Star Trek: Your Vision

[Rodin]

In regards to the optimism of the 1960s, it seems to me if anything, that science fiction used to have a general trend of being rather optimistic about the future. In my view, it's almost a natural consequence of just deciding that the future is space travel and colonizing other planets. The new frontier is as inevitable as the date on the calendar advancing forwards. Science will naturally, solve all the other problems too as our civilization develops.

It seems to me that many science fiction writers in the early to mid 20th century focused on the idea that we could leave Earth and with it, leave many of our own problems behind (or render them as issues that can be easily ignored because of other issues having a frontier to colonize brings us). Now that leaving Earth doesn't appear possible and it's apparent we're stuck on this planet (and with ourselves) forever, the trend to portray futures where such things can happen has somewhat diminished in favor of cyberpunk dystopia.

Now the almost default vision of the future is as much exemplified by social rot as much as technological advancement. In the future, we'll be living on a corpse of a planet we cannot truly escape. Beyond Earth, there's nothing for us to find in the universe but a brutal, cold emptiness. Meanwhile, the fumes of progress sputter out as we kill our best selves. Knowing for all time that we and we alone, are collectively choosing annihilation.

Maybe I'm just imagining the trend based on my limited perspective. I certainly don't have a complete picture of all fiction in any decade prior, let alone our current one. It just seems to me that science fiction has lost the idea of a savage frontier (for several good reasons), and with that loss there is nowhere left to go but inwards. We have to go deeper.

Oh, and just in case someone cries foul, me pointing this out is not an endorsement of saying that Star Trek ought to be changed to become a cyberpunk dystopia setting. Though advancing the calendar 100 years from the TNG-era could justify such a change and would make a whole lot more sense than trying any direct sequel or prequel series with a modern tone. It probably would make a lot more sense to do this than almost any notion of returning to classic form.

Pretty good take I'd say. It's hard to imagine society becoming TOS or TNG when the last 30 years can be summed up as "Shadowrun is not a manual!"

[GloatingSwine]

Reading the history of the 60s, they hardly seem that way, although specific examples can’t be discussed here.

It’s fair to say that the 1960s were awash in technological optimism, at least in some quarters, with the belief that science and technology could be harnessed to create a better world. Many of the most inventive concepts for interstellar exploration were first developed in the 60s, from the Bussard ramjet to Project Daedalus and beamed-energy propulsion, as well as high-frontier concepts like O'Neill cylinders.

But down on the ground the 60s were far less rosy, again for reasons we probably can’t get into here. In one of the time-travel episodes from TOS, Kirk meets a young woman who says people of her generation weren’t sure they’d live to be thirty, which is a fair reflection of some of the fears of the time.

As Ramza alluded to, Roddenberry created TOS to help show a future beyond the chaos and uncertainty that people were living in the 60s—a future which showed how some of the best ideals of the time might be embodied. Trek was entertaining, sure, but it was so popular because it offered people hope when they needed it.

On the other hand, in the context when TOS was made the world was breathing a sigh of relief after cooler heads had prevailed in the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy had directed the nation's attentions towards space by promising to land on the moon by the end of the decade, and the Civil Rights Act had been signed into law. Hell the Summer of Love was right in the middle of its run.

It was possible to think that the problems of now would be solved in the future because there was direct evidence that people could start becoming better. It was also possible to imagine, as Star Trek does, a fundamentally American future.

The late '80s and early '90s were the last time an honest person could think that, because the problems we started knowing about then, and still haven't fixed, are ones that we had to start working on then and didn't (Climate Change) and it turned out that some of the problems we thought we were making progress on haven't gotten as far as we thought they had.

Instead of the future solving the problems of the now, we live in a world where the now has to solve the problems of the future. And it isn't.

So anyone taking enough interest in how the future is going to look to write something that can honestly call iteself Star Trek (and particularly the American future of Star Trek) is not going to see a lot of optimism there.

[Blackhawk748]

On the other hand, in the context when TOS was made the world was breathing a sigh of relief after cooler heads had prevailed in the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy had directed the nation's attentions towards space by promising to land on the moon by the end of the decade, and the Civil Rights Act had been signed into law. Hell the Summer of Love was right in the middle of its run.

It was possible to think that the problems of now would be solved in the future because there was direct evidence that people could start becoming better. It was also possible to imagine, as Star Trek does, a fundamentally American future.

The late '80s and early '90s were the last time an honest person could think that, because the problems we started knowing about then, and still haven't fixed, are ones that we had to start working on then and didn't (Climate Change) and it turned out that some of the problems we thought we were making progress on haven't gotten as far as we thought they had.

Instead of the future solving the problems of the now, we live in a world where the now has to solve the problems of the future. And it isn't.

So anyone taking enough interest in how the future is going to look to write something that can honestly call iteself Star Trek (and particularly the American future of Star Trek) is not going to see a lot of optimism there.

Everything you just said is why it should be optimistic. Hell, the TOS did it too. Ya the event didn't happen, but they were still living under imminent threat of nuclear annihilation and Roddenbury decided to be optimistic about the future. Star Wars did this to an extent too.

