How about a "trapped in the past/future" Trek?

[Kooz]

There's always been lots of time travel in the Trek universe, how about one involving a ship trapped in the past? Maybe the far distant past, when the Q were still evolving? I'd love to see this--something where all the most powerful and advanced races were still in their infancy, just getting out among the stars.

Or, how about a Trek trapped in the future--the Federation has fallen, and the ship is weaker (to a significant, but not crippling, degree) than whatever race/federation/etc. is currently running things.

[AviTrek]

Why does it need to be a ship from the "present" (however you define that) which travels to the past/future. Why not just set the show in the past/future and leave time travel out of it?

[Kooz]

I guess it doesn't. It was a flash in my head--something I've given almost no thought to. Figured I'd throw it out there and see what the rest of the community thinks. Yeah, I could get on board with a show set in the Trek universe but with no Trek-modern stuff.

[Kooz]

I guess I like the idea of fleshing out the canon w/r/t early history.

[MacLeod]

Kooz wrote:

---

Or, how about a Trek trapped in the future--the Federation has fallen, and the ship is weaker (to a significant, but not crippling, degree) than whatever race/federation/etc. is currently running things.

Sounds a shade like Andromeda to me.

[Dukhat]

Kooz wrote:

---

It was a flash in my head--something I've given almost no thought to.

Then why did you post it? I'd rather read an idea that someone put a lot of thought into rather than an idea that somebody just pulled out of their ass. If you don't really care about it, why should we?

[starburst]

The whole fish out of water thing works best when you can relate to the characters in some way, like Captain America being stuck in our time where we can relate in a way to where he came from, or John Crighton in Farscape as he sees things as the viewer does. Stargate did a good job at this sort of show as one week they could visit a primitive planet, the week after people hundreds of years more advance, the next a complete alien world and the one after a world on a similar level to us.

A jump into the future I agree would be too Andromeda like and depending on where to jump into the past it wouldnt make much difference other than to advance the time period (unless it was to our time which would scream Battlestar 1980).

I would rather see a show set in the new movie universe, TOS was always the more exciting show for me as the ones set after fealt too comfortable (apart from DS9) and it would be more interesting to actually explore strange new worlds in a universe that is familiar but not bound to the detail of 40 years of writing.

[Kooz]

Dukhat wrote:

---

Then why did you post it? I'd rather read an idea that someone put a lot of thought into rather than an idea that somebody just pulled out of their ass. If you don't really care about it, why should we?

You are conflating two ideas. Just because something hits in a flash doesn't mean it isn't worthwhile; the same goes for something has been given a lot of thought.

I apologize for not knowing your personal preferences for posts to a bulletin board. Had I know you'd prefer to read posts that have been given a lot of thought, maybe I'd have given it more thought than I did--since, obviously, I was writing for your entertainment and not at all interested in hearing thoughts from the rest of the community on whether it's a good/bad idea, whether it's been done before, etc.

I'm so sorry to disappoint your rigid internet posting standards. I thought forums like this were for the exact purpose of putting forth these sorts of ideas, and reading through a lot of posts, I felt my suspicions were confirmed. (Including this gem, from you: "Well, I went to Trekcore to see screencaps of said ship, but it turned out that I was far more interested in the two chicks with the ill-fitting bikinis."; which is clearly a well-thought-out idea and certainly of interest to the community at large.)

But regardless, I'm thrilled you took the time to respond to let me know what you'll prefer next time!

[Kooz]

starburst wrote:

---

The whole fish out of water thing works best when you can relate to the characters in some way, like Captain America being stuck in our time where we can relate in a way to where he came from, or John Crighton in Farscape as he sees things as the viewer does. Stargate did a good job at this sort of show as one week they could visit a primitive planet, the week after people hundreds of years more advance, the next a complete alien world and the one after a world on a similar level to us.

I agree, which is why initially I figured it would be a "trapped in" concept as opposed to just an show set in the past (though I do think there's a place for that too). I never got too into Stargate, but yeah, the Farscape point is well-taken.

starburst wrote:

---

A jump into the future I agree would be too Andromeda like and depending on where to jump into the past it wouldnt make much difference other than to advance the time period (unless it was to our time which would scream Battlestar 1980).

