If Geordi had remained helmsman

[McCoy's Disco Collar]

Then how come Geordi ended up being one of the most neglected characters on TNG?

I'm not saying they don't need one, but a recurring one would have done fine imo.

Geordi got plenty of screen time. He didn't get the character development he deserved, but that's a totally different story, and had zero to do with his job on the ship.

Turns out they needed a chief engineer to get plenty of screen time in most episodes. If it had been a recurring character instead of a main character, that wouldn't have helped the writers give Geordi any more character development.

 

[Oddish]

TNG was not the best series in terms of character development. It might not have jumped up and down on the Big Red Reset Button the way Voyager did, but it smacked it regularly.

It wasn't until the movies that big life changing events (like Riker/Troi ) were allowed for most characters. Even Picard had some major stuff happen to him (Borg assimilation, Cardassian torture, 30y on Kataan) that wasn't mentioned a lot.

 

[NewHeavensNewEarth]

If Geordi had remained helmsman, it would have been a lot more of "Geordi, what are you seeing?" Early on in the series, that was Picard's go-to option if something wasn't clear on the ship's sensors, when they treated his visor like a superpower. A fan could've then made an endless YouTube montage of:
"Geordi, what are you seeing?"
"Counselor, what are you sensing?" and put a beat behind it.
"It's there, but it's not there" could've been the chorus.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

If Geordi had remained helmsman, somebody would have to be chief engineer. I'd have rooted for MacDougal.

 

[Phoenix219]

Geordi, Data, and I guess ascending O'Brien to engineer instead of transporter chief were really the only options. Yar was supposed to be the butch tomboy and Worf was characterized as being kind of dumb at first so he wasn't going to be engineer. They could have added a new character but TNG had too many characters to start with, once they got it down to the core 7 it was a lot easier to balance the screentime and give everyone their moments to shine.

Although if we're talking about alternate character positioning, maybe have Yar be a hotshot pilot and have Geordi and Worf in their regular positions to start with. Her sitting next to Data up front would have also given them opportunity to build that relationship a bit more. Maybe Crosby never leaves the show in this instance with everyone having a clearly defined role to start with.

TNG did always seem to have a "hole" in the traditional senior staff (no one in engineering to start with, then later not really a consistent pilot)

I like these ideas. Tasha/Data at the bridge stations with Worf in security and Geordi in engineering to start definitely could have worked, and a hot shot pilot is close enough to a security guard / tomboy that the personality might not have had to change much. (Although, is a rescued child from a rough planet being a hotshot pilot too much of a trope? hah.)

Personally, my lifelong TOS fanboy-ness would have had O'Brien as chief engineer, Pulaski as doctor, Data as science officer, Wesley as the son of Picard's best friend, but without the Beverly baggage, Will and Deanna more firmly in the Decker/Ilia mode, at least doing more with their unresolved relationship, biology and telepathic powers, and Geordi and Wesley at the bridge stations. Still not sure what role I would have found for Tasha, although letting her and Geordi take the bridge stations and just letting Wesley wander a bit more lower decks style, may have been okay.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

In an ideal world, I would've had Worf more of a floater and techie, popping up as much in engineering as he was on the bridge or away missions. Yar would survive the first season and remain as security chief, so it would be Worf who would become the new chief engineer (though he's not my favourite, he is definitely a strong enough character to still attract plenty of script opportunities and screen time since he has a lot going for him as the first Klingon in Starfleet). What would leave Wesley as the one lurking at the aft consoles for a little added technobabble. This ideal world would also have seen Troi back in a standard uniform and aligning more with how she was pitched in the series bible, whilst Selar would become the new CMO (even if just for a season).

 

[Orphalesion]

Worf becoming Chief Engineer would, at the very least, have been less cliche than the Klingon becoming Chief of Security.

 

[Summer Solstice]

In an ideal world, I would've had Worf more of a floater and techie, popping up as much in engineering as he was on the bridge or away missions. Yar would survive the first season and remain as security chief, so it would be Worf who would become the new chief engineer (though he's not my favourite, he is definitely a strong enough character to still attract plenty of script opportunities and screen time since he has a lot going for him as the first Klingon in Starfleet). What would leave Wesley as the one lurking at the aft consoles for a little added technobabble. This ideal world would also have seen Troi back in a standard uniform and aligning more with how she was pitched in the series bible, whilst Selar would become the new CMO (even if just for a season).

