Lower Decks that might have been...

[Arpy]

Youtube channel Target Audience just reacted to TNG’s “Lower Decks” and they loved it. I enjoy watching them experience Star Trek for the first time, in airdate order, and think about what it must have been like for myself watching it for the first time (so much of that time I’ve forgotten) just taking it in, loving it, before it became this bigger pastime for me. Just a great show I was genuinely engaged with. One thing I didn’t know was that Ben the waiter’s role was originally supposed to be Guinan but Whoopi Goldberg wasn’t available. It would have been such a different episode. Another thought they had was what if the show evolved into this its last seasons, where the main cast (who were looking to move on) guested? Might have been interesting. Lots of other places on the ship to explore as well that maybe they’d build new sets for (stellar cartography?) if the show went on another few seasons.

I’ve been thinking of a “lower decks” last few seasons on TNG and who might have starred/guested on it. Presumably, like in the episode, most of the characters would be new, but some that come to mind include:

1. Ogawa
2. Powell — Ogawa’s fiancé
3. Lavelle
4. Taurik
5. Vorik — Taurik's twin brother on VOY. Funnily enough, I thought the actor had Taurik down but Vorik needed work
6. Ben
7. Guinan and others on her staff
8. Ro
9. O’Brien
10. Keiko
11. Molly
12. Barclay
13. Robin Lefler
14. Mr. Mott and his all-Bolian barber shop
15. Minuet and other holograms
16. Gates — background extra/helm
17. Lt. Jae — background extra
18. Christy Henshaw — Geordi’s ex “Transfigurations”
19. Jenna Sora — Data’s ex “In Theory”
20. Guisi — played by a Huxtable kid on The Cosby Show, at ops in “Gambit”
21. Brossmer — middle aged transporter chief in “The Next Phase”
22. Duffy — engineer “Hollow Pursuits”
23. Sutter — the father from “Imaginary Friend”
24. Lt. Nara — alien in charge of nacelle room “Eye of the Beholder”
25. Sonya Gomez — engineer, spilled a drink on Picard in “Q Who”
26. Lt. Cmdr. Argyle — engineer “Where No One Has Gone Before”
27. Robinson — Teri Hatcher “The Outrageous Okona”
28. Barnaby — tactical “Descent”
29. Kaminer — abductee “Schisms”
30. Peeples — creeped out ensign “Night Terrors”
31. Troi’s boytoy — “Man of the People”
32. Dr. Selar — “The Schizoid Man”

…needs more aliens. We maybe saw the first Ferengi in Starfleet in “Future Imperfect” and the first Cardassian in “Parallels.” No reason some of them can’t show up here, though maybe we leave the first Ferengi bit for Nog on DS9. Or how about that Bolian in the gold uniform Samuel Clemens was startled by? Or maybe the series takes a shot at a Federation founding species Andorian or Tellarite — must be some somewhere on the flagship. Nevermind the dolphins…offscreen storyline with them, like chef on ENT or the ever weirder alien Vilix’pran on DS9?