"Where Are We Going This Time": The Golden Age of Science Fiction
- Thread starter Timelordtoe
- Start date
Deep Space Nine set during Trek movie era?
Deep Space Nine by J. Michael Straczynski, meaning no Babylon 5?
Deep Space Nine launching Paramount's new network? Avoids the Viacom buyout?
I hope we get the Season 8 of TNG they where contracted for! Esp cos it might spare us Generations - that movie needs far more polish and didn't need Kirk.
Deep Space Nine by J. Michael Straczynski, meaning no Babylon 5?
Deep Space Nine launching Paramount's new network? Avoids the Viacom buyout?
I hope we get the Season 8 of TNG they where contracted for! Esp cos it might spare us Generations - that movie needs far more polish and didn't need Kirk.
Timelordtoe
Monthly Donor
I shan't spoil what's coming up too much, but I'll tell you that there will be 8 seasons of TNG, and I have most of the last two planned already. This does spare us Generations, and I have plans for a send-off for Kirk. I'm not hugely knowledgable on the inner workings of US television networks, so I'm not 100% sure on what new network you mean. My guess would be UPN (which got kicked off with Voyager)? If so, it will likely mean a slightly earlier launch for UPN. My plan is for DS9 to be launched about a year later than OTL, which will result in some... casting shenannigans.
I do have plans for Straczynski. Anything I say beyond that verges on spoiler territory.
Chapter XXIV: "I'm All Alone, More or Less"
Timelordtoe
Monthly Donor
Part II, Chapter XXIV: "I'm All Alone, More or Less"
“We decided pretty early into the fourth season that we wouldn’t go beyond a fifth. Barrie was spending more time on Brittas Empire, and with talks of an American version of the show, Llewellyn would be unavailable as well. I’m actually glad we decided to let it end there in retrospect, rather than suffer from too much seasonal rot.”
- Rob Grant, in a 2008 interview. [1]
The wait between the third and fourth seasons of Red Dwarf had not gone unnoticed. When it was announced that there would be no season in 1990, despite the show being renewed for two more seasons, there were serious rumours that the show would suffer the same fate as the classic series of Doctor Who. These fears were allayed when the airing date of January 31st 1991 was announced.
The outbreak of the combat phase of the Gulf War caused delays and a change in the running order, with the BBC changing it so that the episode “Camille” would be aired first, on the 14th of February. As a result, the episodes “Dimension Jump” and “Meltdown” (the latter of which had a strong anti-war message), were postponed. [2]
During the airing of the fourth season, Grant and Naylor announced that the fifth season, to be aired the following year, would be the final season. Chris Barrie was also starring in the successful sitcom Brittas Empire, and wished to devote more time to it, and Robert Llewellyn was involved with the American Red Dwarf pilots. This made it difficult to get the main cast together for filming. The fifth season would end in such a way that it would be possible for the show to continue in the future, should an opportunity arise.
Although fans would be disappointed by the news of Red Dwarf coming to an end, the news that Universal Studios were in the process of making an American series was of some comfort. Both Grant and Naylor would be involved, as would Robert Llewellyn, who would retain his role as Kryten. However, the majority of the cast would be American, with the exception of Jane Leeves, playing Holly.
These would be the only two actors to remain after the first pilot, which the executives were unhappy with. Grant and Naylor were, however, given another chance to make a pilot, but on a greatly reduced budget, and with a mainly new cast. [3]
List of Episodes of Season 4 of Red Dwarf:
- Camille
- DNA
- Justice
- White Hole
- Dimension Jump
- Meltdown
1992 would bring both the end and the beginning of Red Dwarf, as the fifth and final British season aired, and the American version was greenlit. [4]
[1] As yesteday's update gave away, British Red Dwarf ends at season 5. I do have plans for it, as this update entails.
[2] As with previous Red Dwarf updates, very little non-OTL stuff here. To be honest, the Red Dwarf updates have usually been to allow for other things to happen.
[3] In other words, Bierko isn't in the second pilot. I'll detail the second pilot in the next Dwarf update, which will be after the next ST and DW updates.
[4] Surprise! I wouldn't really mention Red Dwarf if I wasn't going to change anything about it.
