Series VI?!?

There was a thread on the board about how us RPG writers could probably better than the current writers of Star Trek and about sending a letter regarding the matter to Paramount. The original thread (entitled Totally Insane Idea) can be found here: http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/For...ML/000633.html

All right, here's the deal. I've been following the scriptwriting business for a long while now and the whole thing goes like this:

1. Paramount DOES accept teleplays from outside sources, even without an agent (AFAIK being the only show that does). Just order the appropriate release form and the writer's kit from them and hammer down a spec script - that is writing a "speculative script" for the show, a sort of measure of your abilities to write for the show in question. Then just send your spec to the show's script coordinator.

But please note that the Writers Guild of America has absolutely nothing to do with SAG (which is the Screen Actors Guild) - except that both of them seem to go on a strike. If you want to work for Paramount, you'll HAVE to be part of WGA, otherwise they can't hire you, it's the law. So, if the WGA goes on strike, Paramount can't hire you, even if they wanted. Exception to all this being spec scripting mentioned aboved. After a successful sale (ie. they buy your spec), you're eglible to join WGA (check www.wga.org for more details).

2. Every TV show in the world gets hundreds of letters a month saying: "Me and my buddies can write much better than the crap you're currently producing." Sometimes that's true, most of the time not. Sending them a letter with that kind of claim only shows the kind of unprofessionalism which is frowned upon in the industry.

3. To write to Star Trek, you'll have to wait for Series V. Voyager no longer accepts spec scripts and will do all the last season writing in-house (as did DS9).

However

All is not lost. There IS an excellent idea behind all this. We could make a Trek series of our own. Sort of like a fan fic series, structured in an episodic format like all the one hour dramas - including Star Trek. Think of it as a virtual Series V (or more appropriately VI). If nothing more than just to prove that there ARE quality writers out here that can write good Star Trek episodes.

The industry is very fond of playing by the rules, so we'll play. Every episode is properly formatted (a teaser & five acts, industry standard teleplay text etc.). And we throw the best ball we can. And it will be Star Trek, only exception that we can have a all the story arcs and plot twists we want. Only requirement to get your teleplay as part of the series would be the ability to format the text in industry standard... and show appreciation to the continuity of the series and the Trek mythology altogether.

All we need is an intriguing basic setting, a series bible and someone to coordinate the whole effort (being sort of like Executive Producer). And a teleplay of a two-hour series pilot to get the ball rolling.

Any thoughts on the idea?


Wizdoc

[This message has been edited by Wizdoc (edited 01-25-2001).]

You mean a series concept?
Well, okay.

*Note: This may sound like New Frontier, but it's an idea I came up with before I'd started reading the books, and have been planning to implement in my own game. Honest.*

A few years after the Dominion War.

The Romulan Empire, unable to recoup from the physical, fleet, and economic losses suffered during the war, due to their exceedingly insular culture, has collapsed.

The Empire has split into many factions, including Old Guard Romulan Imperialists, The Tal Shiar, new wannabe Emperors, and the Unificationists, each controlling their own planets or territories.

Meanwhile, oter formerly Rom-dominated servitor worlds are freeing themselves, some seeking to start up their own empires, some just wanting to be left alone.

The Power (Taurhai Unity, or whoever) on the far side of Romulan space that spurred that famous line in TNG: The Neutral Zone; "matters of greater urgency caused our absence," returns.

Into this powder keg flies your ship, going into what were previously no-go zones, trying to help keep the peace, at the behest of one of the more Federation-friendly Romulan factions. But as to whether your Romulan guide has his OWN agenda...

This gives you a lot of potential for conflict, as well as recurring characters, new threats, old threats, etc.

The series concept is the first, but probably the most important part of the actual series bible. The bible itself basically contains everything a writer needs to know to be able to write for a show. Character bios, location descriptions, the setting, and so on and so on.