Sometimes you need to shine a light of optimism in the sea of nihilism that seems to pervade everywhere.

[Peelee]

Lower Decks seems to be raising in quality some after the last couple episodes.

[Lord Raziere]

Everything you just said is why it should be optimistic. Hell, the TOS did it too. Ya the event didn't happen, but they were still living under imminent threat of nuclear annihilation and Roddenbury decided to be optimistic about the future. Star Wars did this to an extent too.

Sometimes you need to shine a light of optimism in the sea of nihilism that seems to pervade everywhere.

I wonder if you can get something good out inverting the usual cryogenic freeze trope, by making a show about a cryogenically frozen modern cynical person who wakes up in an idealistic future like Star Trek and keeps expecting it to be dystopian, but keeps being proven wrong, and thus it becomes a show about overcoming one's own negativity.

[Radar]

I wonder if you can get something good out inverting the usual cryogenic freeze trope, by making a show about a cryogenically frozen modern cynical person who wakes up in an idealistic future like Star Trek and keeps expecting it to be dystopian, but keeps being proven wrong, and thus it becomes a show about overcoming one's own negativity.

Interesting idea, but for a short series at most as this kind of topic cannot be dragged arbitrarily long or at least should not. Sounds a bit like a road movie but not necessarily including that much travel.

[LibraryOgre]

I wonder if you can get something good out inverting the usual cryogenic freeze trope, by making a show about a cryogenically frozen modern cynical person who wakes up in an idealistic future like Star Trek and keeps expecting it to be dystopian, but keeps being proven wrong, and thus it becomes a show about overcoming one's own negativity.

They had a episode of TNG that dealt with this... a few people from the 21st century who got woken up.

You might find it easier to do an inverse Voyager... someone from the Delta Quadrant being introduced to the Federation. Like, may Ceska's part-Kazon child? Trying to integrate into Starfleet after living among the Kazon would give you some "fish out of water" perspective, without needing to be the point of view character, and without needing to make it central to the ongoing story.

[Bohandas]

I wonder if you can get something good out inverting the usual cryogenic freeze trope, by making a show about a cryogenically frozen modern cynical person who wakes up in an idealistic future like Star Trek and keeps expecting it to be dystopian, but keeps being proven wrong, and thus it becomes a show about overcoming one's own negativity.

I would watch that

[Peelee]

They had a episode of TNG that dealt with this... a few people from the 21st century who got woken up.

I remember that. Power suit guy didn't even have boneitis.

[Bohandas]

Now the almost default vision of the future is as much exemplified by social rot as much as technological advancement. In the future, we'll be living on a corpse of a planet we cannot truly escape. Beyond Earth, there's nothing for us to find in the universe but a brutal, cold emptiness. Meanwhile, the fumes of progress sputter out as we kill our best selves. Knowing for all time that we and we alone, are collectively choosing annihilation.

But that's not Star Trek.

That's just slapping an established name on something that it has nothing to do with, which is why so many remakes and reboots are utter garbage, and is also what ruined Star Wars

[Ramza00]

But that's not Star Trek.

That's just slapping an established name on something that it has nothing to do with, which is why so many remakes and reboots are utter garbage, and is also what ruined Star Wars

Yep there is a reason why The Original Series dealt with god like beings so often. Certain stories starting with the Baroque time period, than became Romanticism, that became Gothicism, that became Lovecraftian Horror emphasis human beings are so small in this universe and we are powerless.

Lovecraftian Horror takes this idea and says there are cosmic gods that are so powerful and so strange we are ants to them and thus we should always have fear and horror. This is important but let’s pause this idea and tell two simultaneously stories, two ways to read the same story with different perspectives.

But let go back a few steps to the Baroque art movement. The Baroque art movement in physical art, literature, music, etc evolved from the Renaissance art period. There is no massive dividing line between Renaissance Art and Baroque. It was a gradual transition, a gradient shift.

Baroque comes from a word that means irregular and misshapen pearl. Baroque / baroco is sometimes described as “bizarre and uselessly complicated” and often has themes of complexity, confusion, excess and sometimes magic / paranormal. It is exploring the unknown and showing mankind’s relationship with these larger forces. While Renaissance Art often focused there is this divine proportion such as the various body ratios and the ratios of man such as Da Vinci Vitruvian Man, Baroque / Baroco plays with larger scales and situates man in relationship with things far larger than man.

One of the reasons for this gradual shifts in art was things like science and specifically the Copernican Revolution. The earth is no longer the center of the universe, we orbit the sun, and perhaps the sun orbits things larger still. Likewise there were all these political and religious changes from the 1550s to the 1750s (remember this is a gradual transition so the dates are disagreed upon and they really do not matter with specific numbers.)

—————

So Lovercraft emphasis the horror and awe aspects of this world view. If we are not the center of the universe, if we are ants and there are larger things that are indifferent to us, let alone will prey on us, is there any hope?

Star Trek has an alternative formulation.

