If/When Picard retires, who should be the next captain?

[MatthiasRussell]

I'm not really big on this constant fan notion of crossing characters over. This seems to be an instant suggestion, and I've seen it done in fan fic. Kind of seems lazy to me and unoriginal.

The problem is, I don't think there is any life left in DS9 as a whole. Many of the many characters are gone and I just don't see anything significant happening in that sector anymore. However, there are still some good characters in that series that could use continuance.

 

[MatthiasRussell]

We discussed the issue of Sisko leaving with DRG III on startrek.com. He made a good case for why Sisko left. I hated that move passionately when I read the book but his reasoning made sense to me. Someone even asked him, "Did Sisko take his baseball or leave it at home?" DRG had no answer; if he left it, that means he wants to come back. Let's also not forget that Sisko only desired to go back to work and had no intention of completely abandoning his family; he was hoping that by working off planet, he could protect them by lack of physical proximity. It was Cassidy who threw him out. She was the aggressor in the break-up. I do wonder what Avery Brooks would think about "Rough Beasts", though.

So that's where he is hanging out now.

There was a similar discussion here on Sisko's behaviour with in Rough Beasts.

He wasn't very keen on the reaction to it around here, the fact that what he wrote and what he intended to write seemed two different things and he wasn't overly keen on the attitude towards him in that thread so he picked his toys up, said he wasn't going to play anymore with us and left in a huff.

Anyway, on the idea of Sisko being the Captain of the Enterprise once Picard leaves is a totally rubbish idea. I personally don't want someone parashooted in from another series to fill the void. Either have Worf get promoted to CO or have a brand new character take up the role.

Yeah, I think he got sick of us over there too. He wove a good political drama but I was extremely unhappy with what happened with Sisko, especially as important as family is to him. When DRG explained things, I understood and could grasp it, but I don't think the case was well made in the book.

 

[BillJ]

I really liked Rough Beasts of Empire. I personally liked the direction they took Sisko. Not sure there is anyone more qualified than him to command the Enterprise. He took a backwater world and was able to help it through its struggles to become a member of the Federation. Plus he served as a front line commander in a protracted war.

 

[JoeZhang]

Yeah, I think he got sick of us over there too. He wove a good political drama but I was extremely unhappy with what happened with Sisko, especially as important as family is to him. When DRG explained things, I understood and could grasp it, but I don't think the case was well made in the book.

I think it was one of those situations where the writer had lost track of what he's put on the page and what he intended to do.

 

[Ensign_Redshirt]

Capt. Wesley Crusher... muhahaha!

 

[zarkon]

Capt. Wesley Crusher... muhahaha!

Thankfully he's gone for good.

 

[F. King Daniel]

A mustachiod Wesley was captain on the Enterprise-D in an alternate future seen in one of DC comics' TNG series.

 

[Admiral_Young]

There is also the possibility of Pocket Books creating an entirely new character to assume command of the Enterprise post-Picard promotion/retirement. I think this would be a bold move on their part and perhaps controversial to fans but creative to say the least. I think it would generate interest in the books as well, maybe boost sales a bit. If this direction was taken I assume that Paramount/CBS would probably have to approve any character?

 

[JD]

Yeah, they have to approve everything Pocket does with Trek.

 

[PathWithoutEnd]

I doubt Picard will retire any time soon.
The reasons? Star trek TNG line already lost too many characters; and, as with all tie in fiction, the original characters sell books.

 

[Darth Porthos]

I also doubt Picard's leaving anytime soon. He's almost 80 which in the 24th Century doesn't seem to be peek retirement age.

But if he somehow did go my nominees would be Tuvok, Saavik, or Worf. Maybe a long way into the future Nog.

 

[Admiral_Young]

The point of the thread isn't that Picard is leaving soon. It's to speculate on what Pocket Books should do when or if that does happen.

 

[JD]

I don't think I've said yet, that I actually love the Saavik idea, I really like the character, and she would give us both a female and an alien Enterprise Captain.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Athough I think Data's the best choice for a post-Picard Enterprise, I also think the TNG books can't go on without Picard. A Picardless E-E should be bumped down to Aventine-style cameo status in other stories. IMO there aren't enough TNG characters on board currently.

 

[Ronald Held]

I think that maybe true, that without Picard, the Enterprise-E series will lose most of its readership.

 

[Mage]

I think that maybe true, that without Picard, the Enterprise-E series will lose most of its readership.

That's why I agree with KingDaniel.
If they really plan to make a novel where Picard leaves the Enterprise, end TNG as a series. Standalone novels set anywhere during 2364 and the year that he leaves could work, but appereances of the E-E after Picard leaves should be cameo-wise.

And I still think Worf would make a good captain, overexposed character or not.

 

[JWolf]

Sisko as captain of the Enterprise would be nothing more then fanwank.

 

[Admiral_Young]

I think if Picard accepted a promotion to Admiral you'd have to have him make cameo appearances. I don't know if I agree that TNG books would suddenly plummet because Jean-Luc Picard wasn't captain of the Enterprise. I read TNG books due to a good story, and character development no matter who those characters are. Ideally what I'd do is have Picard be appointed Ambassador and have a set of Picard centric novels perhaps written by KRAD or someone similar.

 

[DarKush]

If Picard is written completely out of the series, I'm sure some of the readership will leave a series without him behind. However, I don't know if it would mean the death knell of the book franchise. Voyager seems to be doing fine without Janeway and I'm sure the defections of many Janeway fans. I think if Picard were to exit it would largely involve how he was written out and if that was considered appropriate for a majority of the fans.

Personally I wouldn't mind seeing Picard as an admiral or ambassador, a recurring TNG character. That way you could still put him on the book covers and have him involved. Though I like the idea of a Data-led Enterprise (wished they had done this a post-Countdown comic), I'm still not cool with the idea of resurrecting him, at least how it has been explained in Countdown. As I said before, Worf is the more logical choice, as it currently stands. Plus being a big member of the TNG cast, I think a good deal of the old TNG guard would see him as a legitimate successor. Perhaps to stop some of the hemorraghing, unused or underused characters from TNG's run or from the other series can be added to add to the TNG or the 24th century appeal.

 

[Mage]

I find myself changing my opinion.....

The DS9 relaunch worked very well without Sisko as the captain. Like Darkush said, no Janeway in the new Voyager novels seem to work for a lot of people (haven't read them myself yet). Perhaps if it worked for those two series, it could work for TNG as well.