CSI: Star Trek!!!!

[Infern0]

Well, obviously the show would not have that name, but how about a detective/investigation show set in the Trek Universe?

They would jet about the Alpha Quadrant, solving the crimes that plague the federation!!!!

I don't know if it would be rubbish or not, what say you TrekBBS?

[Temis the Vorta]

Starfleet already does that, at least they did in TOS. Part of the Enterprise crew's job was to patrol the frontiers of the Federation and check on colonies, mining operations, lunatic asylums and other outposts to make sure everything was kosher or investigate when things seemed squirrely and set things right.

I'd love to see that Space Sheriff aspect returned to Star Trek. It made for a good mix of stories alongside the other types. What wouldn't work is some silly procedural, since it would lock the show into an artificially constrained format.

Something like Devil in the Dark is cop-showy enough for Star Trek. Starfleet needs to have some latitude in doing their job since they never know what they'll run into next.

[Bry_Sinclair]

I do like the idea of doing something different with Trek, other than just another deep space mission, but a CSI-style show in the 24th century wouldn't really have much build up. Technology and alien abilities takes away from building up much suspense.

ACT 1: Scene 1
Commander Murphy, Lieutenants T'Pell and Oxaal arrive on the site of a brutal murder, a human woman lies in a pool of her own blood. T'Pell opens her tricorder and takes a scan.

T'PELL: Sir, I am detecting Bolian DNA fragments. Their level of degredation indicates that the individual was present at the time of the murder.
MURPHY: Compare it to the Federation DNA database.
T'PELL: Uploading now. [Seconds later] I have his identity. He has a criminal record for assault and attempted murder on Bolarus.
MURPHY: Murphy to transporter room. Lock onto his signal and beam him to the brig. [Looks at Oxaal] Let's put your Betazoid abilities to the test and then we can put this case to bed.

END


Ok, very over-simplified, but in a time when technology can do whatever the writers need it to do in order to tell a story, it doesn't leave much wiggle room for proper cop-show elements.

[C.E. Evans]

In a way, Trek is very much a procedural in itself. Most stories can be broken down like this:
1. Something strange/unexpected/terrible happens.
2. Our heroes investigate it and eventually discover the cause of it.
3. Our heroes resolve it and move on to the next assignment.

There may be occasional character moments along the way, and not every Trek episode is like this, but that's the general procedure most Trek episodes follow (although DS9 did it less so--especially in its later seasons--than other Trek shows, IMO).

[JarodRussell]

Bry_Sinclair wrote:

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Ok, very over-simplified, but in a time when technology can do whatever the writers need it to do in order to tell a story, it doesn't leave much wiggle room for proper cop-show elements.

Have you ever seen, like, one episode of CSI?

[Sindatur]

C.E. Evans wrote:

---

In a way, Trek is very much a procedural in itself. Most stories can be broken down like this:
1. Something strange/unexpected/terrible happens.
2. Our heroes investigate it and eventually discover the cause of it.
3. Our heroes resolve it and move on to the next assignment.

There may be occasional character moments along the way, and not every Trek episode is like this, but that's the general procedure most Trek episodes follow (although DS9 did it less so--especially in its later seasons--than other Trek shows, IMO).

I'm not saying a "CSI Procedural" is an appropriate answer for what to do next with Star Trek (A set format could get old quickly), but, you're forgetting identifying the culprit is just the beginning. You still need to determine the motive and track the culprit down, it's a big Galaxy. Many episodes of the various Series were based upon finding clues to track someone down and that could provide your exploration and conflict with other cultures

[C.E. Evans]

Sindatur wrote:

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I'm not saying a "CSI Procedural" is an appropriate answer for what to do next with Star Trek (A set format could get old quickly), but, you're forgetting identifying the culprit is just the beginning.

Not really, because the situation still needs to be resolved.

You still need to determine the motive and track the culprit down, it's a big Galaxy. Many episodes of the various Series were based upon finding clues to track someone down and that could provide your exploration and conflict with other cultures

All that falls under the investigation of what the situation is.

[The Mirrorball Man]

I don't know, did The Who write a song about the future?

[Bry_Sinclair]

JarodRussell wrote:

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Have you ever seen, like, one episode of CSI?

Of course, it's kind of hard to miss.

But seeing what the writers make happen now, add all of Trek tech and technobabble onto that and it steals the suspense away from the crime and hunt for the criminal.

Then there would be questions such as, where would it be set? It couldn't be on Earth as it is paradise and having a weekly murder would take away from that. A station that had major crime of a frequent basis would raise the question of why people would continue to go there. A starship zipping from crime scene to crime scene would have the problem of travel time and exactly how severe a crime would need to be to warrant their involvement. A colony or alien world would have to be the answer, but could it be a Star Trek series if they were stuck on a single planet?

Just some thoughts.

[Temis the Vorta]

How do you do a procedural when the "criminals" are likely to be a Horta, a Doomsday Machine or a space amoeba? What procedure could possibly encompass those kinds of threats?

[The Mirrorball Man]

Temis the Vorta wrote:

---

How do you do a procedural when the "criminals" are likely to be a Horta, a Doomsday Machine or a space amoeba? What procedure could possibly encompass those kinds of threats?

Yeah, that's the point, isn't it?

[Lynx]

A good idea worth trying!

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Bry_Sinclair wrote:

---

ACT 1: Scene 1
Commander Murphy, Lieutenants T'Pell and Oxaal arrive on the site of a brutal murder, a human woman lies in a pool of her own blood. T'Pell opens her tricorder and takes a scan.

T'PELL: Sir, I am detecting Bolian DNA fragments. Their level of degredation indicates that the individual was present at the time of the murder.
MURPHY: Compare it to the Federation DNA database.
T'PELL: Uploading now. [Seconds later] I have his identity. He has a criminal record for assault and attempted murder on Bolarus.
MURPHY: Murphy to transporter room. Lock onto his signal and beam him to the brig. [Looks at Oxaal] Let's put your Betazoid abilities to the test and then we can put this case to bed.

You forgot the ending of that scene:
OXAAL: I think he may have had an accomplice. Possibly a Vulcan.
T'PELL: I find that highly illogical. No Vulcan would take part in criminal activities in this manner.
MURPHY: Unless the accomplice was...
(puts on sunglasses)
...a little green?

YEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!

[Danger Ace]

Infern0 wrote:

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Well, obviously the show would not have that name, but how about a detective/investigation show set in the Trek Universe?

As the sole focus of a Trek series? No, I really don't think so, however what was maddening about modern Trek was they always had the CSI option built in and hardly ever used it (or any of their other options).

By design, Star Trek was imbued with the unque feature that it could be anything it wanted to be from one week to the next. Whether on a ship or a space station each series had a variety of jobs and talents represented on a regular basis and thereby had the characters on-hand to carry any plot or story. Sadly, ownership/management (Paramount and Rick Berman) never were able to see the full potential of what they at their fingertips from the start.

[Gojira]

I say no to this idea. I have crime dramas, too depressing, I avoid them.