Pitch a Better Movie

[Nerys Myk]

We all have Trek films we're underwhelmed by. Films that somehow missed the mark. So here is your chance to make a better film. You're in the executive offices of Paramount and you have the power. Pitch your flick.

My pitch is for Generations. This was supposed to be the handoff from TOS to TNG and somehow they fumbled the play.

The limited the action of the TOS crew. Which, IICR is why Nimoy said no. Not sure why Dee passed. So we wound up with Doohan and Koenig in what amounted to cameos. Nimoy also turned down the chance to direct because problems he found with the script.

No fanboy beauty shot of the the A and D. These were (and are) the two most iconic ships in the Franchise. Not seeing them together is a missed opportunity. The B just doesn't cut it.

The villains weren't all that compelling

Yesterday's Enterprise should have been the template

Give it a budget that can accommodate both casts and give Nimoy the director's chair and more creative control.

The Pitch

Taking a cue from the end of TUC (" This is the final cruise of the Starship Enterprise under my command. This ship and her history will shortly become the care of another crew.") The Enterprise-A is headed to Earth where the command crew will move on to other assignments.

Kirk has been promoted to Admiral so he can retire at that rank.
Spock has resigned his commission to accept a full time position in the Federation Diplomatic Corps
McCoy is headed back to Georgia to truly become an "old country doctor".
Sulu is still Captain of the Excelsior and is on board for the hand off to a new crew that includes his daughter, Demora.
Scotty has bought a boat and is looking into places to sail it.
Uhura has accepted a teaching position at Starfleet Academy.
Chekov has been promoted and will be taking the post of XO on the Excelsior.
Also on board are Chapel and Rand (cameos).

Enroute they encounter a phenomena known as the Nexus. The ribbon of energy lashes out at the Enterprise and consoles explode sending crew flying. Among those injured are Demora and Sulu steps in to take the helm. The ship vanishes into the Nexus.

On board the D we cut to the HMS Enterprise Holoprogram and the bits of business with Worf and the hat. A red alert sirens sounds and the command crew scrambles to the bridge. On the view screen is the Nexus. Its energy is flaring, wreaking havoc with the Enterprise's instruments and controls. Finally there is a major flare and the ship's systems shut down. When they come back on the ship has been damaged by the Nexus ribbon. It's crew is scrambling to get things under control and find out what happened. They are all shocked when the legendary NCC-1701-A appears on screen.

The crews join forces and discover that time is unraveling. By pulling the A and it's crew out of time is causing repercussions in the timeline. Soon the future of TNG will no longer exist. (So there can be some timey-wimey shenanigans with Yar and Wes cameos). The Nexus is not natural, someone is using it alter the flow of history. Who is behind this? Q? Klingons? Dr. Soran? Romulans? A classic TOS villain? A classic TNG villain? Both?

Along the way the crew discuss legacy, mortality and family. All while sciencing the heck out of the problem and battling the forces controlled by the entities behind the Nexus. (No not a fricking Bird of Prey)

Kirk's reaction to Worf as a Starfleet officer might be interesting. What he accomplished in TUC has had an impact. Maybe Worf is a big Kirk fan.

Needs more character beats of course. That will take some thinking

Berman, Braga and Moore seemed set on destroying so let's stick with that. The D crew winding up on the A for a scene or two might be fun.

Needs a lot more work but that's the basics.

 

[BillJ]

Not a pitch. But, if I had been running Paramount, Kirk and company would not have been in the first TNG movie.

I'd have probably done along the lines of Picard and the Romulans having accidentally set off a nuclear conflict on a contemporary world. The planet is after Picard and the Romulan Commander, Picard is trying to help the planet, the Romulan Commander is trying to save himself. Hijinks ensue across a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

 

[Dukhat]

I'll try my hand at this.

My pitch is for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. This pitch assumes that, unlike the original idea that the TOS crew were going to continue on with a slew of films while TNG was being produced on the small screen, that instead everyone involved in the film production would be under the impression that this would be the last movie with the TOS cast. The film is called 'The Final Frontier' specifically because this cast is getting too old to be continuing on with feature films, and that the plot would directly tie in to TNG.