Okay. Little update tonight. The next update was going to be the BIG music one, but I'm cleaving it in twain, because otherwise it will be far too long. Next update is focussed on the Wilburys, the one after is for other artists. After that, We go back to Trek and Who for a little while.
Here's one idea for a future Doctor Who companion after Gillian Anderson leaves: Mariska Hartigay (the daughter of Mickey Hartigay and Jayne Mansfield), of Law and Order: SVU fame. IMO, she'd likely be good (she was the replacement for Gabrielle Fitzpatrick on the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers movie IOTL after Fitzpatrick left to have surgery, but either they were dissatisfied with her performance or didn't like how she wore the costume, so Fitzpatrick was brought back. This resulted in an extended sequence that she had shot being discarded)...
Timelordtoe
Monthly Donor
My plan is for an ending that allows for more seasons at some point down the line if the cast wants to do more, but that rounds off the story somewhat. Maybe not quite a bookend, but something satisfying.
I have most of the companions planned, but I might be able to work her in after Anderson leaves.
As a general update: the big music update should be coming out over the next couple of days. It will be in two parts, one focussing on the Wilburys, and another on some other artists and groups you will know of. I've been having many discussions with my good friend @Drorac, who has outlined most of the update. He and I also have some other plans for some franchises, and some names that have come up now have solid plans attached to them.
I had intended to get the first part of the musical update out tonight, but alas the livestream of Big Finish Audios on Youtube (which I highly recommend tuning in to) has distracted me, and then I was informed that many of Paul McGann's audios are on Spotify. As my joint-favourite Doctor, I try to get listen to as much of his stuff as I can.
Chapter XXV: "Inside Out"
Timelordtoe
Monthly Donor
Part II, Chapter XXV: "Inside Out"
Written with @Drorac
Written with @Drorac
“I think it’s quite easy to overlook the effect that the Traveling Wilburys had on the music industry. Sure, they weren’t hugely groundbreaking, but it was proof that the supergroup could work, and it revived the careers of Dylan and Orbison. When one looks at the work of the individuals during the time when the Wilburys were active, you see five talented artists producing some of their best work.”
- allohistory.com user gallifreyhands on a thread titled “Which musical groups are often forgotten, but nonetheless important?” [1]
The Traveling Wilburys
1991 would bring the release of the Wilburys’ third album, aptly titled “The Traveling Wilburys: Vol. 3”. The album would be released to primarily positive reviews, with particular praise being given to the lead single “Living the Dream”.
Work would shortly begin on the fourth album, which would be given the intentionally misleading name “The Traveling Wilburys: Vol. 5” by George Harrison. The group was, however, careful to spend plenty of time on solo projects, so as to avoid burning the concept out. [2]
Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison would spend much of 1991 working on his autobiography, though he would find time to start work on a collaborative project with Johnny Cash. The two had been friends for some time, and had discussed the possibility of a joint album shortly after Orbison’s 1989 heart attack. They had previously worked together for the album The Class of ‘55, and had ideas for songs to perform together. [3]
Bob Dylan
Dylan’s 1990 album Under the Red Sky was far less successful than his previous album Oh Mercy, and Dylan would spend most of 1991 working on a follow-up that would be more successful. The album, titled Good As I Been To You, would be released the following year.
Tom Petty
For Petty, 1991 would bring the release of Into the Great Wide Open, which was warmly received by critics. Although Tom Petty enjoyed his time working with the Wilburys, he was beginning to miss recording with the Heartbreakers, and reached out to Campbell and the others about the potential for a new album. [4]
George Harrison
Harrison in particular wished for a break from the Wilburys, amid fears that they were becoming too commercialised. In December 1991, Harrison would join Eric Clapton for a tour in Japan, and shortly thereafter, they would begin collaborating for a new project. Realising that Harrison’s spiritualism clashed well with Clapton’s cynicism and realism, they began work on a new supergroup. [5]
1991 would also see the merger of Wilbury Records with Dark Horse Records. Dark Horse was owned by Harrison, though after the merger it would rename itself to Wilbury Records. This act would also see the distancing of the label from it’s distributor Warner Records, so as to avoid issues with any of the other Wilburys’ contracts. [6]
Jeff Lynne
Aside from the Wilburys, Lynne now worked primarily as a writer and a producer. His solo album Armchair Theatre was well received, but by no means a critical success. To American audiences, he was always the most obscure Wilbury, though he would soon gain much more exposure.
