Well, I did consider Disney making a Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon if Paramount keeps owning Sega ITTL.
WI: The Enterprise completes its five year mission (Star Trek survives for 5 seasons)
Disney didn't make that many popular feature films between about 1975 and the Disney Renaissance starting with the Little Mermaid in 1989. That's why the period from 1989-1999 IRL is called the Disney Renaissance. Disney let go of a lot of their animators in the early 1980s IRL.
Paramount Television Network is doing pretty well but their sci-fi night is now hurting a little bit. ITTL Roddenberry gets Battleground: Earth and Andromeda produced in his lifetime but they last 5 years (BE from 1980 to 1985, Andromeda from 1981 to 1986) and now they need more sci-fi to regain their edge on their competition. Enter TNG.
I'm not that big an anime guy so I'm not sure how anime gets affected ITTL unless Disney produces some, and they're going to stay PG if they do...
If they make a Star Trek animated feature as part of the ten to twelve movie deal (Disney Renaissance could last longer ITTL) then I think it could be similar to the Starfleet Academy pitch that Harve Bennett thought of that was rejected by Paramount IRL. It wouldn't disrupt Trek canon much and the Trek actors can voice themselves.
Dallas stays on Friday night just like OTL, it just switches networks from CBS to Paramount. Part of the deal with Dallas is that Paramount winds down the series by 1987 or 1988 and Dallas gets put on the big screen.
Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon makes a lot of sense either on the Disney Channel or Paramount TV network in the afternoon as the kids come home from school. Nickelodeon is a competitor to Disney but they're also adult oriented as they show more of the Nick at Nite material on weekends.
Doctor Who is still a niche show in the USA ITTL so moving it to one of the earlier primetime slots is risky. Plus, DW has its own problems because the inclusion of an American companion to the Doctor isn't exactly popular with its main audience in the UK. To broadcast DW on TV in the States at this point requires an American main character.
I also have to look at the 1986-1987 Paramount TV schedule earlier in the thread to see where Dallas fits in
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Next update will have some developments on TNG. It'll be a little different ITTL. I don't think I'm changing the main cast much if at all but there will be role changes. I'm thinking of Pulaski as the doc instead of Beverly Crusher, perhaps Geordi as #1 and River Phoenix instead of Wil Wheaton as the teenage prodigy. Other possibilities with TNG season 1 could involve an arc with Patrick Bauchau playing a recurring villain
We're also going to get a Red Storm Rising update, some more stuff on the Middle East peace process, and of course Chernobyl occurs in 1986
We're also going to get a Red Storm Rising update, some more stuff on the Middle East peace process, and of course Chernobyl occurs in 1986
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Disney
Am surprised Paramount cancelled Andromeda without a proper ending or high end replacement.
Gerrold in charge of Alt!TNG will be interesting. No Roddenberry, no lawyer, no Phase II scripts, means Season 1 should be stronger than OTL. I am expecting lots of little changes across the show; from theme music, uniforms, tech, the Lounge Bridge/Hotel Enterprise, use of legacy characters etc.
I am hoping @dsp19 will change the cast due to the Huge amount of butterflies ITTL. It will be unrealistic to get OTL’s cast.
Looking forward to more.
Am surprised Paramount cancelled Andromeda without a proper ending or high end replacement.
Gerrold in charge of Alt!TNG will be interesting. No Roddenberry, no lawyer, no Phase II scripts, means Season 1 should be stronger than OTL. I am expecting lots of little changes across the show; from theme music, uniforms, tech, the Lounge Bridge/Hotel Enterprise, use of legacy characters etc.
I am hoping @dsp19 will change the cast due to the Huge amount of butterflies ITTL. It will be unrealistic to get OTL’s cast.
Looking forward to more.
I am not sure Wesley would be a thing without Roddenberry, it was him that insisted on the character.
The concept of a teen character might work as long as there are other kids his age for Wesley to interact with so we don’t get a teen awkwardly trying to talk to the adults.
Linking Worf to the Klingon worlds in the UFP would be a cool call back to Starfleet Intelligence esp if he is not the first Klingon in Starfleet. Given the time frame it is unlikely there is not any by now.
The Enterprise needs a Chief Engineer from the off.
More alien crew/bridge officers would not go amiss either. TNG was very Human-centric imho. An Andorian should be more than doable with the make up of the time for example.
I would suggest maybe only one Legacy cameo in S1 to allow AltTNG to stand in its own, but no lots of name drops.
