TNG movies: Always about Picard and Data!

[MicahBrack]

Ronald D. Moore recently "decried how the Trek movies were always about Picard and Data, with little for the other characters to do, and he doesn't want that to happen to BSG."

Upon reading that, I immediately thought...Oh my God, that's true!

Generations, First Contact, Insurrection, and Nemesis...all focused on the two as the two main characters. To the point where the other so-called main characters hardly had any lines. It was all about Picard and his family's legacy, Data and his new emotions, Picard and the Borg, Data and the Borg, Picard and his protecting the Ba'ku, Data being involuntarily used in the conspiracy against the Ba'ku, Picard and Shinzon, and Data and B-4.

It's a real shame the other characters got so little attention. Especially Dr. Crusher. She barely did anything in the movies. At least Geordi had some influence in the plot of Generations, Riker and Troi got married, and Worf is always noticeable. They could have at least made some references to the attraction between Crusher and Picard.

Does anyone else have any opinions of the focus on Picard and Data at the expense of the others?

 

[captcalhoun]

yeah, i agree, but when Stewart became a producer, it's hardly surprising he got lionised and Data was supposedly the most popular character... it's like Wolverine in the X-Men movies, he dominates proceedings and overshadows the other X-Men...

 

[Keith1701]

yeah, i agree, but when Stewart became a producer, it's hardly surprising he got lionised and Data was supposedly the most popular character... it's like Wolverine in the X-Men movies, he dominates proceedings and overshadows the other X-Men...

Yes, I agree.......It would have been nice to see more of a story around Riker as well.

 

[Dane_Whitman]

Yep, it's one of my biggest beefs with the TNG movies, it became the Data & Picard show and characters such as Worf and Crusher were reduced to the status of talking furniture.

 

[StolenThunder]

Moving to Trek Movies.

 

[EyalM]

Ronald D. Moore recently "decried how the Trek movies were always about Picard and Data, with little for the other characters to do...

Too bad Ron Moore had nothing to do with any of the TNG movies...

 

[ialfan]

Ronald D. Moore recently "decried how the Trek movies were always about Picard and Data, with little for the other characters to do...

Too bad Ron Moore had nothing to do with any of the TNG movies...

...Except Generations and First Contact.

 

[Lord Garth]

What I like about Ron Moore is that he's learned and grown from his experiences on Star Trek. Ron Moore today would not write GEN or FC the same way.

 

[ALF]

Some of the best and most memorable TNG episodes featured Geordi, Beverly, Riker etc. So I agree with the Picard/Data travesty. It was shoved down our throats in Insurrection/Nemesis. TNG was at its best, an ensemble cast.

Although... to play devil's advocate, TOS films focused pretty much on Kirk Spock McCoy. And there's no problems there.

Are there???

 

[Sir Rhosis]

Well, I think one of the reasons was that Picard and Data were certainly the most recognizable to the general public. TOS had the triumvirate of Kirk, Spock and McCoy, and many people recalled them as a unit almost. TNG did not have this type of well-known iconic bond amongst its characters. So in a way, I can understand why the writers chose to emphasize Picard and Data. Many casual viewers knew the show only as being about the "bald captain and the robot."

But, honestly, look at the TOS movies. Chekov, Uhura and Sulu rarely got any subplots of substance. Scotty got a few good scenes here and there, but mostly the films were about Kirk and Spock, with a strong supporting performance each time by Kelley as McCoy.

Sir Rhosis

EDIT: To add that billcosby posted while I was composing. I do agree with him, though.

 

[Kegek]

Although... to play devil's advocate, TOS films focused pretty much on Kirk Spock McCoy. And there's no problems there.

Are there???

Nope. That accurately reflected the dynamic of the series. Scotty, Uhura Chekov and Sulu weren't terribly important. They did have their moments; but they had their moments in the movies as well. While Picard and Data were easily two of TNG's most interesting and compelling characters, the show was more of an ensemble than TOS. Not as much of an ensemble as DS9, true, it's somewhere in the middle.

By itself, I don't have a problem with the films focusing on these two characters. But I do think it was part of a wider problem: The films were ignoring a lot of what made the series work and trying to turn it into something it wasn't. This was hardly the most erroneous example (and could have worked); but it's one of them.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

I think that's true.

 

[Opus]

Yep, it's one of my biggest beefs with the TNG movies, it became the Data & Picard show and characters such as Worf and Crusher were reduced to the status of talking furniture.

That's not true! Furniture serves a purpose in a scene...

 

[Opus]

Some of the best and most memorable TNG episodes featured Geordi, Beverly, Riker etc. So I agree with the Picard/Data travesty. It was shoved down our throats in Insurrection/Nemesis. TNG was at its best, an ensemble cast.

Although... to play devil's advocate, TOS films focused pretty much on Kirk Spock McCoy. And there's no problems there.

Are there???

Check the credits for TOS: Shatner, Nimoy, and (for the second and third seasons) Kelly were the only stars of the show. Even in the TOS movies, Doohan, Takei, Koenig and Nichols are only co-stars.

TNG was a true ensemble show, but the movies destroyed that dynamic. I do see it as one reason why TNG's movies weren't as successful.

 

[Manticore]

To be fair, First Contact managed to break this mold a fair bit, by giving Riker, Troi, and Geordi their own significant subplot. Well, Riker and Geordi. Mostly Riker, now that I think about it.

And back up on the Enterprise, even Crusher had a couple of good scenes, one in sickbay, and on the bridge when she tries to convince Picard to destroy the Enterprise, and then follows his orders when he refuses. Likewise with Worf.

Honestly, now that I think about it, I'd argue that the main characters in First Contact were Picard, Cochrane, and Riker, with Data, the Queen, Lily, and Geordi essentially 'tied' in a second tier, and Troi, Crusher, and Worf in a third tier--not much of an arc, but still having memorable scenes.

I'm forced to wonder how Treks 9 and 10 would have worked had Braga and Moore kept writing them (and not had their little feud that broke that generally-amazing team up).