So I think that the overall idea is that a series can't be successful unless it is "aboard the Starship Enterprise in the late 24th century, that's all that works".
I hope TV executives don't think that one-dimensionally.
I suspect they do think that literally, and right now they're looking at the success of JJ Abrams movie, and thinking that it's 23rd C that works and theres something tragically wrong with the 24th because the ratings for that century have sucked lately. The 22nd sucks too. Nope, the 23rd is where the magic is!
Even if they do think like that, we have one universe, three realities, and a whole century to work with. Any writer who can't come up with something good within those terrible constraints needs to find anther career because wow, are they imagination-deficient.
TREKKIE #1: Trek needs to take risks, to be more original and be more creative.
TREKKIE #2: Trek needs to get back to basics and go back to what worked in the past.
Solution: for spud's sake, ignore the Trekkies!
That approach worked for Abrams. He made a movie calculated to appeal to the audience of the medium he was writing for, eg, the summer popcorn blockbuster. It was therefore big, noisy, colorful and action-packed. And he did throw the fans a few bones, for instance by not wiping out the original timeline, but he didn't have to. His movie would have been a stunning success anyway.
A TV series would work the same way. CBS will require that the show be calculated to appeal to the channel it's being created for. There's no way for it to fit CBS itself, for instance, but I can envision Star Treks made for the CW or for Showtime, meaning two very different shows (and both different from Abrams' movies, too.)
They might not be what the fans want to see, but if they appeal to the CW or Showtime audiences, they could still be successful. They certainly won't be successful any other way.
Since there's no such thing as a Star Trek channel, a new series is going to have to appeal primarily to an audience that isn't Trekkies. Maybe there will be some overlap, and maybe the showrunner will be enough of a fan to throw fans a few bones, but that's the best we can expect.
I would say the real question is what type of series to we want it to be more like i.e. DSN or VOY.
The real question is, how to drive a new audience to Star Trek, that hasnt seen any of the old episodes (until ENT) or isnt interested in Trek so far; the folks at the age of 20 years or younger.
Make a Star Trek series for the CW, starring Ensign Mary Sue, who is torn between her love for a sexily repressed Vulcan cadet and a sexily tragic ex-Borg guy. Find an Ian Somerhalder look alike to play either the Vulcan or the Borg, or ideally both. Bonus points if you can figure out a way to make them long-lost brothers.
That show wouldn't personally appeal to me, but it would be the best way to make it successful on the CW. And it certainly would make this place entertaining as heck!
