What if Star Trek: The Next Generation wasn't cancelled in 1994, but continued until 1998?
WI Star Trek: TNG continued until 1998?
- Thread starter CaptainJordan
- Start date
Well, no Voyager. And they'd probably have needed to come up with different ways to keep TNG separate from what DS9 was doing with the war.
The "Next Generation" characters would've been oldies and started giving birth to a new generation themselves. They'd have to either change the title of the show, or make the show about the kids. 
Would the DS9 staff have felt the same freedom to go ahead with the war storyline with TNG still on the air? It's likely Worf wouldn't have made the transfer either.
DS9 might have been able to do some of the war stuff, except we likely wouldn't have Worf or the Klingon conflict. TNG would have just tossed in some throwaway lines acknowledging the war exists but their orders aren't in that region of space.
I wouldn't be surprised, though, if Seven ended up on the Enterprise. Berman liked the 'Hot Borg' idea too much to give it up just because a different show is going on.
I wouldn't be surprised, though, if Seven ended up on the Enterprise. Berman liked the 'Hot Borg' idea too much to give it up just because a different show is going on.
That seems an arbitrary date. I don't think the series would be as beloved, if it stayed on the air.
There would probably still be general agreement that it ran out of steam after the 5th or 6th year and there was less energy in the rest. A little like mass opinion about the later The X Files or 2002-ish The Simpsons, not the shows they once were, went on too long just for greed, but not so long that there would be a lot of resentment as there was for The Simpsons a few years later let alone today.
Definitely a lot more claiming, as with Voyager, that the style was too dated, declaring that Xena and Buffy and The X Files were The New (and so Better) style and the show didn't change, keep up with the changes enough but there would also be a lot of fans who would say that, even though the show became less good, a lot of shows don't change style much, let alone drastically, and shouldn't be expected to.
Definitely a lot more claiming, as with Voyager, that the style was too dated, declaring that Xena and Buffy and The X Files were The New (and so Better) style and the show didn't change, keep up with the changes enough but there would also be a lot of fans who would say that, even though the show became less good, a lot of shows don't change style much, let alone drastically, and shouldn't be expected to.
Instead of havingVoyager, the Enterprise-D might have been catapulted to the Delta Quadrant. That would solve the potential DS9 overlap, except maybe if crewmembers transferred before the ship got lost (O'Brien, Worf earlier) occasionally wondered about/remembered their old crewmates.
I'm not quite sure how that would have worked, since F&S were actively involved in the TNG movies at the time.
It wouldn't have worked, with the movies being Paramount's reasoning behind decision.
To cut a long story short, if TNG continued that long, almost every episode between 1994 and 1998 would make "Sub Rosa" look like an all-time great by comparison. 
Or, rather, it's doubtful the show would have another game-changing renaissance. By 1993, DS9 was given all the A-material (and production money) anyway.
Or, rather, it's doubtful the show would have another game-changing renaissance. By 1993, DS9 was given all the A-material (and production money) anyway.
I hate these What If (WI is Wisconsin) topic because they're usually such overbroad questions and the OP's rarely actually contribute to what discussion results.
That said...
What If TNG had gone on 4 more seasons?
It would have lost money for Paramount because the cast salaries would've continued to go up and eat up more and more of the budget, and after 7 seasons the studio had more then enough content to "strip" the show in daily syndication, thus more episodes wouldn't add enough value to add to the profit margin.
That said...
What If TNG had gone on 4 more seasons?
It would have lost money for Paramount because the cast salaries would've continued to go up and eat up more and more of the budget, and after 7 seasons the studio had more then enough content to "strip" the show in daily syndication, thus more episodes wouldn't add enough value to add to the profit margin.
Stewart would have certainly left and I think Data would have gotten his emotion chip to entice Spiner to stay. Ship would be destroyed. They almost did on the show and did do in the movie. Eventually these would have been calle the Captain Riker years of the show. Jason
I think that having new characters come in might've been one way to inject new energy into the show.
Picard is promoted to Admiral and given command of fleet operations on a frontier station whilst Riker finally accepts command of another ship, leaving the door open for a new Captain to take on the lead of the show. Data is promoted to First Officer, La Forge and Troi also remain onboard, whilst Crusher leaves for Starfleet Medical and Worf takes up his post on DS9.
Picard is promoted to Admiral and given command of fleet operations on a frontier station whilst Riker finally accepts command of another ship, leaving the door open for a new Captain to take on the lead of the show. Data is promoted to First Officer, La Forge and Troi also remain onboard, whilst Crusher leaves for Starfleet Medical and Worf takes up his post on DS9.
At which point arguments would break out about whether it was still TNG.
No need for a mass character turnover. If Stewart leaves, he leaves, but then you kinda have to make Riker Captain. You can add new characters but not at the expense of as much of the original chemistry as you can get under contract.
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