Role Switches for Some Characters: Would It Have Helped?

[Malleus]

Commander Crusher: well, assuming there are no casting changes (sorry for screaming at the top of my voice there ), THAT would be something to behold.

[There'd have to be a different story for how Jack died, but I suppose that Picard's "brainy-ness" would befit a CMO.]

On the other hand, what about potential character development problems akin to Janeway's?



Regarding Worf: It would have been interesting to be treated to an XO Worf before the post-NEM TNG relaunch novels. At the very least, he was the one TNG character who fit the least amongst the DS9 crew.

 

[Kegek]

You know, I remember thinking at the beginning of season two, when it was revealed they made Geordi chief engineer, "What the hell? That came ouf of left field!" But then we did see Geordi tooling around engineering more than Worf, and in "Heart of Glory," we see Geordi wearing the visual acuity device that let Picard and co. see through his VISOR on the viewscreen, and they implied he tinkered with the device. So it would seem they did give us hints Geordi had a bit more technical knowledge than Worf.

Worf was the first guy to go down to engineering in "Encounter at Farpoint" (not counting Picard in his voiceover narration), and was also dawdling around there at "Lonely Among Us". Geordi's edge is slight, appreciable but not a great deal. His VISOR doesn't really apply - although his scene with Riker in "The Last Outpost" does. The regulars most strongly associated with Engineering in S1 were Wesley Crusher and Will Riker, in that order, as odd as it seems. We think of Geordi as a tech guy after a few decades of him spewing technobabble... but the hints in S1 is that he was the young guy on the command track, as per "The Arsenal of Freedom."

 

[Red Ranger]

Kegek Kringle said:

You know, I remember thinking at the beginning of season two, when it was revealed they made Geordi chief engineer, "What the hell? That came ouf of left field!" But then we did see Geordi tooling around engineering more than Worf, and in "Heart of Glory," we see Geordi wearing the visual acuity device that let Picard and co. see through his VISOR on the viewscreen, and they implied he tinkered with the device. So it would seem they did give us hints Geordi had a bit more technical knowledge than Worf.

Worf was the first guy to go down to engineering in "Encounter at Farpoint" (not counting Picard in his voiceover narration), and was also dawdling around there at "Lonely Among Us". Geordi's edge is slight, appreciable but not a great deal. His VISOR doesn't really apply - although his scene with Riker in "The Last Outpost" does. The regulars most strongly associated with Engineering in S1 were Wesley Crusher and Will Riker, in that order, as odd as it seems. We think of Geordi as a tech guy after a few decades of him spewing technobabble... but the hints in S1 is that he was the young guy on the command track, as per "The Arsenal of Freedom."

I see your point, Kegek. Geordi and Worf were certainly in the command track in the beginning, but if I remember right, in that scene in "Lonely Among Us," both Worf and Geordi were recalibrating some kind of sensors in a low-priority system.

That raises another interesting idea. What if Geordi became security chief and Worf became engineer? Hmmm! I think that would be a stretch for either character.

Red Ranger

 

[Kegek]

True. I think Worf was always a natural security chief. True, he wasn't in security, but his job description was a little nebulous - and he was normally involved in expressing tactical and strategtic concerns, as well as being used as the local strong man. "Can I bring Worf?" as Riker puts it as he prepares to beam down into a hostile situation in "The Last Outpost." In that context, it makes sense for Worf to be the security chief more than Geordi by a somewhat larger margin than it makes sense for Geordi to be chief engineer more than Worf.

 

[Red Ranger]

Kegek Kringle said:
True. I think Worf was always a natural security chief. True, he wasn't in security, but his job description was a little nebulous - and he was normally involved in expressing tactical and strategtic concerns, as well as being used as the local strong man. "Can I bring Worf?" as Riker puts it as he prepares to beam down into a hostile situation in "The Last Outpost." In that context, it makes sense for Worf to be the security chief more than Geordi by a somewhat larger margin than it makes sense for Geordi to be chief engineer more than Worf.

Kegek: I just wanted to say I like trading observations with you. It's refreshing that there are some people still left on this board who don't feel like they have to express themselves in a sarcastic manner -- which I sometimes do, I must confess. So thanks, pal! -- RR

 

[CaptainStoner]

Ok I see the LaForge point. Plus the whole blind pilot thing was pretty cool.

LaForge stays at helm.
Riker goes away and gets his own ship.
Tasha Yar to XO.
Worf to Security.
Wesley killed in a terribly sad shuttle accident in which he slowly burns into a planet's atmosphere.
O'Brien to Chief Engineer
Data stays at Science/Ops
Beverly goes a bit looney tunes and has to go away for a while
Pulaski stays on for one or two more seasons before Bev comes back from funny farm
Troi follows Riker after she's done screwing half the ship
The new Counsellor is Guinan
The Bolian barber gets to be bartender

 

[Kegek]

^
An interesting hypothetical. I especially like the idea that Pulaski stays around for longer.

Red Ranger said:
Kegek: I just wanted to say I like trading observations with you. It's refreshing that there are some people still left on this board who don't feel like they have to express themselves in a sarcastic manner -- which I sometimes do, I must confess. So thanks, pal! -- RR

I try.

 

[Malleus]

Kegek Kringle said:
^
An interesting hypothetical. I especially like the idea that Pulaski stays around for longer.

Of course, I would be open to that, but on the condition of role switches for actors, too.