Describe YOUR new Star Trek series.

[fireproof78]

...reintroducing the Borg. That is always an iffy proposition, mostly due to how in to the ground VOY drove them, taking any mystique or menace to them...

I always saw the Borg, first and foremost, like the cancer of the Milky Way. They are formidable, highly adaptable, and will always keep growing until they are eradicated completely. They were by no means beaten down by Voyager and they're still a threat to the Delta Quadrant. SF Command knows it's only a matter of time before they come back as strong as ever.

...why the use of multiple ships?

Just between the UFP, the KE, and the RSE, there is a lot of space to cover. I always liked the idea of delving deeper into planets or species that were previously only touched on (like ENT did with the Andorians, loved that).
I think it would also allow for more details in the plot to unfold simultaneously.
Plus, the 3 settings represent 3 aspects of Star Trek I would like to see more of:
Crew 1: Future Earth/ Sol System, SF HQ, and SF Academy.
Crew 2: The concept of M.A.C.O.s taken to the next step.
Crew 3: Not the Enterprise - because they don't have to be the stars of the Alpha Quad to have an interesting starship.

Any one of those concepts is great in theory, and could easily be expanded upon for a full show.

I disagree. Here's why:
Crew 1 - I'm sure Warped9 will be the first to point out that a show about a crew that typically stays around Earth is not really Star Trekking.
Crew 2 - Although I like the militaristic aspects of Trek (space battles are always fun), I never thought they should dominate the show. Ironically, this is where I would plan to delve deepest into questions about humanity.
Crew 3 - TOS, TNG, VOY, ENT, ???, we don't need another one just like this format (IMHO).

I get that this is just a proposal, so I'm not trying to nitpick.

No way, dude. You're cool. Thanks for showing interest.

I think that you can delve in to the previously unknown species of the Romulan Empire with the Luna class exploring previously restricted space-the neutral zone is redone due to the Empire being damaged, what have you. In my opinion, you have the greatest potential there in that it is a new frontier, and some of the species may be hostile or xenophobic or concealing tech to avoid incurring the wrath of the Romulan Empire.

A show centered around Earth? The first concept was about a shakedown cruise. Regardless of realism, shakedown cruises rarely go smoothly or according to plan, so not sure why you're stuck around Earth. I mean, it may be a poor example, but like at the Ent-B. It's cruise was supposed to be inside Earth's solar system and yet they end up in the middle of a crisis. Just saying, it doesn't have to be stuck at Earth.

Finally, the Borg. I agree that they were a cancer and should be treated with about as humanity. However, more to my point was not in universe but an audience reaction. The Borg were overdone in VOY (to put it mildly) and removed a lot of what made them so menacing in TNG, IMHO.

So, the question is, how do you bring them back in a meaningful way without falling in to the trap that VOY did?

 

[Tim Walker]

You don't bring back the Borg. They no longer seem so menacing, so what's the point?

In early TNG the Ferengi were supposed to be the arch enemies of the Federation, but they didn't come across as sufficiently menacing. So they got written out of that role.

 

[Rahul]

I kind of like origin stories for pilots. The first episode of Enterprise, 'Broken Bow', wasn't that great an episode. But i still like it, because it shows us how the ship launched in a casual way. It certainly isn't strictly needed, but I still like it to identify with the characters.

I think Firefly did it right: In the pilot, we saw how the passengers were introduced to the ship and crew, and later in the series we had another 'origin'-story where the crew met in the first place. With more potential to tell other other origin stories (how certain characters would have met the first time, what were the defining moments in the relationship between the siblings, how Wash and Zoe became a couple, etc. etc...)

I like that approach: First Episode: Barebone introduction to the characters (and it's always easier to introduce characters when they first meet each other, or at least SOME of them don't knwo each other beforehand). Then focus on the series. But casually flashback to important moments in their lives.

 

[Rahul]

As for the Borg:


I am really alone with this opinion, but:

i actually like how they were made weaker on Voyager. The first time they were invulnerable. But you can't built stories where the bad guys always win. And it wouldn't be Star Trek if everyone has to live in constant fear of being assimilated. Society would have fallen into full-grown paranoia (I mean, that's a great premise for a series right there. It's just not a good Star Trek-premise). So it made sense that Starfleet would adapt. And that the Borg would then re-adapt.


