New Series Concept

[TheGameAce]

Been debating whether I should bother to post about this or not, since I feel people may not care or take it seriously, but I'm working on a concept for a new Star Trek series, with the intentions to (hopefully) give a pitch this summer if things go well. I know it's likely a long-shot, especially for a person who's not an insider, but it's actually really enjoyable for me and I have nothing better to do anyways.
I'm hoping that I can get some new ideas and good conversation here, so feel free to comment/discuss as you please, and hope it at least gives you some amusement!

Also, feel free to suggest names for characters, since that's one of the things I'm actually not that creative with and could really use the assistance with.

So, here's the general concept:

Star Trek: Legacy - How it pertains to the actual series is that the Enterprise line of ships has such a legacy behind it, and the Enterprise-F has a lot to live up to with her crew.

Timeline: Prime - A series in the JJ Abrams style just doesn't feel like it works, and most people I've seen so far want to see what happens next in the primary timeline, after the events of TNG/DS9/VOY.

Timeframe: ~2410 - 2420 - I feel like 25 or so years since the last main events is relatively reasonable, and fits well with our own current advances. Allows for a good explanation for some of the new technology.

Ship: Enterprise-F - My reasoning on this one is that I feel it's better to kind of make a ship the series' own, rather than re-using one that had been used before in a prior production. I also don't feel like a new main series airing on television for the first time in well over a decade should be focusing on a ship like Voyager, or back to the Deep Space Nine concept of a space station or something similar.

Main Antagonists: The Breen - Klingons and Romulans have already been used enough, and of course The Dominion is pretty much destroyed. Who do we turn to, to be a new problem for the Federation and maybe even some others? I like the concept of the Breen myself because I feel they were given very little spotlight and pretty well no backstory. It was even noted before that they were brought in as a last minute mysterious foe to raise the stakes, joining the Dominion's side of the war.
We of course only know little about them; they live in a naturally arctic environment, they have a language that doesn't seem to have speech that's clear to the understanding of most Federation species, they're extremely warlike, and they'll take advantage of any situation they can.
This makes them, from my point of view at least, a perfect antagonist that can be developed as much as needed, since there's so little about them as it is. The suits help to add to their mystery, keeping you wondering about them, and making them a bit more unsettling, being unable to see their faces.
Since the time of the Dominion War, the Breen retreated back into their space, having minor conflict with the Federation and Cardassians on occasion. They're angry that they lost territory during the war, and plan to get their territory back in the coming years.

*Note - Breen speech will retain the original garbled sound that you cannot understand, with exception being important Breen characters (officers, captains, etc) who will keep a garbled sound, but still have clearly understandable speech, or when needed at times, translation of a Breen's speech by a character (such as the Female Changeling did in DS9).*

Enterprise Senior Staff:

*Captain (needs name still)
*Species - Human
*Gender - Male
*General Description - Haven't developed much, but struggles with the feeling from time to time (a character flaw) that he has big shoes to fill, commanding a ship with a name that carries so much history, with such a legacy behind it, with captains such as Kirk, Picard, Archer, etc.

*Commander (needs name still)
*Species - Human
*Gender - Male
*General Description - N/A

*Chief Engineer, Second Officer (needs name still) - Male, human, based largely off myself for several reasons. As you'll read below, want to develop a relationship with the Chief Science Officer. At the risk of it seeming like copying off the idea of Geordi, I want him to have a single-eye lens that's used for utility: Sort of like a tricorder with a light function, maybe some sort of laser, (some sort of personal computer in a way), and maybe a small multi-tool embedded. Would like to also see a friendship with Koren, and some levity added from him.

*Chief Science Officer, Operations Officer, Helmsman, Third Officer (needs name still)
*Species - Human; former Borg (only a few years)
*Gender - Female
*General Description - Excels at her work, and has a knack for precision. Develops a relationship with the Chief Engineer over time. Friendly and often lends a hand in Engineering or Sick Bay when needed, and generally keeps her cool even in tough situations. Excellent with her piloting skills. Was converted into a Borg drone in prior years during a time where the Borg were attempting to increase their numbers in compensation for the damage caused by Janeway. Freed within a few years of that, as the Federation made rescue attempts while combating increased Borg activity in the region, in an attempt to keep the Borg away.
Due to new achievements in medicine, she was able to be restored to normal aside from a few implants, and the memories. Shortly thereafter she joined Starfleet Academy.

*Chief Medical Officer (Dalok)
*Species - Tellarite
*Gender - Male
*General Description - Kind and Strong-willed, Dalok is a very fatherly figure who knows his way around medicine. Like most Tellarites, he likes a good debate. Once in a while offers a piece of wisdom to crew members to try and help with their problems.

*Chief of Security/Chief Tactical Officer (Koren Garak)
*Species - Cardassian
*Gender - Male
*General Description - His father taught him all he ever needed to know about the finer points of espionage, politics, and sewing. He joined Starfleet to get out from under his father's prominent shadow on Cardassia and become his own person, though there is still much of the man inside him. (Credit to Bry_Sinclair for this description. Will change if requested by Bry.)

*Ship's Counselor (needs name still)
*Species - El-Aurian
*Gender - Female
*General Description - A kind woman and an excellent listener, she enlisted in Starfleet to meet and listen to many different people. She typically serves as the ship's Diplomat as well, whenever a situation calls for it. Enjoys having conversations with Dalok, who likes how she listens even when he starts to rant or ramble on a bit.

Recurring Characters of Importance:
*Thot Gaal - The captain of a Breen warship that has encounters with the Enterprise from time to time. Cruel and extremely perceptive.
*Elim Garak - If you've seen DS9, you know (and probably love) Mr. Garak. Due to his qualifications between the Obsidian Order and his adventures with the crew on Deep Space Nine, he felt like a fitting character to be the new leader of Cardassia since the end of the Dominion War.

