If you could re-write Kirk's part in Generations...

[Mr Silver]

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Generations would work (and arguably could be a superior film if it didn't feature Kirk) for instance

*The Enterprise B still encounters the El-Aurian refugee ships in the Nexus, however only this time, Kirk, Chekov and Scotty are not onboard and Captain Harriman is actually an experienced Captain who manages to rescue some of the refugees and break away from the Nexus

*The Enterprise is ordered to the Romulan Neutral Zone where Picard meets with a Romulan Ambassador who mentions Trilithium being stolen and Klingon involvement (Picard agrees to help, feeling that cooperation with the Romulans could lead to a breakthrough in peace talks)

*In the battle with the Duras sisters, they are using a much bigger and more powerful vessel (decked out with Soran'd modifications) both the Romulans and the Enterprise D battle while Picard and the Romulan Ambassador beam to the planet, both the Romulan ships are destroyed and the Enterprise is critically damaged, the crash sequence still occurs

*On the planet, the Romulan Ambassador reveals that the Romulans had hired Soran to build them Trilithium Weapons and instead of delivering he stole the Trilithium and escaped with the Klingons, The Ambassador runs towards Soran, but Soran shoots him and takes shots at Picard (who evades the phaser fire)

*The Nexus arrives, Picard finds himself inside and meets "The Echo of Guinan", leaving the Nexus, Picard returns to just before Soran fires the Trilithium, only this time he appears within the forcefield, fighting with Soran who drops his remote transmitter (who gets the upper hand) Picard talks him down, saying something along the lines as "You're no better than the Borg by destroying entire civilisations" (Picard in this time sees Soran's remote transmitter and sneakily aquires it) Soran thinks for a moment and then says something like "You're right Picard, but i've come this far..." and rushes towards the missile pointing his gun at Picard, however Picard triggers the clamps and Soran ends up how he did in the original film

*Films ends more or less the same

 

[Char Aznable]

I disagree with the notion that Kirk's Nexus experience should have been with Edith. For one, Kirk randomly wanting to be in the 1930s with some woman who never appeared or was mentioned in any of the films might be too confusing to casual viewers. To be honest, I don't want the film to drag by James T. explaining all this to Picard. Second, I don't buy the fact that his one dream would be to spend the rest of his life with her of all people. If anything, I could see Kirk wanting to be with Carol Marcus. Y'know, the woman he had a friggen KID with? Sorry, but that makes more sense

 

[T'Girl]

The novelization (which was pretty thin) had Kirk living a variety of experiences, not just one. Guinan's comment seem to suggest that Kirk did not remember being in the Land of Oz for 78 years. So a marriage and life with Edith and their children could have come and gone for Kirk.

Carrol Marcus? Why would Kirk want to spend any time with her? After all he had already had sex with her.

Maybe whale girl instead.



.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I have to say showing Kirk living with Keeler in the past would have stolen the movie for me. Would it have been during WWII? With Keeler a bit older to match Kirk? If they had done that well Picard's scenes would have been nothing but a nuisance.
I thought Kirk was very true Generations, Shatner was excellent.

 

[EnsignRicky]

I would have changed Kirk's last line to: "Now.. that was a negotiation...."
Cough cough gurgle ect.

 

[scnj]

Easy. I'd rewrite the ending.

1. Kirk leaves the Nexus and goes back to the Enterprise B. He grabs Soran and leads him down to deflector control. Soran ends up in the Nexus, getting his happy ending and Kirk lives.

2. Picard goes back to a few days before the promotion ceremony and warns his family about the fire. Picard's family lives, and the Enterprise D doesn't get destroyed.

The only loose end is the Duras Sisters, but they could have been brought back for a sequel. Honestly, that wouldn't have been difficult to do, and a much more satisfying conclusion.

 

[Jeyl]

Kirk would sacrifice himself heroically in space in the climax, finding a way to get aboard the Enterprise-A and pilot it towards the Nexus to change its course before it could destroy an inhabited planet or the Enterprise-D.

Too Doomsday Machine.

Better too Doomsday Machine than too dumb.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I would have dispensed with the whole Nexus thing altogether and would simply have had Soran as a long-lived villain who first fought with Kirk in the 23rd-Century and then later with Picard in the 24th-Century. He would ultimately become a bigger threat in the latter era, and endanger the survival of an entire Earth colony.

No Kirk actual meeting Picard, unfortunately, but it would be the movie which still featured both captains. There would be a scene where Picard would review Kirk's original report about Soran on a monitor screen, but that would be the only time the two captains are "together" at the same time. We never do actually find out what ultimately became of Kirk, however.

In the big climatic battle at the end, the Enterprise-D gets trashed big time, but still manages to somehow hold together long enough to defeat Soran and his accomplices, the Duras Sisters. The last scene is of the still severely damaged Enterprise-D sometime later in spacedock in preparation for a major refit and redesign for the next movie...

 

[Skywalker]

...I would write him out completely, along with any other TOS elements. TUC was an excellent swansong for the TOS cast, and TNG didn't need to waste one of their movies on a "passing the torch" story.

ETA: However, I do like C.E. Evans' idea.

 

[timelord1010]

How about this: Instead of Generations skip right to First Contact but have the Borg have just enough power to go back in time to the 23rd Century after Trek 6 to destroy or assimilate the Federation at a time when it has less advanced technology.
Kirk is battling the Borg in the Enterprise-A when the Enterprise-D comes thru and barely saves Kirk. The Borg head for Earth (they went back in time on the edge of Federation space) and the Enterprise-D splits in two again and destroys the Borg ship but loses the battle section. Picards crew think they are stranded but Kirk takes them to the Guardian of Forever where they return to the 24th century and transmit a signal to starfleet for rescue.
I know, a little fan boyish but it could have worked. But I do like the idea of ending TOS with Trek 6. That alone would have been much better than Kirk dying from a fall. If you are going to show Kirk die it should be on the bridge of a starship in battle.

