A character like Mackenzie Calhoun of the New Frontier books...sort of a cross between William Wallace of Braveheart and Martin Riggs of Lethal Weapon (without the suicidial tendencies of course).
The Next Captain Should Be . . . (Fill In The Blank)!
- Thread starter Red Ranger
- Start date
Yep... Calhoun is the first really interesting new Trek character in the past... how long has Peter David been writing these books, again???... anyway, I've loved those stories, largely because this guy is NOT "politically correct" in any fashion. He's essentially the "Anti-Janeway."
Venardhi,
Then I think we're on the same wavelength here! Character is more important than origin, and naturally, a 24th or even 25th century man who is of Latino descent who grew up on a colony world will definitely have a different outlook on life than others. I do want a more worldy view from such a character.
Red Ranger
If it's in the TOS era, a human from a non-western society or a Vulcan.
Post TOS, an alien captain or human-alien mix.
I wonder how a Horta captain would work out? . . .
Post TOS, an alien captain or human-alien mix.
I wonder how a Horta captain would work out? . . .
...Cardassian! 
I wouldn't mind seeing a series set in the 25th century. The Alpha and Beta Quadrants are at peace, so they have free time to explore the Gamma Quadrant and beyond. If they develop a useable faster than warp propulsion unit, they could even leave the galaxy. That would fit into the spirit of TOS.
Another way around the problem might be to place a hidden human in the otherwise alien cast. Sort of what Diane Duane did in The Romulan Way, where a human spy was in a Romulan household, posing as a Romulan.
I don't know if I'd want to watch "spies in space, the series" myself, but it's a possible solution to the need for a human POV.
Marian
Personally, I would like to see an Andorian Captain who alien nature is never watered down to make him more human. That way we can see the crew of mainly humans trying to work with someone completely alien on a day-to-dya basis.
If were destined for a human captain. I would like to see an incredibly young British Captain who really is only just learning what it really means to be a Captain. Other then that I would like to see an experienced human captain who has an attachment to his home (not Earth) and no great love for Earth.
If were destined for a human captain. I would like to see an incredibly young British Captain who really is only just learning what it really means to be a Captain. Other then that I would like to see an experienced human captain who has an attachment to his home (not Earth) and no great love for Earth.
All the ideas for "cool alien characters" sound great in one-line descriptions.
But remember, the audience for these shows are HUMAN BEINGS. We need to have characters we can identify with and relate to. Otherwise, (see the movie "A.I." for a great example) we simply do not want to watch.
So, you either end up with an interesting alien (who's truly alien in nature) who the audience cannot relate to, or a "watered down" alien who is simply a Southern Californian with bad forehead acne.
Remember, we're not REALLY talking about true stories here. We're talking about INTERESTING STORYTELLING. Key to that is "the audience can relate to the characters but the characters represent what we aspire to be, more than what we are." You can take that TOO far (TNG got boring often enough because the people were ... "too evolved"... and thus we couldn't relate so well, for instance). But the whole Kirk/Spock/McCoy triumvirate was a near-perfect example of this. Kirk was the "heroic" side we'd all like to have. McCoy was our passion, our heart, our sympathetic side. Spock was the outsider that we all sometimes feel like we are, who was able to overcome that and be the smartest, coolest guy on the ship. All of them represented some portion of us.. US... that we could connect to, relate with, and aspire to be more like.
So... looking at it from a pure STORYTELLING and CHARACTERIZATIOn standpoint... how can we possibly have a storytelling situation involving characters none of us can relate to, and have that show with any popular success whatsoever.
Sure, give us "tangential" characters who are utterly alien... but the key characters must be "us, but a little bit better" if we're going to become really involved in the storytelling.
I'm with Anthony on this one. The only way another series is likely to be in the offing, at any time in the foreseeable future, is if the next film is successful. And in a case like that, the series will emulate the film, and capitalize on its success as much as possible, rather than stray too far into unproven territory. So I not only believe that the next series will be set in the TOS era, but I also believe that Trek's next television Captain will be none other than James T Kirk, in a series of all new TOS-friendly adventures.
Good Will Riker
Admiral
^^^
TV has the tendancy to go with the "tried and true" tested formula rather than take riskes in situations like these. So I am with you guys on this one if Paramount, CBS, or whoever in charge decides to go this route with Trek's future as a live-action production.
TV has the tendancy to go with the "tried and true" tested formula rather than take riskes in situations like these. So I am with you guys on this one if Paramount, CBS, or whoever in charge decides to go this route with Trek's future as a live-action production.
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