General Overview:
With that primary information being given, the central idea is to focus on a new crew of the next Enterprise, and what's happened post-Dominion War. One of the main arcs will be some conflict with the Breen, and the impacts of the conflict. Another focus I figured would be good would be some more development and exploration of the Gamma and Beta Quadrants, along with some fresh development of Cardassia, with the difficulties they've faced over the years, and the help the Federation has given them, possibly even with the Breen being a large threat to them.
I also want to take things back more towards the style of TNG, primarily doing stories contained within one episode, rather than over an entire season.
On a back burner, highly considering developing another story arc bringing back in the Borg, and what happened to them since Janeway's actions impacted them.

 

[ItIsGreen]

How does the 'Legacy' title fit into the overall theme of the series, apart from sounding cool? Maybe as we join the series the Federation are just coming out of a long, hard-fought war, worse than the Dominion War, that took a huge toll on it - maybe even a civil war? One that brought it to its knees, drastically reducing its size and power, and what we have is what's left trying to rebuild - to rediscover the legacy of the Federation and what it stood for when it began, of species and planets working together for the betterment of all. Maybe instead of a new ship, it's a broken down old ship - it could still be the Enterprise-F, but instead of being fresh off the production line it's seen hard action. Perhaps the Federation don't have the resources to maintain the fleet and ships are being jerry-rigged to keep going well beyond their scheduled service intervals and manned by undersized crews. Maybe they're having to outsource maintenance and ships are pulling in at alien service yards to keep going. Yet despite all that there's a feeling of optimism and wonder at getting back out there, back to exploration, building bridges, discovering new civilisations and all that jazz?

Also, you contradict yourself a little, talking of story arcs yet saying you want self-contained single-episode stories. The modern way of television storytelling is season-long arcs, and it's one I personally prefer as it allows actions to have consequences, stories to play out on a slow burn and real character development to occur. Far preferable to hitting reset at the end of each episode, imho.

 

[TheGameAce]

How does the 'Legacy' title fit into the overall theme of the series, apart from sounding cool? Maybe as we join the series the Federation are just coming out of a long, hard-fought war, worse than the Dominion War, that took a huge toll on it - maybe even a civil war? One that brought it to its knees, drastically reducing its size and power, and what we have is what's left trying to rebuild - to rediscover the legacy of the Federation and what it stood for when it began, of species and planets working together for the betterment of all. Maybe instead of a new ship, it's a broken down old ship - it could still be the Enterprise-F, but instead of being fresh off the production line it's seen hard action. Perhaps the Federation don't have the resources to maintain the fleet and ships are being jerry-rigged to keep going well beyond their scheduled service intervals and manned by undersized crews. Maybe they're having to outsource maintenance and ships are pulling in at alien service yards to keep going. Yet despite all that there's a feeling of optimism and wonder at getting back out there, back to exploration, building bridges, discovering new civilisations and all that jazz?

Hmm, definitely an interesting idea, although how Legacy pertains is a bit different for me. Because of being focused back on another Enterprise (not necessarily brand new, maybe been around for a little while, but still fairly new), and having quite a few prior to it (ENT, TNG, Generations, etc), and how the ship name carries a legacy of it's own among other ships, and with it high expectations. You do point out a nice idea though, in the legacy of the franchise/federation.
At least for me, one of the goals I see is to try and reintroduce Star Trek as a series to as large an audience as I can, while still being high quality and being true to Trek. While I think the idea of the federation trying to recover from like a civil war, it just doesn't feel fitting to the idea of Star Trek, where we're supposed to have worked past a lot of things, and haven't had a personal war in centuries. The closest I believe we ever got to the concept of a Federation conflict, was with the Maquis. So again, I do like the idea, I just don't feel it quite fits or allows for all the potential of the Federation being either fine, or just under a lot of strain still because of the Dominion War. Not trying to shoot down your idea there, just explaining where I'm coming from on this.
However, having had another conflict in years past with the Breen or another species may not be a bad idea...

Also, you contradict yourself a little, talking of story arcs yet saying you want self-contained single-episode stories. The modern way of television storytelling is season-long arcs, and it's one I personally prefer as it allows actions to have consequences, stories to play out on a slow burn and real character development to occur. Far preferable to hitting reset at the end of each episode, imho.

Self-contained single-episode stories still do work with an arc. I'm meaning, more or less, where the arc goes over the entire series, possibly with some that go over the course of a few seasons. What I'm trying to say, and plausibly failing to say well, is that I don't want it to be like Discovery, focusing on the exact same thing episode after episode. It's good to have a focus, but I don't want it to be so focused that it leaves out what Trek was built on, and part of what made TNG so popular.
As bad as I am at explaining all that, maybe I can simplify it by saying, I want the style to be like a hybrid between Voyager, the final seasons of DS9, and TNG, if that makes sense to you?
Also, I think I'll add in the characters I'm thinking of currently to the main post...

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

*Captain (needs name still) - Haven't developed much, but struggles with the feeling that he has big shoes to fill, commanding a ship with a name that carries so much history, with such a legacy behind it, with captains such as Kirk, Picard, Archer, etc.

I seriously doubt that Starfleet would choose a Captain who wasn't ready for the burden of the "legacy". Commanding an Enterprise is probably the most high-profile assignment in the fleet, they would get the right person to the post. Shame to see it's another male in the role.

*Chief Engineer, Operations Officer, Second Officer (needs name still) - Male, human, based largely off myself for several reasons. As you'll read below, want to develop a relationship with the Chief Science Officer. At the risk of it seeming like copying off the idea of Geordi, I want him to have a single-eye lens that's used for utility: Sort of like a tricorder with a light function, maybe some sort of laser, (some sort of personal computer in a way), and maybe a small multi-tool embedded. Would like to also see a friendship with Koren, and some levity added from him.

So is he the Engineer or Ops Manager? Granted the posts are technical but cover different areas and you can't have the one person covering both, especially in the midst of an alert. I don't see why you'd want him to have a single-eye lens when tech by that time would probably make VISOR's obsolete. All those functions could be carried out by handheld devices or if you want an implant of some sort then attach it to some other part of the body.

