# Ideas for a new Star Trek series **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 7, 2012, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055 "2012-04-07T02:45:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055/81 "2012-04-11T14:28:16Z")
nudity ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055/82 "2012-04-11T16:22:19Z")
Here is it. A Star Trek Series focusing on the average StarFleet person (like the guy/girl that has to muck out the toilets). Each season, it would choose a different location and tie it in with the overall workings of the fleet (missions/threats/etc). It could have some more humorous characters, and feature the occasional hunk and hottie. We could call it: Space Office ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055/83 "2012-04-11T17:00:04Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > Bryan Singer once pitched a new _Star Trek_ series that I sorely wished had got off the ground. It was to be set well after _Star Trek - The Next Generation_ in a time when the Federation has grown large and unwieldy. Like the Roman Empire before it, cracks are beginning to develop and the unity that once was is lost. The Golden Age of expansion has passed in both exploration and scientific achievement. But even with this contraction, a new race of aliens is encountered. A race who is hungry for territory and resources. They are barbarians at the gates of the Federation’s Empire. I know how those cracks might develop: class warfare between colonists and homeworlders. Throughout the franchise, we occasionally saw hints that life in the colonies wasn’t nearly as nice as life back on Earth. In our new series, we could expand on this: while a small number of people might volunteer to leave Earth and colonize some remote space rock, most colonists left under less-than-totally-voluntary circumstances. Punative tax structures, repressive laws targetting various classes of “undesirables,” and that sort of thing. And it’s not just Earth: Vulcans, Orions, Xindi, most Federation members do this sort of thing. A few don’t, but they’re the exception, not the rule. Life in a Federation colony varies from OK (but not as nice as the homeworld) to absolutely slumlike. (New China and New India being examples of the latter, where rationing of food is the norm and people spend most of the day waiting in line for those rations.) ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055/84 "2012-04-11T18:46:54Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > I know how those cracks might develop: class warfare between colonists and homeworlders. Throughout the franchise, we occasionally saw hints that life in the colonies wasn’t nearly as nice as life back on Earth. In our new series, we could expand on this: while a small number of people might volunteer to leave Earth and colonize some remote space rock, most colonists left under less-than-totally-voluntary circumstances. Punative tax structures, repressive laws targetting various classes of “undesirables,” and that sort of thing. Meh, its pretty well established in the francise that the Federation is a post-scarcity society. “Class differences” don’t make much sense in that context. I’m with **Odesio** , a dystopian Star Trek series isn’t really Star Trek. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055/85 "2012-04-11T19:44:08Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Humanism. The Feds are exploring the galaxy in order to contact new species, gain wisdom and to otherwise expand their horizons rather than for exploitation and greed. Optimism is another necessity. Even the darkest Trek (DS9) was pretty optimistic. The future is better. Poverty, racism and other social ills have been all but eliminated from human society. Heck, humans even get along well with a myriad of species even if those mean old Klingons won’t play ball (the Romulans keep cloaking it so I guess it isn’t their fault). > > If you remove those two things then you essentially have something that is Trek in name only. It might make for a really cool show, but it isn’t Trek. Well said. Those of us who watched TOS from the beginning in 1966 remember how depressing the Vietnam/riot/assassination/segregation time was back then. Star Trek gave us a universe where we conquered all those woes. There are millions of dark dystopias out there - please leave the one exception alone. There are plenty of good stories about making hard choices from a position of idealism, we don’t need cynicism. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055/86 "2012-04-11T22:37:21Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Life in a Federation colony varies from OK (but not as nice as the homeworld) to absolutely slumlike. (New China and New India being examples of the latter, where rationing of food is the norm and people spend most of the day waiting in line for those rations.) They have replicators. Anyone subject to food rationing would be doing it of their own free will (I remember a few shows where people decided to leave technology behind, that sort of thing). ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055/87 "2012-04-11T22:49:30Z")