The plot itself would not be that dissimilar to what we actually got (since Shatner would still have been contractually obligated to direct the film), but many individual plot elements would be changed. As follows:

1. I would completely remove Sybok's quest for 'God." It's what makes the film fundamentally flawed. And instead of Sybok being Spock's half-brother whom he never spoke about before, he's his cousin whom he never knew about and never met. It was his uncle, Sarek's brother, who was the renagade. Sarek's brother found out that the Romulans were offshoots of the Vulcans pre-BoT, and wanted to reunite them because he was obsessed with the Romulans and their culture once he learned they were related to Vulcans. He defected to Romulus, took a Romulan wife, and eventually had a half-Vulcan, half-Romulan child (Sybok.) The uncle is now deceased but Sybok is still alive and carrying on after his father. Spock only finds out the true story about this uncle from Sarek during the movie, as Sarek had told him that his uncle died without any particulars, and Sarek also didn't know that his brother had a child.

2. I would have Nimbus III actually be an important planet in the Neutral Zone close to Romulan space, and hosting a peace conference between the Federation, Romulan and Klingon empires, which necessitates the need for the Enterprise to go there: It is ferrying the Federation ambassador.

3. To go along with the above, the Federation ambassador would be Sarek rather than St. John Talbot. This provides the above impetus for the Enterprise to be the ship that ferries him to the conference. Also, I would make the Klingon ambassador be the same guy from STIII who hates Kirk, rather than Koord.

4. I would get rid of the Enterprise's tech problems. It made zero sense to send a malfunctioning ship on a rescue mission, much less ferrying an ambassador to a peace conference.

5. Have the Klingons and Romulan also send ambassadorial ships. The producers would have been able to use the Klingon battlecruiser model they eventually used for Kronos One in TUC, but they would have had to build a new Romulan ship. This might have been problematic as they had just built a new Romulan ship for TNG, but perhaps they might have used the Klingon battlecruiser as the Romulan ship (a la 'The Enterprise Incident') and made a new Klingon ship which they then could have used in TNG.

6. So, the plot. Like STV, the Federation, Klingon and Romulan ambassadors would eventually be captured and held hostage by Sybok, but if the original plot about him searching for 'God' has been changed, what would Sybok's motivation then be? As mentioned above, Sybok is Spock's cousin who has taken after his father and is a disciple of the old Vulcan ways during the Vulcan/Romulan sundering, and like his father, wants to reunite the Vulcan and Romulan people...only he wants the Romulans to be in control, with Sybok as their leader. He also wants the total subjugation of the Federation and the Klingon Empire, as he sees them all as inferior and barriers holding the Vulcans and Romulans back from their true potential. However, the Romulans don't actually want this, as they think it will lead to total war which they feel they would lose based on their current level of technology (they had to purchase old Klingon ships, etc.) But Sybok is controlling the Romulan ship's crew against their will by his mind powers, and forces the Romulan ambassador to kill the Klingon ambassador in an effort to make an act of war.

7. Again, this film would be the final outing for the TOS crew, which would segue into TNG. This peace conference would be the Enterprise-A's final mission for them, with the more believable idea that with the exception of Kirk, the rest of the crew are either retiring (McCoy, Scotty), getting their own commands (Sulu, Chekov, Uhura), or are becoming Federation ambassadors (Spock, following in his father's footsteps, and realizing that Sybok's motive of reunification, while flawed in its execution, still has merit in practice.)

8. While the peace treaty ultimately fails because of Sybok's actions, we see in the final scene that a message was sent posthumously by the Klingon ambassador to the Klingon Emperor detailing his experience as a hostage and how Kirk and his crew's actions were honorable, and that his animosity toward Kirk may have been misplaced. He recommends that the Empire consider attempting another peace treaty sometime in the future, as he thinks the Federation could end up being staunch allies.

 

[Riley]

I've shared some particulars in other threads and haven't worked it all out, but I have some rough ideas for a better "Generations" story than what we received.

Honestly, I hate GEN for its treatment of Kirk and the Enterprise-D. However, these ideas are based in the notion that we "must" have GEN, even if it's quite different from the existing film.

