Does Honor Blackman still guest star in that episode?
I like that choice.
"Where Are We Going This Time": The Golden Age of Science Fiction
- Thread starter Timelordtoe
- Start date
Siddig is an amazing choice that i didn't see coming. Really looking forward to the next update
Chapter XVII: "And I Say Hello"
Timelordtoe
Monthly Donor
Part II, Chapter XVII: "And I Say Hello"
“So we are joined by not one, but two Doctors on the sofa this evening. Siddig, as I’m sure that as all of our audience knows, you played the Eighth Doctor some many years back. So is there any advice you have for her, as she is now the youngest person to play the Doctor, as you once were?”
- Graham Norton, speaking on The Graham Norton Show in 2017. [1]
The casting of the Eighth Doctor had been the source of much speculation in the fandom. Names had been flying around the community, with the presence of Gary Oldman on set and the reluctance of producers to reveal his true role leading many to believe that he would be playing the Eighth Doctor.
In addition to Oldman, many other names were floated as potential replacements for Laurie. They had included many members of Monty Python and many other British actors. Some American names had been suggested, including James Cromwell, Avery Brooks and even Whoopi Goldberg. [2]
In fact, the producers were not adverse to the casting of a female in the traditionally male role of the Doctor, as they had considered some actresses for the Seventh Doctor. The producers had two women on their shortlist of four that they had come to screen test, though neither would get the part.
The shortlist comprised of Emma Thompson, Siddig El-Fadil, Joanna Lumley and Sean Bean. None of the four were well known in the US, and Siddig was almost completely unknown, as his guest role on Doctor Who’s twenty-third season was his first named role. [3]
The four screen tested for the producers, and it was decided that Siddig worked the best in the role, particularly with his slightly darker take on the Doctor. The producers had been considering making the Doctor darker for a while, hinting that he was something more than just a regular Time Lord. Writer Andrew Cartmel was particularly impressed by Siddig’s screen test, and lobbied internally for him to be cast.
For the companion, the intention was for the character Isabella Gates, who had been born in the twenty-fourth season story Thin Ice to join the Doctor, at a later point in her personal timeline, with her father, Anthony Gates, reappearing in a recurring role. Isabella would be written as an American living in the United Kingdom, having been born to two ex-pats, who had an expertise in burglary. [4]
Many actresses tried out for the role, but eventually, it was offered to Teri Hatcher, who was appearing in a recurring role on Star Trek: The Next Generation as Lt. Gail Robinson. Hatcher was looking for a larger role, but had enjoyed her work on The Next Generation, which led to her auditioning for the role. [5]
The announcement of the new Doctor and companion came halfway through the airing of the twenty-fourth season, providing a slight boost in ratings as hype grew for the regeneration of Hugh Laurie. The announcement that both the new Doctor and companion would appear in the season excited many fans, especially when it was revealed that the Doctor named Isabella.
The casting of Siddig was not completely without controversy. Many felt that he was too young to portray the character, as he was only 25 when cast. [6]
The relative inexperience of Siddig did turn some heads higher up, who felt less comfortable with placing the franchise on his shoulders. They were, however, quieted by the casting of Hatcher as the companion, who had had much more experience and the reassurance that if Siddig was not up to scratch, he could be replaced.
In addition to a new cast, a new showrunner was needed, as Nathan-Turner was departing. The position was offered to many of the more experienced writers, including David Gerrold, but all turned it down due to wanting to focus on writing single stories.
The role was eventually offered to newer writer, and script editor Andrew Cartmel, who had many ideas for the show. Cartmel was one of the younger writers, but had plenty of experience with having been in charge of editing scripts for the twenty-fourth season. [7]
As 1990 came to an end, the twenty-fifth season of Doctor Who was filming, with a new cast and new showrunner. Doctor Who was in for a serious change, and only time would tell if it would be successful. [8]
[1] Alright, this borders on spoiler territory, I'll grant you that much. It's very difficult to write in that style without referring to the actress by name. As you may expect, we won't actually see her in the timeline for a while.
[2] It's a big deal now, so there will be a tendency for the role to be given to people whose names you recognise. That and I'm lazy.
[3] That may have been the set-up for this payoff. Regardless, I think he's a very good actor, so I wanted to include him at the very start of his career.
[4] Following the OTL plan for the companion to-be after Ace. I'll be taking Who in a bit of a darker direction for a while, and she will be a big part of that.