Lynne had, for the past year, been working on the logistics of a film adaptation of the ELO album Eldorado. Primarily, he had to negotiate with Bev Bevan, who still had a 50% ownership of the trademark. Bevan was eventually convinced after being offered a decent share of the profits of the film.
Eldorado was to be produced by Harrison’s HandMade Films, which had had success with films such as Withnail and I, Time Bandits and Monty Python’s Life of Brian. By the end of 1991, funding and casting would be sorted, with Terry Gilliam attached to direct and write.
The film would follow a man as he quests after the “eternal dream”, which he describes as “his Eldorado”. Following advice from a mystic that he can learn the secret through hints in his dreams, the film follows him as he explores his own mind to find his paradise. Through the dreamscape he finds himself in various situations, such as a war hero, a struggling musician, and one of Robin Hood’s Merry Men. [7]
[1] Here's the TTL version of me again. Evidently, my musical tastes are much the same. A self-insert is a bit of a bad writing cliche, but I'm incredibly tangential to the story. Just thought it would be a bit fun to put me in, but not as me.
[2] I couldn't just let the intentional numbering inconsistency go. But as time goes on, the group is worried about them being too commercial, rather than the "show up and write a song over the day as mates" sort of group.
[3] Orbison is, as you may be able to tell, one of the two that we're having a harder time writing for. Suggestions would be appreciated, I have ideas for collaborations, but it looks like he'll have one of the more simple careers. Dylan is the other one.
[4] Petty is one of the people that @Drorac is taking more control with. He's far more well-versed in his music, and a good amount of the non-Lynne stuff in this update and pretty much all of the next update are his brainchild.
[5] An idea of @Drorac's that I absolutely fell in love with. I can't wait to show you this new group.
[6] Little hint for the future. I wasn't able to find much on the Wilburys label, so I've taken a bit of artistic license here.
[7] To be honest, Eldorado is going to be a bit of a springboard for something else I want to do, and that I've hinted at with the title of this part of the timeline. I see Gilliam being able to take the reins with this story, as it's sort of down his street.
Alright, part 1 of the big music update out. Next part should be out tomorrow, and will focus on some names I imagine that you're all familiar with. While I probably could have put all of that stuff into this update, it worked better to split it into the Wilburys stuff and the non-Wilburys stuff. See you tomorrow (hopefully).
I am not familiar with music that much but it sounds like you have a lot of butterflies flapping here. Orbison and Cash together could produce an interesting sound. Harrison definitely seems to be doing well here.
What are the other Beatles up to? Any possibility of a Beatles reunion?
allohistory.com - never catch on.
What are the other Beatles up to? Any possibility of a Beatles reunion?
allohistory.com - never catch on.
Timelordtoe
Monthly Donor
There's more butterflies in the music industry, and there will be quite a few down the line. @Drorac and I now have a rough plan for the music for the next 10 years or so of the timeline. Harrison is doing pretty well. In my personal opinion, he was really overlooked when in the Beatles (not that Lennon and McCartney weren't incredible musicians in their own right), and he really shines in his solo stuff. He had a lot of friends in various places, so it seemed like an interesting idea to explore some of those relationships.
Lennon is dead as OTL, as the POD is 1982. McCartney in his weird 90s phase as OTL, and we don't have too much planned for him. Starr will be involved soon enough. The Beatles will probably get together for the anthology as OTL, workking with Lynne most likely. But beyond that, it's unlikely that there will be a complete Beatles reunion.
I quite like the work allohistory, though as anybody who knows me in real life is likely to tell you, I'm a bit verbose. It forms an adjective quite nicely, allohistorical. Also, it's a bit more of a general term than alternate history. It's still quite a niche interest ITTL though.