Wizdoc

I still think, and will continue to say it until I'm blue in the face, that any new series should continue on from the end of DS9 and should explore the post-Dominion War situation in all facets of the the Star Wars Universe.
As for the series concept, I believe it should follow the Adventures of a Starship, say an Akira or Soverign (or new ship with the capablities of both classes,e.g. a Heavy Explorer and Strike Carrier, I'm sorry, but I regard the Akira class as Strike Carrier rather than Heavy Cruisers); which is used as both a Fast Reaction Ship in a Fire Brigade roll and as a traditional explorer class vessel.
I aslo think, that they should explore the tensions between the various generations of Starfleet Personnel: those who were the pre-war fleet, the personnel who served in Starfleet during the war, and those who careers effectively started after the war, e.g. newly commissioned ensigns or even cadets in their fourth year.
I have been reading many of the adventure ideas and campaigns that I have been posted on this board and many of them are set in this post-Dominion War Situation. Perhaps, either for own entertainment, or even if we make our own submission to Paramount, we develop our own (possibly non-canon) post-Dominion War Campaign Time-line/ Future History. Especially, if as rumours suggest, if the new series is about the Birth of the Federation in 2160.
Any body agree with me or not?


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"Those Klingons are up to something, I can feel it in my bones"
Cmmdr JT Wayland
Strategic Operations Officer, Starbase 415, Dragomer Sector, Klingon Border, 2372

Actually, the Romulan idea isn't half bad. But, I would make it a different ship... an Akira seems too small, I think, and the Sovereign just would not work as well on the small screen. I would almost say use an upgraded Excelsior-class vessel.

Also, while I am not suggesting that this proposed series be planned as intricately as Babylon 5, I would say that one should look at the beginning where you are starting from and plan where you want to be in terms of the adventures, missions, etc. by the end of the season, and fill in the gaps.

My personal belief is that ST has to move in a new direction or it will atrophy. We've done Starfleet exploring for the federation (TOS), Starfleet adventure IN the Federation (TNG), Starfleet based in one location (DS9) and Starfleet flung far from the Federation trying to get home (VOY). Now, in order to decide what new direction we want to move, let's look at the common element in all of the previous shows...

Starfleet.

If we (they) want to do something different, they should do a non-starfleet show. Normal (or abnormal, as the case may be) citizens of the galaxy, involved in the conflicts that would normally come about in thier line of work.

If this sounds boring, then just think about what most TV shows are about... doctors (E.R.), lawyers (The Practice), cops (NYPD Blue), lawyers and cops (Law & Order, the best show on TV), bartenders (Cheers), and other ordinary people in ordinary jobs. It's the storys and the characters that make the show, not the enviroment. You can foster confict anywhere.

How about a show about the crew of a civilian ship? The captain is ex-starfleet, who perhaps left SF in disgrace. The owner of the ship is a ferengi or orion who used to be a prominent businessman, but who lost everything to a rival (a brother perhaps?), and the only assets he was able to salvage was an old Klingon BOP. He needs the captain, the captain needs him, but they don't get along. The rest of the crew are a group of misfits and "losers", each seeking his/her own brand of redemption.

Hmmmm... "Star Trek: Redemption"?

Give other characters in the show interesting backgrounds that will allow for plenty of story ideas, for example...

A "Vulcan" who is hiding the fact that he/she is actually a rogue Tal Shiar agent.

The Klingon whose house was dishonored, and is seeking revenge.

The Pakled engineer, who is not too bright, but his a genius/savant in the engine room (RAINMAN in space... or Sewer Urchin from the TICK "Definitly... down here, I'm the apotheosis of cool.")

The former Maquis, just released from prison (maybe the captain?)

The stoic andorian, who left his/her home in grief after the disappearance of his/her family.

The ex-Obsidian Order Cardassian, who is harboring a dangerous secret (war crimes, perhaps?).

And the list goes on and on.

Perhaps they are trying to scrounge a living any way they can. One week they're merchantmen hauling cargo (which turns out to be contraband, of course), the next they're hired for a corporate survey mission (which turns dangerous, of course), and the next they're on a search and rescue mission (and they weren't told the truth about it, of course). Wide range of stories, and plenty of room for character development.

I think that a show like this could be much more character intensive than other ST shows, perhaps more like B5 or Farscape. I'd like to see more Char. Dev. in ST, esp. since we've seen next to none in VOY (Doctor and Seven excluded), and in most of the other series (DS9 excluded), the characters tend to suffer at the expense of the plot.

