Monday, December 03, 2001

Potential Star Trek Plots

I came up with a few Star Trek (Enterprise) plots and am going to send them in to see if any of them fly. I thought I would share them with you for any feedback.

Potential Title: A Medical Cure

A scientist discovers a medical treatment that will cure the plague on his small planet. Two great powers that exist within a fragile peace both hear of the discovery but misunderstand its application as military. Each seeks to acquire the technology before the other, but neither will accept their opponent's success as anything but an act of aggression and war. The evading scientist must decide between peace within the solar system (destroying his creation) and suffering on his home world.

Potential Title: The terror of war

The Enterprise comes across a military armada en route to an enemy outpost. The armada is not aggressive toward the Enterprise, but insists they remain at a distance. When Enterprise scans report the outpost has rudimentary technology the Captain confronts the armadas commanding officer, who explains that extremists are attacking civilians throughout the empire and are hiding on the target planet. A recent attack has rallied the military to do what is necessary to safeguard security.

Possible solution: The Enterprise watches in horror as the armada devastates the planet and its people to eliminate the threat, only to learn that the factions had relocated before their arrival.

Possible solution: The Captain convicts the commander of his actions, and offers to supply them with Vulcan scanning technology that will help them locate individuals hiding in a populous.

Potential Title: A Doctor's Battle

A medical scientist is enlisted in an endless struggle. His people are nearing defeat. He develops a method which scans enemy ships and warriors using an adaptation of medical technology. During a battle the technology proves invaluable, but the scientist secretly notices his enemy's severe medical condition. As a doctor, he must decide if he watches his culture perish or give them sure victory (a genocidal bio-weapon).

Potential Title: Returning Home

During a routine check, a lower-ranking engineer discovers a secret Starfleet security enhancement in the warp engine. However, he misinterprets the enhancement as a major flaw and safety concern. While the "flaw" is being investigated, the Captain and crew must consider returning to space dock for an overhaul that could take years.

Potential Title: When the gods sneeze

Many crewmates suffering from strange symptoms are diagnosed as being allergic to a certain Vulcan hormone. A specific Vulcan religious practice induces the problematic hormone. This religious practice holds a particularly significant meaning to a Vulcan. The Captain must decide between banning the practice in light of his crew's health and respecting the right of religious practice.

Potential Title: Internal advantage

A strange cloud in space is discovered to be hiding a small moon. The characteristics of the nearby space are anomalous. While investigating, Enterprise discovers that the moon is not a moon, but a facade enclosing a wormhole that someone has somehow contained and "wrapped" in a moon. When a probe is sent through fissure in the wormhole's "wrapping," telemetry reveals a secret passage to a similar moon near Romulus.

Potential Title: Paranoid influence

Sent off course by something in space, Enterprise discovers an unexpected m-class planet. Just before making contact, early reconnaissance reveals the world is about to launch its first warp-enabled space vessel. The catch, its name is Enterprise and its call sign is the NX-01. They eventually discern that whatever sent them off course has caused an echo of the past, which allows Enterprise to watch her own launch. During the display, the crew sees the unexpected presence of another ship observing the proceedings.

Possible solution: Vulcans recognize the ship as a member of the "observer" race, who silently and benevolently influence the galaxy's events.

Possible solution: The Enterprise is observing two echoes at one time and, in the process, learns about a culture in a far off sector.

Potential Title: Home sick

A crewman approaches the Captain with schematics of a torpedo that is modified to carry a person. The crewman, desperate to return to Earth for (perhaps some person event) begs the Captain's permission to make the modifications and be shot back toward home.

Possible solution: The Captain grants the request, and gathers personal items from the excited crew to send home, but the crewman backs down just before leaving.

Possible solution: The Captain denies the request, but the eager crewman disobeys orders and rigs the device poorly and is killed after its launch.

Potential title: Noah's ark

A planet's orbit is set off by the shock of some space event. The people have regulated births to control population and have prepared an escape craft. They plan its launch before the planet passes through their system's asteroid cloud. After learning of their intentions, the only neighboring planet has issued an invitation. The Enterprise learns that the receiving planet's benevolence is a fraud; they intend to enslave (or kill) the coming refugees. Without the necessary supplies to help the refugees travel to a further asylum, the Captain must deal with his helplessness to stop such a wrong.

Potential Title: Innocent minds

Enterprise responds to a distress call, but when they arrive to the scene the suspect ship is in perfect order and has no record of sending a distress. The Captain invites the command staff to the Enterprise for dinner and through a series of events uncovers that the crew has been hypnotized by a non-corporeal species that controls corporeal species to act as their physical arms and legs. In this case, when the hypnotized crew turns to attack the Enterprise, the Captain must decide if he should retaliate against the innocent crew in defense.

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