Challenge: Fix Star Trek: Voyager and/or Enterprise

[TMC]

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Post by That Crazy Dan on yesterday at 6:39am
Honestly, in my opinion the biggest problems with both shows can boil down to the powers that were really having no decisive idea of where they wanted to go with the show, other than Voyager's "get them home" plot. For all of its own problems, just compare Voyager to BSG since in a way the underlying goal of the protagonists is similar, but BSG at least had a cohesive vision for the most part, whereas Voyager, I remember Rick Berman or someone saying they wanted Voyager to be a return to the roots of Star Trek and to challenge the writers, in the sense of TNG was Trek without the original cast, DS9 was Trek without being on a true starship all the time, and Voyager was supposed to be Trek without the Federation.

Well, they challenged the writers, alright.

I think another thing is by the time things got to Voyager and especially Enterprise, Trek had pretty much been in production continuously for... a while, so at least in terms of ideas I feel like everybody was starting to get a bit burnt out. I'd argue that creatively, Voyager was still too much of the same, and Enterprise was too far in a different direction, but then again I've always been a proponent of the idea that they should've done a Star Trek: Excelsior series when George Takei was still young enough.

Though honestly they could probably still do that if they wanted Admiral Sulu, but I digress.

Post by Banecat on yesterday at 6:43am
There's nothing wrong with Voyager except for Star Trek fatigue. By the time Voyager was on the air, the TNG era had already been trucking along for a decade. Half the plots in Voyager had already been done in both TNG, DS9 and whatever other sci-fi shows were around at the time.

Enterprise, I think their biggest problem was trying to change timelines while the TNG era was still fresh in everyone's mind. I didn't watch all of it but what I did see from the last season was fairly interesting. I think they went into a more serial version of the show instead of random standalone episodes like most early season ST shows, I think people just enjoyed the serial format better.

Post by camsamurai06 on yesterday at 7:12am
Voyager had a lot of unique ingredients at the beginning, but none of it really stuck, the Kazon were quietly phased out after just a few short years and never mentioned again in favor of The Borg being a routine bitch for Janeway, and the Year of Hell Krenim concept only ever had three eps devoted to it when it could have sustained a whole season (at least Enterprise sort of learned that lesson and fleshed out the Xindi story), they could have done wonderful things with a recurring Kes and the female Caretaker too, but they just bungled all the happy accidents they fell into.

And no way do I buy for a single solitary second that Voyager would stay all clean and nifty for all those seven years.

Post by Red Impact on yesterday at 7:40am
Yeah, it they'd stuck with the notion that Voyager was lost and had a finite amount of supplies, as well as play up the tension between two crews that were supposed to be fighting with each other right before, it would have made it more unique. Instead, it was just another Star Trek series at a time when there were too many.

Post by Hit Girl on yesterday at 12:16pm
Voyager suffered from a number of issues, which led to a problem with how the concept was executed. The first one is that it was never believable that the stranded crew were truly in danger. The ship never had any lasting damage. Every episode showed the ship looking brand new and pristine. Wear and tear on the interior and exterior should have become more visible as the series progressed, to show the viewers that unlike normal Starfleet vessels, Voyager was unable to have regular maintenance from friendly starbases and support stations. I know that the unchanging appearance of the ship was based on the use of stock footage, but new footage of a progressively damaged ship was essential to the credibility of the concept. Explanations such as “they cleaned the ship between episodes” miss the point entirely. The viewer needs to be sold on the concept of an isolated crew and a damaged ship would have been a simple but effective way of showing it.

This leads to a further point that the crew always seemed too comfortable. The uniforms were always clean. Their hair was always immaculate. They had holodecks and replicators. All the decks were brightly lit. It seemed at times they were enjoying a leisurely cruise through the Delta Quadrant. The audience should have seen a crew deprived of creature comforts. They should have had limited use of holodecks. When the holodecks were used, it should have simply been to relieve crew stress. We should have seen them trading, bartering, stealing, being mercenary and survivalist and breaking the Prime Directive in order to survive. The decision to show Starfleet principles holding firm throughout the series was a creative error. It would have been more interesting to see Starfleet principles being challenged and breaking down in the harsh lonely environment that the crew found themselves in.

