Okay, I've been sick like a very sick dog the last few days (damn Northern climate I'm not used to) so I was bored and chose to persue this concept a bit. I came up with a bit of a setting that would (hopefully) work in a theoretical continuation of the Prime Timeline or a theoretical companion show to an Abrams-Verse series.
Setting: In the wake of a long-lasting conflict (either the Dominion War in the prime timeline or the Romulan War in the Abrams-Verse) the Federation has engaged into a new era of expansion, founding several "frontier town" colonies in an area of unexplored space. One of these frontier colonies is Cydonia on the planet of Salmakis. Salmakis is an extremely alien world (I know that's not realistic, but its all a pipe-dream anyhow, so why not go all out?) featuring (in the vicinity of Cydonia) bushland, jungles, wetlands and plains full of unearthly lifeforms that are at the same time beautiful, bewildering and threatening. This can provide some eye-candy with CGI shots of alien critters prancing about and the like. But it also poses dangers as the colonists must learn to adapt to this strange environment. often it seems like thw world is actively fighting against being settled and tamed, leading some colonists to anthropomorphize the planet and claiming it has a sort of intelligence that wants them gone.
Salmakis is also quite remote, a journey to the nearest Federation outpost would take several months and Federation ships would visit the Cydonia only on a very irregular basis (possible crossovers with the traditional Trek show) likewise the nearest frontier towns are at least a week away.
To survive in this environment the colony includes, in addition to its civilian population a small army camp, this could be manned with Starfleet personnel, though I'm more inclined to make it a sort of hired security rather than Starfleet.
The overall population would still be quite small, perhaps about 700 individuals (550 civilians and 150 soldiers) and would be comprised of the major groups that I think would settle at a place like that: Idealists, Opportunists, Explorers,, the Young, and the Disenfranchised, leading to plenty of personal and political conflicts as they form a community to survive the hazards of their new home.
Some character concepts: These are pretty vague and only what I came up with so far. I don't really have come up with a possible leadership for the colony yet.
"Argon":
Physical Description: A young man in his mid to late twenties. Tall and fairly well built, could be human or a type of humanoid alien. His appearance is always slightly disheveled and he bears a sort of easily noticeable scar from past battles (could be anything from part of his face being disfigured to a cybernetic arm)
Synopsis: A soldier from the ranks of the hired security. A former Starfleet Officer who fought in the past conflict as a ground trooper in one of the worst battlegrounds of the conflict. His mind broken from the things he saw and was forced to do to come out alive from that hell he was unable to re-adapt to peacetime and was discharged from Starfleet. Trying to build a life for himself, but discovering he had forgotten how to do anything but fight and survive he joined the Frontier Security in attempt to use his skills in defense of people, rather than slaughtering them.
"Evena": A female Orionian of about 40 years of age, slightly overweight but always dressed very elegant and with a warm, welcoming way of moving and speaking.
Synopsis: Kind of inspired by the Saloon Madam's of old Wild West media. Evena is a former Orionian Slave Girl who manage to escape and find asylum within the Federation. Having difficulty adapting into Federation culture she chose to settle in Cydonia. Here her cafe (the "Grand Melodie") provides the settlement with a sort of social hub. Despite her elegant appearance Evena is a very sensible, practical woman who takes nobody's nonsense and is able to defend herself should the need arise.
"Lascyena": A half-Orionian girl of about 15-17(other half is up for grabs really). Slender and demure. Is uncomfortable with her Orionian heritage and so tries to hide her natural beauty (covering clothes, hair in her face etc.)
Synopsis: Evena's daughter born during her time as a Slave Girl. She works as waitress at the Grand Melodie, but unlike her more boisterous mother seldom interacts with the guests, or anybody else really. While a very intelligent girl with a natural talent in engineering she shuts the world out because she is scared of the way her Orionian heritage and pheromones might affect the colony and how she is viewed by them.
"Frontier Secuirty Leader": This is one of the two characters (along with "Rogue Trader" below, I'm not sure whether to make male or female, preferably if Rogue Trader is male, then this character is female and vice versa) A ESPer of about 30 years of age, could be Deltan, Betazoid or a newly developed psychic alien species. Both male and female possibilities should be rugged in appearance rather than attractive or sexualized.
Synopsis: The leader of the Frontier Security camp, like "Argon" this character is a veteran of the recent conflict, but unlike "Argon" the Leader views hir actions duirng the war as a source of pride. Was seen as a hero in Federation space and was famous during the war for using his telepathy to "sniff out" hidden enemy troops, infiltrate enemy fortresses and deploy psychological warfare. Yet some think s/he went to far with this and so s/he was snubbed when it came to promotions and chose to head a devision of the Frontier Security forces instead.
In order to break the "moral, disciplined and above-it all" circle of telepaths seen on Star Trek this character is boisterous, egotistical and not above using hir psionic abilities to hir advantage. Yet at the same time s/he will never stand by when anybody is in danger and will prove very valuable to the colony several times. A character that, at the end of the day poses as much a underlying threat to the colony as s/he is a valuable asset.
Rogue Trader: The other character with whom I'm not sure about his/her gender. About 25-30, good looking and could be human, Andorian or a newly created alien species. In contrast to "Frontier Secruity Leader" this character should be fairly attractive.
Synopsis: The inspiration for this character is actually Vash from TNG, a shady dealer of half-legal goods that came to the frontier region to escape Federation justice as well as to be among the first to profit from the trade of any exotic goods or materials this new area of space has to offer. In a departure from the idealized citizens of the Federation this character is fairly selfish, thinking of themselves first rather than of others. In their interactions with others s/he straddles the fine line between charming and slimy, Vash/Han Solo and used car salesman. Lost his family in the conflict and, as a result, hates all forms of military.
"Fernandez": A Hispanic male in his early thirties.
Synopsis: The colony's chief Exobiologist who came to the colony to study the organisms of Salmakis and see how they might be useful to the colonists. A idealistic and bright man who, however, has something of the "weird professor" archetype in him, more comfortable with alien plants and animals than with his fellow humans. Often keeps potentially deadly organisms as "pets", much to the chagrin of his husband, but to the delight of their young child. The first to propose, and later get obsessed with, the idea that the planet is alive and possibly sapient.
The Ronar Family: Either a Cardassian (Prime Timeline) or a Romulan (Abrams-Verse) family consisting of four (a married couple, their young child and the teenaged brother of either the husband or the wife) They are a family of farmers who saw their home destroyed in the recent conflict and their planet falling into the hands of a hostile power. Abandoned by their own government they were granted asylum by the Federation and assigned to the colonization project. They are of course the stand in for the recent immigrant family in an old West Town, facing much the same prejudice as the Federation colonists still see them as enemies. The couple, having seen their life destroyed are willing to bear this social isolation, the younger brother (being young and proud) is not, often trying to force his way in and facing the realistic consequences of such actions.
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That's all I have so far.
We see so little about how the average person lives in Star Trek. 
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