[5] Would she work? In all honesty, I'm not sure. But another example of TNG cast coming over to Who. I swear this won't be a one way thing. To be completely honest, while I have the Doctor cast up to (and a little beyond) modern day, I don't have companions set in stone for a little while, so I'm having to consult Wikipedia for who appeared in US TV at the time.
[6] To be honest, Laurie was only 27 when cast, but those two years make a difference in the eyes of the producers.
[7] You can guess where I'm going here. The more things change. After Cartmel, things get very different with showrunners, but there was a concept I wanted to try out first.
[8] Alright, that's the last of that run I had planned for a while. Sorry about the wait, moved back to uni and had some personal stuff take precedence. Updates will likely be as intermittent as usual.
Chapter XVIII: "A Noble Band of Heroes"
Timelordtoe
Monthly Donor
Part II, Chapter XVIII: "A Noble Band of Heroes"
“The X-Men films were easily some of the most fun films I had been involved in. There is a certain… campiness and ridiculousness inherent to the superhero genre, and I think we made the right choice by leaning heavily into that. But we wanted to tackle some serious social issues present at the time as well.”
- James Cameron, speaking about his part in the 1990s X-Men films.
Production on Wolverine and the X-Men had been slow at first, with 1989 resulting in only to main characters being cast, Bob Hoskins as Wolverine and Angela Bassett as Storm.
In order to face off against the revived Batman franchise, producer James Cameron and director Kathryn Bigelow decided that they needed a proper ensemble cast to draw in a larger audience. By the end of 1990, the X-Men had been cast.
It had been decided that the team in the film would consist of four the original five, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast and Iceman, joined by Wolverine, Storm and newcomer Jubilee. The team would nominally be led by Professor X. The large team meant that certain characters would not get as much screen time, and the story was written with this in mind.
For Cyclops, the leader, Bigelow and Cameron decided to cast Tom Cruise. Cruise had been a fan of the Marvel comics for a time, and had been lobbying for a part since the announcement of the X-Men film. Marvel Girl, his teammate and love interest, would be portrayed by Molly Ringwald.
Laurence Fishburne, another Marvel Comics fan, was brought in to play Beast, while Iceman would be played by Robert Downey Jr.. The role of Jubilee, who was to be the “point of view character”, was given to Ann Yen. To round the team off, Pete Postlethwaite was cast as Professor X. [1]
In the story, the X-Men would be opposed Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, consisting of Magneto, Mastermind, Mystique and Toad. Magneto would be played by Max von Sydow, Mastermind by Brad Dourif, Mystique by Sharon Stone, and Toad by Nicolas Cage. [2]
The mixture of established star and up-and-coming actors worked well to build a significant level of hype for the film, with demands for a release date becoming louder and louder.
While there would be no such announcement until early 1991, the story had been finalised by the end of the year. The film would centre on Wolverine and Jubilee, two outcast mutants who find each other and end up under the protection of the X-Men, resulting in their eventually joining the team. Magneto and his associates would have an interest in Jubilee as a potential weapon to overthrow humanity, bringing them into conflict with the X-Men. [3]
While the relatively diverse main cast worked well for Marvel’s PR, that was not the main reason behind it. It was the opinion of Bigelow and Cameron that as the X-Men had historically been used as an allegory for minorities, it made sense to adapt that to the modern day, and to have the X-Men as paragons of acceptance. [4]
With the story finalised, and the cast ready, 1991 would bring filming and the announcement of the release date. [5]
[1] Just doing one footnote for all of the X-Men castings, as it keeps things more simple. I seriously considered adding Angel, but wasn't sure how well he could have been portrayed at the time, that and didn't have any good ideas. I think all of the casting here comes from your suggestions, so I thank you all very much for those.
[2] More suggestions from all of you. There were a few other characters I wanted to use, but decided to save for future installments. I have the rough plans laid out now for these films.
[3] To be completely honest, I've only started reading comics recently, so I don't know about too many X-Men storylines. I've dedicded to reuse some of the 2000 film's ideas, but reworked to fit the different mutants at play. I have a story worked out now.
[4] I wasn't wuite sure how to word this right, so this may be edited. If it is, so will this footnote.
[5] I'm looking forward to doing more of this in the future. Sorry about the delay, I've had proper writer's block for the first time in the timeline, as I genuinely didn't know what this update was going to be about. I figured it out in the end, but it's taken a bit of time. Sorry for my inconsistent updates. Also, I'll put a little update up after this, won't footnote it, listing the cast for Wolverine and the X-Men, just to make it a little more clear.
