Raiders of the Lost Vash

[Whoa Nellie]

Yes, but to what end? Does Vash become a member of the crew somehow? And what logic would there be in her returning frequently or that she would keep crossing paths with Picard? The show isn't about Picard and his crew as relic hunters or archeologists. You can pigeonhole the series like that, what's great about Trek is how it can switch it up each week and you never know what kind of episode you're going to get - mystery, Western, action, political, comedy, etc. Vash is a character with a very specific purpose and i don't see that specificity working on a constant or frequent basis on the show.

Actually, TNG did do numerous stories that in someway dealt with archaeology. Years ago while doing research for a Whoa Nellie story, I realized that for someone professing to love archaeology Picard destroys quite a few archaeological treasures in series canon – the Tox Uthat, the Stone of Gol, an Iconian gateway and a Promellian battle cruiser. In several of my stories, I have Vash refer to this as his Litany of Archaeological Sins.


Episodes that dealt with archaeology or long dead ancient civilizations (that I could think of I'm sure I missed a few):


Season 1
The Last Outpost
The Arsenal of Freedom

Season 2
Contagion

Season 3
The Bonding (Lieutenant Marla Aster was an archaeologist killed during an away mission)
Booby Trap
Captain's Holiday

Season 4
Devil's Due (dealt with the civilizations ancient history)
Qpid (archeology conference)

Season 6
Relics (Ancient Dyson Sphere)
The Chase

Season 7
The Gambit I
The Gambit II
Masks

And this would've evolved very naturally, because every civilisation has a history. Every planet's Antiquities are the object of a collector's avarice. She might even become a temporary "special advisor" for ENTERPRISE, in exchange for transport. Particularly if her knowledge about something would be key to understanding an episode, or two.

Great idea! Love it!


It's not uncommon for science fiction shows to use archaeologists as reoccurring characters – Babylon 5 and Stargate SG1 to name two. My favorite conversation between a sci-fi hero and reoccurring archaeologist character comes from the new Doctor Who. In “Silence in the Library" the tenth Doctor has this exchange with River Song when the character is first introduced:

The Doctor: Oh, you're not, are you? Tell me you're not archaeologists.

Professor River Song: Got a problem with archaeologists?

The Doctor: I'm a time traveler. I point and laugh at archaeologists.

Professor River Song: [offering handshake] Ah. Professor River Song, archaeologist.


Warmest Wishes,
Whoa Nellie

 

[2takesfrakes]

Wow! Clearly, there was a well-established precedent in TNG, to allow the Vash character to become a recurring character. Whoa Nelly, your insight into the Picard/Vash relationship and how more of the same could've fit TNG's format is most impressive. Your thoughtful input has been particularly enlightening. I have to admit, I wasn't prepared to cite specific examples in TNG to back up my claim. Nicely done!

 

[borgboy]

Rewatching, and reading up a bit on Vash, it's shocking to realize she was only in three episodes, and one of those was on DS9 without Picard! I would've thought she was in more episodes just going by memory.
I don't know that I'd have wanted her to be a regular character. She was likable and fun, but I think her sticking around too long would've worn away part of what made her fun in the first place. I do think the character could've worked for another episode or two still though.

 

[EnriqueH]

I agree, I could've seen just one more appearance, maybe in Season 7 somewhere.

I never picked up on Picard's destroying of archeological items.

Kirk destroys computers; Picard destroys artifacts.

 

[JD5000]

I liked Vash's implied adventures with Q prior to her showing up on DS9 more than I would have liked seeing them on-screen as part of a Trek series. Something like what 'Burn Notice' did with Sam Axe ('The Fall of Sam Axe', maybe this is the 'Saturday Matinee' type thing you're talking about?) would have been interesting. Starring John DeLancie and Jennifer Hetrick. If made after DS9 and Voyager ended, could have been much cheaper as a lot of the sets and costumes that could have been used would already be around, and it's not like either of their post-Trek careers really made a big splash (cheap payroll).

Chronicling these adventures in print might not be a bad novel either, if it hasn't already been written.

 

[2takesfrakes]

This is only more of the untapped potential that was the Vash character. It's convenient, though, to discuss and debate the multitude of possibilities at our leasure, without studio pressure on us to come up with a finished script over the weekend. I understand how things like this slipped through the cracks, as it were. But as a fan it can be frustrating, at times, watching episodes that - though interesting and entertaining in themselves - only scratch the surface!

But I do like the idea of Q/Vash series, or at least a miniseries. A show like that could've really broken STAR TREK free from the notion that every series has to have a captain and crew to BE Star Trek. There are other options. But at the time, there's no way, just no way this would've seen the light of day, with DS9 already long in the planning stages. Because when you've got Kirk, Spock & Bones, there, they ARE the 23rd century. We don't really need to see the rest of it, except through their eyes. The 24th Century, though ... that offered something else. Just didn't do very much about it, I'm afraid.

 

[Whoa Nellie]

Wow! Clearly, there was a well-established precedent in TNG, to allow the Vash character to become a recurring character. Whoa Nelly, your insight into the Picard/Vash relationship and how more of the same could've fit TNG's format is most impressive. Your thoughtful input has been particularly enlightening. I have to admit, I wasn't prepared to cite specific examples in TNG to back up my claim. Nicely done!

Thank you! I have spent a lot of years and had a lot of fun writing Picard/Vash fan fiction stories. Things like the examples I cited make wonderful fodder for those types of stories.

I never picked up on Picard's destroying of archeological items.

Kirk destroys computers; Picard destroys artifacts.

Once I noticed that I had a lot of fun with that little tidbit in different stories.

Warmest Wishes,
Whoa Nellie