TNG Season 20 - Can you imagine it?
- Thread starter ALF
- Start date
Okay, how about this:
Can you somehow visualise the ENT-D crew in the Delta Quadrant? Because I still love that idea. Can you mix 7 of Nine and Neelix in there with Picard's crew?
You know Star Wars Infinities? Why can't we have that with Trek?
I think you're right about the 20 year major overhaul ... Geordi said it, I think.
Can you somehow visualise the ENT-D crew in the Delta Quadrant? Because I still love that idea. Can you mix 7 of Nine and Neelix in there with Picard's crew?
You know Star Wars Infinities? Why can't we have that with Trek?
I think you're right about the 20 year major overhaul ... Geordi said it, I think.
TNG could have kept going if they refreshed the writers on a continual basis. Any writer gets tired of writing the same old stuff after a while, and it shows. Out of the original characters, I would imagine you’d still have Riker and Worf and Troi, but the rest would have long gone by now. Probably Worf also, as I would imagine having that make up applied to him for 20 years is too much for anybody. Q would probably still be around for some quest appearances. 
And would Troi’s mother. 
Besides, as I’ve always said, I would have much rather Trek gone on with a Captain Riker series than either DS9 or VOY.
And would Troi’s mother. Besides, as I’ve always said, I would have much rather Trek gone on with a Captain Riker series than either DS9 or VOY.
Good Will Riker
Admiral
Patrick Stewart - He would have left after Season 7.
Jonathan Frakes - Would have become the star of the show and would have lasted all 20 seasons from 1987-2007 as Captain William T. Riker.
LeVar Burton - Would have left way before 20 seasons were up on account of the fact that he has always considered himself "a star" way before TNG even came on the air with "Roots" and "Reading Rainbow."
Denise Crosby - Probably would have made a few more appearances as Sela, as well as in Tasha Yar flashbacks.
Michael Dorn - Would have left before 20 seasons were up on account of the fact that he got fedup with playing Worf by 1999 and had to be begged (wanted more money) to come back for Star Trek: Nemesis.
Gates McFadden - Would have stayed with TNG for all 20 seasons (except, Season 2), considering she hasn't acted in much of anything else on screen since her Star Trek years.
Marina Sirtis - Would have stayed with TNG for all 20 seasons.
Brent Spiner - Would have left the show before 20 seasons were up due to his advancing age playing the part of an ageless android.
Wil Wheaton - Would have returned as a more mature Wesley Crusher. But, then again, with Rick Berman in charge, maybe not.
John de Lancie - Would have appeared as Q each season until the end.
Jonathan Frakes - Would have become the star of the show and would have lasted all 20 seasons from 1987-2007 as Captain William T. Riker.
LeVar Burton - Would have left way before 20 seasons were up on account of the fact that he has always considered himself "a star" way before TNG even came on the air with "Roots" and "Reading Rainbow."
Denise Crosby - Probably would have made a few more appearances as Sela, as well as in Tasha Yar flashbacks.
Michael Dorn - Would have left before 20 seasons were up on account of the fact that he got fedup with playing Worf by 1999 and had to be begged (wanted more money) to come back for Star Trek: Nemesis.
Gates McFadden - Would have stayed with TNG for all 20 seasons (except, Season 2), considering she hasn't acted in much of anything else on screen since her Star Trek years.
Marina Sirtis - Would have stayed with TNG for all 20 seasons.
Brent Spiner - Would have left the show before 20 seasons were up due to his advancing age playing the part of an ageless android.
Wil Wheaton - Would have returned as a more mature Wesley Crusher. But, then again, with Rick Berman in charge, maybe not.
John de Lancie - Would have appeared as Q each season until the end.
I don't think Berman would have stayed in the "center seat" of TNG for the full 20. I think at some point he would have either moved on to other projects (be it 'Trek or his on productions) or Paramount would have handed the day to day operation over to someone else. I can see Braga hanging around, nor Jeri Taylor. Moore, maybe, but if he go the show, we'd seen a lot different sort of TNG.