I didn't see Andromeda (yet), so I didn't realize that was the concept. Scratch it. As for the past, I don't think young Earth is terribly original or interesting, but seeing a 23rd Century Starship thrust back to when the Q were in a similar time of their evolution would be cool. There are a lot of ancient races and events (especially in TOS) that the show could occasionally reference or actually delve into. Plus, there could be major differences between the technologies--sort of like how the wheel didn't factor into the building of ancient mesoamerica, and you end up with different technologies and cultures growing up there, the far east, and the middle east all at the same time.
The show could exploit just how alien these earlier cultures are and explore how similar the current Trek aliens are, despite their well-established differences.

starburst wrote:

---

I would rather see a show set in the new movie universe, TOS was always the more exciting show for me as the ones set after fealt too comfortable (apart from DS9) and it would be more interesting to actually explore strange new worlds in a universe that is familiar but not bound to the detail of 40 years of writing.

Yeah, I understand that. I think the series in my head would be bound to the canon, so if you aren't into that, then this may not be for you. And I agree with your criticisms too. There's probably no perfect series to pitch, but I think there's the kernel of a good idea here.

[Bry_Sinclair]

Personally I would say avoid the Q at all costs, VOY overused them like the Borg. Besides, according to Q the Q have always been, so it would make it kidna pointless.

As for a ship from the TNG/DS9/VOY period being flung forward in time, the PTB would have to have some serious balls to pull that off and do it right, rather than a weak show like VOY, where the ship was lost across the galaxy.

Also being trapped wouldn't be all that big a deal, slingshot around the nearest star and then they're home. Job done.

[Angry Fanboy]

Bry_Sinclair wrote:

---

Also being trapped wouldn't be all that big a deal, slingshot around the nearest star and then they're home.

There are always ways around that though - clearly temporal slingshots are not feasible for so many situations since they're simply not used outside of a few occasions shown on screen.

Granted Kirk seemed to have little difficulty completing them, but why wouldn't they be used by hostile forces to destroy an enemy before they had risen to power and so on?

If anyone is familiar with the Millennium trilogy by the Reeves-Stevenses, they included a suitably convincing technobabbley explanation why the Defiant couldn't simply slingshot back to the 'present' after being thrown a couple of decades into the future.

[E-DUB]

Sounds like the Krenim. I've actually seen this idea before on the internets, ages ago so don't ask where. Kind of like following the crew of the Bozeman.

[Sindatur]

MacLeod wrote:

---

Sounds a shade like Andromeda to me.

Ya know, I'm really, really warming up to the idea of an "Andromeda" themed Series. Federation in shambles and rebuilding itself throughout the Series. I even like in the actual Andromeda Series where Dylan had built up a 50 world strong Commonwealth and turned it over to the Politicians, and they got flushed back to square one because of their corruption (Though, of course, if they chose to crash it down again, I would want the show to last long enough to rebuild it back again to stay)

[st.barthgirl]

i find the temporal paradoxes some of the most thought provoking ideas in all of Star Trek. i'd love to see this theme explored! i also thought that The Traveler would have been a fascinating character to develop: the Hows and Whys of what he is able and wont to do...

as far as Q is concerned... i've wondered if the TOS episode: Squire of Gothos wasn't a sort of inspiration for the idea? Trelane seems like a Nascent, Inchoate, Immature Q {not that Q was Mature, in act or practice}. at least a Q-ish Cousin, of sorts?

it could be argued that Trelane displays the same sort of Impudence that Q is famous for, and elicits a similar reaction from the Crew, as in these quotes (from memory alpha wiki):

"Do you know that you're one of the few predator species that preys even on itself?" - Trelane, to Kirk
"Wait! I won't have this! I haven't dismissed you yet! Stop it!! I won't have this!!"
- Trelane
"I object to you. I object to intellect without discipline. I object to power without constructive purpose."
- Spock, to Trelane "Why, Mr. Spock, you do have one saving grace after all—you're ill mannered!"
- Trelane, in response

I love the idea of exploring Timelines/alternate universes/permanency, etc... Great Thought!

[Dream]

st.barthgirl wrote:

---

as far as Q is concerned... i've wondered if the TOS episode: Squire of Gothos wasn't a sort of inspiration for the idea? Trelane seems like a Nascent, Inchoate, Immature Q {not that Q was Mature, in act or practice}. at least a Q-ish Cousin, of sorts?

They made Trelane a Q child in the novels.