Originally Posted by solarflare:
“The only Star Trek TV series I want to see now is this:
The Federation got it's ass well and truly handed to it in some lengthy, horrific interstellar war (the Borg, or someone else, doesn't matter).
Earth survived, barely, but now knows its hugely reduced state in the galactic ruins. Poverty, corruption, starvation, disease etc. rampant. Remnants of Starfleet do what they can to ease the suffering and defend the tattered remains from marauding barbarians (including the aliens who destroyed the Federation as well as opportunist alien species). They'd be wracked with guilt and having major confidence issues about not being able to stop the initial collapse, not helped with having to do horribly un-Starfleet things just to try and keep their heads above water.
Have Klingons, Romulans etc. if you like but they also got their asses kicked and barely just survived as well, and are now so desperate their relationships with humanity are totally altered.
Obviously, it'd be exceptionally dark. I don't mean "three episodes in and they've more or less restored the planet/Federation" dark, I mean, relentlessly grim the entire run. Basically I want it to be the polar opposite of the utopic vision of e.g. TNG.
Never going to happen but hey.”
I'm sure one time, in interacting with "future" characters, it was mentioned about a time when the Federation fell, but eventually got back together. I guess if it went with the war angle, it'd feel a bit Dominion war-like, but if it went with trying to get the Federation back together it'd end up like Andromeda. Though, to be honest, the idea works better in a Trek universe, since everyone knows all the races and stuff. I mean, obviously it would just be the theme "reform the Federation" that is similar, the styles of show are massively different.
I could definitely go with this show. Most set in their present day, trying to reform the Federation/just survive, with many whole episodes set as flashbacks detailing the war as it plays out. It'd stop it getting TOO dark. You'd see motivations of characters expanded (like maybe you viewed this one character as really removed/shy, then in flashback you see he was responsible for mass death on a planetary scale, and realise he was just trying to deal with it).
At least 50 years after current film NG (just so we know everyone from TNG/DS9/VOY had good lives, and we're not left all depressed and "what happened to...?"
It would need to be galactic, with ways to get about the larger galaxy, but restrictions somehow so they can't just skip about willy-nilly.
Dominion would be part of the Federation, or maybe another true Federation faction, with them both out to reform as the larger "Federation" as rivals. I'd actually like some other larger faction, rather than Dominion, because I see them as part of the Federation at this point, and I'd like one of the crew to be a Founder with his own Jem "H'dar bodyguard/friend/weird relationship.
I think the final seasons, would see an all-out galactic invasion by another galaxy, eventually leading to the milky way becoming "the greatest era of Federation history, when it grew to its greatest" to stave off the threat and so ultimately ending in hope.