Because Paramount trusts Nimoy, his notes about GEN are taken and the script is radically reworked. He's asked to direct and agrees based on the new script.

The entire command crew of the Enterprise-A is aboard the Enterprise-B, including Sulu. They're aboard to give "The Next Generation" a proper sendoff. A new character can still be the captain, though this character isn't inept like Harriman.

The Enterprise-B's maiden voyage is to Vulcan, where it will deliver its distinguished guests for a ceremony celebrating the new ship and her crew. En route, the ship receives a distress call from a Romulan shuttle. Upon interception, they discover that the ship is being pulled into a spatial rift. Transporters can't get a lock and they can't risk getting close enough to use the tractor beam. Spock suggests a shuttle could get close enough without being pulled in and use its tractors to bring the Romulan ship to safety.

Kirk volunteers despite McCoy and Spock's protests. They demand to go with him, but he reminds them that they are needed on the Enterprise if he fails.

Kirk is unable to draw the Romulan vessel out of the rift but surmises that he use the tractors to switch places with it. Scotty and Spock agree this would work and that Kirk can beam from his shuttle to the Romulan vessel after its free.

Kirk frees the Romulan vessel but is unable to beam over. Kirk's shuttle is pulled into the rift just before what appears to be an explosion. Scans detect no debris or life signs. The crew looks on in shock before the Enterprise's captain orders the ship to resume course.

Eighty years later, Picard is called from the bridge during Worf's promotion for an important call from Starfleet Command. Once in his ready room, he learns that the Enterprise is being ordered to rendezvous with Ambassador Spock before picking up two mission specialists: Admiral McCoy and Captain Scott. Picard asks what sort of mission requires the three men, and the admiral informs him that Spock believes James T. Kirk is still alive.

Essentially, the story is "The Search For Kirk." Instead of the Nexus, Kirk was shifted into interphase as in "The Tholian Web." The Romulan shuttle was experimenting with cloaking and phasing technology, which led to the rift and Kirk's fate. The two crews must work to locate and retrieve Kirk while also dealing with the Romulan commander Soran, whose ship followed Spock after he was retrieved from Romulus.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

My pitch is for Generations. Not sure why Dee passed.

The official reason is that he felt McCoy had a proper send-off in VI.

The real reason is Kelley's health was fragile and he couldn't get insured for the two weeks of filming.

 

[markoid the android]

I've shared some particulars in other threads and haven't worked it all out, but I have some rough ideas for a better "Generations" story than what we received.

Honestly, I hate GEN for its treatment of Kirk and the Enterprise-D. However, these ideas are based in the notion that we "must" have GEN, even if it's quite different from the existing film.

Because Paramount trusts Nimoy, his notes about GEN are taken and the script is radically reworked. He's asked to direct and agrees based on the new script.

The entire command crew of the Enterprise-A is aboard the Enterprise-B, including Sulu. They're aboard to give "The Next Generation" a proper sendoff. A new character can still be the captain, though this character isn't inept like Harriman.

The Enterprise-B's maiden voyage is to Vulcan, where it will deliver its distinguished guests for a ceremony celebrating the new ship and her crew. En route, the ship receives a distress call from a Romulan shuttle. Upon interception, they discover that the ship is being pulled into a spatial rift. Transporters can't get a lock and they can't risk getting close enough to use the tractor beam. Spock suggests a shuttle could get close enough without being pulled in and use its tractors to bring the Romulan ship to safety.

Kirk volunteers despite McCoy and Spock's protests. They demand to go with him, but he reminds them that they are needed on the Enterprise if he fails.

Kirk is unable to draw the Romulan vessel out of the rift but surmises that he use the tractors to switch places with it. Scotty and Spock agree this would work and that Kirk can beam from his shuttle to the Romulan vessel after its free.

Kirk frees the Romulan vessel but is unable to beam over. Kirk's shuttle is pulled into the rift just before what appears to be an explosion. Scans detect no debris or life signs. The crew looks on in shock before the Enterprise's captain orders the ship to resume course.

