# The STAR TREK: NEXT GENERATION murderfest game **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [April 11, 2016, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919 "2016-04-11T19:39:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919/1 "2016-04-11T19:39:23Z")
As we all know, _Star Trek: The Next Generation_ killed off only one regular during its seven year run. Some people don’t like that. This game is for them. Its purpose is to kill off at least one, but no more than three, of the show’s major character’s every year. Here are the rules. For our purposes, the major characters are Picard, Riker, Beverly Crusher, Data, Troi, Yar, LaForge, Worf, Wesley Crusher, Pulaski, Miles O’Brian, Ro, Keiko O’Brian, and Barkley; season-bridging two-parters belong to the Part 1’s season. In choosing a character to die you must choose an episode that actually exists in the show’s run, not make up an incident out of whole cloth. No resurrections allowed. Other than the specific character’s death, you must stay true to the show’s continuity; for example, the Borg invasion in “Best of Both Worlds” fails, even if you kill off Picard in Part 1. Generally you must specify who took over for the dying character, and the replacement must be someone who already exists on-screen in TNG, DS9, or Voyager. (Example: If you kill off Riker & Shelby in BoBW, you can bring Janeway in as Picard’s new first officer, but not an original, novel-only, or game-only character.) The exceptions to the specify-replacement rule are pre-Tasha-death Worf, Wesley, Keiko, Guinan, and Barkley. If you kill off either Data or Wesley, you may wish to explain how the ship survived without either of those walking deus ex machinas, but you don’t have to. Lastly, I don’t care how much you goober up DS9 and VOY continuity. If you want to start your murderfest with the second season, that’s cool with me. Anybody wanna play? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919/2 "2016-04-11T19:57:15Z")
We’ll start with the 2nd season. Pulaski falls down a turbolift shaft in the finale. Replaced the next season by Beverly Crusher. I can do anything I want with the episode because it was a clip show. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919/3 "2016-04-11T19:59:04Z")
Can you give some examples of how gameplay will work? I don’t fully understand. Also, can Pulaski be picked for season 1 (or 3-7), when she wasn’t around (and same for Ro, who wasn’t around until 5, IIRC)? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919/4 "2016-04-11T20:02:45Z")
Assume that we kill off one major character from Season 1, and replace them with some minor character. Does that elevate the minor character to major-character status, and thus make them eligible for some later season’s death? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919/5 "2016-04-11T20:06:53Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Can you give some examples of how gameplay will work? I don’t fully understand. Also, can Pulaski be picked for season 1 (or 3-7), when she wasn’t around (and same for Ro, who wasn’t around until 5, IIRC)? You can’t kill off any character before their introduction. If you want to off Pulaski after the second season, you’ll probably have to ki off Beverly Crusher so you have an excuse to bring Pulaski back, then kill her off that way. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919/6 "2016-04-11T20:10:51Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Assume that we kill off one major character from Season 1, and replace them with some minor character. Does that elevate the minor character to major-character status, and thus make them eligible for some later season’s death? Yes. You can, say, kill off Data in “The Most Toys,” establish that Robin Leffler became the new tactical officer (we already know that Worf was gonna take over at Ops), and kill Robin off in some subsequent episode. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919/7 "2016-04-11T20:11:09Z")
Season one I vote for the enterprise’s life support system. Ugg that was a terrible season. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919/8 "2016-04-11T20:15:31Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > You can’t kill off any character before their introduction. If you want to off Pulaski after the second season, you’ll probably have to ki off Beverly Crusher so you have an excuse to bring Pulaski back, then kill her off that way. Pulaski’s shuttle was shot down over the Sea of Japan. It spun in. There were no survivors." ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919/9 "2016-04-11T20:34:39Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > Season one I vote for the enterprise’s life support system. Ugg that was a terrible season. So just ignore that season, as the rules permit. S1 has a major death anyone. Here are my own thoughts, committed to electrons off the top of my head: Season 1: Ignore. Tasha’s gonna die anyway. Season 2: Kill of Riker in theclips episode. I always hated that bastard. Season 3: Establish that Kate Janeway is the new first officer; note quietly that Beverly Crusher, during her time at Starfleet Medical, found a cure for bipolar disorder, so this Janeway is not a crazy person. Anyway, the season proceeds as it did otherwise, except that Troi jumps the Borg trying to kidnap Picard in “Best of Both Worlds” and when taken aboard the cube is summarily spaced on account of being unsuitable for assimilation. Guinan becomes the new ship’s counselor, assisted by random holodeck characters. Season 4: Barkley gets killed in whatever episode he appeared in. No special reason, he was just irritating. No replacement required per OP rules. More importantly, Worf dies during the Klingon civil war. (Yes, that ended in the Season 5 premiere; see the thread rules.) Season 5: Establish that Miles O’Brian got a brevet promotion and is now a Lieutenant and the tactical officer. Robin Leffler becomes the new transporter chief. Anyway, Data dies in the season–bridging two-parter. Jadzia Dax, not long out of Starfleet Academy, takes over at Ops, while Geordi becomes the new second officer. I’ll have to give some thought to the last two seasons. