Ok, I finally got ahold of a time ship, blackmailed a few people, suffocated an executive in their sleep. It's now 2001, and I'm in charge of the new "Star Trek" prequel.
The ship is the U.S.S. Discovery
Frankly this name fits far better for Humanity's first venture into the stars.
Michelle Yeoh is the lead.
As of 2001, she's fresh off of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," she's the right age to play the captain with just enough experience to qualify for the part, but still young enough to feel in over her head.
Dr. Phlox is a Tellerite.
You want a doctor that's, jolly, comical, and comically "alien?" Instead of making up yet another rubber forehead species, how about developing a race relevant to this Prequel's time period. A piganoid can provide ample "jolly fat guy" antics without having a buttcrack on his forehead.
He will also have a medical staff to assist him, because having only one doctor who isn't even human for the first human ship out exploring would be ludicrous.
Trip Tucker is from the new "frontier."
You want a charming cowboy as chief engineer? Instead of making the Texas stereotype so literal, how about making his background relevant to this prequel's time period. Trip is from one of Earth's first colonies. He's a great engineer because his family helped literally build their community, out on an alien world.
The Chief of Security is Australian, and a veteran of the Eugenics Wars. (We're ret-Khaning the Eugenics Wars as having happened later than the 1990s.) Severely injured in the wars, he's a very primitive cyborg, and some of his cybernetics are highly experimental. He harbors some prejudices against the genetically modified. He has a soft spot for his pet beagle.
The pilot is still a space-boomer, but his background will actually be treated as relevant. He's also openly gay.
The translator is your obligatory Vulcan character. You want a Vulcan Seven of Nine? Fine, but don't also make her a Spock knockoff by being first officer. Since Vulcans have already been exploring, it makes sense for a Vulcan linguist to be familiar with the languages of aliens Humanity hasn't met yet. Her Vulcan telepathy will also aid her in w the languages of aliens that are new to her.
The First Officer will be an older human (Edward James Olmos, maybe), who wants to tread carefully and do everything by-the-book. He's paranoid because he's from the Mars colony, and survived a catastrophe that happened during the terraforming, caused by someone trying to cut corners. He's a huge killjoy in the Decontamination Chamber.