Idea for a new, different Trek show

xmagnusonx

I've been a fan of Star Trek since the late 80's when my older brother got me hooked on TNG. Since then I've watched all of the series in full, yes even the animated and have enjoyed them all. However, one thing about the Trek movies and shows that I've always found lacking, is any sort of insight in to what else is going on out in the universe. What's happening on Earth? What are the politics of the core Federation worlds, what's happening with newly accepted races and their integration in to the Federation? What's happening on other ships and with other "heroes" of the Federation? What's life like on a Klingon or Romulan ship? How would they handle some of the same or similar situations differently than the Federation? Etc, etc.

So I've had this idea in my head for a while now and I'm curious what others think about this. How about a Trek show that doesn't focus on the same crew every week? How about a "Tales of the Trek" show, in which every week it's a different story? A different crew, a different ship, a different world? One week could follow an Ambassador and his struggle to find compromise between two species. Another week could follow a Klingon ship and crew and their encounter with The Borg or a Crystalline Entity. The next week could be a Romulan politician plotting the assassination of a competing Senator or Governor so that he may usurp his role. Another week could follow a Federation medical ship and its mission of aid to an ailing world.

The possibilities are literally endless and I really feel that it would be a great way to both expand and fill in an already immense franchise. Think of the new and varying heroes and villains that could be introduced. Think of the interesting takes that could be done in showing how the Romulans or Klingons or Cardassians would deal with issues and events in a different way than the Federation. This would also be a great way to introduce characters, ships and events from the books on to the screen.

Now that's not to say that some episodes wouldn't have repeat appearances of characters and locales, just that not every week would be following the same crew. You could easily introduce reoccurring characters, ships, worlds and events. You could even do episodes on the same event, but from the perspective of different crews or species. If fans take a liking to a particular character or set of characters you could easily write more episodes that feature them, but still keep things fresh by continuing to introduce different characters and settings each week.

I just wonder what other Trek fans think about this idea? Is this something you?d be for or against?

collegepark2151

That sounds interesting in theory but I have my doubts about it working in practice. Pretty much every Trek series and really any TV series took a couple of seasons to find its groove and really take off. I'm not sure a scripted show without a weekly returning cast could ever really find its place before being cancelled. Just my two strips of GPL.

twg042370

Unfortunately, the general public cares little for anthologies.

I would like to see some more non Starfleet perspectives in whatever future show they make. This is where Voyage failed the worst, I feel. By the end of the first season the Maqis, Kes, and Neelix were just like they had been in Starfleet all their lives.

DS9 mostly succeeded in this but by the end even Quark was in love with them.

raj011

This is a great idea. They should do this!

chokopop1

Personally, I find it a great idea. And I'd absolutely LOVE to watch a show like that. But there a two problems: One, like mentioned above. Every Trek show (Or any other show for that matter) took a few seasons to take off. People would lose interest if it would just jump from Starfleet, to Klingon, to Romulan, to Cardassian and then back to Starfleet. Secondly, there is the matter of finances. To have so many different "Points of view" in one show, would take an immense number of actors. Sure, they could re-use some actors from previous shows like they've always done. But it would still be too expensive for them, just to make something only a handful of people would actually take an interest in. Not everyone is a hardcore Trekkie that watches/reads everything Star Trek related like some of us. :P

voyagerfan9751

Like a previous posters said, great in theory, terrible in practicality.

Shows with such a rotating cast, not just a trek show, simply can't hold an audience. Half of what people love about a show, especially a trek show is the characters, if they don't stick around you have little invested in the show and so I don't see you continuing to watch a show like this when there are other shows who's characters you are more invested in.

squatsauce

I like the idea.

I also think that making it an animated show would address the issues of budgeting and that first-season awkwardness. Voice acting is much less demanding in terms of character-building than stage or film acting and having the show be animated would mean being able show some aliens that are more than just humans with funny foreheads.

garaks31

like outer limits when it's done right it will be good :rolleyes:

marcusdkane

As above, absolutely fantastic idea, but unlikely to get studio go ahead, as it's too niche... Would be absolutely awesome though :cool:

theroyalfamily

This is an interesting idea (one I have supported in the past).

Main problem is, like The Outer Limits or Twilight Zone, you would have to generally have really good writers, ones who could get a bunch of characters down really quick. We could stick with Trek, even after the bad first couple of seasons of TNG (which were almost pure TRIBBLE), because there was already an emotional investment, brought over from the TOS movies. There would be no room for that here, as it's been way too long from the time that Trek has been good, and it would be too different from nuTrek.