Also, there shan't be an update tonight. Sorry about that, but it's been a hell of a day for me, and I've spent most of the past 10 hours asleep (It's 10pm for me right now). I'll do my best to get Chapter 26 out tomorrow, though I can't make any guarantees.
Quick note about Roy Orbison, he collaborated with K.D. Lang a couple of times and David Lynch knew him from Blue Velvet (he was also a big fan of Roy Orbison).
Maybe Roy Orbison & K.D.Lang could collaborate on an album that would be interesting (particularly after Lang came out) whilst I could see Orbison appearing in Fire Walk With Me or something like that (which would be funny since that film contains Chris Isaak the so called "Roy Orbison of the 90s"). Isaak and Orbison could collaborate too.
Also what are the Beastie Boys doing?
Maybe Roy Orbison & K.D.Lang could collaborate on an album that would be interesting (particularly after Lang came out) whilst I could see Orbison appearing in Fire Walk With Me or something like that (which would be funny since that film contains Chris Isaak the so called "Roy Orbison of the 90s"). Isaak and Orbison could collaborate too.
Also what are the Beastie Boys doing?
Timelordtoe
Monthly Donor
I'll keep your ideas in mind. I suspect that Orbison will mainly work on collaborative material, maybe with a solo album or two.
I don't really have much knowledge of the Beastie Boys, and as a result, I don't really have any plans. There's always that possibility that they could show up at some point down the line, but unless something happens that directly affects them, I'd imagine that their career stays much as OTL.
Sorry for the lack of update since last Sunday. It has, in all honesty, been a very strange week for me, and as a result, I haven't much been able to focus on this. I'll try to get the next update out tonight or tomorrow, depending on how much time I this evening, as I'm seeing Yesterday. Rest assured, I haven't lost interest. I have a couple new ideas for places I'm going to go, one of which will result in a rather different pop-culture world down the line.
Chapter XXVI: "Upside Down"
Timelordtoe
Monthly Donor
Part II, Chapter XXVI: "Upside Down"
Written by @Drorac
Written by @Drorac
Pink Floyd
Although 1988 had resulted in the resolution of the majority of the legal issues between the group and ex-member Waters, it did leave David Gilmour wondering where they would go next. A Momentary Lapse of Reason had performed well, even if many critics did deride the album as a departure from the sound many had come to know and love. Gilmour did not disagree with this observation, in fact many of the songs had been written by songwriters from outside the group, although the album had provided an income for the immediate future, and proved that the group did not need Waters to survive.
Fate would prove to be on Gilmour’s side, as in 1988 EMI released Opel, a series of outtakes and demos from Syd Barrett’s solo albums. Although the album failed to chart, it received positive reviews. This gave Gilmour the idea to talk to Barrett about the possibility of him rejoining the band, even as a non-touring member. At around the same time, Richard Wright officially rejoined the band as a full member, as opposed to a session musician.
Upon visiting Barrett in Cambridge, Gilmour was surprised to see how reclusive Barrett had become. Barrett was much more coherent than he had been when Gilmour had seen him last in 1975, and while still somewhat strange, was as close to “normal” as Barrett could have been. Barrett’s house had many pieces of paper strewn around, containing many different ideas for lyrics. With uncharacteristic bluntness, Barrett agreed to a trial period with Floyd.
EMI soon agreed to this trial period, with the four convening on the Astoria, Gilmour’s recoding studio/houseboat. Work soon began on the album provisionally titled “There Were 4 In The Bed”.
In the early sessions, Barrett remained rather quiet, primarily due to his nerves at being back in a recording studio. Soon, however, his lyrical genius began to return, and the wackiness that many had come to expect would shine through on tracks such as “Sun-Day” and “Cabbage Man”. As the album neared completion in late 1991, it became clear that there were two “personalities” present within the album, and the decision was made to split the album along this line, with a “white” half to represent the ‘straightlacedness’ of Gilmour, and a “black” side representing the contributions of Barrett and Wright.