> [@Uzi](#): > > They have replicators. Anyone subject to food rationing would be doing it of their own free will (I remember a few shows where people decided to leave technology behind, that sort of thing). Replicators require feedstock, energy and technical upkeep. I’d assume energy is the serious issue there. They may get shipments of anti-matter from the Feds slower than they need due to local conditions. Although, as I recall, on the ship there are conduits that speed charged matter to the replicator, I suppose those could get destroyed by a natural disaster, causing a moderate term food distribution problem. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055/88 "2012-04-11T22:53:34Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Meh, its pretty well established in the francise that the Federation is a post-scarcity society. “Class differences” don’t make much sense in that context. > > I’m with **Odesio** , a dystopian Star Trek series isn’t really Star Trek. I also agree that a dystopian Star Trek isn’t Star Trek, but it doesn’t have to be a dystopia for the Federation to start coming apart at the seams. You could still have a show about a horde that is slightly behind in tech, but still a threat. Many of the member planets of the Federation just don’t believe they’re a threat, or don’t want to believe because they’ve grown too fat and happy in their post scarcity society. They don’t want to send ships to fight these low tech barbarians. Their attitude has become “Not my problem. Besides, why is Earth telling us what to do anyway? Shit, do we even _need_ Star Fleet anymore?” So you end up with an outnumbered but technologically superior Star Fleet that has to prevent the vandals from sacking Rome and taking all that fatness and happiness away. Center the thing on a lone ship whose mission is to explore the horde’s loosely held space and gather intel, all the while knowing that most of the member planets won’t send ships in support because they are too content to see the threat and can’t even conceive of a life that isn’t post scarcity. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055/89 "2012-04-11T22:55:43Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Replicators require feedstock, energy and technical upkeep. … [Charleton Heston/] Replicator feedstock is made of PEOPLE! [/Charleton Heston] ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055/90 "2012-04-11T23:01:22Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > [Charleton Heston/] Replicator feedstock is made of PEOPLE! [/Charleton Heston] Only if they file a class B Disposal of Remains request. Presumptive disposal of remains is to remand them to the family for cultural disposal. Note that Breen are allowed by Federation statute an exemption to the normal ban on sexual contact with deceased persons due to longstanding cultural traditions. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055/91 "2012-04-11T23:07:10Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > I also agree that a dystopian Star Trek isn’t Star Trek, … “Star Trek: Prison Planet” – set on the Federation prison/asylum where the very few incorrigibles who are beyond the contemporary capabilities of Federation science to cure. It functions as a laboratory, frequented by breakouts, assaults and murders. And, once in a while, an actual cure. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055/92 "2012-04-11T23:10:48Z")
Well I could imagine idealogical disagreements with the Fed that are legit, remember Worf’s half brother falling in love with that woman from a pre warp world? Who is right there? Seems murky. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055/93 "2012-04-12T00:51:12Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Note that Breen are allowed by Federation statute an exemption to the normal ban on sexual contact with deceased persons due to longstanding cultural traditions. Cite? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055/94 "2012-04-12T00:52:16Z")
> [@grude](#): > > … remember Worf’s half brother falling in love with that woman from a pre warp world? No, I don’t. Was that NG? ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055/95 "2012-04-12T01:02:16Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Cite? 🙂 Breen religious programming is carried on a special subspace-channel that is Level 4 quantum encrypted. Suffice to say, the Federation Defense Grid around Earth is only Level 3 encrypted. A Medusan navigator was accidentally exposed to a raw, un-encrypted feed for less than a second and was driven permanently insane. Thus, I cannot provide you a cite. What? ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055/96 "2012-04-12T01:07:10Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > No, I don’t. Was that NG? It was on TNG, but I meant to say stepbrother not half:smack: > **[Homeward (episode)](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Homeward_(episode))** > > Worf's foster brother violates the Prime Directive by saving a group of villagers from a doomed planet. "Captain's log, Stardate 47423.9. We have arrived at Boraal II in response to an emergency distress call from Lieutenant Worf's foster brother... > **[Nikolai Rozhenko](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Nikolai_Rozhenko)** > > Nikolai Sergeyevich Rozhenko was a Human cultural observer in the 24th century United Federation of Planets. Nikolai was the only biological child of Sergey and Helena Rozhenko. In 2347, he became the foster brother of a Klingon child named Worf. The... > [@](#): > > Years later, Doctor Rozhenko was assigned to the cultural observation post on the planet Boraal II and was the only observer present by 2370. He broke the Prime Directive by becoming much more involved with the Boraalans than necessary, although he was able to conceal his true origins from them. He conceived a child with a Boraalan female, Dobara, and became very protective of the Boraalans in her village. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055/97 "2012-04-12T02:29:36Z")
> [@NiceGuyJack](#): > > How about an investigative/diplomatic Star Trek Federation unit. > A unit sent out to investigate or negotiate possible new federation members. They would need to visit planets to determine if the people of a specific planet qualifies to join the federation. > > In each episode, you would encounter specific issues or problems which could be an issue for membership and you never know if said planet qualifies. > > In addition, the group would also be responsible to investigate current members when and if a situation occurs where they may be breaking federation rules and could be expelled if violation is too severe. > > They would also be responsible for first contact missions once a planets population has reached a certain level of technical advancement. > > Finally they are also responsible to investigate possible violations of the prime directive. > > The only problem with this that I can think of is coming up with a major foe. Perhaps Romulans, Cardassians, Breen or even Ferengi could be foes competing for planets. > > On a side note, the crew would have frequent inspections to Risa of course. um… isn’t that what TOS was all about? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055/98 "2012-04-12T02:38:25Z")
How about a sitcom? _My Three Klingons_, _Seven of Nine – Where Are You?_ ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055/99 "2012-04-12T03:03:21Z")
> [@grude](#): > > It was on TNG, but I meant to say stepbrother not half:smack: [Groucho Marx] I’ve often been more involved than necessary with local females…[/Groucho Marx] ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055/100 "2012-04-12T03:23:43Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Humanism. The Feds are exploring the galaxy in order to contact new species, gain wisdom and to otherwise expand their horizons rather than for exploitation and greed. Optimism is another necessity. Even the darkest Trek (DS9) was pretty optimistic. The future is better. Poverty, racism and other social ills have been all but eliminated from human society. Heck, humans even get along well with a myriad of species even if those mean old Klingons won’t play ball (the Romulans keep cloaking it so I guess it isn’t their fault). > > If you remove those two things then you essentially have something that is Trek in name only. It might make for a really cool show, but it isn’t Trek. I completely agree and would add in some more mundane formulaic items: A character whose personal growth trajectory asks us to question what it means to be human and whether or not being human is desirable. Spock seeking to suppress his human side, Data trying to become a real boy, 7 of 9 being raised by the Borg, The Doctor becoming more than a program, so on. Some twist on that theme. The best of Trek was character driven. In any case, [a 2005 rendition of this theme:](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=345155) In that thread I had been able to come up with the idea of a sympathetic character trying to become an Augment as (s)he is, with good cause, disgusted with humanity, and trying to shed it to be able live alone in deep space. Or a character who appears human but who was raised by and is in all characteristics and temperament, very Klingon, albeit one rejected by Klingons due to appearance. Thus forced to live with humans. Hating the human form (s)he has and the humans around him/her. Also there was the idea of a several ship mission to establish a beachhead in the gamma quadrant as the Dominion was fading, one Federation, one Cardassian, one Klingon. Shift perspectives often, perhaps each episode. Not quite trusting each other. Coming into contact with and caught in the middle of truly alien cultures again that are having old conflicts re-erupt as stability of oppression fades. Not really understanding the conflicts. But together developing new alliances. Perhaps Jem’hadar emerging as a newly independent drug rehabbed identity and trying to figure out what it should be. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ideas-for-a-new-star-trek-series/618055.md?page=6)