The Picard and Data Show

[PicardSpeedo]

There's a pattern that I've noticed about the TNG-era movies - it seems that, no matter what the overall storyline is, the writers have consistently blocked it out with an A-plot starring Picard, and a B-plot starring Data. The B-plot also almost always includes an element of Data doing something bizarre or out of character, or experiencing a malfunction of some kind. Does anyone know what motivated the writers to use this formula for basically every single TNG movie that was made?

 

[Jedman67]

Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner demanded lead roles for all the films.

 

[velour]

I would never have guessed that Brent Spiner had that type of ego.

I can understand why Stewart/Picard would be given star treatment, regardless of whether he demanded it or not.

Picard is, by far, the dominant and most compelling personality among the TNG characters. Also, I have to say that Stewart is probably the best actor among the bunch.

 

[Timby]

I would never have guessed that Brent Spiner had that type of ego.

Spiner was always very cagey. Whereas basically everyone else would sign a contract with an option for another movie, Spiner never really had any affinity for Star Trek and insisted on signing one-movie deals. After being pretty displeased with Generations, he started effecting more control over scripts, culminating in him only doing Nemesis if he had the same level of creative control that Stewart had on Insurrection, resulting in his hand-picked writer (John Logan) getting the job, complete with a provision that Logan couldn't be rewritten.

 

[Jedman67]

Resulting in two terrible movies. Not that First Contact was so much better...

 

[Trek Survivor]

Both Stewart and Spiner had it in their contracts about the plot arcs for their characters. By the time of the movies, they were basically the stars (sorry Mr Frakes) and certainly exploited that.

 

[sbk1234]

I would never have guessed that Brent Spiner had that type of ego.

I've met Brent Spiner. I can easily believe he'd have that type of ego.

 

[Shinzon4u]

Spiner was always very cagey. Whereas basically everyone else would sign a contract with an option for another movie, Spiner never really had any affinity for Star Trek and insisted on signing one-movie deals. After being pretty displeased with Generations, he started effecting more control over scripts, culminating in him only doing Nemesis if he had the same level of creative control that Stewart had on Insurrection, resulting in his hand-picked writer (John Logan) getting the job, complete with a provision that Logan couldn't be rewritten.

Well Nemesis is better than Insurrection (though both are good), so Spiner chose well.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

It's probably a good thing we never got a Seven movie, where she and the EMH go off on all sorts of crazy, sexy adventures, with Janeway popping up on occasion.

 

[The Grim Ghost]

Well Picard and Data were the break out characters of the show. I'd put Worf 3rd, but he had other stuff going on. And maybe 4th would be Riker but Frakes had his directing gig and probably wasn't making waves about any of it.

Yeah it's kind of a shame it worked out that way, but look at the TOS movies. It's all about Shatner and Nimoy for the most part so the TNG movies were just repeating that pattern.

 

[Timby]

Well Nemesis is better than Insurrection

If you live on a planet where crack grows on trees, maybe.

 

[TheAdmiralty]

They were the two most popular characters on the show and probably had the most screentime/episodes centered on them than any other characters. Maybe Riker was on par with Data, but things definitely shifted more in his direction as the second lead as the show went on. They weren't as dominant as the Kirk/Spock/Bones triad on TOS, but they were still the leads.

It's probably a good thing we never got a Seven movie, where she and the EMH go off on all sorts of crazy, sexy adventures, with Janeway popping up on occasion.

I'd rather watch that than most Voyager episodes.

 

[CommanderRaytas]

If you live on a planet where crack grows on trees, maybe.

I'm going to simultaneously agree and disagree with both and, in the process, make myself unpopular by saying that both films are equally horrible and infuriating.