Worf becoming Chief Engineer would, at the very least, have been less cliche than the Klingon becoming Chief of Security.

You both have interesting ideas. Yar was my favourite character in season 1 so I would prefer that she didn't die but after Yar died and Wesley left I didn't feel there were too few characters on the show (even though Wesley was my second favourite character).

I would like to have seen Worf as the ship's councillor, that would not be a cliche. It would be cool if the chief of security was an empath, but then perhaps the empath's powers would have to fail all the time otherwise the plot wouldn't work.

 

[Orphalesion]

.but then perhaps the empath's powers would have to fail all the time otherwise the plot wouldn't work.

Nah, as I always say when this comes up in relation to Troi; X-Men, Legion of Superheroes and Babylon 5 all managed to tell stories with one or several full telepaths as central characters. It can be done.

I like the idea of an Empath or Telepath as a Chief of Security. A while ago in another thread I had some ideas on how Troi's telepathy (because I would have given her full telepathy) could have been used offensively.
Imagine the telepathic Chief of Security dispatching an intruder by filling their head with negative thoughts and emotions, sending them into a severe panic attack. Or how telepathy, assuming it's extend and limitations are well-defined, could have been used in tense interrogations.
Something like that was used by Grant Morrison in an issue of New X-Men where telepath (and trained psychologist) Emma Frost dispatched an angry mobs by activating the "bliss centres" of their minds and well...she kind of made them orgasm themselves to sleep, which just shows how creative a writer can get with telepathy if you just try a little bit.

 

[at Quark's]

If Geordi had stayed in a bridge assignment, then we never would have gotten to see him execute that awesome roll under the engine room isolation door as it was closing.

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Kor

It's probably an official requirement to become Chief Engineer.

Forget what we saw on Parallax, poor Lt. Carey on Voyager would have been the logical choice. He only failed this test...

 

[Snowdrop82]

As much as I like Picard, I feel like it would have been interesting to have Riker take the captain's seat of the Enterprise. Picard's abduction by the Borg is more taxing on him, and he is forced to leave due to it. Picard accepts a promotion to Admiral, and is seen every now and then.

My ideal line up -

Riker - Captain
Data - First Officer
Worf - Security

And so on.

I do not like Wesley though. I would have the Traveler pick Data...for what Wesley went through.

 

[TheAdmiralty]

I like these ideas. Tasha/Data at the bridge stations with Worf in security and Geordi in engineering to start definitely could have worked, and a hot shot pilot is close enough to a security guard / tomboy that the personality might not have had to change much. (Although, is a rescued child from a rough planet being a hotshot pilot too much of a trope? hah.)

Personally, my lifelong TOS fanboy-ness would have had O'Brien as chief engineer, Pulaski as doctor, Data as science officer, Wesley as the son of Picard's best friend, but without the Beverly baggage, Will and Deanna more firmly in the Decker/Ilia mode, at least doing more with their unresolved relationship, biology and telepathic powers, and Geordi and Wesley at the bridge stations. Still not sure what role I would have found for Tasha, although letting her and Geordi take the bridge stations and just letting Wesley wander a bit more lower decks style, may have been okay.

I'm not a fan of Wesley generally but the whole acting ensign thing with him being on the bridge just struck me as ridiculous. Like NASA's not going to let a 15 year old boy fly the space shuttle because he's "really bright" and won the summer reading contest or whatever. Having him be more of a background character and normal kid would have been better, give him a nice teeny bopper story like The Dauphin every so often and then just Geordi giving him little jobs in engineering or whatever to help him get ready for the Academy. Might have been better to just have him as a recurring character too.

 

[DonIago]

I could see Wesley being allowed to fly the ship during 'business as usual' but being relieved during Yellow or Red Alerts in favor of someone with more experience, but that wasn't how they handled it either.

 

[Snowdrop82]

If Geordi remained the Helmsman, how would that affect his character development?

 

[McCoy's Disco Collar]

If Geordi remained the Helmsman, how would that affect his character development?

I doubt it would have.

Geordi's relative lack of character growth wasn't due to his job. If anything, putting him in charge of the engine room opened his character up to more dramatic possibilities and should have made it easier on the writers.

 

[WarpTenLizard]

I think a blind helmsman is a fantastic idea.

 

[Greatn]

They probably would’ve gotten pulled over more