I'm not actually going to write this (though the first half of the first episode does exist) but I thought some of you might be interested in seeing what I had planned. A few years ago, I made notes about a five season TNG Relaunch and thought that the notes were lost - but I have rediscovered them at my Mom's.
I'm presenting them to you for your amusement - and a look at what could have been if I'd finished the pilot script:
TNG Relaunch
Main Characters
Season 1
PICARD would have mellowed somewhat, he would no longer have been the unapproachable patrician of TNG but a more amiable grandfather figure.
MARTIN MADDEN would have been his new XO, someone we wouldn't like to begin with but who would grow on us as the seasons progressed.
HACOPIAN was the Enterprise's grumpy Tellarite Chief Medical Officer whilst WORF and LAFORGE returned as Security Chief and Chief Engineer.
TANA was the new Ops Manager, a Vulcan who had rejected the teachings of Surak and was exploring different religions until she discovered the right one for her. Tana would have had a past with the new Counselor, a male Bajoran, SOLAN TORAN.
ILYANA HADAR was the new CONN Officer, the first Cardassian to graduate from Starfleet Academy who formed an unlikely friendship with the Counselor.
Season 2-5
MARGARET BRANSON (Season 2-5) replaced Madden as XO after his death, an African American woman who ended up as the Captain of the Enterprise.
NOG (Season 3-5) replaced LaForge as Chief Engineer when LaForge went over to the USS Challenger as First Officer whilst DONATRA (Season 4) took part in an Officer Exchange and became Security Chief.
ARIK TRAMEL (Season 5) was Branson's ex-husband, the new Chief Medical Officer, an Arabic man whilst N'VAR (Season 5) was the new Tiburonian Security Chief.
The Cast
Patrick Stewart, Michael Dorn, Levar Burton, Aron Eisenberg, Steven Culp and Dina Meyer were to return to the roles they had previously played even if Culp had only played that role in a scene that was later cut.
Michael Winters, Scott Cohen, Liza Weil and Alexis Bledel were to play Hacopian, Solan, Tana and Hadar respectively (as I was watching Gilmore Girls at the time) whilst Jada Pinkett and Oded Fehr were pencilled in as Branson and Tramel.
There were no actors considered for the roles of either the new Counselor or the new Security Chief (whether N'Var or the Hirogen) though I have the Jeffrey Dean Morgan down (with a question mark next to it) so it's possible he was considered for one of the roles.
Season 1
In the season premiere, Picard takes the Enterprise to investigate what Starfleet believe is a new Borg incursion - it is, in fact, a new insectoid race who have mastered Borg tech and are using it to terrorise the Federation.
Madden dies mid-season and is replaced by Branson who ends up being given command of the Enterprise when Picard is declared MIA by Admiral Janeway in the season finale.
Each season would have had thirteen episodes which would have consisted of several standalines, a couple of two-parters and a handful of arc episodes. The first season was to be arranged as such:
1/2 - The Enterprise is dispatched to investigate a new Borg incursion but finds new aliens using Borg technology.
3 - Standalone.
4 - Standalone.
5 - Standalone.
6/7 - Two Parter.
8 - Madden is killed in this episode after finally winning the trust and endearment of the crew in the previous episode.
9/10 - Branson arrives.
11 - Standalone.
12/13 - The Borg arrive on the doorstep of the Federation, they are defeated and Picard is abducted by an unknown race/organisation.
Season 2
Picard is MIA for the whole season. Branson is Acting Captain, LaForge is the Acting First Officer and a series of Acting Chief Engineers appear (but none of them appear more than once). LaForge gets a taste for command and when Picard returns in the closing moments of the season finale, Branson gets returned to First Officer and LaForge applies for the position of XO on the Challenger.
Hadar is promoted to Lieutenant JG by Branson after her exemplary actions during the Season One finale and becomes more confident in her abilities.
Lore is the Big Bad of the season and is defeated when Datas personality resurfaces in B4. B4 stops Lore and saves the universe when he launches himself and his fellow android into the heart of a star.
