Re: If you were the creator of ENT, what would you have done different
Star Trek: Foundations
This
is how I have done ENT differently (or rather the bits of information that have been revealed so far).
Andorians: These are the most technologically advanced of all the species in the region. They have strong energy-based weaponry, the ability to project energy shielding around their ships, and very reliable tractor beams. They also are known to possess transporter technology (and are the only ones known to possess that technology). They have a caste-based communist system of government, and are currently embroiled in a state of civil war. They are very distrustful of outsiders, thanks largely in part to the fact the first aliens they encountered were Tellarites, who have become their bitter enemies.
Vulcans: They are Earth's most powerful allies, though there has been tension in the last half-century. They tend to look down on emotional species, which includes humans. At one point they openly helped Earth develop its warp technology, but the new government under PM T'Pau reversed that decision and even went as far as deleting information from UE computers. Relations have been somewhat frosty ever since, which isn't helped by their more recent declaration they would no longer come to Earth's aid during a time of war as they did during the Kzinti War. Naturally it didn't go over well when Vulcan acted as a mediator in the recent Alpha Centauri conflict. They are nearly as advanced as the Andorians, though their shielding and weapons are not as strong or as advanced.
Denobulans: The Denobulans are the most friendly ally Earth has, and there is currently a scientific exchange program between Denobula and United Earth's Science Institute. However, while they have been forced to fight their own conflicts in the past, they are not a belligerent people, and their current military strength reflects that, which is to say it is very small and tends to be more militia-based. They are also known to have long life spans and to marry in large polygamous groups, and only have to sleep for a small portion of the year in a type of hibernation, rather than sleeping every night.
Kzinti: A felinoid and aggressive species, they captured a UESPA crew and forced them to reveal the location of Earth, then made war on Earth in the hopes of expanding their empire. After a decade-long war, they were driven back into their own space, and agreed to an armistice which is now enforced by the Vulcan Alliance. They only have a slight edge on technology over Earth.
Nasicaans: A humanoid species which possesses no form of government, at least not any more, but thanks to the powerful weaponry their ships are usually equipped with, they can make a very big nuisance of themselves, especially when they work in groups. the last major conflict Earth had was with them thanks to attacks on Earth's outlying colonies and trade routes.
Orions: Green and mean, not much is known about them, other than that they are generally misogynistic and view all other species as being no better than livestock, and treat them as such, either as slave labor or as food. They seem to make their ships by cobbling together what they can from ships they have stolen.
Tellarites: The Boomers have known about them for a while and even traded with them, but Earth never really knew about them until Alpha Centauri hired a strong Tellarite military force to help them in their cause of independence. They are generally unpleasant, like to argue, but will react very violently to any personal insult. Their ships do have some substantial energy-based weaponry, not much less powerful than what the Vulcans have, but they cannot project energy shields around their ships and must rely on heavy armor to protect them. Their culture is very strongly capitalistic, and their military is more than willing to act as guns for hire. However, they often tend to drive a very hard bargain.
Alpha Centauri: Listed separately because of their recent break from Earth. Originally and agricultural colony founded by private interest, the AC system as grown quite large and has a substantial industrial capacity. When UE's government federalized all Earth colonies, AC resisted, and Earth reacted by essentially turning AC into a subject state, similar to the relationship Britain had with the American colonies. At the beginning of the series the troublesome colony again rebelled and declared its independence from Earth. While the Tellarite plan backed by the colony's governor failed, the Vulcan mediation pushed for by Titus Cheet succeeded and AC is currently independent of Earth, though Earth really isn't happy about that.
United Earth: Under the last couple of administrations,UE has become a much stronger federal government, and while there aren't many problems on Earth, there tends to be some friction between UE's government and the colonial government. There is no Starfleet. UESPA is a small organization that started out as more of a mix of NASA and NOAA Corps, but has more recently taken on some Coast Guard characteristics out of need. There has also been more joint work going on with the United Earth Military, which is charged with the defense of Earth, and has a massive space navy to carry out that defense. There tends to be a lot of friction between the UEM because the UEM would like to make sure nothing like the incident that touched off the Kzinti War happens again, and UESPA would like them to sod off. Earth's ships are limited in speed, use plasma weapons, laser cannons, missiles with different payload options, and the UEM warships also have railguns. They cannot project shields or tractor beams, though they can use the structural integrity field they have developed to harden hull armor and make their electromagnetic grapples very strong.
