If You Could Rewrite "The Original Series" . . .

[JonnyQuest037]

Try a woman security chief.

Yeah, I totally should've included this on my list. A regular or semiregular security chief character would've been a great idea for TOS. I either would've used Giotto from "The Devil in the Dark" or introduced a new female character as security chief for variety's sake.

 

[Commishsleer]

As to Galactica, the show was supposed to be some TV movies, not a series, and as such some of the characters weren't supposed to be regulars, including Serena and Cassiopeia, both of whom weren't supposed to survive the first movie (albeit Serena bit it in the subsequent one). Athena was supposed to be the female lead, but they never figured out what to do with her other than to have a rivalry with Cassiopeia, and Maren Jensen was quietly removed from the show. Once they made Cassiopeia a regular they immediately ditched the "socialator" profession and she was henceforth a no-nonsense medtech who even got into the action when she forced her way onto the ground attack team in "The Living Legend". Never saw Chapel do that. Sheba was a much stronger character and an equal to the boys in most regards, which, again, you can't say about any of the regular female characters of TOS. Yes, the whole "girl pilots' thing in the second movie was beyond dumb, but no dumber than Bones going on about how women will settle down and leave the service. Yes, they fell into the old trap of having the women in love with the male leads, but then so did Chapel. So I'm not arguing that BSG was progressive, but it wasn't as dire in female character portrayal as all that.

I just remember original BSG as being terribly sexist even when the girl pilots came along. That stuff just angered me (in a feminist way). Sheba was OK - I couldn't remember her name but she was another Admirals daughter and was again in love with one of the male leads.

You reminded me about Chapel though. I think it would improve TOS if they just made Chapel act normal. Either not have a schoolgirl crush on Spock or just not act like such an idiot around him. That was just terribly embarrassing. Majel was just too old to have a schoolgirl crush. Likewise Rand with Kirk. I think Rand had more potential than any of the other female characters to kick ass and take names if permitted.

 

[The Old Mixer]

and there were a few others that do not immediately come to mind.

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[1001001]

More Spocko!

 

[Takeru]

Miniskirts were actually seen as a sign of women's liberation rather than male oppression in the mid 60s. In fact, Grace Lee Whitney and Nichelle Nichols were the big advocates for changing the women's uniforms from pants to a miniskirt. They were women, and they wanted to look like them.

I don't really care about Nichelle Nichols and Grace Lee Whitney's opinions on that matter, this is about how I would rewrite it not them. If the opinions of the people involved mattered this entire thread is pointless because every change can be dismissed with "So and so back then thought otherwise".
And keep in mind that I am okay with the skirt as long as a similar option exists for men.

Women's liberation is a good thing but that's not why the show did it, come on. They may have used it as an excuse but the real reason was that sex sells.

 

[T'Bonz]

Hmmm...dump the miniskirt. I never liked when the women's panties were exposed.

Chapel should have been a doctor, not a subservient nurse.

Uhura should have been helmsman or something other than telephone operator.

That scene were Yeoman Rand was almost raped by Kirk and later Spock jokes about it. GONE.

No women would have clutched a male when danger threatened, or would have said, "I'm frightened."

 

[Tenacity]

Star Trek without Nimoy wouldn't have been less, but for the sake of change. Have Roddenberry recast the role of Number One (while losing that name) and have Kirk with a female first officer. Maybe have her as the Vulcan, combining Barret and Nimoy. Never have her as a love interest of Kirk, and never a damsel in destress.

Keep the mini's.

Keep Yeoman Rand for TOS' full run, keep the original idea that she would be about Kirk's age (Whitney iirc was older than Shatner), and he would consider her a confinant. Increase her confidence level and lose the hair-doo.

Obvious enlist crewmembers. Including Sulu, Uhura, Chapel.

Chekov is a midshipman in his "summer cruise" from the academy, he graduates to ensign while on the ship.

Kirk gets to kill two computers, tops.

Security is altered to be unambigiously Star-marines a separate branch from Star-fleet (not Starfleet marines). Uniforms somewhat different than Star-fleet's. while there's a lieutenant, usually we see a seargent who is basically Hicks from the Aliens movie.

Thicken up McCoy's southern accent, the ladies love a southern accent.

Lose "speed of plot." put a big piece of butcher block paper on the wall where the writers work and provide them with a ruler on a string nailed to the wall. Yeah it's two dimentional, but it would probably make more sense.

 

[Balok's Decoy]

Hmmm...dump the miniskirt. I never liked when the women's panties were exposed.

Chapel should have been a doctor, not a subservient nurse.

Uhura should have been helmsman or something other than telephone operator.

That scene were Yeoman Rand was almost raped by Kirk and later Spock jokes about it. GONE.

No women would have clutched a male when danger threatened, or would have said, "I'm frightened."

All of this.

And I'd add creating larger plot arcs and developing the characters over the course of the series.

 

[alensatemybuick1]

Pure hubris

 

[Balok's Decoy]

More Spocko!

View attachment 4434

Now that's a Star Trek!

 

[UssGlenn]

And it'd be neat to see the idea that DeForest Kelly and Nichelle Nichols wanted to do, and visit a planet where white people were subservient to black people.

