Has the Temporal age become Trek's best mystery time period?

[Quantum21]

We've all gone through those unknown periods over the decades that excite us, from the Cage era now getting its due, to the Romulan War and post-24th century to name a few.

But...

Isn't this wide open age elaborated on in Discovery and introduced in Enterprise, with temporal agents popping in and out of time, adversaries in conflict, time espionage, and fantastical equipment ripe for exploration?

We could have a mini-series about time cops, or a TV movie about how the Enterprise-J helped win a war. A series could explore that tragic era of manipulation of the Guardian of Forever and the banning of time travel also introduced in Discovery.

I think related to this is the era that led to the Burn and how we see post-Burn life.

Should we be seeing more of Kovich and Yor style characters?

 

[Markonian]

I don't think the unexplored period between the later 25th century and before the Burn could be turned into a profitable Trek series. The characters and plots would have to be really engaging. Plus, it's the age where technology should be able to solve everything, which is hard to achieve for dramatic storytelling.

I'd rather see this time period explored within other stories - as flashforwards, flashbacks, in games, novels, etc. For instance, the DSC novel Somewhere to Belong (Dayton Ward, 2023) is set in the Discovery-A timeframe and includes a backstory that involves the late 24th and late 25th centuries.

 

[F. King Daniel]

They could never ever do a full-on temporal war any justice whatsoever. Here's how I imagined it, but you can't put that on screen. It'd be like the Doctor Who time war where they describe impossible things beforehand and when you see it... he's just shooting Daleks with a gun.

 

[evilchumlee]

The issue with actually depicting the Temporal War is that it never begins or ends. By the very nature, it's always happening.

What I think is interesting about it is that with the revelation from DSC that they've now outlawed time travel by the 32nd century... which should be impossible, really... but NOT if the people from the 29th-31st centuries are basically the eternal time police. They're protecting the timeline, back and forward, in what is a neverending, eternal struggle. "The Timeline" presumably being what the decided upon version of the timeline was agreed upon at the conclusion of the Temporal Wars.

That's further complicated because in ENT, there's at least once or twice where Daniels excplitelly says that an event that happened wasn't supposed to happen... which then should have been corrected as not being part of the Prime Timeline. Although time travel in Trek works in mysterious ways, and while it's been suspected for a long time, SNW essentially confirmed that the timeline will attempt to correct itself.

So... there might be some details here and there that end up altered but as long as the broad strokes of the timeline remain, it all works out.

I really love the idea, it's probably my favorite thing in Star Trek but... just... impossible to properly depict. I like having the Time Cops around, but probably best in smaller doses.

Shout out to the small details though, the SNW Temporal Agent seemed to be from the 29th century, given her PADD-type device was the same interface as on the Relativity.

 

[Quantum21]

The issue with actually depicting the Temporal War is that it never begins or ends. By the very nature, it's always happening.

What I think is interesting about it is that with the revelation from DSC that they've now outlawed time travel by the 32nd century... which should be impossible, really... but NOT if the people from the 29th-31st centuries are basically the eternal time police. They're protecting the timeline, back and forward, in what is a neverending, eternal struggle. "The Timeline" presumably being what the decided upon version of the timeline was agreed upon at the conclusion of the Temporal Wars.

That's further complicated because in ENT, there's at least once or twice where Daniels excplitelly says that an event that happened wasn't supposed to happen... which then should have been corrected as not being part of the Prime Timeline. Although time travel in Trek works in mysterious ways, and while it's been suspected for a long time, SNW essentially confirmed that the timeline will attempt to correct itself.

So... there might be some details here and there that end up altered but as long as the broad strokes of the timeline remain, it all works out.

I really love the idea, it's probably my favorite thing in Star Trek but... just... impossible to properly depict. I like having the Time Cops around, but probably best in smaller doses.

Shout out to the small details though, the SNW Temporal Agent seemed to be from the 29th century, given her PADD-type device was the same interface as on the Relativity.

Well certainly some of these ideas would be expensive and hard to depict.

A time investigation show might go something like Time Tunnel. A Guardian of Forever show might be very dark.

It's also possible the period should not be seen! Let it remain mysterious and enigmatic.

 

[evilchumlee]

It's also possible the period should not be seen! Let it remain mysterious and enigmatic.

I'm in this camp. I'm all about it being... present. Agents showing up here and there. But I really don't need it to be the focus of anything.