Maybe use the Probert curvy Ambassador Class instead of the ‘unbalanced’ OTL Galaxy?
The concept of a teen character might work as long as there are other kids his age for Wesley to interact with so we don’t get a teen awkwardly trying to talk to the adults.
Linking Worf to the Klingon worlds in the UFP would be a cool call back to Starfleet Intelligence esp if he is not the first Klingon in Starfleet. Given the time frame it is unlikely there is not any by now.
The Enterprise needs a Chief Engineer from the off.
More alien crew/bridge officers would not go amiss either. TNG was very Human-centric imho. An Andorian should be more than doable with the make up of the time for example.
I would suggest maybe only one Legacy cameo in S1 to allow AltTNG to stand in its own, but no lots of name drops.
Maybe use the Probert curvy Ambassador Class instead of the ‘unbalanced’ OTL Galaxy?
of course he did - it is his alter ego.
his full name - Eugene Wesley Roddenberry
Ok.
Well, maybe starting from here, there's a sudden anime boom, Paramount could bring some over, as well as various other companies....
Oh yeah, and how's PTS's after school and Saturday morning programming doing? I thin that Bioman(Saban's original pitch before Power Rangers as we know it) should air here. As should the Hasbro and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoons.
What Starfleet Academy pitch?
Nice.......................
Why does Dr. Who need a American character?
Paramount could import something like Gundam Wing I guess somewhere down the line. They'll also be in the mix for those other cartoons mentioned.
After Star Trek V failed IRL, Harve Bennett pitched a Starfleet Academy movie with younger versions of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Paramount rejected the idea, Bennett left the franchise, and Nimoy + Nick Meyer came up with Star Trek VI. Paramount didn't want the original cast to go out with Star Trek V (although that was the original plan if Star Trek V was successful).
Doctor Who ITTL installs an American companion to try and draw audiences in the States
Maybe Jonathan Goldsmith could appear in the this AltTNG since he missed TOS?
www.facttrek.com
Dos Trequis — FACT TREK
Between 2006 and 2016, a popular Dos Equis beer ad campaign featured a debonair, gray-bearded gentleman, identified as “The Most Interesting Man in the World,” who ended each ad with a variation on the slogan — “I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis. Stay thirsty, my friends.
www.facttrek.com
This talk of a Sonic cartoon does have me wondering: what's Mario (and Nintendo as a whole) gotten up to so far? Because without Mario, you can't have Sonic since he was created to directly compete with the portly plumber. Did the video game crash of 1983 still happen? If not, there's potential for Nintendo and Atari to have gone through with a partnership and release the Famicom stateside together. Or you could have Nintendo partner with a certain other company in the 90's... either would have massive effects on the video industry as a whole.
And hey, if Sonic gets a show, why not Mario too? As much as some people might rag on the Super Show, I think it was a damn good adaptation for its time. I mean, they only really had two games to work off of (SMB and SMB2) but they pulled it off. Or there's the Japanese animated movie they did based on SMB1, maybe it could come over to the US? Oh, and then there's the live action movie... it's a good movie, just not a good Mario movie. It had a really troubled development; the final plot was a mix of various different scripts and pitches thrown together. Not sure how you'd really fix that mess.
Chapter 215: April 1986
April 1986 has arrived with some serious consequences. We get some significant pre-TNG news; Red Storm Rising begins production with William Shatner as the lead; public talks begin in Geneva between Israel and Jordan regarding the West Bank, leading to rumors about an Israel-Jordan peace treaty instead of an Israel-Palestinian treaty, and thr Chernobyl disaster occurs the same as OTL. Plus an update on the English First Division (Everton/Liverpool) and the end of Starfleet Intelligence Season 4.
GERROLD ANNOUNCES CASTING CALL FOR "STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION"
April 9, 1986
The new Star Trek showrunner, David Gerrold, immediately got down to business yesterday by announcing a casting call for the next Star Trek series, which will be called "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Sources have already revealed that the series will take place one hundred years after the era of Kirk and Spock, which means the Star Trek universe will expand to the 24th century. However, there is more significant news. Agents for Patrick Stewart, the British first officer in the recently cancelled Andromeda, Patrick Bauchau, the Belgian actor who appeared as Scarpine in the most recent James Bond movie, A View to a Kill, and Yaphet Kotto, who appeared in the Alien franchise, were contacted about becoming captain of the new starship Enterprise. Gerrold is rumored to want a black actor in either the captain's chair or as first officer. Reading Rainbow and Roots star LeVar Burton was also called about a screen-test for the captain's and first-officer's role. Lastly, we know that there will be a prominent teenage character on the Enterprise. Representatives for teenage stars River Phoenix and Will Wheaton were asked to go to the Paramount studios for screen tests. "We are casting our net far and wide for talent," Gerrold said. "We're going to have a few familiar faces and perhaps some new blood in our series. We want to be different from the original Star Trek series with Kirk, Spock and McCoy, and different from Starfleet: Intelligence, despite their success."