Person A The Universe is vast and we are so small. There is really only one thing we can ever truly control.
Person B What is that?
Person A Whether we explore or not? As long as we got each other’s backs we can tackle anything, we got our crew, and through exploration we learn more about ourselves!

( What you thought I was going to quote DS9 ? (Sisko and the wormhole aliens in the DS9 pilot.) Nope I was talking about the 60s and TOS so might as well borrow half a line read from another sci fi exploration show )

Fear vs Excitement? Fear vs Faith? Faith is not looking for answers in godlike beings but instead the things which make us humans and that is our social connections, our social relationships.

[dps]

On the other hand, in the context when TOS was made the world was breathing a sigh of relief after cooler heads had prevailed in the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy had directed the nation's attentions towards space by promising to land on the moon by the end of the decade, and the Civil Rights Act had been signed into law. Hell the Summer of Love was right in the middle of its run.

It was possible to think that the problems of now would be solved in the future because there was direct evidence that people could start becoming better. It was also possible to imagine, as Star Trek does, a fundamentally American future.

The late '80s and early '90s were the last time an honest person could think that, because the problems we started knowing about then, and still haven't fixed, are ones that we had to start working on then and didn't (Climate Change) and it turned out that some of the problems we thought we were making progress on haven't gotten as far as we thought they had.

Instead of the future solving the problems of the now, we live in a world where the now has to solve the problems of the future. And it isn't.

So anyone taking enough interest in how the future is going to look to write something that can honestly call iteself Star Trek (and particularly the American future of Star Trek) is not going to see a lot of optimism there.

I would tend to disagree with much of this, but that would be taking us into areas we can't go on this forum, so I'll simply say that I was around in the 1960s, and though I was just a small child then, I can tell you that despite nostalgia for the era, things are better now than they were--we've made progress, which is why I'm still optimistic about the future and leave it at that.

[Tyrant]

Interesting discussion so far. I agree with the sentiment that Star Trek should be largely optimistic. It can take the dark detours now and then. Maybe even limited series that show less optimistic takes. But overall, it should be hopeful.

I've noticed a number of scenarios mentioned ignore Picard. I'm wondering if very many here have watched it or if they just didn't care for it? I would probably ignore it if I were making a new series. I also agree that a new series probably needs to be post Voyager, though I wouldn't go very far after (or no more than the amount of real world time that has passed). I'm also not opposed to cameos or even characters drifting over from past series. I also think leaning more towards episodic is the way to go. You can have an overarching plot that takes a while to unfold, but episodic seems to be a better fit for Trek (IMHO). I have TNG or DS9 on in the background a lot. I don't really ever see doing that with Discovery or Picard.

Some general questions for you guys:
For all of these, assume that money and time aren't big concerns. The ideas would need to pan out financially, but someone has given you free reign to implement your ideas. So don't worry about what CBS would okay is essentially what I am saying.

1) Do you think it would be best to make one new show, or multiple new shows?

I really like the academy idea that was brought up. And the idea of a ship patrolling a certain sector. And also the idea of a ship/crew who's job is to help species integrate into the Federation. Why not have them all in different shows set at the same time? If they go long enough, have characters from the Academy show eventually make their way onto another show.

2) Do you think there is room for limited series?

Do any new shows have to be multiple seasons, or can a limited series here and there to cover something in detail be of use? Supposing the overall theme of optimism were actually embraced, why not have a limited series about Section 31? Just as a for instance.

3) What about a show or limited series from a non-Federation standpoint?

I know this probably goes against the optimism ideal (because it is almost inevitable that whoever this is about will interact with the Federation, who will either be seen as devils or saviors), but I think it could have merit to explore some of the other cultures.

Me personally, I wouldn't go outside the Milky Way. I wouldn't increase the speed or reach. I would probably also ignore the collapse of the Romulan Empire. I would set the shows 20-30 years after Voyager. Going with the above, I would go with multiple shows that explore some of these ideas and occasionally cross over (or at least be mentioned). One focus would probably be the ramifications of the destruction (and presumably the reconstruction) of Cardassia. Show how the Federation is trying to help them rebuild. The DMZ is a thing of the past. Now the Maquis have to reintegrate. Maybe some Cardassian worlds have joined the Federation? Maybe their government is still trying to find the balance between peaceful and militaristic. This is probably where an occasional Keira cameo would factor in as she tries to help them down a more peaceful path.

One thing I would like to see is the other races that live within the borders of the other Empires. Do we ever see anyone else within the Romulan Empire other than the Romulans and the Remans? Surely there are others. Likewise with the Klingons. We know the Cardassians have at least one planet with humans on it.

[Bohandas]

I kind of think a project like this would be run best by someone who usually writes and directs parody movies (like Keenen Ivory Wayans or Mel Brooks) Not because it should be funny, but because it they would have experience aping the styles of other writers and directors. This would allow the creation of a Star Trek that resembles Star Trek, and not a Star Trek that resembles Star Trek (2009) (or worse, Enterprise)

EDIT:
Whoever directs should walk onto the set each day in-character as Joseph Pevney

[Rodin]

Interesting discussion so far. I agree with the sentiment that Star Trek should be largely optimistic. It can take the dark detours now and then. Maybe even limited series that show less optimistic takes. But overall, it should be hopeful.