Here is my proposal:

Let the Borg be the ISIS of a new show. Their homeworld was destroyed. Now, they are a big scavenger fleet, raving through the galaxy, assimilating and destroying everything on their path. Every once in a while, a cube or a sphere breaches from the fleet and goes rogue into Federation space. Everytime that happens, a quick counter-fleet is assembled. The Borg are defeatable in every single battle. But never destroyable as a whole.

Also: they have gone some kind of mad. Their steps aren't logical anymore (even though they still insist they are), the drones are more individual, as in they have special-purpose drones: repair drones, warrior drones, scanning drones and assimilation drones. And even some kind of 'local leader' drones: when you have 10 -15 drones rogue, there is a 'leader', who is the local 'hub' and they now form a 'collective' of only 15 Borg around him, which is much more distinct and unpredictable compared to the main fleet with their millions of drones.
(Also: They don't have a queen. They are one, giant, single supermind, that has slowly gone mad. I would retcon the 'First Contact'-queen into one of those "small leaders", that has overstepped it's boundaries and became a local power in the collective)

As a result, the Borg are a recurring villain (like the Dominion once was). One that is far from being the single most powerfull force of the galaxy, but still an enourmus threat. That would allow a new series to use them regularly, without forcing them to put the entire series around the Borg threat...

 

[Shark]

Either something pre-TOS with really primitive ships or "Lost era" Trek that touches on the war with the Cardassians and sees the introduction of the Ferengi. I'm curious what effect those incidents had on the Federation.

Or something post-Nemesis.

 

[Jeffe525]

A show centered around Earth? ...not sure why you're stuck around Earth...Just saying, it doesn't have to be stuck at Earth.

By "around Earth," I meant that crew typically would not venture out too far, and their resting position is within the Sol System. This is the crew (specifically its Commander) that would be most involved in revealing the shortcomings of SF and UFP politics. He makes the connections between what's going on with the other crews and the drama unfolding at home.

...The Borg were overdone in VOY...and removed a lot of what made them so menacing... So, the question is, how do you bring them back in a meaningful way without falling in to the trap that VOY did?

Answering this completely would require quite a bit of backstory. But briefly, the actions of VOY triggered a mass rebellion against the Borg after Endgame. 20 years later, the Borg have been severely weakened, but they have reinforced their few remaining strongholds and begun expanding their Transwarp infrastructure.

The alliance in the Delta Quad is weary of war and has started to fray. The Borg have begun to focus its attacks on the most advanced species in the alliance. Nearing collapse, this mystery species sends an "ambassador" to the Alpha Quad to plead for assistance to help finish the Borg once and for all.

To clarify, the show focuses less on defeating the Borg and more on overcoming political hurdles, old Alpha Quad rivalries, and other challenges involved with assembling the Alpha alliance required to make it happen. The Borg would only really be showcased in the last season.

 

[Esirprus]

I would set the new show about 20-25 years after Nemesis, right around the dawn of the 25th Century. This would make cameos from TNG, DS9, and VOY possible (even believable this time), but cameos would be used sparingly and only when it compliments the story.

The main characters would be split between the senior staff of three crews:
Crew 1 - A construction and shakedown crew of a new mid-sized prototype, like a next-gen Defiant-Class.
Crew 2 - A special forces recon group that primarily operates across the lawless regions of the Klingon frontier and the Romulan Neutral Zone out of an older, unregistered Runabout-equivalent vessel.
Crew 3 - A standard Luna-class ship that officially patrols the UFP side of the Romulan Neutral Zone, but unofficially offers strategic and material support to Crew 2.
Other minor characters include the Admiral that commands all 3 crews along with a couple of intelligence geeks at Starfleet HQ in San Fran, a rag-tag renegade Klingon commander & crew, and a mystery character who is slowly revealed in season 1 and ties all the main characters together.

The series would be organized into 5 seasons, about a dozen episodes/ season. Each season would have its own arc, which feeds into a larger arc stretching across the whole series.

The primary plot is geared towards the Borg's final stand against the superpowers of the Alpha Quadrant, while each season will address issues like internal politics, the resurgence of the UFP-Romulan rivalry, the "other side" of Utopian societies, and other challenges that mirror social and geopolitical issues of our time (in the 21st century).

Very few new species or wondrous discoveries in this concept; it's mostly a story based in the already established Trek universe and built upon some events of the previous generation (TNG/DS9/VOY).