PARAMOUNT BEGINS FILMING RED STORM RISING
WILLIAM SHATNER, JAMES EARL JONES, TOM CRUISE AND JOSS ACKLAND PRESENT ON PARAMOUNT LOT
April 17, 1986
Paramount began turning Tom Clancy's number one bestseller, Red Storm Rising, into a feature film today as several stars, including Star Trek's Admiral Kirk, William Shatner, were seen on set at 5555 Melrose Avenue. Rumors out of the Paramount lot indicate that the star power in the movie, which will also include Top Gun star Tom Cruise, Star Wars trilogy's Darth Vader, James Earl Jones, and British star Joss Ackland potentially playing a Russian villain. Cruise would only appear in the movie if he received a salary equivalent to Shatner. The consequence of that means that Paramount is estimated to spend between $75 million and $80 million on Red Storn Rising, which would be the most expensive movie in the history of Hollywood to date. "Paramount is going all in on this movie," a source close to Paramount CEO Michael Eisner said. "They expect a record gate considering the record expenses, and they believe they can sweep the Academy Awards for 1987, when we expect a national release. Paramount wants to beat the Star Trek franchise and Star Wars franchise in revenue with RSR."
ISRAEL, JORDAN NEAR AGREEMENT: PLO CUT OFF FROM NEGOTIATIONS
April 23, 1986
Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres and Jordan's King Hussein met earlier this week in Geneva for face-to-face negotiations over the West Bank. The two longtime rivals surprisingly found a lot of common ground over the status of the West Bank. Reportedly, an agreement is close to completion. Jordan would recognize Israel and renounce its claim to the West Bank in lieu of a joint Israeli-Jordanian administration of the disputed territory. "Israel follows UN resolution 242 by not fully claiming the West Bank as its territory," Hussein told the assembled press. The Jordanian monarch continued, "We had to keep the PLO out of negotiations because Arafat threatened Jordan with violence. Secretary of State Jimmy Carter sent a lukewarm message. "I predict that violence will continue in the West Bank if Israel and Jordan co-administer the territory," Carter said. "There is still distrust between Israel and Jordan over 1967, so we could see a potential shooting war erupt again if one country believes the other country is not holding up its side of the bargain." Peres was sanguine about the development. "The State of Israel still believes that the West Bank is Israeli territory. I am not pleased with the agreement, but I believe that eventually our side and the Jordanians will respect the Israeli citizens currently living there. Peres and Hussein expect to loop in Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak over the status of the Gaza Strip. "Now that King Hussein is cooperating with us, I expect Mubarak to enter the negotiations as well," Peres said. Reaction in Israel was negative. Peres' rival, Yitzhak Shamir, called the agreement "a land giveaway to the Jordanians, who will double-cross us and start a war." Shamir added, "We cannot trust King Hussein yet. He will allow Palestinian violence against our people in the West Bank to continue unchecked."
On April 26, the Chernobyl reactor melted down, just as in OTL. The Soviet Union refused to acknowledge that there was a disaster unfolding within its borders, and refused to evacuate Kiev, a city of over 1.5 million people. May Day celebrations went on as usual in Kiev, despite the evacuations occurring immediately to the north near the Ukrainian SSR's border with Russia and the Belarussian SSR. Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev was forced to acknowledge the disaster when radiation was detected in Scandinavia and West Germany. President Glenn denounced the Soviet Union in a nationwide address, calling Gorbachev "duplicitous" and the USSR "a continuing threat to the free world." Gorbachev responded harshly to Glenn's criticism. "His house is not in order with racial tensions and illegal drugs destroying his cities. How dare he criticize us for not tending to our house when he cannot tend to his house. He is throwing stones from a glass house when the United States is anything but." Tensions rose between the two superpowers for the first time since Gorbachev took power in 1983. The Supreme Soviet, led by Andrei Gromyko, requested a termination of Gorbachev's reforms of glasnost and perestroika. Gorbachev finally agreed in part with the aging Gromyko, but the genie was already out of the bottle...
