How Would You Get The Band Back Together?

[Arpy]

If they were to do a TNG movie in 4 years (say after the next Abramsverse film), what would the characters be doing at that point?

Picard and Crusher are parents of two or three children. Being a captain forever was Kirk's thing. Picard's an ambassador but semi-retired, and though she works more, she does remotely from wherever they're living. He has a lot to teach at this point in his life, and he finds it important to, for the Family's sake. When the kids are older, as an ambassador he'll do more than attend functions take the occasional short negotiation and she has her eye on a medical ship. Now, life is family and travel and bliss.

Riker would be the captain of his own ship, maybe having to consider whether or not to take an admiralcy by that point! Or grabbing for one to be in a safer position as a father.

Data should just show up with a line "Good to have you back" and leave the how a mystery, cause why not? He's a more evolved Data, similar to the one in AGT. There's mystery to him. At some point, they need to get into an alien club or something but they're too old. Picard nods to Data, who through the power of contemporary CG, morphs into his 23-year old self.

La Forge is either a writer going by AGT or a new captain himself going by VOY!

Troi is likely a mother and an aristocrat, if that still means anything on Betazed. As Majel Barrett is no longer around to play Lwaxana, now Troi is head of their House. She's either aboard ship with Riker or part-time on Betazed. One imagines they'd have at least one, possibly teenaged child by that point. If she's still a counselor and if aristocrat means work, I don't see them having more than two kids. Weren't they both only children growing up? And although it would be cool to, I don't see Riker leaving Starfleet to raise five kids. God, it must be great to grow up in the Federation -- so much to see and do.

Worf was a Federation ambassador for years and is now in civilian life on Qo'noS. He's going to make a run at a position on the Hight Council (as there is still much to do in the second half of his long Klingon life!) to change the future of the Empire. Occasionally he is still amazed at the absurd heights he find himself, but though he imagines there are more capable men, he does not ignore the opportunities fate places before him. He's both a seasoned warrior and ambassador by this point; now he enters middle-age as a patrician.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

Picard would be an Ambassador-at-Large, sent out across the galaxy to help bring peace to troubled areas.

Riker would be a Rear Admiral (lower half) who has adopted the defunct term "Commodore" (so his rank doesn't make him sound too stuffy). He'd be commanding a station on the outer fringes of Federation space, as well as being a proud father.

Troi would have retired from active service in favour of a position with the Federation Diplomatic Corps, based on the same station as her husband, where she works on expanding the Federations sphere of influence in the area.

Crusher would be a Captain and commanding the Pasteur.

La Forge would be a Captain and commanding the Challenger.

Worf would be the Federation Ambassador to Qo'noS.

Data died during the battle of Basin Rift. The memory transfer to B-4 overloaded the primitive models neural net, so he was sent to Captain Bruce Maddox for study.

 

[retroenzo]

As much as I love Data, I find it hard to believe that Brent Spiner could now play him. Unless Data wanted to make himself look older/more distinguished (a la All Good Things but better).

Otherwise, bring in some other characters. Possibly the EMH to stand in for Data. An aged hologram is easy to explain away (he reprogrammed his appearance to appear older).

 

[2takesfrakes]

TNG: The Expendables

"They've Got the Ripe Stuff"

 

[Arpy]

Keep in mind:
DS9 ended June 1999
NEM premiered December 2002
New movie's release would be 2020

 

[Arpy]

I think I'm going to keep La Forge a writer or at most a engineering advisor in civilian life. There are too many captains and ambassadors already, and that was a problem for TOS too, let alone Jonathan Archer, President of the Federation.

Some thoughts on setting. With the destruction of Romulus, the Star Emprie is in tatters and the Reunification movement (though itself in tatters since Romulus's loss and that of Ambassador Spock) gains new traction. Conservatives, Imperialists, Moderates, Reformists and other parties vie for power, and there's a de facto fracturing of the Empire along the Eastern, Upper, and Outmatch regions. Hobus was no mere natural disaster that the RSE could have dealt with, and the Great Idea has millions of new acolytes, as Romulans are sick of the destruction the old ways have finally wrought. One respected Moderate, played by Tom Hanks (per his idea), though not initially a Reunificationist, will use the Idea to keep from further deterioration - similar to Constantine of Rome with Christianity. The main Romulans would be a couple of the old establishment leaders from the Conservative and Imperial factions.