Next question: the 1701-D, survives the full twenty, gets refitted into the triple-engine dreadnought in All Good Things, or gets smoked and we still end up with the 1701-E
Next question: the 1701-D, survives the full twenty, gets refitted into the triple-engine dreadnought in All Good Things, or gets smoked and we still end up with the 1701-E
20 yrs is too long, but I would have found a way to watch it
Why not both?
I guess the films would be completely retconned. This entire thread would mean we'd have to give up the 4 films. Would anyone be for that? First Contact was really fantastic.
It was only running out of gas because of DS9's poaching of the writing staff.
DES
From many... One.
Oh, but don't forget Generations.
(And weren't they in the pre-production phase of Voyager, too?)
BTW, welcome to the board, DeeEss57! Cool to have you.
Sean Robertson. Used to post here and at the 3D Gladiators forums, but I haven't seen anything new from him in years.
---
As for the original topic, as much as I liked TNG, it was getting really tired by the end. The ratings, while still phenomenal, had peaked during Season 6, and without some major cast and writing staff replacements, I don't think it could have lasted much beyond, say, Season 9 or 10.
If TNG had lasted 20 seasons, fans would be complaining about how it peaked in Season 12 and has been going downhill ever since.
Oh, but don't forget Generations.
(And weren't they in the pre-production phase of Voyager, too?)
BTW, welcome to the board, DeeEss57! Cool to have you.
I think they rushed 'Generations'. Plus, the added burden of having to figure out how to work the TOSers in made for some bad writing.
Thanks for the welcome!
DES
From many... One.
Nice1!
TNG is definitely a series which could have continued for some more seasons, maybe 10-12 seasons.
But 20? I'm not so sure about that.
Because if a series continue that long, there will be changes in the cast. Some actors will quit and their characters will dissapear too. That may affect the fanbase. Some of he new characters will not be accepted by many fans. It may also affect the storytelling as well. I, for example thought that Stargate SG1 (which I've been watching on re-runs for some time) lost everything when Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) left.
In that case, the series is dependent on very strong writing if it's gonna survive the changes of crewmembers during a longer period and I'm not so sure that it would have been achieved considered the lack of inspiration which became visible during Voyager's later seasons and "Enterprise". I'm not so sure that Berman and his colleagues would have managed to keep TNG alive without Picard and Data. Maybe with Riker in command, but still, it wouldn't have been the same.
But who knows, I've heard about soap operas who have run for centuries so....
On the other hand, TNG did end at its peak and that may be a factor which will keep the series alive even for future generations.
But 20? I'm not so sure about that.
Because if a series continue that long, there will be changes in the cast. Some actors will quit and their characters will dissapear too. That may affect the fanbase. Some of he new characters will not be accepted by many fans. It may also affect the storytelling as well. I, for example thought that Stargate SG1 (which I've been watching on re-runs for some time) lost everything when Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) left.
In that case, the series is dependent on very strong writing if it's gonna survive the changes of crewmembers during a longer period and I'm not so sure that it would have been achieved considered the lack of inspiration which became visible during Voyager's later seasons and "Enterprise". I'm not so sure that Berman and his colleagues would have managed to keep TNG alive without Picard and Data. Maybe with Riker in command, but still, it wouldn't have been the same.
But who knows, I've heard about soap operas who have run for centuries so....
On the other hand, TNG did end at its peak and that may be a factor which will keep the series alive even for future generations.
I don’t really think that TNG could have lasted 20 years because not enough of the original cast would have been left, but that is not to say that there isn’t enough of the story-line or enough interesting material left in that universe that couldn’t fill 20 years worth of material. If they transitioned it so that Riker had his own ship (or simply took command of the enterprise), and anyone who wanted to stay transferred with him, then maybe modified the name of the series, they could just continue it. It would all boil down to having good writers.
