Quirks and Challenges for characters

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Two things I'd like to see:

1) A 24th century captain whose favorite holodeck time consists of playing a supporting bridge crew role on a TOS-era ship (think Sulu, Chekov, Scotty). Would make TOS fans happy. The captain does it because a) it helps them remember what it's like to be a subordinate b) they like that era c) and it creates many interesting story moments. For instance, a TOS style episode taking place within that program, the captain mistakenly referring to a lieutenant commander as "sir" after they've left the program, etc.

2) Instead of just taking it for granted that upon first meeting, everyone would go with you to the ends of the galaxy and back, try this: A relatively young captain who left Starfleet years ago after suffering an injury that required months of rehab and PTSD counselling is asked to come back and lead a new ship. They doubt themselves a little and are trying to earn the trust of a crew that also has their doubts, including the person's former girlfriend/boyfriend (their relationship ended in a split because of the captain's issues, etc), who is a subordinate assigned to the ship now. Would be interesting because there's not a Maquis/Starfleet element here, but rather Starfleet/ex-civilian who's settled into a more comfortable, "normal" rhythm and has to get back to business.

Does this belong in the "future of Trek" board?

 

[2takesfrakes]

The specific reason why I don't see #2 making it to the screen is because a Captain called out of forced retirement for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to serve proudly on the Federation's finest is beyond mythical. He'd have to be part Q, or something to be so valued in such a compromised state, by a 3rd Party, of any kind. It would work better as a specialist with PTSD being called back into service for a specific mission to deal with a relevant dilemma that the story demands only he can cope with, appropriately.

The problem with burdening a Captain with flaws is that he's the leader. He's more than the head of a Chain of Command. He's also a symbol ... representing all of the principles that the crew is fighting to protect and serve. Nobody wants to endure hardship, even face death, based on the orders of someone they feel is compromised ... even beneath them. Yes, Picard was abducted and traumatised by the Borg and retained his Captaincy. But that situation happened to someone who was made of sterner stuff. He also had the luxury of a Ship's Counselor. In short ... Picard may like his tea at noon and all that ... but he's still got BALLS!!!

Having a Captain with flaws isn't necessarily a flawed concept. A brazen Captain could cause his ship and crew to face all kinds of Space Mischief that might even require him to learn a lesson, or two, the hard way. I wouldn't mind seeing that, as a for instance. Or, perhaps, his weakness is women. And he ends up being inadvertently used by a beautiful spy, perhaps ... leading to embarrassment and a greater awareness of his own recklessness. There are some possibilities worthy of exploration, that could be very entertaining, in the end ...

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Yeah, because having a captain who's already "made it" is boring. They need to climb uphill, get knocked down and get back up, etc...

What about my first idea, though?

 

[2takesfrakes]

Well ... The Classic Series was a lot of fun because its focus was on entertaining the audience, more so than entertaining the characters, really. That meant putting people in over-the-top storylines and outrageous costumes and playing it straight, like this was really happening. That was the fun of it, things like stuffing a stuntman into a gorilla suit and suggesting to the audience that this was going to represent a real threat to Captain Kirk. I mean, it should be laughable, and it would be, except for the fact that the viewer knows to expect this stuff. It's for the viewer's "benefit."

Having a crew from another century cosplaying in the Holodeck as a Classic Series crew is for their own entertainment, rather than that of the STAR TREK audience. So, now, you've got Captain Joe hamming it up with a Mugato, because he's a TREKKIE. It's winking at the audience and that's not where the fun's at. The fun is that the Hammyness, Cheesyness and Cornyness is deathly serious in the original product.

Other shows have tried to be respectful of TOS, when visiting there, like ENT did. But they took the seriousness in the wrong direction by trying to make it modern, as with The Gorn, who ended up being a pitiful addition, as a result. I would just leave it alone, to be honest and maybe find some other way to demonstrate The Good Captain's Common Touch. Perhaps, he could be part of a Holodeck contest of some sort, where ordinary crewmen are pitted against him in a variety of eras and settings, in an attempt to best their commanding officer, some way?

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Yeah, that makes sense.

Alternatively, the whole "leader cosplays being a subordinate" idea could occur in any kind of holoprogram, such as one set in World War II, etc. I guess the fun has always been (in the past) creating original holoprograms for characters to play in that spoof the real genre, such as Dixon Hill, Captain Proton, etc. Data's Sherlock Holmes is one example of a real-world story/series that was used. Maybe afterwards they decided spoofs were easier and allowed form ore creativity and homage than the article itself.

 

[retroenzo]

'Worst Case Scenario' was pretty much that though. Admittedly it was set aboard their own ship but it did give Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay the chance to be a subordinate on her own ship. Admittedly the poo does eventually hit the fan and it becomes about a Maquis takeover, but initially the story is about someone playing a subordinate on the ship.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Disorienting, to be sure, as you have to consider the same face friend and foe in the space of moments, but imagine jumping from top of the food chain to somewhere near the bottom in minutes, or confusing your ship for the other one/ your duties between ships, etc.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

The specific reason why I don't see #2 making it to the screen is because a Captain called out of forced retirement for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to serve proudly on the Federation's finest is beyond mythical. He'd have to be part Q, or something to be so valued in such a compromised state, by a 3rd Party, of any kind.

It may not be the best ship. But he/she may be uniquely qualified for the ship's mission. Perhaps he/she has a history with the territory in question.

