How Would TNG Develop with a Bloated Cast?

[Emperor Norton]

But frankly, even in season one, Troi was less of a worry than Yar. Characters with a sci-fi angle always have an edge, Data, Worf, even Geordi. I doubt they'd have backed off Troi too much, because that empath thing was a solid sci-fi shtick.

"I sense great plot points from the both of them."

It is kind of odd that Troi was not dropped, if you really think about it. Her entire character was basically "let's ruin the mystery". She was a character based on *Spoilers*, and too many plots were about why Troi can't sense anything so we can have a mystery and drama. It was handled shockingly well.

You get used to those plot points: Troi is always brain blocked, Geordi is creepy and then rolling under blast doors, Riker yells at lower ranks and then does the Riker creeper face smile when he's about to get some, and they can't find a ship because it is hiding over a planet's poles. Oh god, does every ship seem to hide over the north pole. At that rate, one wonders why Tasha Yar has gotten any retrospective flack. There's a lot they could have found for that character, with the tropes buried under good writing.

 

[Mojochi]

There's a lot they could have found for that character, with the tropes buried under good writing.

Someone should've told Crosby that, as she left because she didn't think they were utilizing her character very well, & I've always maintained that well... duh... It's season one. They didn't utilize anyone all that well. They'd have gotten around to doing something decent with that character

 

[Leviathan]

...I came into this thread expecting a debate about how TNG would have done if the cast had Doohan levels of waistline.

Kind of a let down really...

 

[Emperor Norton]

...I came into this thread expecting a debate about how TNG would have done if the cast had Doohan levels of waistline.

Kind of a let down really...

*Geordi rolls under the warp core sealant door*

*Gets stuck*

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[Bry_Sinclair]

Someone should've told Crosby that, as she left because she didn't think they were utilizing her character very well, & I've always maintained that well... duh... It's season one. They didn't utilize anyone all that well. They'd have gotten around to doing something decent with that character

So true. I remember reading an interview Ms Crosby had done about her leaving TNG and had said that she loved the little scene at the start of "Skin of Evil", where she and Worf are just having a normal chat about the upcoming fighting competition onboard, and had there been more like that written in for her over the course of S1 then she would've stayed. So it wasn't like she was asking for whole plots to revolve around her or lots of badass action sequences but just a little more content for the character. Shame really, as I enjoyed Tasha.

Does make me wonder what would've happened had Crosby been cast as Troi and Sirtis as Macha Hernandez, would the former have still chosen to leave, especially since the character was handled very ineffectively in the first season. Worf could've then broken out his before-unmentioned counselling skills and slipped into Troi's jumpsuits from S2 onwards

 

[Mojochi]

So true. I remember reading an interview Ms Crosby had done about her leaving TNG and had said that she loved the little scene at the start of "Skin of Evil", where she and Worf are just having a normal chat about the upcoming fighting competition onboard, and had there been more like that written in for her over the course of S1 then she would've stayed. So it wasn't like she was asking for whole plots to revolve around her or lots of badass action sequences but just a little more content for the character. Shame really, as I enjoyed Tasha

And she SO totally would've gotten more of that. In S1, they were feeling out e v e r y t h i n g.

Does Troi have telepathy with Riker? Eh maybe not. Is Picard going to be all about "French" stuff? Eh... not so much. Is Data going to be kind of quirky... or maybe more monotone? Is Bev a Doc, a mom, a love interest? WTF do we even do with the Klingon & the visor guy? I mean come on. She totally wasn't getting any more of a raw deal than others, & there was easily as much potential in her character as there was in the others, imho. Plus, her acting (Just like many of the others) was easily just as big a work in progress as the writing, to put it mildly

 

[Leviathan]

*Geordi rolls under the warp core sealant door*

*Gets stuck*

Borg: You will be assimilated...eventually...we're going to need more nanites than we expected.

 

[JesterFace]

Sounds like the general feel on Tasha is that Denise should have given the series more time to develop than less than one season.
What was she expecting? Season 1 would be "The Adventures of the Security Chief" ?

Well, she did leave and the good thing about it was bringing her back in 'Yesterday's Enterprise' in an alternate time line and we did see her again in 'All Good Things...'.
Sela wasn't that great though.

 

[diankra]

But frankly, even in season one, Troi was less of a worry than Yar. Characters with a sci-fi angle always have an edge, Data, Worf, even Geordi. I doubt they'd have backed off Troi too much, because that empath thing was a solid sci-fi shtick.

