Fans suggest a Star Trek crime drama for the next series

What about a Star Trek series investigating crime?

Considering that the United Federation of Planets has its own set of rules as does Starfleet (much like the military has NCIS and JAG for its criminal and legal investigations), some fans have started to wonder if there should be a dramatic Star Trek series that follows crime investigation. It’s an interesting concept and one that could introduce new gadgetry for crime detection and take us deeper inside the UFP.

Though the planets still maintain their own government and have their own sets of laws, what happens if a crime takes place on UFP grounds? Who investigates? Undoubtedly, there is a security division, but are the judges and juries much like what we have now? And if a member of the security division commits the crime, what then? So many questions could be answered.

A Star Trek crime drama could investigate crimes and showcase trials

While each starship, like the Enterprise and Voyager, has its own security division, anyone who is not a member of Starfleet and is accused of a crime is usually taken to a starbase for the trial. The investigation leading up to the accused being arrested takes place aboard the ship. But what if we had a series where viewers could see the entire process? Think Law and Order set in the Star Trek universe. Or like CSI. The possibilities would certainly be limitless, but would this be something more fans would want to see?

Most viewers, myself included, love the exploration of space, the first contacts, and the starship battles. Though some “whodunnit” episodes on several of the series have been interesting, they have paled in comparison to gripping episodes like The Best of Both Worlds (The Next Generation) and The Killing Game (Voyager). And they might have a difficult time holding viewer interest.

So what do you think? Would a crime drama work for Star Trek? Or should the criminal investigations always remain in the background?