Eighty years later, Picard is called from the bridge during Worf's promotion for an important call from Starfleet Command. Once in his ready room, he learns that the Enterprise is being ordered to rendezvous with Ambassador Spock before picking up two mission specialists: Admiral McCoy and Captain Scott. Picard asks what sort of mission requires the three men, and the admiral informs him that Spock believes James T. Kirk is still alive.

Essentially, the story is "The Search For Kirk." Instead of the Nexus, Kirk was shifted into interphase as in "The Tholian Web." The Romulan shuttle was experimenting with cloaking and phasing technology, which led to the rift and Kirk's fate. The two crews must work to locate and retrieve Kirk while also dealing with the Romulan commander Soran, whose ship followed Spock after he was retrieved from Romulus.

I love this idea. I was intently reading it and then it just came to a halt lol. I'm not sure I'd go with the search for Kirk for a TNG film, though. I just think the TNG crew should be the main focus of their first film.

 

[Uxi]

Star Trek IV: No time travel, whales or flying cigar/ash. Flareup of Klingon but with tensions from III/Genesis. See Reliant/Avenger model (before it was the Miranda), Enterprise, and perhaps a refit Dreadnought fighting Klingons in skirmishing. Revive plot idea that Bird of Prey was Romulan ship stolen by Kruge and/or part of their continued alliance / sharing (D7 style) and Romulan variants of the same BoP design (gray instead of green with different kibble and/or more decorative feather painting, etc).

 

[Uxi]

First Contact would have a been a dramatic Midway-style retelling of the whole second battle of Sector 001 against the Borg with no time travel aspect. An early production idea had a whole fleet of Borg ships not just one (again) but that Starfleet had also much improved their effectiveness, destroying or severely damaging many/most of them. Could be some good scenes of one offs as desperate ships kamikaze ramming, leadership tales as other captains reorganize task forces when the flagship(s) are destroyed, medical and engineering crews doing emergency actions etc as fatigue sets in on day x while the Borg, of course, don't get tired and the ebb and flow of the tactical situations amids the larger strategic one as the Borg are willing to sacrifice drones and ships more readily than Starfleet is and they keep inching closer to Earth. Klingons and perhaps Romulans join up in the fight against them.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

I remember back around 1986-88, when we had no idea what the next Star Trek film would be like, I imagined a sequel called Star Trek V: The Other Side, which would've had the Mirror Universe crew invading the regular universe. It was basically a reimagined version of The Mirror Universe Saga that ran in the DC Star Trek comic between STIII and IV. I didn't work out an entire plot, but I did have an opening scene in mind where we saw Mirror Spock receiving an assignment to go after the regular Enterprise.

After four movies, I bet the actors would've enjoyed the opportunity to play variant versions of their characters.

 

[Riley]

I remember back around 1986-88, when we had no idea what the next Star Trek film would be like, I imagined a sequel called Star Trek V: The Other Side, which would've had the Mirror Universe crew invading the regular universe. It was basically a reimagined version of The Mirror Universe Saga that ran in the DC Star Trek comic between STIII and IV. I didn't work out an entire plot, but I did have an opening scene in mind where we saw Mirror Spock receiving an assignment to go after the regular Enterprise.

After four movies, I bet the actors would've enjoyed the opportunity to play variant versions of their characters.

As much as I love The Final Frontier, I wish Shatner would have thought of returning to the Mirror universe. Lots of humor and fun but also real stakes with Mirror-Kirk wanting revenge on Kirk and his crew. Another huge wasted opportunity...

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

I remember back around 1986-88, when we had no idea what the next Star Trek film would be like, I imagined a sequel called Star Trek V: The Other Side, which would've had the Mirror Universe crew invading the regular universe. It was basically a reimagined version of The Mirror Universe Saga that ran in the DC Star Trek comic between STIII and IV. I didn't work out an entire plot, but I did have an opening scene in mind where we saw Mirror Spock receiving an assignment to go after the regular Enterprise.

With help from another ion storm, by chance?

 

[Will_Carter]

As much as I love The Final Frontier, I wish Shatner would have thought of returning to the Mirror universe. Lots of humor and fun but also real stakes with Mirror-Kirk wanting revenge on Kirk and his crew. Another huge wasted opportunity...

Honestly I'm surprised Shatner hadn't gone for it. GIves him a chance to go... .BEYOND ham as Mirror Kirk.