*Chief Science Officer, Helmsman, Third Officer (needs name still) - Decided for this one to be female, and a human that's former Borg. I based her off the concept of people having interest in characters such as Seven of Nine and Data, but as an official Senior Staff in uniform, unlike Seven, without being an android or completely logic-driven. I've got some interesting ideas in mind, and think developing a relationship/bond between her and the Chief Engineer could work out, due to the roles of each.

Again is she the Science Officer or the Helmsman, two roles that don't have much crossover so you'd need to decide on which one. Also drop the former drone, it's been done and really wouldn't add much to a character who has adjusted enough to go through Starfleet to make it to Third Officer.

*Chief Medical Officer (needs name still) - Still haven't developed quite yet, but so far male human, because I ran down on ideas.

With an endless universe of possibilities it's a shame that the default setting is a human male.

*Chief of Security/Chief Tactical Officer (Koren Garak) - Elim Garak's son. Figured it could be interesting to have him, being a Cardassian, as a main crew member, possibly to bring some of his father's qualities with him.

Scary thought of Garak as a father, but he'd have seen how not to do it.

*Ship's Counselor (needs name still) - Haven't quite yet developed. Currently have the counselor as a human female, but I'm not quite sure right now what else to do.

Personal quibble of mine having too many humans on the crew, but that's just me.

 

[Tenacity]

Polls I've seen, both here and elsewhere, seem to indicate that Trek fans want to have more non-Humans in primary character roles. Your list of characters, while including some aliens, is Human heavy. A crew with only a single Human would be interesting. Unless there's a reason 25th century Starfleet is purposely excluding non-Humans.

Individual episodes that fit into a overall arc would work nicely.

Don't like Itisgreen's idea of the ship being in disrepair. Do like the thought of the ship being older and having history. TNG-DS9-VOY-ENT-DIS all have/had the hero ship being new commissions. TOS had a older ship with multiple previous captains.

While not centering the show on a federation civil war, such a event (or instead a fairly peaceful break-up) could have happened in the decades past. This would serve the purpose of making the remaining federation less mighty and less secure in the galaxy, and we could see interactions between old friend who wouldn't be politically linked.

There was lingering animosity between America and Britain following our separation, today we're close friends

At the risk of it seeming like copying off the idea of Geordi, I want him to have a single-eye lens that's used for utility

I mention above having more aliens, if cgi or prosthesis was up to the job, make the character a being with a single eye. Think Leela from Futurama.

The problem that might exist with the Breen is they're in those suits, we can't see their faces and facial expressions. You could have them be out of the suit most of the ime except when they interact with none Breen, but that might not work. Also something would have to be done with their language, the use of subtitle on DIS with the Klingons are receiving more than a few negative comments.

Again is she the Science Officer or the Helmsman, two roles that don't have much crossover

Unless you stipulate that the majority of Starfleet officers in the 25th century (maybe not engineers) are trained in their primary specialty and also trained as a scientist of one type or another.

Somewhat like all US Marines are their primary specialty and a rifleman.

 

[TheGameAce]

I seriously doubt that Starfleet would choose a Captain who wasn't ready for the burden of the "legacy". Commanding an Enterprise is probably the most high-profile assignment in the fleet, they would get the right person to the post. Shame to see it's another male in the role.

For the Captain, I'm not meaning it like he's not ready. I've been trying to figure out some flaws for the characters, since perfect characters allow no room for growth or their own development over the series. As for gender, I just don't feel female is fitting, unless there's enough of a reason. If it's just for the sake of political correctness though, then that's something I'm trying to avoid.

So is he the Engineer or Ops Manager? Granted the posts are technical but cover different areas and you can't have the one person covering both, especially in the midst of an alert. I don't see why you'd want him to have a single-eye lens when tech by that time would probably make VISOR's obsolete. All those functions could be carried out by handheld devices or if you want an implant of some sort then attach it to some other part of the body.

For the roles of the others, I've still been working them out. Things aren't exceedingly clearly defined, at least from sources I've found, showing that characters from all the different series have taken on all kinds of secondary roles. I could actually honestly use some better clarification if anyone can provide it.
With the lens, maybe I'm not explaining it well enough, which is something I find difficult to do often, but I'm trying to go for almost like a much more advanced VISOR, but that functions as more of a utility tool for Engineering with specialized functions that give it unique qualities compared to Geordi's VISOR, which was also used so he could see. While the functions can indeed be carried out by handheld devices, think of it like an EyeTap or Google Glass in a way, providing almost like an extra hand or freeing up a hand to do something else.
Implanting something like that feels a tad too similar to Geordi, and what other part of the body would it go on?

Again is she the Science Officer or the Helmsman, two roles that don't have much crossover so you'd need to decide on which one. Also drop the former drone, it's been done and really wouldn't add much to a character who has adjusted enough to go through Starfleet to make it to Third Officer.

As with the previous, it's plausible I could use better clarification if anyone can provide it, on the specific positions.
I figured the former drone idea would have some criticism, but I went with it because of what I've been able to visualize and come up with that can benefit the series as a whole over time. While Seven of Nine was done before, I recall from some polls that quite a few people did indeed want to see a similar character at some point, or even someone related to her. Like I said before, I often do a bad job explaining things (Asperger's limits my effectiveness at communication), especially because I'm very much a visual thinker, but all I can say right now is that if I have time to sit back and really detail her as a character more, there's just something very special about the entire concept that sets her apart from Seven.
It's also, at least in my opinion, a beneficial way to try and add a little more diversity with the characters, without fully relying on something brand new or already used (such as going with a crew of majority new species that we've not seen in Starfleet yet, or going with old tropes like a Vulcan).

With an endless universe of possibilities it's a shame that the default setting is a human male.

Unless I have some outstanding inspiration, I find it difficult to figure out what to make a character. I try and look back at previous series, and see what they did for every position on their ships. Doctors as it is, have been The Doctor (by far my favorite), who of course is a hologram, Phlox, a species that was I believe made up to fill the role, Crusher, who I don't see much positivity about and is human female, Dr. McCoy/Bones (ah so good...) who is human male, Julian Bashir, human male that they later wrote to be genetically altered, and I don't think I'm missing any currently, other than Discovery's doctor, who's human male... Huh... Ok, I really do need a better idea than that. I think they kind of used enough human male doctors for now...
Will gladly take any suggestions to fix that one up.

