If You Were the Creator of TOS, What Would You Have Done Differently?

[Praetor]

Don't stone me for being a heretic, but I thought since there was a thread like this for all the other shows, we might as well join in the fun. I know there's not a whole lot you can do differently to improve the sacred cow, but imagine for a moment you're Gene Roddenberry. You're figuring out what this 'Wagon Train to the Stars' is going to be like. What would your crew have been like? What would your ship have been like? I encourage you to use dropped plot elements or characters as well as come up with your own ideas. And remember, it's the 60s.

My take, set in 2165, approximately 200 years in the 'future.'

The ship:
U.S.S. Yorktown -
Starship-class (a term referring to its size and range, not a particular design) vessel charged with patrol and exploration on the outer realms of Federation space. The Federation is a looser alliance of sovereign member worlds, more like the United Nations. The Yorktown is an Earth ship, and as such operates under the joint authority of the United Earth Space Probe Agency (a combined military-exploration service that has its roots in a multi-national NASA) and the Federation Starfleet (a NATO-type force comprised of rotating forces from various members' militaries.) Technically, the Yorktown crew are UESPA officers, not Starfleet officers. Some UESPA missions are allowed to override Starfleet missions, and vice versa.

The Yorktown is 474 feet long and carries a crew of 203. It is comprised of a saucer section, cigar-shaped secondary hull, and twin outboard 'warp power units' which not only generate the ship's main power via a small matter/antimatter reactor in each, but also provide the ship's ability to warp space, allowing faster than light travel without time dilation effects. Power from the twin engines is routed via their support pylons into the secondary hull, where converters channel this into electrical energy for the ship (meaning no warp core in the hull.) Sublight power is provided by 'impulse engines,' Newtonian rockets which operate from fusion-derived power. These fusion reactors may also power the ship in an emergency for a limited time. Impulse engines may also provide near-lighstpeed velocity in an emergency, with a danger of time dilation. Being assigned to isolated long range missions, the Yorktown is supplied to provide for basic needs of the crew and efficiently recycle its waste, but features little more than basic rest facilities. As such, shore leave on inhabitable planets is key to maintaining crew rest and morale. The ship's weapons consist of 'ace (amplified coherent energy) guns' which are also carried as sidearms, as well as 'photon torpedoes' which are largely unavoidable and carry a small combination of matter and antimatter for devastating kill-shots.

Main Crew:
Captain Robert T. April (Jack Lord)
April is a veteran of UESPA service and a maverick captain, having served with distinction on various ships. This is not his first command, having first served as commander of two smaller ships, the first a small corvette when he was a Lieutenant Commander. April is brave, headstrong, and a leader by deed as well as word. His very persona exudes confidence. April has a wife and children back home, and he can occasionally be seen recording messages for them, or listening to their own messages.

1st Officer/Helmsman Cmmdr. Elizabeth Morgan (Majel Barrett)
The ship's first officer and helmsman, as well as the most experienced officer aboard next to April, she is April's 'Number One.' Morgan is native to the Earth colony Cygnet XIV, founded prior to development of warp drive, whose culture developed in the interim as a matriarchy. As such, Morgan is a fair representative of her civilization but seems somehow out of place aboard the ship's equally headstrong men. Morgan is normally left in command when the Captain leads landing parties, and is always responsible for the security of the ship's mission and the safety of her crew. Morgan is secretly interested in Engineer Pike, a fact she would surely never reveal. Indeed, as member of one of her world's most prominent families, she is expected to return to Cygnet at some point to complete an arranged marriage.

2nd Officer/Engineer Lt. Cmmdr. Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter)
A thoughtful, somewhat introverted officer who has his eye on getting a command of his own but is content for now to be April's engineer. Pike grew up in Mojave (a former desert) on Earth, always longing to see the unknown. He is relentlessly curious, and something of a bookworm, but nonetheless brave and dedicated. He is probably the ship's ladies' man.

Chief Surgeon Lt. Cmmdr Philip Boyce (DeForest Kelley)
A cantankerous former practicing doctor and friend to the captain. He leaves a wife and adult daughter behind, and sought the space service after feeling that Earth-bound medicine lacked any challenge for him. He distrusts anything 'new' and believes fundamentally in the power of the human will. He has a bantering but respectful relationship with Mister Spock, and is close friends with all of his superior officers.

