How Could The TNG Films Be Improved?

[Galileo7]

Generations;

During the movie we meet and come to know Ensign Lynch, who Picard kills in FC.

While a interesting scene, the Enterprise doesn't explode/crash, and the Enterprise D is retained for all the movies.

The original shot scene with Soren's death is used. Picard programs the probe to crash, Soren attacks Picard, Picard shots Soren in the stomach with his own gun.

Kirk isn't killed (injured at most), he's standing next to Picard when the shuttle comes into view, we don't see him again in the movie and his eventual fate is left open.

...

Agree, a much better version of GEN.

 

[plynch]

Thanks for asking.

In ALL of them: NO Data "humor." Ugh, it's bad. And Picard stays Picard and does not become Rambo/Die Hard dude. So . . .

Generations: 1. A coherent plot/threat. It's 2017 and I still don't get it. 2. CAPTAIN KIRK (you know, cultural icon, the hero fully formed when we meet him in 1966, BUT who also undergoes cool character arc in the flicks, THAT Captain Kirk's last, dying line is "Oh my"? AUGH! Shameful. This movie is a mess. What is a nexus? Why does it involve cooking eggs and riding horses?

First Contact: Fine. But this should be the last fighty/defeat-the-bad-guy (gal, actually) one in the franchise. (Ahem, NEM, and all JJ flicks, I'm talkin' to you.) The well to which Trek-filmakers have returned thrice too often.

INS: Fine. An ethical dilemma people are still talking about. (See above.) Very Trek-y. Except doesn't Data make a boobs firming joke? Good Lord.

NEM: 1. A coherent plot/threat. It's 2017 and I still don't get it. WHY, again did the bald guy hate Picard? Then want to go kill Earth? 2. Dune buggy chase, holy crap. New writers needed, or something. Hot mess worse than GEN, due to vengeful badguy trope being used again.

 

[BlueshirtGuard]

One of the problems in my view was a lack of change to the TNG cast. The only person to go off and come back was Worf, and that is because DS9 used his character. The TOS films were all about change. People had moved on with their lives and were facing a new and changing life situation. But they all found their way back together for the plot. TNG never did that. Granted, the films were decades after the original show had ended, but the TNG films still could have showcased that. Have Riker get his own ship, for example. Have Picard as an admiral at Starfleet or an ambassador, who is thrust back into taking command because of some threat. And it could even be Riker now in command of the Enterprise, but Picard has to come back and take command. Have Riker and Troi get married. Marry Picard and Crusher, or have their relationship developing in that direction. Anything. That would not have to happen all at once, but it could be somewhere in the film series.

TNG also did not do a lot in terms of lingering effects from the previous films on the characters. The loss of his son lingered with Kirk all the way to "The Undiscovered Country", along with a fear of getting old and being past his prime. Picard's loss of his family, and thinking about having his own family now when he never had to consider it before could be an element, and would go along with a relationship with Crusher. That could have even been an element in "Insurrection", where he is getting older, he has to consider these things, and compare the fantasy of living forever with alien girlfriend lady with the reality of accepting change and living the fullest with Crusher.

I think this is a really good analysis of why the TNG movies were so so. I liked the first two movies but they all had their problems. Half of the original series movies were a trilogy following one story arc while TNG were just random and like you said nothing changed. The result was every TNG movie seemed like a long episode of the show. Aside from the ship being destroyed the crew was the same no one changed really. They had some bs ways to get worf back with the crew. Picard never mentioned his dead family again about generations, or the borg or anything. The characters basically remained stagnant like they were frozen in time for the next film.

 

[tharpdevenport]

More time had passed in-verse from TOS series to the TOS films, so promotion and moving on was natural. However, Generations to Insurrection took place very quickly after the end of the TNG series. I don't recall the general time gap from then to Nemesis.

Though technically, Barclay did move on. Unfortuantely it was to things that involved Voyager.

 

[Armus]

The Next Generation films have been criticized as being lackluster, with the exception of "First Contact". "Generations", "Insurrection" and especially "Nemesis" have been criticized on a number of points. In comparison to the series, and in comparison to the original series films, the TNG films have their faults. So my question is, how could the TNG film series have been better?

I'm with Tosk. They needed a "page one rewrite".

 

[tharpdevenport]

One problem with making the TNG films better, and a big problem at that, is how do you write them and not step on the toes of not only one but eventually two spin-off series? And then a year before the final film, a prequel which may add new elements to the Trek universe that a new Trek film would have had to deal with.

In a way, the films were doomed from the start. They didn't even have six of them.

 

[Armus]

I was bored with all four films. First Contact was the best conceived and executed but the storyline should have been tighter and more engrossing. It felt like 3 plot lines meshed together, with the Data scenes, The Picard/Alfre Woodard stuff on the ship and the Riker/Troi/Cochran stuff on Earth.

 

[BlueshirtGuard]

I was bored with all four films. First Contact was the best conceived and executed but the storyline should have been tighter and more engrossing. It felt like 3 plot lines meshed together, with the Data scenes, The Picard/Alfre Woodard stuff on the ship and the Riker/Troi/Cochran stuff on Earth.

Yeah it kinda was a cluster f**k. The Borg traveling back in time was really stupid but the borg attacking and trying to take over the ship was a cool plot also with Picard exploring lingering feelings of hate towards the Borg. The First Contact time travel was good too but mixing them all together didn't make much sense. The Borg can just go back in time at will? Really a big plot hole.

They should have make a movie about first contact then a separate movie about the borg. The movie kinda works for me because these are both good ideas but mixed strangely.

What they should have done was make a movie about TNG during the Dominion war. The TNG writers just kinda forgot what was happening in the universe.

 

[Armus]

Yeah it kinda was a cluster f**k. The Borg traveling back in time was really stupid but the borg attacking and trying to take over the ship was a cool plot also with Picard exploring lingering feelings of hate towards the Borg. The First Contact time travel was good too but mixing them all together didn't make much sense. The Borg can just go back in time at will? Really a big plot hole.

They should have make a movie about first contact then a separate movie about the borg. The movie kinda works for me because these are both good ideas but mixed strangely.

What they should have done was make a movie about TNG during the Dominion war. The TNG writers just kinda forgot what was happening in the universe.

Exactly. Vulcan First Contact and Cochran should have had its own movie.