Scary thought of Garak as a father, but he'd have seen how not to do it.

Why scary? At least to me, it seemed that Garak really grew a lot being on DS9, into being a much better person. Otherwise, agree. In a way, allows him to hear his father's stories, and know what not to do, while still possibly having some useful tricks. Possibly could even be used as a character flaw at a point, having to learn some things not to do?

Personal quibble of mine having too many humans on the crew, but that's just me.

I was thinking that, especially after that bit with the doctor. I just kind of ran dry, and haven't had any other fans to discuss the matter with until now for some fresh perspective. As I said, will very gladly take suggestions to change things around.

 

[TheGameAce]

Polls I've seen, both here and elsewhere, seem to indicate that Trek fans want to have more non-Humans in primary character roles. Your list of characters, while including some aliens, is Human heavy. A crew with only a single Human would be interesting. Unless there's a reason 25th century Starfleet is purposely excluding non-Humans.

Just as I said to Bry, I definitely want to do similar. I don't think a single human is what I want to do, but I want the crew to all have unique qualities, hence the Lens for the Chief Engineer, and the Chief Science Officer having been freed from the Borg (although that's still not all the details or the only reason she's unique), to try and tone that down a bit. If you have ideas for the roles that I put no real detail to, please do share!

Individual episodes that fit into a overall arc would work nicely.

Mhm, and that's the general idea It provides one or more overall story arcs that span across the series, without trying to cram it all one after another in the same season, which is what I feel to be one of Trek's special qualities. You could be taken to a new world, a new idea, every episode, all while still developing the characters and here and there adding a bit to the main story arc, just like with Q. He was there to start TNG, and he was there to end it, being dotted throughout once every season to annoy Jean-Luc in the meantime.

Don't like Itisgreen's idea of the ship being in disrepair. Do like the thought of the ship being older and having history. TNG-DS9-VOY-ENT-DIS all have/had the hero ship being new commissions. TOS had a older ship with multiple previous captains.

Definitely. I haven't yet focused on the history of the Enterprise-F, but I do like the idea of having some history already behind it. I'll definitely think about that for some time and write down what comes to me...

While not centering the show on a federation civil war, such a event (or instead a fairly peaceful break-up) could have happened in the decades past. This would serve the purpose of making the remaining federation less mighty and less secure in the galaxy, and we could see interactions between old friend who wouldn't be politically linked. There was lingering animosity between America and Britain following our separation, today we're close friends

I'll give that some thought, although especially without a poll, I'm not sure how well people would take the concept of the Federation falling apart of struggling like that. I even find it a bit hard to go for that concept. Having some legitimate struggles though because of events, is definitely something I've been working on for a good backstory to help give better understanding for a conflict with the Breen.

I mention above having more aliens, if cgi or prosthesis was up to the job, make the character a being with a single eye. Think Leela from Futurama.

Like I put for my reasoning, think Google Glass or EyeTap in a way, with some special character quirks that I should probably detail tomorrow. 3:15 in the morning is definitely not the time to add that in yet...

The problem that might exist with the Breen is they're in those suits, we can't see their faces and facial expressions. You could have them be out of the suit most of the ime except when they interact with none Breen, but that might not work. Also something would have to be done with their language, the use of subtitle on DIS with the Klingons are receiving more than a few negative comments.

While that can be a problem, I think it also works in the favor of them as an antagonist. If you can't see the face of your enemy, it's a bit unnerving/unsettling. Also, keeping them in their suits fits the canon that's already in place for them, that they haven't ever been seen before under their masks, and they use the suits for environments outside their homeworld to keep cooled off. I definitely do wanna improve their design a bit though, like how they fixed up and defined the Cardassians more once they became a primary antagonist for DS9.
For the language, I had the idea, and tell me what you think of this, to have non-important roles be their original garbled dialogue, possibly when needed translated by another character. But for important roles, such as officers, have an audible voice that you can clearly understand, with some garbled undertones still.

Unless you stipulate that the majority of Starfleet officers in the 25th century (maybe not engineers) are trained in their primary specialty and also trained as a scientist of one type or another.

Somewhat like all US Marines are their primary specialty and a rifleman.

Oh yes, indeed, that's an excellent point I was incapable of communicating! While we're used to the old roles for officers and their stations, being a bit further along in the timeline could change some things up, kind of like how from TOS to TNG, there were quite a few changes between positioning of some stations, to, if I recall correctly (it's been a while since I last watched TOS) even adding or improving stations and functionality for the bridge. I almost wanted to make roles even a bit more complex, with some minor ones (like assistant roles) added in, with an explanation that the ships have become a bit bigger, and Starfleet wants officers trained to be able to fill other positions for crew members that are away or may have been killed.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

For the Captain, I'm not meaning it like he's not ready. I've been trying to figure out some flaws for the characters, since perfect characters allow no room for growth or their own development over the series. As for gender, I just don't feel female is fitting, unless there's enough of a reason. If it's just for the sake of political correctness though, then that's something I'm trying to avoid.

Why restrict the Captain to binary gender? Break some new ground rather than just retread what's been done already, an alien that doesn't conform to either male or female "norms" would be something truly unique to help define a new series from everything else. A Trek show will more or less follow the same pattern, so it's in the characters that it'll make its mark.

For the roles of the others, I've still been working them out. Things aren't exceedingly clearly defined, at least from sources I've found, showing that characters from all the different series have taken on all kinds of secondary roles. I could actually honestly use some better clarification if anyone can provide it.

Chief Engineer maintains and repairs systems and tech throughout the ship, Ops Managers monitors, allocates and directs resources and functions where needed. There is overlap but look at where they're based, Ops is on the Bridge at all times whilst the Engineer is below decks.

