The original idea for First Contact was much better

[Korasine]

I think the movie would have been a lot better if the crew had gone back to ancient Roman times (or whatever it was but I think it was this) instead of the boring mid 21st century.
"First Contact" was completely lacking any feeling of epicness and I think this much more interesting time period would have made the movie feel really special, unique and well interesting. I just didn't think the story on the planet in FC was all that engaging and would much rather have seen the crew running about ancient temples or whatever than some metal shacks.
*sigh*

 

[Amaris]

Hm. I don't know. Why Roman times in particular?


J.

 

[flemm]

I don't think so. Star Trek has always been part sci-fi action, but it has always had elements that are very grounded and close to us as well. The two-tiered story in FC captures that duality very nicely, I think. Another way of putting it would be to say that the story on the Enterprise is the "Wrath of Khan" side of the film, while the story on Earth is the "Voyage Home" side of the film.

 

[Amaris]

^ I always liked the idea of meeting Zefram Cochrane in his element. It's why FC is my favorite TNG movie.

J.

 

[flemm]

^ I always liked the idea of meeting Zefram Cochrane in his element. It's why FC is my favorite TNG movie.

J.

Yeah, I really enjoy those scenes. They have a simple, believable quality. Also, First Contact with the Vulcans is one of those moments that only Star Trek can give us. The scene has a momentous and yet oddly familiar quality. On the one hand, you do get a sense that you are witnessing a landmark event in human history, yet it is like meeting a old friend.

I don't really know how ancient Rome was going to be worked in, but I really doubt I would have liked it as much

 

[Amaris]

^ I always liked the idea of meeting Zefram Cochrane in his element. It's why FC is my favorite TNG movie.

J.

Yeah, I really enjoy those scenes. They have a simple, believable quality. Also, First Contact with the Vulcans is one of those moments that only Star Trek can give us. The scene has a momentous and yet oddly familiar quality. On the one hand, you do get a sense that you are witnessing a landmark event in human history, yet it is like meeting a old friend.

I don't really know how ancient Rome was going to be worked in, but I really doubt I would have liked it as much

Succinctly put.

J.

 

[Broccoli]

I liked what they did in First Contact. Time travel was done in Star Trek numerous times, but the fact that they time traveled to "our future/their past" was neat and somewhat unique. Also, it gave us the "birth" of the Star Trek universe.

 

[Amaris]

Agreed. That being said, I liked the book "Federation" and would have been equally happy with that as FC.

J.

 

[Too Much Fun]

I heard they were originally going to have the crew chase the Borg into the Renaissance where the crew would go around doing stuff like swordplay, which sounds rather ridiculous. Apparently it was shot down partially because Patrick Stewart didn't want to have to wear tights again.

 

[cultcross]

^ I always liked the idea of meeting Zefram Cochrane in his element. It's why FC is my favorite TNG movie.

J.

Yeah, I really enjoy those scenes. They have a simple, believable quality. Also, First Contact with the Vulcans is one of those moments that only Star Trek can give us. The scene has a momentous and yet oddly familiar quality. On the one hand, you do get a sense that you are witnessing a landmark event in human history, yet it is like meeting a old friend.

I don't really know how ancient Rome was going to be worked in, but I really doubt I would have liked it as much

Exactly my thoughts. First Contact picked the perfect time period, imho. Do we really want Picard and Co running around in tights? And 'go back in time to change things in Shakespeare's time/Rome/etc.' is fairly unoriginal for a show set in the 24th Century. And 20th Century Earth has been done, both in the movies by The Voyage Home and in the show in VOY. The perfect answer was to go to a period which is still 'the future' for us, but the past for our characters, and chose an event which is a momentous historical event, which will resonate with the audience, but still a totally fictional one so you can do it however you want.

 

[RoJoHen]

Next you'll tell me you wish there were Nazis in it.

 

[SonOfMogh]

Next you'll tell me you wish there were Nazis in it.

Nazi Borg.....

 

[Too Much Fun]

You know, now that I think about it, they kinda are like Nazis. Think about it. They consider themselves a "master race" that wishes to conquer other races. The only difference is the Borg try to convert, rather than simply murder those they consider 'inferior'.

 

[ChristopherPike]

Actually wasn't the original working title supposed to be Star Trek Renaissance?

It involved the crew going back in time to stop the Borg altering history around the time of Leonardo Da Vinci.

 

[Shazam!]

I've always liked it when Star Trek goes back in time to our future.

 

[neogothboy74]

I disagree about the 'original concept being better'. First Contact is the only Next Gen film I really truly enjoy. While the original concept would have no doubt been fun, we know about our own history. What First Contact did was shed light on a future that was purely Trek's, which had seldom (if ever) been explored previously.

Plus, all the Treks are represented on screen in the film (to great effect); something which none of the other films accomplished IMO, which endears the finished film to me even more.

Star Trek: Enterprise -

Zefram Cochrane

The Enterprise NX-01 could be considered an anticedant to the Enterprise 1701-E.

Star Trek -

Zefram Cochrane
The Enterprise 1701 is an anticedant to the Enterprise 1701-E.

Star Trek: The Next Generation -

Obviously the crew of Next Generation and their ship is on screen.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine -

Worf (now a DS9 character)
The Defiant (fighting the Borg as it was intended!)

Star Trek: Voyager -

The EMH (while not the Doctor, it's still a nice touch)
The Borg / The Borg Queen (Voyager's main adversaries)
Ethan Philips (as a holodeck character)

Oh. And there's this too:

Star Trek Film Series -

Star Trek: First Contact is Star Trek VIII - and features the Klingon Theme from the Classic Trek films, here played in honor of Worf.

 

[cultcross]

Actually wasn't the original working title supposed to be Star Trek Renaissance?

It involved the crew going back in time to stop the Borg altering history around the time of Leonardo Da Vinci.

It was at one point Star Trek: Resurrection (Until the Alien franchise did that first). I don't know if it was 'Renaissance' at any point, but I do remember reading about the Da Vinci idea.

 

[Myasishchev]

I heard they were originally going to have the crew chase the Borg into the Renaissance where the crew would go around doing stuff like swordplay, which sounds rather ridiculous. Apparently it was shot down partially because Patrick Stewart didn't want to have to wear tights again.

My God. First Contact could have been worse.

 

[O'Dib]

No need for Trek to encroach on the Doctor's turf.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Conceptually, I have no problems with the Star Trek: Renaissance idea. It could probably have made a neat story.

The problems, though, are multiple.

Getting the tone right. Getting the storylines to gel (which is something that I don't think First Contact managed, even though they were tonally more similar.) Figuring out how to market the thing; medieval epics aren't exactly box office gold.

Ultimately, I think ST: Renaissance would have felt a bit Insurrection-like; a big-budget episode.

I somehow doubt this ever went to script, but I'd love to see the treatment.

The treatment I remember reading at the time was this one, which made the rounds on the 'net back in '95.