The 'ER' Approach to TNG...

[Praetor]

It's been suggested before by several posters here that rather than going into films (and perhaps rather than going into spinoffs), Star Trek:TNG should have continued past the seventh season, writing out cast members, promoting others, and introducing new ones to take their place.

Would you personally have enjoyed this approach to TNG, and, if so, how do you think this would have played out, and what would be your approach to replacing and promoting characters? Which actors do you think would have been the first to want to leave, and how would you have handled the removal of their characters?

I'm going in ignoring the spinoffs for the moment. Personally, I imagine Patrick Stewart would have been the first to want to leave. Rather than killing off Picard, I would have him offered a promotion to Admiral so he could come back later if he chose to. I would promote Riker to Captain and bring back Shelby to become the XO, creating a great degree of tension among the crew.

 

[Myasishchev]

It might be all right, as long as the continuation of TNG side-by-side with the spinoffs was more like DS9 on a starship, than Voyager in the Alpha Quadrant.

Hopefully, too, it wouldn't prevent them from destroying the E-D. Then we'd get to see the E-E as a task force leader during the Dominion War, which would've been nice.

 

[mirandafave]

The only problem with the ER approach is that as now in its last season virtually no left from the original but also the series did lose its way and likely the same could have happened to TNG.

With that said it would have been cool and as you say Stewart likely to jump ship first but that also the easiest character to write out via the promotion ladder and allowing special returns. Also it would have seen Riker being made Captain at long last earlier than the film approach.

The other good thing about the ER continuing missions approach is we might see the Dominion War from a ship on the front POV. We might also at this point have characters/actors leave and they could be killed off in the war showing the fultility of violence etc. [As opposed to Dax getting killed by possessed Dukat when it would have shown the Dominion War having a real cost to the characters if someone central killed as opposed nameless bg]

Spiner might have gone next which would have been a blow to the show - losing Data character that is! If he went would want a truly heroic exit for him.

Maybe Geordi moving into command route. Giving Deanna something more substantial to do. Her and Will getting married etc trying to juggle that and command ship etc causing issues.

 

[sbk1234]

I like the idea. I've always wanted to see a Star Trek anthology-type series. This seems like it would be somewhat along those lines. They could even go off and follow some of the cast who left the ship and see what they're doing in the Federation. (Actors willing, of course.)

 

[Praetor]

The only problem with the ER approach is that as now in its last season virtually no left from the original but also the series did lose its way and likely the same could have happened to TNG.

This is true.

With that said it would have been cool and as you say Stewart likely to jump ship first but that also the easiest character to write out via the promotion ladder and allowing special returns. Also it would have seen Riker being made Captain at long last earlier than the film approach.

Yeah, I think will deserved to be Captain of the Enterprise. And Generations imposed limit on Picard getting promoted via the advice from Kirk seemed a bit forced. You could also send him off to be an ambassador, have him sacrifice himself to the Borg, any number of possibilities.

The other good thing about the ER continuing missions approach is we might see the Dominion War from a ship on the front POV. We might also at this point have characters/actors leave and they could be killed off in the war showing the fultility of violence etc. [As opposed to Dax getting killed by possessed Dukat when it would have shown the Dominion War having a real cost to the characters if someone central killed as opposed nameless bg]

Spiner might have gone next which would have been a blow to the show - losing Data character that is! If he went would want a truly heroic exit for him.

I think losing Data in the Dominion War would have been brilliant. And the two-hour crossover opportunities between DS9 and TNG would have been really cool too.

Maybe Geordi moving into command route. Giving Deanna something more substantial to do. Her and Will getting married etc trying to juggle that and command ship etc causing issues.

I think both of these are good ideas and logical extensions of what we saw. Geordi was presumably originally on the command route anyway, and I would say it would be nice to see a rekindled Riker-Troi relationship, then issues after his promotion but their eventual marriage.

And sbk1234, having an episode following a deprated crew member would indeed be brilliant. 'A Day in the Life of Admiral Picard' or something.

 

[AlphaMan]

I've advocated this for years... I still say that TPTB's mistake witht the TNG franchise was that they were too afraid to tinker with the crew... write them in and out of the episodes/features as they were needed. This sort of failure of charcater development is what made the show stale by S7 and why it only had 1 out of 4 successful features. One of the great things about the TOS features was that things moved on. Kirk was an admiral, Spock went back to Vulcan and Bones retired. Sulu continueed until he was the captain of his own ship and he saved Kirk and Spock's ass. These were great moments and it's like we were there as they occured. Unless it was some Romulan plot or a temporal anomoly of the day, TNG lacks that, I'm sad to say.

I haven't watched an ep of TNG in years, but the show is still very dear to me. I imagine that I will dust off my DVD set any day now and go at it.