1987/1988 - Season 1
1988/1989 - Season 2
1989/1990 - Season 3
1990/1991 - Season 4
1991/1992 - Season 5
1992/1993 - Season 6 (DS9 Season 1)
1993/1994 - Season 7 (DS9 Season 2)
November 1994 -
Star Trek: Generations debuts as a result of the cast demanding that they are given a year off to recuperate. Paramount tries to force their hand by threatening to fire them.
Brent Spiner calls their bluff (believing that they would never sacrifice such an important character as Data) and therefore finds Data written out in the movie - sacrificing his life to save that of his crewmates.
With the Enterprise D destroyed and Lt Commander Data dead, Paramount uses these to build anticipation of the eighth season of the show which is due to debut in October 1995.
Season 8 (1995 - 1996)
Star Trek: The Next Generation returns to television screens in a two part story which features the debut of the Enterprise E (which turns out to be a refit Galaxy Class) which uses modified sets constructed for Generations thus increasing the budget on the first episode.
As initially planned, the Tactical station replaces Ops and the Science Officer (not the Ops Manager) stands guard over the science stations which line the back walls.
Brent Spiner films Independance Day which is released in 2006 and Michael Dorn accepts an offer from Rick Berman and Michael Piller to join the cast of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Captain Picard, Commander Riker, Counselor Troi, Doctor Crusher and Geordi LaForge return to the television screen alongside two new characters - the new Security Chief and the new Science Officer.
Michael Shanks joins the cast as the new Security Chief, Lieutenant Decian, a Romulan on an exchange whilst Justina Vail, a previously unknown actress, is chosen to take on the role of Lieutenant Commander Sarah Winchester, the acerbic new Science Officer.
Season 8 suffers from the burden of having to introduce new characters and reintroduce the old ones as well as introducing a new universal status quo. Picard, taking the advice from Kirk to heart, steadfastly refuses to accept promotion (Nechayev is shown to offer him a position with the Admiralty in the opening episode) whilst Riker and Troi have resumed their relationship. Troi has undergone extensive retraining and is now the Diplomatic Officer (a term of Sirtis dropping some of her other demands was that Troi would be given more opportunity to take the lead) as a result of which her mother guest stars in two episodes (one in which she is to observe her daughters diplomatic skills and one in which they must work together to settle some sort of dispute between two warring planets).
Given the new presence of Decian on the main cast, the Romulans get more attention. Leonard Nimoy is courted for a return appearance but turns the offer down (scheduling conflicts) whilst Denise Crosby returns as Sela in the mid-season two parter in which it is suggested that she is Decian's former Commanding Officer. Due to Worf (and the Klingons) currently being a major part of Deep Space Nine, the Klingon Empire is featured in only one episode and the Borg are not featured at all.
The final episode of the series, utilising ideas that were developed for the mooted spin-off Star Trek: Voyager sees the Enterprise E tracking a rogue ship (commanded by Riker's twin brother, Thomas) into a dangerous area of space before being whisked away to the far side of the galaxy by a strange alien.
Will Riker and Tom Riker are both trapped on the Ocampa homeworld, victims of the infection (the storyline previously given to Harry and B'Elanna) whilst it's suggested that Beverley Crusher is dead (she's not - there's just been a transporter accident).
The title of the episode is, of course, Caretaker Part 1. The final moment of the episode is Winchester revealing to Picard that the Enterprise is 75,000 light years from the Alpha Quadrant.
The wait for Season 9 starts.
1988/1989 - Season 2
1989/1990 - Season 3
1990/1991 - Season 4
1991/1992 - Season 5
1992/1993 - Season 6 (DS9 Season 1)
1993/1994 - Season 7 (DS9 Season 2)
November 1994 -
Star Trek: Generations debuts as a result of the cast demanding that they are given a year off to recuperate. Paramount tries to force their hand by threatening to fire them.
Brent Spiner calls their bluff (believing that they would never sacrifice such an important character as Data) and therefore finds Data written out in the movie - sacrificing his life to save that of his crewmates.
With the Enterprise D destroyed and Lt Commander Data dead, Paramount uses these to build anticipation of the eighth season of the show which is due to debut in October 1995.