Track Listing for There Were 4 In The Bed:
1. The Day of End (SB/RW)
2. Voyage up the Stream (SB/RW/NM)
3. Take it Back (DG/RW)
4. Sun-Day (SB/DG)
5. Cluster One (DG)
6. Straight Laced Tights (SB)
7. Cabbage Man (SB/RW)
8. Edict of Edith (RW)
9. High Hopes (DG)
The album received mixed reviews, with many describing the album as disjointed and others criticising the “60s psychedelia”, although most expressed praise at the return of Barrett. Despite the mixed reviews, the album performed well in the charts, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and topping the UK album charts for four weeks. Pink Floyd had proved that they could still make a popular album.
As with prior albums, a tour soon followed, although Barrett would only join for the British leg. Part of his deal in rejoining the band was that it was to be gradual, and the group had come to the agreement that a world tour would not be good for his health. In the rest of the European tour and the North American tour, he would be replaced on vocals by Gilmour. The UK tour received rave reviews, with Barrett’s role as the frontman receiving great praise.
Lindsey Buckingham
Lindsey Buckingham had left Fleetwood Mac in 1987, and soon set his sights on a solo career, much as Stevie Nicks had done. There was little love to be lost between Buckingham and Fleetwood Mac’s remaining members, so Buckingham worked primarily alone. Over the following three years, he would work on the album now considered to be his magnum opus, Out of the Cradle.
Out of the Cradle was released in 1990 to rave reviews, with many commenting that it could become as popular as Nicks’ Bella Donna. The album itself topped at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, and three singles also charted in the top 20, Countdown (No.1), Turn it On(No 9) and Surrender the Rain (No.17). Buckingham went straight into a North American tour, even performing at some venues in Europe. This whole procedure had however left Buckingham very tired, and as a result he wished to work on something different, rather than going straight into another solo album.
His opportunity came when he talked to his friend and producer, Richard Dashut. Dashut and Buckingham had worked together on the song “Time Bomb Town” for the 1985 film Doctor Who: Back to the Future. Since then, Doctor Who had become a television show in the US, and had no main composer, unlike many other shows of a similar vein. Intrigued by the opportunity to have some steady income, Buckingham reached out to the producers of the show about filling the position of composer for the show.
The executives at NBC and BBC were eager to bring Buckingham on board, and it was agreed that he would begin work in the 1991 season, Siddig El-Fadil (The Eighth Doctor)’s first. Although this built a great deal of hype for the new season, there were questions by critics as to how the BBC and NBC were affording Buckingham. The two partied had, in fact, come to an agreement that Buckingham would be paid no more per episode than the previous composers, who worked on a more case by case basis, would. To compensate, Buckingham would hold the rights to any music written for the show, and should he decide to release any of the music, he would collect 80% of the revenue. Although this would cause some issues with the HD remasters down the line, it was an agreement that worked well at the time.
Buckingham would spend many days in the studio, watching the raw footage from the shows, working at various instruments to create a soundtrack for the show. Dashut once remarked: “It was like watching him during the recording of Go Insane again, he was just as meticulous, if not even more so!”
By the time the season was ready for release, most of the soundtrack was ready, although many of the tracks for the latter half of the season would be re-recorded. This resulted in a marked change in the musical style for Doctor Who, as while the soundtrack stayed primarily the same, the guitar played a much more prominent role.
Buckingham would also compose some songs for the show, “Wake Me Up” being written for the opening story Action at a Distance, and “Twisted” written for the season finale Love and War. “Wake Me Up” would be played when the Doctor wakes in hospital and later when Isabella realises the connection between herself and the Doctor. “Twisted” was originally envisioned as a duet between Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, although this plan fell though. The song would play when the Doctor realises that he has to betray Isabella to keep everyone safe, potentially driving her away in the process.
Although the critical reaction to the seasons as a whole was mixed, there was near unanimous praise for Buckingham’s soundtrack, especially for his tracks in the latter half of the season. Following the end of the season, Buckingham would release “Twisted” as a single, and it would quickly top the Billboard Top 200 Singles chart, a position it would remain in for 4 weeks, selling over 1 million copies.