Science Officer Lt. Spock (Mark Lenard)
A native of the planet Vulcania, Spock is one of few aliens to join the Earth UESPA, owing perhaps to being 1/8th human himself. His devilish appearance and slightly reddish complexion belies his relatively calm demeanor. Though relatively young, Spock is perhaps the most knowlegeable man aboard. Most people from Vulcania are known for their logical minds, however logical does not mean emotionless. A young man is still a young man, and Spock is known for his occasional excited outbursts.

Rotating Crew (Day Players):
Communications Chief Lt. Montgomery Scott (James Doohan)
A Scottsman as the name might imply, 'Scotty' is an elder master of various technologies and a product of the engineering programs of UESPA, but has proven particularly adept as a linguistics and as a communications specialist. He has shown a proven record of deciphering enemy transmissions and inventing clever new uses of the ship's radios to break through barriers, both physical and cultural. As a frequent visitor to the engine rooms, he is a close friend of Pike, and a drinking pal of Boyce.

Navigator Lt. Isoroku Sulu (George Takei)
An astrophysicist who wears a blue division tunic, Sulu usually sits opposite Number One at the helm console, tracking the ship's course and speed relative to known space. Inherently curious, Sulu is a man of many talents and hobbies, and also extremely knowlegeable when it comes to spatial phenomena. Sulu is also responsible for relaying orders (via his control panel) for the firing of the ship's weapons.

Yeoman Upenda Uhura (Nichelle Nichols)
The Captain's yeoman, following the naval tradition. Captain April was initially uncomfortable with having a female yeoman for modesty reasons, given their close interaction but has since come to respect and admire the young officer. Uhura is gifted in song, and often serenades the crew in her off time, sometimes accompanied by the musical talents of Chekhov.

Security Chief Jose Tyler (John Saxon)
The ship's resident Latin hothead, Tyler inherited his Brazilian mother's legendary temper and is just as quick to act when necessary. He (or occasionally one of his men) usually accompanies the Captain on landing teams to ensure his safety.

Relief Science Officer Piotr Chekhov (Peter Duel)
When Spock is away from his station, young Russian genius Chekhov is responsible for the manning of the ship's sensor scopes. Chekhov is a proud Russian, who often references being a descendant of the famed author Anton Chekhov. He is talented at playing several different musical instruments, including the Vulcanian lyre, a subject which has allowed a bond to form between himself and his superior science officer.

Chief Nurse Janice Rand (Sally Kellerman)
Boyce's head nurse, who holds a possibly requited attraction to Mister Spock.

 

[JustKate]

Re: If You Were the Creator of TOS, What Would You Have Done Different

Oh, Praetor, not Jack Lord! Gosh, but I HATE that guy! How about...ooh, maybe Robert Vaughn? He always had a certain edge that I liked. Or Patrick McGoohan?

I'd like to suggest a woman because even in the 1960s, surely people knew better than to think women were incapable of command, but I'll compromise on first officer.

But for goodness sake, can't we get women in real uniforms? I mean, yeah, I know women wore miniskirts in the 1960s, I know I know I know I know, but I happen to know for a fact that they also wore pants. Heck, weren't there things called maxi-skirts (to the ankle) and midi-skirts (mid-calf), too?

 

[Praetor]

Re: If You Were the Creator of TOS, What Would You Have Done Different

I had no idea Lord was hated. (Although I've never cared for Hawaii 5-0 either.) He was apparently considered in real life, as were Lloyd Bridges and a couple others who escape me at the moment. McGoohan could be good too, especially as some folks make April a Brit, which had Trek done so, might seem to feed off 'Bondmania.'

As an alternate, how about Peter Graves (if they could snag him before MI?) He would actually be more what I had in mind when writing up the character.

And I neglected to mention that I would keep the 'Cage' uniforms (with pants for the ladies) but use the series uniform colors, and the 'Where No Man Has Gone Before' color scheme for the ship and look of the bridge.

