WI Star Trek: TOS continued until 1975?

[Captain Jordan]

We all know that Star Trek: The Original Series is cancelled after three seasons in 1969 due to low ratings. But what if it wasn't cancelled in 1969, but continued until 1975?

[lordroel]

Oct 4, 2019 4:40:08 GMT Captain Jordan said:

We all know that Star Trek: The Original Series is cancelled after three seasons in 1969 due to low ratings. But what if it wasn't cancelled in 1969, but continued until 1975?

Nice idea, but this belongs in Fandom board as it is about a What If question.

[stevep]

Oct 4, 2019 4:40:08 GMT Captain Jordan said:

We all know that Star Trek: The Original Series is cancelled after three seasons in 1969 due to low ratings. But what if it wasn't cancelled in 1969, but continued until 1975?

  That would require the necessary funding and support from the producing company and also some personal problems being resolved.  Apparently William Shatner was making himself really, really unpopular with a fair number of his colleagues as his ego was becoming very inflated.  Also IIRC Leonard Nimoy was looking to move on from just being Spock.

  However if the original series continued with success that long it gives a markedly firmer basis for the entire universe.  That is unless the series becomes too jaded and repetitive and the quality is poor in terms of plots and possibly special effects as the series fails to keep up with technological advances, possibly due to funding problems.  Some popular series tend to run on too long and hence lose a lot of their support and become prone to mockery and that could be a danger here.  Which would be a great pity in such a pivotal series for so many people of my generation.

[lordroel]

Oct 4, 2019 9:43:51 GMT stevep said:

Oct 4, 2019 4:40:08 GMT Captain Jordan said:

We all know that Star Trek: The Original Series is cancelled after three seasons in 1969 due to low ratings. But what if it wasn't cancelled in 1969, but continued until 1975?

  That would require the necessary funding and support from the producing company and also some personal problems being resolved.  Apparently William Shatner was making himself really, really unpopular with a fair number of his colleagues as his ego was becoming very inflated.  Also IIRC Leonard Nimoy was looking to move on from just being Spock.

  However if the original series continued with success that long it gives a markedly firmer basis for the entire universe.  That is unless the series becomes too jaded and repetitive and the quality is poor in terms of plots and possibly special effects as the series fails to keep up with technological advances, possibly due to funding problems.  Some popular series tend to run on too long and hence lose a lot of their support and become prone to mockery and that could be a danger here.  Which would be a great pity in such a pivotal series for so many people of my generation.

Well they can always have Spock killed of in season 4.

[stevep]

Oct 4, 2019 13:23:41 GMT lordroel said:

Oct 4, 2019 9:43:51 GMT stevep said:

  That would require the necessary funding and support from the producing company and also some personal problems being resolved.  Apparently William Shatner was making himself really, really unpopular with a fair number of his colleagues as his ego was becoming very inflated.  Also IIRC Leonard Nimoy was looking to move on from just being Spock.

  However if the original series continued with success that long it gives a markedly firmer basis for the entire universe.  That is unless the series becomes too jaded and repetitive and the quality is poor in terms of plots and possibly special effects as the series fails to keep up with technological advances, possibly due to funding problems.  Some popular series tend to run on too long and hence lose a lot of their support and become prone to mockery and that could be a danger here.  Which would be a great pity in such a pivotal series for so many people of my generation.

Well they can always have Spock killed of in season 4.

  True although that would be a great shock to many viewers - even if say he was promoted to his own command rather than killed perhaps.  I wonder who they would have replace him as Kirk's deputy and foil?

[lordroel]

Oct 4, 2019 13:57:50 GMT stevep said:

Oct 4, 2019 13:23:41 GMT lordroel said:

Well they can always have Spock killed of in season 4.

  True although that would be a great shock to many viewers - even if say he was promoted to his own command rather than killed perhaps.  I wonder who they would have replace him as Kirk's deputy and foil?

Well they always can get female science officer who is a ice queen and tough as nails ore another Vulcan for Kirk to play with.

[Zyobot]

Oct 4, 2019 14:01:45 GMT lordroel said:

Oct 4, 2019 13:57:50 GMT stevep said:

  True although that would be a great shock to many viewers - even if say he was promoted to his own command rather than killed perhaps.  I wonder who they would have replace him as Kirk's deputy and foil?

Well they always can get female science officer who is a ice queen and tough as nails ore another Vulcan for Kirk to play with.