Let me know what you think.

Hugh Casey

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"Sell your soul to the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society... ASK ME HOW!"

[This message has been edited by Hugh Casey (edited 01-25-2001).]

Not a bad idea Hugh. You initial list of characters contains a least one seasons worth of episodes!

Your assessment of the future of Star Trek is, IMO, right on the money. Star Trek needs an infusion of fresh blood, and your non-Starfleet concept is it. Don't get me wrong, I love Starfleet and what it stands for. But I love the Star Trek universe even more. Such a series will probe deeper into the Star Trek universe than any Starfleet-based series could ever do.

This Star Trek: Redemption(?) idea has a spirit that is there. Besides you can always have starfleet pop up occassionally. Just think, Riker missed his ride and the "tramp steamer" is there to give him a ride. They dock at DS9 for a layover/pickup/whatever. A few ideas to keep a little continuity in the trek universe.

I just don't like the idea of an old BOP, unless it was stripped down of almost everything of importance, maybe a new paint job. Hmmmmm, actually that might work.
All you need now is a name for the ship.

Oh yeah, don't have too many dark secrets in a crew, other wise everyone will be too suspicous of each other. http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/biggrin.gif


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The pain, the pain. I think a neuron
just short circuited. *thud*

Well, there is another possibility for a new series. Call me crazy, but it just might work. Get a load of this...


There is a starship whose crew runs into an Angosian ambush near a mysterious anomaly. The captain realizes that chances of surviving are slim-to-none, so he evacuates most of his crew. The ship gets stuck in the anomaly, but is rescued by a freighter crew 300 years or so later. Unfortunately, the Federation has long since been destroyed. So the captain takes the freighter crew as his own after saving their lives from an evil Orion space pimp, and vows to restore the Federation.

I think it's an original idea. http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/smile.gif Just kidding.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Lolth-org:
I just don't like the idea of an old BOP, unless it was stripped down of almost everything of importance, maybe a new paint job. Hmmmmm, actually that might work.
All you need now is a name for the ship.

---

Why not call it the Redemption? I know that's the standard for naming shows in Trek (after the ship), but if the Captain is an ex-SF officer, his naming the ship the Redemption would be a bitter irony.

Chris

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God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

Caretaker, you're a "freakin' genius"! http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/biggrin.gif

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:) <<<<

LUGTrek isn't really dead. Not as long as we remember it.

Hugh,
I also totally agree with you on your "Redemption" concept for the new Star Trek Series. A series in which they explore the Shadows and fringes of the Galactic Society would be a substantial and refreshing change of direction.
As for the Captain and Crew, I have had an idea. I know in another Thread, I speculated on the fate of Captain Erika Benteen, Admiral Layton's Protage at the time of the attempted Coupe. But how about using her as the new Captain, especially in the political and economic chaos immediately after the Dominion War.
In this situation, Captain Benteen could be the total oposite of what She was, a semi-alcholic and bedraggled tramp freighter captain existing of the fringes of society. In the new series, it could be the story of her redemption. Suppose, She and crew are Sometimes deniable Starfleet Intelligence and Security assets, who carry out some dangerous and deniable missions.
Sometimes against other Goverments, both major and minor, sometime on behalf of them as well as Operations for/against crime, both organised and not. In this series, the goal she is trying to achieve is reinstatement in Starfleet.
As the series continues, She might in fact endup comanding a small Starfleet vessel, say an old Light Cruiser or Escort. In fact, the Ship she might have is an old decommisioned Capella class Light Escort.
Any suggestions, anyone?

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"Those Klingons are up to something, I can feel it in my bones"
Cmmdr JT Wayland
Strategic Operations Officer, Starbase 415, Dragomer Sector, Klingon Border, 2372

You all make excellent points and have interesting ideas for the virtual Trek series.

But instead of fragmentizing this discussion in many different forums (I started this same thread at TrekBBS), we should continue it in a centralized place. So, I invite you all to pitch in your ideas at TrekBBS Fan Fic forum thread, here:
http://trekbbs.com/ubb/Forum14/HTML/000744.html


Wizdoc

[This message has been edited by Wizdoc (edited 01-26-2001).]

