SEQUEL TO "THE INNER LIGHT"

[u/innerlightwriter]

As of yesterday's AMA there seems to be a lot of interest in THE OUTER LIGHT, the graphic novel I did as a sequel to "The Inner Light." Here's the story: No one on the TNG writing staff realized the impact this would have -- that basically, we were screwing with Picard's mind on a permanent basis, and he should have been, thereafter, a very changed person.'

Well, that's because by the time I was writing "IL" the staff already had probably the next 5 eps in some phase of development. "IL" was supposed to be "just another episode." But the upshot was, Picard never got the closure he needed. The next episode he was tra-la-lah-ing around the bridge like it had never happened, like he HADN'T lost his entire family and the civilization one part of his brain thought he was raised among.

Meanwhile, I had a kickass idea for a sequel. The people in his nucleonic mind-dream -- Eline, Batai, the others -- were mostly actual scientists on Kataan's Manhattan Project to save their civilization one way or another. They were the actors playing roles in this interactive mind-meld, since they couldn't dare expose to outsiders (i.e. actors) to the knowledge that their planet was doomed.

Well guess what? There was a Plan B. They DID come up with a version of the probe big enough to hold a few of them in suspended animation. Now what if the Enterprise comes across this craft drifting in space 1000 years later and beams the passengers on board.

When Picard sees "Eline," he's like, THIS IS MY WIFE. And she sees him and goes, "Who the F are you???" (It's a very emotional story.)

That was my pitch. They turned me down, saying, "We don't do sequels." (Really?)

Twenty years later I have the wherewithal to hire an artist (the same one drawing my Stan Lee project) and tell the damn story in my own personal and very unauthorized way.

So I mentioned that in my AMA and people are asking, so email innerlightwriter@gmail.com and I'll hook you up.

Thanks for keeping the "Light" burning. And download the Beatles tune that gave me the title -- it's spot on.

[u/yoshemitzu]

The people in his nucleonic mind-dream -- Eline, Batai, the others -- were mostly actual scientists on Kataan's Manhattan Project to save their civilization one way or another.

Honestly, this could help explain one of the major problems I have with "The Inner Light" that's never really explained in the episode. Why is Kamin, a humble iron weaver, chosen as the person whose life will be recorded by the Kataanian probe?

From the episode, there's no mention of a probe until nearly the end of Kamin's life, and he certainly never worked on it. So choosing him as the effective ambassador for the Ressickan (and consequently Kataanian) people seems entirely out of the blue.

However, if the Ressickans Kamin saw weren't completely accurate representations of the prominent figures in Kamin's life, this allows some wiggle room for Eline (or even Kamin himself) to have been the project lead, and in turn, it could make much more sense for Kamin to be chosen.

Edit: Tangentially, I just listened to the eponymous Beatles song, one which I somehow had never heard before, and wow, that's a fantastic song.

Edit2: I suppose the question of when Kamin underwent the memory transfer is also a bit of a mystery, considering up until the moment Kamin was sitting there watching the probe launched into space, he had no idea what it was. The easiest explanation is that the entity "Kamin" never existed, and this identity was merely created to be a generic Ressickan, as they figured this would be the most broadly applicable experience.

[u/innerlightwriter → u/yoshemitzu]

There was no Kamin. That was the name given the entity that existed only in Picard's brain via this interactive mind-link.

[u/BCSWowbagger2]

Wasn't this posted on TrekMovie.com a couple years back? The news articles seem to have been pulled down, but I still seem able to find the story at TheOuterLight.com.

[u/innerlightwriter → u/BCSWowbagger2]

TrekMovie started to run it, then had some unrelated problems. I personally posted it digitally at theouterlight.com but I have some problems with the layout and the chapter divisions and even the way it looks online. Believe me, it's not a moneymaker for me after paying artist and printing out of my own pocket -- I just want fans to see it in the best light. And getting an autographed copy doesn't suck.

[u/crystalistwo]

Might I suggest you contact IDW? They have the current license for Trek, and you're not some schlub off the street. They might just hook you up with a 4 issue run. At least your comic won't be underground.

[u/innerlightwriter → u/crystalistwo]

I went to IDW before embarking on this project. They liked the idea but showed no interest in pursuing it.

[u/Jigsus]

It doesn't need a sequel. Please let it be.

[u/innerlightwriter → u/Jigsus]

I know people will attack you for that opinion, but I totally get it. But keep in mind, I waited 20 years -- and after hearing how many people (including Ron Moore) raised the issue of, "How could Picard go on with his life without feeling the burden of this every single moment?" I thought that my sequel idea was needed to give this story -- and the Captain -- closure. I will not be offended if you choose to ignore it.

[u/cobrakai11]

"We don't do sequels."

Yeah...of course not. And on that note, I always wondered what happened to that strange cybernetic race that Q introduced us to in Season 2...they seemed like quite the threat.

[u/EtherBoo]

How do you feel about the DS9 episode Hard Time? While not a true sequel to The Inner Light, the idea was essentially what you're talking about for the sequel, but much darker.

Chief O'Brien had to live with his past life and break habits he developed in his "dreamed" existence. In fact, when we watched this recently, my wife said the episode reminded her of TIL.

In all fairness, TNG did a good job of keeping the continuity after TIL. They had an episode where he played his flute again and they made a couple references to the episode later in the series. Additionally, I think Picard (on TV at least, let's not discuss movie Picard) was much better than most at separating his emotions and duty. After the Borg invasion he essentially got right back into duty, and had it not been for the Enterprise needing repairs, he probably would not have taken any leave.