The ship should have been presented as being vulnerable. The ship should have been constantly outmatched, outgunned and overpowered as hostile forces see an isolated crew as an easy target. The crew should have had major problems with energy depletion, power conservation and the endless need for supplies and repairs. There’s no drama when any dangerous situation the crew find themselves in can be resolved by bombarding the audience with technobabble or some convenient piece of technology that magically solves the problem. The characters should have relied more on their own wits to get them out of trouble. The series needed to be about the characters, not how powerful their ship was. As the series progressed, the ship could have been customized and retrofitted with new technologies that the crew gain through their dealings with Delta Quadrant civilizations as the crew modify their ship to help them survive.

The depiction and treatment of the Maquis was bewildering. In the first episode, Chakotay went alone with Janeway’s decision to destroy the Caretaker’s Array, even though there was no logical reason for him to do so. Torres rightly objected to Janeway’s plan, but was held back by Chakotay inexplicably. The decision to wear Starfleet uniforms and simply accept being part of a Starfleet crew following Federation rules and regulations also made no sense for the Maquis. It was all executed backwards. Instead of the Maquis becoming more like Starfleet officers, the Starfleet officers should have become more like the Maquis, doing what needed to be done on limited resources in order to get home. Chakotay should have been constantly challenging the decisions of the captain instead of conceding to her constantly. He should have been openly skeptical of Starfleet ideals and principles. This would have been the reason he left Starfleet in the first instance. The Maquis were all depicted as either pushovers, hot-headed, inept, or outright psychopaths. Nothing like the respectful and nuanced way they were depicted in Next Generation and Deep Space Nine.

There was no need for Neelix and Kes to be on the show. Neelix was a whimsical character who added nothing of value to the series. His usefulness as a guide ended as soon as Voyager passed the limits of his regional knowledge of the Delta Quadrant. Kes was one of those characters who has nothing going for her other than being “ethereal” which is a poetic way of saying she’s useless. Harry Kim also did not need to be on the show. The role of operations manager is redundant, as the duties of such an officer can be divided among the chief engineer, first officer and chief science officer, which brings me to my next point, Seven of Nine. She didn’t need to be on this show. The Borg had been overdone already in Star Trek, and certainly did not need to be humanized into a catsuit wearing babe whose only purpose on the show was to appeal to male viewers. Her screentime with Janeway monopolized the series to the detriment of the other characters and was a rather weak rehash of Picard teaching Data about humanity. If this character had to be on the show, she should have been an entirely new alien race, unique to the Delta Quadrant with a deep knowledge of it. She could have functioned as the chief science officer, replacing the existing chief science officer who could have been killed when Voyager was brought to the Delta Quadrant, and eliminating the need for Neelix and Harry Kim to exist at all.

The Borg were overused, to the point where seeing them no longer became special. They could have used Species 8472 as a way of drawing a line under the Borg once and for all when the Borg and Species 8472 fight a war so destructive, that it leads to the complete annihilation of both civilizations. Thus, Species 8472 and the Borg would never need to be seen again, which would have been a positive development since both are not the kind of civilizations that can be used on a regular basis due to their incredible power, and are so powerful that it would dilute their importance to see them constantly being eluded or defeated.

The uneasy alliance between the Starfleet and non-Starfleet ideals should have been maintained and developed throughout the series, with both ideals eventually being merged to find a middle ground acceptable to all. This conflict and eventual resolution would have the central theme of the series. The crew would question their own morals and ethics. What would be the price of getting home? To what lengths are they willing to go? Will they lose their humanity in the process? Do ideals hold strong when placed under exceptional circumstances and extreme scenarios that were never considered when those ideals were initially formed?