 

[JustKate]

Re: If You Were the Creator of TOS, What Would You Have Done Different

I don't know that I knew he was hated (although now that you mention it, I seem to have a very dim recollection that he was not Hollywood's favorite guy). All I know is I dislike him intensely. Not even sure why, but let's just say that I'm not planning on buying DVDs of Hawaii 5-0, assuming they are available.

Peter Graves would be cool -- very authoritative, very controlled. He's very good looking, too, which a quality I appreciate in a captain , but I don't know...somebody a bit less conventional looking would be a nice change of pace, because I do get tired of pretty boys -- I like a man who doesn't look like a model. Anyway, it would be a shame if the captain in the revised TOS got the girl almost all the time the way Kirk did.

 

[Praetor]

Re: If You Were the Creator of TOS, What Would You Have Done Different

Peter Graves I think is good looking in an unusual way, and that's why it would work. Also, that's why I married April off so he couldn't get the girl and it would be up to Engineer Pike.

 

[JustKate]

Re: If You Were the Creator of TOS, What Would You Have Done Different

Oh, I forgot the married part. OK, I take it back. Graves it is.

Speaking of Graves, you know who else would make a great first officer? Barbara Bain. And she could handle Pike (or Kirk, for that matter -- or pretty much anybody else, I'd say) with one hand tied behind her back, which would be a lot of fun to watch.

 

[Vance]

Re: If You Were the Creator of TOS, What Would You Have Done Different

But for goodness sake, can't we get women in real uniforms? I mean, yeah, I know women wore miniskirts in the 1960s, I know I know I know I know, but I happen to know for a fact that they also wore pants. Heck, weren't there things called maxi-skirts (to the ankle) and midi-skirts (mid-calf), too?

*laughs*

The women on the show always had the option of the skirts or the pants, and almost universally went for the skirts. These are actresses, after all (or dancers, in several cases) and LIKED to show off their legs, and ass. And the 1960s were about sexual liberation for women, not the brand of feminism we have today.

Despite that, though, there were actually women on the show that did keep to the pants.

 

[number6]

Re: If You Were the Creator of TOS, What Would You Have Done Different

IIRC, Jack Lord was considered for the show's lead but dropped when he demanded 50% ownership of the show.

 

[JustKate]

Re: If You Were the Creator of TOS, What Would You Have Done Different

*laughs*

The women on the show always had the option of the skirts or the pants, and almost universally went for the skirts. These are actresses, after all (or dancers, in several cases) and LIKED to show off their legs, and ass. And the 1960s were about sexual liberation for women, not the brand of feminism we have today.

Despite that, though, there were actually women on the show that did keep to the pants.

You laugh at me, sir? I am hurt.

Not really.

Yes, I've heard all that, and in fact I've read at least one interview with Nichelle Nichols where she says the same thing. No doubt it is at least somewhat true. (Although I suspect they also wore short skirts because, let's face it, TPTB wanted them to. There is an element of "Oh, it's not our fault, goodness gracious heavens to betsy NO!" to that explanation that has always sounded just a bit -- only a bit -- too pat to me.)

But even if it is true, I don't care. I mean, they didn't wear short skirts when they acted in Westerns or Civil War dramas, right? They wore the dang costumes they were told to wear, even if they were dancers with great legs. So if they'd been told to wear slacks, that's what they would have worn. That was their job.

No doubt many women who served in the U.S. Navy or Army during the sixties wanted to show off their legs, too, but they didn't, sexual liberation or no sexual liberation. They had to wear uniforms, and the uniforms required them to cover a portion of their legs, and so they wore what they were told to. That was their job.

Besides, I've seen lots of shows from the 1960s, and while women wear shorter skirts, almost nobody wears skirts that short. Barbara Bain didn't in MI, for example, and in her day she was -- take it from me, a dedicated clothes junky (at least I would be, if I had a larger closet) -- absolutely the height of chic. Ooh, and so was Diana Rigg in The Avengers. She may have worn a plether catsuit, but her skirts were just a couple of inches above her knee, and Mrs. Peel was also tres chic.

I mean, we're talking about how we'd reimagine the show, right? So, if I were able to wave my Trek wand, I'd add a member of the production team who is influential enough and has guts enough to say, "It's ridiculous to imagine that professional officers in the future would dress that way. You're going to look like a professional whether you like it or not."

