So you're commissioned to write an actual Star Trek book...

[Elias Vaughn]

DS9: Here's the plot I'm shocked the show never did: Quark gets Odo's shapeshifting powers and discovers that Odo's life isn't as easy as Quark assumed. Would probably be set during season 1 or 2 of the show, and the end would restore the status quo by revealing that the entire thing was an Orb experience.

 

[Rush Limborg]

The problem with these guidelines is that the most interesting/fun stories don't use them.

Well, FWIW, the guidelines are, from what I could make out, just for your original "pitch". They don't necessarily expect the pitch (and first three chapters) to be your first novel--they just want to see if you're able to write under their jurisdiction. That is, if they "commission" you to write certain things to make your novel fit with the overal editorial "direction", you'll do it.

 

[Admiral2]

TOS - Captain Kirk and the USS Enterprise are sent to a new Federation world to help enforce its recent ban on slave trading, bringing the ship and crew into contention with Orion Trading Clans.

 

[Maxillius]

Picard undertakes a diplomatic first contact mission to a new interstellar republic outside the Federation. His only path of contact is through a wide spread species that is a former member of the Federation, a people who left because they found the prime directive ethically inadequate. Explores the occasional failures in maintaining the Federation in one piece.

Write this! (not to sound too demanding or anything lol) Maybe this could explain the absence of Denobulans in post ENT and nuTrek? Or however you wanted to do it

 

[Captrek]

VOY - Voyager is hit by an unknown energy wave that causes the crews memories and personalities to switch into the bodies of those nearest them.

Interesting. Has it occurred to you that "nearest" is not a reciprocal relationship? For example, where there are three people in a line, the minds on both ends would jump into the body in the middle, creating Tuvix-like situations in some bodies and a complete lack of consciousness in others. (Alternatively, the bodies on both ends get copies of the mind in the middle, while the body in the middle gets a mind from one of the ends.)

 

[Jedipilot24]

Well if it weren't for that rule about no mixing of casts, I would write a book about a Federation Civil War. It would, naturally, feature a debate about the rights of individual star systems verses the Federation government. In this case, the Federation is unwilling to allow them to secede, either because of their location or because of some rare unobtanium resource that the systems possess. The systems could also be tired of paying all the 'taxes' that are necessary to sustain the replicator economy and want to shift to a more normal economic system.
The Federation government, meanwhile, simply refuses to understand why anyone would want to leave the 'paradise' that is the Federation--this was already their attitude toward the Maquis.
This story would, of course, be set after the Dominion War and so would have Starfleet also starkly divided between the Militaristic and Exploration factions and the Militarists are still, by and large, the ones in control. But even many of the Explorers are still siding with the Federation, they're just divided about what to do.

 

[Relayer1]

I really wouldn't bother. I am so sick of the 'everything back in the sandbox' novels I have trouble reading them, let alone write one ! I wasn't a fan while the shows were on air, and I am even less of one now the Trekverse has opened up so well.

They are redudant.

 

[Mysterion]

I would pitch a series of adaptations/novelizations of the Phase II scripts that were written back in the late 1970's for the series that wasn't made. I would start with the two-part episode Kitumba to kick it off.

Either do them with Decker/Ilia/Xon in place as an "alternate history" of Trek (my preference), or tweak them to reflect the actual canon/continuity we saw on-screen.

 

[mos6507]

TOS - Captain Kirk and the USS Enterprise are sent to a new Federation world to help enforce its recent ban on slave trading, bringing the ship and crew into contention with Orion Trading Clans.

I would want to read this. There has never been enough Orion back-story and I didn't like what Enterprise did with them.

 

[John Sheppard]

It would be kinda cool to have your own story published, but the idea I have, well they definitely wouldn't publish that considering it's a crossover, but it would be interesting to see if anyone does come up with something for this.

 

[Danger Ace]

So assuming my original unlikely/impossible scenario was to occur and you were invited to pitch a novel, which series would you chose and what do you think your story would be about?

About seven yahrens back I submitted a proposal and stuff. It centered around Paval Chekov taking leave of Starfleet. He soon finds himself captain of a transport ship, SS General Lee, along side a chimpanzee named Bear. He then discovers he has only 28hrs to deliver a load of Saurian Brandy and Coors beer to the planet Risa for a pair of Klingons, Big and Little Enos K'Plok. Of course nothings easy and Chekov soon discovers he is the object of a high-speed pursuit.

I'm still waiting for a response, but I've revised it so as to remain topical with the addition of a troubled astro-actress named Lindsey Lohanski.

Fingers-crossed, and praying, "soon, baby, soon."