I was thinking about a discussion of GURPS tech levels (Post-apocalypse: How Far Can You Realistically Fall?) -the basic premise was the collapse of our present tech level...sy what lower level could tech be stablelized, prior to rebuilding? This doesn't relate directly to Trek, because we have no experience regarding the collapse of a tech level higher than our own. Some generalities might be relevant, however: One forum participant stated the goal of "pull up before we crash." To recreate a lower tech level, out of date equipment would be pulled out of mothballs. Many tools are stored in warehouses. Old skill sets would have to be relearned/mastered. TV Tropes has an article regarding Apocalyptic Logistics.
That's an interesting notion, Tim Walker. Another interesting idea to consider: would the collapse of technology be even across the world, or would some places feel more or less of an effect than others? Would a region less technologically developed feel less of an impact? That seems obvious at first glance, but would they still be affected if those regions are dependent on places that are more developed?
I would be interested in a series set a after Insurrection. A new ship with a slipstream drive (like the Aventine) with some old characters such as Worf, Tuvok, Dax and Nog and throw in an Andorian and a Denobulan and have them visting different points across the galaxy trying to make new allies following the Domonion War and rebuild the Federation with a Picard/Janeway as an Admiral on Earth directing them.
I'd borrow alot from Prometheus-interstellar. No transporters, no FTL, no replicators(light speed is the maxt, warp 10 would mean traveling at 9/10th C with it taking a 1 year to travel 10 light years), shields and other silly technologies would not exist. Focus more on the idea of actual physics based phenomenon, ancient aliens, current aliens(that happen to be our biological relatives), as well as a tonne of biological weapons-cyborgs-androids etc. Still have the idea of a federation, vulcans, andorians etc, simply alter how the whole federation comes about. I'd prefer to have it set around 40-50 years after first contact. Have actual time dilation as well. Shrink the size of the federation however so it can be explored within a relatively short period of time. All near by stars will have or are currently inhabited by at-least one species. Each season would cover a 5-10 year span in real time, or about 1 year on ship time. From the perspective of the audience in 5-7 years a whole federation would be born and come to life, however in fact would cover a 50-100 years.
Without FTL there could be no Federation-messages, let alone transportation, would take too long I figure that to have even a very tenuous sense of community, communications could have a delay no longer than letters sent around the globe by sailing ships (Age of Sail).
There was an attempt to turn Stargate SG-1 into Star Trek. There was a prototype starship, the Prometheus, cobbled together based on alien technologies. I imagine Star Fleet discovering the junk yard of a very advanced super civilization. A test bed is cobbled together using Federation equipment and reworked alien parts, resulting in a quirky, limited, but useful Transwarp craft.
Keep in mind Stargate ripped off the most absolute traits of star trek towards the end and brought none of the better. (The original movie was awesome).
Thinking about a cobbled together Transwarp craft, I think you could have a situation similar to Insufficiently Advanced Alien. For example, if you put your story in the 22nd century.
I think it would greatly improve the current trek based situation. A captain having to take matters in his own hands make far more sense when one is without back up, also without a frame of reference based in their own time period. Also keep in mind space is huge and small at the same time. Since most action would happen in one star system, most captains would be days not any period further from back up.
Conceivably, you could have a reboot comparable to NuBSG. One concept is to have FTL travel, but no equivalent of FTL radio.
Thinking it over...there are some interesting ideas in these threads. But what actually happened was that J.J. took the most iconic characters of Trek, and produced movies closely based on TOS. (Even though we got another timeline). The Powers That Be were willing to take another chance on Trek-so long as it used the old formula.
Yeah well the really interesting part would be that they would still be able to get realtively up to date info in one direction. So a ship could recieve messages that are relatively up to date from their perspective. What would be truly interesting would be the need for massive communication arrays. That are able to transmit complex messages over vast distances. It'd be a great reason for a large degree of anomalies to be found around these massive arrays.
One concept that comes to mind was Poul Anderson's FTL communications. Essentially, his FTL vessels made FTL disturbances that could be tracked in real time over a distance of a few light years. By stopping and starting its FTL drive, a ship could send Morse code.
Each season will have a new star to investigate, aswell as a pit stop in the space between stars. During this 5 year mission, 40 years would pass on earth, and 5 solar systems would be explored. Exploring wouldn't be simply a action of wonder, but a direct part of strategic planning on the earths part to settle and maintain all of it's nearby space. Creating communications arrays, surveying planets, locating last artifacts of past settlements, and making political arrangements would be a direct mission of each ship sent out into nearby space.
The show could be solely in our solar system.. It would based on the 1930 sci-fi vision of our system, all the planets and large moons would have a different native species. The "space partol" would journey to a new world every week. If we run out of existing worlds, we'll just discover more new ones. No FTL.
Come to think of it, Star Fleet turned technological scavengers...would oddly fit the image of a declining Federation.