I've noticed a number of scenarios mentioned ignore Picard. I'm wondering if very many here have watched it or if they just didn't care for it? I would probably ignore it if I were making a new series. I also agree that a new series probably needs to be post Voyager, though I wouldn't go very far after (or no more than the amount of real world time that has passed). I'm also not opposed to cameos or even characters drifting over from past series. I also think leaning more towards episodic is the way to go. You can have an overarching plot that takes a while to unfold, but episodic seems to be a better fit for Trek (IMHO). I have TNG or DS9 on in the background a lot. I don't really ever see doing that with Discovery or Picard.

I don't think you'd have to ignore it. The only limiting factors are how that show treats androids and how it confirms the destruction of Romulus already established by Star Trek XI. It's otherwise a self-contained story and if you're focusing on the Enterprise F (G?) on the other side of the Federation then none of the stuff in Picard would impact that. It's a pretty self-contained story.

1) Do you think it would be best to make one new show, or multiple new shows?

I really like the academy idea that was brought up. And the idea of a ship patrolling a certain sector. And also the idea of a ship/crew who's job is to help species integrate into the Federation. Why not have them all in different shows set at the same time? If they go long enough, have characters from the Academy show eventually make their way onto another show.

Depends on the funding. If money is not an object, why not multiple? In reality, money would be a concern, in which case focusing the cash on one show would be superior. You could still probably get away with one live action show and one animated series, since animated series tend to have lower budgets to start with.

2) Do you think there is room for limited series?

Do any new shows have to be multiple seasons, or can a limited series here and there to cover something in detail be of use? Supposing the overall theme of optimism were actually embraced, why not have a limited series about Section 31? Just as a for instance.

I think Picard demonstrates that you can do a limited series. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I found it quite enjoyable for what it was. Picard is the limited series with the less optimistic take, or at least as un-optimistic as I care for Star Trek to get. Trying out ideas in single season stories is how you would find out what a modern Star Trek audience would like. It also allows for more focused stories that don't have to deal with a huge cast signing on for 5-10 years.

3) What about a show or limited series from a non-Federation standpoint?

I know this probably goes against the optimism ideal (because it is almost inevitable that whoever this is about will interact with the Federation, who will either be seen as devils or saviors), but I think it could have merit to explore some of the other cultures.

Difficult. Star Trek is typically set within the Federation because the characters and culture are human. Setting a show entirely outside the Federation risks alienating the audience. Quite literally.

[Bohandas]

A thought occurs.....

If people do want to do a dystopian Star Trek, why not just set it in the evil parallel universe from Mirror Mirror?

[BeerMug Paladin]

How about having a Federation captain from the TOS era gets unfrozen in a way later era, like the 45th century, where the Federation has completely collapsed and humans are isolated, scattered and rare throughout the galaxy, often ruled over by different empires that has sprung up and established their own borders in the meantime.

Naturally, they assume that the Federation needs to be rebuilt. To help establish good principles and peaceful coexistence throughout the galaxy.

Over the course of the series, they slowly discover that although the Federation is gone, it has left a considerable influence on the various empires that have risen after its collapse. So although the various empires that exist are definitely not the Federation, they're not as different from the Federation as the living-fossil just initially assumed they would have been. The empires can become better and may in fact already be much closer in ideals to the old Federation than the main character ever thought they could have been.

This would be the "learning to overcome their own negativity" idea mixed with the "focus on non-human society" idea.

It would need to be a very limited run (maybe just a single movie in length) and it would present some darker elements due to featuring a major societal collapse. But it would be rather optimistic because it would present the idea that even though the Federation is dead and gone, it doesn't mean the ideals it stood for don't live on without it. In short, all things die, but that fact doesn't mean that having existed at all was always pointless. Yeah, probably not something the fans would like.

[zlefin]

All this talk led me to think of an idea:
Prime Directive Review Committee,
a cerebral and philosophical series that centers on the committee, looking over various scenarios that have occurred, the outcomes, and to what degree exceptions should be made to the prime directive, whether it should be amended, etc. Ideally using all new scenarios rather than the ones that came up in the other series. Based on the existing series it seems clear there are enough cases of the directive being 'violated' that making up new cases wouldn't be jarring.
At least one person on the committee would favor a more interventionist approach.
Probably best as 1-2 seasons.

[LibraryOgre]

All this talk led me to think of an idea:
Prime Directive Review Committee,
a cerebral and philosophical series that centers on the committee, looking over various scenarios that have occurred, the outcomes, and to what degree exceptions should be made to the prime directive, whether it should be amended, etc. Ideally using all new scenarios rather than the ones that came up in the other series. Based on the existing series it seems clear there are enough cases of the directive being 'violated' that making up new cases wouldn't be jarring.
At least one person on the committee would favor a more interventionist approach.
Probably best as 1-2 seasons.

