What if Gary Mitchell had survived and been cured?

[Gary7]

I think that asking "What if Gary Mitchell had survived WNMHGB?" is a bit of a pointless question, as that was never really a possibility. The character was conceived as a guest star who happened to have a long history with Kirk. And he had that long history with the star of the show because it made his death all the more poignant at the end.

It might be interesting to look into an alternate TOS universe where Gary was never mutated, however, where the Enterprise never went on the mission to the Galactic Barrier. Would Kirk, Mitchell, and McCoy be the triumvirate of that universe, leaving the aloof Mr. Spock the odd man out on that Enterprise? I don't get the feeling that Gary is too fond of Spock in that turbolift scene in WNMHGB, even if they've served together "for years" according to Dr. Dehner.

Hmmmm... but what if Mitchell ended up on the Excalibur instead?

Yeah, he would've been toast. But perhaps not if Captain Garth was in command.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

I like it.

 

[Pauln6]

I think the more interesting question is, what if he did survive and stayed on the show, how that wouldve affected the main relationships we came to love? How would that have changed the Kirk/Spock dynamic? Would McCoy have had less to do on the show? Would McCoy even be on the show? Would Kirk, Spock and Mitchell havw been the triad instead?

I think some of the banter between the three leads would have been diluted if Mitchell had remained. Probably Mitchell would have poached some of McCoy's verbal duels with Spock but I also agree that Sulu would have suffered the most. Season one Sulu is very witty and irreverent. I think he would have been blander as a staff physicist.

 

[rcjames]

I think some of the banter between the three leads would have been diluted if Mitchell had remained. Probably Mitchell would have poached some of McCoy's verbal duels with Spock but I also agree that Sulu would have suffered the most. Season one Sulu is very witty and irreverent. I think he would have been blander as a staff physicist.

While I've got no doubt the position of the ship's doctor would have existed, I think it's possible that Mitchell would've ended up been more of the McCoy-like character, in regards to Kirk. Mitchell and Kirk had been friends since the academy and I would imagine a lot of Kirk/McCoy scenes would have potentially become Kirk/Mitchell scenes instead. As far as the verbal duels go with Spock, I agree that no doubt Mitchell would've stolen McCoy's thunder in that regard.

 

[MAGolding]

Timo said:

'm not sure the "under duress" excuse would work any better or worse than the "under the influence of supernatural forces" one in court. People would hate Picard's and Mitchell's guts nevertheless, while other people would wish to see them remain in service; the decision of the court would depend on the sympathies of the judges more than anything else. Picard murdered tens of thousands; Mitchell murdered two. The friends of the countless deceased did not manage to get Picard hanged; the friends of Kelso and Dehner might not have a prayer there, either. Neither murderer "was himself", but neither was demonstrably controlled by outside forces utterly against their own, potentially quite murderous will, either. Indeed, it would be simple to argue that Picard wilfully killed the tens of thousands because the Collective without Picard would have had no motivation to do so. The Cube could have skipped doing battle with Starfleet and proceeded to assimilate Earth instead. By deliberately and actively luring the Borg into thinking that murdering Starfleeters for target practice was a splendid idea, Picard may well have saved Earth.

Desk job. Kirk was offered one instead of standing trial for Ben Finney's death.

Picard killed 39,000 Starfleet personnel while under control of the Borg, and was back on the bridge the next week.

Correction:

SATIE: Tell me, Captain, have you completely recovered from your experience with the Borg?
PICARD: Yes, I have completely recovered.
SATIE: It must have been awful for you, actually becoming one of them, being forced to use your vast knowledge of Starfleet operations to aid the Borg. Just how many of our ships were lost? Thirty nine? And a loss of life, I believe, measured at nearly eleven thousand. One wonders how you can sleep at night, having caused so much destruction. I question your actions, Captain. I question your choices. I question your loyalty.

http://www.chakoteya.net/NextGen/195.htm

 

[Phoenix219]

I've always loved the pilot, and have often wondered what untold adventures happened with the Kirk/Mitchell/Kelso/Piper cast. I have always considered that the first year of the series, with the pilot being the first season finale. I'd love a fan group to tackle the idea; i'd even be okay with retconning Dehner into a more important character. Anything that we wonder about re: what if Mitchell died, can be easily shown during that full year of pre series adventures.

He definitely should have been a major character in the first reboot movie.... they could have even done the psychic super power thing (they technically DID beat Star Wars and the superhero fad to the punch on that one) and god, damn, would Quinto have made an amazing Mitchell. Way better then his poor interpretation of Spock....