In England, Everton's pursuit for the treble continued, but cracks were forming in the foundations of the squad. Although Gary Lineker kept on scoring goals, Gary Speed suffered a season-ending knee injury. As a result, Liverpool caught Everton at the top of the First Division. The Reds led their Blue Merseyside rivals with a three-point lead atop table at the end of April. Liverpool faced a trip to Chelsea in the final game of the season, while Everton had two games to play at Goodison Park versus Southampton and West Ham United. Liverpool also maintained a superior goal difference, meaning that a win at Stamford Bridge would end Everton's chance at the treble. Liverpool and Everton also made it to the FA Cup final, to be played on May 10. Unfortunately for the Red side of Merseyside, they could not do anything about Everton's success in the European Cup. Everton easily dispatched Belgian side Anderlecht 5-1 on aggregate, with Lineker scoring a hat-trick in the first leg at Goodison. The Blues were staring at the famous Barcelona in the European Cup final on May 7. Everton would have to win 4 games in 10 days and hope for a Liverpool slip up for the impossible treble...
STARFLEET INTELLIGENCE EPISODES: END OF SEASON 4
EPISODE 94: A FRIENDSHIP LOST. (Airdate: April 8, 1986). Uhura runs into her close friend, Captain Ann Thigpen (played by Lynne Thigpen). They graduated Starfleet Academy in the same class and served on the USS Ticonderoga together before going their separate ways. Thigpen went through the command route, eventually captaining the Ticonderoga. Thigpen tells Uhura that she is now her superior officer in Starfleet Intelligence and is considering promoting Uhura to a desk job. Uhura considers leaving her crew and turning over command to Chekov. However, a disaster occurs which breaks the unit's cover. Chekov, Karlax, Marx and James are conducting negotiations over the status of the Hinterlands with the Klingons when their conference is attacked by the Romulans. James is killed in the attack and Thigpen threatens charges against Chekov for incompetence. Uhura argues that Chekov had no way of knowing what would happen; the Tal Shiar pulled back from the Hinterlands. Thigpen places Chekov in the brig, and Uhura leads a jailbreak to free him. As a result, Thigpen declares Uhura and her team fugitives...
EPISODE 95: RETURN TO THE HINTERLANDS. (Airdate: April 15, 1986). Uhura, Chekov, Karlax and Marx are on the run from the Federation. Karlax contacts a Tal Shiar double agent, Diocletian, who tells him that the Romulans and specific elements in the Federation are planning to cede the territory to the Romulans. Uhura smells a rat and believes that Thigpen is leading the Federation capitulation. Karlax tells Uhura that "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. It's likely that there is an admiral directing Thigpen atop Starfleet Intelligence." As it turns out, Karlax is right, but the conspiracy went even higher than Starfleet Intelligence. Starfleet Commander Marcus was turned by the Tal Shiar; they blackmailed him to turn over the Hinterlands. Karlax fears an intergalactic war with both the Klingons and Romulans, with every side in it for themselves. Uhura ends the episode by saying the famous phrase from 1984: "We have always been at war with Eastasia." Marx asks where the reference is from, and Uhura replies, "an alternate universe on Earth. One that will happen on a galactic scale if we don't stop Marcus."
EPISODE 96: RETURN TO THE HINTERLANDS, PART 2. (Airdate: April 22, 1986). Thigpen travels to the Hinterlands and meets with Tal Shiar agent Subcommander Constantine. Karlax and Diocletian ambush them. Constantine is killed and Thigpen is captured. Uhura places Thigpen in the brig of the USS Saratoga and uses the ship's console to place a computer virus in Starfleet Commander Marcus's communications. Marcus receives the message "You betrayed us." Marcus knows it is Uhura defying him, but he doesn't know that Uhura also sent a message to Admiral Kirk and Captain Spock: "Marcus betrayed us." Kirk and Spock find Marcus and apprehend him. Uhura brings Thigpen under phaser-point to Marcus's office and demands answers. Marcus tells her that "we had to keep the peace. The Romulans will declare war." Kirk then orders a show of Federation force to the Romulan Neutral Zone. The Romulans back down, Marcus is arrested for treason, but the Hinterlands remain disputed as more Tal Shiar agents flood the region...