I like this. It would let you get a wide variety of scenarios and actors ("Hey, who in the SAG wants to do a one-shot on Star Trek as a captain that broke the rules?"), and you could have your action sequences where they broke the PD for various reasons and in various ways... but your ongoing story could be contained within the series regulars. Set it at the right time, and you can even have cameos from different alumni. What if Captain Laforge comes before the committee, either as a witness or as a defendant? Or Admiral Janeway (does Kate Mulgrew want to be a member of the committee)? Professor Chakotay, who is talking about the archaeological impact of a captain's actions?

[Rakaydos]

I like this. It would let you get a wide variety of scenarios and actors ("Hey, who in the SAG wants to do a one-shot on Star Trek as a captain that broke the rules?"), and you could have your action sequences where they broke the PD for various reasons and in various ways... but your ongoing story could be contained within the series regulars. Set it at the right time, and you can even have cameos from different alumni. What if Captain Laforge comes before the committee, either as a witness or as a defendant? Or Admiral Janeway (does Kate Mulgrew want to be a member of the committee)? Professor Chakotay, who is talking about the archaeological impact of a captain's actions?

This, and the Starfleet Academy series, woul dboth be set in San Fransisco, right? So there would be oppotunities for cameos and crossovers, but the scopes of each show are so massively different that they shouldnt interfere with each other... at all.

[Blackhawk748]

Probably the biggest boon to the Council show is that it's much easier to just end it. No real risk of having tons of loose ends flapping around because the vast majority of episodes are entirely self contained and any overarching plot is just character related, not world shattering.

And the Academy show would have a preset number of season, 4, so it's pretty easy to plan from. Combine that with the fact that if one of the characters in particular was overly popular, you can just follow them on their new career on a Starship

[Tyrant]

I don't think you'd have to ignore it. The only limiting factors are how that show treats androids and how it confirms the destruction of Romulus already established by Star Trek XI. It's otherwise a self-contained story and if you're focusing on the Enterprise F (G?) on the other side of the Federation then none of the stuff in Picard would impact that. It's a pretty self-contained story.

Personally, I would ignore it. I know that's unlikely, all things considered. But, I think it sets up things as just being dark to be dark. It ends somewhat optimistically, I admit. But, even ignoring the android situation, the deal with Romulus is not great. To me, the Federation takes a needlessly pessimistic approach to the whole situation. I know that the Romulans are enemies and known for their duplicitousness, but this was a chance to try to make them into an ally. Or at least not an active enemy. This is what they did with the Klingons (the fact this is basically the same scenario is another reason I would ignore Picard and Nu Trek I) and it appears to have worked.

Depends on the funding. If money is not an object, why not multiple? In reality, money would be a concern, in which case focusing the cash on one show would be superior. You could still probably get away with one live action show and one animated series, since animated series tend to have lower budgets to start with.

Well, the point of the qualifier was to sidestep the issue. Yes, money will be an issue. It's always an issue, which is why I think it's pointless to sidetrack a discussion about what people would do. My question was from the standpoint of, "Would this be a narratively good idea? Would this help advance the franchise?" instead of "Can CBS afford this?" I'll concede the answer to the CBS question is probably no.

I think Picard demonstrates that you can do a limited series. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I found it quite enjoyable for what it was. Picard is the limited series with the less optimistic take, or at least as un-optimistic as I care for Star Trek to get. Trying out ideas in single season stories is how you would find out what a modern Star Trek audience would like. It also allows for more focused stories that don't have to deal with a huge cast signing on for 5-10 years.

My other thought with this was possibly using them as a halfway point between the movies and multipart episodes. For instance, if you go with the idea of helping to rebuild the Cardassians. You have a subplot building of the more militaristic elements trying to rebuild the military. This all comes to a head in a large confrontation for the fate of the Cardassians that involves big ship battles and all the bells and whistles. This would need to be more than an episode or two to do it justice. So maybe a limited series or essentially a TV movie (like the various Babylon 5 "movies"). Or use the limited series to show the militaristic side building up and doing their thing. Basically, expand beyond season long entries as the narrative demands and/or to explore side stories that don't warrant a full series.

Difficult. Star Trek is typically set within the Federation because the characters and culture are human. Setting a show entirely outside the Federation risks alienating the audience. Quite literally.

True, and probably the best argument against the idea. I think some of the more "human" races could be made to work though. The random space blobs and omnipotent beings would take more work.

A thought occurs.....

If people do want to do a dystopian Star Trek, why not just set it in the evil parallel universe from Mirror Mirror?

The episodes in the Mirror Universe were my favorite episodes of Discovery.

All this talk led me to think of an idea:
Prime Directive Review Committee,
a cerebral and philosophical series that centers on the committee, looking over various scenarios that have occurred, the outcomes, and to what degree exceptions should be made to the prime directive, whether it should be amended, etc. Ideally using all new scenarios rather than the ones that came up in the other series. Based on the existing series it seems clear there are enough cases of the directive being 'violated' that making up new cases wouldn't be jarring.
At least one person on the committee would favor a more interventionist approach.
Probably best as 1-2 seasons.