Some Klingons want to invade Romulus (partly what keeps the Romulans united) while others wish to abandon their old enemy to its fate, more interested themselves in finishing union with the Federation. Their new brothers the Vulcans will "conquer" their old kin as it is. This is Worf's view as well, but powerful other houses fight against it. Qo'noS First, they say. The opportunity to vanquish the Ancestral Enemy is a litmus test for True Klingon-ness.

 

[Jedman67]

Picard's funeral:

Beverly is still a doctor, still getting upset when her patients do stupid things, but otherwise unflappable and still gorgeous. She usually lowballs her age by about 10 years when meeting new people.

Worf is a retired Ambassador and now has his own little hunting lodge just off the Martok estate; he gives hunting lessons to teens who wish to be accountants and lawyers instead of warriors. Alexander has decided to embrace his Klingon AND human heritage, and has become a lawyer and an advocate for "mixed heritage" Klingons; shuttling between Earth and Q'onos.

Riker is a Rear Admiral now; he is in charge of administering the Kobayashi Maru test, which, surprisingly, has had a 90% pass rate since he took charge. Section 31 has been informed, that, under no circumstances will Admiral Riker be permitted to be the Chief of Starfleet Command.

Commander LaForge (retired) has been working at the Utopia Planetia Warp Research Facility.

Guinan is still running a bar in Ten Forward; however she doesn't seem to realize that her "ship" is part of the Kobayashu Maru simulator. She provides sage wisdom, often repeating herself and occasionally waxing nostalgic about the same 3 stories over and over and over and over again. She has one server aside from the cadets on "kitchen duty", B4 who was never properly reprogrammed. Guinan still thinks he's Data.

Data: Counselor Troi was able to recover Data's head after the Scimitar exploded; S.C.E., was able to attach the head to Lore's body. However, the damage was too great to be repairable; he survived as the first android diagnosed with Alzheimer's, living in the San Francisco Veterans Home For Seniors, always playing the piano badly.

Chief O'Brien has moved back to Ireland, where he runs Starfleet Britain's transporter room.

For a Q, a few decades is like a few seconds. Q has been heavily involved in Continuum politics, twice being elected Prim Minister of the Q Continuum and twice exiled nearly on pain of death for his antics. He's also a little out of date on Starfleet Fashion; he's still wearing the DS9/Voyager uniform.

Troi, unfortunately died over ten years earlier in a freak accident involving a turbolift, a torpedo and an escape pod ejector.

 

[VulcanMindBlown]

They need a villain and a group of enemies....

 

[F. King Daniel]

I'd do something akin to the "All Good Things" future, but with Picard as an ambassador (still wearing his funky TNG jacket), and Admiral Riker running a Starbase somewhere with Troi and their kids. Beverly's running a her hospital ship.

Maybe the story could be about stopping the Klingons from invading Romulan space in the wake of the Hobus supernova.

 

[Arpy]

They need a villain and a group of enemies....

Do they? Who was the villain in The Voyage Home? Or All Good Things...? (And I adore both.)

Honestly I'm sick of surrogate Hitlers that are completely unrealistic and badly presented.

That said, I'll think about it later. There does need to be some reason for the pack to reunite. They won't remain a unit afterward either, and there may be death as well.

 

[Visitor1982]

Pulaski has taken over the Enterprise. The rest is dead.

 

[Disco]

Picard is now President of the Federation, voted in on a landslide after a successful diplomatic career.

Data, in the body of B4, balances a life of research with acting as Picard's aide.

Riker is now Commander of Chief of Starfleet.

Worf is acting Klingon Chancellor while Martok suffers from a non-lethal illness.

Troi is the counsellor for the Federation Council members.

Geordi, married to Leah Brahms, is a civilian and involved in research with Leah and Data.

Spock's use of red matter had some unexpected side effect...technobabble....and there a major natural disaster affecting the galaxy Picard calls together his old crew to solve it. Planet after planet is destroyed while the team, on the Enterprise F, crewed by the below, race to save the day by....technobabble....

Enterprise F

Captain - Tuvok
First Officer - Ezri Dax
Chief of Engineering - Nog
Doctor - Bashir

Supporting Technical Experts

O'Brien, Senior Lecturer at Starfleet Academy
Torres, Lecturer at Starfleet Academy
Janeway, Starfleet Chief of Operations

 

[Seven of Five]

The future segment of All Good Things... would have been a good reunion.