 

[arch101]

I have to say showing Kirk living with Keeler in the past would have stolen the movie for me. Would it have been during WWII? With Keeler a bit older to match Kirk? If they had done that well Picard's scenes would have been nothing but a nuisance.
I thought Kirk was very true Generations, Shatner was excellent.

I'm beginning to like the Edith Keeler thing. Picard would have had a great argument when, after Kirk tells him he's been here and happy with Edith for years, Picard notes "how long HAS it been 1937? Don't you realize nothing changes here? It isn't real!"
Imagine, Kirk and Keeler, in their 70's, still living in 1937 exactly as they were in COTEOF. Wouldn't have been hard for Picard to shake Kirk out of it.
I just wish Shatner had slimmed down for the film. It's so sad that our last memory of Kirk is as a bloated old guy.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I just wish Shatner had slimmed down for the film. It's so sad that our last memory of Kirk is as a bloated old guy.

I believe this is the last we see of him:

Tragic.

He's still handsome to me in Generations, his personality lights up his whole face.

 

[The Mighty I]

The whole script needs major re-writes, but if I could only change a few things...

-Both Kirk and Harriman go down to main engineering to make the modifications to the navigational deflector. When the Nexus hits the side of the Enterprise, Harriman is killed, his body left behind and Kirk has disappeared.

-The rest of the movie happens pretty much as normal, but like I said I would have done some major re-writes. I definitely would have changed the setting where Kirk and Picard met, and they wouldn't have been on friggin' horses. That beind said, the one thing that definitely does not happen here is Kirk dying, but instead he lives fighting off Soran.

-With Kirk alive, Picard now informs him that history never recorded the disappearance of Captain James T. Kirk. Through some time traveling plot device (perhaps even the Nexus or the Guardian of Forever), he is sent back to his time and on board the Enterprise B.

-With repairs underway on the Enterprise B, Kirk, Chekov and Scotty (though I would have preferred Spock and Bones) look around at the new, young crew and how shaken up they are after the recent emergency. Scotty says something about how it's too bad they no longer have a Captain to lead them, when Kirk looks down at the captain's chair.

Kirk: I thought I was ready to give up starfleet...

Scotty: Captain, ye cannae be serious!

Or better yet, McCoy: You've got to be kidding me!

Kirk: Someone has to help this young crew make their first steps into the unknown so that 'the next generation' doesn't falter.

Chekov: Keptin, does this mean...

Kirk: (smirking) Five more years isn't going to kill me.

And then back to the future with the Enterprise D and the movie ends more or less the same (plenty of letters left in the alphabet).

Kirk lives, which makes the fans happy, plus they would have left it open to go back to Kirk if they ever needed to. Not only that, we get more novels and comics with the adventures of Kirk and the young Enterprise B crew.

 

[A beaker full of death]

Tragic.

He's still handsome to me in Generations, his personality lights up his whole face.

He looks a lot like he did in TOS in that pic.

 

[Gorn Captain]

I would change the ending. No bridge, no death at all. Kirk helps Picard defeat Soran, and Picard is giving a classic Star Trek mission successful valedictory speech/commentary and turns to Kirk, who has disappeared.

Is he back in the Nexus? Was he never there at all? Is it too much like the Twilight Zone? Maybe. But you could have had a memorial scene, or even a memorial service scene, where this is debated and someone (hopefully Spock) says that "there are always possibilities."

 

[Tiberius]

Let Kirk die battling Soran, so his death has meaning. Then Picard can stop the missiles and save the planet and his crew.

 

[T'Girl]

I would change the ending. No bridge, no death at all. Kirk helps Picard defeat Soran, and Picard is giving a classic Star Trek mission successful valedictory speech/commentary and turns to Kirk, who has disappeared.

Riker: "Soran had extensive surveillance equipment Captain."

Data: "I've access the entire record for the last two days, it shows Soran's arrival and later your own."

Picard: "And Kirk?"

Data: "I'm afraid sir that James Kirk was never on that mountain top."

Replays video image of the collapse of the bridge.

Riker: "Captain there was no one on that bridge."

 

[Captain Zog]

It would be the Romulans who ended up destroying the Enterprise-D (in alliance with the Duras sisters) and Kirk would would be killed in a much more dramatic way. Can't say how exactly, but it would be WAY cool.

 

[Admiral_Young]

I think I would have dropped the Duras sisters completely and have the Romulans working with Soran in exchange for giving them the Trilithium warheads or whatever was used to destroy the station. You could create a new Romulan Commander as a nemesis that maybe had some kind of connection to Sela and working with her faction against the Federation.

I like the Edith Keeler thing...she was considered Kirk's great lost love. Carol Marcus is also a possibility but then you'd have to recast both Kirk and Carol with younger versions maybe. As for Picard...his Nexus fantasy wasn't based on a past longing but a present one created or triggered by the death of his family. It reflected what he was going through with the deaths and Robert and Rene. I think that if a true Picard Nexus fantasy was written then we would have seen him with Beverley or perhaps Janice Manheim. It must have been a little difficult for Braga and Moore to come up with his fantasy since "Tapestry" already touched on that lost potential love with Marta.

 

[VOODOOXI]

I would re-write the film so he wasn't in it. He served no purpose except to be killed for no particular reason.