PS: I had to create a different Starfleet Commander because I'd be breaking canon with Morrow
GERROLD ANNOUNCES CASTING CALL FOR "STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION"
April 9, 1986
The new Star Trek showrunner, David Gerrold, immediately got down to business yesterday by announcing a casting call for the next Star Trek series, which will be called "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Sources have already revealed that the series will take place one hundred years after the era of Kirk and Spock, which means the Star Trek universe will expand to the 24th century. However, there is more significant news. Agents for Patrick Stewart, the British first officer in the recently cancelled Andromeda, Patrick Bauchau, the Belgian actor who appeared as Scarpine in the most recent James Bond movie, A View to a Kill, and Yaphet Kotto, who appeared in the Alien franchise, were contacted about becoming captain of the new starship Enterprise. Gerrold is rumored to want a black actor in either the captain's chair or as first officer. Reading Rainbow and Roots star LeVar Burton was also called about a screen-test for the captain's and first-officer's role. Lastly, we know that there will be a prominent teenage character on the Enterprise. Representatives for teenage stars River Phoenix and Will Wheaton were asked to go to the Paramount studios for screen tests. "We are casting our net far and wide for talent," Gerrold said. "We're going to have a few familiar faces and perhaps some new blood in our series. We want to be different from the original Star Trek series with Kirk, Spock and McCoy, and different from Starfleet: Intelligence, despite their success."
PARAMOUNT BEGINS FILMING RED STORM RISING
WILLIAM SHATNER, JAMES EARL JONES, TOM CRUISE AND JOSS ACKLAND PRESENT ON PARAMOUNT LOT
April 17, 1986
Paramount began turning Tom Clancy's number one bestseller, Red Storm Rising, into a feature film today as several stars, including Star Trek's Admiral Kirk, William Shatner, were seen on set at 5555 Melrose Avenue. Rumors out of the Paramount lot indicate that the star power in the movie, which will also include Top Gun star Tom Cruise, Star Wars trilogy's Darth Vader, James Earl Jones, and British star Joss Ackland potentially playing a Russian villain. Cruise would only appear in the movie if he received a salary equivalent to Shatner. The consequence of that means that Paramount is estimated to spend between $75 million and $80 million on Red Storn Rising, which would be the most expensive movie in the history of Hollywood to date. "Paramount is going all in on this movie," a source close to Paramount CEO Michael Eisner said. "They expect a record gate considering the record expenses, and they believe they can sweep the Academy Awards for 1987, when we expect a national release. Paramount wants to beat the Star Trek franchise and Star Wars franchise in revenue with RSR."
ISRAEL, JORDAN NEAR AGREEMENT: PLO CUT OFF FROM NEGOTIATIONS
April 23, 1986
Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres and Jordan's King Hussein met earlier this week in Geneva for face-to-face negotiations over the West Bank. The two longtime rivals surprisingly found a lot of common ground over the status of the West Bank. Reportedly, an agreement is close to completion. Jordan would recognize Israel and renounce its claim to the West Bank in lieu of a joint Israeli-Jordanian administration of the disputed territory. "Israel follows UN resolution 242 by not fully claiming the West Bank as its territory," Hussein told the assembled press. The Jordanian monarch continued, "We had to keep the PLO out of negotiations because Arafat threatened Jordan with violence. Secretary of State Jimmy Carter sent a lukewarm message. "I predict that violence will continue in the West Bank if Israel and Jordan co-administer the territory," Carter said. "There is still distrust between Israel and Jordan over 1967, so we could see a potential shooting war erupt again if one country believes the other country is not holding up its side of the bargain." Peres was sanguine about the development. "The State of Israel still believes that the West Bank is Israeli territory. I am not pleased with the agreement, but I believe that eventually our side and the Jordanians will respect the Israeli citizens currently living there. Peres and Hussein expect to loop in Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak over the status of the Gaza Strip. "Now that King Hussein is cooperating with us, I expect Mubarak to enter the negotiations as well," Peres said. Reaction in Israel was negative. Peres' rival, Yitzhak Shamir, called the agreement "a land giveaway to the Jordanians, who will double-cross us and start a war." Shamir added, "We cannot trust King Hussein yet. He will allow Palestinian violence against our people in the West Bank to continue unchecked."
