Describe YOUR new Star Trek series.

[Phantom]

Well, one thing the Federation can't do (at least any more) in that scenario is whistle up your "friendly neighborhood Klingon task force" for backup if things get hairy (as Picard did on occasion and Sisko did fairly often). I think that it is this lack that would have the biggest impact on the Federation, as it takes one more tool out of their crisis-management kit.

The other big hit would be that Starfleet would have do divert resources to once again patrolling the Klingon Neutral Zone. At that moment, the Klingons wouldn't have the strength to invade (they took crippling losses too, as DS9 showed), but you couldn't count on any passing Klingon battle cruiser to be non-hostile any longer. I would see the "new" Fed/Klingon relationship as being basically the same or a little more strained as it was in the late 23rd century before the First Khitomer Accords.

The Cardassians are a different kettle of fish juice. The Allied Powers are keeping the Cardassian Union well under their thumbs, similar to the way we did to Germany and Japan after WW II. The Federation is going one step further and trying to actively retrofit and rebuild Cardassian culture along more socially acceptable lines. The Cardassian ensign I mentioned doing RIP would be emblematic of this. That would be a source of contention both within the Federation (some would prefer a harsher tone be taken), and within Cardassian society as well.

I could see the Romulans in part taking on the role you are suggesting for the Cardassians (as they do in the novels), making the new Alliance/whatever more of a client state or cutout/stalking horse, a la North Korea and China.

 

[Tim Walker]

And the Federation would need to compensate, Phantom.

Star Fleet would be particularly depleted as regards large ships. Given the high level of tensions, I think most of the surviving big ships would be kept in or quite close to Federation space.

One idea I came across-theGalaxy class ships are big enough to function as mobile star bases. So no more exploration missions for these, they stay in Federation space.


The Galaxy hulls that were taken out of storage and armed for war...would be filled out/furnished/equipped for the mobile star base role. (I'm thinking that the Captain's Yaht would be used for Away missions).

The surviving Ambassadors would be kept near Federation space, and supplement the depleted Excelsiors.

 

[xortex]

Decker fighting Mitchell with admiral Pike as an illusionary Ambassador for the Federation.
Finding out the Sol system is a holographic simulation created by some malevolent being.

 

[Tarek71]

I'm leaning toward something based on the bureau of Temporal Investigations, or whatever it's called. 31st Century based series. A Galactic Federation, some TCW, different time lines, different universes, different centuries being visited by small, bigger on the insideck hero ship.

Obviously the bigger on the inside time ships of the 31st century shown on Enterprise were an homage to Doctor Who, as any series based on them, will owe some to DW, but I still think it has alot of promise.

Traveling to different time lines and different centuries always has alot.

 

[Tim Walker]

I'm thinking that two different concepts could be merged.

There are the post war scenarios.

There is the Star Trek meets X-Files idea.

Suppose that in the difficult post war/aftermath time there is a rumor that the Kinshaya have reappeared? Half mythical berserkers, who will not tolerate other sentient species.

So a small ship is authorized to investigate. That is, the Federation Council wants this investigated, but the Star Fleet brass is sceptical. So one small ship-not the latest and greatest-is staffed with a motley crew.

Three aspects of the X-Files might be be enountered: 1. The supernatural ? 2. The monster of the week. 3. And aliens!

 

[Tarek71]

I'm thinking that two different concepts could be merged.

There are the post war scenarios.

There is the Star Trek meets X-Files idea.

Suppose that in the difficult post war/aftermath time there is a rumor that the Kinshaya have reappeared? Half mythical berserkers, who will not tolerate other sentient species.

So a small ship is authorized to investigate. That is, the Federation Council wants this investigated, but the Star Fleet brass is sceptical. So one small ship-not the latest and greatest-is staffed with a motley crew.

Three aspects of the X-Files might be be enountered: 1. The supernatural ? 2. The monster of the week. 3. And aliens!

You might as well just say there is a special division that handles certain types of special cases. Possibly eyed with some suspicion and even derision by others the way "Spooky" Mulder and the X-Files unit was.

Perhaps this division does have to make due with basement offices and less than cutting edge ships. Perhaps they only have one, and it's an old Star fleet types transferred for this purpose.

 

[Tim Walker]

Yes, Tarek 71, I have been thinking along similar lines.

 

[Tarek71]

Yes, Tarek 71, I have been thinking along similar lines.

