I would do no ties to previous Trek. Cast a new ship and a new crew. Then set them in a situation similar to some of the best of Trek in TWOK and Balance of Power and create a Navy/Submarine type thriller. Yes some would say that is too action oriented but that is works works to get people in the seats for a hollywood movie (one reason I think Trek works better on TV).
I am fine with the old actors, but also open to new actors. I like the TOS characters, so I want a movie with them again. Though they can modernize the cast a bit, if they cast new actors. Give one of the male characters a sex change and add maybe a female security officer. I think only Uhura as a steady female character over the last three movies was not enough. There should be more women and not only for one movie and then they are gone. When it comes to the content of the next movie, I completely agree with you. I never found space battles the most interesting thing in a scifi movie or series. And Earth being in danger is getting boring. The Enterprise far away in outer space with no communcation with Starfleet Command would be great. And ideally also no time travel or parallel universe stories.
JJ verse TMP. Only V’Ger turns out to be Ben Sisko from the wormhole, whole kelvin verse gets shut down, but the enterprise crew is seen going into wormhole at the end. Meanwhile a new set of post voyager events are playing out, in other films including the actual Hobus event. Just as the luck seems down, cliffhanger ending as time freezes and the universe begins to end. the wormhole snaps like the Barzan version, carving a scar we recognise as the nexus, and out pops the kelvinverse enterprise with a confused crew with heads full of two sets of memories, and two kirks on the bridge alongside a rejeuvanated Ben Sisko. The pit of time crew is able to stop hobus and unfreeze time in the Prime universe, allowing the Greta Prime/Kelvinverse crew team up. The universe is saved, the unseen until finale ‘villain’ intelligence revealed to be a god thing, sent spiralling back in time and trapped in the centre of the galaxy. We end on Shatner Kirk and Sisko, talking to Admirals Riker and Janeway...Riker is going to help Pine Kirk acclimatise and shakes hands with the two men before leaving. Janeway asks the out of time heroes of the federation what they will do now. Kirk looks to Sisko who says ‘I think I will just...improvise...like...Jazz.’ Kirk does the eyebrows raised face and says ‘sounds like fun...tell me...Benjamin? Do you mind if I call you Ben...have you ver tried horseriding...’ The two walk off through the garden of SFA, lost in the crowd of heroes yet to have their moment, we see a gardener tending a tree...he turns to the Camera and smiles. It’s Q. ‘The adventure never ends, Captains.’ XD
Make multiple movies using separate casts and timeline for each. Marvel style. Tell a heist story with Riker and Worf. Tell a cerebral sci-fi story with Data. Tell a war story with O’Brien. Do a buddy comedy with Paris and Kim. Do fantasy and magic with Sisko. And so on.
It's only a matter of time before they do some kind of Crisis on Infinite Treks/Avengers: Endgame super duper crossover event.
Set in the Kelvin Timeline: The Enterprise-A is on its first ever deep space mission. Crossed any and all Federation boundaries a year ago, they truly are on their own. Kir, Spock, Mccoy, Sulu, Uhura, Scotty and a new helmsman, Mckenna, a female Andorian born and raised on Earth. They actually went 'westbound' on the Alpha Quadrant and started to explore. The crew comes across a very vibrant planet, third from its star, but are shocked to find a thriving civilization consisting of Humans, Vulcans, Androrians, Tellarites and several other 30 or so FedSpace species. However the civilization is fully pre-warp, but resembles mid 21st century aesthetics (2010s). During their investigations they end up 'waking' a very dangerous adversary, ones who have been collecting these species for millenia, for testing an all-out invasion/enslavement of said species. But our beloved crew has an ally, an ally that has been biding his time and is very knowledgeable of these alien adversaries, because he used to work for them. His name... is Gary 7.
Just for fun, huh? Well... Mix the idea of a fourth Kelvin timeline film with the 'Phase II/second 5-year mission' idea. It's the Kelvin timeline, but about 15 years after the events of Star Trek '09. Now-Admiral Kirk assumes command of the Enterprise-A to "save the galaxy", or whatever scenario they come up with. The passage of time (15 years after ST '09) will give them an in-universe explanation for the absence of Chekov, and any other character. It'll also allow them to bring in new characters. Draw visual inspiration from the first 6 (TOS) movies, but with a Kelvin Timeline touch.