That could make for an interesting series. I would love to see ideas like this and the Academy series where we see other parts of the Federation that we only get an occasional glimpse or mention here and there. Maybe a series of limited series simply called Federation (maybe with a subtitle to indicate what they are going to cover) to cover these ideas? Maybe one deals with some of the struggles of terraforming? Not just the actual terraforming but trying to get people to move there. One to deal with the day to day at a Federation shipyard. Some of the goings on at Starfleet Headquarters. Hopefully seeing references to them in whatever is ongoing with some guest stars here and there.

[Gallowglass]

So I would like to see a reboot of TNG. But bear with me.

the Abrams-verse movie have created a seperate reality from the traditional one. Due to the destruction of Vulcan, Starfleet has grown more militant as demonstrated in the second movie where they found Khan earlier and used him to make weapons, and in the third movie where a star fleet captain is revealed to have gone rogue.

So I would carry this forward 70 years and do TNG in the abrams verse.

Now, this doesn't mean I want a gritty-militaristic version of TNG. We got that in DS9. No, but I do want to play with the characters and grow them in new ways.

Also the format will evolve more toward what modern audiences apparently want. So the first season will be 8-10 episodes long and will all revolve around one storyline rather than episode fo the week. IN this case it will be around a retake of encounter at farpoint.

Background: There was no khitomar accords in this world. The federation and the klingons are still nominally at war. The romulans are still secretively withdrawn.

The season begins with an inprocess mission by a small band of federation commandos against a klingon target of some sort. We get to know this group by their actions. They are hardened warriors, a closeknit group and famous for winning unwinnable fights against the klingons.

Commander Will Riker leads this groups which inclues LT Tasha Yar, a strong female second in command, LT JG Geordi LaForge a new recruit chosen by Will because of his unigue visual powers and budding technical wizardry and Chief Miles Obrien, an old soldier non-com, survivor of the Cardassian wars and brilliant seat-of-his-pants engineer to contrast with LaForge's by-the-book technician.

After the cold open, Will is brought back to earth and meets with an admiral who is giving him a new command. A new ship, a new idea. The USS Enterprise. the first Galaxy class ship and the first ship built in 50 years that isn't a warship. Its a colonizer and explorer.

Will is less than enthused. He is a military man, and a ship that is supposed to go beyond the borders, look for new frontiers and drop of colonization groups of families and scientists as they go isn't his cup of tea.

However, it is pointed out that this is an opportunity for him. If he does well on this first mission, he might get the permanent captaincy and some members of the High command believe in this cause.

You see, this ship was the dream of a now disgraced former starfleet captain. An idea of peaceful exploration rather than just continuing a non-stop war.

Riker's enthusiasm drops even lower when he meets the head of the civilian colonization and science group. Dr. Beverly Crusher, who seems very anti-military to him and butts heads against him as she prioritizes science over security. She also has an annoying precocious teenage boy who tags along.

Still, he accepts the command and is given his first mission. A new alien station has opened up on the edge of Federation space near the edge of the neutral zone. This station is apparently a wonder that needs to be seen to be believed and seems far more advanced than the race that built it. And they are offering it for lease to the highest bidder. Its an important stepping stone into the new frontier and they can't let the klingons or cardassians or anyone else have it.

To that end he is told to stop off at Betazed and pick up a negotiator. An ex-starfleet captain, the very man who helped get the enterprise programs started before his loss of position.

Jean Luc Picard.

You see Picard started acting strangely several years ago and he was sent to betazed to convalesce because he was suffering from a sort of dementia. He supposedly is much better now but the admiral wants Riker to keep an eye on him.

So the series will have many themes. Is the federation for exploration and science or just a military institution. Hard line defense mindsets like Riker vs science position mindsets like Picard and Crusher.

This mission has complications. Picard's minder, Dr. Deanna Troi, has a personal history with Riker. Tasha Yar has a history with Picard. He saved her as a young girl from her terrible home planet and is a kind of surrogate father for her, he's the reason she joined starfleet in the first place.

Add to this, the strange alien entity Q. They come across him on the way to Farpoint, just like before, with Picard, Troi, Yar and Obrien brought into his strange court, but this time it's different, Q is angrier, more volatile, more insane.

You see the fracturing of the timeline back in Kirk's time has caused a fracturing in the Q continuim. This has driven him mad, and its his connection to Picard that has caused his early lapse into dementia. They are given the same mission. Do something at Farpoint to prove humanity's worth, but there is a larger mission here. Q believes that Picard is the key to fixing the fracture. To somehow right the path of the universe that went wrong when Vulcan was destroyed. To put the universe back on the right path and fix the Continuum's sickness. He doesn't express this directly, it has to be discovered by Picard over the course of the season.

More complications when they get to Farpoint. The Farpoint alien race has conscripted with an evil scientist to help them control the entity they've turned into the station. Dr. Noonian Singh, an ancient old human who is wanted in several systems for his unethical sciences. He is accompanied by two android "sons" of his own creation. Lore and Data. Lore is volatile, cruel and sadistic, Data quiet, contemplative and unsure. Soogh is much more like Lore but heaps praise on Data as his perfect son, which pisses Lore off.