I've spent five years working on a much larger version of a concept rather similar to what you described. When ready I'll be posting a link to a crowd-sourcing project for it. I have no intention of letting CBS kill Star Trek and I hope with 23 possibilities for new Star Treks outlined in my head many with at least a handful of opening episodes written I'm hoping that'll be enough to get me foot in the door this month.

Given that, any constructive input you can provide would be appreciated. It's not just hope this time. My primary love for Star Trek came from James T. Kirk's attitude of "we're doing what I said not because I said it, but that you've decided to agree with me out of desperation."

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[fireproof78]

A show centered around Earth? ...not sure why you're stuck around Earth...Just saying, it doesn't have to be stuck at Earth.

By "around Earth," I meant that crew typically would not venture out too far, and their resting position is within the Sol System. This is the crew (specifically its Commander) that would be most involved in revealing the shortcomings of SF and UFP politics. He makes the connections between what's going on with the other crews and the drama unfolding at home.

Interesting. A couple of more questions come to my mind though. First, why Earth?

Why not have it be out, elsewhere, where new ships are being constructed and tested out? I mean, if the Alpha Quad powers are having a kerfuffel over rivalries and what-not, so why not move UFP headquarters somewhere more neutral? A political act of peace that brought the powers one step closer together, as it where.

If you move the politics to that center, you can still show the shortcomings without tying your hands about showing future Earth.

...The Borg were overdone in VOY...and removed a lot of what made them so menacing... So, the question is, how do you bring them back in a meaningful way without falling in to the trap that VOY did?

Answering this completely would require quite a bit of backstory. But briefly, the actions of VOY triggered a mass rebellion against the Borg after Endgame. 20 years later, the Borg have been severely weakened, but they have reinforced their few remaining strongholds and begun expanding their Transwarp infrastructure.

The alliance in the Delta Quad is weary of war and has started to fray. The Borg have begun to focus its attacks on the most advanced species in the alliance. Nearing collapse, this mystery species sends an "ambassador" to the Alpha Quad to plead for assistance to help finish the Borg once and for all.

To clarify, the show focuses less on defeating the Borg and more on overcoming political hurdles, old Alpha Quad rivalries, and other challenges involved with assembling the Alpha alliance required to make it happen. The Borg would only really be showcased in the last season.

More questions. First of all, what threat are the Borg, then? Are they making random appearances, making attacking them directly difficult? Are they less logical (as was suggested by Rahul) so they are less predictable?

Why are the AQ's rivalries so bad that their alliances are fraying making defending their boarders difficult? What are the political hurdles present that have appeared so suddenly to cause such a rift?

I like politics as much as the next guy, but it seems like this concept leans heavily on the politics and less space. So, clarification is appreciated

Feel free to send a PM if you don't want to bog down the thread.

 

[Cronus]

I am new here, but I have had a nagging idea recently, one centered around the Federation years after Voyager.

Different people like the different series for different reasons, so as an attempt to kind of appease everyone, the concept would go as follows:

On the fringes of Federation Space, A small, exploration vessel is attacked by a mysterious new enemy, one that relies on stealth, speed and logistics rather than on sheer brute force (which is so common in the other series). I imagine this new threat would use a small ship outfitted with an advanced cloaking device hiding nearby to jam subspace communication and sensors while a larger, armed ship sneaks in while the "prey" is trying to figure out what happened to their sensors. Maybe the ships can even be equipped with energy syphons; to dibilitate the enemy shields when it is already under attack, make the smaller attack ships more effective.

When a space station in orbit of a sparcely populated agricultural planet nearby; the last outpost in this sector of space, sends another ship to investigate and it too disappears. Even before they can send a message to Starfleet, to apprise them of the situation, the station and planet below are cut off from communication, even from each other.

This mysterious enemy soon invades the planet, driving the colonists into hiding in some underground caverns a random mining team discovered but never fully explored. From here they will be launching a counteroffensive against the invaders and have to try to reestablish communication with the station.

At the same time, forces attack the station and many escape in life pods that are jettisoned and sent to an adjacent system with a small mining outpost. A ship in the area responds to their initial short-range calls and comes to get them and begins a "delicate" investigation into the attack on the station after they send out a subspace message to Starfleet.

Aboard the station, a small core of officers find they can't flee in escape pods; someone (one of their own) had locked them down, keeping the bridge crew from leaving. (yes, someone is a mole and they need to find out who) They decided instead to hide aboard the station and try to take it back from the enemies; but first they need to figure out who they are and what they want.