There. Sorry to be so shy about expressing my opinion.

 

[Admiral2]

Re: If You Were the Creator of TOS, What Would You Have Done Different

Don't stone me for being a heretic, but I thought since there was a thread like this for all the other shows, we might as well join in the fun. I know there's not a whole lot you can do differently to improve the sacred cow, but imagine for a moment you're Gene Roddenberry. You're figuring out what this 'Wagon Train to the Stars' is going to be like. What would your crew have been like? What would your ship have been like?

-I would have kept Christopher Pike as captain and begged Jeffrey Hunter to keep playing him.

-I would have kept Number One and kept Majel Barret as her portrayer. In fact, it would generally be the crew from "The Cage", except:

-There would be no Spock and no Federation (because I have yet to be convinced that Humanity needs alien help to reach the stars).

-Starfleet would be a military organization. Period. End of story.

-Everybody would wear pants. Period. End of story.

-The ship would have the amount of surface detail Matt Jefferies wanted, not what the canon ship ended up having.

Essentially, It would be the sixties version of this:

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2767934/1/The_God_Machine

 

[Praetor]

Re: If You Were the Creator of TOS, What Would You Have Done Different

IIRC, Jack Lord was considered for the show's lead but dropped when he demanded 50% ownership of the show.

Huh, I never knew that. I knew he was dropped of course but I didn't know why.

And Barbara Bain as Number One would be nice too. Or Diana Rigg.

 

[T'Bonz]

Re: If You Were the Creator of TOS, What Would You Have Done Different

I agree with JustKate. The microminis with the little panties was just ridiculous and unprofessional. OK for date night or time off, but not for on the job.

What would I have done differently? Hmmm....rejected a few stories, like This Side of Paradise, The Paradise Syndrome, Way to Eden, Cloud Minders, Spock's Brain, etc. and replaced them with stories of the same caliber as Tholian Web, Doomsday Machine, etc.

This will bring howls of protest (sorry guys,) but the design of the ships would have changed. It was too easy to slice off the pylons and lose a warp nacelle in battle. The ship looks pretty, but I feel that the design would have worked against it in battle.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Re: If You Were the Creator of TOS, What Would You Have Done Different

Ideas I had for a TOS prequel, but I guess it works in this context too. Casting added to reflect the era

CAPTAIN ROBERT APRIL (William Shatner)- April was born on the New Tasmania Colony. New Tasmania is rich in dilithium and April’s family worked in the mines hoping to strike it rich. At seventeen April signed up with Starfleet as a means to escape the colony and after fourteen years had risen to the rank of chief petty officer. While April was serving aboard the USS Apollo, the ship’s commander was injured and the senior officers were killed during a skirmish with a Klingon vessel. The captain gave Chief April a battlefield promotion to lieutenant and placed him in command. April defeated the Klingons and got the ship to safety. Afterwards April was sent to Officer’s Candidate School and received a commission. As an officer, April served on a variety of ships, eventually commanding the USS Sequoia, his last assignment before the Enterprise.
April is the first officer to command a Starship who did not graduate from the Academy. His command style is a bit unorthodox by Academy standards. He’s a very hands on type of commander, preferring to be in the middle of the action and forging one on one relationships with his crew. If there’s a problem he’s more likely to roll up his sleeves and pitch in rather than stand around delegating. Not being an Academy man, he’s not part of the “old boy network” and many of his fellow officers view him as an outsider.

COMMANDER HIRO NOGURA (James Shigeta)- Nogura is the ship's First Officer. His family can trace their history of military service back to Japanese samurai warriors. His grandmother was a member of Starfleet Academy’s first graduating class in 2165. His mother and father are former Starfleet officers and currently serve in the governments of the Federation and Earth. They look upon Starfleet as a stepping stone to a political career and have groomed Hiro for a future in government. He is torn between doing what his family wants or following his own desires and staying in Starfleet.
Nogura is a by the book officer, who is at times shocked by April’s unorthodox decision making. April values his advice, even if he doesn't always follow it. A workaholic, Nogura takes great pride in a well-run ship and a highly competent crew. The crew see him as tough but fair. Nogura is skilled in diplomacy and is a regular landing party member. He was born on Starbase 4, but was raised in Paris, France on Earth.