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Timelordtoe
Monthly Donor
Cast for Wolverine and the X-Men:
X-Men:
Brotherhood of Evil Mutants:
X-Men:
- Professor X - Pete Postlethwaite
- Wolverine- Bob Hoskins
- Cyclops - Tom Cruise
- Storm - Angela Bassett
- Marvel Girl - Molly Ringwald
- Beast - Laurence Fishburne
- Iceman - Robert Downey Jr.
- Jubilee - Ann Yen
Brotherhood of Evil Mutants:
- Magneto - Max von Sydow
- Mastermind - Brad Dourif
- Mystique - Sharon Stone
- Toad - Nicolas Cage
I not sure how well Bob Hoskins would work as Wolverine. He a good actor but he also 47 in 1989 and physically he less physically fit then how Wolverine is portrayed.
He not a good choice for a character that requires a large amount of action. IMHO.
Timelordtoe
Monthly Donor
In all honesty, I was surprised to find that he was the first choice for the proposed films, which I've used here. In all likelihood, although he's a title character, other characters will be doing most of the action. I've already got a story sort of figured out, and Wolverine is a little different in the film here. Going forward, other characters will take center stage. Hoskins as Wolverine will be looked back on as a casting that was a little strange (and probably one that didn't work too well). My reasoning was that if he was good enough for Marvel at the time (not that they made too many business savvy decisions), I might as well use him.
On a slightly less related note, I'm planning on getting another update out tonight. Season 4 of Star Trek: The Next Generation is coming.
I suspect that Tom Cruise going to demand a lot of the Action center around him.
My younger counterpart in this Universe would have been in line to see this film the day it was released and I was a Bob Hopkin fan back then, so I suspect that I would be looking forward to him as Wolverine.
Chapter XIX: "Standing Tall"
Timelordtoe
Monthly Donor
Part II, Chapter XIX: "Standing Tall"
“Season Three is where the show ‘grew the beard’ but I don’t think we peaked until some point around the fourth or fifth season. That’s when we embraced a lot of things that made The Next Generation really good, and much of what makes shows that followed it so good as well. Although that might just be my wanting to be partly responsible for the franchise’s enduring success.”
- Jonathan Frakes, taken from Where None Had Gone Before. [1]
With its fourth season, Star Trek: The Next Generation was making history for the franchise. Neither The Original Series nor The Animated Series, which was in a dubious state of canonicity at this point, had made it to a fourth season. The success of The Next Generation was making sure that the Star Trek franchise would last for many years into the future.
The fourth season would be the beginning of a marked change for the future of the franchise, the embracing of longer arcs. While arcs had been tried before, most notably with the introduction of the Borg and the Iconians, they had never lasted beyond two or three stories. [2]
Although only the first half of the story had been released, the success of “The Best of Both Worlds” led to the decision to leave this season, and presumably future seasons, on cliffhangers. It was the opinion of the producers that this would help to build hype for the following seasons, and keep the fandom actively talking about the show in the rest between seasons.
But The Next Generation would not only be making history in terms of story, but also in terms of its characters. It was announced shortly before the release of the season that the character of Dr. Amelia Henderson would be revealed to be homosexual, although this fact would rarely be mentioned. Nevertheless, this would be hailed by many LGBT groups as a step in the right direction for representation. [3]
Although homosexual characters had appeared on primetime television before, Star Trek had never features one as a member of the main cast. As with other homosexual characters, the reveal about Dr Henderson would draw fire from more conservative factions, and resulted in a small-scale boycott of the show by those groups.
The fourth season would also mark the first where there were no major cast changes. Although there had been rumours of Patrick Stewart leaving after the third season, he would renew his contract, along with the rest of the cast. As it stood going into the fourth season, all members of the main cast were signed up until a prospective eighth season, though no seasons beyond the fourth had been ordered as of yet.
The opener to the fourth season would be the concluding part of the third season story “The Best of Both Worlds, Part I”. The episode would see Picard liberated from the Borg, and the cube that was en-route to Earth destroyed, albeit at great cost. This episode would set up many plot lines for future seasons, and even other shows, to explore. [4]
In fact, many future plots and ideas would be set up in this season, to be paid off in the future. In particular, the season finale, “Redemption, Part I”, would set up the Klingon Civil War, which would be the overarching story of a prospective fifth season. This episode would also close with the reveal of Sela, a character that was to be played by Denise Crosby, ostensibly the daughter of the alternate timeline Tasha Yar seen in “Yesterday’s Enterprise”. [5]
As September 1990 came around, the cat and crew prepared for the release of Season 4 of Star Trek: The Next Generation. [6]
[1] Much as I love the stories it has, as far as writing this timeline goes, S4 is actually a bit of a "filler season". There's some stuff coming up in S5 and beyond that I really can't wait to do. There's something expecially close to home in Season 5 for me.