*****

Basically, the story would be told by four groups of characters; planetside, station officers, starfleet and the crew of the ship that pick up some of the survivors (who will become pivotal on helping to overcome the enemies). It could become a more serious and dramatic show than the others that have come before.

 

[MantaBase]

I understand that. But when we discuss an origin story I assume we're talking about something the audience actually sees rather than something the writer uses merely as a tool to get started.

Fair enough. I was just replying to that post without context. I might say that I never used it as a tool. I always intended it to be there. Right up until it became obvious it didn't need to be there.

 

[Tim Walker]

Well, actually it is someone elses. But some of the images are interesting.

http://www.st-minutiae.com/misc/renaissance/images/index.html

It appears that scripts were written for a series set a few decades after the Dominion War. This includes first contact with the Q'tami, and discovery of a semi-stable wormhole.

BTW, there is also a story about the Dominion /Borg war.

www.st-minutiae.com/academy/literature215/dominion-borg.html

 

[uniderth]

A prisoner of war series set during the Cardassian war. The crew of a starship are being held in a prisoner of war camp. Captain Hogan leads the ragtag band of prisoner's of war. The bumbling Cardassians give Hogan and his crew plenty of opportunities to sabotage their war efforts. Gul Kilink is more concerned with having everything run smoothly and avoiding any trouble with his superiors (especially anything that might result in his being reassigned and sent to the front) than with being tough on Hogan and his fellow prisoners.

 

[Norsehound]

The year is 2289. The setting is the U.S.S. Tokyo, a Miranda-class workhorse stationed to patrol the hostile Klingon border. It is the height of the tensions with the Klingons.

Contrary to the wishes and vision of the Federation council at the heart of the UFP, it is not a time of plenty and prosperity. Klingon raids are frequent. Races in the Federation are bucking against their membership for their own gains and from the threat of the Klingons. Doves in Federation policy are pushing for demilitarization, while the Klingon raids are on the rise.

While Kirk is joyriding on the new Enterprise-A, Tokyo is one ship doing grunt work in this backdrop in a Federation with hostility from within and without.

--------------

I am forever disappointed that the 2270s-2290s will never be revisited on the small screen, so this is my proposal. The tone will be the shift between the wild frontier of the Original series to becoming a mature United Federation of Planets. Eventually this "empire" will fade into the weaker 24th century period, but this is still a time when internal strife is strong and some are wondering if the UFP should be some kind of conquering Empire.

This could be some kind of miniseries, presented like televised Novels (think Vanguard as a TV series, set in TMP). The first arc could be six episodes long, resulting in the rooting out of a spy in the UFP and establishment of one reoccurring Kliingon Antagonist (Driving an L-9 saber, channeling the cunning of the original Errand of mercy klingons instead of the biker samurai fanatics of later iterations).

If successful Seasons 2 and 3 would be the buildup for more hostilities with the Klingons and a major Federation race breaking away from the Feds and threatening civil war (or at least, joining the Klingons). Talk about the absence of the Organians and the decline of whimsy in the universe.

The end would come in the 2290s with the loss of the Tokyo, and at the end the Captain and crew wondering what all that struggle and hardship was over the years of service when all would be peace and cuddles with the Klingons years later. No resolution for burned colonies, destroyed ships, and lives lost to Klingon hostility. But while there is a "strategic" loss, "tactically" many the major character arcs would come to happy or melancholic conclusions.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

The year is 2289. The setting is the U.S.S. Tokyo, a Miranda-class workhorse stationed to patrol the hostile Klingon border. It is the height of the tensions with the Klingons.

Contrary to the wishes and vision of the Federation council at the heart of the UFP, it is not a time of plenty and prosperity. Klingon raids are frequent. Races in the Federation are bucking against their membership for their own gains and from the threat of the Klingons. Doves in Federation policy are pushing for demilitarization, while the Klingon raids are on the rise.

While Kirk is joyriding on the new Enterprise-A, Tokyo is one ship doing grunt work in this backdrop in a Federation with hostility from within and without.

--------------

I am forever disappointed that the 2270s-2290s will never be revisited on the small screen, so this is my proposal. The tone will be the shift between the wild frontier of the Original series to becoming a mature United Federation of Planets. Eventually this "empire" will fade into the weaker 24th century period, but this is still a time when internal strife is strong and some are wondering if the UFP should be some kind of conquering Empire.

