Spoilers Where should Star Trek go next?

[The Wormhole]

ya I want them to move forward.

Since the Trek franchise is now in the 32nd century, a Picard sequel set in the 25th century would automatically be a prequel.

Whenever it's discussed that people want a Trek series in the 25th Century or beyond, I'm always reminded of an interview I saw with Berman and Braga.

They mentioned that when Enterprise was first being considered, the studio wanted a show set in the 26th century or something. Their response was.....

"So the spandex is a little tighter, the ships will go warp 14, and the phasers will be smaller."

Braga followed this up with....

"What is more future than the 24th century?"

I've always thought they were right about this. What does moving so far into the future really get us? Just look at Discovery. It's the 32nd century, but what has really changed? Not much.

I'd rather fill out the spaces we have between the 21st and 25th century than needlessly go further into the future for no apparent good reason.

Granted, we have the 32nd century now to contend with. What's done is done.

Very true. I feel the same way about people who say things like "Star Trek should totally do a show set in another galaxy. Think of the possibilities!" But really, what possibilities? Toss in a new term for a new form of FTL to explain how a Starfleet ship got to another galaxy in a reasonable timeframe, and it's the same old. Especially when you factor in as the series went on they keep contriving a way for the "old favorites" like the Klingons, Ferengi and Borg to show up in this new galaxy anyway.

 

[Rahul]

I think the benefit of a show in the 25th century is very simply that we can follow it's progression in real time from the 90s Trek shows. Have familiar characters show up. Have a general understanding of the technology. Of the power structure between the races, alliances, see the developments of friends and foes, consequences of previous events etc.

The Breen showing up in the 32nd century is kinda' meaningless, as they're a completely blank slate. In a 25th century show though, we would have an immediate point of reference & wonder how they have handled the end of the Dominion War.

 

[fireproof78]

So safer and not so our thete so the audience feels like it's in familiar territory?

 

[Tiran O'Saurus]

Very true. I feel the same way about people who say things like "Star Trek should totally do a show set in another galaxy. Think of the possibilities!" But really, what possibilities? Toss in a new term for a new form of FTL to explain how a Starfleet ship got to another galaxy in a reasonable timeframe, and it's the same old. Especially when you factor in as the series went on they keep contriving a way for the "old favorites" like the Klingons, Ferengi and Borg to show up in this new galaxy anyway.

Going to another galaxy worked great for Mass Effect!

 

[Daedalus]

Yeah, I'm not feeling this idea that moving further into the future is inherently dull or boring. There will come a time when gaps will be filled, and you've rebooted the 23rd and/or 24th centuries to death.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

Going to another galaxy worked great for Mass Effect!

Going to another galaxy unironically worked great for Stargate!

Star Trek: Voyager has shown that you can put a Starfleet ship anywhere in the Milky Way and it might as well be another galaxy because they won't be seeing many familiar faces for the next few decades. But if you strand a crew so far away that they can't possibly get back, then that changes the story dramatically. Do they align themselves with a local government? Do they set up their own Federation? Do they become freelancers and go around doing jobs for people? Maybe they find nothing but ancient ruins and derelict vessels and have to deal with being alone, maybe they go on fun adventures in a galaxy full of vibrant cultures, a extra-galactic Trek series could rip off all kinds of sci-fi series!

 

[HotRod]

Yeah, I'm not feeling this idea that moving further into the future is inherently dull or boring. There will come a time when gaps will be filled, and you've rebooted the 23rd and/or 24th centuries to death.

We're still a long way from those gaps being filled. Just between the Early Federation (2161 - 2233) and the Lost Era (2293 - 2363), we've got over 140 years worth of timeline that could be explored.

 

[The Wormhole]

The Breen showing up in the 32nd century is kinda' meaningless, as they're a completely blank slate.

The whole point of the Breen is that they've always been a completely blank slate. In DS9 their dialogue was never even translated, and we were always provided intentionally contradictory background info on them. Disco's just continuing what DS9 started and expanding on it.

 

[Daedalus]

Going to another galaxy unironically worked great for Stargate!