By the way, TOS didn't have the first season(s) grace period. Some of its best stuff is from the first season. Of course, it also got canceled twice :P

admgreer

I think with todays CGI technology and the cheap cost of voice actor's its time for a new animated series. Perhaps something darker. like Section 31 focused

voyagerfan9751

admgreer wrote: »

I think with todays CGI technology and the cheap cost of voice actor's its time for a new animated series. Perhaps something darker. like Section 31 focused

Um, No. Not the animated series idea (though I still prefer live action), but the darker version. Honestly, I am not sure I like all the DS9 did, I respect what it tried to do, and I am not saying it didn't do it well, but Trek has always been about the positive nature of the human condition. That is the world Gene invisioned. A world where when you get down to it, people are genuinely good and decent. DS9 tarnished this a little, no need to tarnish it more by focusing on a goup that never should have had any real power in the federation to begin with.

squatsauce

voyagerfan9751 wrote: »

Trek has always been about the positive nature of the human condition.

Conflict, however, is needed for any sort of drama or tension. In order for the positive side of the human condition to be exemplified, it must also be contrasted against the darker aspects of it. What GR did was take all the questionable, horrible things about humanity and applied them to the various aliens that the Enterprise crew would meet over the course of their travels. I see it as a failing of the premise that Gene was happy to start humanity in an elevated moral position, but failed to demonstrate the struggle, the cost, and the self-sacrifice required to bring them there. A Trek series that really addresses the darker side of humanity honestly and occasionally left the viewer uncomfortable or uncertain by the end of the episode would be a breath of fresh air.

Give me a darker, more uncertain future, and then show how we get our stuff together enough to make it better and brighter.

centersolace

voyagerfan9751 wrote: »

Um, No. Not the animated series idea (though I still prefer live action), but the darker version. Honestly, I am not sure I like all the DS9 did, I respect what it tried to do, and I am not saying it didn't do it well, but Trek has always been about the positive nature of the human condition. That is the world Gene invisioned. A world where when you get down to it, people are genuinely good and decent. DS9 tarnished this a little, no need to tarnish it more by focusing on a goup that never should have had any real power in the federation to begin with.

I agree. There's enough grimdark stuff going around these days.

I've mentioned it before, but I have been tossing around ideas for an animated Star Trek series. There isn't really enough to show at the moment, but I could work out a few things to share if enough people want to see. Others have shown interest in the past.

jexsamx

Transplanting this since it seems more appropriate for this thread.

jexsamx wrote: »

While I'm not against the franchise going to dark places, Federation sounds... a bit too dark.

For example, the destruction of Romulus, the tragedy it brings, and the machinations it sets into motion would be perfect for a darker Trek without dimming the optimism the Federation represents. You'll probably have a few rogue elements within the Federation working against its interests in the whole matter, but they wouldn't represent the whole.

Set this hypothetical series on a large, powerful new class of ship, fresh off the production line and sent to aid whatever Romulan faction the Federation has chosen to aid (there would no doubt be many factions resulting from the split; Reunificationists, isolationists who refuse help, government loyalists, Tal Shiar...) as a show of both peace and humanitarian aid, and as a show of force who would use the chaos as an excuse to try something. Throw in potential new antagonists from the opposite side of Romulan space that we may never have heard of, add a dash of Klingon interaction from an Empire eager to take advantage of the weakened state of their old enemy and their reaction to the Federation aiding them... It would play out as equal parts DS9 and TNG, and ideally, add its own flair to Trek.

Find a fitting latin word to serve as both the name of the ship and the series, and preferably also with some relevance to the plot, and we'd have a show that could totally last seven seasons.

twg042370

voyagerfan9751 wrote: »

Um, No. Not the animated series idea (though I still prefer live action), but the darker version. Honestly, I am not sure I like all the DS9 did, I respect what it tried to do, and I am not saying it didn't do it well, but Trek has always been about the positive nature of the human condition. That is the world Gene invisioned. A world where when you get down to it, people are genuinely good and decent. DS9 tarnished this a little, no need to tarnish it more by focusing on a goup that never should have had any real power in the federation to begin with.

I disagree. DS9 was still about striving for the decency despite not having a reason to be decent at all. Sisko bent over backwards to try and keep the Dominion at bay without engaging in Section 31's bioweapon plan. Garak had no reason to be on the station beyond being granted a chance to move into the light. Kira learned to forgive her enemies. Bashir learned humility and that even on the frontier people deserved respect. And Odo could have left the Great Link to rot, but he put aside his undying love to save them.

Now, Voayger's Tuvix episode? That really smacked the hell out of the idea of Starfleet folks doing what's right all of the time. But then again, the situation was presented as a No-Win Scenario from the start and the episode was a lot stronger for it.

squatsauce wrote:

Give me a darker, more uncertain future, and then show how we get our stuff together enough to make it better and brighter.

