How would you do a proper TOS series finale?

[Captain Seafort]

Hell, they could have used it to platform right into Phase two as well.

Again, not going to happen. The series didn't run out of steam - it was cancelled. Endex. No more Star Trek.

[Mark]

Hell, they could have used it to platform right into Phase two as well.

Again, not going to happen. The series didn't run out of steam - it was cancelled. Endex. No more Star Trek.

Key phrase

[Mikey]

Again, what Seafort's saying is that there was no thought at the time of any further 'Trek, because it was such a spectacular commercial failure.

[Mark]

Granted, but considering the name of the thread is "How would you do a proper TOS series finale", we have to take a certain liscense here, otherwise why would the network or the studio spend the money on making a TOS finale?

[Mikey]

So, IF TOS had been a success, and were ending for reasons other than being shit-canned, what would a proper finale be?

ST: TUC writ small. 'Nuff said.

[Captain Seafort]

Granted, but considering the name of the thread is "How would you do a proper TOS series finale", we have to take a certain liscense here, otherwise why would the network or the studio spend the money on making a TOS finale?

To round off the series. Look at Enterprise, for example. It was in much the same boat as TOS, cancelled without hope of another series or a film, but it still had a finale. A shit one admittedly, but it was still designed as a finale rather than just another episode.

[Mark]

Enterprise had a bit more notice IIRC. I remember hearing a telephone interview with Jolene, saying early on in season four this was likely the last season.

TOS just got the call to stop making shows IIRC.

[GrahamKennedy]

I don't think The Undiscovered Country would really work as a TOS finale. The major theme of that movie was Kirk - and to a lesser extent the rest of the crew - having to deal with the fact that history was moving on, and potentially leaving them behind as obsolete. That works with a Kirk who is an old man, near retirement, who has a long personal history with the Klingons. But at the end of TOS Kirk would have been just cresting as one of the true big guns of Starfleet. I don't think you could sell the TUC story nearly as well with a Kirk who was still young and vibrant.

[SolkaTruesilver]

I don't know if a TUC-plot would have had been received as well in the 60's as it worked in the 80's. Level of Cold War intensity, and pre-Vietnam War withdrawal. Would be hard to make TV executives swallow the whole "we can live in peace with our harshest ennemies".

[Mikey]

Hmm, I didn't really consider the prevalent political attitudes of the day, and you are correct. @ GK - I did say (too hurriedly, I guess) "writ small." In other words, I don't think I would have included all of the subtext about aging, mustering out, and what-have-you; but the fact of Kirk (and all the folks perpetually caught in his wake) having to come to grips with a sea-change in the paradigm of their careers - like allying with the Klingons in TUC - would have made a nice vertex.

[kostmayer]

i don't think the Kirk of TOS would have had much trouble dealing with peace with The Klingons. IMO it was only his age, his impending retirement, and mostly the death of his son which led him to fear the future so much. It just now occurs to me that Kirk wasn't only afraid that the Klingons might double cross him. The whole idea of ceasing hostilities was daunting to him as well, he was afraid of peace as much as he was war.

I'm not saying the conspiracy plot of TUC wouldn't have worked with a younger Kirk, but it would have lost a lot of what made the film great.

[SolkaTruesilver]

i don't think the Kirk of TOS would have had much trouble dealing with peace with The Klingons. IMO it was only his age, his impending retirement, and mostly the death of his son which led him to fear the future so much. It just now occurs to me that Kirk wasn't only afraid that the Klingons might double cross him. The whole idea of ceasing hostilities was daunting to him as well, he was afraid of peace as much as he was war.

I'm not saying the conspiracy plot of TUC wouldn't have worked with a younger Kirk, but it would have lost a lot of what made the film great.

Again, I don't think the american public would have been ready for such a plot.

However, it could have made a plot about how "you win some, you lose some". that just because you are defeated in one specific engagement doesn't mean that your whole government and international (intergalactic) influence would collapse. A.K.A. linking with the impeding Vietnam defeat?

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

For me, them returning to Earth at the end would be necessary. A little bit of a celebration. Seeing each one decide to stay or go, break up the 'family' as it were.