Star Trek: Voyager has shown that you can put a Starfleet ship anywhere in the Milky Way and it might as well be another galaxy because they won't be seeing many familiar faces for the next few decades. But if you strand a crew so far away that they can't possibly get back, then that changes the story dramatically. Do they align themselves with a local government? Do they set up their own Federation? Do they become freelancers and go around doing jobs for people? Maybe they find nothing but ancient ruins and derelict vessels and have to deal with being alone, maybe they go on fun adventures in a galaxy full of vibrant cultures, a extra-galactic Trek series could rip off all kinds of sci-fi series!

It sounds like the sort of thing that Berman was too afraid to do for Voyager, but has a fair chance of being good for modern serialised television.

Also, a new long-lasting antagonist has been missing for a long time, and we've yet to see a galactic super-civilization that could dwarf the Borg. It's a big Universe, they surely have to be out there?

We're still a long way from those gaps being filled. Just between the Early Federation (2161 - 2233) and the Lost Era (2293 - 2363), we've got over 140 years worth of timeline that could be explored.

Oh I'd definitely enjoy something set after Enterprise, don't get me wrong, I just can't imagine there isn't enough creativity left in the world where someone couldn't make interesting stories set in the 25th/26th/27th centuries etc.

 

[DaveyNY]

Even the mainstream media wants to know ...

Shatner, Pine, or a Kirk triple whammy: where should Star Trek boldly go next?

https://www.theguardian.com/film/ar...-whammy-where-should-star-trek-boldly-go-next

 

[StarTrek1701]

I am really sad that they just abandoned the Kelvinverse, I really like that timeline

 

[cooleddie74]

Two of the three films were homeruns. That's not a bad track record.

 

[urbandk]

The Kelvinverse was a victim of its own success with an A list cast and unmet box office expectations. If they could have made the numbers add up we could have had something like Star Trek Beyond every couple years. That's an alternate dimension I'd like to visit. At least we've been spared something like rise of Skywalker

 

[Tim Walker]

The Typhon Pact novels suggest that the aftermath of the Dominion War could have seen an alternative time line.

 

[Frontis]

Star Trek should go where it hasn't gone before. No more sequels please, we got enough recently! New characters, new worlds, new species, new ships and new stories.

 

[MikHutch]

Star Trek should go where it hasn't gone before. No more sequels please, we got enough recently! New characters, new worlds, new species, new ships and new stories.

How would that not be a sequel

 

[Jedi Marso]

How would that not be a sequel

I think he meant sequel in terms of retreading old characters / ships / plotlines. You can move forward from Picard without us seeing a single member of the TNG (or VOY or DS9) ever again. Starfleet and the galaxy are big enough.

 

[Frontis]

Exactly, that's what I meant.

 

[FredH]

I wouldn’t mind a connecting thread, or a “typical” done-before format, so long as we still move forward into newer and different storylines using them — much as Strange New Worlds has straight-up used the TOS format, yet doesn’t feel like a retread because the writing’s been (mostly) good. So I’d be fine with Legacy, or with a show about (say) Captain Leto Burnham commanding his era’s Enterprise. If the writing’s good, a similarity of plot or format won’t matter.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

I honestly think they could make Star Trek like they do Doctor Who. Have a main show that generally sticks to the episodic TOS/TNG format, but changes its cast, sets and creative team every few years to save money and stay fresh. Have prequels and cartoons and spin-offs on space stations as well, but the core show should just keep going under the same name with new ships. I mean TNG was basically a continuation of TOS and it worked great, DS9 continued threads from TNG, and Lower Decks eventually carried on from there. I know Berman and Braga couldn't answer the question of where do you go from Voyager, but Enterprise shows that maybe the problem was writer fatigue.

So basically what I want is Star Trek: The Continuing Mission, starring Jeri Ryan for its first 3/5 years until she passes the show on to the next crew. Not grimdark Star Trek: Legacy where Naomi Wildman is a ruthless vigilante who decapitates people, not a sequel, just the next chapter in the TNG story.