Another complication. The klingon delegation who is at the station is headed by two brothers. Worf and his brother (name forgotten) who are head of the house of Mogh, basically Klingon pirates and rogues. They have come to take Farpoint by force is negotiation fails. Worf is smart and cunning and seems to be a step ahead of the feds at every angle.

The season progresses as the Feds learn the secrets of farpoint, deal with conflict with the klingons, cardassians and whoever else is there for the station. I kind of see it like a Babylon 5 like situation. Multiple parties brought together and forced to deal with each other.

By the end of the series, Worf ends up taken prisoner by the Feds on board the enterprise (but it's hinted that this was his plan all along and that he has a reason to want to be there) and Data has turned on his father and brother and sought asylum amongst the federation. They solve the riddle of farpoint, complicated by the fact that some federation higher ups are willing to keep the entity prisoner to keep the station and Riker has to be convinced by Picard to do the right thing and free it. But they do and Q ends the season letting them know that they are a step closer to fixing what went wrong all those years ago.

If this goes forward into further seasons, Worf will integrate with the crew but always have an edge of menace. Lore and Soong will be recurring menaces and so on.

So that's the bare bones of my idea.

[Gallowglass]

"70 years ago, the planet Vulcan was destroyed. One of the two founding races of the federation reduced to a wandering homeless tribe of refugees.

As a result, the federation moved it's primary purpose from peaceful exploration to military defense. Another Vulcan could not be allowed to occur.

When the klingon homeworld of Q'o'nos was rendered uninhabitable because of the destruction of their moon, they blamed the federation. Attempts at a peaceful accord at Khittomar proved fruitless.

Tempers flared. War was inevitable."



cold open

Space. A large gaseous planet, surrounded by moons and a asteroid belt.

TK-40154. Goloxian Trade Route. Stardate 41147.7

Warp trails and a caravan of ships drop out of warp. They are large bulky cargo transports. They are circling toward the planet.

As they pass the asteroid fields we find two small dark attack craft, federation design, hiding among the asteroids, using them to mask their presence. Each one is set up like a two man fighter craft. "Valiant" painted on one, "Renegade" painted on the other, like names of fighter jets.

Old-style radio clicks.

R1A "RIker": "All right people, look alive. Renegade, passive scanners only, no reason to paint a target."

R2B "Obrien": "Man I hope they show up this time."

R2A "Yar": "You are not kidding. I'd hate to think we've been sitting here drinking our own urine for the last two days for nothing."

We see inside the cockpits. The figures within are wearing full body suits and helmets that mask their identities. The first has a male pilot and male passenger, the second a female pilot and male passenger.

Riker: "Can the chatter, you two. Anything on the passive scanners?"

O'Brien: "Negative." off-channel "Not that their would be, that's the whole point."

Riker: "Okay, Rook. Time to prove your worth. Depolorizing canopy"

The pilot in raptor 1 depolorizes the canopy, the passenger looks up through the canopy at the cargo freighter. He reaches up and opens the top shield on his helmet. Underneath we see the thin band of a VISOR.

He stared up toward the ship.

And we go in to Geordi vision. The sky is no longer empty space but full of vibrant auras. We see gravity wells and radiation bands and exotic swirls and eddies representing heat loss, exhaust vapors and whatever else. His vision passes past the ships and we see them. Two Klingon birds of prey tacking in around the planet to intercept the cargo ships. They are bright spots of energy, little more than an outline. We might not even know at first what they are.

LaForge: "There they are. I see them. Oh my god its working."

Riker: "That's great kid. But can you target them?"

LaForge quickly works his targeting computer.

O'Brien: looks at the data being fed over. "Okay, I'm getting targeting info from the kid.

Yar: "Train scanners. Can you lock onto anything?"

O'Brien: "Negative. Nothing there. Is this working?" *He slaps the console, it frizzes, momentarily locks, then fades.*

LaForge: "I can see them! V plus 24, H plus 48. I can show you where they are but I can't make the computers lock on something they can't see."

O'Brien: "We're firing blind... uh no offense"

Yar: "What, Chief? You've never fired without target lock before? How did you get through the cardassian war with that attitude?"

O'Brien: "Mostly with target lock, LT."

Riker: "Can It. The Rook can feed us the location manually. Good enough for me. We have about 30 seconds before they are within firing distance of the caravan. We need to drop them both before they can get shields up. Rook. I'm taking arms control, you just send the coordinates. Go for contact in 3... 2..."

Both attack craft power up and pulse out, accelerating to full impulse like a rocket shot. They curve out the asteroid belt, rocketing past the caravan and toward empty space. On Raptor 1, Riker takes the weapons joystick with one hand, flight in the other and starts firing phasors. in Raptor 2, Tasha flanks in, while O'Brien fires.

Phasor blasts empty into space then suddenly hit something that isn't there. The first BoP appears as its hit and comes out of cloak.

As it appears, both ships concentrate fire and destroy it as they sail past.

The second BoP decloaks. The first couple blasts hit it, then start being absorbed by the shields. It is damaged, but still operational. The two craft sling past and loop back around.