LT. COMMANDER ZLEV (Leonard Nimoy)- Zlev, an Andorian, is the ship’s tactical/security officer. He served with April aboard the Sequoia and was April’s first choice as First Officer, but was overruled by Starfleet Command. He also serves as the ship’s second officer. A member of the Andorian warrior caste, Zlev is an expert in the martial arts and master of weapons ranging from a sling shot to a laser cannon. He is also an accomplished poet and musician. Slender and soft spoken, he is often underestimated by opponents unfamiliar with Andorians.
Like all Andorians Zlev was part of a group called a triad, the other two members of his triad were, killed leaving Zlev alone. This is what prompted Zlev to join Starfleet.

LT. COMMANDER SAHAR GOLDMAN (Diahann Carroll)- Goldman is head of the science department and serves as Science Officer and Ship’s Surgeon. A child prodigy, Goldman graduated medical school at the age of sixteen and went on to earn degrees in physics, biology, astronomy, psychology and chemistry. Finding life on Earth unchallenging she enrolled in Starfleet Academy, hoping that the exploration of space would fulfill her needs. She has thrived in the environment of Starfleet, where she can use her skills and knowledge at their utmost levels. An expert in xenobiology, she is a member of all first contact landing parties. She has assumed a mentoring role with Lt. Garcia, with whom she feels a certain empathy and Ensign Llewellyn who needs to focus her boundless energy. April values her vast scientific knowledge, though they often clash on a personal level. Goldman was born in the Middle East on Earth and is primarily of Ethiopian/Israeli decent. Her ancestors immigrated to Israel in the late 20th Century and were believed to be a “lost tribe”.

LT. CHRISTOPHER PIKE (Gary Lockwood)- Pike is the ship’s helmsman and is one of a new breed of officers who admire April and other “wild card” commanders. He is a protégé of April's, who feels he will make an excellent senior officer-if he can learn to trust his instincts. His abilities and devotion to duty has earned the respect of Nogura and Zlev. Moqs treats him and most junior officers like he was fresh out of the academy. Pike is willing to risk his life to safe guard the captain, the ship or a fellow crew member, but is not foolhardy. Focused on his career, he is oblivious to the fact that many crew members find him attractive, including Lt. Garcia and Ensign Llewyllen. Pike was born in the town of Mojave on Earth.

CHIEF MOQS (James Doohan)- Moqs is from Tellar and is April’s oldest friend. They have served together on various ships, including the Apollo and the Sequoia. The senior chief in engineering, Moqs pretty much runs the department for the Engineering Officer, who prefers administrative type duties. One of the positions Moqs has held in his long career in Starfleet was a drill instructor at Starfleet’s boot camp for enlisted personnel at Parris Island. He runs his department like a boot camp and many crew members view temporary duty in engineering as something to be avoided.

LIEUTENANT j.g. MARGARET “Maggie” GARCIA (Raquel Welch)- Garcia is in charge of communications and operations (comm/ops) for the ship. Tall and muscular she tends to stand out in a crowd, but is actually very shy.. Her ancestors were the genetically enhanced “supermen” who started the Eugenics Wars. She is smarter, faster and stronger than the average human, but she tries to hide this by acting clumsy and being quiet. Maggie is part of a program, headed by Dr. Goldman, to integrate Eugenics with main stream humans. Like many Eugenics, Maggie takes drugs to control the various psychosis caused by enhancement. Dr. Goldman feels a certain empathy with Maggie and was instrumental in getting her assigned to the Enterprise. Zlev is impressed by Maggie’s physical abilities and keeps trying to recruit her into security. He is puzzled by the negative reactions humans have towards Eugenics. His people have always practiced a form of eugenics. Her roommate is Ensign Llwellyn, who is constantly trying to “bring her out of her shell”. April finds the presence of a Eugenic in his crew to be unsettling. His ancestors, like most humans, suffered greatly at the hands of the Eugenics during the war. Garcia, like many women on board has a crush on Pike. Pike views her as a highly competent fellow officer.
Garcia was born in Mexico on Earth. She is or will become “Number One” from the TOS pilot “The Cage”.