Hey just a thought, but you could use the Orion Sydicates...that would be very, very cool.

Imagine the scenes of dealinw tih these Orion pirate princes and their goons. I see Nausicans and Andorians and Klingons and others...oh my! http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/smile.gif

Hey this is fun!

The captain (who we will temporarily name Jack Neuman) was drummed out of SF because of certain "excesses" during the Dominion War (heat of the moment sort of thing... he feels guilty as hell about it). He hasn't been hitting the bottle (much), but he has been on the skids. Until he meets...

"DaiMon" Rosk, a Ferengi who at one time was master of a decently sized merchant fleet, and even had a Maurauder as his flagship, until his business was destroyed in a hostile takeover by an Orion merchant prince (and member of the Syndicate), who will become a semi-regular recurring antagonist. All he has left is one ship, a beat up Klingon BOP... it needs repairs, paint, a new warp core, etc. And Rosk, while a magnificent businessman (businessFerengi?), is no ship's crewman, let alone a captain. And Mr. Neuman is a captain... and he comes cheap.

But first, they need a crew... and that will be the subject of my next post!

Hugh


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"Sell your soul to the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society... ASK ME HOW!"

Quote:

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Originally posted by Hugh Casey:
But first, they need a crew...

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Bridge crew is all wookies. Except for Navigator- she is mixed wookie/deltan, completely bald.

Some crew ideas...

First of all, if I could, I'd use Ro Laren! Think about it... a woman who gave up one of the most promising futures in SF to join the Maquis, only to see them butchered by the Dominion. All her dreams rent asunder. And now, having been paroled from a Federation prison, has... nothing. And nothing to lose. THIS IS DRAMA! If not Ro, then a character with a similar background. It's too good not to use. And this show needs a KICK-*SS FEMALE!

The more I think about him, the more I like the Pakled Engineer. Think about it... the Paks may not have been the sharpest cheese on the party platter, but they were VEEERRRRY SNEEEEKY! This would be the kind of person who constantly stuns you because you keep underestimating him. You know... what Neelix SHOULD HAVE BEEN! He would also probably be a great scrounger ("Where did you get that?" "Oh, I just... found it.").

The Klingon from a dishonored house has been done before (Worf, anyone?), but what about a Klingon from a DESTROYED house (inter-clan rivalry, perhaps?)? Maybe a bit of a risk-taker, he would probably form a certain friendshiip with Ro. (Both coming from great loss, trying to rebuild, working through grief) He'd also be a great larger-than-life character.

I wouldn't do both the Vulcan/Rom and the Cardie, so I'd just do the Romulan. I mean, a character with layer upon layer of secrets, and you keep discovering something new about her (I think she should be female... dunno why). Plus, what a great season ending cliffhanger, as her Tal Shiar hunters unmask her as their rogue agent! (Esp. if you leave little clues leading up to it... awwwww yeaaaah!)

A new idea... a "Green-Skinned Orion Slave Chick (tm)" who escaped from her master (perhaps Rosk's Rival?), who has been taken in by the crew and is protected by them (not that she needs it, but she'll take it!) And Rosk keeps her around because (a) she's useful and fairly skilled, (b) it gauls his enemy that he can't get her back, and (3) she has him wrapped around her little finger, and he knows it, but accepts it.

I'll come up with names soon. Meantime, give me feedback and come up with some other characters. WE NEED MORE HUMANS! (Too many aliens! Damned foreigners! http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/biggrin.gif )

Hugh




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"Sell your soul to the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society... ASK ME HOW!"

Make your first officer a human. A little young (too young to hold this post on a SF vessel), and naive, but very skilled. Is in awe of the captain due to his SF past. To me this makes an interesting twist on the First Officer character. Rather than being the collected, young hotshot, he's the one that get's into trouble, needing to be bailed out by the captain, who he sorta hero-worships.

Chris

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God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

What race do you plan on having the captain be? All four series have had a human capitan, and three of those have been men. If you are trying to create a feel that is distinctly Trek, but not extremely similar to one of the other series, why not try having fun with the captain? Perhaps it is time to let one of the other species get the big, comfy chair.

