The Bickleys

[Unimatrix Q]

How was it even possible for characters like the Bickleys to appear in the earliest issues of DC's TNG comic?

Considering it happened at a time when Gene Roddenberry had still a lot of influence over TNG.

It's a real mystery

 

[Markonian]

Those capes...

 

[Allyn Gibson]

The Bickleys make sense, in terms of the series' original bible. There was supposed to be a bit more variation and personality to life aboard the Enterprise, like the skant uniform variant or Worf's sash. We didn't really see the personality among the main cast, but the Bickleys gave an idea of how early TNG was supposed to work.

And while I am utterly convinced that Riker wore the skant, even if we never saw him do so, I think even he'd have drawn the line at the Bickleys' onesies. Unless he lost a bet.

Considering it happened at a time when Gene Roddenberry had still a lot of influence over TNG.

It's a real mystery

In answer to your question, things were a little weird in the licensing in 1987-1988, which is how FASA was able to put out a somewhat unapproved souncebook for TNG. I really think the crackdown on the licensing side happened after this minis-series, which is why there was the hiatus between DC's first and second series as Paramount had new rules they wanted the licensees to follow and that took some hammering out. The Bickleys were fine under the old licensing regime -- really, they're no different than Nancy Bryce and Konom -- but under the new regime they wouldn't have happened.

 

[Christopher]

The Bickleys were fine under the old licensing regime -- really, they're no different than Nancy Bryce and Konom

Except that Nancy and Konom were generally much better-written, and were more than just a one-joke running gag.

Mike Carlin may be acclaimed as a Superman editor, but his short run on DC's Trek comics was, for me, their lowest ebb.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Except that Nancy and Konom were generally much better-written, and were more than just a one-joke running gag.

Agreed.

Mike Carlin may be acclaimed as a Superman editor, but his short run on DC's Trek comics was, for me, their lowest ebb.

Also agreed. Though I have really mixed feelings on Carlin now as an editor. As Mastermind of the Threatening Three, though, I love him.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I LOVE the Bickleys and kept hoping they'd return before the end of the novelverse.

The maddest bits of Trek are always the best.

 

[DrBeverly]

It would have been the most amazing Easter egg to have them turn up on Star Trek: Picard.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

It would have been the most amazing Easter egg to have them turn up on Star Trek: Picard.

Shaw: "Commander, keep the caped duo off my bridge. Who do they think they are, the Anger Twins? They creep me out."

Seven: "I will remove them from bridge duty rotation."

 

[Steve Roby]

The Bickleys. Now there's a blast from the past.

 

[Unimatrix Q]

Shaw: "Commander, keep the caped duo off my bridge. Who do they think they are, the Anger Twins? They creep me out."



Seven: "I will remove them from bridge duty rotation."

Think if they ended up with Voyager in the delta quadrant, they either would have gotten the same treatment as Suder or "accidently" being left on a planet

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Think if they ended up with Voyager in the delta quadrant, they either would have gotten the same treatment as Suder or "accidently" being left on a planet

Y'know, I can imagine them and the planet of the 37s. One wants to stay with the thriving human civilization in the Delta Quadrant, one wants to stay with Voyager, the senior officers are hoping they stay, one badgers the other into staying, there's betting going on in the ship's mess over what they do, and just when the senior officers think they're rid of the Bickleys, the one who initially wanted to stay decides to stay with Voyager so as not to give the other the satisfaction, and, long story short, they end up staying on Voyager, and Tom Paris ends up making bank.

Yeah, they probably get stranded somewhere.

C'mon, IDW, give us a Star Trek: Life with the Bickleys special!

 

[TheAlmanac]

The Bickleys. Now there's a blast from the past.

View attachment 34066

I haven't looked at any of my DC letter column appearances in a long time. I would probably find most of them embarrassing.

 

[Steve Roby]

I haven't bothered tracking all mine down, never mind rereading them all, but I guess all the DC Star Trek letters are on the Star Trek comics DVD.

 

[Therin of Andor]

The Bickleys make sense, in terms of the series' original bible. There was supposed to be a bit more variation and personality to life aboard the Enterprise, like the skant uniform variant or Worf's sash. We didn't really see the personality among the main cast, but the Bickleys gave an idea of how early TNG was supposed to work.

Yes. Carrying over from TMP, where the Native American crewmembers were shown in feathers and beads in the Rec Deck, Ilia with her Deltan collar, and even some promo shots of Uhura with African influences.

And later in TNG, where the situation was flip-flopped for the sake of drama: Ensign Ro's controversial earring.

I haven't bothered tracking all mine down, never mind rereading them all, but I guess all the DC Star Trek letters are on the Star Trek comics DVD.

I think we sometimes featured in the same column.

 

[Christopher]

And later in TNG, where the situation was flip-flopped for the sake of drama: Ensign Ro's controversial earring.

Which everyone misreads. The point of that scene wasn't that Starfleet didn't allow cultural variation (see Worf's baldric), but that Ro Laren was a convicted felon on temporary release, so Riker was being extra-strict with her out of his personal mistrust and resentment. It wasn't about Bajoran customs, it was about Riker assuming Ro was being insubordinate because he was predisposed to believe the worst about her.

Although it's true that "Ensign Ro" did show the crew being bizarrely insular about cultural diversity, e.g. not even understanding surname-first name ordering even though a huge percentage of humanity uses it.

 

[Therin of Andor]

it was about Riker assuming Ro was being insubordinate because he was predisposed to believe the worst about her.

Agree!