Hey everyone, one week, very little see. Hmm, doesn't quite have the same ring to it. As you may be able to tell, this update is the work of my good friend @Drorac. While I've not copied his notes verbatim, they're pretty close. Certainly enough that a plagarism detection algorithm would pick it up. Very little of this is me, I've just adjusted a couple of things so that they fit with the structure of how certain things worked at the time. If you have any questions, I might be able to answer them, I'll certainly do my best. Anyway, next updates will be TNG Season 5. Hoo boy, I've been looking forward to this one for a good few reasons, one of which I will make apparent after next update. We'll be seeing some real butterflies at play now with the story. Some things will stay the same, but many will not. See you then.
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Interesting stuff there, Lindsy Buckingham being a Dr Who composer is certainly interesting. Although I don't see this lasting long since Buckingham will obviously would want to go onto new things.
Speaking of all things new, I'm wondering what New Order is doing since they've pretty much broken up at this point (apart from World in Motion in 1990, I hope that still going) with Bernard Sumner doing Electronic, Peter Hook doing his thing and the Other Two trying to make there own album whilst doing TV work at the same time (also Stephen Morris is a fan of Doctor Who, just saying).
Also Isaac Asimov was in his final years of life during the early 90s, it would be found out later that he was suffering from AIDS due to a blood transfusion, staying silent out of fear of his family being persecuted because of it. Maybe Dr Who's more inclusive nature could possibly make him issue statement about his disease and have him make a small guest appearance on the show via a TV screen or something similar made before his death.
Edit: I noticed a couple of spelling errors here and there I recommend just doing a quick sweep through again, for example mow was used instead of now, other than that good work .
Speaking of all things new, I'm wondering what New Order is doing since they've pretty much broken up at this point (apart from World in Motion in 1990, I hope that still going) with Bernard Sumner doing Electronic, Peter Hook doing his thing and the Other Two trying to make there own album whilst doing TV work at the same time (also Stephen Morris is a fan of Doctor Who, just saying).
Also Isaac Asimov was in his final years of life during the early 90s, it would be found out later that he was suffering from AIDS due to a blood transfusion, staying silent out of fear of his family being persecuted because of it. Maybe Dr Who's more inclusive nature could possibly make him issue statement about his disease and have him make a small guest appearance on the show via a TV screen or something similar made before his death.
Edit: I noticed a couple of spelling errors here and there I recommend just doing a quick sweep through again, for example mow was used instead of now, other than that good work .
Timelordtoe
Monthly Donor
Firstly, thank you for notifying me to the spelling mistakes. I was somewhat tired when I wrote it a few days back, and the spell checker didn't pick up on them, because they still formed words.
Buckingham's tenure will be short. I shan't give specifics, but he mainly treated it as a way to get a break from solo stuff, and he'll want to get back to recording full albums soon enough. I have plans for Morris, though I need to read up more on New Order.
There's less anti-AIDS prejudice ITTL, so I'd expect that some high-profile persons suffering from it do come forward. Asimov in particular might, as Blood and Fire has really killed the prejudice in the science fiction community. As he is a big name in sci-fi, I might see if I can work him into the next season of Doctor Who.
Next update should be out tonight, by the way.
Chapter XXVII: "When at Tenagra..."
Timelordtoe
Monthly Donor
Part II, Chapter XXVII: "When at Tenagra..."
“Although many would say that we peaked in the fourth season, it’s quite easy to argue that the fifth was more important going forward. A lot of plot elements, and even a couple of characters that would be used in later series got their start here. Personally, it had my favourite part of the entire show, where we gave the longer arc a trial run with the Klingon Civil War. But then, there was a reason I became known among the staff as ‘the Klingon guy’.”
- Ronald D. Moore, taken from All Good Things, a 2015 documentary on the production of Star Trek: The Next Generation. [1]
Season five was to be a groundbreaker for The Next Generation. Talks of a spinoff, provisionally titled Deep Space Nine, led many of the writers using the season as a ‘testing ground’ for concepts that they wished to bring in to the new show. Most notable of these were the longer arc surrounding the Klingon Civil War, and the character of Ensign Ro Laren, who was envisioned as a main character on the show.
Regrettably, during the release of the season, and the filming of the episode “Hero Worship”, the franchise’s creator, Gene Roddenberry, would pass away. Filming would temporarily be halted, and a memorial for Gene would be held in November, with many high profile guests, including many cast members from the franchise.