Speaking of potential replacements for Spock, could we get an android officer similar to Lt. Commander Data from OTL TNG? I’d surmise that at some point, the writers would be interested in putting an A.I. character front and center in keeping with the futuristic spirit of the franchise.

[lordroel]

Oct 26, 2019 19:20:28 GMT Zyobot said:

Oct 4, 2019 14:01:45 GMT lordroel said:

Well they always can get female science officer who is a ice queen and tough as nails ore another Vulcan for Kirk to play with.

Speaking of potential replacements for Spock, could we get an android officer similar to Lt. Commander Data from OTL TNG? I’d surmise that at some point, the writers would be interested in putting an A.I. character front and center in keeping with the futuristic spirit of the franchise.

What about a Augment as science officer.

[Zyobot]

Oct 26, 2019 22:12:07 GMT lordroel said:

Oct 26, 2019 19:20:28 GMT Zyobot said:

Speaking of potential replacements for Spock, could we get an android officer similar to Lt. Commander Data from OTL TNG? I’d surmise that at some point, the writers would be interested in putting an A.I. character front and center in keeping with the futuristic spirit of the franchise.

What about a Augment as science officer.

Do you mean a cyborg, Lordroel?

[lordroel]

Oct 26, 2019 22:21:04 GMT Zyobot said:

Oct 26, 2019 22:12:07 GMT lordroel said:

What about a Augment as science officer.

Do you mean a cyborg, Lordroel?

No a Augment, like those like Khan.

[Zyobot]

Oct 26, 2019 22:21:57 GMT lordroel said:

Oct 26, 2019 22:21:04 GMT Zyobot said:

Do you mean a cyborg, Lordroel?

No a Augment, like those like Khan.

Wouldn’t being a human augment make Khan a form of cyborg by definition, though? If not, then I wonder if an augment science officer might have conflicts that revolve around their similarity with one of the franchise’s signature villains.

[lordroel]

Oct 26, 2019 22:25:15 GMT Zyobot said:

Oct 26, 2019 22:21:57 GMT lordroel said:

No a Augment, like those like Khan.

Wouldn’t being a human augment make Khan a form of cyborg by definition, though? If not, then I wonder if an augment science officer might have conflicts that revolve around their similarity with one of the franchise’s signature villains.

Nice idea.

[stevep]

Oct 26, 2019 22:25:15 GMT Zyobot said:

Oct 26, 2019 22:21:57 GMT lordroel said:

No a Augment, like those like Khan.

Wouldn’t being a human augment make Khan a form of cyborg by definition, though? If not, then I wonder if an augment science officer might have conflicts that revolve around their similarity with one of the franchise’s signature villains.

  We got that to a degree in DS9 with Julian Bashir who we found out some way through we found out he was genetically enhanced as a child, which was illegal in the Federation and later on he coordinates a number of other enhanced people, both to help in the war against the Dominion and also to gain some acceptance of the group in the Federation.

[lordroel]

Oct 27, 2019 12:03:07 GMT stevep said:

Oct 26, 2019 22:25:15 GMT Zyobot said:

Wouldn’t being a human augment make Khan a form of cyborg by definition, though? If not, then I wonder if an augment science officer might have conflicts that revolve around their similarity with one of the franchise’s signature villains.

  We got that to a degree in DS9 with Julian Bashir who we found out some way through we found out he was genetically enhanced as a child, which was illegal in the Federation and later on he coordinates a number of other enhanced people, both to help in the war against the Dominion and also to gain some acceptance of the group in the Federation.

Well we could have a female Augment who was part of Khan group in space but decided to stay on board the Enterprise and with the help of Captain Kirk goes to Starfleet Academy and latter gets assigned to the Enterprise as its new Scince Officer.

[Zyobot]

Oct 27, 2019 15:10:01 GMT lordroel said:

Oct 27, 2019 12:03:07 GMT stevep said:

  We got that to a degree in DS9 with Julian Bashir who we found out some way through we found out he was genetically enhanced as a child, which was illegal in the Federation and later on he coordinates a number of other enhanced people, both to help in the war against the Dominion and also to gain some acceptance of the group in the Federation.

Well we could have a female Augment who was part of Khan group in space but decided to stay on board the Enterprise and with the help of Captain Kirk goes to Starfleet Academy and latter gets assigned to the Enterprise as its new Scince Officer.

Interesting idea. Could she, by chance, initially struggle with her classmates' (and teachers') understandable distrust to begin with? That, I believe, would make for a genuine conflict that breeds further character development than Khan-loyal female augment that makes a heel-face turn in favor of the Federation.