The Star Trek franchise has been busy behind the scenes long before the arrival of Discovery and Picard
In the television and film industry ideas get bandied around all the time. Some are chosen while others go into the scrap heap. Unfortunately, those that do end up overlooked are usually some that have the greatest potential. While Star Trek fans love the familiar characters of The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, we’re open to new faces and new adventures like those shown in Discovery. These three projects would have had original characters, some of which were connected to our favorite characters, but they would have given us the opportunity to reach deeper into the galaxy and to learn even more about the world inhabited by Star Trek.
Star Trek: The Beginning
Set four years after Star Trek: Enterprise ended, this movie was supposed to connect the timeline between TOS and Enterprise. When the Romulans attack Earth and demand its surrender, Starfleet mounts a defense on its own soil. But Tiberius Chase, a Starfleet pilot who is also an ancestor of Captain Kirk, along with a group of rebels steal a starship and head to Romulus to face the battle head-on. This would have been a darker movie that could’ve introduced dozens of new characters in which to build upon.
Star Trek: Final Frontier
This animated web series would have been set in the 26th century, focusing on the after effects of a horrible war between the Federation and the Romulan Empire. With Andoria destroyed, Qo’nos being controlled by Romulans, and Vulcan departing from the Federation, the show would have included an old Enterprise that is beaten and battle-scarred where most of the episodes would have been set. And it would have been commanded by Captain Alexander Chase, who would have been related to Tiberius Chase and Captain Kirk. If you’re interested, the website for the project still exists, and you can see some of the design concepts.
Star Trek: Federation
This movie shows the Federation in a bad way with only a few remaining ships that are outdated. So when a new enemy, the Scourge shows up and destroys two colony worlds, the Federation isn’t in any shape to mount a counter-attack. This causes Vulcan, Bajor, and Betazed to leave the Federation. Afterwards, a new Enterprise is built in an attempt to restore Starfleet’s reputation, but it’s main mission is to locate the Scourge.
This would have been another darker movie than any one we’ve seen on screen so far, and the concept sounds like it could have been exciting. Unfortunately, it’s doubtful we’ll ever see it or the other two projects on this list.