Oddly enough, the first person I would have wrote off the show would be Geordi. He's my favorite character probably because I am black and also studied engineering in college when the show was in it's original run. I think it would have been a great moment for his character to have him accept a promotion to Commander and is shipped off to the Starbase with Leah Brahms since they developed a working rapport in S4 after a shaky start. Subsequent follow-ups would show that the relationship grew into something "innappropriate" and finally culminating with the death of her husband.. and their eventual marriage... Rendering one of the predictions in All Good Things true.

Next would be Picard. Although, Worf's presence on DS9 was way more rewarding than his presence on TNG. It would be cool to get to know Lt. Hawk from the First Contact movie.... I would not have changed a thing regarding the way he died in the feature, however. This would have lent the moment more weight.


I should write a book.

 

[Praetor]

Well put sentiments. And indeed you may be the one whose comments I was thinking of when I started this thread. I agree wholeheartedly with what you said regarding using this to benefit character development.

 

[Maniarek]

I've advocated this for years... I still say that TPTB's mistake witht the TNG franchise was that they were too afraid to tinker with the crew... write them in and out of the episodes/features as they were needed. This sort of failure of charcater development is what made the show stale by S7 and why it only had 1 out of 4 successful features. One of the great things about the TOS features was that things moved on. Kirk was an admiral, Spock went back to Vulcan and Bones retired. Sulu continueed until he was the captain of his own ship and he saved Kirk and Spock's ass. These were great moments and it's like we were there as they occured. Unless it was some Romulan plot or a temporal anomoly of the day, TNG lacks that, I'm sad to say.

Very good points.

I disagree that TNG became stale by season 7 because the show just nailed the formula for keeping people entertained week in and week out. The alien-of-the-week/mystery-of-the-week concept when done right produces pretty intelligent sci-fi. The show always raised philosophical and moral issues to keep viewers thinking and coming up with their own interpretations.

Do you think TNG should’ve increased slightly the size of its main permanent cast? If they somehow figured a way to make Shelby's character permanent, it would've been great.

I haven't watched an ep of TNG in years, but the show is still very dear to me. I imagine that I will dust off my DVD set any day now and go at it.

Go for it! Though I have to admit the first two seasons of TNG were unmemorable.

Oddly enough, the first person I would have wrote off the show would be Geordi. He's my favorite character probably because I am black and also studied engineering in college when the show was in it's original run. I think it would have been a great moment for his character to have him accept a promotion to Commander and is shipped off to the Starbase with Leah Brahms since they developed a working rapport in S4 after a shaky start. Subsequent follow-ups would show that the relationship grew into something "innappropriate" and finally culminating with the death of her husband.. and their eventual marriage... Rendering one of the predictions in All Good Things true.

That’s a realistic path.

I’d slightly alter that story, and have him get promoted (something that should’ve happened relatively quickly considering his many achievements onboard the E-D) to Commander, reassigned to Starfleet Engineering, and pioneer new groundbreaking warp technology. And on the way he meets Brahms and they eventually marry.

Next would be Picard. Although, Worf's presence on DS9 was way more rewarding than his presence on TNG. It would be cool to get to know Lt. Hawk from the First Contact movie.... I would not have changed a thing regarding the way he died in the feature, however. This would have lent the moment more weight.

It would’ve been fascinating to see Picard getting promoted to Rear Admiral, and commanding a task force of several Galaxy-class starships or something. There was much potential for rich story here. So it’s up to us to come up with our own imaginary scenarios in the phenomenally huge fictitious universe.

Thx,
Maniarek.

 

[RavenWolf]

I think something like the ER approach would have worked. It might also have aloud for more exploring of the Star Trek universe, like for example I always wondered what civilian life was like in that era. All you ever seem to hear about is Star Fleet. On the other hand I stopped watching ER when I no longer recognized anyone on the show.

I think maybe I would prefer a Dr. who approach. I don't understand why so many people want to kill off the characters. Unfortunately they killed off the character that could have been switched out the most believable. (Yes I'm talking about Data.) I realize the actor felt he had aged out of the part. But Data was an android, he could of been in an accident that damaged his face and voice synthesizers and they couldn't repair them back to their original specifications... and slip in the new actor.

 

[jamestyler]

I've always liked this idea whenever it's been suggested. It would help to refresh a show and mix things up a little - which TNG seemed afraid to do at times.

A constantly evolving crew/cast to me would me far better than seeing characters get stale after all those years... if theres no where else to go with a character have them die or move on, then show us someone take their place through promotion or newcomer and advance/change someone elses path.

I think I lost touch with ER when the regulars left, but the gap left when a favourite character leaves gives a great anticipation for the next contenders for the role and allows characters to grow on the audience such as Archie did. From a production stand point it means no actor is bigger than the show - so if someone leaves (such as Patrick Stewart or Avery Brooks) they're reasonably easy to replace.

