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Little warning. This thread contains spoilers for Farscape season 3.
So I've just learned something fascinating about Star Trek: The Next Generation, and what it might have been. Most fans agree that season 7 was pretty weak, as it seemed the writers were running out of ideas. But something almost happened at the end of season 6 that could have drastically changed that.
Who remembers the episoide "Second Chance" where they find a transporter duplicate of Riker who has been stranded on a planet for 8 years. He's essentially the same person as Will Riker, he's just had different experiences. Niether is more "real" than the other.
This may sound like a familiar concept from Farscape, butg unlike Farscape, which kept both Crichtons around for quite some time, the Star Trek episode ended with the duplicate "Thomas" Riker leaving the Enterprise to take up a post else where.
But a much bolder ending was originally developed, which the writers very seriously considered implementing.
It turned out, they planned for Will Riker to die, sacrificing his life to save his duplicate, Thomas. This would have resulted in Jonothan Frakes playing Thomas for the duration of season 7. He would have been the helmsman of the Enterprise, while Data would have moved up to first officer. Quite the shakeup for TNG!
This also would have left Marina Sirtis in a similar situation to Aeyen in Farscape. Will Riker, who she had known and love (admitedly a long time ago). To her, that was the "real" Will, but Thomas would be there, still very much in love with her, but having to prove to her that he is every bit as much the person she had loved as the other Will Riker had been.
In the end, they decided not to follow through with this plan, because they wanted the original Command Will Riker in the upcoming movies.
But can you imagine if they'd gone through with it?
Farscape ended up showing us how awesomely this plot could be done, but TNG nearly did it first. And that kinda blows my mind.
Part of me wishes they'd had the guys to do this.
But then, if they had, we may not have got it on Farscape.
Interesting.
My source for this information was Lorerunner's recent videon on the episode.
So I've just learned something fascinating about Star Trek: The Next Generation, and what it might have been. Most fans agree that season 7 was pretty weak, as it seemed the writers were running out of ideas. But something almost happened at the end of season 6 that could have drastically changed that.
Who remembers the episoide "Second Chance" where they find a transporter duplicate of Riker who has been stranded on a planet for 8 years. He's essentially the same person as Will Riker, he's just had different experiences. Niether is more "real" than the other.
This may sound like a familiar concept from Farscape, butg unlike Farscape, which kept both Crichtons around for quite some time, the Star Trek episode ended with the duplicate "Thomas" Riker leaving the Enterprise to take up a post else where.
But a much bolder ending was originally developed, which the writers very seriously considered implementing.
It turned out, they planned for Will Riker to die, sacrificing his life to save his duplicate, Thomas. This would have resulted in Jonothan Frakes playing Thomas for the duration of season 7. He would have been the helmsman of the Enterprise, while Data would have moved up to first officer. Quite the shakeup for TNG!
This also would have left Marina Sirtis in a similar situation to Aeyen in Farscape. Will Riker, who she had known and love (admitedly a long time ago). To her, that was the "real" Will, but Thomas would be there, still very much in love with her, but having to prove to her that he is every bit as much the person she had loved as the other Will Riker had been.
In the end, they decided not to follow through with this plan, because they wanted the original Command Will Riker in the upcoming movies.
But can you imagine if they'd gone through with it?
Farscape ended up showing us how awesomely this plot could be done, but TNG nearly did it first. And that kinda blows my mind.
Part of me wishes they'd had the guys to do this.
But then, if they had, we may not have got it on Farscape.
Interesting.
My source for this information was Lorerunner's recent videon on the episode.
