The path not taken

[RobertScorpio]

We watched BEST OF BOTH WORLDS, both parts tonight, and I got to thinking...what if the writers/producers had gone down that other path. Locutus and the Borg take Earth, and seasons 4-6 would have centered around the rest of the splintered Federation rallying together to save Earth, and the final season, 7, spent putting it all back together...

As it stands, TNG went on its way and the ratings declined there after, for all of TREK in fact. You could actually argue that Trek reached it's greatest height in the summer between Best of Both Worlds 1 and 2.

The path chosen? Yearly cliffhangers that never quite reached the numbers of Best of Both Worlds. Formulatic writing that began to show it's age in seasons six and seven. The ship-bound formula is transfered to VOY and ENT and...Trek limps to an end, on fumes, with the death of Enterprise...

The path not chosen? An arcing story that would have predated Babylon-5 and would really have taken Star Trek out of the formula, and taken it into a new direction, perhaps even Killing Picard in the process.

And from what I have read over the years, and I am sure some of you have too, they actually had thought about it.

So..had TNG gone down the Path not chosen, and really shook the Trek base to the core, would it have been better? Could it have brought in new viewers and a new idea of telling a story (arcs)? Or was it doomed to lose it's viewer ship and decline anyway.

I don't know...I could see it either way...

Robert
Scorpio

 

[number6]

They kind of did that with the Dominion war in DS9. The Federation spends a good couple of seasons on the brink of destruction. I don't think the formula was that tired. ENT and VOY had some great episodes in their respective runs. The issue was being on a network and subject to suits stepping in and imposing their opinions on how the show should be written instead of letting the writing staff get on with it. DS9 had a great deal of freedom to tell stories about terrorism, religion, genocide and a whole host of other things ENT and VOY couldn't do. UPN wanted a TNG-like show for their network and went with VOY because they thought DS9 was too dark and too inside. The same thing goes for ENT. B&B wanted ENT to be more about "The Right Stuff" and the pioneering spirit of exploration and the network wanted something familiar yet futuristic. There is no way UPN would have allowed half the storylines DS9 got away with. I'm glad Star Trek didn't go down the B5 path. B5 was pretty unwatchable and horribly written.

 

[WillsBabe]

I voted for "they did just fine". I say this because I enjoyed TNG a great deal during its first run, loved it to death, in fact. By season 7 I was as tired with it as everyone else and I suppose a change in format, direction or something might have helped. But on the whole I like the way it was, so that's what I voted for.

 

[Luckyflux]

I think they did just fine as well. But I never got tired with the ST formula of TNG. In fact I was sad when they cancelled TNG after the seventh season, I would loved more seasons of TNG.

BOBW was fantastic, almost untoppable. Nothing wrong with that. Just hard to one-up.

If they went with the Assimilation of Earth route, then it wouldn't feel like ST. It would have been more "soap opera-ish". Instead of all of the great stand alone episodes we got after it. ST was like "here are our heroes, and this is the mess they are in this week." I was fine with that. More variety, more creativity, always stand-alone.

I would have liked your scenario more if that was the way that TNG (or another series) began with. "These are our heroes, this is the mess they are in, let's see them deal." Like Andromeda or Fascape, (never saw B5, or nuBSG)

 

[erastus25]

I voted for a change in format BUT I think the change you suggest is a little too drastic. TNG was still very very very solid in years 4 and 5 and I wouldn't tweak much (maybe a few less "family" episodes) during those years. However, seasons 6 and 7 definitely could have taken a different path. Perhaps the Federation could have been dragged in to a Romulan vs. Klingon war as a result of something Spock or Sela do on Romulus? Maybe revive the dead arc that would have the Borg assimilating all the Romulans?

At the same time, TPTB probably would have been hesitant to pull the trigger on huge changes in TNG because the consequences would have spilled over into DS9 and disrupted any storytelling they were trying to do there.

