This is mostly not mentioned because I have a number of thoughts of how this could pan out with the same start point. However, the previously mentioned missing expedition would come into play at some point. Starfleet would have originally assumed attack by the Kelvans, but this would be part of an background story arc early on (possible signs of an unknown large scale threat). Also, I have now got as far as reading mgummelt's idea earlier, and noticed some similarity. Particularly in how the new galaxy (probably Triangulum, but could be changed) is not populated mostly by humanoids. Triangulum would have a number of warring species/alliances with technological levels similar to TNG era or slightly earlier. Another ongoing arc would be starfleet trying to determine the causes of the disputes, as each side is convinced of completely different reasons. (Though things start to indicate that neither side is correct - related to the same threat that caused the disappearance of the Andromeda expedition). I would have some change to the implementation of the prime directive, too. Although it is the default position of Starfleet itself, it is not on on the United Galactic Alliance's founding charter as it is on the Federations, and decisions can be made by the Alliance to give Starfleet orders to intervene in certain circumstances. There will be a number of episodes dealing with the moral implications of what can and should be done. Another background thread would be the fact that the Galactic Alliance is not quite as stable as 23rd/24th century Federation, and the existance of the Federation as a separate entity would cause some of the problems. The minor members of the Federation feel that their membership gives them more clout in Galactic affairs than they would alone, but the larger members such as Earth/Vulcan and Andoria feel that they would have a better say as independant members of the Galactic Alliance. Individual stories would consist of a general exploration type episodes as in earlier Trek, alongside those dealing with the internal politics of Triangulum and with the uncovering of possible threats to come.
By gods, I just took a nap and literally had a dream that there was a new Trek series coming to Netflix. Literally. e_e I guess I'll describe what I remember of merrily reading its press release, but it wasn't anything especially original. Something like... "STAR TREK RETURNS TO TV WITH FEDERATION" something something network PR something something Star Trek is unkillable "Federation is an idea that we've been spinning around in one form or another for nearly a decade," PR person or whatever said in PR announcement. "It's 20 years after Picard's final voyage, and we're eager to tell new stories that do what Trek does best -- provide thrilling commentary on the world we live in today, in a fantastical setting with great action and memorable characters." Yadda yadda, "the Federation is but a shadow of its former glory," something something obvious statements on America. I don't know, though, man. I could have had a dream that it was about the Muppets and I'd still take it at this point.
-This Blood of Mine- I would have to say that my series would involve Romulans and Vulcans coming back together as a united people after the destruction of Vulcan. Even though both factions broke away from each other due to philosophical viewpoints the Romulans would still have the Blood is Blood mentality. The Romulans send ambassadors to help the Vulcans cope with their loss and then persuade a majority of the refugees that Reunification is an absolute must for the refugees survival. The Vulcans siding with the Romulans are then persuaded to infiltrate Starfleet and gather information about Starfleet movements and other operations in a ploy to destroy Starfleet. The Vulcans siding with Starfleet inform Starfleet of the Romulans plans and so begins a long bitter civil war between the Vulcans of Starfleet and the Vulcans of Romulus both desperately trying to save what is left of their culture while Star Fleet and the Romulan Star Empire teeter on the edge of an all out war as ships and facilities go missing and Starfleet cannot explain why. The Romulans reasoning is that the Klingons are behind the theft and destruction of Starfleet property. I'm not certain if this has been covered in any New Trek Novel or any other Trek novel. Once has to wonder if Spock from the Old Universe had insight about Romulus and Nero which was his reason for trying to reunite Romulus and Vulcan during ST:TNG.
I don't know about the civil war angle, but Vulcan joining with Romulas (twin capitals) would be an interest ongoing arc, I wonder how many Federation members might follow the Vulcans in canceling their memberships? Vulcan of course is located right in the core of the Federation, Romulas is probably closer to the core than many of the Federation's outlaying members. Shake up the political picture.
Would the Vulcans be willing to trust the Romulans after they (admittedly ones from an alternate future) were responsible for the destruction on their world? The distrust between the two races runs both ways.
I would alter this to make these people misfits, capable, but square pegs in round holes. The commanding officer would be a captain now out of favor. The ship is a small ship, an old beater vehicle-but like Serenity, it becomes the little ship that could. Kind of like Down Periscope, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_Periscope
I like this concept but the idea of misfits or motley crew doesn't quite fit for me in the supposed idealized Federation, with planned communities and the like. But, the idea of an older ship, not expected to do much, in my opinion would be very enjoyable
Well, with Starfleet's low attrition rate, they have to do something with all those older people who never got promoted.