Taking these criticisms into account, the basic concept for Voyager should have been executed as follows…

The Starship Voyager is dispatched to find a mercenary vessel, commanded by a former Starfleet officer. During the mission Voyager and mercenary ship are violently pulled to the Delta Quadrant, a distant part of the galaxy thousands of light years from Earth. Reaching home will take decades. After most of Voyager’s senior officers are killed and the mercenary ship is destroyed, both crews must work together on Voyager to find a way home, and to survive the journey.

The characters would include…

Captain Kathryn Janeway – Commanding officer. She is a scientifically minded technophile who is a strong believer in Starfleet principles. She begins idealistically, with not only a determination to reach home, but to do it ethically, holding true to her beliefs and values, while also taking the opportunity to explore the Delta Quadrant along the way, as she sees this unplanned mission as a chance to build alliances and friendships with the native species in the Delta Quadrant, casting the Federation in the best possible light. The demands of being the only Starfleet ship in the Delta Quadrant however put her ideals to the test. She is constantly being pulled in two directions over whether to stay true to Starfleet ideals, or to accept a more survivalist approach. This dilemma weighs heavily on her, as does the well being of her crew, and the isolation she feels.

Commander Chakotay – First officer/Ops manager. He is a former Starfleet officer who became disenchanted with Starfleet life. He left Starfleet and went into private business for himself, gathering up a crew of mercenaries and making his ship and crew available for hire, including work for criminal organisations. His activities gained the attention of Starfleet Command who sent Janeway to find him. When his ship is destroyed in the pilot episode, he and his crew are forced to live on Voyager. He is a resourceful and canny survivalist and warrior who believes in doing what is needed in order to accomplish his goals. He has rejected Starfleet ideals. He reluctantly accepts the role of first officer on Voyager after Voyager’s own first officer is killed. He is not an evil man, but simply has a different philosophy than Janeway. Together they must find a way to build a relationship, professionally and personally.

Lt Commander Tuvok – Tactical officer. Vulcan. He has superb strategic and tactical knowledge and is an expert in combat techniques. He is a longtime friend of Janeway. He is her confidant and advisor. He is the traditional logical Vulcan, but separated from his wife and children and placed under stresses he has never experienced before, his disciplined and rational mind is constantly being challenged demonstrating that under the cold surface, long repressed Vulcan emotions simmer. He was brought to the Delta Quadrant on Chakotay’s ship, where he was undercover and working for Starfleet Intelligence. This forms a basis for a tense relationship with Chakotay once the deception is revealed. Tuvok tries to keep his emotions restrained and carry out his duties to the best of his abilities, but deep down yearns to see his family again.

Ensign Tom Paris – Navigation officer. He was a former Starfleet cadet who was one of the shining lights at the Academy. He excelled as a pilot and great things were expected of him, particularly since he was the son of Admiral Owen Paris, a well respected Starfleet officer who was formerly Janeway’s superior officer. However behavioural problems caused him to be expelled. He is talented but arrogant, and has problems with authority. After being expelled from the Academy and bringing shame to his family he turned to a life of crime, making himself available for hire. During this period of his life, he became an associate of Chakotay and worked with him on several occasions but was eventually arrested and sent to the Federation prison colony in New Zealand. Due to his knowledge of Chakotay and his activities, Janeway offered Paris a deal that in exchange for getting out of prison, Paris would accompany Voyager on its mission to find and arrest Chakotay. Paris agreed, but found himself marooned in the Delta Quadrant along with the rest of Voyager’s crew. Understandably he has a hostile relationship with Chakotay. In the Delta Quadrant, Tom Paris is given a chance for redemption.