I dunno what species would work the best, but I think that with the 4 strong human captains we've seen, it will be necessary to try to make this one hard, if not impossible, to say he is just a rehash of a previous character.

Just My Random Thoughts,
aaarrrgggghhh

Quote:

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Originally posted by Hugh Casey:
A new idea... a "Green-Skinned Orion Slave Chick (tm)" who escaped from her master (perhaps Rosk's Rival?), who has been taken in by the crew and is protected by them (not that she needs it, but she'll take it!) And Rosk keeps her around because (a) she's useful and fairly skilled, (b) it gauls his enemy that he can't get her back, and (3) she has him wrapped around her little finger, and he knows it, but accepts it.

---

Here's a thought, why not make your Kick-Ass female be the Green orion, who is constantly trying to prove to people that her kind are more than just "salve girls" and that sort of thinking is really behind the times. Would provide a double shot of the series hottie also being the powerful female (7of9 anyone?).

I think it might help push the series forward.

I stick by my idea that the Orion Syndicates should play a stronger role that the Ferengi, especially since the Ferengi are undergoing reforms, but the Syndicates are still the Mafiosa on the 24th Century! http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/smile.gif

Quote:

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Originally posted by aaarrrgggghhh:
If you are trying to create a feel that is distinctly Trek, but not extremely similar to one of the other series, why not try having fun with the captain? Perhaps it is time to let one of the other species get the big, comfy chair.

---

I agree whole heartedly! Maybe we need to see an alien here. Now that said what kind of Alien? Hmmm...we could see Andorian...or maybe a Bajoran. close enough to human, but not so out there as to make it all fall apart by being too weird.

Yup the more I think about it, your Captain should be a Bajoran. You can keep the main background of him being ex-starfleet, maybe even Maquis. He has turned his back ont he Prophets and his own people. As the sreies goes on, we learn he was supposed to be a Vedek but choose Starfleet despite his upbrining. A guy who just doesn't fit no matter where he goes. Like Ro he can wear his earcuff on the left in a direct snub of the religion of his people.

My two stips of latinum worth...

No the hard part...what to call the ship?

The SS ???????

The name needs to have real character and not just be a throwaway. It has to say something about the crew and its' adventures.

I think that the captain HAS to be human... Trek is about the HUMAN adventure, and the captain (as the central character), needs to be able to provide the human perspective. The alien races on Trek are not so much fully developed species as they are reflections of different aspects of ourselves (the Vulcans are rational, the Klingons, aggression, Ferengi are greed, etc.), and they provide insight into the human reactions to the different conflicts on the show. This is why I said we have enough aliens... we need HUMANS! http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/smile.gif

I like the idea of making the Orion a kick-*ss female in the 7of9 tradition... maybe we can have 2 butt kickers! (Ro Laren and a Green Skinned Slave Girl... Aaaahhhhhhh! They'd kill me, but I'd die happy! http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/biggrin.gif

Hugh

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"Sell your soul to the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society... ASK ME HOW!"

Why does the Captain HAVE to be human?

Sci-Fi fans can deal with non-human cpatians. That said I still suggest a Bajoran just so as it is not too far from human http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/wink.gif

I agree whole-heartedly with Hugh on the Captain issue. He/She needs to be human. Not only for the reasons he mentioned above, but also because your audiance needs to be able to relate to your main character, and while the Bajorian's are nearly human, it is, IMHO, better if the main character is fully human. Take a look at what happened on Earth: Final Conflict when the changed the main character to a half-human. Just my $.02.

Chris

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God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

I understand where you are coming from Hugh, but I don't think that the captain needs to be human. However, I don't want to start an argument over this, so if anyone else sees the need for a human captain, I will drop the issue. http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/smile.gif

The way I see it, the viewpoint of humanity doesn't necessarily need to be a single person. With this vessel having such a varied crew, couldn't the human viewpoint be expressed through the whole of the crew, and the ship? A good many races are aspects of humanity, magnified, so why not 'build' a Frankensteinian human out of these personalities?

