Could TOS/TNG Films Have Worked With Two Ships?

[Captain Clark Terrell]

The Undiscovered Country showed us two Federation ships. Although the Enterprise was still the primary focus of the film, the Excelsior also played an important role due to Sulu being its captain. Could this have worked for the remaining films? Suppose Kirk and company found another way to solve the V'Ger crisis. Would the other films have been successful with Decker commanding his own ship alongside Enterprise? Or Riker commanding Titan alongside Picard's Enterprise during the TNG films?

Discuss.

--Sran

 

[LeadHead]

Theoretically, it could have worked. First Contact and Insurrection had large parts of the films where the cast was broken up into two groups and followed their own part of the plot. It helped that everyone was all together (mostly) at the beginning and end of the films, but it could be worked out.

 

[rafterman1701]

I don't think you can look at it as "a movie about two ships." You have to see it as a story first and integrate multiple ships and locations as best as you can. The recent Trek novels have featured multiple ships and have done it well by focusing the story on characters doing things and not a ship showing up somewhere to have an adventure. I think a movie that tried to be a team up of two full crews would fail. Too many people. But you can certainly how scenarios like Trek 6 where Excelsior was involved. Or the use of Defiant in First Contact.

 

[Saga]

they did this in the DC comics series. after TVH Spock took command of a science vessel while everyone else went to the Excelsior.

 

[Kelthaz]

Of course. Lord of the Rings handled multiple groups of people quite well.