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Oh yay. As a writer, AND a fan of Star Trek, I do indeed have ideas to take to the floor running, if given a chance. Three in fact.
USS Mystery
A Grissom class starship thought lost with all hands as the ship just disappeared on a routine exploration mission. But 15 years later, turns up in tact in Federation space. Given a refit, and a new crew, the Mystery sets out again on a new mission, only to lean that its old one is far from finished. The new crew discovers that the last crew may be alive, but in desperate need of rescue. They also discover a dimensional portal logged in the hanger bay that could whisk the crew to places unknown, or fling the whole ship to whole new Galaxies. As all focus on one goal, find the original crew, and return them home. While for ever being leery that a similar fate may await them.
I have a special affinity for Mystery for it was a real ship. Real being relative that is any way. It was launched by Soul Fleet as a platform for role play. And as its third in command, I have a great deal of influence over how it evolved. It had all of the makings for a great platform, but the higher ups despised it and saw to it that the platform died a slow lingering death.
What would set it apart however, would be the central mission. Such themes are a staple for anime, and we have seen it also used with the X-Files. While we still have stand alone episodes, a few episodes will advance the over all story closer to their goal.
The Screaming Rebel
This is more of a ship and crew sort of thing. But both are civilian, opening up the possibilities to both crew and mission that you couldn't take with a Starfleet ship. The crew that I have includes an Animal Slave Woman, a midget New Yorker with that classic New York chip on his shoulder, a young "terminally cute" Japanese girl right out of vocational school (a bow to anima) and a yeoman who is in fact a refugee from a pre-industrial world, who is only trying to get home. (Something start fleet will not allow, because she now has knowledge that could change her own world.)
All though this is a civilian ship, it still follows a relatively standard model. But it would set some distance from Starfleet, allowing the exploration of character relations we saw on DS9 who are not exactly chummy.
Destiny
A busty young girl who is becomes stuck with a powerful non-corporeal being that for his own reasons, sees to it that she is far more powerful that she looks. Together, the two are compelled to travel the galaxy, being good Samaritans, and to right the wrongs perpetrated by Kull, an arisen Witch from Klingon mythology who has sworn to slay all of Kayless's followers.
You can almost smell Zena all over this one. And it's not by accident. If I had my say on this, there would be a large cast of guest characters, with each one being unique, larger than life, and unforgettable. Just simply exploring the known worlds that we know of, and some new ones. Earth, Vulcan, Kronos, Romulus, wherever.
But…. It ain't the platforms. And it ain't the ideas.
Okay, so now that I got all of that self promotion out of the way. We can now get to some of the REAL problems facing Star Trek. It isn’t the new ideas, but the absolute aversion to new ideas. Heck, Paramount seems to have an aversion to decent writers on the Star Trek staff. For some strange reason, they seem to think that X soap opera writers right good Star trek. What they right, is lost of two Characters talking to each other about the alien's feelings. And they KNOW they are in trouble because they are deliberately trying to throw out the tired old sex-bomb.
Now I have nothing against attractive, buxom, female characters in skin suites. But I haven't drooled over a chick falling on her boobs senses I was 18. And sticking a fake nipple on a guys writs AIN'T SEXY. It's stupid. But that is what the CORPORATION thinks people want to see. Some CEO with a chip on his shoulder came bouncing into the story board room and said "lets stick a nipple on tucker's wrist," then brakes his arm patting himself on the back for his genius. And woe is the writer that dares challenge the guy. I have read Rick himself complain about the manipulation from the top. And the manipulation is less about the stuff you see on TV, but the stuff you will never see because it doesn’t match with the advertiser's sensibilities. The floor is littered with victims of censorship.
The gay community has been pushing for YEARS to have an openly gay character. I am no fan of the gay cause, but they DO have a point. Star Trek took the chance with Nichel Nickels in the 60's. We may find that camp today, but Rodembary got DEATH THREATS from the Klan for that to put it in perspective. The racial tension was also so bad that Nicekls herself was thinking of leaving the show until Marten Luther King Jr. talked her out of it. This was a gutsy move. But Paramount's guts must now be full of beer because they have nixed the character over and over and over again. He was nixed for DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise. So that should give you some idea of the board room mentality taking place.
One of the oldest rules of tensile town is "scandal sells." But you still have to have the guts to take the risk. And just like the rest of corporate America, Paramount is risk averse.
PS: I looked it up. According to the Star Trek Encyclopedia, Paris France, Earth is listed as the location of the office of the President of the Federation Council. Which was established with STVI: The Undiscovered Country. Another little tidbit, there is an outdoor cafe in view of the President's office that Jean-Luc once broke a date at. TNG: We'll Always Have Paris.
San Francisco, ironically, doesn’t have an entry. But Starfleet Academy is listed at being at San Francisco.
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