Season 3
Nog arrives as Chief Engineer. With an otherwise completely new crew, Worf begins to feel restless. When the Enterprise is forced to work with a Klingon vessel, Chancellor Martok offers Worf a seat on the High Council and governorship of a colony - which Worf accepts.
The parasite aliens (Conspiracy) are the Big Bad of the season and Solan gets posessed and, therefore killed, in the season finale after resuming his relationship with Tana.
Season 4
Starfleet begins an Officer Exchange program with the Romulans and Picard, to wave the flag for the project, takes Donatra onboard as Security Chief whilst the Enterprise operates as support to a decimated Romulan fleet, coming up against the Breen who are launching an attempt to take over fragmenting Romulan space.
Tana is promoted to Lieutenant Commander and embraces the teachings of the Bajoran Prophets to find solace in the wake of Solan's death in final episode of the third season - she even wears a Vulcan earring.
The new Counselor joins the crew (the character was left undefined in my notes but thoughts of a FEMALE ALIEN from a previously unexplored but seen on-screen species).
Donatra and Hacopian die to save the Enterprise and, for the actions of the Enterprise in saving the Romulan Empire, Picard is made an honorary RSE Commander and that helps him in his mission the following season.
Season 5
Doctor Arik Tramel, Branson's ex-husband (Oded Fehr would have been a candidate for the role) joins the crew as Chief Medical Officer and despite the relationship between them being rocky, they eventually warm to each other and resume a relationship. Lieutenant N'Var, a Tiburonian, joins the crew as Security Chief (though my notes suggest that I considered making the new Security Chief a Hirogen called Graal) and helps the crew defeat incursions from the Sphere Builders.
Hadar is promoted to Lieutenant and starts a tentative relationship with Nog.
Q appears in the season finale, turns Picard into a Q and tells them that mankind has passed the final test. Branson is promoted to Captain, gets command of the Enterprise and the final scene of the final episode is her First Officer reporting in - a duplicate of the first scene of the first episode of the first season, in which Commander Madden reported in to Captain Picard.
I'm presenting them to you for your amusement - and a look at what could have been if I'd finished the pilot script:
TNG Relaunch
Main Characters
Season 1
PICARD would have mellowed somewhat, he would no longer have been the unapproachable patrician of TNG but a more amiable grandfather figure.
MARTIN MADDEN would have been his new XO, someone we wouldn't like to begin with but who would grow on us as the seasons progressed.
HACOPIAN was the Enterprise's grumpy Tellarite Chief Medical Officer whilst WORF and LAFORGE returned as Security Chief and Chief Engineer.
TANA was the new Ops Manager, a Vulcan who had rejected the teachings of Surak and was exploring different religions until she discovered the right one for her. Tana would have had a past with the new Counselor, a male Bajoran, SOLAN TORAN.
ILYANA HADAR was the new CONN Officer, the first Cardassian to graduate from Starfleet Academy who formed an unlikely friendship with the Counselor.
Season 2-5
MARGARET BRANSON (Season 2-5) replaced Madden as XO after his death, an African American woman who ended up as the Captain of the Enterprise.
NOG (Season 3-5) replaced LaForge as Chief Engineer when LaForge went over to the USS Challenger as First Officer whilst DONATRA (Season 4) took part in an Officer Exchange and became Security Chief.
ARIK TRAMEL (Season 5) was Branson's ex-husband, the new Chief Medical Officer, an Arabic man whilst N'VAR (Season 5) was the new Tiburonian Security Chief.
The Cast
Patrick Stewart, Michael Dorn, Levar Burton, Aron Eisenberg, Steven Culp and Dina Meyer were to return to the roles they had previously played even if Culp had only played that role in a scene that was later cut.
Michael Winters, Scott Cohen, Liza Weil and Alexis Bledel were to play Hacopian, Solan, Tana and Hadar respectively (as I was watching Gilmore Girls at the time) whilst Jada Pinkett and Oded Fehr were pencilled in as Branson and Tramel.