My pitch:
Nemesis:
The first bits are actually good. Post Dominion romulan empire shakeup. Mystery assassination. This new Praetor wanting to negotiate with the federation with a message sent via emmasary.

Introduce Shenzon as a dark mirror of Picard. Show him with all of Picard's ability for diplomatic talks and a loyalty to his own found family and crew (include a couple klingons or other races as evadence of romulans treatment of captives to showcase a similarity in that Picard and Shenzon both have an ability to not just draw together a loyal crew but to draw the best out of them.

First half hour introduce Shenzon not as the praetor, but as 'the romulan negociator' acting as the watchful eye and escourt to Picard. Show the two ships and crews aren't... friendly. Theyr'e not hostile but show that the pair feel like each are warped mirrors of eachother. There are no one to ones, but this uneasy feeling of looking in a warped funhouse mirror and seeing a possibility yo udon't really like.

Examples being the reaman telepath. THe Reamans seeing Worf are utterly terrified, both by reputation (whispers about how he fought for months inside a dominion prison camp and refused t obe broken,) riker not liking how... cavalire the Scemitar's XO is at losses when fighter craft pilots are gunned down.
'Those men won't make it to a hapibal world before their craft's life support fails.'
'They knew the risk when they deployed. Our mission is too important to risk for your sentementality. W are all disposable.'

Axing the ENTIRE finding B4 plot and instead introducing him just before they head to romulas.
'Shenzon, I must officially voice my concerns of this plan. This.... gholem crafted from stolen starfleet scans and best guesses has shown a vastly inferrior capability to-'
'It will work long enough for its mission. It has to.'

And then the real plot kicks off. Shenzon suffering from that disorder picard suffered from in All Good Things rather than getting the treatment Picard got due to the advanced warning. So, he wants Picard for the sake of taking his place and gaining treatment as it is outside of romulan medical to treat. He is also very much a loyal son to the star empire and does want to uncover who this new praetor is, and kill them.

Cue Sela. Unlike Shenzon her goals are simple. Now that she has lopped the head off the government she wishes to install a more... amicable government to her goals.

'So you wish to become Empress?'
'Elements No dear Jean Luc. Ruling bores me and Reigning only puts a target on my head. Would you believe it if I said I want the same thing you want, peace?'
'Given the... warm welcome we have recieved I very much doubt the peace you offer will be a peace the Federation is willing to accept.'

She very much wants resumed hostilities wit hthe federation, as she saw what the post-praxas explosion did to the klingons (Corrupt and prone to in-fighting, becoming bloated parodies of themselves.') and wanting to strike at the federation while they are still recovering from the dominion war, as they took the bigget brunt of the fighting. This is where she revelas that Shenzon will take Jean Luc's place and lead the enterprise, staffed by 'well trained loyal soldiers' at the head of a fleet of romulan ships across the neutral zone.

'By the time the Federation suspects anything. Our fleet will be at Earths' doorstep turning it into glass.'

Cue what appears to be Mr Data at her side informing her that they are prepared for the next phase. Picard looking baffled before 'data' informs him that 'the star empire is, if nothing else, thorough in their ability to change minds.'

Then Picard is led away by 'Data' and Sela passes the new council ad in passing remarks. 'Remember who gave you your power...'
'And what about you?'
'Oh I plan on watching all this unfold from a nice private villa. Private Citazen Sela is done with politics. WIth any luck. History will conveniently forget I existed.'

Picard is lead by 'data' to Shenzon, who curtly orders Picard strapped down for an invasive nad likely fatal medical extraction of technobabble.

Then when it's clear the guards aren't leaving. Shenzon nods to 'Data' who lets out a high pitched warblign electronic noise right as Shenzon places a pair of futuristic earplugs in. Everyoen but picard, shenzon, and 'data' are incapacitated.

'data' then turns to Shenzon: 'Did I do good?'
'You did very good... thank you'

'Data' then introduces himself to Picard, while unstrapping him, as 'Unit B4.'

Shenzo nthen clarifies to Picard all he wanted was a cure. All Sela will give him is an unmarked grave as he plunges both of their peoples into a pointless war.