 

[Thefallguy]

Many of you see Riker as an admiral. You know, that means, there's a two out of three chance, that he turned into a sadistic, batshit crazy cliché villain right after promotion?

 

[Arpy]

Many of you see Riker as an admiral. You know, that means, there's a two out of three chance, that he turned into a sadistic, batshit crazy cliché villain right after promotion?

I think we have our baddie, ladies and gentlemen.

Also, Seven of Five, how wild would it be for the cast to reunite in 10 years and shoot a big-budget version of AGT, from the Future's perspective? They would have to pad it, and do flashbacks for Troi (maybe have Sirtis and de Lancie shoot their parts now, and splice in moments from the episode or Benjamin Button short segments of the younger crews), but, honestly, I'd take that over INS or NEM any day. Someone get Richard Linklater on it.

 

[Vandervecken]

Worf isn't on the High Council--it turns out that the High Council is just a front of expendable men put out by the REAL ruling group, a small cadre of men who are the shadow powers behind the HC. He's on that. And unknown to THEM, he is a double agent for Section 31. As the years have gone on, Worf has changed: no longer a Klingon patriot at his core; he has become the ultimate Federation citizen in his heart.

But Section 31 isn't worried about the Klingons. They suspect the return of a nearly forgotten enemy somewhere in the corridors of power of the Empire:

But of course, while they have been spying on the neck crawlies or at least looking for them, the neck crawlies have also made their incursions into Sec 31...

La Forge has gone into theoretical work and his theories of stable transwarp have gotten closer to a reality than anyone else's in the Federation. As a bonus, his transwarp does not damage space, as we learned of warp in Force of Nature. In fact, two prototype drives are nearly complete at a hidden facility, and yes, the neck crawlies are learning about that, too.

Meanwhile, Picard, who at first went for admiralcy, leaves that for an abassadorial post, but not just any ambassadorial post--this is the man who opened up Sigma Tama IV. Oh no, Picard likes a challenge still. He is ambassador to the Tholian Assembly. It is from the Tholians that Picard learns of the return of the neck crawly threat. Turns out they are old enemies of the Tholians, who have traveled a lot further than many people suspect.

Riker is a private citizen and is one of the richest men in the Alpha Quadrant. He's shrewd and even a little dishonest if he needs to be (but would rather not), and is worth 10,000x what the sadistic Kivas Fajo ever was, with major planetary, asteroidal, and even stellar holdings in every major AQ power and some further than that. He's gone into business with someone else we know and everyone, but everyone, wants a Riker-Paris personal fast cruiser (don't bother me with this no-money jazz, dah-links). When Picard gets an inkling of the threat, he tries to warn Starfleet Command, but, surprise!, no one will take him seriously. He then calls on his old friend and Number 1 and his vast personal resources to get them to Klingon space secretly, safely, and with some measure of armament.

Beverly has also always had a yen for research, and is an acclaimed xenobiologist in charge of significant resources herself at the Daystrom Institute. Picard and Riker know they need a doctor who is far more than just a fixer, and also know Bev has more experience with these nasties than anyone else. When they pick her up, an entire modular lab comes along for the ride.

Data is back, and survived because HE created a backup no one knew about, and had been backing up his memories and mind continuously and remotely to a positronic brain hidden on--ha!--Terlina III. There he has been quietly amassing personal wealth on the Ferenginar markets, where he finds his abilities best thrive for this purpose, and has been creating whole starships of different kinds and very irregular design that all he needs to do to command is put his brain on in a special core (and can even command remotely for some, but not very much distance), and has also created several other bodies he "slips into" when the mood takes him. Data is simply not limited in this way anymore and can have whatever form his ingenuity can create. So we can have an actor and call him Data...casting anyone? If we want to mess with people a little we can have a female and male Data.


Reginald Barclay has changed tremendously over the years, and in fact he became someone Deanna Troi could fall in love with. This happens, he proposes, but it also turns out that both of them have a taste for gambling and are up to their eyeballs in debt to the Orion Syndicate. They're running for their lives when Picard swings by. He needs a Betazed to suss out these wascally worms and of course he trusts only Deanna. Hey, after Devinoni Ral and Tam Elbrun (AND Luwaxana), I wouldn't trust many of the blighters either--motives or concentration or ability to handle pressure, nope, just Deanna.

