The earliest proposed spin-off was a medical drama set on board the USS Hopeship, a medical vessel travelling the galaxy. Gene Roddenberry and writer Darlene Hartman came up with the premise of the series whilst production began on the second season of Star Trek. The plan was to include Doctor M'Benga, played by Booker Bradshaw in two episodes A Private Little War and That Which Survives as the primary character on Hopeship. Little is known about the stories or other characters that would have lived on board the USS Hopeship. It certainly would have provided a fresh perspective on the Star Trek universe and with Doctor M'Benga an expert in Vulcan medicine, it is quite possible audiences would have seen more of Spock's home world. The closest audiences ever got to seeing a medical star ship on screen was the USS Pastuer, commanded by Doctor Beverly Picard in the alternate future of the Star Trek: The Next Generation finale All Good Things. Darlene Hartman did eventually write a novel based on the USS Hopeship in 1994, giving a proper glimpse of the first spin-off series that never was.