I was thinking of the people who graduated at the bottom of their class, competent enough to get through the Academy though not exactly stellar, there are also going to be those that have faced difficulties and problems over the years that would've changed them and their attitude/behaviour, making it more difficult for them to fit in with the Starfleet ideal. I did think up a few ideas for the crew as an example: Commanding Officer - A Captain in their very-early 30s, promoted quickly as they've served mainly on small ships and been in the right place at the right time. Field promoted to Captain just months earlier, their first command was lost in the war and they were given a choice: demotion to First Officer on another ship or Captain of the Orion. First Officer - Competent but lacks drive and ambition. Though a thirty year veteran, they are still a Lieutenant Commander and unlikely to go any higher. Chief Medical Officer - In their 70s and retired from the fleet a few years ago, though brought back onto active duty in the midst of the war. A solid physician and surgeon, if a little stuck in their ways. Chief Operations Officer - Among the minority of crew without a black mark against them, they were assigned after the loss of their last ship and no other postings were available. They hope this is just a temporary assignment, before they can move onto a more important ship. Chief Engineering Officer - A Lieutenant JG who is very smart and imaginative, but is still young and lacks a lot of experience, now has to keep the Orion in one piece, a task engineers twice their age would struggle with. Chief Security Officer - An Ensign demoted from Lieutenant for conduct unbecoming of an officer, see little chance of reclaiming their previous rank, so they tend to speak their mind, regardless of who its to. Chief Flight Control Officer - Fresh from the Academy, they were last in their class and expected to be on shuttle duty at an obscure outpost somewhere. Determined to make the most of getting a starship, even the Orion. Chief of the Boat - An experienced non-com and jack-of-all-trades, they packed in their career to join the Maquis but were ultimately caught. With the war they were given a shot at redeeming themselves by serving on the Orion. [Added to the line up since Trek needs more NCOs in it, IMO]
I'd like to just see a series that's completely separate from any of the existing shows or movies, but still about a ship on an extended deep space mission to "explore strange new worlds" and all that jazz. I'd absolutely love to have a non-human in the captain's seat, though I know that's unlikely to ever happen. If it has to be a human, though, I'd prefer someone older and grizzled; a Michael Ironside or Edward James Olmos sort of fellow. Not another diplomat like Picard, and not another reckless kid like Kirk. Just someone who's not willing to take anyone's shit, but still a hero at heart. I'd then like to see the rest of the crew be a little off-kilter, too. Maybe a bunch of misfits even, such as an Andorian combat medic who was forced to take up life on a starship after suffering a major injury that made him a liability in more aggressive settings. Things along those lines. Maybe a pair of Binars as chief engineer just for a bit of comedic relief, though having a non-Human as chief engineer kind of runs opposite the one defining trait Humans have in the universe (their acumen with technology). I'd definitely want to lose the "ooh, we live in a happy-happy utopia, even though every time we see a story about Earth it involves avarice, corruption, and deceit" vibe the TNG+ eras have emphasized. More gray with a side of white than pure shades of gray, but not as dull as DS9 tried to be for the sake of "grittiness."
Yeah, an older ship not expected to do much...a bit like Serenity. The vibe would be different from the Enterprise.
STAR TREK: LOST A newly commisioned starship crashes on a mysterious planet. The survivors back-stories are told each week thru flashbacks. This would give the show the ability to explore different places throughout the federation. The "John Lockeish" character turs out to be a person from OUR universe; Parallel from the star trek universe. So when this characters back-story flashback is shown, it is revieled that they at one point were sitting at home watching star trek on tv (WTF), and somehow now they are in the star trek universe, pretending to belong there. It could be explained that in an alternate universe, a protagonist in the prime universe is searching and abducting his parallel selves for some devious reason, and one of them is from our universe. Maybe our universe is behind most other ones because of some past event. So all the people in the 24th century star trek universe have doppelgangers from our time in this universe.
In my view, Kirk, Spock & Bones are the only way to go for any future series. I would resist doing any other kind of STAR TREK. But if the studios insisted, an alternative could be a STARFLEET HQ series - but NOT an Academy one. The show would be from the Top Brass point of view, where situations would arise with a STARSHIP of the WEEK that's out on patrol. They would encounter some phenomenon in space that they needed STARFLEET's help on and we would see experts coming together, advising whatever ship it happens to be on how to solve the mystery and we watch that crew having that particular adventure. Next week, it's another ship, and so on. More popular ship crews could be "recurring." But it would never have to be the one crew we're with all the time, the only constant is Top Brass.
Constellation class, http://offworldgirl.home.comcast.net/~offworldgirl/fanfic/StarTrek/timeline.html
I want a 25th century expedition towards the galactic center onboard a starship with a sleek design that isn't named "Enterprise". My idea would be that starfleet has established a transwarp network themselves after making use of 7o9's assimilated knowledge and that our fictional series' ship is commissioned to use the first established legs of that network to reach a relatively new outpost/colonialized planet a few thousand lightyears away. After resupplying and a short shore leave, its crew continues their center-bound trek to expand the transwarp network - decide on new locations for a strategic placement of portals - and to discover uncharted territory. I'd prefer short multi-episodic arcs and not necessarily a lot of conflict. I imagine a non-human as a captain, loads of non-human crew and extended use of A.I. onboard the ship since this is a recent realistic development when compared to earlier series (that is to say functional A.I. is rudamentary, but in use in the public eye). The series should possibly be made in CG to make its abstract aliens and landscapes look decent - makeupified human-aliens just don't cut it any more. Also, I'd love to see some 8472 either already allied with the UFP or being in a cultural exchange onboard the ship; maybe after their species has decided they're no threat after extensive spy work.