 

[ladyheather69]

I agree with e25...voted for a change in format, but not as drastic as the one you propose. I LOVED TNG. I was a faithful watcher from day one. Couldn't wait for the next episode to premiere. But towards the end of the run, probably seasons 6-7 the formula got a bit stale. Not saying that they needed a drastic shake up, because then it wouldn't have been TNG. But something...not sure what....was needed.

 

[Mistral]

ladyheather-maybe a Mirror story arc? Despite all of the bashing ENT takes I still get a kick out of the 2-parter Mirror episode. I'd have liked to have seen Evil Picard.(In fact, I'm using him as a character in my on-going fan fic). And a Mirror Data?!? What would that have been like?

 

[SiddFinch1]

Could have been interesting but i am not sure about 4 years of it.

 

[greenmystik]

I think it turned out just fine.

 

[RobertScorpio]

I agree with e25...voted for a change in format, but not as drastic as the one you propose. I LOVED TNG. I was a faithful watcher from day one. Couldn't wait for the next episode to premiere. But towards the end of the run, probably seasons 6-7 the formula got a bit stale. Not saying that they needed a drastic shake up, because then it wouldn't have been TNG. But something...not sure what....was needed.

I thought it was to drastic too. I only heard snippets of it at a convention when I was listening to a conversation between RDM and some fan. I am not sure if it was the fans idea, or not, but RDM seemed to suggest they had thought of going in that direction had Patrick not resigned.

But an arcing TNG, three years ahead of BAB-5, might have been the thing to regnite interest in TNG which did begin to lose ground from season 4 on.

Rob

 

[RAMA]

We watched BEST OF BOTH WORLDS, both parts tonight, and I got to thinking...what if the writers/producers had gone down that other path. Locutus and the Borg take Earth, and seasons 4-6 would have centered around the rest of the splintered Federation rallying together to save Earth, and the final season, 7, spent putting it all back together...

As it stands, TNG went on its way and the ratings declined there after, for all of TREK in fact. You could actually argue that Trek reached it's greatest height in the summer between Best of Both Worlds 1 and 2.

The path chosen? Yearly cliffhangers that never quite reached the numbers of Best of Both Worlds. Formulatic writing that began to show it's age in seasons six and seven. The ship-bound formula is transfered to VOY and ENT and...Trek limps to an end, on fumes, with the death of Enterprise...

The path not chosen? An arcing story that would have predated Babylon-5 and would really have taken Star Trek out of the formula, and taken it into a new direction, perhaps even Killing Picard in the process.

And from what I have read over the years, and I am sure some of you have too, they actually had thought about it.

So..had TNG gone down the Path not chosen, and really shook the Trek base to the core, would it have been better? Could it have brought in new viewers and a new idea of telling a story (arcs)? Or was it doomed to lose it's viewer ship and decline anyway.

I don't know...I could see it either way...

Robert
Scorpio

Actually the ratings after season 4 went up...what gives people the idea they went down? Second time I saw this erroneous assumption today on this BBS.

S4: 11.32
S5: 12.50
S6: 12.66
S7: 12.28

Publicity, con attendence, merchandising all went UP after season 4. There was no loss in interest.

RAMA

 

[startrekwatcher]

We watched BEST OF BOTH WORLDS, both parts tonight, and I got to thinking...what if the writers/producers had gone down that other path. Locutus and the Borg take Earth, and seasons 4-6 would have centered around the rest of the splintered Federation rallying together to save Earth, and the final season, 7, spent putting it all back together...

No, I was happy with the way The Best of Both Worlds was resolved. I was satisfied with seasons 4-6. TNG might not hve been arc-based or possessed the same sort of epic storytelling commonplace these days with shows like Lost, Heroes or BSG but there was absolutely nothing wrong with entertaining low-key standalone episodes. TNG produced a nice variety of stories ranging from interesting high concept sci-fi mysteries to character pieces to social allegories and the occasional fluff piece.

