Elanna as she is and think Roxann plays her nigh on perfectly. Tuvix...I found him creepy. Real creepy.

 

[ngc7293]

What about all the Data and Lore Episodes.
For example the ep. where he is put on trial to decide whether he is alive or just a machine. What if Riker's convincing shut off switch had won the argument?
example 2: Lore "kidnaps" Data to the rogue borg planet. In the end Data breaks free of Lore's Emotion chip. What if he stayed?

There are a few others where Data switched sides and then switched back.

 

[M'Sharak]

Besides, the little girl who played Keiko in that episode later played the grown-up Molly in the DS9 episode where Molly spent years alone on a planet. That little girl actress (Hana Hatae) grew up to be quite lovely.

Three different actresses there:

Young Keiko in was played by Caroline Junko King, who has only one credit post-"Rascals" (in 1994).
Hana Hatae had 12 appearances playing Molly as a child, and has no credits post-"What You Leave Behind".
Michelle Krusiec was Future Molly in the 1998 DS9 ep "Time's Orphan", and is still working today.

 

[Kai Winn]

i wish the romulan troi had discovered she liked being a romulan because for the first time ever she wasn't toe-curling, or she could have been vaporized on the bridge of that warbird, or sucked into a black hole, anything that makes her go away.