As I said in the other thread: This would be hella timely.

psycoticvulcan

The only problem I have with the OP's idea is that it doesn't have a core cast of characters that get developed. And without character growth, it's hard to make a really good Trek series.

voyagerfan9751

squatsauce wrote: »

Conflict, however, is needed for any sort of drama or tension. In order for the positive side of the human condition to be exemplified, it must also be contrasted against the darker aspects of it. What GR did was take all the questionable, horrible things about humanity and applied them to the various aliens that the Enterprise crew would meet over the course of their travels. I see it as a failing of the premise that Gene was happy to start humanity in an elevated moral position, but failed to demonstrate the struggle, the cost, and the self-sacrifice required to bring them there. A Trek series that really addresses the darker side of humanity honestly and occasionally left the viewer uncomfortable or uncertain by the end of the episode would be a breath of fresh air.

Give me a darker, more uncertain future, and then show how we get our stuff together enough to make it better and brighter.

twg042370 wrote: »

I disagree. DS9 was still about striving for the decency despite not having a reason to be decent at all. Sisko bent over backwards to try and keep the Dominion at bay without engaging in Section 31's bioweapon plan. Garak had no reason to be on the station beyond being granted a chance to move into the light. Kira learned to forgive her enemies. Bashir learned humility and that even on the frontier people deserved respect. And Odo could have left the Great Link to rot, but he put aside his undying love to save them.

Now, Voayger's Tuvix episode? That really smacked the hell out of the idea of Starfleet folks doing what's right all of the time. But then again, the situation was presented as a No-Win Scenario from the start and the episode was a lot stronger for it.



As I said in the other thread: This would be hella timely.

My point is this. Whenever you have something like a Section 31 centered idea. you put into question the idea of an "end justifies the means" with a no matter what the means is, as long as we "protect the Federation. You want a canon example, the Federation was willing to effectively commit mass genecide on the Founders in the name of winning the Dominion War by not only not helping Bashir develop the cure for the virus killing them, but actively hindering him.

That is what I mean by getting a little tarnished. True, Section 31 might have created the virus, but the Federation was willing to stand by and let it happen. That really isn't my idea of the best of humanity nor the ideal society.

Yes, conflict is necessary, especially for good TV, but I would like to think given the choice between actively helping an enemy we are at war with, and letting them all die, we would help them, not say in the famous words of Kirk "Let them Die"

twg042370

Yet even Kirk, who had understandable reasons for his prejudice, grew out of that darkness.

Reaching enlightenment could make for excellent drama. I wish they'd do that for this game, to be honest, instead of brushing aside the fact that you slaughtered a base full of Romulan civilians.

lincolninspace

raj011 wrote: »

This is a great idea. They should do this!

Cool idea what you would get would be like an outer limits show with a new tale each week. It reminds me of the alien spotlight comics. The big problem I would see is the budget for such a show would probably be too much, if it kept up to the same production value as the other trek shows. new sets and costumes and cast each episode. Yikes!

markhawkman

twg042370 wrote: »

Yet even Kirk, who had understandable reasons for his prejudice, grew out of that darkness.

Reaching enlightenment could make for excellent drama. I wish they'd do that for this game, to be honest, instead of brushing aside the fact that you slaughtered a base full of Romulan civilians.

It's hard to put into words just how much I wanted to kill Zelle......

I like the idea of showing events from the old Timeline from a different POV.

Kinda like a CSI: Las Vegas to CSI: Miami.... Same timeline, same country, different area, thus different challenges.

As for Where/When? There's a lot of possibilities. Maybe set around DS9 while Voyager was in the Delta Quadrant? Maybe the other side of the Federation during TNG?

voyagerfan9751

twg042370 wrote: »

Yet even Kirk, who had understandable reasons for his prejudice, grew out of that darkness.

Reaching enlightenment could make for excellent drama. I wish they'd do that for this game, to be honest, instead of brushing aside the fact that you slaughtered a base full of Romulan civilians.

And to be honest, I don't mind Kirk's prejudice. Even then, he admitted during the movie that he was growing old and wasn't the best person he could be.

What I have a problem with, is when the Federation as a whole takes this stance. Individuals being less then the best they can be, I don't mind. Society as a whole being less then the best they can be, That I mind. At least for Star Trek.

That is the issue here. Society (in this case, the Federation) has had the time to evolve from that, we should be past the whole, "They are our enemy, let them all die"

twg042370

"Admril Zelle, why are you rubbing your hands and cackling maniacally?"

"You shut up and shoot those pregnant Romulan women."

"You're the boss."

Anyway, societies are "organic" in their development and death. I can't see the Federation being exempt from this any more than Rome was or the west today. Also the time wars already showed that the era was pretty broken as far as morality is concerned.

markhawkman

twg042370 wrote: »

"Admril Zelle, why are you rubbing your hands and cackling maniacally?"