UES Enterprise, EX-01: Represents the pinnacle of Earth's technology thanks to her warp 5 engine. She is also the most heavily armed UESPA ship in existence, thanks to the joint cooperation with the UEM that also has a compliment of 40 UEM Security Forces soldiers on board to act as security for the ship and to operate the ship's weaponry. Thanks to politics, she has also become the first example of the Earth/Vulcan officer exchange program that has worked the other way around.
Characters
Captain Jonathan Archer: Commanding officer of
Enterprise and son of famous warp development engineer Dr. Henry Archer. While technically qualified to command the ship, he lacks command experience on a starship, and many object to his being placed in command of Earth's newest and most technologically advanced starship. There have been charges of favoritism on the part of Admiral Forrest, who is the highest ranking officer in UESPA, but Forrest refuses to budge and fully supports Archer as captain of
Enterprise.
Sub-Commander T'Pol: Recently reactivated Vulcan science officer who now serves as
Enterprise's first officer and science officer, thanks to some hardball politics by Ambassador Soval. She once served as Soval's aid, but was reactivated by him to serve in her current position. Not much is known about her past, other than that she previously served with the Vulcan fleet as a science officer, seems to have a somewhat close relationship with both Ambassador's Soval and Skon, and seems to have lost someone important to her as well as having a bad relationship with her mother, and also having lost her father. She tends to be aloof and has a strained relationship with the rest of
Enterprise's crew, especially with Captain Archer, though recently she has developed a kind of friendship with Commander Tucker.
Commander Charles Tucker III: Chief engineer of
Enterprise and a major contributer to the warp 5 project. he's very friendly though he tends to be very private about anything doing with himself. He has revealed that he has a strained relationship with his family, with the exception of his younger sister Elizabeth. Initially he was angry to have been bumped from his position as first officer, but more recently he has formed a kind of friendship with T'Pol, as well as having befriended Major Reed.
Major Malcolm Reed: Commandant of the UEM Security Forces on board
Enterprise. he tends to be aloof himself, and generally doesn't like the majority of the UESPA personnel, though more recently he's befriended Commander Tucker. he's a very by-the-book military man, and resents Captain Archer's repeated demands that he and his people maintain a "low profile".
Dr. Phlox: A Denobulan, he has proven very valuable as chief medical officer for his medical knowledge of other species, despite his unconventional methods. He is very friendly, if somewhat eccentric.
Dr. Jeremy Lucas: An experienced doctor in his own right, he participated in the Earth/Denobulan medical exchange and was actually a pen pal with Dr. Phlox while they were each on the other's home planet. However, his friendship with Dr. Phlox ended because of the resentment he has for being passed over as CMO of
Enterprise, instead being relegated to being Dr. Phlox's assistant.
Ensign Hoshi Sato: She's a skilled linguist and very intelligent - "gifted" is the term they would use. She is currently serving as
Enterprise's communications officer. Shy and somewhat meek outside of her area, she is a space greenhorn, and is both fascinated and afraid of being where she is. More recently she has begun to tutor Ensign Mayweather in his distance degree program so he can qualify officially as an officer.
Ensign Travis Mayweather: A Boomer, he was born in space and has lived most of his life there too, though leaving the life for Starfleet has made him an outcast among his people, and even from his own family. He actually enlisted because he didn't have a 4-year college degree as required by UESPA, he ended up becoming an ensign and
Enterprise's helmsman thanks to Captain Archer's influence, who witnessed some very impressive flying by him during an emergency in Earth orbit. He remains an officer under the promise that he complete a distance degree program, but he also remains only an ensign until he can do that. Not really an academic, he is thankful for the help Hoshi has been giving him with his school work. He and Archer get along perfectly, and like Archer he really doesn't care for Major Reed or the other SFs.
There are plenty of other characters I'd love to go into, but it's getting late and I'm out of time. I hope some of you check out my series though if you're interested in seeing what I've done.