 

[Nyotarules]

^ Have you read the Star Trek novel 'Strangers from the sky'?

 

[Gary7]

I've always loved the pilot, and have often wondered what untold adventures happened with the Kirk/Mitchell/Kelso/Piper cast. I have always considered that the first year of the series, with the pilot being the first season finale. I'd love a fan group to tackle the idea; i'd even be okay with retconning Dehner into a more important character. Anything that we wonder about re: what if Mitchell died, can be easily shown during that full year of pre series adventures.

He definitely should have been a major character in the first reboot movie.... they could have even done the psychic super power thing (they technically DID beat Star Wars and the superhero fad to the punch on that one) and god, damn, would Quinto have made an amazing Mitchell. Way better then his poor interpretation of Spock....

I like your idea. Early Star Trek prior to Kirk, but just at the start of the new Constitution class starships (rather than the NX-01, which was far earlier). Insight into the times of Kirk, Mitchell, Kelso... and a little of Spock (but not central).

You think Quinto did a poor interpretation of Spock? I thought it was very decent, considering the constraints of the reboot franchise. Where everybody needs to be so dynamic and engaging every moment, lens flares abound, and character development is an afterthought.

 

[Phoenix219]

Agreed, mostly - I would love to see the adjustment from Pike's ship to Kirk's ship, and the character relations as it starts to build....the pilot showed quite a friendship between Kelso, Mitchell and Kirk. McCoy wasn't there yet, Sulu was a scientist, Spock was still an outcast, left over from Pike's crew - how did Kirk act, the brash young captain, coming in with his best friend in tow. When did Scotty arrive? How long did it take to develop into the smooth running ship we see in the pilot? This would all be much later then the launch of the new Constitutions.

So I guess ideally, the show I'm talking about would be the 3rd iteration, making TOS the 4th.... Captain April launch (movie, perhaps) .... set of Pike episodes... maybe 8 or so would be fun.... then another 8 Mitchell era episodes, before the run of TOS, and the STC bookend.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I can't imagine that he would be allowed to remain in Starfleet, but I don't think he'd be imprisoned either. He'd be put through a battery of tests, and when it turned out he was back to normal, he'd be free to seek another career.

No, he would not serve time for a condition alien to the man who was allowed to join Starfleet. After tests, I suspect some corrupt Federation official or division would attempt to "harness" the effects of the barrier by exposing other test subjects to it--or attempting to trigger a relapse in Mitchell for the same reason. Either way, Gary was the innocent victim of a mission.

 

[Phoenix219]

No, he would not serve time for a condition alien to the man who was allowed to join Starfleet. After tests, I suspect some corrupt Federation official or division would attempt to "harness" the effects of the barrier by exposing other test subjects to it--or attempting to trigger a relapse in Mitchell for the same reason. Either way, Gary was the innocent victim of a mission.

Right, and you definitely wouldn't want to tempt Mitchell with that kind of hunger, once he has beaten it once. Power corrupts quite easily.

God I want some of these stories....

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I think that asking "What if Gary Mitchell had survived WNMHGB?" is a bit of a pointless question, as that was never really a possibility.

...well, that's why they call it "What if".

 

[JonnyQuest037]

...well, that's why they call it "What if".

I personally find a "What If" more interesting if it was a legitimate way the story could have gone at one point. YMMV.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

There might have been an impact on Kirk's character as he was portrayed as more of a thinking man/intellectual in WNMHGB and Gary was the ladies man and joker.

Maybe Kirk absorbed Mitchell's fondness for the ladies when he got zapped by him. One parting gift to lighten him up...

 

[Shawnster]

By the time he was zapped by Mitchell, Kirk already had had romantic relationships with Ruth, Janice Lester, Areel Shaw, Carol Marcus and that little blonde lab technician (unless that was Carol). I'm thinking there was another blonde in there, too, but I can't recall for sure.

Still, at least 4 romantic relationships. Kirk was doing pretty good on his own.

 

[Nerys Myk]

By the time he was zapped by Mitchell, Kirk already had had romantic relationships with Ruth, Janice Lester, Areel Shaw, Carol Marcus and that little blonde lab technician (unless that was Carol). I'm thinking there was another blonde in there, too, but I can't recall for sure.

Still, at least 4 romantic relationships. Kirk was doing pretty good on his own.

And Gary set them all up for Jim!!!!

 

[Gary7]

I personally find a "What If" more interesting if it was a legitimate way the story could have gone at one point. YMMV.