"You shut up and shoot those pregnant Romulan women."

"You're the boss."

Anyway, societies are "organic" in their development and death. I can't see the Federation being exempt from this any more than Rome was or the west today. Also the time wars already showed that the era was pretty broken as far as morality is concerned.

that was one of the few missions where I would have actually shot to kill IRL.... Yeah, Kill ZELLE!

I guessed that she was a traitor halfway through the missions, but... no branching story there...

punijab

Back to the original idea, I like it, and it's not completely impossible. A number of series have done it before (the only one which comes to mind right now is "Dead Man's Gun" although that's probably not the best example) with limited success. The downsides being finding enough actors who would be willing to do a Star Trek series, although with aliens at least you could just change the make-up and species and it would be harder to tell when they were re-using actors. They could even re-use some characters, in different/parallel stories. In regards to costume costs, as long as they didn't swing around too wildly costumes could be re-used, or at least some bits and pieces could. The plus side would be that there wouldn't be any shortage of stories and it would really take a lot of work to make a series like this repetitive. (as is seen in the example I used earlier, hence why I have reservations about using it)

Over all I highly doubt it will happen (just like I highly doubt anyone on here will ever listen to me :P ) but here's hoping I'm wrong... (in both regards)

lincolninspace

It would be great if it showed a different side of the alien races. Sometimes I feel that Trek does racial profiling of its aliens Cardassians are always dishonest, Romulans are deceptive, Ferengi are always greedy or dumb etc. I think it could make the viewer feel like racially profiling people in the real world.

vetteguy904

collegepark2151 wrote: »

That sounds interesting in theory but I have my doubts about it working in practice. Pretty much every Trek series and really any TV series took a couple of seasons to find its groove and really take off. I'm not sure a scripted show without a weekly returning cast could ever really find its place before being cancelled. Just my two strips of GPL.

the last anthology based show that really did well was probably Police Story from the 1970s.

personally I'd lvoe it, but it just would not fly in the todays world of tv Icons

mkilczewski

xmagnusonx wrote: »

I've been a fan of Star Trek since the late 80's when my older brother got me hooked on TNG. Since then I've watched all of the series in full, yes even the animated and have enjoyed them all. However, one thing about the Trek movies and shows that I've always found lacking, is any sort of insight in to what else is going on out in the universe. What's happening on Earth? What are the politics of the core Federation worlds, what's happening with newly accepted races and their integration in to the Federation? What's happening on other ships and with other "heroes" of the Federation? What's life like on a Klingon or Romulan ship? How would they handle some of the same or similar situations differently than the Federation? Etc, etc.

So I've had this idea in my head for a while now and I'm curious what others think about this. How about a Trek show that doesn't focus on the same crew every week? How about a "Tales of the Trek" show, in which every week it's a different story? A different crew, a different ship, a different world? One week could follow an Ambassador and his struggle to find compromise between two species. Another week could follow a Klingon ship and crew and their encounter with The Borg or a Crystalline Entity. The next week could be a Romulan politician plotting the assassination of a competing Senator or Governor so that he may usurp his role. Another week could follow a Federation medical ship and its mission of aid to an ailing world.

The possibilities are literally endless and I really feel that it would be a great way to both expand and fill in an already immense franchise. Think of the new and varying heroes and villains that could be introduced. Think of the interesting takes that could be done in showing how the Romulans or Klingons or Cardassians would deal with issues and events in a different way than the Federation. This would also be a great way to introduce characters, ships and events from the books on to the screen.

Now that's not to say that some episodes wouldn't have repeat appearances of characters and locales, just that not every week would be following the same crew. You could easily introduce reoccurring characters, ships, worlds and events. You could even do episodes on the same event, but from the perspective of different crews or species. If fans take a liking to a particular character or set of characters you could easily write more episodes that feature them, but still keep things fresh by continuing to introduce different characters and settings each week.

I just wonder what other Trek fans think about this idea? Is this something you?d be for or against?

I think the next Trek, should be "StarFleet Command" and focus, on one individual's entire career, beginning in the Romulan war and establishment of the Neutral zone, and culminating in the TOS era. Showcasing many ships and crews, through the ages, and the horrors of war. It would show the individual captain making the hard calls of who lives, and who dies. The last episode would end, with the now, Admiral's, estranged, son recieving a commission aboard the NCC-1701.

centersolace

lincolninspace wrote: »

It would be great if it showed a different side of the alien races. Sometimes I feel that Trek does racial profiling of its aliens Cardassians are always dishonest, Romulans are deceptive, Ferengi are always greedy or dumb etc. I think it could make the viewer feel like racially profiling people in the real world.

This was one of the few things that I liked about DS9. It did show a lot of different sides to the alien races.