With the lens, maybe I'm not explaining it well enough, which is something I find difficult to do often, but I'm trying to go for almost like a much more advanced VISOR, but that functions as more of a utility tool for Engineering with specialized functions that give it unique qualities compared to Geordi's VISOR, which was also used so he could see. While the functions can indeed be carried out by handheld devices, think of it like an EyeTap or Google Glass in a way, providing almost like an extra hand or freeing up a hand to do something else.
Implanting something like that feels a tad too similar to Geordi, and what other part of the body would it go on?

Personally don't see the benefit of such a device when the computer can be asked to do lots and could project a display or hologram wherever the user needed. As for where it's implanted, why not the hand, arm or shoulder? With advances in tech would such a device even need to be visible? Maybe it's like Futurama's eyePhone, implanted in the head and active when needed.

As with the previous, it's plausible I could use better clarification if anyone can provide it, on the specific positions.

Helmsman flies the ship. Science Officer does sciencey things, analyses, researches, studies, tests, theorises, etc. Think Spock and Sulu.

I figured the former drone idea would have some criticism, but I went with it because of what I've been able to visualize and come up with that can benefit the series as a whole over time. While Seven of Nine was done before, I recall from some polls that quite a few people did indeed want to see a similar character at some point, or even someone related to her. Like I said before, I often do a bad job explaining things (Asperger's limits my effectiveness at communication), especially because I'm very much a visual thinker, but all I can say right now is that if I have time to sit back and really detail her as a character more, there's just something very special about the entire concept that sets her apart from Seven.

What was good about the likes of Data and Seven was an outsider looking in on humanity and trying to comprehend it and the intricate dynamics of humans (what makes us tick). That could be done with an original concept character that is more alien than artificial (the original concept from Data was based on the full-blooded Vulcan Xon from the abandoned Phase II series).

It's also, at least in my opinion, a beneficial way to try and add a little more diversity with the characters, without fully relying on something brand new or already used (such as going with a crew of majority new species that we've not seen in Starfleet yet, or going with old tropes like a Vulcan).

By 2373 the Federation had 150+ member worlds, of which we've only seen a fraction, by 2410 I'd suspect that number would have increased substantially. Just because we've not seen a species before doesn't mean that haven't always been there, it's a big galaxy after all.

Unless I have some outstanding inspiration, I find it difficult to figure out what to make a character. I try and look back at previous series, and see what they did for every position on their ships. Doctors as it is, have been The Doctor (by far my favorite), who of course is a hologram, Phlox, a species that was I believe made up to fill the role, Crusher, who I don't see much positivity about and is human female, Dr. McCoy/Bones (ah so good...) who is human male, Julian Bashir, human male that they later wrote to be genetically altered, and I don't think I'm missing any currently, other than Discovery's doctor, who's human male... Huh... Ok, I really do need a better idea than that. I think they kind of used enough human male doctors for now...
Will gladly take any suggestions to fix that one up.

A hydrogen-breathing Lothra? A Tellarite female? A J'naii? A Kasheetan male? The possibilities for your Doctor (and all the crew) are endless even within what has been established in canon.

Why scary? At least to me, it seemed that Garak really grew a lot being on DS9, into being a much better person. Otherwise, agree. In a way, allows him to hear his father's stories, and know what not to do, while still possibly having some useful tricks. Possibly could even be used as a character flaw at a point, having to learn some things not to do?

Never saw him as a very fatherly person and I can just imagine what he might teach his offspring, seeing as how he was brought up in a spymasters presence. Garak Jr wouldn't be able to get away with anything, given what a good interrogator his father was in his heyday.

I was thinking that, especially after that bit with the doctor. I just kind of ran dry, and haven't had any other fans to discuss the matter with until now for some fresh perspective. As I said, will very gladly take suggestions to change things around.

Go googling for Star Trek species/alien races and you'll find lots of weird and wonderful ones to choose from, from those that were major parts of a story, to those seen in the background of episodes or movies, to those mentioned in a single line of dialogue, there are plenty of opportunities out there.

 

[ItIsGreen]

The problem that might exist with the Breen is they're in those suits, we can't see their faces and facial expressions. You could have them be out of the suit most of the ime except when they interact with none Breen, but that might not work. Also something would have to be done with their language, the use of subtitle on DIS with the Klingons are receiving more than a few negative comments

Quite. I nearly raised this very point myself. Of course you could avoid the language issue by just having the Breen speak English the majority of the time, but their language is so distinct in that it's not made up of vocalised sounds that I think they would lose something if not used.
* For the record, I have no issue with the subtitles in Discovery. Klingons speak Klingon...

While not centering the show on a federation civil war, such a event (or instead a fairly peaceful break-up) could have happened in the decades past. This would serve the purpose of making the remaining federation less mighty and less secure in the galaxy

Yeah, it wasn't my intention to make the war the focus, merely the plot device to reduce the size and scope of the Federation - the idea was to focus on a small(er) Federation in a big galaxy, and a return to the values it was built on in the first place. My interpretation of the 'legacy' theme :-)

Another interpretation might be to make the entire crew descendants of previous Star Trek characters - you could have Lt. Jenny Archer talking about how her great great grandfather founded the Federation, or Crewman Kirk talking about the time Great Uncle Jim beat the Gorn on Cestus III...

 

[Tenacity]

and a return to the values it was built on in the first place

Something like this could be used as the reason the various federation member going their separate ways. Disagreements on what the federation was and what it stood for, such philosophic differences might have gone back to the very founding of the organization.

A historic gradual slow speed break-up might serve the story better than a violent civil war.

Would the federation legally have the standing to prevent members from leaving if they wished to do so?

 

[uniderth]

Another interpretation might be to make the entire crew descendants of previous Star Trek characters - you could have Lt. Jenny Archer talking about how her great great grandfather founded the Federation, or Crewman Kirk talking about the time Great Uncle Jim beat the Gorn on Cestus III...

**ALERT** **ALERT**

Small universe syndrome.

Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!

 

[TheGameAce]

Why restrict the Captain to binary gender? Break some new ground rather than just retread what's been done already, an alien that doesn't conform to either male or female "norms" would be something truly unique to help define a new series from everything else. A Trek show will more or less follow the same pattern, so it's in the characters that it'll make its mark.