I think the "what if" is a legitimate exploration. The "galactic barrier electrocution" caused this psychological erosion in Gary Mitchell. We don't know enough about it, due to the way the script was written. Was it irreversible? It's hard to know. When he nearly fried himself in the brig force field, the silver glow of his eyes faded out and he seemed to be himself for a moment. Then he reverted back. By then it had already been a spread of days with him in this "God" condition. Later, when he was thoroughly shocked by Dr. Dehner, his eyes returned to normal. Then Kirk started pummeling him right away. Gary was dazed and basically getting his ass whipped, then began to fight back. I'd say it was the "human" Gary that fought back, because he was being attacked by Kirk, as a visceral reaction due to being so disoriented (his mind was "hostage" for quite a while)... rather than just a weakened version of the "Gary God."

We don't know what was going on with Gary and Elizabeth physiologically. Maybe their brains were being rewired and there wasn't anything they could do about it. Or... maybe there was a cure. Perhaps a means of "excising" the energy manifestation inside them. But I do believe it would've been possible. Dr. Dehner was reachable by Kirk, despite being in a God-like state. Maybe her personality manifested things differently, not as aggressive (or taking much longer to become oppressive and threatening).

Despite Gary having "God" powers, he was crushed by a huge boulder and killed. But... given his power, was that a legitimate ending? Certainly after falling into the grave hole, he could have flipped over on his back and used his power to keep the boulder from crushing him. Remember how easily he dispensed with that rock Kirk was going to smash against his head, and able to resist the enormous power of the phaser rifle. Well... allowing for that weakness, maybe he'd be unable to break high tensile strength metal, and Dr. Dehner could've used her power to manifest special handcuffs that Kirk could've shackled to his wrists and ankles. With Gary physically bound, Dehner could keep giving him mild electric shocks to subdue him. They go back to the Enterprise, and the doctor uses Dehner's power to shock Gary in just the right places for sufficient duration to eradicate the "evil energy." With that threat gone, the doctor and Mr. Spock come up with an electrical method of shocking Dehner to rid her of the power as well. Everyone gets cured, and the Pilot crew gets to continue on.

 

[ironnerd]

He would have ridden the doomsday machine as a leader of men, and they would call him Muad'dib.

 

[Phoenix219]

I think the "what if" is a legitimate exploration. The "galactic barrier electrocution" caused this psychological erosion in Gary Mitchell. We don't know enough about it, due to the way the script was written. Was it irreversible? It's hard to know. When he nearly fried himself in the brig force field, the silver glow of his eyes faded out and he seemed to be himself for a moment. Then he reverted back. By then it had already been a spread of days with him in this "God" condition. Later, when he was thoroughly shocked by Dr. Dehner, his eyes returned to normal. Then Kirk started pummeling him right away. Gary was dazed and basically getting his ass whipped, then began to fight back. I'd say it was the "human" Gary that fought back, because he was being attacked by Kirk, as a visceral reaction due to being so disoriented (his mind was "hostage" for quite a while)... rather than just a weakened version of the "Gary God."

We don't know what was going on with Gary and Elizabeth physiologically. Maybe their brains were being rewired and there wasn't anything they could do about it. Or... maybe there was a cure. Perhaps a means of "excising" the energy manifestation inside them. But I do believe it would've been possible. Dr. Dehner was reachable by Kirk, despite being in a God-like state. Maybe her personality manifested things differently, not as aggressive (or taking much longer to become oppressive and threatening).

Despite Gary having "God" powers, he was crushed by a huge boulder and killed. But... given his power, was that a legitimate ending? Certainly after falling into the grave hole, he could have flipped over on his back and used his power to keep the boulder from crushing him. Remember how easily he dispensed with that rock Kirk was going to smash against his head, and able to resist the enormous power of the phaser rifle. Well... allowing for that weakness, maybe he'd be unable to break high tensile strength metal, and Dr. Dehner could've used her power to manifest special handcuffs that Kirk could've shackled to his wrists and ankles. With Gary physically bound, Dehner could keep giving him mild electric shocks to subdue him. They go back to the Enterprise, and the doctor uses Dehner's power to shock Gary in just the right places for sufficient duration to eradicate the "evil energy." With that threat gone, the doctor and Mr. Spock come up with an electrical method of shocking Dehner to rid her of the power as well. Everyone gets cured, and the Pilot crew gets to continue on.

That would definitely be the more traditional, Star Trek formula take on things! I assume there is also an out for Kelso in this rewritten episode?

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Despite Gary having "God" powers, he was crushed by a huge boulder and killed. But... given his power, was that a legitimate ending?

Sounds like you need to read this if you haven't already:

http://www.idwpublishing.com/product/star-trek-annual-2013/