So that's where Mad Men got Paul Kinsey's script idea from.

 

[Shawnster]

I

Uhura should have been helmsman or something other than telephone operator.

So, from telephone operator to chauffeur?

 

[apepa]

Obviously get rid of some of the ideas that were "of its time" with regards to women and science. Eliminate the inconsistencies in backstory and what the ship can do as well.

The biggest change I'd make otherwise would be to make it more serialised like a modern show. Get rid of some of the weaker episodes/stories, and see about extending some of the stronger ones into multi-episode arcs. More character development over the series. DS9 showed the way in that regard.

 

[Pauln6]

I just remember original BSG as being terribly sexist even when the girl pilots came along. That stuff just angered me (in a feminist way). Sheba was OK - I couldn't remember her name but she was another Admirals daughter and was again in love with one of the male leads.

You reminded me about Chapel though. I think it would improve TOS if they just made Chapel act normal. Either not have a schoolgirl crush on Spock or just not act like such an idiot around him. That was just terribly embarrassing. Majel was just too old to have a schoolgirl crush. Likewise Rand with Kirk. I think Rand had more potential than any of the other female characters to kick ass and take names if permitted.

The novelization of the bsg movie is an interesting read. Cassiopeia in particular is a stronger character, even being appalled when trying to fight her way out of the Ovion catacombs because the fake colonial warriors have fake pistols. I wish they'd had the guts to keep her as a prostitute in the show. Caprica Six is essentially a Cassiopeia reboot and she was awesome.

But for sure, I wish TOS had given its female crew a fairer share of the Action. I wish Rand had been a recurring character in all three seasons, I wish Chapel has been a biologist instead of a nurse, I wish we'd got more alien crew, and I wish we'd got a few two parters.

 

[Maurice]

So that's where Mad Men got Paul Kinsey's script idea from.

No, it was an actual script by Barry Trivers called "Portrait In Black and White" and it was rightfully shitcanned. Despite what people think, that story had nothing to do with "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield".

 

[JonnyQuest037]

You reminded me about Chapel though. I think it would improve TOS if they just made Chapel act normal. Either not have a schoolgirl crush on Spock or just not act like such an idiot around him. That was just terribly embarrassing. Majel was just too old to have a schoolgirl crush.

God, the Chapel/Spock scenes just drive me nuts whenever I watch TOS episodes today. Every one is just Chapel mooning over Spock, who can't return her feelings because he's supressed all of his emotions. There's never any progression or development, just that same character beat over and over. Yep, got it. I got the first 10 times you did it. I got it when you did it with Jill Ireland in "This Side Of Paradise," and she was a much better actress than Majel Barrett ever was. Can we please move on and spend this time on anything else short of Frank Gorshin running through the halls for four minutes?

I don't really care about Nichelle Nichols and Grace Lee Whitney's opinions on that matter, this is about how I would rewrite it not them. If the opinions of the people involved mattered this entire thread is pointless because every change can be dismissed with "So and so back then thought otherwise".

Oh, silly me for trying to provide a bit of historical context that I thought might be interesting. Carry on.

 

[Willsky7]

The first thing I would change about the third season would be all of the Spock falls in love stories. In multiple episodes Spock gets the hots for some scantily clad chick, but otherwise acts normal. This is possible the most out of character thing Spock could do.

 

[apepa]

God, the Chapel/Spock scenes just drive me nuts whenever I watch TOS episodes today. Every one is just Chapel mooning over Spock, who can't return her feelings because he's supressed all of his emotions. There's never any progression or development, just that same character beat over and over. Yep, got it. I got the first 10 times you did it. I got it when you did it with Jill Ireland in "This Side Of Paradise," and she was a much better actress than Majel Barrett ever was. Can we please move on and spend this time on anything else short of Frank Gorshin running through the halls for four minutes?

This is one of Star Trek's biggest flaws in general. Save DS9 and one season of Discovery, there are seldom any consequences to the regular characters from episode to episode. And TOS was the worst for it. At least they did an (underrated) episode where Picard deals with the trauma of being assimilated. Kirk basically kills the love of his life and it's never mentioned again.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

This is one of Star Trek's biggest flaws in general. Save DS9 and one season of Discovery, there are seldom any consequences to the regular characters from episode to episode. And TOS was the worst for it. At least they did an (underrated) episode where Picard deals with the trauma of being assimilated. Kirk basically kills the love of his life and it's never mentioned again.

Well, that's just how they made television back in the 60s. But what I meant was that even in the context of TOS's standalone episodes, you could still see the evolution of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy's relationships with each other. But not so with Spock and Chapel. It was just the same note on a toy piano, plunked over and over again. No variation, no evolution. It was boring.

 

[Pauln6]

Well, that's just how they made television back in the 60s. But what I meant was that even in the context of TOS's standalone episodes, you could still see the evolution of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy's relationships with each other. But not so with Spock and Chapel. It was just the same note on a toy piano, plunked over and over again. No variation, no evolution. It was boring.

After she merged with Spock's consciousness, they missed an opportunity to add a new dimension to their relationship.