How would you change or Re-Write TNG?

[JesterFace]

-Revisit the "Conspiracy" parasites, and I would've liked to have seen Tryla Scott back as well.

Wasn't the original plan to bring back the parasites but writer's strike got in the way?

-Replace Will Riker with Thomas Riker. I think a little shake up would've been nice. I've liked the ideas I've seen over the years about that change. Will could've gone on to captain another ship and Thomas could've stayed on the Enterprise-D, rekindled his romance with Troi. Data could've moved up to XO which would've strengthened the Picard/Data dynamic from the movies, and that exists in ST: Picard. Tom Riker as part of the crew also could've led to some nice character moments for the crew as they have to readjust to him.

After years being stranded it might be too much for him to just become the first officer?

-Keep Sonya Gomez around longer. Maybe go forward with the idea of her and Geordi becoming romantically involved.

Yes for Sonya.

-Have Tomalak as a recurring villain

Tomalak was a nice character but how much is too much? Well, having him in a few more episodes wouldn't have hurt.

-Had a Mirror Universe episode or two.

Never. TOS had it, it was cool long ago but no to mirror episodes in STNG.

-Made "I, Borg" the last Borg episode for TNG. I like the idea I've seen of the Borg not having a queen. It worked for First Contact, and the actresses who have played the queen have all been good, but I was more chilled by the impersonal force of nature the Borg were in "Q Who" and "Best of Both Worlds."

The Borg was a cool enemy but using it more than few times would make the unbeatable enemy not that unbeatable. I'm happy with 'Q Who', 'The Best of Both Worlds' 1&2 and 'I Borg'.

 

[JesterFace]

I'm glad TNG didn't go there, yet I'm surprised they didn't think of it by season 7 - or 8 had it been commissioned, but too much of 6 and 7 were so coasting on fumes, especially when writers went to give the A-grade good stuff to DS9.

Was that really a problem with TNG, DS9 getting all the "good stuff"?
Were writers really focusing too much on the new series?

 

[Mudd]

No.

 

[DarKush]

Wasn't the original plan to bring back the parasites but writer's strike got in the way?


After years being stranded it might be too much for him to just become the first officer?


Yes for Sonya.


Tomalak was a nice character but how much is too much? Well, having him in a few more episodes wouldn't have hurt.


Never. TOS had it, it was cool long ago but no to mirror episodes in STNG.


The Borg was a cool enemy but using it more than few times would make the unbeatable enemy not that unbeatable. I'm happy with 'Q Who', 'The Best of Both Worlds' 1&2 and 'I Borg'.

From my understanding, the plan was to tie the parasites to the Borg, but I believe it was the writer's strike that upended that. I know they changed the idea of the Borg from insectoid to humanoid, and I'm not sure if that played a role in it as well.

Regarding Tom Riker, I wouldn't have him as the first officer. I would've promoted Data and then had Tom as the operations officer. I think it would change so much of the crew dynamic with Will-yet-not-Will in a different role, and one where he's now a junior officer to some of the others. We could also get the brasher, more impulsive Riker, but also one more haunted. And I would still have Will back for special episodes. With Data as first officer that also would open the door to bring in a science officer and that could also be someone that could shake things up more.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

With Data as first officer that also would open the door to bring in a science officer and that could also be someone that could shake things up more.

I'd be all for that, definitely if we had a new alien character on the crew. Even better if the PTB brought forward the bridge remodel to give us the side stations from Generations at the beginning of S7, so the new science officer had a more prominent seat on the bridge (rather than being tucked away at the back).

 

[Kamdan]

Are there threads like this one for the other series? I love this kind of stuff.

 

[Oddish]

Are there threads like this one for the other series? I love this kind of stuff.

I know DS9 and VOY have them.

 

[Orphalesion]

I would mostly adjust some of the characters a bit.

For example, I'd cast a non-caucasian actor for the role of Riker.