Tradition has it that the human viewpoint is expressed through the captain, but I believe this would work. We could very easily have a human character on board that we could use as a comparison, to clarify the combined POV.

This probably makes little to no sense, but bear with me.

aaarrrgggghhh

I've always liked the idea of a younger Cardassian. All you'd need is one just old enough to serve. Their main conflict would be this: There people have lost all face in the Quadrant. They made a deal with the devil and were crushed for it. The character would then have to deal with under-the-surface contempt from everyone who ever lost someone close in a Cardassian conflict, not to mention the racism that naturally occurs so close after a war.

I like a Bajoran captain, but the earring on the left ear deal goes a little too far. Let the ex-Vedek speak for itself. Give him something in his past which he will always have to deal with. Don't make him so disagreeable that noone connects with him.

And just incase this vote counts any... I've always had this thing for Cardassian females. :]

I think the captain should be a race that we haven't seen in a while. For some reason my mind keeps going to the Angosians (that's what I get for playing Birth of the Federation) or even a Betazoid.

RE: Captain or leading role.

I'm sorry, but whether you're a longtime sci-fi fan or just a casual viewer of Star Trek, This is still a human adventure show, and it is this premise that attract the mainstream audience to watch science fiction.

The leading role has to be human, which is what the viewers wish to relate, if not respect. They want to see humans relate to nonhumans.

Remember, they have to attract audience both old and new in order to keep the show on air. It's okay to have a different concept for the series, but I say that having a human leading role is its "sacred cow." http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/cool.gif

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Anyhoo, just some random thoughts...

Quote:

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Originally posted by Caretaker:
I think the captain should be a race that we haven't seen in a while. For some reason my mind keeps going to the Angosians (that's what I get for playing Birth of the Federation) or even a Betazoid.

---

Just a thought, one not have one of the Angosian's Super-Commandos on board. A sort of voluntary or involuntary exile, a warrior who is either seking redemption or escaping from his past crimes, real or imaginary.
Sort of like Tyr Ansantzi on Andromeda, but more emotionaly messed up and possibly suffering from post traumatic syndrome.
Any ideas?

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"Those Klingons are up to something, I can feel it in my bones"
Cmmdr JT Wayland
Strategic Operations Officer, Starbase 415, Dragomer Sector, Klingon Border, 2372

Okay, a human captain. What about the first officer? I see two routes we could go down.

a) Human, or another Federation alien: This will give the series a very 'Star Fleety' feel. This might be good if we want to keep the ship on Star Fleet's good side, which some of these ideas would need to keep the series going.

OR

b) An alien of a threat species or an alien with very different outlook: Help give the series a less 'clean' look. I don't think Star Fleet would likely make use of, or trust as much if, say a Cardassian or Romulan were in positions of power. This might, however give us more shows that go into the ship's dealings with foreign powers.

Each side has lots of benefits and drawbacks. It all depends on what 'type' of show we are creating.

On the Cardassian Crewman: I think we should have a Cardassian on board. It will be hard to justify, though. Why would a Cardassian run off and join a mixed ship when there has to be plenty of Cardassian only merchant ships? Could be an interesting dark secret behind it.

Running from someone, shunning their people in shame, sent by parents to live on their own while the Dominion occupation took place, any number of things.

As far Tal'Shiar, that might be alright if there was a point. They're very good with placing their people where they can do what they need to do. Maybe have a Vulcan who either by means or by accident receives the activation code and suddenly remembers their life as a Tal'Shiar, not a Federation one. What he/she does after that depends on their goals.

What about the first officer? I see two routes we could go down.
a) Human, or another Federation alien: This will give the series a very 'Star Fleety' feel. This might be good if we want to keep the ship on Star Fleet's good side, which some of these ideas would need to keep the series going.

With the exception of TNG and VOY, I like the idea of a nonhuman working alongside the Captain in the command area. If anything, I'd prefer you bring cast the first officer as an Andorian. http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/biggrin.gif

**********

On the Cardassian Crewman: I think we should have a Cardassian on board. It will be hard to justify, though.

