What mental ideas did the writers float but not do?

[tharpdevenport]

We all know the 15-year-old boys line is total BS.






After all, there was no way they were going to get reception with rabbit ears from their parents' basements.

 

[Paul Weaver]

I think Wesley’s suicide would have been a bit dark for prime time early 90s family tv. But certainly him contemplating it, seeing his life being over, and then being able to move on, would have been a great story, and espeicially relatable for boys that age.

 

[AntonyF]

On the Wesley front while not entirely bat shit crazy I should have mentioned their second option was that he was not going to own up to what they did. That loyalty was above all else. But the powers that be wouldn't allow it. That would have changed the story too.

 

[Paul Weaver]

Having a story where he contemplates ending it, but then decides to own up (after appropriate talks with some mentors - Geordi and Data), comes clean to Picard, and then is still kicked out, showing real consequences, leading him to pursue other things

Journeys End could have stayed the same, but without Wesley's sullen responses to Geordi and Data. As Wesley would no longer be a cadet, and being the only person on the ship who could talk to Picard honestly (as Guinan was clearly off ship at the time)

Skip all that nonsense about Picard's ancestors, put in a genuine Picard internal conflict between doing the right thing in preventing relocation, and doing the right thing to prevent war. Maybe you even have Guinan argue against war, taking the "needs of the many" side.

Then at the end everything breaks down and Wesley still goes off with the Traveler

Make Picard's choice clearer, but have him explicitly choose needs of the many on his own back - not hiding behind orders. Then in Insurrection he can see how he regretted it, all he did was delay the war, leading to even more deaths, and pushing Cardassia into the hands of the Dominion, and that explains why he's back on the "no relocation" side.

If there were any alternate timelines (other than Parallels which branched before Wesley went to the academy, and he likely just got field promoted to Lieutenant) they could examine Wesley living with guilt of the coverup

 

[AntonyF]

That all sounds a better way to execute that episode. Rewatching it last week I did think how bad they made the crew look so that Wesley could look better. Wesley spoke just like Picard would have done in every episode. But they really played the "I'm just following orders..." line very hard.

 

[tharpdevenport]

I say while the premise might have been a good idea, of Wesley killing himself, the execution would have been clunky and unbuyable because of the proceeding episodes with him in them: there's no build up. No reason for him to do it. There's no foundation laid at all that could justify it (being told to "Shut up, Wesley!" or still morning his dad isn't enough). It would have been out-of-place and people would have pissed and moaned. It would have been more realistic if he instead sacrificed himself on an away mission or during an hostile boarding event (if written properly).

 

[Uxi]

Skip all that nonsense about Picard's ancestors, put in a genuine Picard internal conflict between doing the right thing in preventing relocation, and doing the right thing to prevent war. Maybe you even have Guinan argue against war, taking the "needs of the many" side.

Yeah, though Picard's angle should be even more simple and practical in the here and now regardless of what happened before. "I don't want to take you off, but if we leave you, you're going to wish it was my grandfather because these guys are gonna go full Genghis Khan on you if we leave you here."

Evek can say what he wants and he might even believe it but the other Cardassians are gonna do whatever they want and Starfleet can't protect them after this.

Reminds me of the colony that wanted to defy Data and Starfleet simply refusing to understand that the Sheliak are much worse and won't negotiate. This whole colony and everyone in it is going to be a grease spot when they're done with you.

 

[TheAdmiralty]

Most of these sound good outside of getting rid of Picard. You have an actor as good as Stewart you don't fire him under any circumstances. Why? Captain Riker would not have been an improvement.

Wesley killing himself could have been one of the best Trek episodes of all time, and it's not like Journey's End is anything special where I'd lament losing it. Would have probably needed to expand it to a two parter to do it justice though and really get into it. Second part could have maybe been the aftermath, Bev being furious with Picard thinking she pushed him over the edge.

Young Spock and Old Spock team-up via the Guardian of Forever for Season 2.

They pretty much did this on TAS with Yesteryear.

This is on the Memory Alpha page for unmade TNG episodes:

God it'd have been so good, if you really focus, you can actually see it in your mind's eye as if it's a real season one episode.

Sounds more like TOS to me. McCoy thinks it's funny, Spock is annoyed, the redshirts they bring down start goofing off and sticking their sleeves to everything with these dumb grins on their faces because they were bad actors.

 

[somebuddyX]

They pretty much did this on TAS with Yesteryear.

I think here the idea it was two Leonards Nimoy portraying different versions of adult Spock.

 

[Forbin]

Mental as in thought process, or mental as in batshit crazy?

 

[Nerys Myk]

Mental as in thought process, or mental as in batshit crazy?

Yes

 

[Maurice]

Mental as in thought process, or mental as in batshit crazy?

The title of this thread has been bugging me from the outset!

 

[DonIago]

I think Wesley’s suicide would have been a bit dark for prime time early 90s family tv. But certainly him contemplating it, seeing his life being over, and then being able to move on, would have been a great story, and espeicially relatable for boys that age.

I wouldn't be too sure about that. BraveStarr aired during 1987-88 and didn't shy away not only from having an adolescent die from a drug overdose but from showing his friend discovering (the lower part of) his body, and that was a cartoon. I wasn't a regular watcher, but I caught the end of that episode and was shocked that they'd gone that far with it.

It's hard for me to imagine TPTB going so far as to have Wesley kill himself, but even if it wasn't well executed I would have given them props for being willing to push the envelope. Well executed, it could have been a standout episode