There were no actors considered for the roles of either the new Counselor or the new Security Chief (whether N'Var or the Hirogen) though I have the Jeffrey Dean Morgan down (with a question mark next to it) so it's possible he was considered for one of the roles.
Season 1
In the season premiere, Picard takes the Enterprise to investigate what Starfleet believe is a new Borg incursion - it is, in fact, a new insectoid race who have mastered Borg tech and are using it to terrorise the Federation.
Madden dies mid-season and is replaced by Branson who ends up being given command of the Enterprise when Picard is declared MIA by Admiral Janeway in the season finale.
Each season would have had thirteen episodes which would have consisted of several standalines, a couple of two-parters and a handful of arc episodes. The first season was to be arranged as such:
1/2 - The Enterprise is dispatched to investigate a new Borg incursion but finds new aliens using Borg technology.
3 - Standalone.
4 - Standalone.
5 - Standalone.
6/7 - Two Parter.
8 - Madden is killed in this episode after finally winning the trust and endearment of the crew in the previous episode.
9/10 - Branson arrives.
11 - Standalone.
12/13 - The Borg arrive on the doorstep of the Federation, they are defeated and Picard is abducted by an unknown race/organisation.
Season 2
Picard is MIA for the whole season. Branson is Acting Captain, LaForge is the Acting First Officer and a series of Acting Chief Engineers appear (but none of them appear more than once). LaForge gets a taste for command and when Picard returns in the closing moments of the season finale, Branson gets returned to First Officer and LaForge applies for the position of XO on the Challenger.
Hadar is promoted to Lieutenant JG by Branson after her exemplary actions during the Season One finale and becomes more confident in her abilities.
Lore is the Big Bad of the season and is defeated when Datas personality resurfaces in B4. B4 stops Lore and saves the universe when he launches himself and his fellow android into the heart of a star.
Season 3
Nog arrives as Chief Engineer. With an otherwise completely new crew, Worf begins to feel restless. When the Enterprise is forced to work with a Klingon vessel, Chancellor Martok offers Worf a seat on the High Council and governorship of a colony - which Worf accepts.
The parasite aliens (Conspiracy) are the Big Bad of the season and Solan gets posessed and, therefore killed, in the season finale after resuming his relationship with Tana.
Season 4
Starfleet begins an Officer Exchange program with the Romulans and Picard, to wave the flag for the project, takes Donatra onboard as Security Chief whilst the Enterprise operates as support to a decimated Romulan fleet, coming up against the Breen who are launching an attempt to take over fragmenting Romulan space.
Tana is promoted to Lieutenant Commander and embraces the teachings of the Bajoran Prophets to find solace in the wake of Solan's death in final episode of the third season - she even wears a Vulcan earring.
The new Counselor joins the crew (the character was left undefined in my notes but thoughts of a FEMALE ALIEN from a previously unexplored but seen on-screen species).
Donatra and Hacopian die to save the Enterprise and, for the actions of the Enterprise in saving the Romulan Empire, Picard is made an honorary RSE Commander and that helps him in his mission the following season.
Season 5
Doctor Arik Tramel, Branson's ex-husband (Oded Fehr would have been a candidate for the role) joins the crew as Chief Medical Officer and despite the relationship between them being rocky, they eventually warm to each other and resume a relationship. Lieutenant N'Var, a Tiburonian, joins the crew as Security Chief (though my notes suggest that I considered making the new Security Chief a Hirogen called Graal) and helps the crew defeat incursions from the Sphere Builders.
Hadar is promoted to Lieutenant and starts a tentative relationship with Nog.
Q appears in the season finale, turns Picard into a Q and tells them that mankind has passed the final test. Branson is promoted to Captain, gets command of the Enterprise and the final scene of the final episode is her First Officer reporting in - a duplicate of the first scene of the first episode of the first season, in which Commander Madden reported in to Captain Picard.
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