This could be some kind of miniseries, presented like televised Novels (think Vanguard as a TV series, set in TMP). The first arc could be six episodes long, resulting in the rooting out of a spy in the UFP and establishment of one reoccurring Kliingon Antagonist (Driving an L-9 saber, channeling the cunning of the original Errand of mercy klingons instead of the biker samurai fanatics of later iterations).

If successful Seasons 2 and 3 would be the buildup for more hostilities with the Klingons and a major Federation race breaking away from the Feds and threatening civil war (or at least, joining the Klingons). Talk about the absence of the Organians and the decline of whimsy in the universe.

The end would come in the 2290s with the loss of the Tokyo, and at the end the Captain and crew wondering what all that struggle and hardship was over the years of service when all would be peace and cuddles with the Klingons years later. No resolution for burned colonies, destroyed ships, and lives lost to Klingon hostility. But while there is a "strategic" loss, "tactically" many the major character arcs would come to happy or melancholic conclusions.

An interesting premise. Any thoughts on your characters?

 

[Norsehound]

The characters weren't as formed as the premise (which I've had for a while), but let's see what being in front of the keyboard can produce:

Captain Mark Hollace: 42 year old human captain. Assigned to the Tokyo following the retirement of his previous command, the U.S.S. Billings. He was only able to bring his best friend and Executive officer Lance Kellowitz with him to the Tokyo.

Not yet a grizzled veteran but with his share of space experience behind him. Mark has learned early on never to underestimate the Klingons, while he is not intently hostile towards them he feels no ground should be given against the warrior race. He is critical of the increasing Federation trend to demilitarization, but feels as a mere Captain he is powerless to affect starfleet policy. He cares little for flowery prose and diplomacy, preferring to be practical and succinct in enacting Federation policies. Still clinging to the frontier notions of the Federation, Hollice is willing to bend the rules to solve problems even if they aren't compliant with Federation policy. This gets him into trouble often with his elevated superiors.

Hollice has met Kirk twice, and views him as an icon of the Federation's fading Vitality.

By season 3 he is wishing for a bigger and better command and tries to get posting to an Excelsior. when the Tokyo is destroyed he has that posting but finds it was not worth trading the crew for, as most are sent to different assignments.

Commander Lance Kellowitz: Human First officer and Tactical officer of the Tokyo. Actually Hollace's upperclassmen, Kellowitz stayed back at the academy when he switched majors from tactical to command. Has served on three starships before Tokyo, two of them with Hollace.

Kellowitz is a little more positive than Hollace, since his position as second officer allows him to play good cop when Hollace has to be a stern commander. He's easygoing and friendly. It's a running joke among the crew though that he has strewn old lovers across the quadrant, though nobody has a place in his heart as much as a certain Andorian woman from his past he'll seldom talk about.

In Season 2 we will meet that Andorian and discover she is an agent for Section 31. Kellowitz is torn between his feelings for her and the honesty in starfleet. This conflict will put some distance between him and Hollace, resulting at the end of the series, Kellowitz takes a starbase posting to help unravel the secrets binding the Andorian to her duty.

Lt. Commander Alice Compton: Chief Medical officer, late thirties. Two time divorcee who traded in her starbase practices for starship work to stay mobile. Strong belief in the light the Federation brings to other worlds and a strong sense of Empathy. Her strong feelings in this matter is partly a cover to keep her from facing the pain of her divorces. She is sarcastic and deadpan in sickbay, but offduty she has endearing moments. She is also highly protective of her medical staff and will be the first to break the pride of any patient who thinks they're "just fine". She has several merits of accomplishment from Starfleet medical but never displays them.

She clashes often with Hollace over enacting Federation policy as sometimes the quickest problem is not the most humane. Still, while Hollace values the mission and Compton values about the people, both of them manage to budge to reach compromise on completing the mission.

Over time both will become closer, and at the end of the series they are an item when Hollace transfers to his next command, the Excelsior-class Intrepid.

Lt. Commander Agost: Arcturan Chief Engineer. Drives a hard ship. Not one of the most inventive chief engineers, but makes up for it by running a squeaky clean and by the book engineering space. Frequently drills his personnel. Scoffs at notoriety and fame, whenever pressed about how "his engineering" competes with others in starfleet, expresses that no other engineering space is as efficienty run as his. Indeed, at the beginning of the seires, Tokyo is awarded an Engineering mark of excellence in the sector for quickest maintenance. Agosts' direction runs into plenty of problems when Tokyo is forced to improvise without proper components... a fact that brings Agost and Hollace into frequent conflict. But as captain, Agost has to bow to his authority. Fortunately the command staff turns a blind eye to inventive procedures by Agosts' technical staff.