There is another, more nefarious unit to deal with and that's Section 31. They also would probably deal with fringe science, exotic cases, assimilating alien tech, etc. There could be some crossover there. Maybe the leader of the small team has some issues wit them. Not just jusidicational, but maybe s/he doesn't like how 31 operates, and what it is they do with the strange and fringe that ends up in their possession.

 

[Tim Walker]

Of course, if one combines the X-Files with Trek, you may be combining X-Files with Wagon Train To The Stars. There would be space exploration, and space colonies. Lost colonies. The remains of vanished super civilizations, as well as living aliens. Adventurers. Con men. Scamps.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

I can't remember if this has been mentioned before or not, but it never hurts to mention it again

Having played around in it firsthand and finding it to be a very enjoyable and rich little segment of Trek fanfic, I would love to see TheLoneRedshirt's Border Service brought to TV.

The idea of a small but crucial organisation within the ranks of Starfleet, which is often looked down upon and has to use the discarded leftovers of the regular Fleet in order to get by, carrying out lots of hard, thankless work, which is never glamorous but always frought with danger. The crew being a little more eclectic that what we've seen previously, not all as spit-and-polished as the likes of TNG.

 

[Tim Walker]

I looked at a web site listing the ships of the Border Service. Some of them are 100 years old Mirandas. Imagine a ship being launched a century ago-during World War I-and still being in service today!

Definitely a place for old beater ships in the Trek universe.

BTW, I once came across a web site that described an alternative border service. Star Fleet turns border patrol over to private outfits (somewhat similar to private military companies); owner-captains get to choose a ship from the boneyard, and choose their own crews.

 

[Tim Walker]

You might as well just say there is a special division that handles certain types of special cases. Possibly eyed with some suspicion and even derision by others the way "Spooky" Mulder and the X-Files unit was.

Perhaps this division does have to make due with basement offices and less than cutting edge ships. Perhaps they only have one, and it's an old Star fleet types transferred for this purpose.

Yes, I'm thinking of a arrangement similar to the FBI's X-Files. There would be a basement office staffed with one or two people. The office would occasionally alert the Hero crew to new cases.

There would be a small Hero ship, with a handful of crew members. (There would be quarters for a guest star or two). The ship might be an old beater or old rust bucket.

 

[Tim Walker]

I was reviewing another thread, "Fleet Construction", and it occurred to me that the Trek/X-Files crew might use a Ju 'day class ship. Also known as a Federation raider/Maquis raider, This was the kind of ship that Chakotay captained in the first Voyager episode.

In the meantime, the Ju 'day Mark II is being produced for Star Fleet, but our Hero crew gets an old Mark I


But....


Old it may be, but like another used ship, Serenity*, it becomes the little ship that could.

* Firefly 'verse

 

[Esirprus]

I can't remember if this has been mentioned before or not, but it never hurts to mention it again

Having played around in it firsthand and finding it to be a very enjoyable and rich little segment of Trek fanfic, I would love to see TheLoneRedshirt's Border Service brought to TV.

The idea of a small but crucial organisation within the ranks of Starfleet, which is often looked down upon and has to use the discarded leftovers of the regular Fleet in order to get by, carrying out lots of hard, thankless work, which is never glamorous but always frought with danger. The crew being a little more eclectic that what we've seen previously, not all as spit-and-polished as the likes of TNG.

Not as spit-and-polish as TNG, if I get my way, Bry. I think you'll be satisfied with the Trek result.

Someone should add Jem'Hadar, Bajorans and Tosk to the smilies as well as founders IMO.

 

[Esirprus]

I looked at a web site listing the ships of the Border Service. Some of them are 100 years old Mirandas. Imagine a ship being launched a century ago-during World War I-and still being in service today!

Definitely a place for old beater ships in the Trek universe.

BTW, I once came across a web site that described an alternative border service. Star Fleet turns border patrol over to private outfits (somewhat similar to private military companies); owner-captains get to choose a ship from the boneyard, and choose their own crews.

Old decrepit ships on important missions. It could happen.

 

[Tarek71]

I looked at a web site listing the ships of the Border Service. Some of them are 100 years old Mirandas. Imagine a ship being launched a century ago-during World War I-and still being in service today!

Definitely a place for old beater ships in the Trek universe.

BTW, I once came across a web site that described an alternative border service. Star Fleet turns border patrol over to private outfits (somewhat similar to private military companies); owner-captains get to choose a ship from the boneyard, and choose their own crews.

Old decrepit ships on important missions. It could happen.

