Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a prequel, but could other ideas exist that would work?
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is, in essence, a prequel. It and by proxy, Discovery, serve as shows that lead up to the events of The Original Series. It sets up character backstories in a way that pays off when watching the original. It’s impressive and has given me some ideas.
What other ideas exist out there that could possibly be made into a prequel-like series. Now, none of these are official ideas that have existed for years as a script waiting to be made, or that I know of. These are just some ideas I’d like to see explored.
Some will see returning actors, but most will be re-cast due to the nature of the shows in question. So here are three prequel series that could definitely work.
Three prequel ideas that could work for Star Trek
The Next Generation Academy Years
There was a line of action figures from the 1990s called Star Trek: Starfleet Academy featuring Jean-Luc Picard, William Riker, Geordi La Forge, and Worf. I think an anthology series featuring these characters (and others maybe) would be riveting. Especially if each episode featured a story of one cadet. They would all be spaced apart for the most part, with each character’s journey featuring their own contained world and characters, with minimal interaction from the other main characters as they go about their Academy experiences at different points in time.
Cadet Janeway
Same vein as the first idea, but it would specifically feature Kathryn Janeway as a cadet and eventually Ensign as she deals with her time in the Federation as a young woman. Bringing back Kate Mulgrew to provide a voice-over and maybe framing the season or series as a story that Mulgrew is telling cadets or grandchildren, would be a nice way to bring her back to live-action while exploring her back story.
Romulan Federation War
Ideally, this would serve as a return for the Enterprise crew, most with makeup and some special effects can still pass off as young-enough versions of themselves, even if 17 years have passed. If not, then telling the story of the Romulan-Federation war could be done from a different person’s perspective.