If Picard ever died, do you think Riker would...

[DarKush]

Also, are there already any established/onscreen characters besides Worf or Riker that you could see taking over after Picard? Same question for previously established Trek Lit characters?

Elias Vaughn.

Although something far more interesting and far less impossible (though still unlikely) would be something set 5-10 years after Destiny and the current relaunch timelines, with Worf commanding the Enterprise, Geordi as his first officer, a newly promoted Reg Barclay as chief engineer, and various guest star appearances by the current main characters who've moved on. Think Admiral Picard. Think Akaar running for president. The possibilities are there, but the real question is are the book storylines planned out anywhere near that far in advance?

Sounds good, but I prefer Ambassador Picard.

 

[Christopher]

But the Titan's a brand new design; she ought to have many more years of service left in her.

Not necessarily. We've already seen a couple of Luna Class ships bite the bull... I mean phaser beam.

Spoiler: They are

Charon was destroyed, Luna's been listed as severely damaged in a training exercise, I don't recall it saying specifically if Rhea or just her crew was recovered (perhaps Christopher can clear this up?).

Actually only one Luna-class ship has been lost.

Spoiler: Luna-class fates

During its maiden voyage, Luna suffered an engine-room explosion that killed a dozen people, but the rest of the ship and crew remained intact, and to all indications, Luna is in active service as of 2380/81. Rhea was badly damaged by the Borg attack at NGC 6281, but it was recovered and returned to the Federation for repair, and is most likely back on duty by early 2381. Following the loss of Charon at Orisha, the Luna fleet still has eleven vessels in active service as of the start of Destiny.

The Lunas are actually a pretty resilient class of vessel, since they were designed to be able to operate far from any repair base for years at a time.

 

[Ferd Burfel]

It wouldn't simply moving up to the big chair, it'd be moving over to a new big chair. He has proven he doesn't need to do that, besides it isn't the same Enterprise as when he served.

Well, yes, it is. Riker served aboard the Enterprise-E for over seven years, nearly as long as he served aboard its predecessor.

I know it is physically the same ship, I'm saying things have changed aboard. He wouldn't be going "home" to the same ship and crew. Yes it is still the Enterprise-E, but the circumstances have changed since he was aboard.