Season 8 (1995 - 1996)
Star Trek: The Next Generation returns to television screens in a two part story which features the debut of the Enterprise E (which turns out to be a refit Galaxy Class) which uses modified sets constructed for Generations thus increasing the budget on the first episode.
As initially planned, the Tactical station replaces Ops and the Science Officer (not the Ops Manager) stands guard over the science stations which line the back walls.
Brent Spiner films Independance Day which is released in 2006 and Michael Dorn accepts an offer from Rick Berman and Michael Piller to join the cast of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Captain Picard, Commander Riker, Counselor Troi, Doctor Crusher and Geordi LaForge return to the television screen alongside two new characters - the new Security Chief and the new Science Officer.
Michael Shanks joins the cast as the new Security Chief, Lieutenant Decian, a Romulan on an exchange whilst Justina Vail, a previously unknown actress, is chosen to take on the role of Lieutenant Commander Sarah Winchester, the acerbic new Science Officer.
Season 8 suffers from the burden of having to introduce new characters and reintroduce the old ones as well as introducing a new universal status quo. Picard, taking the advice from Kirk to heart, steadfastly refuses to accept promotion (Nechayev is shown to offer him a position with the Admiralty in the opening episode) whilst Riker and Troi have resumed their relationship. Troi has undergone extensive retraining and is now the Diplomatic Officer (a term of Sirtis dropping some of her other demands was that Troi would be given more opportunity to take the lead) as a result of which her mother guest stars in two episodes (one in which she is to observe her daughters diplomatic skills and one in which they must work together to settle some sort of dispute between two warring planets).
Given the new presence of Decian on the main cast, the Romulans get more attention. Leonard Nimoy is courted for a return appearance but turns the offer down (scheduling conflicts) whilst Denise Crosby returns as Sela in the mid-season two parter in which it is suggested that she is Decian's former Commanding Officer. Due to Worf (and the Klingons) currently being a major part of Deep Space Nine, the Klingon Empire is featured in only one episode and the Borg are not featured at all.
The final episode of the series, utilising ideas that were developed for the mooted spin-off Star Trek: Voyager sees the Enterprise E tracking a rogue ship (commanded by Riker's twin brother, Thomas) into a dangerous area of space before being whisked away to the far side of the galaxy by a strange alien.
Will Riker and Tom Riker are both trapped on the Ocampa homeworld, victims of the infection (the storyline previously given to Harry and B'Elanna) whilst it's suggested that Beverley Crusher is dead (she's not - there's just been a transporter accident).
The title of the episode is, of course, Caretaker Part 1. The final moment of the episode is Winchester revealing to Picard that the Enterprise is 75,000 light years from the Alpha Quadrant.
The wait for Season 9 starts.
I got bored - so did some more thinking:
Season 9 (1996 - 1997)
Caretaker Part 2 opens the season - and events are resolved in quite rapid succession. Will Riker is fatally wounded and dies in the arms of Deanna Troi, Beverley Crusher is discovered within the pattern matrix of the transporter and ends up becoming a hologram and the alien organism that transported the Enterprise E to the Delta Quadrant is revealed to be Q in disguise and returns them shortly thereafter.
In the aftermath of the previous season, there is debate behind the scenes about the direction of the show. Caretaker Part 1 was written when it was thought that the Enterprise would be stranded in the Delta Quadrant as part of an ongoing arc. This was later dumped and the concept believed unworkable (it was also the reason why Star Trek: Voyager was mooted and several of the ideas for that show combined into Season 8) so a reason for the Enterprise to return home had to be sought. It was thought that the character of Wesley Crusher would be involved, but scheduling conflicts prevented Wil Wheaton from being able to film the sequence and it was luck that saw John DeLancie being able to come in and film the episodes ending.
Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis both considered leaving the show, neither happy with the direction that the show had taken. Despite making Troi more prominent and the assurances that this would continue, Sirtis decided to leave but agreed to return for the first two episodes of the ninth season. Frakes was more easily mollified when plans were unveiled which would let Will Riker die - and Tom Riker taking a permanent role upon the Enterprise.