Lt Commander B’Elanna Torres – Chief engineer. She is a half human, half Klingon female. She was Chakotay’s second in command on his mercenary ship and is his closest friend and confidant. She is a brilliant engineer who also attended Starfleet Academy, but left due to disciplinary problems. She was later surprised to discover that the tutors at the Academy whom she argued with the most were the most disappointed in losing such an outspoken but talented student. Torres’ father was human, but her mother was Klingon. Her father abandoned her and her mother when she was a child, and this has caused a lifetime of resentment in her. She struggles to balance on the fine line between her human side and her Klingon side. She is fiery, stubborn and hot-headed, but is unquestionably gifted. Assuming the role of chief engineer, replacing Voyager’s original when he dies in the pilot episode, Torres often deals with technical problems in unconventional ways, which brings her into conflict with Starfleet’s by-the-book engineers. She eventually develops a passionate, but turbulent romantic relationship with Tom Paris when sparks inevitably fly between them.

Ensign Harry Kim – Science officer. He is fresh out of the Academy and Voyager is his first assignment. He is the youngest member of the senior crew and is idealistic as new Starfleet officers often are. He is supremely loyal to the captain, to whom he has a deep respect for. Due to his young age and inexperience, Janeway feels protective towards him. He is like the son she never had. Although young and naïve, he is an outstanding officer and a poster boy for clean cut, wholesome Starfleet principles. He is academically gifted and possesses expertise on a wide array of scientific fields. His idealism will be put to the test in the Delta Quadrant, and as time goes on, he becomes more seasoned and hardened as he tries to cope with the extraordinary set of circumstances the crew of Voyager find themselves dealing with. He forms a deep friendship with Tom Paris, and the two become as close as brothers.

The Doctor – Chief medical officer. He is a fully sentient holographic entity, who can travel anywhere on the ship and even off the ship using a mobile emitter that Torres designs for him using acquired Delta Quadrant technology, originally intended for short term use as an emergency medical hologram. But when Voyager’s chief medical officer is killed, the EMH is forced to take on duties which he was never designed for. He is often assisted by Harry Kim and has a sparring relationship with Torres and Paris. The Doctor, who never takes an official name, exceeds his programming and settles into his new life as chief medical officer as he develops his own individual identity. He struggles with the challenges of being taken seriously as a sentient being with individual rights. He possesses a razor sharp wit, cutting sarcasm and dry humor. He studies the human condition, and what it means to be truly alive as an individual.

With these characters and a clear direction, in terms of themes, aesthetics, and tone, I believe Voyager could have been so much more than it actually was.

The finale of the show could have been carried out in several ways.

The first method is the happy ending where the crew of Voyager return home to a heroes welcome and everyone lives happily ever after, reunited with their loved ones, and forever regarded as legends.

The second method is the poignant ending where Voyager finally makes it back home after decades, but instead of the original crew, their ancestors are the ones who make it back, after finally completing the mission their parents and grandparents initially set out upon.

The third method is the tragic ending, where after several decades, a battered and derelict Voyager on autopilot finally makes it back to the Federation, with its crew long dead and skeletonised on board, leaving no trace of their experiences except for the ship’s log and their personal journal entries.

The fourth method is the uncertain ending, where the crew make it back home, but have changed so drastically due to their experiences that they are effectively now different people who have changed so much from the people they initially were when they were brought to the Delta Quadrant. They would have been haunted by their experiences and the survivalist lengths they had to go to in order to survive, carrying the guilt of all the damage they may have caused in the Delta Quadrant. This may have presented a dilemma for Starfleet. Do Starfleet tell people the truth, or do they try to sell a propaganda image of the brave crew who stuck to Starfleet ideals and came home as heroes? Would the crew be able to live with that? Would their consciences haunt them? Would they even be capable of assimilating back into life in the Federation? Would they recognizable to their loved ones? Did the same people who left on that initial mission really come home? The final scene could have shown Janeway being debriefed by Starfleet Command and perhaps asking her “would you have changed anything or done anything differently if you could do it all again?” and perhaps she wouldn’t be able to answer, but be lost in thoughts of regrets and guilt.