Agost has a severe crisis of loyalty when Arcturus withdraws from the Federation and starts to swing to the Klingons. This reaches a head when he acts on the loyalty of his planet and gets captured trying to sabotage the ship in season 3. But a speech from Kellowitz resonates with him all the way to the Federation council, where he is key to bringing his planet back to the Federation.

HoD Kabar, son of Agar: 35 year old Captian of the outdated L-9 Saber Voh'dok. He is one of the last QuichHa' still serving in the defense force, forgoing the cosmetic surgery. He is Kor's nephew. Kabar laughs in the face of disdain from the HemQuch. His current posting is a "reward" for using guile and deception to crush a resistance force by upstart slaves (while the official task force was beaten in a straight fight).

The KDF won't admit it, but his L-9 Saber has more mission successes (though not combat victories) than any other ship in the sector. He's drawn the attention of Klingon intelligence as a result, and the Voh'dok is often dispatched on clandestine missions on the border, running into the Tokyo as a result.

He is a part of Chang's coup. Partly for this reason, he enjoys verbally sparring with Hollace in a manner similar to Kirk and Kor's discussions in Errand of Mercy.

 

[Phantom]

Time: in the aftermath of the Dominion War

The Situation: The war shattered more than just the military strength of the Great Powers of the Alpha Quadrant. Within the Federation, it exposed the weaknesses in their own social structure. To paraphrase what Quark told his nephew: the Federation can be the most friendly people...when their bellies are full and their holodecks are working. Take that away, put them in fear for a long period of time, and they can become just as surly and nasty as any Klingon.

With billions dead all throughout Federation space and planets like Betazed crippled, likely for decades to come, the Federation Council holds to a harder line in interstellar relations. Starfleet is being rebuilt as best it can, but it too will be years or more in the remaking (production and crewing of "superships" like Galaxys, Nebulas and Sovereigns is on indefinite hold), and the frightened people of the Federation Core worlds want it kept close to oversee their safety. Resources to help rebuild the devastated border planets and colony worlds in the war zone are instead being stockpiled against the threat all fear will sooner or later come.

And the rest of the quadrant isn't helping assuage their fears.

Badly weakened itself, the Klingon Empire sees itself the victim of a rapid, vicious uprising by the "ordinary" Klingons who were never part of the House system and who have suffered for generations under it's yoke. The new "people's government" of the Klingon sphere of influence has no great love for the Federation, whom they see as having enabled the tyranny of the Houses all this time.

The Romulans, being typically Romulan and having suffered fewer losses because they sat most of the war out, take advantage of the weakness of both other major powers and start making expansionist noises.

The other, "lesser" powers in the quadrant, many of whom sat the war out entirely, also take advantage to form their own unified front (yes, I'm borrowing at least the concept of the Typhon pact, but obviously not the same roster or the name).

Meanwhile those overlooked/ignored colonists are doing their own agitating. With groups like the New Essentialists pushing them to fend for themselves and reject the Federation that abandoned them, and the remnants of the Maquis rising to form their own official government, the former war zone becomes a new breeding ground for all sorts of problems: pirates, planetary "claim jumpers", greedy Ferengi merchants (Rom having been promptly assassinated), and ragged, desperate little planets just trying to get by make a giant headache for just about everyone else.

Into this festering mess are thrown our ship and crew. I'm tempted to say they're manning a ship from a cache of ships found in the back of some half-forgotten boneyard just so I could use a new/old ship type. If not a movie Connie, then maybe something like the Challenger/Churchill class ( http://orig11.deviantart.net/308b/f...lass_by_anarion_by_admiral_horton-d8h36zf.png ).

Her captain, obviously a war veteran, is hard-pressed to meet the conflicting demands of politics, necessity, and his own conscience. He leads a crew that is a bit of a kludge of some veteran Starfleet officers, "rough around the edges" freighter crewmen transferred in from the "merchant marine" (manpower still being a significant concern), and kids just out of the Academy. One character I would definitely include would be a young Cardassian who was still in their service academy when the war ended and who attended a controversial Rapid Integration program.

Can this mismatched crew on an obsolete ship navigate the treacherous universe it finds itself tossed in the middle of? Having won the war, can they now "win the peace"?

