[Admiral Archer]

Okay, to begin, I absolutely LOVE the new Star Trek film. In my opinion, it is the greatest movie of all time. However, I should note that while this is a superior effort to channel the classic series to the modern theater screen, it is not my ideal Star Trek. It is superior to my ideal Star Trek, yes, but in my mind, not really "Trek". And in a way, neither was TOS, at least not for me. So what was my ideal Star Trek?

Generations is beginning to grow on me. While the sentence immediately prior to this one may sound random and out of place, it is important. I don't like Generations that much, or rather, I didn't. But I recently watched Confused Matthew's review of the film, and realized that although the plot was all over the place, the visual effects, production design, and cinematography were absolutely beautiful and stunning, especially for the Enterprise-D and the Nexus. My ideal Star Trek would be something with the same visual effects as Generations, but with a better story. Oh, and get Jerry Goldsmith to do the music. No offense, but Dennis McCarthy's score was just really not that epic.

So what would the story have been like? Well, I always wanted the Next Generation to have a strong film without the Enterprise-E and the Borg (hint hint) but First Contact did show us the Next Generation characters as they were meant to be. It was the high point for those characters. My ideal Trek would have featured the TNG crew with those same character traits as in First Contact. The story itself would have expanded upon those characters, and brought them to life in then same way that First Contact did. Generations failed to depict these characters adequately. And I really liked the Nexus, or at least, I liked the energy ribbon. I'd like to have kept that, and just altered the story behind it. Perhaps it is still a doorway to another dimension, but instead of being a paradise, a whole other civilization of ancient creatures lives inside there? Come on guys! Be creative! A bunch of kids on Christmas morning and Kirk chopping wood are not very thrilling contents for a massive energy ribbon.

Here's an example plot idea; the Enterprise-D gets caught in the energy ribbon. The crew are transported to a polynesian-type tiki village on an island on a foreign planet in another dimension. Their technology is roughly equivalent to that of the mythical Atlantis and the real-world Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans. The culture reveals to the crew that they are the gods of Earth's prehistoric Mexico, and that the Mayans, Incas and Aztecs all worshipped them because of their technology. The crew of the Enterprise wants to be returned to their ship, but the King of the Polynesian aliens is deadly sick, and a weasly little high priest (the Villain) refuses to return them to their ship, speaking "for the king" (think King Theoden and Wormtongue from LOTR). The crew are treated as guests until Picard finds an herbal cure for the king, and Riker and the daughter of the King are caught in a romantic scene. Both are accused of criminal behavior, and are sentenced to be cast into a Volcano. As the rest of the crew are imprisoned, Data finds a way to break loose, and confronts the villain on the side of the Volcano. As he is surrounded by guards, the rest of the crew arrive and a massive brawl ensues, while the villain gets away. Data catches up to him, and the two fight until Picard and Riker are left hanging over the edge of the volcano's crater. They are about to fall in when Data shows up. Data knocks the priest into the volcano, and saves Picard and Riker. As the king is finally cured from his sickness, he expresses his gratitude to Picard, and agrees to return Picard to his ship, on the condition that he tells no one of the Nexus. Picard agrees, and the King gives him a small clay statue as a token of good will. The movie ends with the Enterprise-D warping away from the Energy Ribbon.

So basically, to sum it all up, make Generations much more interesting, and you have got down pat what I love about Star Trek.