The understaffed, underfunded basement aspect works on X-FILES because they are dealing with different types of people within the larger organization and government. First, there are the ones who think "Spooky Mulder" is a weird crackpot and that the X-Files is a waste of resources. Second, there are the people who know the truth, but are determined to keep them from uncovering it. And then you have people who know the truth, and help Mulder at various times.

IDK how that would play out in this version of Trek. But similar dynamics could be at play.

 

[Tim Walker]

Besides having a small Hero ship, one other aspect of Firefly could apply to Trek-cosmopolitanism.

Kanji appeared in Firefly. I seem to recall at least one Buddhist statue also appearing.

And Pitch Black included what appeared to be ethnic costumes.

 

[fireproof78]

Besides having a small Hero ship, one other aspect of Firefly could apply to Trek-cosmopolitanism.

Kanji appeared in Firefly. I seem to recall at least one Buddhist statue also appearing.

And Pitch Black included what appeared to be ethnic costumes.

That was part of the world building of Firefly. Whedon envisioned the Chinese and Americans forming an alliance, and abandoning Earth shortly thereafter. Their flag is the Anglo-Sino flag, and the Alliance being officially "The Union of Allied Planets." The mix of cultures provides for the use of Chinese and kanji in everyday speech and writing, as well as Eastern influences upon dress.

Firefly's universe is definitely more cosmopolitan, and, in my opinion, is a good place to consider some ideas, such as the frontier, colonization, human cultural variation, etc. I think that a reverse of Firely, where the Federation is good and benevolent (unlike the Alliance) and exploring out in to the unknown to reconnect with colonies, identify potential threats, and protect Federation citizens.

Pitch Black was less subtle in it's cosmopolitan ways, with even a planet being called "New Mecca." Not exactly subtle, but still enjoyable.

 

[RAMA]

Here's my last idea from this board in 2012:

OK, so instead of saying what it should not be, let me suggest a few things...

Firstly, ST is probably never going to be up to the level of it's literary cousins. It has to be entertainment first and foremost. Still, its hard to take any future SF series seriosuly unless they come to terms with what SF writers have been for almost 2 decades...what are the implications of a singularity event for ST/Earth's future? The 23rd and 24th century shows already got it wrong by that measure, but to seem up to date they are going to have some perspective on it. If the show takes place in the 23rd-25th centuries in the "Prime Universe" it'll be a moderate view, we may encounter more civilizations that have passed through this stage or multiple stages of development to comment on it. In JJ's universe, probably much of the same thing will occur, but it'll probably be more open ended. A whole new universe and history would probably make more sense, but then you'd have to create a whole new show!

So I propose this...technoglocial advances in the next 30 years will make most of Trek tech seem quaint (prob not transporters or warp), let's make a 25th century show that deals with a UFP that's been an arrested culture, one that legislated out eugenics, nanotech, and AI to the point we've seen so far, but by the 25th century such advances cannot be contained, we start to see certain parts of the UFP evolve through transhumanism. Nanotech and foglet technologies transform UFP ships into maleable things...AI is everywhere. The crews are part "trans" with others relatively unmodified, though no one can be totally unmodified and function on a starship anymore. One aspect may be a conflict between those choosing to advance and those who do not. More conflict might arise with alien superpowers, some who may just be embarking on their own self-evolution, but are afraid of the advanced technological Federation. At this point, the final outcome, whether the UFP becomes a threatening machine civilization or a benevolent one is in question to all. Such a ST show will have advanced tech, exploration outwardly, but also inwardly to a large degree. It would have to leave a POV open to question, though no doubt there will be morality plays as well. Questions of aging, modes of thinking, analogies to racism and bias, man vs machine, and really where we are headed in the contemporary age would all be raised.

When I began writing science fiction in the middle '60s, it seemed very easy to find ideas that took decades to percolate into the cultural consciousness; now the lead time seems more like eighteen months.
Vernor Vinge

http://www.kurzweilai.net/singularity-chat-with-vernor-vinge-and-ray-kurzweil

RAMA

Not long after I posted this in APril 2012 , this article appeared on Io9:

http://io9.com/5906586/its-time-to-move-past-star-treks-anachronistic-vision-of-the-future

The author:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Dvorsky

RAMA

 

[Tim Walker]

X-Files meets wagon-train-to-the-stars gave me an odd thought.....

I Imagined Scully and Mulder making an appearance on an old Western, such as Wagon Train.