[2] They're taking the Doctor Who approach for now, namely, arcs over multiple stories that remain episodicity. I really liked how TNG handled their longer arcs, even if I wish a couple had lasted longer. But hey, I'm in charge of this timeline, I'll take it where I want to.
[3] I'd had this in the back of my mind for a while for Dr Henderson, but wasn't completely sure when I was writing last season. As a result, I kept the reveal for this season. It won't come up much, apart from one episode this season.
[4] Spoiler? To be honest, it's getting really hard to write now without revealing something about my plans for the future. Just a warning, Trek may be a bit OTL for another few years, but changes are coming.
[5] Alright, I'm not really a fan of Sela. She felt a little implausible, with her looking exactly like her mother but Romulan. However, I've liked what they did with her in STO (which may be an umpopular opinion, I'm not sure what your opinions on the sotry of that game are), and she definitely had potential, so I've kept her.
[6] You know the drill for the next two updates now. See you when they are released.
I recommend that if you do the Klingon Civil War as the end of Season four, as in OTL, that the next season, you do not just end things in one hour.
There is enough stories element that could have been turn into full episodes. These include Data as a Ship Captain and Worf dealing with events on the Klingon Home World.
So I always thought that season 6 should have 5 or 6 episodes relating to the Civil War. Not enough to burn people out on the War but enough to tell some good stories and have influence on the characters.
The Christian Slater character should have at least one major story line during the War.
There is enough stories element that could have been turn into full episodes. These include Data as a Ship Captain and Worf dealing with events on the Klingon Home World.
So I always thought that season 6 should have 5 or 6 episodes relating to the Civil War. Not enough to burn people out on the War but enough to tell some good stories and have influence on the characters.
The Christian Slater character should have at least one major story line during the War.
He was Chris Claremont's top choice based off his earlier tough guy roles and Logan not being the most conventionally attractive looking guy in the comics.
Nice TNG update.
Picard's conversion back from the Borg should have left more physical scars - maybe a Borg heart etc (something not needing prosthetics until seen) and the Arc of him dealing with it should have lasted (on TV) more than just one episode imho. Troi should be busy...
More on the rebuilding of Starfleet too. Plus the effect of a near assimilation of the Capital - does Starfleet/Federation diversify away from Earth?
Do they arm up in the face of the Borg threat?
What parts of the Cube survived tech wise?
Effect on Klingon/UFP relations given they lost multiple ships at Wolf 359 - does this play a part in the civil war? Join KDF/Stafleet Defiant class?
Also is it unlikely that all the Enterprise's senior officers stay in place with that hit on Starfleet? Perhaps while Picard is conquering his demons in the French mud, the B story for 2 episodes is Riker fighting to keep his crew together?
What sort of welcome does Picard get when he's back in the fleet? There are going to be plenty like Sisko who hate him...
What effect is TNG having on Paramount- are we seeing their network do better? Can the Vivacom buy over be avoided?
Picard's conversion back from the Borg should have left more physical scars - maybe a Borg heart etc (something not needing prosthetics until seen) and the Arc of him dealing with it should have lasted (on TV) more than just one episode imho. Troi should be busy...
More on the rebuilding of Starfleet too. Plus the effect of a near assimilation of the Capital - does Starfleet/Federation diversify away from Earth?
Do they arm up in the face of the Borg threat?
What parts of the Cube survived tech wise?
Effect on Klingon/UFP relations given they lost multiple ships at Wolf 359 - does this play a part in the civil war? Join KDF/Stafleet Defiant class?
Also is it unlikely that all the Enterprise's senior officers stay in place with that hit on Starfleet? Perhaps while Picard is conquering his demons in the French mud, the B story for 2 episodes is Riker fighting to keep his crew together?
What sort of welcome does Picard get when he's back in the fleet? There are going to be plenty like Sisko who hate him...
What effect is TNG having on Paramount- are we seeing their network do better? Can the Vivacom buy over be avoided?
Crazy Klingon Civil War idea. Riker end up back on the Ship that he briefly commanded in the episode "Matter of Honor" .
He end up taking control and uses the ship, to prevent one side plan to drag the Federation in the Civil War .
Would be a interesting story to see.
He end up taking control and uses the ship, to prevent one side plan to drag the Federation in the Civil War .
Would be a interesting story to see.
