From: rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu (Michael Rawdon)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: Re: TNG Movie -- running out of ideas??
Date: 17 Oct 92 02:54:35 GMT
Reply-To: rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu
Organization: University of Wisconsin Computer Sciences Dept., Madison, WI

In <1992Oct15.104224.16873@gdr.bath.ac.uk> ccspjs@gdr.bath.ac.uk (Pete J Suters) writes:
>  We've also had BOBW(1&2), which has been the biggest showdown
>between the Federation and the Borg to date ... what's left?
>  They're going to have to come up with a pretty good storyline
>from somewhere.
>  Don't get me wrong - I would love to see a TNG movie - with
>more money being poured into the special effects, and more time
>to craft a decent story with good acting and a higher production
>standard than is possible on TV, a TNG movie would be a real
>Trek milestone ...

I think that one of the biggest obstacles to producing a TNG movie would be
that they'd not only have to come up with a good story (a goal which not
only seems to elude TNG consistently, but is even harder to manage in the
mainstream US movie industry, it seems!), but that they'd have to actually
come up with some characterization for the principals.  (Okay, okay, they
managed to get away without characterization in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered
Country, but I'm assuming they're aiming for something a bit higher, say,
Star Treks III and II.)

I think that the best approach to crafting a TNG film would be to examine
the germs of character which exist in the principals now and build on that.
I would envision something similar to what they did for the Trek Classic
films, catapulting the show somewhat into the future (5-10 years, maybe)
where Things Are Different, at least on a personal level.

So maybe play around a while with where the crew might be, say, ten years
later.  Maybe Data has his own command.  Maybe Riker doesn't; what feelings
could that lead to on the part of Riker?  Picking up a suggestion from the
(otherwise abysmal) "Future Imperfect", maybe Picard has become a diplomat,
or is an admiral at Starfleet Command.  (Perhaps at Starfleet Academy, of
all places?)  I suspect that Worf would make a good command-rank officer, so
maybe he's someone's Number One.  Or perhaps the Federation and the Klingon
Empire have become closer together, and Worf is helping to oversee cultural
exchanges, perhaps on the military front (commanding a smaller ship staffed
with both humans and Klingons, perhaps).

I think that elements from the TV series make those four - Picard, Data,
Riker and Worf - the logical candidates for the basis of a 2-hour feature
film.  (Throw in the others as appropriate.)  So, where to go from that
starting point?

Well, in order for them all to get together again (one of those things
that's just got to happen in these films, it seems! :-) we've got to have
Something Happen.  Also, in order for it to be a substantial story, it seems
like a good idea to have some theme or set of themes resonating through the
story (as those of age, sacrifice and rebirth were of Star Trek II).  My
gut instinct, given the thoughts above, is to grab Riker and run with him
and his feelings, set among the strong contrasting archetypes of Picard,
Data and Worf, all three of whom have managed to reach some significant
plateau in their careers, while Riker has squandered a number of opportunities.
Depending on whether one wants to go with a "sacrifice", "redemption" or
"acceptance" theme (or something else!) you could end up with decidedly
different stories, and the sort of "threat" (if any) that enters into the
plot would probably end up nudging it in one of those directions.

Anyway, that's my feeling.  Anyone want to try to take this any further?
(Heck, maybe we could come up with something we could sell. :-)

-- 
Michael Rawdon				 rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu
University of Wisconsin Computer Sciences Department, Madison, WI

Not a model man, not a savior or a saint.
Imperfect in a word, make no mistake.
But I give you everything I have.  Take me as I am...
					- King Crimson, "Model Man"
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current