Nevertheless, Marina Sirtis has said that she was expecting to be dropped, and thinks she stayed because of the death of Tasha (and, presumably, the departure of Beverly. And making friends off-screen with Majel)

 

[Emperor Norton]

Borg: You will be assimilated...eventually...we're going to need more nanites than we expected.

Geordi LaGorge.

Fat Geordi jokes as a meme....dare we do it?

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

But frankly, even in season one, Troi was less of a worry than Yar. Characters with a sci-fi angle always have an edge, Data, Worf, even Geordi. I doubt they'd have backed off Troi too much, because that empath thing was a solid sci-fi shtick.

It's hard to have many sci-fi angles when, out of a cast of nine, there are only 1.5 aliens and an android. It's part of the reason I think a series should be made with only one or two human characters on the main cast, it opens up so many more possibilities.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

The lack of development for characters in season one wasn't about the size of the cast, it was about the focus of the writing. The writing focused on the 'main mains' and the other mains were as auxiliary as anyone in TOS not named Kirk, Spock or McCoy.

 

[Mojochi]

Nevertheless, Marina Sirtis has said that she was expecting to be dropped, and thinks she stayed because of the death of Tasha (and, presumably, the departure of Beverly. And making friends off-screen with Majel)

Everyone was waiting for the hatchet though, so it's hard to think she was in any special danger

It's hard to have many sci-fi angles when, out of a cast of nine, there are only 1.5 aliens and an android. It's part of the reason I think a series should be made with only one or two human characters on the main cast, it opens up so many more possibilities.

But I include Geordi in the sci-fi characters, especially how much more they played up his visor in S1. Even Wesley began his "Special" supernatural arc. Of the initial nine in S1, only Picard, Riker, Yar & Beverly were ordinary human archetypes

 

[suarezguy]

Wesley Crusher had a bigger role than he had a right to

I thought he didn't get too much focus though a few of his early moments were pretty big misses.

Yeah, if it had kept all the season 1 cast, Yar, helmsman LaForge and non-CoS Worf probably would have gotten less material and development. Wesley, the newest, youngest character, somehow makes more sense as helmsman and better for those older and with more experience to head a department.

It would have been fine...eventually. A big cast is no problem so long as you give them good stuff to do. DS9 had more recurring characters than TNG did regulars and they found plenty of quality stuff for them to do.

With some of that cast not actually being crewmembers ... it could have been interesting if Wesley had never joined the crew as acting ensign, provided an ongoing civilian perspective, but that could have also seemed like excessive focus on him.

 

[Leviathan]

Geordi LaGorge.

Fat Geordi jokes as a meme....dare we do it?

Change that to Wesley and you've got a hit....

 

[Emperor Norton]

Change that to Wesley and you've got a hit....

Wil Eatin'?

 

[Stroudarian]

It would have been fine...eventually. A big cast is no problem so long as you give them good stuff to do. DS9 had more recurring characters than TNG did regulars and they found plenty of quality stuff for them to do.

I completely agree. I think that DS9 had the best character development out of all the Star Trek series'. You are probably correct in your analysis that TNG would have been fine, "eventually". It may have taken longer than it did with the changes, but I agree, as long as the writers and producers can think of things for the characters to actually do, they would eventually develop just fine.

 

[Emperor Norton]

I completely agree. I think that DS9 had the best character development out of all the Star Trek series'. You are probably correct in your analysis that TNG would have been fine, "eventually". It may have taken longer than it did with the changes, but I agree, as long as the writers and producers can think of things for the characters to actually do, they would eventually develop just fine.

But that is tempered by the matter that there is only so much air time. Episodes can only run so long. And there are only so many episodes in a season. The larger the cast, the less focus each can receive.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

But that is tempered by the matter that there is only so much air time. Episodes can only run so long. And there are only so many episodes in a season. The larger the cast, the less focus each can receive.

Or the less 'filler' episodes, since there are more cast to be developed, plots and story elements could be adapted or focus shifted onto another to help flesh them out.

 

[WarpTenLizard]

Even though I love Tasha Yar, I fear if they'd kept her onboard, we would never have gotten Ro Laren, Kira Nerys or B'Elanna Torres, and however Tasha Yar developed, she would never be quite as great as any of the latter three. (And I love Tasha.)

As for Wesley, he might well have killed the show if his role remained that big throughout.