For me, those are grounds that start wandering into some rather awkward and more or less politically controversial territory, which is something I'd like to try and keep away from. Just how I see it at least, due to how much I've been into paying attention to politics most of my life.
It also just seems like a bit of an awkward idea without a reasonable explanation such as being a Q, Android, or one of those odd androgynous aliens from that one episode, the J'naii I believe. Dunno, just not feeling it. I do want to come up with something unique for the Captain though, to help allow him to compete with the others such as Picard. I'll have to keep giving it some deeper thought...

Chief Engineer maintains and repairs systems and tech throughout the ship, Ops Managers monitors, allocates and directs resources and functions where needed. There is overlap but look at where they're based, Ops is on the Bridge at all times whilst the Engineer is below decks.

Hmm, I would have to argue though, that it is plausible that with some changes in ship design, the roles could be more effectively overlapped, maybe with extra bridge functionality or a small Ops Station in Engineering, which could in turn allow for a better relative location for the ship's Battle Bridge? I'd also have to argue that a lot of crew members frequently went to different locations on the ship to do different tasks, including other crew members taking over a primary task for them while they go to handle something else. Will have to give the concept some more thought, and bounce some more ideas around on that one...

Personally don't see the benefit of such a device when the computer can be asked to do lots and could project a display or hologram wherever the user needed. As for where it's implanted, why not the hand, arm or shoulder? With advances in tech would such a device even need to be visible? Maybe it's like Futurama's eyePhone, implanted in the head and active when needed.

Part of my idea was for it to have unique features that the general computer can't manage, or at least as effectively, including tools. Thinking about it a bit more, it also has the potential to almost be like a mobile computer as well, which could have it's benefits in away missions, especially for concepts like personal notes. To help keep it from being seen 24/7, it could have a neural interface with the user, essentially allowing the user to control it mentally, including sliding into a small compartment when not in use, and coming out when needed. Indeed, advances in technology could make it less useful, but one thing to consider is that you can't have absolutely everything solved by the ship's functions. Holographic displays for interactive monitors to help map internal systems from a console point may work though, whereas the lens could effectively give a similar effect to augmented reality, giving a live overlay to a specific area, maybe even where the computer couldn't otherwise produce a hologram, since emitters being inside of some more random areas of the ship such as the Jefferies Tubes wouldn't make the most sense.
Might try to actually get some rough sketches done myself to see if that helps any. For the implants, curious for some more details for how it would look or work in your opinion for hand, arm, or shoulder. Definitely lots to think about...

Helmsman flies the ship. Science Officer does sciencey things, analyses, researches, studies, tests, theorises, etc. Think Spock and Sulu.

I think it could still work for two reasons. Spock and Sulu spent a large portion of time on the bridge already themselves (from what I remember), and Helmsman is a more minor role that could be filled by the nearest extra. Could work in a way that she has the primary duty of Science Officer, but since it's not necessarily a vital role when there's an emergency and it's not even always a fully constant role, she could head to the bridge for some more skillful piloting. How about that?

What was good about the likes of Data and Seven was an outsider looking in on humanity and trying to comprehend it and the intricate dynamics of humans (what makes us tick). That could be done with an original concept character that is more alien than artificial (the original concept from Data was based on the full-blooded Vulcan Xon from the abandoned Phase II series).

True, and it's why I want the character to be different. Not another logic-driven character that's trying to understand humanity, not as a main character at least, but who's still been affected in a different way. I think I'll try to write down some more detailing later on to help explain her better as a character.

By 2373 the Federation had 150+ member worlds, of which we've only seen a fraction, by 2410 I'd suspect that number would have increased substantially. Just because we've not seen a species before doesn't mean that haven't always been there, it's a big galaxy after all.


A hydrogen-breathing Lothra? A Tellarite female? A J'naii? A Kasheetan male? The possibilities for your Doctor (and all the crew) are endless even within what has been established in canon.

Hmm, very true. Taking another look at the Tellarites and their general personalities, I'm actually really liking that idea, and heavily leaning towards it now. They're supposed to apparently be rather impatient, and stubborn with a lot of pride, with good argumentative skills. I can kind of see the character as a lot of that, which can provide some character flaws, but manages to work on it a bit over time, and has special moments with crew members from time to time, being older with some good advice. Aaah I really am loving that idea the more I think about it!

Never saw him as a very fatherly person and I can just imagine what he might teach his offspring, seeing as how he was brought up in a spymasters presence. Garak Jr wouldn't be able to get away with anything, given what a good interrogator his father was in his heyday.

I'd almost see it in a way that he wants to have son just like his father, but to do much better with his own son than his father did with him.

Go googling for Star Trek species/alien races and you'll find lots of weird and wonderful ones to choose from, from those that were major parts of a story, to those seen in the background of episodes or movies, to those mentioned in a single line of dialogue, there are plenty of opportunities out there.

I'll definitely keep looking, but I must say I'm really pumped and freshly inspired with the idea of the Tellarite for the doctor! Very appreciative of all your input so far, as it's really helped give me some fresh ideas and things to think about!

 

[TheGameAce]

Something like this could be used as the reason the various federation member going their separate ways. Disagreements on what the federation was and what it stood for, such philosophic differences might have gone back to the very founding of the organization.

A historic gradual slow speed break-up might serve the story better than a violent civil war.

Would the federation legally have the standing to prevent members from leaving if they wished to do so?

Hmm, that gives me an idea. Maybe it could serve well to have the Federation face something like that during the series, where they have to come to the realization that sometimes a race may leave the Federation, and that it's alright. Maybe even several leave for fear of what will happen with the conflict with the Breen, or because they want to develop their own version of a small Federation, but possibly still maintaining a good relationship with the Federation?
I think you really came up with a solid concept there!

**ALERT** **ALERT**

Small universe syndrome.

Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!

