I had a crazy idea once, an entire episode told from a Romulan point of view ( Klingon would work too). The regular cast would play the crew hidden by make up. Klingon might be better for that. This was back when Enterprise was on the air and I created pic where I Photoshopped the cast into Romulans.
Or they could absolutely pack the new series with "continuity porn." Because as you yourself point out cultcross, it won't mean anything to the new viewers and they will (well maybe) think it's just normal universe building like all new series get. Science fiction series usually have a created back story, so why not use the one that is already there? The new fans (again) won't know the difference. The old fans on the other hand will see it for what it is which is respect, easter eggs and continuity porn. Resulting in established fan jumping and clapping in their living rooms. And if the new fan should take enough of a interest in Star Trek to look at the older shows, they'll see the same universe they saw in the new series. How about that? .
I think it's safe to assume that the crew will probably be entirely new characters. The sensible option (to avoid unnecessarily complicating things) would probably be to set it now, by which I mean at the same time as what's happening with the films. Just have it be a new crew who went on their own five-year mission but in a completely different direction to the Enterprise.
I haven't been keeping up with any developments with the new series so that is the context of my thoughts about the new show. For me, I would like to see a show set in the Prime trek universe (TOS-TNG-DS9-VOY). Premise wise I don't mind if it is on a ship, station or something else. As long as continuity is respected and built upon rather than ignored or perverted like what happened with Enterprise or the JJ verse. I recently watched a dramatised documentary series about the rise and fall of Rome and I thought at the time that this could be a unique approach to a trek series, allowing for multiple different stories set on different ships (doesn't have to be a ship) with different crews in the trek universe. Each story could encompass 5-6 episodes, and doesn't have to be restricted to a single time period.
Agreed. If most people here got what they wanted, it'd be a seven-season episodic series focused on the Enterprise-W gallivanting around the Banana Quadrant in a war with the Borg. Unfortunately, that would crush the series right before it even stands up on its own two feet. New and fresh is good. It may not be the safest option, but it definitely has the greatest reward. I don't know if I'd want a series with that many past familial connections, but I definitely agree with everything you said in your first four paragraphs.
Ideally I'd like it to ditch Star Trek and be it's own show about a starship exploring the final frontier. Barring that, I'd like it to just not exist.
I'm going with "Other." It can't be Captain Sulu and the Excelsior. So much time has passed IRL that the character would have to be a fleet admiral at Starfleet headquarters by now. And there's no need to bash the Abrams movies in the poll. Kor
The adventures of a one-off, generic bit-character, from a children's series that even most Trek fans haven't watched ! Pass. Goddamn Riker and his stupid smug face. No. Am I the only one who actually watched Flashback? Why won't this concept die already? Very mature. But as I don't care what universe it's set in, that pretty much leaves... So long as 'other' doesn't include 'Captain Worf.'
Perhaps a closer look at Earth Life in Federation times? Not leaving out Space Travel, of course, but, perhaps a look at Society from a Legal or Cultural perspective. "Star Fleet: Legal", or "UFP: Genesis"...something along those lines?
George Takei wouldn't let it die, that's why. He was really the only ex cast member making noise about returning, as well as being the only original cast member who canonically has their own ship and crew who could star in their own show. The fans went along with it for ages. It was never a good idea, frankly, and it got less and less good as time passed.
Don't care what universe it's set in. At all. As long as they tell compelling stories. In the interest of that aim, I think it'd be better to 'start from scratch' and avoid established characters, and the potential for fan- and continuity-wank. I trust Brian Fuller et al. to come up with something better, but if you held a gun to my head and demanded a concept, it would be: 'On the 26th century, a radically changed Federation goes intergalactic.' Be it through a generational colony ship, cryogenic freezing, artificial worm holes, time-stopping magic, whatevz, the first Federation explorers reach the Andromeda Nebula. In absence of The Chase-established humanoid DNA seeding, the species encountered here are radically more alien, in every possible way - to match enhanced options yielded by modern FX. Kinda Voyager-ish, but folks would be there exploring the Frontier on purpose.
I selected "other." New adventures, completely original ship and crew, just throw in some familiar elements and avoid slavish adherence to "canon" or "continuity" and everything will be just fine.
Regarding David Blue's comments..... Leslie Nielsen played the captain of a starship in Forbidden Planet, and did it well. A serious role, very different from his later comedic roles.