Picard or Destiny?

[Captain Dax]

Enterprise and Titan team up to deal the final blow to the Borg.

Picard faces his own destiny and confronts the Queen one last time and comes to terms with becoming a father.

The Federation president issues a warning that Borg are attacking Earth.

The Borg are ultimately defeated through an act of love.

Scores are killed and a "new day" is dawned across the Federation.

Did Matalas read the Destiny Trilogy?

 

[David Mack]

He probably didn't. But Kirsten Beyer and I pitched the DESTINY trilogy as miniseries during a story meeting with Secret Hideout back in December 2018. We worked on it for a while, did some episode breakdowns and discussed adaptation, but it was eventually dropped in favor of PICARD.

 

[F. King Daniel]

He probably didn't. But Kirsten Beyer and I pitched the DESTINY trilogy as miniseries during a story meeting with Secret Hideout back in December 2018. We worked on it for a while, did some episode breakdowns and discussed adaptation, but it was eventually dropped in favor of PICARD.

Wow, that's fascinating to know.

 

[Avro Arrow]

He probably didn't. But Kirsten Beyer and I pitched the DESTINY trilogy as miniseries during a story meeting with Secret Hideout back in December 2018. We worked on it for a while, did some episode breakdowns and discussed adaptation, but it was eventually dropped in favor of PICARD.

Note to self: when multiverse travel gets invented for real, make sure to visit the universe where this was actually produced.

 

[Enterprise1701]

He probably didn't. But Kirsten Beyer and I pitched the DESTINY trilogy as miniseries during a story meeting with Secret Hideout back in December 2018. We worked on it for a while, did some episode breakdowns and discussed adaptation, but it was eventually dropped in favor of PICARD.

Whoa!!!!!

 

[Tosk]

He probably didn't. But Kirsten Beyer and I pitched the DESTINY trilogy as miniseries during a story meeting with Secret Hideout back in December 2018. We worked on it for a while, did some episode breakdowns and discussed adaptation, but it was eventually dropped in favor of PICARD.

Dang. Is it too late to go back and swap?

 

[Mage]

As much as I really enjoyed Picard......

FFS we could have had something glorious.....

 

[David cgc]

He probably didn't. But Kirsten Beyer and I pitched the DESTINY trilogy as miniseries during a story meeting with Secret Hideout back in December 2018. We worked on it for a while, did some episode breakdowns and discussed adaptation, but it was eventually dropped in favor of PICARD.

Well, that explains those trademark registrations and convention-gossip about Nicole de Boer maybe showing up in something.

 

[ED-209]

So they gave us the piece of shit that was Picard when we could've had the Destiny trilogy in TV form??

FML, proof that paramount doesn't have a clue what fans want.

 

[The Wormhole]

proof that paramount doesn't have a clue what fans want.

They were likely looking at what would have the greater mass appeal for general audiences rather than catering to the Fans. And it's hard to argue the series that brings Patrick Stewart back to the Trek franchise would generate more buzz outside the fandom than an adaptation of a novel trilogy from a decade earlier.

And make no mistake, had they gone ahead with the Destiny adaptation there would have been some significant changes from the novels. This would not have been the "canonizing the Litverse" move that I suspect many are thinking it would have been. For an example of what probably would have been, look to Star Wars and notice all the differences present in the upcoming Ahsoka TV series compared to the original Thrawn trilogy it's adapting.

 

[TheUsualSuspect]

As much as I loved the Destiny trilogy, if I had my choice of how to redo Picard, I'd go in a different direction.

I really liked the basic set-up of Picard, and thought an exploration of what happens to a utopian society like the Federation when it is confronted with an almost overwhelming challenge such as the Romulan supernova could be fascinating and insightful. The actual storylines left something to be desired, and the second-season definitely went off the rails, but I found the initial conditions interesting and worth exploration.

I also really liked The Last Best Hope, and wouldn't mind seeing much of that history incorporated in some way. But I'd definitely ditch the whole secret society of Soong-type androids storyline and probably the Romulan secret anti-AI society as well. I really like Brent Spiner's acting, but how many Soong/Data characters do we really need to see him play?

A couple things I would keep would be the Romulan warrior nun society and Elnor. I really like that aspect, and feel like it enriched our understanding of Romulans. I have no idea exactly what the story would be, but there are quite a few aspects of the initial set-up of Picard that I think would be well worth exploring.

 

[Christopher]

They were likely looking at what would have the greater mass appeal for general audiences rather than catering to the Fans.

No doubt. But they were probably also considering budget. It's far easier to do a mega-crossover like Destiny in the novels, where you don't have to worry about the salaries and schedules of actors from three or four different series, or about the cost of building multiple different starship sets and exotic alien locations.

And make no mistake, had they gone ahead with the Destiny adaptation there would have been some significant changes from the novels. This would not have been the "canonizing the Litverse" move that I suspect many are thinking it would have been.

Yes, almost certainly. It would've taken the broad strokes and reinvented them in a radically different (and far more affordable) way. The novels would've just been the starting point for creating something new.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

So they gave us the piece of shit that was Picard when we could've had the Destiny trilogy in TV form??