Agreed. It's nice for a concept to have a single main character have a relationship with a previous character (such as Koren Garak having Elim Garak as a father), but I think it'd come across as lazy and a complete lack of innovation if most or all the characters were descended from prior ones, although a guest appearance/cameo once in a while could be effective. For example, I'd really love to see Patrick Stewart reprise his role as Picard, but as an Admiral this time, coming around once in a while for the story. Heck, if a Christmas themed episode became an option later on, I think it'd be a pretty cool reference to focus on it a bit, maybe even with Picard coming around for a holodeck retelling of A Christmas Carol, as Scrooge. Think it'd be fitting and a nice reference for his 1999 role as Scrooge in David Jone's version of the story, also referencing past Christmas references such as in Generations. Things like that I think would work relatively well.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

For me, those are grounds that start wandering into some rather awkward and more or less politically controversial territory, which is something I'd like to try and keep away from. Just how I see it at least, due to how much I've been into paying attention to politics most of my life.

Trek should try to ruffle some feathers and make viewers raise questions about "normal" and just what it means. If the dark times of global affairs today then there should be a glimmer of hope somewhere that all the pettiness with which some judge and condemn others for will become a forgotten memory. But that's just my hope.

Hmm, I would have to argue though, that it is plausible that with some changes in ship design, the roles could be more effectively overlapped, maybe with extra bridge functionality or a small Ops Station in Engineering, which could in turn allow for a better relative location for the ship's Battle Bridge? I'd also have to argue that a lot of crew members frequently went to different locations on the ship to do different tasks, including other crew members taking over a primary task for them while they go to handle something else. Will have to give the concept some more thought, and bounce some more ideas around on that one...

True, but the standard format for two Trek shows has been to have the roles clearly separate, though typically those characters work closely together and often close friends because of commonalities between them.

I think it could still work for two reasons. Spock and Sulu spent a large portion of time on the bridge already themselves (from what I remember), and Helmsman is a more minor role that could be filled by the nearest extra. Could work in a way that she has the primary duty of Science Officer, but since it's not necessarily a vital role when there's an emergency and it's not even always a fully constant role, she could head to the bridge for some more skillful piloting. How about that?

Unless the character of the Helmsman/Flight Control Officer is hugely compelling and intricate then it's not an essential role to fill with a main character, a recurring one or a revolving door of extras would do the trip just as well. Depends on the emergency, if the ships in a spatial anomaly its critical for figuring out what it is and how to escape, if its a battle they can monitor sensors and provide support to Ops whilst they focus on power allocation, direction of damage control, etc. Piloting seems to be a fairly basic skill that all Starfleet officers have (Troi took the helm of the Enterprise twice, Crusher piloted a shuttle to prove metaphasic shields, Bashir took the conn of the Defiant during their first fight with the Jem'Hadar), though some will be more specially trained in the field than others (such as Paris or Ro).

True, and it's why I want the character to be different. Not another logic-driven character that's trying to understand humanity, not as a main character at least, but who's still been affected in a different way. I think I'll try to write down some more detailing later on to help explain her better as a character.

They don't have to be logic-driven, what about the exact opposite, someone who is highly emotional and swayed by them with difficulty to close them off and be more dispassionate and focused when the time calls for it. Just another angle to look at.

Hmm, very true. Taking another look at the Tellarites and their general personalities, I'm actually really liking that idea, and heavily leaning towards it now. They're supposed to apparently be rather impatient, and stubborn with a lot of pride, with good argumentative skills. I can kind of see the character as a lot of that, which can provide some character flaws, but manages to work on it a bit over time, and has special moments with crew members from time to time, being older with some good advice. Aaah I really am loving that idea the more I think about it!

The Doctor doesn't always have to be someone with a nice bedside manner and a predilection towards nurturing, they could like medicine because they love the "mechanics" of it.

I'll definitely keep looking, but I must say I'm really pumped and freshly inspired with the idea of the Tellarite for the doctor! Very appreciative of all your input so far, as it's really helped give me some fresh ideas and things to think about!

It's always good to have others look over thoughts and ideas, so that they can ask questions about things you may have overlooked or not considered.

 

[Tenacity]

They don't have to be logic-driven, what about the exact opposite, someone who is highly emotional and swayed by them with difficulty to close them off and be more dispassionate and focused when the time calls for it. Just another angle to look at.

Someone who trust the instincts that they've deveoped over a life time of varied experiences. Someone who realizes that logic and science are just two tools among many in making correct decisions.

 

[TheGameAce]

Trek should try to ruffle some feathers and make viewers raise questions about "normal" and just what it means. If the dark times of global affairs today then there should be a glimmer of hope somewhere that all the pettiness with which some judge and condemn others for will become a forgotten memory. But that's just my hope.

I don't think it should necessarily ruffle feathers as much as make an attempt to give good points to current societal issues from time to time. I don't mind doing that a bit, but I prefer sticking to more neutral concepts that both sides should be able to agree on politically, such as the concept that we're all humans despite our political affiliations, and that politics have been dividing us, even on simple matters or matters that have nothing to do with politics at all. Taking a specific side on a controversial issue ends up, how I see it at least, alienating a specific side of viewers, especially when you have viewers from both sides. It's actually one of the reasons that I don't follow quite a few celebrities.

True, but the standard format for two Trek shows has been to have the roles clearly separate, though typically those characters work closely together and often close friends because of commonalities between them.
Unless the character of the Helmsman/Flight Control Officer is hugely compelling and intricate then it's not an essential role to fill with a main character, a recurring one or a revolving door of extras would do the trip just as well. Depends on the emergency, if the ships in a spatial anomaly its critical for figuring out what it is and how to escape, if its a battle they can monitor sensors and provide support to Ops whilst they focus on power allocation, direction of damage control, etc. Piloting seems to be a fairly basic skill that all Starfleet officers have (Troi took the helm of the Enterprise twice, Crusher piloted a shuttle to prove metaphasic shields, Bashir took the conn of the Defiant during their first fight with the Jem'Hadar), though some will be more specially trained in the field than others (such as Paris or Ro).

