Star Trek

I have the worst case of the flu I have ever had and can hardly sit up for longer than ten minutes without a coughing jag. I'm on codeine and had an injection of cortisone to reduce inflammation in my lungs. I have been watching TV while laid up, and yesterday the History Channel had a couple of programs about the cultural themes in Star Wars and Star Trek.

Star Trek's popularity was attributed to its optimistic outlook about the future and the assurance that technology and human sensibilities would continually progress until the world's problems were pretty much solved. At least the ones we are struggling with now and the 20th century. Hunger, poverty, disease, racism, war, the estate tax? Nonexistent! Also, it looks like something catastrophic happens to all the Mexicans and any Asians who aren't American between now and the 23rd century. Deep Space Nine and Voyager and Enterprise weren't nearly as popular as the other series because they were downers. It turns out that technology in those shows wasn't always that friendly, and social problems abounded.

I liked Deep Space Nine. Voyager struck me as cartoonish, and the only saving aspect was Seven of Nine whose skin tight catsuit and high heels were scientifically explained as medically necessary to compensate for her lost Borg paraphernalia. Enterprise didn't have time to win me over, but I watched out of my respect for Jolene Blalock as an actress.

I think the franchise can be saved and that a program set 20 years after The Next Generation could succeed if its story lines are more hopeful. The Romulan and Cardassian Empires have fallen and have been replaced with numerous smaller Republics clamoring for admission to membership in the Federation, and the Klingon hard liners have been replaced with moderates. Whorf is High Chancellor and committed more than ever to the Federation as the means of resolving interspecies disputes. The colonies on the border between Cardassian and Federation space are all autonomous. The Changelings and their minions have been driven back to their own quadrant and are undergoing internal stresses as their subject populations rethink their slavish devotion to the Changelings. Constable Odo's influence has been disruptive. The memetic infection carried by the Borg drone Hugh has undermined the unity of the Borg so much that they presently pose no threat to the Federation. In fact, there is a sort of civil war among the Borg and one casualty of it was the nexus that permitted them to travel freely among the quadrants in the galaxy.

What will the stories be about? Exploration, mostly. I would like to see the subspace conduits explored with unlimited plot possibilities opened up. And new sentient species don't all have to be humanoids with ridges on their noses or brows or bad haircuts. CGI opens up many more possibilities.

Heres my vision. We can bring back some of the more popular actors from TNG, DS9 and Voyager for regular roles and have others in recurring appearances when we can get them. The base of the series would be Star Fleet Academy and a special program to explore via subspace with an elite group of students. The known characters would be faculty and crew, and exciting young actors could be featured as the cadets. Since there is a conduit opening within easy reach of Sol, the adventures can take off from San Francisco and end up back there without any need for allowances for travel time.