ENSIGN GUINEVERE “Lou” LLWELLYN (Andrea Dromm)- Llwellyn is the ship’s navigation officer. Fresh out of the Academy, the Enterprise is her first assignment. She is outgoing, enthusiastic and eager to please. She is in awe of Captain April and has a crush on Pike. Curious about non-human cultures she often crosses the line of tactfulness with Zlev, Moqs and other aliens on board. April, Nogura and Goldman are trying to focus her energy. A "Starfleet brat", Llwellyn was born in space and has lived on various colony worlds, starbases and alien planets. Her four years at the academy were the longest time she has spent on one planet. Her mother is an admiral, currently assigned to Starfleet Headquarters.

 

[JustKate]

Re: If You Were the Creator of TOS, What Would You Have Done Different

^I've just got to ask: How in the world did you pull up the town of Mojave, which is (1) quite obscure, but (2) happens to be pretty close (by California desert standards) to my hometown in California?

 

[Nerys Myk]

Re: If You Were the Creator of TOS, What Would You Have Done Different

Part of the canon (or TEH CANNON!) as established in "The Cage"

 

[Red Ranger]

Re: If You Were the Creator of TOS, What Would You Have Done Different

Praetor, you beat me to creating an "Alternate TOS" thread, kinda, because it almost feels like sacrilege to toy with the original! (I'll have to give this some more thought, though, before I post an alternate crew).

I think I would have only made minor changes, for example, I would've added a security chief as a regular character, maybe even promote Sulu to the post, as he was security chief in the mirror universe. And I like the idea of red as the command color, so Kirk, Sulu and Chekov would be in red, while Scotty and Uhura would be in green, not gold.

As for female crew members wearing pants, aside from the first two pilots, the only other time I recall seeing a female crew member wearing pants was in Charlie X, when he turns the young red-head crew member into an old woman. If anyone can cite other instances, please do.

Red Ranger

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Re: If You Were the Creator of TOS, What Would You Have Done Different

I'm currently outta town and occupied, but I do have a few ideas that I'll flesh out when I get back. I will say this, three names come to mind for actors -- Robert Culp, Percy Rodriguez, and Martin Landu.

 

[Praetor]

Re: If You Were the Creator of TOS, What Would You Have Done Different

T'Bonz, I agree another design would have rocked. I considered specifying a new design in my take but couldn't quite bring myself to do it. I did feel a smaller ship added to the drama, however. I think from a keelup perspective, I would have based it on a combo of shapes from this Jefferies sketch (a personal fave):

Red Ranger, I had wondered if you had thought of creating one for TOS. As you can tell, some of the cast members (particularly the deceased ones) I had a hard time trying to lose. I thought a security chief as a secondary cast member and semi-regular away team addition was a good idea myself, and John Saxon is too awesome to have not used.

Nerys Myk, those are some awesome ideas! You might be able to tell, I started running out of creativity as I went along and fled back to the safety of the original cast, but you really did a good job recasting and creating fresh characters. I'm curious to know your original casting when you envisioned it as a prequel?

I'm currently outta town and occupied, but I do have a few ideas that I'll flesh out when I get back. I will say this, three names come to mind for actors -- Robert Culp, Percy Rodriguez, and Martin Landu.

I like it already.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Re: If You Were the Creator of TOS, What Would You Have Done Different

Nerys Myk, those are some awesome ideas! You might be able to tell, I started running out of creativity as I went along and fled back to the safety of the original cast, but you really did a good job recasting and creating fresh characters. I'm curious to know your original casting when you envisioned it as a prequel?

I had Sam Neill in mind when I "created" April. He was the only person I cast.

 

[Neopeius]

Re: If You Were the Creator of TOS, What Would You Have Done Different

Just two things I would change:

1) No falling out of chairs, no jiggling of cameras. Artificial gravity works or it doesn't.

2) No beaming down to the planet of senior officers except under extreme circumstances. Instead, a crack "contact team", perhaps in purple shirts, would do the investigating. You'd end up with more of a split cast show, but it would make more sense and there'd be more potential ultimately.