What would a fourth season have looked like?

[Mysterion]

When "Phase II" was coming together, Shatner would only committ to 13 episodes. He was hoping for a motion picture career and he was keen to step back from TV roles. Decker was to be groomed to ascend to the captaincy, with Shatner a possible Sweeps Week guest star.

So, in a Phase II series where Decker is now Captain, and Kirk has gone of to do occasional guest star type stuff, my question is this: who would have been Decker's First Officer? One of the regulars gets promoted - which one? New character?

 

[Therin of Andor]

So, in a Phase II series where Decker is now Captain, and Kirk has gone of to do occasional guest star type stuff, my question is this: who would have been Decker's First Officer? One of the regulars gets promoted - which one? New character?

Unknown. Similarly, it's not obvious who was First Officer under Will Decker in ST:TMP. Perhaps Sulu, but it was never specified in the "Phase II" Writers' Bible, AFAIK.

For an ongoing "Phase II" series, there was Xon, but maybe too young/inexperienced at this point.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Ilia was also a Phase II character, right? How was she described in the Phase II Writers' Bible?

 

[Spock's Barber]

Carl says "Hey!!!"

Nice fro, bro.

 

[FormerLurker]

I'm trying not to envision John Travolta as Captain Kirk.

It could be worse. Imagine if Paramount hadn't allowed the movies, and instead, circa 1987, we get a reboot with Bruce Willis as Kirk, Jeff Goldblum as Spock, and for diversity's sake, a woman (I'm thinking Barbara Bosson from Hill Street Blues) as McCoy.

 

[mb22]

Ilia was also a Phase II character, right? How was she described in the Phase II Writers' Bible?

From http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Trek:_Phase_II

Gene Roddenberry's and Jon Povill's 1977 writers/directors guide described her as:
"...a young female of Planet 114-Delta V, which has recently joined the Federation. The Deltan race is much older than Humans, with brains much more finely evolved in areas of art and mathematics. These abilities make her a superb navigator and her artistic abilities are evident in her sure, flowing precision at this task.
"Her face is breathtakingly beautiful. But like all Deltans, she is completely hairless except for the eyes. Her smooth, slender bare head has the almost sensually quality of delicately contoured nudity, always hidden before in other women. It gives her a striking, almost "Egyptian" look, particularly when wearing a Deltan jewel-band head ornament.
"Ilia's intelligence level is second only to the Science Officer, and she has also the esper abilities common on her planet. Unlike the mind-meld of Vulcans, it simply is the ability to sense images in other minds. Never words or emotions, only images... shapes, sizes, textures. On her planet, sexual foreplay consists largely of lovers placing images in each other's minds.
"Just as Vulcans have a problem with emotions, Ilia has a problem which accompanies her aboard the starship. On 114-Delta V, almost everything in life is sex-oriented; it is a part of every friendship, every social engagement, every profession. It is simply the normal way to relate with others there. Since constant sex is not the pattern of Humans and others board this starship, Ilia has totally repressed this emotion drive and social pattern."

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Thank you, @mb22. I didn't know that page was at Memory Alpha.

 

[Pauln6]

The writer's Bible version of Ilia is a bit messy but Deltans have the makings of a complex, interesting race. I think the intention was for her to become an unofficial counsellor , which is why she evolved into Counsellor Troi. I think the TOS obsession with psychology, especially female psychologists/psychiatrists is odd but it's a thing (Denher, Noel, Jones, and even other disciplines showing more knowledge of psychology than their own area of expertise - Mulhall, Palamis, Chapel; plus McCoy obviously).

I think focusing on Deltan pheromones is a more interesting take. They emit powerful pheromones so presumably they are sensitive to pheromones. Might it be this that gives them an empathic sense of people nearby? Might it be using pheromones to stimulate brain chemistry that reduces (or increases) sensitivity to pain or increases pleasurable sensations. Could it be the risk of biochemical imbalance from prolonged exposure that requires the oath of celibacy?

Way more interesting than, oh, another telepath IMO. Troi was rather dull.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I think focusing on Deltan pheromones is a more interesting take.

Interesting reflection on 70s' popular science fascinations: biorhythms, as measured by the Perscan device on Starfleet uniforms, and pheromones.

My high school school friends had biorhythm devices* to work out how their day was going to pan out, and the girls were exploring perfumes with highly concentrated oils and hidden pheromones, that were supposed to work like love potions.