Lots of chatter over the line:

Yar: "Come on, get it get it..."

O'Brien: "Light up the second one."

Riker: "Concentrate all fire..."

Yar: "It's decloaking! Don't let it get its shields up!..."

As they circle around, the BoP begins firing. Its disrupters are far more powerful than the attack craft. The ships take a pummeling as they flank and return fire.

Raptor 2 takes a bad hit.

O'Brien: "Weapons systems down. Shields at 40."

Yar: "Dammit Chief, get me my guns."

O'Brien: "Copy, LT, Working on it!"

O'Brien pops a panel, begins playing with the wiring.

Riker: "Get back to the asteroids, use them as cover, they outgun us, but we're more maneuverable."

The two vessels head back toward the asteroids, the BoP in pursuit.

Suddenly, Riker cuts his engines or taps the breaks. Raptor 2 sails past and into the field. Riker spins 180 and fires at the BoP, then dives down and away, entering the asteroids at a different tack. The BoP turns to pursue.

LaForge: "Uh Commander... What are you doing?!"

Riker: "Making sure they follow us instead of them."

LaForge: "Yeah, but..."

Riker: "Shouldn't you be firing instead of whining?"

Laforge nods and spins the guns, firing backwards. A pursuit happens in the asteroids. Riker shows off his amazing piloting skills, but the guns are ineffective against the BoP's shields. They take another hit, then juke around an asteroid.

LaForge: "Shields at 5. Another hit like that and we're toast."

Suddenly, as the BoP emerges, the second raptor appears, gunning straight towards it. At the last second, the canopy explodes off and Yar and O'Brien eject out. The ship penetrates the shield and the BoP goes boom.

Silence, music.

O'brien *floating in space*: "Lieutenant Yar, I would like to lodge a formal complaint against my superior officers reckless disregard for my life."

Yar: "Noted. Come on Chief. You plan on living forever?"

O'brien: "Yes. Yes I do."

Raptor one passes nearby, The Canopy depolarizes again. Inside, Riker lifts his face plate, giving us our first look at him. Outside, Yar does the same. They smile at each other, old comrades, perhaps some perceived sexual tension.

Riker: "Exactly what jackass taught you that maneuver, Lieutenant Yar?"

Yar: "Not sure. Some space cowboy, with more guts than brains."

Riker: "Uh huh. Hey LaForge, any other targets out there?"

LaForge: "None that I see."

Riker: "Great, we can't take you on board, so we'll tow you to the caravan. Stand by."

Riker manipulates his controls, Two tow cables shoot out and latch onto the space suited Yar and O'Brien. The ship turns and jets off toward the receding caravan, dragging the two behind it.


O'Brien: "Oh yeah. This isn't humiliating at all."

Yar: "Remind me to take you waterskiing next leave, Chief"

O'Brien: "Copy that LT"


shoot to credit sequence.

[Cikomyr2]

We just had a series that did a season around war with the Klingons, not sure doing another would work.

[Ramza00]

I wonder if you can get something good out inverting the usual cryogenic freeze trope, by making a show about a cryogenically frozen modern cynical person who wakes up in an idealistic future like Star Trek and keeps expecting it to be dystopian, but keeps being proven wrong, and thus it becomes a show about overcoming one's own negativity.

You mean gaslighting a person?

Well not literally gaslighting but in some ways it will feel partly like that. It would be a traumatic experience if accurately described and condescending if not accurately. No one becomes a cynic for it is fun, it is a survival mechanism for a certain type of environment. You start seeing cynical answers as likely for you been disappointed way too many times and the word disappointment does not truly capture this.

A show about a cryogenically person who is a cynic and introduced to paradise would be either boring or it would feel gawking. Then again an episode or two of this may be different than 10 or so episodes dedicated to the premise.

[Bohandas]

If we continued after Voyager, which timeline would we continue after? The one where the voage takes decades, or the one where it's only a few years?

EDIT:
Also, how about a series about Gary Seven?

[Peelee]

Also, how about a series about Gary Seven?

Could it be filmed like it was still sixties aesthetics?

[Arcane_Secrets]

I kind of think a project like this would be run best by someone who usually writes and directs parody movies (like Keenen Ivory Wayans or Mel Brooks) Not because it should be funny, but because it they would have experience aping the styles of other writers and directors. This would allow the creation of a Star Trek that resembles Star Trek, and not a Star Trek that resembles Star Trek (2009) (or worse, Enterprise)

EDIT:
Whoever directs should walk onto the set each day in-character as Joseph Pevney

So I take it you wouldn't be a fan of Quentin Tarantino directing a Star Trek movie?

*ducks pre-emptorily* No, seriously, I know that's a bad idea already.

[LibraryOgre]

Just an idle thought: The ideal Paladin is someone you could picture as a post TOS Star Fleet Captain. I think Picard, Sisko, and Janeway all work as Paladins, struggling between moral and ethical behavior, sometimes finding the good to be overwhelmed by the code by which they live, and sometimes finding that code to be inadequate for the situation they're in and taking the moral stance.