With Deanna, I'd make her the second officer, and chief science officer to give her a role that could be easier to involve in a larger amount of plots. Also since her alien makeup was lacking and Betazoids were never focused on, I'd make her a telepathic human (they were established to exist in TOS)

I'd cast Tasha with somebody else (sorry, I just don't think Crosby was very impressive), also most likely with a non-caucasian actress and I'd probably combine her character with that of Ro. So she'd be a Bajoran.

I'd make Geordi the chief engineer from the start and I'd make him Star Trek's first gay character.

I'd have Leslie Crusher instead of Wesley Crusher.

And Worf, I'd probably make the pilot. I like the idea of a Klingon in a non-sterotypical role.

Other than that, with Tasha/Ro being a Bajoran I'd probably have something like the Cardassians as the recurring antagonists instead of the Ferengi.

 

[Oddish]

No Data?

 

[Orphalesion]

No Data?

I just wouldn't change anything about him, because there's no need to. I know I gave his science officer job to Troi, but it's not like it was ever very prominent with his character (he didn't even wear a blue uniform!)
He'd still be there on the bridge doing...OPS things...on that console and being all around excellent Data.

 

[JesterFace]

Science officer was mentioned many times here but there really wasn't a regular science officer in STNG, OPS took that role, right? In this case, Data.

 

[tomalak301]

1. Revisit the Conspiracy Aliens. That was a storyline that deserved another chance and I liked what the DS9 books did with them.

2. If Patrick Stewart wanted to leave, I would have made Riker Captain and kept Shelby a number 1. I wanted to see Shelby again

3. Bring back Sela as part of the Face of the Enemy plot.

4. I know it's not the series, but Nemesis should have ended with Picard finally being able to bring Admiral Jerok's letter home. It would ease the pain of losing data in that Data died for peace with the Romulans and to see Jerok's dream become a reality.

 

[JesterFace]

Picard finally being able to bring Admiral Jerok's letter home.

This would have been nice.

 

[caveat_imperator]

I would keep David Gerrold on the production team, and do whatever I possibly could to keep Roddenberry's lawyer Maizlish away from him.

 

[Bynar0110]

Have an episode set in the Mirror Universe.

 

[Dukhat]

Have an episode set in the Mirror Universe.

That would at least have spared us those horrible DS9 mirror universe episodes.

 

[ichab]

Make Michael Pillar head writer from the very beginning.

 

[vulcancicada]

I would have had more exploration of the same alien cultures across episodes. I also would have had less holodeck shenanigans and a more well thought out plan of what kind of tech existed. Not killing Tasha and giving her role more to do, possibly having an extended relationship with data and dealing with her trauma. I would have had Worf leave to go do something Klingon and then guest star a lot on a recurring Klingon-related plot. More random episodes like "lower decks" where we follow a random group of crew instead of the main cast.

 

[ReddishAlert]

I wouldn’t change anything. But I’ve often thought that it would have been interesting if they had Picard retire/force to retire after Best of Both Worlds and become an Ambassador on the Enterprise.

Not really something I’d change, but it would have been interesting if Riker stayed Captain but Picard was there and they had different sets of authority.

I guess as an alternate timeline I’d like it lol

Also, I just dig Riker so I wanted him to keep the four pips at the time but still have Picard around :-)

 

[somebuddyX]

As far as I know I don't think the "Conspiracy" aliens were the same as the Insectoid aliens/Borg. "Conspiracy" ("The Assassins") was originally just a bunch of Starfleet officers taking over the Federation, like "Homefront/Paradise Lost." The Insectoids were then to appear in "The Neutral Zone" as a common enemy between the Starfleet and the Romulans, and then also to perhaps appear the Season 2 opener. Either because of budget or writer's strike they rewrote "TNZ" to hint at future enemy without showing them, and because of objections by Gene Roddenberry and perhaps others they rewrote "The Assassins" into "Conspiracy" and changed Starfleet officers coup into the alien takeover coup. I might be wrong on this but I've been obsessed with these stories for decades and tried to piece it together from The Fifty Year Mission, the Companion, some of the memos that are available, and some of the notes at Memory Alpha.