Rebooting The Next Generation

[BillJ]

Kind of a companion to the recasting The Next Generation thread. What if you were charged with doing a big screen reboot? What would remain the same? What would you change?

I think there isn't enough screen time to do every character justice, so I'd start by pruning both Riker and Troi from the crew.

Well, not exactly prune. More like merge, Riker with Picard and Troi with Crusher.

I'd return Data to a one-off alien construct. He'd be a long serving (a century?) officer who recently became the Enterprise XO.

Worf would serve as the tactical/security officer. The relations with the Klingons would be icy at best.

Not exactly sure what else I'd change...

 

[C_Miller]

I actually disagree that there's not enough time to do every character justice. All it takes is good writing. Check out Lost. You might not necessarily like it, but it was able to handle 20 characters extremely well. By the end of the show 90% of the main characters were extremely well developed, better than most shows. You just need good writers who want to develop these characters.

 

[Tomalak]

Well, not exactly prune. More like merge, Riker with Picard and Troi with Crusher.

Merging Riker with Picard guts the captain's character. You end up with, what, Janeway?

If I were rebooting, doing a film of TNG's first mission, the conflict between Picard and Riker would be central, even more than in EaF. Riker would be incredibly ambitious, with Picard's way of doing things rubbing him up the wrong way, thinking he could do better.

I'd probably make LaForge engineer from the outset, but I'd keep Tasha Yar. She'd be the poster girl, although obviously I'd hire someone who could act instead of Denise Crosby. Maybe a Riker-Troi-Yar love trianglel movie-goers will lap it up.

There probably wouldn't be enough screen time for anyone except for the leads - Picard, Riker, Yar and Data. The rest would all be there, and get their moment (even Wesley), but they'd be relegated to supporting roles.

 

[Harvey]

If I were rebooting STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION for the big screen, I'd scrap the premise and start from scratch. The series was dialogue-driven and the cast was an ensemble. In other words, it was extremely well-suited for a weekly television format, but an awkward fit for a two-hour big-screen spectacle (the kind of film that Paramount would require, no doubt). It's a real credit to the writing of Moore and Braga that STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT was able to give everyone in the cast something to do in that movie, but even that film (which I like very much) isn't perfect.

 

[BillJ]

I actually disagree that there's not enough time to do every character justice. All it takes is good writing. Check out Lost. You might not necessarily like it, but it was able to handle 20 characters extremely well. By the end of the show 90% of the main characters were extremely well developed, better than most shows. You just need good writers who want to develop these characters.

Yeah. But I'm not talking about a 6 season TV run, but a two hour movie.

 

[RAMA]

I don't really think it needs a reboot. I'd prefer a series set in the near future after STNG...much like ST:Online and the excellent Typhon Pact novel series.

 

[C_Miller]

I actually disagree that there's not enough time to do every character justice. All it takes is good writing. Check out Lost. You might not necessarily like it, but it was able to handle 20 characters extremely well. By the end of the show 90% of the main characters were extremely well developed, better than most shows. You just need good writers who want to develop these characters.

Yeah. But I'm not talking about a 6 season TV run, but a two hour movie.

In that case you're probably right. However, to fully reboot TNG, you have to have these characters there. I mean, there would have been hell to pay if Chekov and Sulu just didn't show up in the new movie. I'd say focus on a few, like Picard, Data and Worf, but don't eliminate the rest. However, also don't try to be egalitarian with character development, because in the end everyone will suffer.

 

[Avon]

i'd watch patrick stewart delivering a 2 hour monologue in his ready room.

cos he's awesome.