 

[Jeffe525]

Interesting...why Earth? Why not have it be out, elsewhere, where new ships are being constructed and tested out?

Good question. I figured it was as good as any. Utopia Planitia is the only shipyards I'm aware of but I guess there's probably others. I guess it could be somewhere else though.

I mean, if the Alpha Quad powers are having a kerfuffel over rivalries and what-not, so why not move UFP headquarters somewhere more neutral?...Why are the AQ's rivalries so bad that their alliances are fraying making defending their boarders difficult? What are the political hurdles present that have appeared so suddenly to cause such a rift?

I wasn't referring to UFP members, more like UFP/ Romulan/ Cardassian/ etc... plausible next step rivalry stuff we've already seen (with maybe a few surprises). Most of the politics involves the main characters moving up the chain to uncover plots and conspiracies. Think Clear and Present Danger in space: 1 group does the Jack Ryan stuff, another group does the Clark stuff, with a third group facilitating support and helping connect all the pieces of the plot together.

More questions. First of all, what threat are the Borg, then? Are they making random appearances, making attacking them directly difficult? Are they less logical (as was suggested by Rahul) so they are less predictable?

This question is also asked by some main characters as the plot progresses. Convincing AQ powers to commit themselves is one of the challenges during the story. But yes, the Borg would appear AQ space later in the series.

I like politics as much as the next guy, but it seems like this concept leans heavily on the politics and less space.

While I've never actually written any of this down, I don't imagined this to be a UFP West Wing. More like, most of the problems originate in the political agenda arena but finding the solutions takes the main characters throughout the AQ (and maybe even dipping into the DQ).

 

[Tim Walker]

I was thinking about Phantom's ideas, and was thinking that this post war scenario is more realistic than others I have seen.

 

[Phantom]

I was thinking about Phantom's ideas, and was thinking that this post war scenario is more realistic than others I have seen.

It has the virtue, I think, of being modelled on various elements of real life current politics. The Federation is obviously the US. While we didn't suffer that much physical damage in the Iraq war, it has exhausted our military and depleted our resources. Add in a fractured, less benevolent (to the extent we've ever truly been benevolent) society and there you go.

The Romulans continue their TOS role as Asiatic totalitarians/Chinese stand ins. The Klingons in TOS were supposed to be Stalinist Russian analogues, before the whole Samurai/Viking thing took over, and I wanted to get back to that.

The "Typhon Pact" expy mirrors some of the new emerging alliances in the lower ranks of the Second World/upper Third World powers that are quietly springing up.

The themes I'd like to explore (at least for a season or so) would be those of changing status quos. What happens when the balance of power isn't just shifted, but kicked over and ripped apart?

I'd avoid it becoming a "talking heads" show about the grand debates of the organized government as much as possible (very few or no "Republic Senate" scenes a la the Star Wars prequel films). Instead I'd focus on the effect that those things had on the "average" Federation citizen.

What happens to that little struggling colony when the government they have been faithfully loyal to turns it's back on them? Does it listen to the seductive spiel of the New Essentialists that they never should have been so tied to the central government in the first place?

In the meantime, that friendly Ferengi merchant has enough supplies to get them back on their feet...for a price...but that doesn't stop the raiders from looting the place (again), so maybe the Maquis Republic's offer also makes sense...

And what do those who are just trying to do their jobs and restore peace, order, and prosperity to it all do when they're frustrated at every turn?

I'd also throw in some exotic "strange new worlds" stuff to remind the crew (and the viewer) what Starfleet's always been there for to begin with. Depending on how the stories "wanted to go", I'd slowly transition back towardds more of that over the course of a season or two, but the "new normal" wouldn't go away entirely.

 

[Tim Walker]

Intriguing, Phantom!

One thing I have thought of is the unraveling of the Khitomer grouping. Because this is a different era. What does the Federation do, if the Klingons are no longer allies?

And as Dr. Pulaski noted in one novel, a new generation of young adults has come of age during a period of war/crisis. Unlike herself, who reached adulthood during the Federation's golden age.

Another idea- Cardassia builds warships, and trades them for natural resources from "second world" or "third world" minor powers. I suspect that the old balance of power was based on only a few powers having modern ships. Now, what happens when minor powers aquire forces that can stand up to the Federation, Klingons, Romulans.....

The Ferengi, I expect, would be officially neutral, and try to trade with everybody.