It would also just be... incredibly expensive to produce from a real world standpoint.

 

[fireproof78]

It's also possible the period should not be seen! Let it remain mysterious and enigmatic.

This.

 

[Quantum21]

This.

Oh c'mon where's the fun in that!?

Thought: Temporal agent series could be almost like an anthology! Different Trek eras.

 

[fireproof78]

Oh c'mon where's the fun in that!?

Regardless of what fans might think, exploring everything doesn't lead to more fun.

 

[Quantum21]

Regardless of what fans might think, exploring everything doesn't lead to more fun.

I've never subscribed to the idea some things shouldn't be known.

 

[JoseNoodles]

They could never ever do a full-on temporal war any justice whatsoever. Here's how I imagined it, but you can't put that on screen. It'd be like the Doctor Who time war where they describe impossible things beforehand and when you see it... he's just shooting Daleks with a gun.

I like you short story, I think it could be done with enough money and will. It could be like Sliders, but with the wealth of lore and technology that exists in Star Trek, it wouldn't have to be limited to one planet (Earth).

 

[fireproof78]

I've never subscribed to the idea some things shouldn't be known.

I don't either, but I think there are some ideas that go so deep as they take away the imagination of the audience in engaging with the story.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Honestly, I'd rather do a "Post Temporal War" where time travel is allowed, but heavily regulated.

 

[Quantum21]

Honestly, I'd rather do a "Post Temporal War" where time travel is allowed, but heavily regulated.

It might happen. The android ban was lifted, so maybe this could be too.

What would be cool is if they based the new rule off of some new mechanism by which they can keep track of time more thoroughly. No, I don't mean a real neat Swiss watch!

 

[FederationHistorian]

They could never ever do a full-on temporal war any justice whatsoever.

They would need to be a series of movies in order for it to work.

 

[evilchumlee]

It might happen. The android ban was lifted, so maybe this could be too.

What would be cool is if they based the new rule off of some new mechanism by which they can keep track of time more thoroughly. No, I don't mean a real neat Swiss watch!

The thing is, they don't need to do that... there will always be active time travelers policing the timeline from at least the 29th-31st centuries.

Time travel in Trek works both ways... so there's no particular reason why a 29th century timeship can't police the entire timeline, backwards and forewords. Those people have knowledge of the future timeline doesn't really cause any issue, as their ships are temporally shielded and don't suffer the effects of timeline changes (or at least, theoretically... timeline changes did a number physically on Daniels).

It may well be that time travel is "forever" banned, and there are certain points in time that enforce it. Even if the Federation of the 32nd century decided to say hell with it and unban time travel, they're going to have to deal with the 30th century Time Police...

EDIT

I think if anything, Temporal Agents exist as something akin to the TVA from Marvel. They're kind of outside the timeline, so their actual origin year is irrelevant. They know what the Prime Timeline is supposed to be and enforce it. It doesn't matter at point on that timeline an incursion occurs...

 

[Hawku]

If there is going to be any time travel show, it has to be Captain Archer finding himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I' was hoping for an explanation as to when that time pod from ENT's "Future Tense" came from and who the pilot was.

But it doesn't look like we'll get one, since DSC is ending (and, IIRC, the time pod came from a hundred years before its current time frame).

I suppose Legacy could take a shot at it tho.

(side note: What the hell are we going to call that show? LEG? )

 

[The Wormhole]

What the hell are we going to call that show? LEG?

Since Legacy is only a hypothetical and no work has been done towards making it real, we don't need to worry about calling it anything.

 

[Farscape One]

We've all gone through those unknown periods over the decades that excite us, from the Cage era now getting its due, to the Romulan War and post-24th century to name a few.

But...

Isn't this wide open age elaborated on in Discovery and introduced in Enterprise, with temporal agents popping in and out of time, adversaries in conflict, time espionage, and fantastical equipment ripe for exploration?

We could have a mini-series about time cops, or a TV movie about how the Enterprise-J helped win a war. A series could explore that tragic era of manipulation of the Guardian of Forever and the banning of time travel also introduced in Discovery.

I think related to this is the era that led to the Burn and how we see post-Burn life.

Should we be seeing more of Kovich and Yor style characters?

My answer to the thread question.. no. Let the time travel die a permanent death.

My answer to your question in the post that I bolded... yes. I really like Kovich.