For me, my main goal is trying to find out what works the best, to try and give the main characters enough screen time and interaction with each other, while coming up with what feels like it fits each character best, even if I have to come up with an innovative workaround, such as with the Chief Engineer. The roles feel fitting together, allowing for time to work on both the Bridge as well as down in Engineering, with good interaction with the Chief Science Officer, and the rest of the characters.
For the Chief Science Officer, while both roles have been taken on by random extras plenty of times, it still fills a character role well, reflecting on past characters such as Paris (who was purely the Flight Controller/Helmsman until later in the series, where he started working with The Doctor) or Jadzia Dax. Gave the roles a bit more freedom. In the case of Paris, sure others could pilot the ship, but he filled the position a good deal of the time, especially when they were in major trouble and needed his level of skill.
Still have to think about the roles in general, but as I said, I want to make sure that they all have roles suited to them as well as enough interaction with each other.

They don't have to be logic-driven, what about the exact opposite, someone who is highly emotional and swayed by them with difficulty to close them off and be more dispassionate and focused when the time calls for it. Just another angle to look at.

Hmm, I'll think about that a bit.

The Doctor doesn't always have to be someone with a nice bedside manner and a predilection towards nurturing, they could like medicine because they love the "mechanics" of it.

Indeed, that's a good point and could help with explaining a Tellarite being a Starfleet Chief Medical Officer. I almost look at it in a way like The Doctor, too, and how he was generally rather rude, complaining, etc, and had to grow over the series to be much more than that.

It's always good to have others look over thoughts and ideas, so that they can ask questions about things you may have overlooked or not considered.

Exactly, and that's a primary reason I made this thread. I can work solo and come up with some excellent stuff, but it often takes a lot of time. I'm often at my best when I have other fans to discuss things with, and bounce ideas back and forth with, to help bring fresh inspiration and a take on things I may have overlooked or dismissed too quickly.

 

[ItIsGreen]

**ALERT** **ALERT**

Small universe syndrome.

Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!

Yeah, my tongue was firmly in my cheek with that one. Thought it was obvious, tbh.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

For me, my main goal is trying to find out what works the best, to try and give the main characters enough screen time and interaction with each other, while coming up with what feels like it fits each character best, even if I have to come up with an innovative workaround, such as with the Chief Engineer. The roles feel fitting together, allowing for time to work on both the Bridge as well as down in Engineering, with good interaction with the Chief Science Officer, and the rest of the characters.

In that case, don't worry about their jobs but focus on them as individuals. If they were well-written and presented with development and compelling motive behind them then you could have the ship's janitor as a main character. On a ship in deep space with only a few hundred others you see all the time you'd find those that you would call friends as opposed to simply colleagues.

For the Chief Science Officer, while both roles have been taken on by random extras plenty of times, it still fills a character role well, reflecting on past characters such as Paris (who was purely the Flight Controller/Helmsman until later in the series, where he started working with The Doctor) or Jadzia Dax. Gave the roles a bit more freedom. In the case of Paris, sure others could pilot the ship, but he filled the position a good deal of the time, especially when they were in major trouble and needed his level of skill.

Paris being a medic because he has a semester or two of biochemistry behind him makes no sense whatsoever (in the middle of a major battle you want your best pilot at the conn not pulled down to sickbay to treat injured), not when the ship would have officers and non-coms who specialised in life sciences, as well as all those others onboard who would've undergone the same emergency medical training that Worf had (referenced in "Disaster"), but if they axe a wonderful character in favour of a Borg babe then that's their problem to work around. As for Dax at the Conn of the Defiant, it was a warship had no science labs and wasn't intended for research purposes, so her extensive flight training (not to mention past life experience as a decorated pilot) makes her the ideal candidate to fulfill that role.

Indeed, that's a good point and could help with explaining a Tellarite being a Starfleet Chief Medical Officer. I almost look at it in a way like The Doctor, too, and how he was generally rather rude, complaining, etc, and had to grow over the series to be much more than that.

Tellarites are always going to have had doctors and they would serve in Starfleet in such a capacity so it wouldn't be a rarity.

 

[TheGameAce]

In that case, don't worry about their jobs but focus on them as individuals. If they were well-written and presented with development and compelling motive behind them then you could have the ship's janitor as a main character. On a ship in deep space with only a few hundred others you see all the time you'd find those that you would call friends as opposed to simply colleagues.

I think for right now I'll try and finish the pilot script and keep their current roles as-is until I can determine what to do. Figuring it's a better idea right now to indeed just focus in and develop them, and worry about the specifics of the roles a bit later. Primary roles will definitely stay the same no matter what I believe, although if it comes down to it the secondary roles (Ops, Flight Controller, etc) may shift if it seems to be needed.

Paris being a medic because he has a semester or two of biochemistry behind him makes no sense whatsoever (in the middle of a major battle you want your best pilot at the conn not pulled down to sickbay to treat injured), not when the ship would have officers and non-coms who specialised in life sciences, as well as all those others onboard who would've undergone the same emergency medical training that Worf had (referenced in "Disaster"), but if they axe a wonderful character in favour of a Borg babe then that's their problem to work around. As for Dax at the Conn of the Defiant, it was a warship had no science labs and wasn't intended for research purposes, so her extensive flight training (not to mention past life experience as a decorated pilot) makes her the ideal candidate to fulfill that role.

Yeah, agreed. It felt a bit random when they pulled him for being a medic. My best guess is they wanted to make him feel like he has more to do with the senior staff, and to give him some extra crossover with The Doctor.
Not fully sure who you're referencing as the axed character right off (although I assume Kes?), but at least myself I'm not sure the reasons (although I'm sure it's somewhere if I do more research) why they replaced Kes with Seven.

Tellarites are always going to have had doctors and they would serve in Starfleet in such a capacity so it wouldn't be a rarity.

Which is to be expected. I'm serious when I say the more I think about a Tellarite doctor though, the more I like the idea. I think a big draw is general Tellarite personality, which can lend itself well to being used at different points.

 

[The Old Mixer]

The thing about helm is that it doesn't have to be manned by a main character...but from a practical, TV perspective, it's one of the most visible positions on the ship, so it's a good place for a main character to be.