On April 26, the Chernobyl reactor melted down, just as in OTL. The Soviet Union refused to acknowledge that there was a disaster unfolding within its borders, and refused to evacuate Kiev, a city of over 1.5 million people. May Day celebrations went on as usual in Kiev, despite the evacuations occurring immediately to the north near the Ukrainian SSR's border with Russia and the Belarussian SSR. Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev was forced to acknowledge the disaster when radiation was detected in Scandinavia and West Germany. President Glenn denounced the Soviet Union in a nationwide address, calling Gorbachev "duplicitous" and the USSR "a continuing threat to the free world." Gorbachev responded harshly to Glenn's criticism. "His house is not in order with racial tensions and illegal drugs destroying his cities. How dare he criticize us for not tending to our house when he cannot tend to his house. He is throwing stones from a glass house when the United States is anything but." Tensions rose between the two superpowers for the first time since Gorbachev took power in 1983. The Supreme Soviet, led by Andrei Gromyko, requested a termination of Gorbachev's reforms of glasnost and perestroika. Gorbachev finally agreed in part with the aging Gromyko, but the genie was already out of the bottle...
In England, Everton's pursuit for the treble continued, but cracks were forming in the foundations of the squad. Although Gary Lineker kept on scoring goals, Gary Speed suffered a season-ending knee injury. As a result, Liverpool caught Everton at the top of the First Division. The Reds led their Blue Merseyside rivals with a three-point lead atop table at the end of April. Liverpool faced a trip to Chelsea in the final game of the season, while Everton had two games to play at Goodison Park versus Southampton and West Ham United. Liverpool also maintained a superior goal difference, meaning that a win at Stamford Bridge would end Everton's chance at the treble. Liverpool and Everton also made it to the FA Cup final, to be played on May 10. Unfortunately for the Red side of Merseyside, they could not do anything about Everton's success in the European Cup. Everton easily dispatched Belgian side Anderlecht 5-1 on aggregate, with Lineker scoring a hat-trick in the first leg at Goodison. The Blues were staring at the famous Barcelona in the European Cup final on May 7. Everton would have to win 4 games in 10 days and hope for a Liverpool slip up for the impossible treble...
STARFLEET INTELLIGENCE EPISODES: END OF SEASON 4
EPISODE 94: A FRIENDSHIP LOST. (Airdate: April 8, 1986). Uhura runs into her close friend, Captain Ann Thigpen (played by Lynne Thigpen). They graduated Starfleet Academy in the same class and served on the USS Ticonderoga together before going their separate ways. Thigpen went through the command route, eventually captaining the Ticonderoga. Thigpen tells Uhura that she is now her superior officer in Starfleet Intelligence and is considering promoting Uhura to a desk job. Uhura considers leaving her crew and turning over command to Chekov. However, a disaster occurs which breaks the unit's cover. Chekov, Karlax, Marx and James are conducting negotiations over the status of the Hinterlands with the Klingons when their conference is attacked by the Romulans. James is killed in the attack and Thigpen threatens charges against Chekov for incompetence. Uhura argues that Chekov had no way of knowing what would happen; the Tal Shiar pulled back from the Hinterlands. Thigpen places Chekov in the brig, and Uhura leads a jailbreak to free him. As a result, Thigpen declares Uhura and her team fugitives...
EPISODE 95: RETURN TO THE HINTERLANDS. (Airdate: April 15, 1986). Uhura, Chekov, Karlax and Marx are on the run from the Federation. Karlax contacts a Tal Shiar double agent, Diocletian, who tells him that the Romulans and specific elements in the Federation are planning to cede the territory to the Romulans. Uhura smells a rat and believes that Thigpen is leading the Federation capitulation. Karlax tells Uhura that "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. It's likely that there is an admiral directing Thigpen atop Starfleet Intelligence." As it turns out, Karlax is right, but the conspiracy went even higher than Starfleet Intelligence. Starfleet Commander Marcus was turned by the Tal Shiar; they blackmailed him to turn over the Hinterlands. Karlax fears an intergalactic war with both the Klingons and Romulans, with every side in it for themselves. Uhura ends the episode by saying the famous phrase from 1984: "We have always been at war with Eastasia." Marx asks where the reference is from, and Uhura replies, "an alternate universe on Earth. One that will happen on a galactic scale if we don't stop Marcus."