While the first episode of the season would resolve the cliffhanger of the “Redemption, Part I”, the arc itself would not be resolved until a few episodes later, as the writers felt that the effects of such an important event in universe could not be covered sufficiently in two episodes. The Klingon Civil War would start a much longer arc involving the Romulans that would be continued in the two part story “Unification” later in the series, which would also see the appearance of Leonard Nimoy as Spock. [2]
Many of the show's most memorable stories were in the fifth season, in particular “Darmok” and “The Inner Light”, both of which remain fan favourites. Again, the show would have a story that was considered controversial at the time, “The Outcast”. The story would feature Commander Riker falling in love with Soren, a member of an androgynous species that forgoes gender. Over the course of the story, it would be revealed that Soren feels an inclination to be male, but that deviations from the genderless are taboo in his society. The climax of the episode would feature Riker attempting to stop the forced conversion therapy of Soren, potentially going against the Prime Directive in the process.
The episode served as a thinly veiled allegory for the treatment of the transgender community at the time, many of whom were forced to undergo conversion therapy, and were faced with prejudice by a large portion of society. In addition, it revealed that the character of Commander Riker was bisexual, something done at actor Jonathan Frakes’ insistence. [3]
By the fifth season, the main cast had settled firmly into their roles, and no main cast changes would occur. However, some minor changes in the supporting cast would occur. Perhaps most notable would be the addition of Ensign Ro Laren, portrayed by Michelle Forbes. Envisioned as a potential main character on the upcoming Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, she was to provide a more aggressive foil to some of the main cast. [4]
Star Trek: The Next Generation’s fifth season would begin airing in September of 1991.
[1] Genuine nickname Moore had, due to the number of Klingon stories he wrote. Season 5 will set up a LOT of things for the future.
[2] There's a few more guest stars this season, more big names at the very least.
[3] I'll post a little update ater this to explain just why this part is so important to me (although I'd imagine that you could easily guess). It's a bit too long winded to put here in the footnotes.
[4] I have plans for Ensign Ro down the line. This season marks the end of story being primarily OTL. I have Trek planned until the modern day, and it takes a somewhat different path.
Timelordtoe
Monthly Donor
Okay, so a bit of a more personal bit here, and an explanation of why i made such a big deal about "The Outcast" in the most recent update. As I'm sure many of you will have guessed, I am one of the many transgender people here on this website. The Outcast is one of my favourite episodes of TNG, even if I feel that it could have been handled a bit better. Regardless, I think that it's absolutely astounding that the staff were able to put a message like that out at the time. Although I'm well aware that it was intended as an allegory for the entire LGBT community's treatment, myself and many others have interpreted it as more of a transgender story, just due to the specifics, and not to downplay the issues that the rest of the community faces. I'll probably say as much in another update at some point, but I'm trying to change things so that the science fiction community is working towards creating the utopian future that they envision. I shan't touch on politics in the timeline though.
I'm trying to avoid being too 'preachy' in the timeline, but I'm making my feelings known here and there, and this is definitely one of the places where I think that expressing my situation and beliefs is justified. I hope that you enjoy my writing as much as I enjoy writing it. Love to you all.
I'm trying to avoid being too 'preachy' in the timeline, but I'm making my feelings known here and there, and this is definitely one of the places where I think that expressing my situation and beliefs is justified. I hope that you enjoy my writing as much as I enjoy writing it. Love to you all.
Very nice update on TNG Season 5.
Good to read Darmok survived and I am intrigued about the extended Klingon War. Riker as bisexual definitely marks a change from Roddenberry's 'Vision' and I suspect the show's detractors will use it to beat the show, but it will get a ton of support from LGBT+ people and the shows many fans.
Good to read Darmok survived and I am intrigued about the extended Klingon War. Riker as bisexual definitely marks a change from Roddenberry's 'Vision' and I suspect the show's detractors will use it to beat the show, but it will get a ton of support from LGBT+ people and the shows many fans.
Does "Reunification" follow the same premise as it did OTL, and does Nimoy use his cameo to "plug" a movie featuring the TOS cast (as he did OTL for The Undiscovered Country)?