Alright after a month long hiatus I guess it's time to start trying to build a vision of my idea for a hard star trek, no ftl, no aliens, transporters etc. Starting with the Eugenics war, as this was is what essentially builds everything that comes after. in the year 1992 of the hindu calendar(2070 our time) The president of the United States annouces it's plan to fight illegal genetic engineering calling it a war on eugenics. The setting. The mid 21st century is a time of unchecked propersity as the world achieves a great leap forward. With green energy sources, automation, artificial intelligence, etc etc. However politically the world has devolved into rampant nationalism. With little need for globalized trade, global powers are actively involved in militarism. As first world living standards are the norm around the world, automation has caused a massively unemployed populace. To essentially deal with this boredom major powers have begun the mass militarization of their peoples as a form of mass employment. This spans into creating massive navies' airforces, drone forces, and a newly formed drive for space exploration amongst all teh worlds powers. Initially focusing illegal drug trade, and other minor issues, the issue of genetic energineering has become a mass catalyst for mobilization of people. While at the same time has antagionized many people in to creating relatively passive political movements that are pro genetic engineering. Understood as being the fountain of youth many people have a strong desire to see genetic engineering to become more common place. Although already in some usage among people on the globe, the threat of advanced gene therapies has created a great deal of conflict. As a result a devisive war on genetic engineering is started. Essentially mimicking many aspects of the war on drugs.
As a TV show, due to the initial premise this show I believe will be able to capture many genres. 1) An HBO like drama, borrowing elements from shows like Breaking Bad, True Detective, and the wire. 2) A optimistic vision of the future combined with a series of events that will both create interesting conflict but also help build towards the utopian future of TOS. 3) A show about investigations, similar to X files as a result of technological advancements genetic engineering will be used as a device to create many different scenarios.EDIT: the show will also have some of the similiar themes to shatners tek war. 4) Setting it far enough into the future where there are flashy new techs, however close enough to now so that the audience can be impressed by a flying car chase across the future skyline of Mumbai. 5) Borrowing from the past, the show will have a heavy retro futurism of early cold war era. Flying cars, missions to mars, preludes to war etc. Will bring the audience back to the 50s, both with the optimism and true signs of progress combined with many of the faults. Rampant nationalism, cold war fears, conservative mindsets, 1984 like control of people etc. 6) The show will have a strong sci fi western vibe to it. Genetic engineering will thrive in areas that can be similiar to what we know of as the wild west, combined with a breakdown of globalization as economies become more protectionist and you have perfect recipe for recreating much of the untamed past. 7) With a relentless prohibition against genetic engineering the show will rise powerful questions about pharmies, the war on terrorism etc. 8) The show will show how revolutionairies such as khan, Sarek, and Kahless help to build a future that can be thought of as very much star trek.
I love the idea of a Eugenics Wars series, but my execution would be totally different. Mine would be a miniseries starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan Noonien Singh, in an alternate 1990's (alternate as in, Trek's version of the era not ours) where all hell broke loose.
Yeah well I think going with the war solves so many problems. How to have war without contradicting a Utopian future. Having trek be more relate-able to the now without having to completely retconn everything. Avoiding aliens and warp speed, until a better foundation of earth has been established. Accounting for the lost time 1996 being based on the hindu calendar would make an incredible amount of sense. Would also make trek on the one hand more international in flavor something severely lacking in the past. Would explain why the federation is the way it is further into the future. Limited genetic engineering, cybernetics, a highly unified planet etc.
Well it is and it isn't. I'd think you'd be surprised at how many star trek elements you could fit into a series with this hard scifi set up. The fact that by the end of the war they'd end up in space expelling khan gives a clear indication of where the show would of been headed. I'd make the setup for what enterprise should of been with respect to earth.
Change the name of the characters and make yourself a non Trek original series. Because as is it's not Star Trek. At most it's another prequel idea that would appeal to a small subset in fandom, but attract nowhere near the numbers of a broader audience that would interest TPTB for a Trek series. Star Trek is "Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages..." I know that disappoints some, but thats what it is and thats what the broader audience recognizes. It's not predominantly politics and war (seen in DS9) and gritty and nihilistic like nuBSG and Sopranos.
Warped9 and I don't agree often, but he's spot on here. Some of the stuff pitched here really isn't Trek. The Eugenics Wars is interesting as a data point and one-off novel. A regular TV series? I just don't see it.
You can say what you want but there's almost nothing that I mentioned that would deter random fans. As far as what is trek, well that's a problem trek fans are gonna have to sort out among themselves. I'm a fan of the idea that great ideas can be re-imagined time and time again.
But what you've pitched over various threads really is only connected to "Star Trek" in the most superficial of ways. For me, and me alone, I need "Star Trek" to actually be "Star Trek". Just like I need "Superman" to be "Superman". There is room for plenty of sci-fi that isn't Star Trek and so many ideas would be much better served by not being painted with a Star Trek coat of paint.
This. I don't need all my SF to be Star Trek. Indeed there are ideas that can be better explored outside of Trek.
There may be some good ideas for non-Trek science fiction. Why not give these proposals their own names?
I'd personally have an interest in it, but I don't think it would ever happen. Maybe if they tried to sever nearly entirely it from its parent (ala Dragonball from Dr Slump) it could work for the general audience as an action/political series. But like with Caprica, I don't think it would be able to shake the baggage, and if they were doing that then they might as well ditch the prequel concept altogether and do whatever they want. In TNG's heyday they might have given it a try, but those days are long gone - especially if you weren't going to use Cumberbatch, who is a big television draw. If we had some gigantic nerds running the franchise like Underworld or Van Helsing did, maybe it might have made it as a few animated webisodes just because the creators enjoy doing it. But we don't and after seeing those shorts? Not exactly a terrible thing.
I'll admit the caprica comparison is somewhat more fair. The other I"m a fan of is Gotham. That being said a format that would likely be more in tune with the overall format of the show would be Earth Final conflict.
The plot would be something like this. In 2050's or so a series of treaties are signed by numerious governments around the world. Based on environmental standards focused directly on the prohibition of genetic engineering. As a result a federation of independent environmental agencies are asked to be intermediate conflicts between major world governments and their diverging policies regarding genetic engineering. As a result this federation ends up being an ad hoc paramilitary force, with aspects of criminal investigation, diplomacy, and research.
A direct tie in to one of the most well known plots in all of trek That's ignoring the fact it'd be laying pipe for a very obvious expansion into a more blatant trek format.
Autistoid, you've created an interesting back drop, but what I don't understand is what would be the focus of the show? Who are your characters. Who do they work for. What are they doing in the pilot and subsequent episodes. Who opposes them. A show can't be about a place or event, you need people.
That would be the way to go with this idea, make it it's only beast, otherwise you're just not going to get a great Trek following.