EPISODE 96: RETURN TO THE HINTERLANDS, PART 2. (Airdate: April 22, 1986). Thigpen travels to the Hinterlands and meets with Tal Shiar agent Subcommander Constantine. Karlax and Diocletian ambush them. Constantine is killed and Thigpen is captured. Uhura places Thigpen in the brig of the USS Saratoga and uses the ship's console to place a computer virus in Starfleet Commander Marcus's communications. Marcus receives the message "You betrayed us." Marcus knows it is Uhura defying him, but he doesn't know that Uhura also sent a message to Admiral Kirk and Captain Spock: "Marcus betrayed us." Kirk and Spock find Marcus and apprehend him. Uhura brings Thigpen under phaser-point to Marcus's office and demands answers. Marcus tells her that "we had to keep the peace. The Romulans will declare war." Kirk then orders a show of Federation force to the Romulan Neutral Zone. The Romulans back down, Marcus is arrested for treason, but the Hinterlands remain disputed as more Tal Shiar agents flood the region...
PS: I had to create a different Starfleet Commander because I'd be breaking canon with Morrow
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"Sources have already revealed that the series will take place one hundred years after the era of Kirk and Spock, which means the Star Trek universe will expand to the 24th century." - must admit I thought this was kept under wraps during production OTL, but that might be lack of news reaching the UK back then pre-internet.
"Lastly, we know that there will be a prominent teenage character on the Enterprise." - I am hoping more than one so AltWesley has someone else to bounce off instead of being the awkward teen around the adults, genius or not that was uncomfortable at times.
"We want to be different from the original Star Trek series with Kirk, Spock and McCoy, and different from Starfleet: Intelligence, despite their success." - well you will certainly will be different from OTL considering the Trek team have lots of experience of writing Trek on TV ITTL compared to OTL where they were coming in after a really long time gap.
"Paramount is estimated to spend between $75 million and $80 million on Red Storn Rising," - that be a lot of money for the time. Hope it does not bomb!
"Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres and Jordan's King Hussein met" - its a deal, but no one seems particularly happy with it.
"The Soviet Union refused to acknowledge that there was a disaster unfolding within its borders, " - what nuclear meltdown is that Comrade?
"Gorbachev finally agreed in part with the aging Gromyko, but the genie was already out of the bottle..." - the USSR is still likely to fall, but a much softer landing than OTL is posible I am sure.
"Chekov, Karlax, Marx and James are conducting negotiations over the status of the Hinterlands " - interesting there is no diplomatic presence there. Wonder what they where negotiating for exactly?
"when their conference is attacked by the Romulans." - and why would the Romulans do that I wonder? What do they fear?
"the Romulans and specific elements in the Federation are planning to cede the territory to the Romulans." - Karlax is not the only one smelling a rat here.
"Starfleet Commander Marcus was turned by the Tal Shiar; "- another corrupted Starfleet leader. Must be Tuesday....
"Kirk and Spock find Marcus and apprehend him. " - nice guest stars there, esp for Shatner with his new movie due.
Nice update there @dsp19
"Lastly, we know that there will be a prominent teenage character on the Enterprise." - I am hoping more than one so AltWesley has someone else to bounce off instead of being the awkward teen around the adults, genius or not that was uncomfortable at times.
"We want to be different from the original Star Trek series with Kirk, Spock and McCoy, and different from Starfleet: Intelligence, despite their success." - well you will certainly will be different from OTL considering the Trek team have lots of experience of writing Trek on TV ITTL compared to OTL where they were coming in after a really long time gap.
"Paramount is estimated to spend between $75 million and $80 million on Red Storn Rising," - that be a lot of money for the time. Hope it does not bomb!
"Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres and Jordan's King Hussein met" - its a deal, but no one seems particularly happy with it.
"The Soviet Union refused to acknowledge that there was a disaster unfolding within its borders, " - what nuclear meltdown is that Comrade?
"Gorbachev finally agreed in part with the aging Gromyko, but the genie was already out of the bottle..." - the USSR is still likely to fall, but a much softer landing than OTL is posible I am sure.
"Chekov, Karlax, Marx and James are conducting negotiations over the status of the Hinterlands " - interesting there is no diplomatic presence there. Wonder what they where negotiating for exactly?
"when their conference is attacked by the Romulans." - and why would the Romulans do that I wonder? What do they fear?
"the Romulans and specific elements in the Federation are planning to cede the territory to the Romulans." - Karlax is not the only one smelling a rat here.
"Starfleet Commander Marcus was turned by the Tal Shiar; "- another corrupted Starfleet leader. Must be Tuesday....
"Kirk and Spock find Marcus and apprehend him. " - nice guest stars there, esp for Shatner with his new movie due.