Now DS9, on the otherhand, showed itself to be at its best with arcs and I really think a Federation resistance storyline would have been perfect only instead of the Borg the threat was the Dominion who successfully would have brought their reinforcements through the wormhole in "Sacrifice of Angels".

So..had TNG gone down the Path not chosen, and really shook the Trek base to the core, would it have been better? Could it have brought in new viewers and a new idea of telling a story (arcs)? Or was it doomed to lose it's viewer ship and decline anyway.

I think the decline in TNG's later years was due to a combination of factors--writer burn out and the efforts by the staff to develop VOY, get DS9 up and running and writing Generations.

And I must be one of the few who felt it wasn't the fact VOY/ENT was episodic or copied the TOS/TNG formula that made those latter shows the franchise's weakest, it was the writing.

 

[RAMA]

We watched BEST OF BOTH WORLDS, both parts tonight, and I got to thinking...what if the writers/producers had gone down that other path. Locutus and the Borg take Earth, and seasons 4-6 would have centered around the rest of the splintered Federation rallying together to save Earth, and the final season, 7, spent putting it all back together...

No, I was happy with the way The Best of Both Worlds was resolved. I was satisfied with seasons 4-6. TNG might not hve been arc-based or possessed the same sort of epic storytelling commonplace these days with shows like Lost, Heroes or BSG but there was absolutely nothing wrong with entertaining low-key standalone episodes. TNG produced a nice variety of stories ranging from interesting high concept sci-fi mysteries to character pieces to social allegories and the occasional fluff piece.

Now DS9, on the otherhand, showed itself to be at its best with arcs and I really think a Federation resistance storyline would have been perfect only instead of the Borg the threat was the Dominion who successfully would have brought their reinforcements through the wormhole in "Sacrifice of Angels".

So..had TNG gone down the Path not chosen, and really shook the Trek base to the core, would it have been better? Could it have brought in new viewers and a new idea of telling a story (arcs)? Or was it doomed to lose it's viewer ship and decline anyway.

I think the decline in TNG's later years was due to a combination of factors--writer burn out and the efforts by the staff to develop VOY, get DS9 up and running and writing Generations.

And I must be one of the few who felt it wasn't the fact VOY/ENT was episodic or copied the TOS/TNG formula that made those latter shows the franchise's weakest, it was the writing.

I don't think there was a "pattern" over seasons, season 6 is the second best to me...there was just a natural decline in quality episodes that happens from season to season on most shows. I see no reason a season 8 couldn't have been good. Season 7 did produce some gems!

RAMA

 

[startrekwatcher]

I don't think there was a "pattern" over seasons, season 6 is the second best to me...there was just a natural decline in quality episodes that happens from season to season on most shows. I see no reason a season 8 couldn't have been good. Season 7 did produce some gems!

Season seven did have good episodes. The problem for me were they were now the exception not the norm as in years past and to me that is a sign of a series having passed its zenith. Like I said I think with the double duty pulled by the show's stronger creative forces--Michael Piller, Brannon Braga and Ron Moore-- coupled with the writing staff having given its all producing a surprisingly strong consistent run for four seasons straight the show was clearly a shadow of its former self in my opinion.

There were several episodes that could have been just as good as similiar episodes in seasons 3-6 but by season seven they didn't receive the necessary polishing so you ended up with a string of episodes--Force of Nature, Eye of the Beholder, Masks, Emergence, Homeward, Bloodlines, Firstborn--that had good ideas but were poorly executed. So I doubt a season 8 with two other Trek series on would have gotten any better.

 

[T'Cal]

I wish the show had continued rather than gone to the movies. TNG worked better on the small screen than the big one because it was an ensamble show unlike TOS, which usually focused on the big three. I would've liked seeing the cast move along to other duties or assignments in S6 and S7.

 

[Rhaenys]

I think it turned out just fine. Seasons 3, 4, 5 and 6 are for me the best ST seasons.
Season 7 is weaker, but I believe it's because they were working on TNG, DS9, Voyager and Generations at the same time and that was just too much and season 7 paid fot it. Too bad.