Post by AXIV on yesterday at 7:32pm
Voyager: Follow the original Gene Roddenberry rule of crew relationships. Someone like B'Elanna Torres being a total hothead drags the show down.

Enterprise: Brighter lights and warmer atmosphere, better colors. It tried too hard to be edgy and gritty.

The TNG style show was my favorite. Just about everything after that (DS9, VOY, and all 4 TNG movies) was like the Star Trek Attitude Era or something.

Enterprise
The series should have been set around 2151, ten years before the formation of the Federation and just under 100 years after warp drive was invented. It would depict the early days of Starfleet venturing out into the galaxy in the first wide scale human exploration beyond the Solar System under the supervision of the Vulcans, which some on the ship and indeed on Earth may resent. The Vulcans would be the voice of reason, wary of humanity’s ambitions in space, in contrast to the impulsive and headstrong humans who have a desire to explore the galaxy.

The series would have set aboard the S.S (Starfleet Ship) Enterprise, a Daedalus Class vessel with the Starfleet registry NCC 01. The interior design would have been in the style of that seen on the Original Series, but in darker metallic shades and subdued colours. Graphics and special effects would be modern. The sounds effects, particularly those on the bridge would be the same as those on the Original Series. The uniforms, make-up, hairstyles, costumes and production design would also be the same as the Original Series.

The ship would be relatively small and cramped. Space would be limited. Senior officers would have their own small cabins. Crewmembers would sleep in shared cabins with bunks. Cabins would have home comforts and personal touches like books, photographs and pictures on the wall, and basic facilities like showers for bathing. There would be no holodecks. The senior crew would dine together in a small mess hall. The crewmembers would eat communally, military-style. The ship would not be the spacious technological paradises that starships would later become.

At the start of the series, the ship would be limited to a top speed of around warp 1, which initially would simply be referred to as “warp speed”. As the series progresses, greater breakthroughs will be made, until at the end of the series, a speed approaching warp 5 would be attained. The acquisition and development of technologies that will later be familiar to Star Trek will be an ongoing process throughout the series.

Initially, the ship and crew will be equipped technologically with rudimentary versions of what they will develop later. Instead of tricorders they would have “scanners”. Instead of phasers and photon torpedoes, they would have “lasers” and “atomic torpedoes”. Instead of shields, they would have “defence fields”. Instead of a tractor beam, they would have a “grapple hook” and so forth.

Communicators would be similar to the “flip” sort seen in the Original Series.

The development of the transporter will be a process of major importance. At first, it will only be used to beam inanimate objects from place to place, but eventually the crew would safely develop it for human use.

From the start of the series, the ship will already have shuttles, artificial gravity and subspace radio. Replicators would only exist in basic form, producing rudimentary food and drink, so the crew would have to consume real food and drink and take on supplies from time to time, which could be worked into the storylines as an ongoing mission for the crew. The need for barter, trade and exchange would be a good reason for why the crew needs to visit new planets and meet new species. It could also form the basis of why the Prime Directive is eventually adopted. An ongoing debate on the series would have been whether the Vulcans should share their advanced technology to humans, or let them find their own way and develop it themselves when they reached the required level of expertise.

For the sake of canon accuracy, a detailed list of everything in Star Trek that could and could not be depicted on the prequel series should have been compiled, and adhered to. This is especially true for character histories, technology, events, and first contact with alien species.

The Enterprise would be part of a wider fleet of around twelve ships. The building of alliances and friendships would be their main mission. They would be depicted as experiencing their fair measure and successes, and indeed failures.

The progress made on Earth would also be ongoing. The movement towards dealing with conflict, poverty etc should have been a work in progress throughout the series.

No time travel would be depicted on the show. It would needlessly complicate matters and dilute the prequel concept.