Nice update there @dsp19
The fact it was "the next generation" was known pretty much from the announcement OTl, although exactly when it was set wasn't really nailed down until The end of S1 (although that's more about ToS not being nailed to anything beyond a vague "23rd century" until then).
With Roddenberry out of the picture hopefully Wes will work out better. Jake, Nog and Naomi and the Prodigy team proved Trek can have kid main characters and make them work, it's just Wesley was...Wesley.
With Roddenberry out of the picture hopefully Wes will work out better. Jake, Nog and Naomi and the Prodigy team proved Trek can have kid main characters and make them work, it's just Wesley was...Wesley.
We might flip-flop Wil Wheaton and River Phoenix...Wil becomes the big movie star and River Phoenix avoids his early demise by being in a lower-key role
"Sources have already revealed that the series will take place one hundred years after the era of Kirk and Spock, which means the Star Trek universe will expand to the 24th century." - must admit I thought this was kept under wraps during production OTL, but that might be lack of news reaching the UK back then pre-internet.
"Lastly, we know that there will be a prominent teenage character on the Enterprise." - I am hoping more than one so AltWesley has someone else to bounce off instead of being the awkward teen around the adults, genius or not that was uncomfortable at times.
"We want to be different from the original Star Trek series with Kirk, Spock and McCoy, and different from Starfleet: Intelligence, despite their success." - well you will certainly will be different from OTL considering the Trek team have lots of experience of writing Trek on TV ITTL compared to OTL where they were coming in after a really long time gap.
"Paramount is estimated to spend between $75 million and $80 million on Red Storn Rising," - that be a lot of money for the time. Hope it does not bomb!
"Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres and Jordan's King Hussein met" - its a deal, but no one seems particularly happy with it.
"The Soviet Union refused to acknowledge that there was a disaster unfolding within its borders, " - what nuclear meltdown is that Comrade?
"Gorbachev finally agreed in part with the aging Gromyko, but the genie was already out of the bottle..." - the USSR is still likely to fall, but a much softer landing than OTL is posible I am sure.
"Chekov, Karlax, Marx and James are conducting negotiations over the status of the Hinterlands " - interesting there is no diplomatic presence there. Wonder what they where negotiating for exactly?
"when their conference is attacked by the Romulans." - and why would the Romulans do that I wonder? What do they fear?
"the Romulans and specific elements in the Federation are planning to cede the territory to the Romulans." - Karlax is not the only one smelling a rat here.
"Starfleet Commander Marcus was turned by the Tal Shiar; "- another corrupted Starfleet leader. Must be Tuesday....
"Kirk and Spock find Marcus and apprehend him. " - nice guest stars there, esp for Shatner with his new movie due.
Nice update there @dsp19
--I'm planning on this TNG to have less Wesley (or whatever his name will be) but make his role more prominent when he's there. Wesley/teen Trek character will appear more as a guest star like Guinan than as a regular, especially if I put River there because River will still want to do movies.
--ITTL there's far more experience writing Trek on TV but TNG isn't going to be anything like Starfleet: Intelligence. It'll have its trippy sci-fi moments just like OTL. It won't be Roddenberry's TNG but we'll still have Q and we'll introduce a new villain played by Patrick Bauchau (if I plan it a certain way)...or Q could be Bauchau instead of John de Lancie...
--US/USSR tensions are going to escalate ITTL after Chernobyl so Red Storm Rising will be a hit. President Glenn basically accused the USSR of extreme negligence and denounced them in front of the whole world.
--The peace deal Israel and Jordan come up will certainly cause an Intifada, but against both Israel and Jordan because they're co-administering the West Bank, or at least that is the plan. Butterflies will affect SoS Carter and perhaps President Glenn...
--Gorbachev is going to torpedo perestroika at least in the short term because Glenn is taking a different tack than Reagan did OTL. This is going to cause unrest in the USSR and a certain Boris Yeltsin might be in big trouble here.
--Think of the Hinterlands as TTL's version of Nimbus III, but an entire sector instead of just a planet/
--Romulans actually fear the Klingons here more than the Federation when it comes to the Hinterlands. They were trying a run-around on the Klingons by cutting a surreptitious deal with the UFP. The Federation doesn't want the Klingons there either, or at least Starfleet Commander Marcus didn't in the storyline
could even be a female character. Wednesday Crusher
(played by Christina Ricci)
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