The idea is this - change everything at the end of each season! (This is how many anime series work, BTW). I don't mean minor changes, I mean the show must be significantly altered each time. Say we start with the traditional crew-onboard-a-ship show. This is already been done, obviously, so, beyond establishing the show, it wouldn't be that interesting. But, at the end of the season, let's say the ship is suddenly assigned to fight in the Dominion War (assuming it's still going on, which I think it will). It's an all-new premise, but we're using the same characters, so it's still the same show. So, we get lots of interesting war episodes, although they would have to be tied together in some sort of a loose arc. At the beginning, everyone is still getting used to being in a battle-zone, but by the end, some of the crew are used to it. Etc. (This shouldn't be the main focus of any major plots, though...it should be evident as the story progresses regularly.) So, we get to the end of the season...and the ship is destroyed! Maybe a character dies too, and others are unaccounted for. (The cast should be "spread out," BTW...there's several main/recurring characters, maybe two dozen. The captain or bridge crew shouldn't be the focus of it all).

So, the next season, the crew is relocated...some are reassigned, some are waiting for a new ship. (They would get some time off, presumably...when one's ship is destroyed it can be a bit traumatic). The new ship is almost ready (it needn't be new...maybe a refitted or repaired one), but, meanwhile, we find out that when the old ship was destroyed, some of the crew (both characters we know and others) made it out at the last minute on a few escape pods. They could be anywhere, most likely near enemy territory. Some of the crew manage to get aboard the ship sent to rescue them, and head off. Later, the rest of the crew (and when I say "crew" here I mean the characters were familiar with, not the entire crew of the old ship or whatever) finally get the new ship, and head off to help in the search. Or, maybe they're assigned to do something else, but do join the search vessel when they get the chance (awaiting the next assignment, or whatever). Eventually they do find the lost crew.

When returning to Starfleet though, something else comes up...just in time for next season! Or, better yet, the ship returns to Starfleet without incident, and heads back to doing normal stuff. Instead, the next season can happen five years later. That would be really great, since the characters would once again be in a new situation (to us), and we would be seeing the future, in a way. I mean, remember the scenes from "All Good Things" in the future timeline? Wouldn't you have liked to have seen more of that? The five-years-later idea would be similar in a way (maybe even that supernifty saucer-gun-of-doom would show up too ). Instead of just a glimpse of our characters and the UFP in the future, we'd be seeing all of the rest of the show there.

This is obviously just one example of what they could do, but do you see where I'm going? The show stays interesting because it's always changing, and allows for a variety of situations. Also, in the above, you'll see that the first two seasons are still episodic, whereas the third is more arc-ish. The arc is more effective because we're familiar with what's involved.

Now, obviously, the Trek writers, while talented, probably couldn't do such a great show if they tried. But it's still a good idea!

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http://frankg.dgne.com/
Motormaster: "Megatron's in trouble!"
Dead End: "Who cares?"
Wildrider: "It looks like Starscream's defeated him!"
Dead End: "So?"

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"They must thinks there's still Romulans on board!"
"They're right!!"

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"It's good and well to leave the government in the hands of the perfect man but what happens when the perfect man gets a bellyache?" - Belgarath the Sorceror by David Eddings

If there was one point I could pull from your idea, Frank, it would be that change is not something to be feared in a series.

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"They must thinks there's still Romulans on board!"
"They're right!!"

With my example, though, the sets, characters, etc. wouldn't need to be altered often except at the end of the season. At that time, new sets can be built and contracts re-negotiated. With a large enough cast, if one or two actors/actresses didn't want to return, it wouldn't be that big of an issue; just change the story to incorporate this.

And cost isn't that big of an issue...I've heard that Trek shows tend to spend a lot more money than they need to, although I have no idea on what. B5, for example, had only half the budget of DS9.

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The real problem with the United States of America is that is was founded by Europeans, Asians, and Africans.

I think Frank has a good idea, but I don't like the idea of switching characters every few seasons. That makes it sound like 91210, Melrose Place, or any one of those shows that change people often. (Besides, we have those spots reserved for guest stars.)

I'm with Fabrux on this one! I LOVED the New Frontier books...they was SUCH a breath of fresh air in what was (in my opinion of course) a stale series of Trek books that was more of a chore to read....

But if you ask me, if TPTB do a new series, it should either be a Pre-Kirk series or a pre TNG, post TOS series...

I'm flexiable either way. *G*

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Goodnight my love...the brightest star in my sky...

- More permanent characters (10-12). As Frank said, kill one or two off, and there are enough familiar people left.

- More of the neglected aliens (Bolians, Andorians, Tellarites), maybe as permanent crew members.

- More of the well-known aliens, though. What about mixed human/Romulan/Klingon crews? We'll have to wait how the war turns out. A new storyline could also deal with a new Klingon-Romulan conflict and the Federation caught in the middle of it.

- More diversity of races within the main characters. No, I don't plead for a black, female, de-borgified, half-Vulcan/half-Klingon character, but some more diversity would do well, considering that humans of Anglo-American origin will be only a small minority in the Federation.

-More women. About half of the main characters should be women (for the sake of equality and to catch my interest even more ).

- More ships (that's what you have expected from me? ). I'd like to stress the fleet character in a new show (no matter if it's mainly or only partially about Starfleet) rather than always see lonesome ships delivering medical supplies and transporting ambassadors.

- More relationships. The Enterprise-D was a ship without love, although love is always good for a secondary plot (see DS9).

- More consistency. Don't draw ships and change their sizes several times afterwards. Don't let people travel across the Federation in one day. Don't make up facts that unnecessarily contradict established history.

- More real science, less arbitrary science. No matter, if situated on a ship or station or whatever, the new series should have a dedicated scientist (science officer) rather than someone who permanently makes exciting discoveries or inventions in their spare time. Scientific ideas have to be universal instead of attributing them to a prticle-of-the-week.

- More fixation of stories to a story arc. DS9 had some bad examples with silly Ferengi stories, DS9's chief engineer going on a long spy mission and a long familiy vacation during the fierce Dominion war. No matter if it's realistic or not, it's just not the right time to insert such stories.

- More changes of main story arcs. No more four-season Dominion war, no more five season "trying-to-get-home-but-failing-each-time" stories. It should be like Frank suggested, the whole situation could change with each new season.

- More insight into the Federation. How does the government and economy work? What is life on Earth (or other planets) like? What are the "normal" (non-Starfleet) people doing all the time?