Not really. There was a DS9 episode that featured a Cardassian boy adopted by a Bajoran family (only his father appeared). It was back in the early seasons (1, 2, or 3?) but it would be perfect as he have aged to become a Starfleet Crewman by now. He also has an interesting backstory as his biological father happens to be one of the notable figures in Cardassia. (a legate?)

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Anyhoo, just some random thoughts...

Just wondering,
Wizdoc: are you/we planning to have this filmed? Or just scripts? And if filmed, where will the budget come from?
As for the captain debate, it would be nice to see a non-human captain, but nothing too drastic (i.e. no Vulcan or Klingon, but Bolian or Bajoran is fine).
Oh, and we need to see more Bolians. How bout making the captain Bolian?

dam_mage: No, we're not going to film these episodes as we're just dedicated fans and can't possibly have the production capabilities and/or qualities of a behemoth like Paramount. Period. But writing costs nothing and perhaps we're trying to prove that the fans CAN write Star Trek episodes, even if TPTB fail to see that. So, it'll be a Trek created by the fans, for the fans.

And re: the debate concerning the crew:

The Captain will very likely be a human, as Star Trek is mainly a human adventure with a Captain should be the essence of that ideal. Kirk being the daring explorer, Picard the peaceful dipolmat, and so on. Of course, that doesn't mean our Captain has to be a Mr. Nice Guy. http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/wink.gif

And those who'll want to see Ro Laren or other recurring characters from other Trek shows, will be disappointed. I think this thing has to stand on its own without the accomplishes and/or failures of characters devised by someone else. This decision doesn't exclude their use as sort of visiting characters in some episodes, though. But the main cast will be totally original.

Oh, and you who are crying for a strong female leads, that will be taken account when planning the main cast. Currently, a female Romulan first officer is being planned. I think we'll get a lot of determination and spirit out of her. http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/wink.gif

Once again, I must stress that the bulk of the conversation will be at TrekBBS fan fic board, at this thread:

http://trekbbs.com/ubb/Forum14/HTML/000744.html


Wizdoc

[This message has been edited by Wizdoc (edited 01-29-2001).]

Not having Ro Laren is probably a good idea, since she's being co-opted for the DS9 continuing series coming out from Pocket Books starting in... March, I think.

How 'bout giving a tiny bit of legitimacy to TAS?
By that, I mean "I'd like to see a Kzin!"
A Kzinti security officer could give a Klingon or a Jem'Hadar a run for his money on a BAD day. Of course, they'd have to worry about low-hanging doorways.

If it were up to me, I'd put in a female Andorian, probably in Conn or Ops. Just because I like blue.

In my game, we have an Orion Female CMO. She was rescued (bought) out of slavery as a child by a Starfleet Officer (who got cashiered for interfering, as well as for participating in the slave trade, even though he immediately freed her). She is extremely intelligent (back when we played by the old FASA rules, her INT was 96), but has a deep-seated shame and hatred for the Orion culture, so much so that she altered her skin tone, dyed and cut her hair, and had her skin tattooed, to look as far from being Orion as she could.

Sorry can't use Kizinti , the author of that episode holds the rights to that race. That is why they are in SFB but not SFC

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"Seatbelts?!?! Why would we need those on a starship?" Starfleet's first bridge designer

Well, then, we just make up a Kzin and call it something else. http://www.trekrpg.net/Board/ubb/wink.gif Mm... The Rrahl.

I once thought about using a Wemic from AD&D, but it occured to me that a centaur would need a LOT of turn-around space on the bridge.

If you're going to bring up TAS, you might as well consider Caitians (the more 'gentle' Kzin cousins) and the Edoans. Heck, what about Ari Ben-Ben? It might be kind of cool to have a crew member who can disassociate into a pile of mini-beings.

Okay- so some of the critters from TAS were silly. But some weren't...

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"The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank" -Montgomery Scott

Just to put in my two pennies......

I think an Andorian First Officer, or possibly Tactical is a damned good idea. I think it is time we explored the other rces of the Star Trek.......Klingons seem to have been done to death, so to speak, and the Cardies have had alot of air time, too. We know a hole lot about Romulans and the others, but the Andorains just seem to have been left out! As a fan of the BBGs (Big Blue Guys), I say lets have an Andorian in this!
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