Since it premiered, Star Trek has always been an ensemble show. The interaction between crew members is a huge part of what makes the show work, and it’s not surprising that every single entry in the franchise has followed the same formula. But change is eternal, and tonight’s Picard premiere will feature the Next Generation captain as he moves into a new phase of his life. Early reports are very solid, so maybe this will be the first of many Star Trek series that focus deep on a single character. If it happens, these are our picks.
Jake Sisko
You’re going to see a fair amount of Deep Space Nine on this list, as it also diverged from the formula to go to some very interesting places. Let’s lead off with a dynastic choice that could be a totally new direction for Trek. Unlike his father Benjamin, Jake wasn’t interested in pursuing a Starfleet career. Instead, the young man pursued a career in journalism. We’ve never been too sure how the media industry works in the Federation, but a lead character who is a reporter opens up so many different storyline possibilities, especially when he has family connections to the government but might have to write things that aren’t in its best interest.
Harry Kim
While most of these picks are on here for the weird directions they could be taken, Voyager’s Harry Kim is just a straight up sympathy pick. For the entire duration of that show, Harry was the guy who held things together and kept his cool amidst all the shenanigans. Although we at one point see an alternate future where Harry gets captaincy of his own ship, there’s still a lot to be written in his life. One thing that might be fascinating is exploring how he transitions back to life outside of their seven-year exile in the Delta Quadrant. A big part of the show was the de facto family formed on the ship, so an unmoored Harry building his life without them would be compelling television.
Tasha Yar
The chief of security on the USS Enterprise-D was only part of the show for a single full season (followed by a pair of guest appearances), but that’s because actress Denise Crosby didn’t feel like she was getting any real character development – a criticism that makes a lot of sense, as it took a little while for Next Generation to find its footing. Since she did get eaten by a sentient tar pit named Armus, this would have to be a prequel series that delved into her life before the Enterprise, orphaned on Turkana V and forced to take care of her younger sister after the government collapsed. It’s a solid backstory that could really flesh out a character who didn’t get it at the time.
Harry Mudd
First introduced in the TOS episode “Mudd’s Women,” intergalactic con artist Harry Mudd became one of the most popular supporting characters of the first Trek show, at one point even being considered to helm his own spin-off series in the 1960s. Rainn Wilson portrayed a younger version of Mudd on Discovery, but we think the character still has a lot of stories left to tell. Mudd is the rare figure of a character motivated entirely by self-interest in the collectivist Federation future, and it’s fun to see how rogues and crooks try to operate in the shadow of a massive intergalactic government.
Reginald Barclay
The world of Star Trek is one of efficient, confident professionalism, which is why engineer Barclay is so beloved by fans – he literally possesses none of those characteristics. While extremely intelligent, Barclay is tremendously socially awkward and nervous, once building a Holodeck replica of the bridge just so he could live in a world where people respected him. Over time, his self-esteem grew and he managed to save the ship (and the Voyager) on numerous occasions. His addiction to the Holodeck is one of the most interesting personality traits we’ve seen in the franchise and could make a really compelling emotional hook to build a series around.
Dax
While Trek certainly got a reputation for alien races that were just humans painted a different color and given head prosthetics, they started to make things more interesting as the franchise advanced. Deep Space Nine gave us one of the most interesting examples with Jazdia Dax, a woman bonded with a symbiotic creature known as a Trill. Those creatures carry memories and skills from one host to another in a mutually beneficial relationship. Jazdia died in the sixth season and the Dax symbiote was implanted into another person. Trill are extremely long-lived so we could pick up at just about any point in the creature’s history.
Doctor M’Benga
We’re going to dig into the lore for this one, but it’s a cool idea. A medical officer has been a key part of the Trek dynamic since the original series, but one character that only popped up twice was once considered to helm his own show. Dr. Joseph M’Benga stepped into the chief medical officer role when McCoy was absent, and the Uganda-born doctor had a fascinating backstory – he trained on Vulcan, giving him insight into Spock’s physiology. In the 60s, Gene Roddenberry came up with a spin-off idea that would have featured him on a dedicated Federation medical ship. It’d be cool to really dig into the world of future medicine, and he’s a cool character that could anchor the concept.
Wesley Crusher
We can see you getting ready to throw your laptop across the room, but bear with us here, this could be cool. For much of The Next Generation, Wesley Crusher was an obnoxious attempt at a Mary Sue point-of-view character that fans hated and was relegated to a supporting role, but it was his final fate that was interesting: leaving Starfleet to accompany the mysterious alien known as the Traveler as he traversed space and time. Here’s the pitch: a grizzled, older Wesley, traumatized by what he’s seen as he was dragged across the multiverse, sets out to kill the Travelers to prevent them ever taking another child. Make him walk the line of being a villain, because that’s how you make Wesley interesting.
Phlox
While most of these picks lend themselves to modern prestige sci-fi dramas and the like, we also have a soft spot for comedy. As a Denobulan, the Enterprise‘s medical officer Phlox is part of a polycule of three wives, each of whom also have two other husbands. We never got to see too much of his home life on Star Trek: Enterprise, meeting only one of his wives on-screen. But think about a show that’s like Big Love in space, as the oddball doctor has to manage his familial responsibilities across multiple families while also doing his job as chief medical officer. Sure, it’s a new take on the franchise but isn’t that what we’re here for?
Khan Noonien Singh
Let’s face it: TV watchers are into bad people right now. Some of the most popular shows of the last few decades have centered around villains, from The Sopranos to Breaking Bad. So why not give the single most iconic nemesis of the entire Trek franchise his own series? Khan is a genetically enhanced human who managed to conquer nearly a quarter of the Earth during the Eugenics Wars but was deposed. He managed to escape death in suspended animation before being awakened to bedevil humanity once more. Our idea? Khan is not alone. The program that made him continued to operate in secret, and a new generation of conquerors threatens to interfere with his grand plans.
Worf
Kind of a duh moment here, but one of the most long-lived Trek characters is an obvious pick for his own series. Worf was the lever that turned the Klingons from vaguely racist space savages into a rich and complex culture. Michael Dorn has been trying to get a show going for a while, which would move us completely outside the Federation and deal with the internecine politics and feuds in the Klingon empire. With Game of Thrones off the air, the market needs a violent show of power struggles and bladed weapon battles, and this would certainly deliver the goods.
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