But at the heart of the neck crawly invasion there lies a deeper "conspiracy"...the Tholians are playing a double game, yes, but no, it is not the heart of the matter. Someone else is controlling the neck crawlies, someone has recently made them a client of sorts, someone whose shape can change at any time and whose rulers have no constant nervous system for the crawlies to attach to...

Also--Guinan has a premonition. She's vacationing on Risa when it hits her. She sees death in the AQ, perhaps measureable in the trillions...she instinctively tries to contact Jean-Luc.

Finally--when they're all finally regathered in one place, probably on a world in the Klingon Empire, but not Qo'noS--Q puts in an appearance. He won't be a deus ex machina--he's under some continuum constraints. But he has a purpose, and, in his own way, wants to avoid the fate that Guinan saw for the AQ.

 

[Seven of Five]

I think we have our baddie, ladies and gentlemen.

Also, Seven of Five, how wild would it be for the cast to reunite in 10 years and shoot a big-budget version of AGT, from the Future's perspective? They would have to pad it, and do flashbacks for Troi (maybe have Sirtis and de Lancie shoot their parts now, and splice in moments from the episode or Benjamin Button short segments of the younger crews), but, honestly, I'd take that over INS or NEM any day. Someone get Richard Linklater on it.

Yes please.

I think I'm just a fuddy duddy but AGT was a perfect sendoff.

 

[Arpy]

Yes please.

I think I'm just a fuddy duddy but AGT was a perfect sendoff.

Totally. I was listening to this Trek podcast recently about best series finales and amazed that one of the cohosts couldn't bring himself to agree it was the best of the lot. Of course he picked DS9's, being a typical Niner.

(That is a potshot at all the Niners reading this; I'm always impressed by the numbers of you here bashing TNG, rather than being constructive, or hanging in the DS9 Forum maybe suggesting ways DS9 could have been better. And I say that as a DS9 fan too.)

But AGT was by far the best send-off and great Trek overall. If the TNG cast did get back together, I'd rather they do in an original story, but an AGT remake I'd watch. Maybe if they took the characters as they're set up in AGT and gave them another adventure to go off on, Q's Anti-Time Anomaly, never happening. I suppose the whole purpose of the ep though was that that future wouldn't come to pass, given Picard's sharing the info with the crew on the Enterprise. Tell you what, I'd settle for a "Parallels" like moment when get a snippet of different realities and one of them being the gang on the bridge of the Pasteur.

 

[Seven of Five]

Whilst I love DS9 the most, and thought the last episode was very nicely done and bittersweet, it certainly wasn't perfect.

DS9 and TNG have always been my favourites, being as I grew up with them. I finished DS9 a couple of weeks ago on my franchise anniversary rewatch (is that a thing? ) I loved TNG, yet I like DS9 more, as it questions the idea of the Federation utopia, and shows how far people would be willing to go to preserve it. There were more shades of grey.

However, DS9 is a continuation of TNG, and I feel I can't have one without the other.

 

[Arpy]

No it wasn't. Not by a lot. Let's be real. The Emissary's role at the end was lackluster. Dukat (this fantastic Nazi) becomes a cartoon. The ship battles were mostly a giant clip show. Sisko's destiny is to abandon his family because the Prophets (who engineered his entire existence) want him in their playground. Odd ends the war with a deus ex machine Link - like he and the Female Changeling didn't do that countless times before? She could have gotten around the disease. The shades of gray series with the alterna-future ends with the Allies telling the Axis powers they won. The two parts seem disjointed to me. Other stuff.

It's not a flat out bad finale (although the CG shot was mediocre, I did like Kira and Jake on the promenade at the end as well), but it does not match TNG's with its mingling of the series start, present, and characters' future, the lofty message, the smooth production, the tightness of both parts, etc. I'm all for sentiment and subjective opinion, but I don't lose sight of objective, if possible.

-

All that aside, there's also the question as to which Enterprise to use in the picture. The D is the sentimental favorite, though there may be bigger ones around as well by that time. The E I felt was an over-engined Hasbro toy or a stretched and emaciated plastic surgery nightmare of a flagship, but it is what it is. Dare we throw them on the F (would they command it or be passengers as on the Pasteur?) and at some point come across a D or a pair of E's, like contemporary Excelsiors?