______

* Theories published state the equations for the cycles as:

• physical:
  
  ,
• emotional:
  
  ,
• intellectual:
  
  ,

where

indicates the number of days since birth. Basic arithmetic shows that the combination of the simpler 23- and 28-day cycles repeats every 644 days (or 1-3/4 years), while the triple combination of 23-, 28-, and 33-day cycles repeats every 21,252 days (or 58.18+ years). [Wikipedia]

"An examination of some 134 biorhythm studies found that the theory is not valid (Hines, 1998)."

 

[CorporalCaptain]

^ Just to clarify, biorhythms are pseudoscience. There are no scientific theories regarding them, despite whatever terminology their adherents use or have used. Cf astrology.

In that vein, we had mood rings.

 

[cooleddie74]

Did we ever see another Deltan in the franchise after Ilia? I've seen at least one source refer to the bald humanoid serving on the Excelsior bridge in TSFS as a Deltan officer but has that ever been confirmed? Is it just a fan theory since he was a bald humanoid in a Starfleet uniform and the only other one in recent memory had been Ilia?

If so then Star Trek III gave us a Deltan male that had a more enlarged cranium than Ilia's. Unless that was the actor's actual head shape, in which case: sorry. What did you expect someone to say?

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Did we ever see another Deltan in the franchise after Ilia? I've seen at least one source refer to the bald humanoid serving on the Excelsior bridge in TSFS as a Deltan officer but has that ever been confirmed? Is it just a fan theory since he was a bald humanoid in a Starfleet uniform and the only other one in recent memory had been Ilia?

If so then Star Trek III gave us a Deltan male that had a more enlarged cranium than Ilia's. Unless that was the actor's actual head shape, in which case: sorry. What did you expect someone to say?

The MA articles:

http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Deltan
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Unnamed_Deltans

I remember speculation that Darwin from STID might have been Deltan, but evidently not.

http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Darwin

 

[cooleddie74]

Thanks! I didn't realize the Deltan in TSFS was played by an actress. Cool!

You can clearly tell she's wearing a prosthetic bald cap, though.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Thanks! I didn't realize the Deltan in TSFS was played by an actress. Cool!

You can clearly tell she's wearing a prosthetic bald cap, though.

It's eggsquisite.

 

[cooleddie74]

It's eggsquisite.

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[Therin of Andor]

^ Just to clarify, biorhythms are pseudoscience. There are no scientific theories regarding them, despite whatever terminology their adherents use or have used. Cf astrology.

Yes, the line I quoted, "An examination of some 134 biorhythm studies found that the theory is not valid (Hines, 1998)", relates to when it was determined that the whole concept was, indeed, pseudoscience and had been sufficiently debunked.

In that vein, we had mood rings.

Now, those are real!

If so then Star Trek III gave us a Deltan male that had a more enlarged cranium than Ilia's. Unless that was the actor's actual head shape, in which case: sorry. What did you expect someone to say?

That was definitely a female.

Jedda, the ST II Genesis Project scientist, was scripted as Deltan, but it seemed silly to insist that John Vargas shave his head for a role where being Deltan didn't affect the action. He is Deltan and bald in the novelisation, and has a female partner, Zinaida, who gets tortured by Ceti eels by Khan.

 

[Pauln6]

Yes, the line I quoted, "An examination of some 134 biorhythm studies found that the theory is not valid (Hines, 1998)", relates to when it was determined that the whole concept was, indeed, pseudoscience and had been sufficiently debunked.



Now, those are real!



That was definitely a female.

Jedda, the ST II Genesis Project scientist was scripted as Deltan, but it seemed silly to insist that John Vargas shave his head for a role where being Deltan didn't affect the action. He is Deltan and bald in the novelisation, and has a female partner, Zinaida, who gets tortured by Ceti eels by Khan.

It was actually the Deltans in the TWok novel that made me fall in love with the species.

 

[plynch]

That writers bible description is mildly creepy in a GR/sex/70s vein. Like one "pretty maid" in a row. Just need Rock Hudson with a big 'stache.

 

[Pauln6]

Roddenberry was obsessed with actresses walking 'like a strip tease Queen'. It made it into several character bios. You can imagine Crusher rushing onto the bridge to treat an injured crewman and Roddenberry shouting, "Cut! Can you do it again, honey, and this time, walk more like a slut ."

If a Decker character were to be introduced as a regular, would he have been more like Picard to Kirk's Riker?

 

[CorporalCaptain]

That writers bible description is mildly creepy in a GR/sex/70s vein. Like one "pretty maid" in a row. Just need Rock Hudson with a big 'stache.

I would scratch the word mildly, myself.