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919/10 "2016-04-11T21:08:07Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Here are my own thoughts, committed to electrons off the top of my head: I didn’t see “Wesley” anywhere in this post, I assume it was a grievous oversight. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919/11 "2016-04-11T21:12:51Z")
In season - 6? episode “Second Chances” I let Will Riker fall off that cliff and have his position in the crew filled by his transporter clone, Tom. Tom seemed a lot more fun and without the stick-up-his-ass that Will had. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919/12 "2016-04-11T21:31:30Z")
> [@magnusblitz](#): > > I didn’t see “Wesley” anywhere in this post, I assume it was a grievous oversight. 😉 Considering the pilot to be separate from Season 1, I vote Wesley dies in a transporter accident as he’s beaming aboard for the first time in “Encounter at Farpoint.” All of the other children on board are eliminated in a variety of ways by the end of the episode as well, and someone at Starfleet Command admits that having them aboard was a stupid idea in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919/13 "2016-04-11T21:45:38Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Season 4: Barkley gets killed in whatever episode he appeared in. No special reason, he was just irritating. So irritating, he “accidentally” gets run through by Picard while fencing in a Holodeck fantasy. Sadly, Picard _et al_. are just a wee bit too late getting him to Sick Bay in time to save his life. His body is quietly dumped overboard and quickly forgotten. No one at any level is sufficiently moved to organize a board of inquiry. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919/14 "2016-04-11T21:46:46Z")
Season 6 episode “Descent.” This time Lore kills Data, disguises himself as Data and beams back aboard the Enterprise, and fools the crew because he’s learned not to use contractions when he speaks. Season 7 is made up entirely of episodes where Lore kills series regulars. In the series finale, Wesley Crusher returns to the Enterprise to investigate his mother’s death, whereupon Lore kills Wesley, bringing the satisfying ending we all wished for. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919/15 "2016-04-11T21:49:23Z")
Killing at least one character per season, having actors on short term contracts and having intended replacements appear at least once as a background character would have done wonders for Voyager. Wouldn’t have overcome Janeway, the bad acting and the bad writing, but it would have been better than it was. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919/16 "2016-04-12T14:18:44Z")
Interesting game. Should this be in the “Thread Games” subforum? ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919/17 "2016-04-12T14:31:00Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > We’ll start with the 2nd season. > > Pulaski falls down a turbolift shaft in the finale. Replaced the next season by Beverly Crusher. > > I can do anything I want with the episode because it was a clip show. 😛 Thank you for this one. > [@drewder](#): > > Pulaski’s shuttle was shot down over the Sea of Japan. It spun in. There were no survivors." And for this one. > [@Chimera](#): > > Killing at least one character per season, having actors on short term contracts and having intended replacements appear at least once as a background character would have done wonders for Voyager. Yes, I’ve often thought the same. By the seventh season, the ship should be commanded by Harry Kim, with characters who were introduced in the later seasons making up his command team (including Tuvix, who was never murdered in this universe), and the ship has no more shuttlecraft, or working holodecks (and large sections of the craft have been turned into vegetable gardens). ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919/18 "2016-04-12T15:50:18Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > Interesting game. Should this be in the “Thread Games” subforum? I think it belongs in Cafe Society, where I opened it. It’s just an excuse to talk about Trek. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919/19 "2016-04-12T17:29:45Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I think it belongs in Cafe Society, where I opened it. It’s just an excuse to talk about Trek. I agree don’t know why it got changed. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919/20 "2016-04-12T18:04:41Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > Yes, I’ve often thought the same. By the seventh season, the ship should be commanded by Harry Kim, with characters who were introduced in the later seasons making up his command team (including Tuvix, who was never murdered in this universe), and the ship has no more shuttlecraft, or working holodecks (and large sections of the craft have been turned into vegetable gardens). It would be more fun if it arrived in the Federation Captained by someone born on board of a non-Fed race, with an elderly Harry Kim still an ensign. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-trek-next-generation-murderfest-game/751919.md?page=2)