 

[2takesfrakes]

Try to make a deal and have these ideas published! Other Trekkies have done as much with their Fan Fiction and they do alright. They don't get paid like a Doctor or a Lawyer, or other "respectable" profession would, perhaps, but if they live sensibly, it's not a bad way to make a living, one could argue. And when you look at what has flown for STAR TREK in television, in the past ... it's a helluva thing, the kind of shit that's become canon, over the years. It's like ... how did this ever make it past the 'discussion phase' and onto my television screen? CBS Access promises this next will be the best STAR TREK series, in the franchise ... and I'd like to believe them. In the meantime, keep those Creative Juices flowing!

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Thanks for the kind words. Check out my fanfiction. I think I'm better with established characters and settings as the framework from which to weave new tales.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

A captain can have flaws but it shouldn't be ones that deeply affect his judgment or calm in a pressure situation.

Maybe he is used to being at war and now has to adjust to diplomacy with the people he fought for years.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Maybe he is used to being at war and now has to adjust to diplomacy with the people he fought for years.

Oooh, good one.

 

[psCargile]

Or the reluctant former captain that paid his/her dues, survived the harshness of exploration and combat, retires to a nice relaxing life. . .until a crisis and he/she realizes he/she is the only one around to step up into the leadership role again and save lives.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Who sees the cancer that has invaded the system (Federation/Starfleet leadership and policies) and realizes that they must effect the change they wish to see.

 

[Shawnster]

Two things I'd like to see:

1) A 24th century captain whose favorite holodeck time consists of...

2) A relatively young captain who left Starfleet years ago after suffering an injury that required months of rehab and PTSD counselling...

1. Sadly, the track record for holodeck episodes is not strong. VOY tried to do holonovels with Janeway or she met DaVinci, etc... those seemed to get dropped. Recurring holodeck adventures were not overwhelmingly accepted. Fair Haven made it as an entire episode, though. They also did an entire DS9 episode with the crew trapped in a James Bond style holoadventure. Still, the holodeck seemed to work best when it was used as intended - a place to get away such as Sandrines or the baseball field or the fishing pond.

2 Reminds me of a dropped plot line from the WWII movie "The Enemy Below." This movie is cited, along with "Run Silent, Run Deep" ans the inspiration for TOS Balance of Terror (or is cited as homage). The captain in Enemy Below was suffering from a form of "shell shock" after losing his last command in a Japanese attack. This was mentioned at the beginning of the movie but doesn't really have any impact to the story. Your idea is intriguing. Maybe not full blown PTSD but you could have a captain that had lost his previous command in an attack be reassigned a starship. The captain needs to regain confidence and the crew needs to gain confidence and trust in their new commander. That could be an undercurrent or subplot for a couple of seasons but hopefully for not the entire series.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

1) Yes, but those were often genre spoofs. This would be more like (their) past real life, not fictitious depictions of literature and other art forms.

2) I guess it would get tiring to continuously have to prove oneself all over again every day.

 

[Shawnster]

A captain can have flaws but it shouldn't be ones that deeply affect his judgment or calm in a pressure situation.

Maybe he is used to being at war and now has to adjust to diplomacy with the people he fought for years.

I see what you did there. That was BEYOND funny.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Maybe you could put somebody in charge of a ship who's only had a desk job until now (think Stocker http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Stocker) but who actually gets a long term chance to command and, though it's a rocky road to success, he/she is ultimately the better for it. (Trial by fire and all that - learning from those junior crew members who have field experience)

Regarding recurring characters, I think it would be fun to see someone who is often getting duped by others and has to be helped out of sticky situations. Like Sir Richard of the Lea, for anyone who's ever watched that '50s Robin Hood TV series...he usually was in a pickle when he appeared, though he did once trick Robin.

How about a character who has kind of a claustrophobia type thing? Their last posting was a a planet with wide open spaces and sky, and now they're stuck in a box and always feel uncomfortable unless they're off the ship. Eventually, this lessens, but they're still more at home on the ground.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

How about someone whose last name is Kirk but has absolutely no connection biologically or otherwise to James Kirk (aside from the Adam and Eve connection, that is). But the problem is, everybody always thinks they are related.

So here's this person who is living in the shadow of someone who has nothing to do with them whatsoever - everybody expects them to embody his good or bad qualities, depending on who you ask. Too much pressure.

 

[Vandervecken]

2 Reminds me of a dropped plot line from the WWII movie "The Enemy Below." This movie is cited, along with "Run Silent, Run Deep" ans the inspiration for TOS Balance of Terror (or is cited as homage). The captain in Enemy Below was suffering from a form of "shell shock" after losing his last command in a Japanese attack. This was mentioned at the beginning of the movie but doesn't really have any impact to the story. Your idea is intriguing. Maybe not full blown PTSD but you could have a captain that had lost his previous command in an attack be reassigned a starship. The captain needs to regain confidence and the crew needs to gain confidence and trust in their new commander. That could be an undercurrent or subplot for a couple of seasons but hopefully for not the entire series.

Picard had a form of PTSD after BoBW/Locutus. Didn't last long but it was there. He probably should have relapsed after Chain of Command, even though that was a different sort of torment. Still, it was serious mental and physical pressure and should have cracked that open again. Or Picard has a will of duranium. I guess we have to accept the second.

Also, I thought AGT lampshaded the idea of not being willing to go to the ends of the universe yet for a new captain with a conversation with Troi (in the first episode Enterprise in the time jumping, the one with Yar).