As part of budget restraint, the season would be restricted to just twenty episodes.
The seasons episode, reminiscent of Season 4's Family saw Troi's departure, Will Riker's funeral and Tom Riker's readmission into Starfleet as the vessels new Helm Officer. Justina Vail threatened to leave, but when she was told that her character would be promoted to First Officer - she signed a new contract. It will later be revealed that producers planned to bring in a new character as XO but promoted Lt Commander Winchester as they were afraid of loosing two actors.
Enterprise is without a Diplomatic Officer (a new counselor had been aluded to in the previous season) or a Science Officer and veteran genre actor, John Rhys Davis, is drafted in to play the Tellarite Diplomatic Officer and allowing the writers to shed some more light on a race not seen since TOS.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan also joins the cast as Lieutenant Kerrigan Merrick, a Human from a frontier world, the new Science Officer. These additions were to provide the show with a new lease of stability that would last for the next several seasons.
The season would include a visit to the Tellarite homeworld and an episode in which Winchester took the lead when Picard got himself kidnapped by multi-dimensional aliens (some fans hypothesised that this story would see Winchester become CO permanently given that, by the mid-point of the two part story, Picard had not been seen) and another visit into Romulan space when Leonard Nimoy agreed, as a favour to Majel Barrett, to make a cameo appearance.
Season 9 (1996 - 1997)
Caretaker Part 2 opens the season - and events are resolved in quite rapid succession. Will Riker is fatally wounded and dies in the arms of Deanna Troi, Beverley Crusher is discovered within the pattern matrix of the transporter and ends up becoming a hologram and the alien organism that transported the Enterprise E to the Delta Quadrant is revealed to be Q in disguise and returns them shortly thereafter.
In the aftermath of the previous season, there is debate behind the scenes about the direction of the show. Caretaker Part 1 was written when it was thought that the Enterprise would be stranded in the Delta Quadrant as part of an ongoing arc. This was later dumped and the concept believed unworkable (it was also the reason why Star Trek: Voyager was mooted and several of the ideas for that show combined into Season 8) so a reason for the Enterprise to return home had to be sought. It was thought that the character of Wesley Crusher would be involved, but scheduling conflicts prevented Wil Wheaton from being able to film the sequence and it was luck that saw John DeLancie being able to come in and film the episodes ending.
Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis both considered leaving the show, neither happy with the direction that the show had taken. Despite making Troi more prominent and the assurances that this would continue, Sirtis decided to leave but agreed to return for the first two episodes of the ninth season. Frakes was more easily mollified when plans were unveiled which would let Will Riker die - and Tom Riker taking a permanent role upon the Enterprise.
As part of budget restraint, the season would be restricted to just twenty episodes.
The seasons episode, reminiscent of Season 4's Family saw Troi's departure, Will Riker's funeral and Tom Riker's readmission into Starfleet as the vessels new Helm Officer. Justina Vail threatened to leave, but when she was told that her character would be promoted to First Officer - she signed a new contract. It will later be revealed that producers planned to bring in a new character as XO but promoted Lt Commander Winchester as they were afraid of loosing two actors.
Enterprise is without a Diplomatic Officer (a new counselor had been aluded to in the previous season) or a Science Officer and veteran genre actor, John Rhys Davis, is drafted in to play the Tellarite Diplomatic Officer and allowing the writers to shed some more light on a race not seen since TOS.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan also joins the cast as Lieutenant Kerrigan Merrick, a Human from a frontier world, the new Science Officer. These additions were to provide the show with a new lease of stability that would last for the next several seasons.
The season would include a visit to the Tellarite homeworld and an episode in which Winchester took the lead when Picard got himself kidnapped by multi-dimensional aliens (some fans hypothesised that this story would see Winchester become CO permanently given that, by the mid-point of the two part story, Picard had not been seen) and another visit into Romulan space when Leonard Nimoy agreed, as a favour to Majel Barrett, to make a cameo appearance.
Similar threads
