Similar plotlines

[Tracy Trek]

While discussing in another thread about the similarities between Voyager's Ex Post Facto and TNG's A Matter of Perspective, I got to thinking about what other instances there might have been where there was a similar plot.

In TOS Elaan of Troyius you have a royal bride traveling on the Enterprise to become the mate of someone of another species to make a political alliance, but ends up bonding with the Captain. Isn't that very similar to TNG's The Perfect Mate?

Also, does anyone know what other episodes of TNG were leftover scripts from the failed Star Trek Phase 2. I have heard that Devil's Due and The Child (first episode of season 2) were.

 

[marlboro]

Enterprise's "Doctor's Orders" is very similar to Voyager's "One"

"The Naked Time" and "The Naked Now" obviously.

Enterprise's "Judgment" is an homage to ST 6.

Voyager's "Drone" seems like a medley of "The Offspring" with a bit of "I, Borg."

DS9 "Teh Sound of Her Voice" uses the same twist as Voyager's "Eye of the Needle"

 

[The Wormhole]

DS9 Shadow Play and ENT Oasis. Indeed, Rene Auberjonois guest starred on Oasis and Scott Bakula commented to him in conversation "this is a pretty good episode" Rene responded "we had an episode just like it on our show."

 

[retroenzo]

They do say that there are only seven stories to tell but I'm never sure about this one. Some stories' scenarios are very similar though: Spectre of the Gun and A Fistful of Datas are both Westerns, Counter-Clock Incident and Rascals deal with age regression, The Deadly Years and Unnatural Selection both deal with rapid aging.

We've even had similar episode titles before: Emissary / The Emissary, Muse / The Muse, First Contact / Star Trek: First Contact, Wink of an Eye / Blink of an Eye, Eye of the Beholder / The Eye of the Beholder. (In fact, I just surprised myself by find as many as these five examples.)

 

[F. King Daniel]

TOS: "The Changeling" and Star Trek: The Motion Picture

 

[UnknownSample]

Next Gen s1 kept throwing in major elements from TOS stories, without actually stealing TOS stories themselves.

 

[exocomp]

Ent Exile is practically a copy of Voy Alter Ego, with Hoshi playing the part of Tuvok and the holodeck avatar being replaced by the mental avatar in Hoshi's mind. There's even the threat to destroy the ship if Hoshi/Tuvok refuse to stay in both episodes.

Ent Doctor's Orders is practically identical to Voy One, You have Phlox playing the part of Seven and even the hallucinated T'Pol filling in as the Doctor. You have the exact same scene of the (hallucinated) crew mocking Phlox/Seven for not being able handle the assignment. It's so similar it's embarrassing.

 

[Tracy Trek]

TOS: "The Changeling" and Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Oh yes, that falls into the category of similar plotlines perfectly. So do all the others mentioned.

 

[stardream]

I suppose you could throw the Measure of a Man and Author, Author in. Not exactly the same but similar enough.

 

[The Wormhole]

DS9 Children of Time and ENT E-Squared
VOY 11:59 and ENT Carbon Creek
TNG The Next Phase and ENT Vanishing Point. Though to be fair, the whole turning invisible thing wasn't very original when TNG did it either.

 

[Tracy Trek]

ENT Carbon Creek

I know this one is way out there, but here goes. A secondary character (the boy Jack) in Carbon Creek reminded me of a character in a movie that was based on real events. Jack made me think about the character of Homer Hickham in October Sky. Both very smart kids growing up in small mining towns trying their best to find a way to fund their way to college, interested in space travel. Hickham didn't have an alien benefactor though.
Both would probably end up working in the mines if they couldn't go to college.

I just wondered if maybe the writer of the Enterprise episode may have been thinking of Hickham when he wrote the episode.

 

[The Wormhole]

I just wondered if maybe the writer of the Enterprise episode may have been thinking of Hickham when he wrote the episode.

It's possible, though it's not as though the concept is a unique one to begin with.

 

[exocomp]

Ent Extinction and Voy Favorite Son: Members of the crew being transformed into an alien species and being shot at by some other aliens for no other reason than holding the transformed people. Plus both episodes suck badly, which adds to the similitude.

 

[MacLeod]

They do say that there are only seven stories to tell but I'm never sure about this one.

I think it's more there are only seven basic plot lines

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Basic_Plots

All stories just use 1 or more elements.

 

[exocomp]

I think it's more there are only seven basic plot lines

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Basic_Plots

All stories just use 1 or more elements.

According to a book that places Terminator 2 above The Odyssey...

 

[velour]

TNG "Suddenly Human" and DS9 "Cardassians" both dealt with the matter of child custody of war orphans. Both were compelling episodes. Oddly, the two episodes had opposing resolutions.

In both eps, the child in question was a war orphan. In the DS9 ep, Sisko ordered the Cardassian boy to be taken away from his adoptive Bajoran parent and to be returned to his biological father. Picard, on the other hand, sent the human child back to his kidnapping/adoptive Talarian father instead of returning the child to his biological grandparents.

Picard probably set a dangerous precedent. Picard seemed to have legitimized the kidnapping of human children who are orphaned due to aliens who attack and conquer human colonies and outposts.

 

[KeepOnTrekking]

TOS Requiem for Methuselah and TNG The Offspring

 

[Shawnster]

TOS: "The Changeling" and Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Actually, it's TOS "The Changeling" + TAS "One of Our Planets is Missing" = Star Trek: The Motion Picture

The Changeling - 20th century Earth probe is discovered. The probe had an accident, merged with other technology into a more technologically advanced device and sought to sterilize biological life forms. The probe mistakes an Enterprise crew member for it's original creator.

One of Our Planets is Missing - A giant cloud threatens to destroy a Federation world. The Enterprise flies into the heart of the cloud where Spock makes a mind meld with the intelligence controlling the cloud.

 

[Tracy Trek]

I just remembered that when I saw the TNG episode The Royale, it seemed like it might be a very vague homage to the end part of 2001 A Space Odyssey. In The Royale you have a lost astronaut stranded in an environment where non corporeal aliens have put him in a virtual reality of a hotel. Taken from a book he had with him.

In 2001, after Dave Bowman's pod falls through the obelisk/portal it appears he's in an environment that looks like a hotel room. I'm not sure he actually has a physical body at that point because he keeps seeing images of himself at different ages. The astronaut in The Royale died in the artificial environment he was in and Dave Bowman became a non corporeal being.

Eh, it's just a thought, probably a crazy thought.

 

[at Quark's]

Similar plotlines?

You mean, other than the 'oh no, the holodeck is acting funny once again!', or the 'main cast member experiences a conflict between his/her human and his/her alien half' , or even the 'ship encounters nasty aliens of the week' plots ?