 

[Trek Survivor]

I'd have been happy with a season 8+, writing out characters and bringing new ones in (as necessary, rather than gratuitously as it oft-is with e.r). It would've been better than the whole crew-together-for-20-years-with-nary-a-promotion-in-sight concept.

Having said that, I've often wondered if there'd been season 8 of TNG, how would it have played to have had a season-long "arc" to the show for once? I'd have loved to have seen the Enterprise chasing Maquis terrorists into the Badlands, transported to the Delta Quadrant etc (now assuming TNG's continuation essentially replaces Voyager, as they wouldn't have three shows on the air at the same time).

I loved the premise of "Voyager", but not the show itself, and would have liked to have seen it play in TNG, but only as a season-long arc. In other words, they return by the end of season/beginning of season 9. We could then still meet the Phage aliens

I think both Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner would've jumped at the end of season 7, but that's OK. I'm pretty sure your remaining 5 would stay:

Frakes, Sirtis and Dorn have been the most vocal about wishing TNG continued beyond season 7. Certainly Dorn's continuation of the role in DS9 is proof he was happy to go on.

And new characters, definitely.

 

[Piper]

Without the main characters - Picard, Data and Worf especially - it wouldn't feel like TNG to me any more. I think each Star Trek series is defined by the characters in it, so if you had people coming and going all the time it would struggle to find an identity. It's arguable that ER, once the original cast had largely left, never felt like quite the same show again.

 

[I am not Spock]

Can't say I'm a big fan of 'revolving door' cast type shows, where all the original members leave. The X Files got silly after Duchovny moved on (even though I like Robert Patrick).

It might have worked, though. Shows like Lost, Buffy, and Angel have done pretty well, adding new characters as the seasons go on, and writing out others. As long as there are a few familiar faces still there. You don't go through life, seeing the same people every year, never getting a promotion, never changing circumstances, I suppose. It got a bit ridiculous in the TNG films, when the crew remained unchanged in all those years.

 

[Praetor]

True. I think they could have managed to hang on to Riker and Troi at least, and maybe Worf too as regulars had they gone this route, which might have helped anchor everyone else.

BTW, love the sig.

 

[I am not Spock]

True. I think they could have managed to hang on to Riker and Troi at least, and maybe Worf too as regulars had they gone this route, which might have helped anchor everyone else.

BTW, love the sig.

Thanks. I loved Vreenak!

 

[I am not Spock]

I think adding Jellico and Shelby as regulars would have been a great idea. The show needed MORE conflict, not less.

 

[Red Ranger]

People,

Yes, I posted a similar thread a short time ago, only I compared the revolving cast approach to the Law & Order shows.

There certainly could be lots of opportunities for the characters to be promoted, move on, etc. Bringing back Jellico would have been interesting after Riker had a chance to be in the center seat. I also think recasting Data as someone suggested earlier, having him in an accident which requires them to give him a new face and upgrade his software, would have been an original way to rewrite a character.

I also wonder if they had this approach and didn't launch VOY, if any of the characters we saw on that show would've been written into TNG. I could easily see Janeway as first officer, then captain, or Tuvok, Kim or Paris, serving on Enterprise. Hell, even Seven could've been written into TNG in a similar fashion.

Red Ranger

 

[Ward Fowler]

I think in order for the concept to be successful, TNG would have had to start out as an ensemble show. It never was that. It had echoes of ensemble, but it was very reliant on the characters of Picard and Data. The concept would have worked much better with DS9, which was a true ensemble show. The show could have survived the exit of any number of its stars.

 

[Red Ranger]

I think in order for the concept to be successful, TNG would have had to start out as an ensemble show. It never was that. It had echoes of ensemble, but it was very reliant on the characters of Picard and Data. The concept would have worked much better with DS9, which was a true ensemble show. The show could have survived the exit of any number of its stars.

You bring up an interesting point. However, I think TNG had elements of both an ensemble show and a star-driven vehicle. I wonder if a show ever started out as a star vehicle, then became an ensemble show? -- RR

 

[Praetor]

I think in order for the concept to be successful, TNG would have had to start out as an ensemble show. It never was that. It had echoes of ensemble, but it was very reliant on the characters of Picard and Data. The concept would have worked much better with DS9, which was a true ensemble show. The show could have survived the exit of any number of its stars.

A valid point. IIRC, didn't GR purposefully try to create each character as an embodiment of a certain aspect of humanity, so that no one character was by himself a fully rounded character, but together they represented a sort of one person? Of course this was more or less undone by later seasons' explorations of the characters.

And I agree that redoing Data's face to let another actor play him if Brent Spiner (who I now affectionately call 'BS' after Nemesis ) wanted out was the best route. Hell, make Data a woman. The only real obligations there were the way the character was written and the gold skin/yellow eyes/brown hair.

I think had Voyager not been spun off, introducing Janeway, Tuvok, Paris, and Kim would have been brilliant. By season 10 shall we say maybe they get temporarily stranded in the Delta Quadrant.