Don't mince words, "ED-209" what do you really think?

Personally, except for the major (and I still say it was entirely gratuitous) eye-scream in "Stardust City Rag," I rather liked Picard, at least the two seasons for which I have DVD sets. It's no SNW, no TOS, no TNG, no LD, but I'd certainly put it up there with DS9, VOY, and DSC.

 

[Danlav05]

He probably didn't. But Kirsten Beyer and I pitched the DESTINY trilogy as miniseries during a story meeting with Secret Hideout back in December 2018. We worked on it for a while, did some episode breakdowns and discussed adaptation, but it was eventually dropped in favor of PICARD.

oh my GOD wow. I'd love to read some of the documents please?

Maybe write it into a website article? I have a tiny blogspace but one of the Trek* ones would get 10000x more traffic

 

[David Mack]

oh my GOD wow. I'd love to read some of the documents please?

Maybe write it into a website article? I have a tiny blogspace but one of the Trek* ones would get 10000x more traffic

There's nothing to read, really. It was just a verbal pitch in a room, and we were asked to see if we could fit it into ten episodes or, under crunch, eight episodes. Kirsten and I discussed some changes to facilitate adaptation, but all we ever put on paper were some simplified beat sheets that wouldn't mean much to an average reader.

Ultimately, it wasn't chosen for development, and it never got past the "is it feasible?" stage. I took a shot by pitching it, and I had high hopes for a few weeks, but ultimately it became clear that, for a variety of reasons (some of which are still under seal), it wasn't going to happen.

 

[Christopher]

There's nothing to read, really. It was just a verbal pitch in a room

Makes sense. As I understand it, the rule in Hollywood is that if they ask you to write something down for them, they have to pay you for it. So preliminary pitches tend to be verbal. Which is part of why I gave up pitching to Trek after my third try, since I hated face-to-face pitching and was really bad at it.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I'm very happy that a novel adaptation was even considered.

 

[Paul Weaver]

Think about how secret invasion was adapted for the screen - with a 200m budget.

whatever glories a true Destiny crossover would hold, I fear that it would be impossible to actually pull off

 

[Christopher]

Think about how secret invasion was adapted for the screen - with a 200m budget.

Apparently the cost was due to the reshoots they had to do when Russia's invasion of Ukraine forced them to change their story.

whatever glories a true Destiny crossover would hold, I fear that it would be impossible to actually pull off

This is why I've never understood the mentality that novels need to be adapted to film or TV. What you can imagine in your head is usually better than what you'd get onscreen, even in the CGI age.

 

[Ensign_Rowan_McGrath]

Now I can't help but wonder who would've been cast for President Nanietta Bacco, Admiral Leonard James Akaar, Commander Miranda Kadohata, Lieutenant Jasminder Choudhury, Lieutenant Dina Elfiki, Lieutenant T'Ryssa Chen, Lieutenant Joanna Faur, Lieutenant Hegol Den, Lieutenant Rennan Konya, Doctor Tropp, Commander Christine Vale, Commander Xin Ra-Havreii, Lt. Commander Shenti Yisec Eres Ree, Lt. Commander Ranul Keru, Lieutenant Pral glasch Haaj, Lieutenant Huilan Sen'kara, Ensign Torvig Bu-kar-nguv, Commander Sam Bowers, Lt. Commander Gruhn Helkara, Lieutenant Lonnoc Kedair, Lieutenant Mikaela Leishman, Bolian helmsman Lieutenant Tharp, Deltan relief tactical officer Lieutenant Talia Kandel, Commander Veronica Fletcher, Lt. Commander Kalil al-Rashad, Lieutenant Karl Graylock, Lieutenant Johanna Metzger, Lieutenant Kiona Thayer, Ensign Sidra Valerian, Major Stephen Foyle, Lieutenant Vincenzo Yacavino, Sergeant Gage Pembleton, the Caelar characters, Esperanza Pinero, the Alpha/Beta Quadrant ambassadors, the President's cabinet and Starfleet Command.

Holy heck, to see Starfleet, Klingon, Romulan (both factions), Breen, Cardassian, Ferengi, Talarian and Gorn ships working together. Fights to save Earth, Vulcan, Andoria, Tellar Prime, Qo'noS, Risa, Deneva (poor Deneva, I still cry), Khitomer...

Vesta-class and Luna-class starships on screen (sure we got the latter in Picard and Lower Decks). Merian-classes perhaps since they were in service at the time.

Would they have needed to recast certain characters such as Erika Hernandez, Taurik, Alyssa Ogawa, Simon Tarses, Oliana Mirren, Melora Pazlar, Morgan Bateson, Edward Jellico, Alynna Nechayev, Nakamura and T'Lara or would the actors come back like they did with Elizabeth Shelby, Ro Laren and Tuvok in Picard S3)?

My mind is just going crazy with the ideas. Kinda wish it did happen now. Much as I enjoyed Picard S3.