The series would be structured as a mixture of stand alone episodes, and multi-episode and multi-season arcs.

The first third of the series should have been based for the most part around Starfleet dealing with the threat of Earth-based anti-alien extremists and xenophobes who oppose the very concept of having a Starfleet at all, and reject any cooperation or contact with non-humans. They would present a constant threat in the first season and would single out Vulcans as being the main target. This could be built around paranoia that Vulcans did not make contact with humanity to help them, but rather invade and enslave them. The first season would end with these extremists being defeated. A secondary focus for the first season would have been the aforementioned dynamic between humans and Vulcans and the complexities of their relationship with each other, and the issues both sides raise in regards to humanity’s development as a technologically advanced spacefaring civilization.

The second third of the series would have brought the crew into conflict with the Andorians and Tellurites, who will eventually go on to become founder members of the Federation with humans and Vulcans. Ultimately it will be discovered that another civilization is secretly causing the conflict and misleading the future Federation founders into weakening themselves. This secret civilization would be seen by the audience, but never the crew. Eventually the warring sides realize they are being manipulated and band together in a coalition to take on their real enemy, the Romulans.

The final third of the series would deal with the Romulan War, featuring the new coalition of allies facing the Romulans and ultimately prevailing. Realizing that cooperation is in their best interests, the allies realize that a more permanent alliance is required and thus the Federation is formed

Time travel would be fine in the Mirror Universe, because it's always been almost a canon into itself.

I'd stay away from the Klingons, and I would have never addressed the forehead issue on-screen. I was content with the real world explanation and the self-knowing nod that DS9 gave it. But I do give the producers of Enterprise credit for at least trying to explain it.

As for the crew. Some of them would have been similar to what they actually went with, and the rest would be classic Trek archetypes.

- The captain would have been Kirk-like and rather reckless and overly enthusiastic at times.

- The first/science officer would have been a Vulcan, cold and unemotional by contrast. I'm OK with the character being female, but they should not have gone with the "babe in a catsuit" pandering to the male audience, because it was just a rehash of Seven of Nine. That scene in the pilot episode where they rub each other down with oil while in their underwear was embarrassing.

- The chief engineer should have been Scotty-like genius, the pilot a fearless daredevil, the weapons officer a hawkish military guy, and the doctor a salt-of-the-earth type like Bones. There was no need for characters like Travis and Hoshi, who did nothing of note.

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Post by Mega M.O.P. on 12 hours ago
I guess it didn't help that Voyager was stuttering along just as DS9 was going into its fantastic Dominion War storyline. But even with using the same wormhole plot device, Voyager could've remained the deep-space, long-term exploration show. They could've just gone in and out of the wormhole in between episodes to refuel and restock on supplies. And unlike DS9, the wormhole would've just been a way to get to the Delta Quadrant and back instead of having the mystical and strategic connotations of the Bajoran Wormhole.

Post by blackoutcreature on 7 hours ago
I always had this idea for Enterprise. Not sure if it would've worked, but I think it would've given the show a better direction. Instead of the confusing and poorly thought out "Temporal Cold War" storyline, you go with something much simpler - pirates.

Basically Earth has set up a sizable cargo trading industry using a fleet of both privately owned and government operated warp 2 capable cargo ships. These ships and their ports throughout their local sector of the quadrant have become indispensable in making Earth a true, if small, player in the Cosmos. But they're constantly being attacked by various pirate groups - The Nausicaans, the Kzinti, the Orions, maybe even the occasional Klingon. Starfleet sends Captain Jonathan Archer and their newest, most advanced ship - the NX-01 Enterprise - with its new Warp 5 engine to stop these pirates and protect Earth's trade and commerce. While the Enterprise is more than a match for most of the pirate ships it encounters, it however still has the problem of being only one ship patrolling a very large area of space, and it also has to make detours for various scientific and exploration purposes at times.

I don't know, I think it could work. If nothing else it would give Mayweather something to do.