Active Federation participation in the Klingon Civil War would be an interesting take on things as well. Esp when the Romulans are revealed by Data's moment of Awesome.
Chapter XX: "Milestones"
Timelordtoe
Monthly Donor
Part II, Chapter XX: "Milestones"
“The release of season four was much more relaxed for me. It had taken a little while to properly settle in to the cast, but by the end of my second season, I had been completely accepted, by both the cast and the fans. While there was the revelation of my character’s sexuality to come, I was at least secure that the fans seemed to like the character.”
- Stephanie Beacham, taken from Where None Had Gone Before.
The fourth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation would continue the success of the third season. Having “found its feet”, the show would not undergo any drastic changes over the previous one, despite speculation that there could be a major change in cast.
The season began with the end of the “Best of Both Worlds” story that had been set up at the end of the third season. The cliffhanger ending of the first part had generated a large amount of discussion in fan circles following its airing. Following on from this, the fourth season was to end with the first part of another two part story, this time focussing on the Klingons.
The fourth season would, like the third season, be met with critical acclaim, with it many calling it the best season so far. Following three seasons of change, the stability seemed to be treating the show well.
List of Episodes of Season 4 of Star Trek: The Next Generation:
- The Best of Both Worlds (Part II)
- Family
- Reconstruction [1]
- Brothers
- The Empath [2]
- Suddenly Human
- The Dreamscape [3]
- Legacy
- Generations [4]
- Data’s Day
- Future Imperfect
- Reunion
- Chronology [5]
- The Wounded
- Clues
- Genius is Pain [6]
- The Nth Degree
- Galaxy’s Child [7]
- After All [8]
- The Drumhead
- Qpid
- The Host [9]
- The Mind’s Eye
- Beyond [10]
- Half a Life
- Redemption (Part I) [11]
Main Cast of Season 4 of Star Trek: The Next Generation:
- Captain Julien Picard – Patrick Stewart
- Commander William Riker – Jonathan Frakes
- Lt. Cmdr. Data – Brent Spiner
- Dr. Amelia Henderson – Stephanie Beacham
- Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge – LeVar Burton
- Counselor (Lt. Cmdr) Deanna Troi – Marina Sirtis
- Lt. Worf – Michael Dorn
- Ensign Andrew Kelly – Christian Slater
- Ensign Leslie Crusher – Carla Gugino
During the release of the fourth season, a fifth would be ordered by Paramount. Shortly after this, production would begin, in part due to the large number of scripts that the show had.
[1] This story focusses on the state of the Federation after the thwarting of the Borg decapitation strike.
[2] Another script that never got produced, it's a Geordi story.
[3] A more Trek-y story than some of the other stories in this season. It would be har to say what it is without just telling the entire story, si I'll leave it for now.
[4] This is a story that focusses on Dr Henderson and Leslie Crusher. Dr Henderson's wife comes aboard as part of a project, and Leslie has to deal with one of her grandparents that doesn't want her in Starfleet.
[5] A backwards episode.
[6] Another undeveloped script. Has a very John Cleese-y character.
[7] Similar to OTL, but Geordi is written less sympathetically.
[8] Another Borg aftermath episode. Focusses on a conference between Starfleet and the KDF, and involves the Romulans.
[9] Similar to OTL, but with the DS9 Trill makeup.
[10] Starfleet are contacted by an alien species from just outside the galaxy, which they cannot meet due to the galactic barrier. There is a plan to try to break through, but as you may guess, it goes awry.
[11] This part is mainly the same, but the arc will take longer.
Timelordtoe
Monthly Donor
Hey all,
My apologies for taking so long to write that last update, especially as it's a smaller one. Life has been a little... interesting as of late. I've spent some of this time figuring out where I want to go with this, as I have some parts planned out, but nothing really set in stone for TNG for a year or so. I'll continue updating this as and when I write the updates, but they will be a little less frequent than before. I also have exams in a week, so there will be a couple weeks with less activity from me. After that though, I'll be a little more free to write more until September.
I hope you continue to follow me, and that you enjoy the updates.
My apologies for taking so long to write that last update, especially as it's a smaller one. Life has been a little... interesting as of late. I've spent some of this time figuring out where I want to go with this, as I have some parts planned out, but nothing really set in stone for TNG for a year or so. I'll continue updating this as and when I write the updates, but they will be a little less frequent than before. I also have exams in a week, so there will be a couple weeks with less activity from me. After that though, I'll be a little more free to write more until September.
I hope you continue to follow me, and that you enjoy the updates.