Captain Reg Barclay!
Too nervous to make a decision. Perfect for high-anxiety command situations.
That would be scary!
OK, I have another entry in my twisted TNG universe. One big change: instead of the Federation and Klingons being allies, they're allied with the Romulans and the Klingons remain their chief adversaries, as some fans wanted it. As a result, the old treaty prohibiting the use of cloaking devices has been scrapped, so this
Enterprise has a cloak! Also, the alliance with the Romulans is relatively new, only 20 years old, so we see Romulans serving on Federation ships, and vice versa, in a new officers exchange program.
With that in mind, here we go again:
Captain Kyle Riker, Commanding Officer. In this reality, Kyle Riker joined Starfleet Academy instead of becoming a civilian tactical expert. This decision helped alter the course of his family’s life -- on a mission earlier in his career, he commanded an away team that uncovered lost medical technology from a long-dead civilization. The knowledge he and his team unearth helps doctors find a cure for his ailing wife, Betty. As a result, he and his son, Will Riker, had a less strained relationship, to the point that he helps his son plan for and accept his first command, the starship
Aries, based on Kyle’s gentle persuasion. He is also a contemporary and rival of Jean-Luc Picard, beating him out for command of the
Enterprise, while Picard gets command of the Galaxy-class ship, the
Odyssey, which is destroyed years later by a Jem’Hadar fighter. Also, as a result of his happier personality, Riker serves as an early mentor to Data, his first officer.
Commander Data, First Officer. Data falls under the wing of the garrulous Kyle Riker, who challenges Data to be more human. As Riker mentored Data earlier than his previous commanders, he exceeds his original programming and desires to emulate his “professor of the humanities” with greater success than the Data we know. As a result, Riker gave him the choice of being either second or first officer, and with some gentle cajoling, Data takes the bridge command test and makes full commander and first officer. One other quirk of this Data is he is fond of bad puns.
Lt. Cmdr. Kathryn Janeway, Operations Officer & Second Officer. As a rapidly rising star in the sciences, Janeway decided it was time for a challenge, and put in for a transfer to operations. On the recommendation of Owen Paris, Kyle Riker accepts the shrewd Janeway as his operations manager. He sees captain potential in her, as well.
Dr. Kathryn Pulaski, Chief Medical Officer. As an old friend of both Kyle and Betty, Pulaski asks for the chance to serve on one of the most advanced sick bays in Starfleet. A prickly curmudgeon, she most often argues with Commander Data and Lt. Cmdr. Janeway on matters of starship operations.
Lt. Cmdr. T’Rul, Chief Engineering Officer. An expert in warp-field mechanics and cloaking device physics, T’Rul is also the first Romulan to attend Starfleet Academy. A bit prickly and not one to make friends easily, she nevertheless forms a close friendship with Tuvok, as his Vulcan equanimity is a balm to her quick temper and fierce pride. She also has an irrational hatred of Klingons, who she blames for a sneak attack on a Romulan outpost that killed her parents, and also led to the rapprochement with the Federation.
Lt. Tasha Yar, Ship’s Counselor. As a survivor of a failed Federation colony, Yar was impressed with the Federation counselor who helped her integrate back into normal society. Although originally training for the security track, she decides instead to become a Starfleet ship’s counselor, with the additional training as a first contact expert. Her intuition and caution serve Kyle Riker well.
Lt. Tuvok, Chief Security Officer. Similar to his background in VOY and as a friend of Janeway, he decides to apply for the post of security chief on Enterprise. He is considered an expert in Klingon combat tactics, a skill which makes him ideal for the post as
Enterprise deals with an increasingly aggressive and resurgent Klingon Empire.
Lt. Chakotay, Helm Officer. Later, Chakotay will join the Maquis, but at this point, he’s an idealistic young Starfleet officer, intent on impressing his new, highly regarded captain.
Betty Riker, The Captain’s Wife and liaison to the civilian population of Enterprise. Betty is the stabilizing influence in Kyle Riker’s life, and it’s why despite his hard-edged style of command, he has some soft edges. She is also the voice of the civilian contingent on the ship, something Kyle isn’t used to dealing with as a career Starfleet officer. It causes some friction but they are often good-natured about these conflicts.
Captain Worf, Commanding Officer, IKV Kahless. Like they originally wanted to do with TOS and did with DSN, Worf would be a recurring adversary for Captain Kyle Riker. From an influential family in the Klingon Empire, Captain Worf is in command of the Klingon Imperial Flagship, the
Kahless. He and Captain Riker butt heads often as they’re assigned to similar patrol corridors.
Since Picard gets command of another ship, he requests Troi, Dr. Crusher, and LaForge to serve on his ship, the
Odyssey. He originally wanted Riker as his x.o., but has to settle on another officer because Riker takes command of the
Aries.
Red Ranger
) It might also be interesting to have her husband/Geordi's father, Edward, aboard in a support role. We've never had a married Captain, let alone one who commands her husband! 
