Proposing A New Direction for Season 10

[Jen]

My goal is to bring new life to the RPG. My hope is that we can ride the wave of excitement created by the new Trek Movie and keep people coming back or joining our writing group.

I would like to propose that our RPG shift to the alternate timeline  of the new Trek film. Only our place in the timeline would be the future. This will give us all the opportunity to try new ideas and write stories that tie into any future films without stepping on what JJ is coming up with for the next installment... or we could simply build our own universe based on what we saw in the movie.

It would be, in essence, a soft reboot that will allow us to write fresh stories. It will serve as a jumping 'on' point for any new contributors that might be intimidated by the prior 9 seasons of reading.

The change also allows us all to fix some of the things that we all have written as newbies, in pasts seasons, that didn't work well or we wish we could have written better...yet it will allow us to keep what we have worked so hard to create. It will also give us a chance to clean up our timeline and eliminate characters like "Captain Bell" who dropped into 'nowhereville' in Season One and we never explained what happened after that.

Like the individuals in the new movie, our characters' histories would be different. They may have different roles on the ship, have family aboard, if they've disappeared from the RPG or died in a past season they may seamlessly return, and if you're new to our RPG we can write a history that puts your character in our crew from the start.

The new versions of our characters are from the timeline created by the events of the movie...only we are still set in the future. Season 10 will not be like the mirror universe story of Season 8, where everything returned to normal at the end of the story. I am  proposing a permanent change to our RPG. No characters would be from our previous timeline and I don't think we should return to it.

If you don't like the idea of changing what you've written with regards to your characters, you can leave them as they are as they are. But if you'd rather tweak them, you can change almost anything: the department they work in (with permission from the story mod), their role on the ship, their relationships with others, their history, etc.

Below is a different outline from the one's I've posted in the past. I used a book called "First Draft in 30 Days" to format it. If you want to develop your character back-story, I highly recommend the book I mentioned above.

At the bottom of this outline is a definition of terms. Check it out. Please read the outline carefully and ask questions or pose ideas here. The outline is not set in stone. Again, it is simply a proposal.

The idea of switching to the new timeline was kicked around by a few writers this past season, so there may be more than one person answering your questions. The proposed outline was brainstormed by Chris and I, but it can be modified.


Plot Sketch

Story Goal:

The story occurs after the timeline shift in the new Trek movie. Romulus has been destroyed. Our story can start anywhere from a few hours to a few days after the loss of the Romulan Homeworlds.  The Star Empire is in chaos. Vulcans still have not fully recovered their numbers since the loss of  their planet. All vulcanoids are an endangered species and the universe is more dangerous.



Arabella is tasked with performing humanitarian missions in Romulan space and to explore it while there. This new primary mission would give the crew an opportunity not only for exploration and first contact, but also adventure. In their first humanitarian mission, the Arabella is full of Romulans that wish to defect to the Federation. The starship then encounters a damaged vessel carrying evacuated Romulan Senators. How will the Arabella provide the help they were sent to give, without creating a diplomatic incident?



Subplot Threads:

Among the passengers the Arabella is carrying, are a multitude of Romulans with different political ideals. There is a mix of people: defectors, Unification Romulans and loyalist aboard. They have a private little war of ideas with the crew of the Arabella stuck in the middle. They clash, keeping security and medical busy.



Main character side stories could be additional subplots. Work together with other writers to brainstorm  how your characters could be intertwined. Remember that what makes our stories intersting is the people who live in them. Don't forget to bring them to life. Those side stories make our RPG rich.





Main Plot Tension:

The deeper the Arabella travels within Romulan space, the more chaos they discover. The disillusioned military is patrolling the crumbling boarders in search of the remnants of their former government. Their mission is to assassinate officials and assume power over whatever remains of the Empire. They encounter the Arabella and insist on inspecting her, to make sure she's not carrying defectors or members of the senate. Arabella must protect their passengers without causing a diplomatic incident. They must also deliver the senators them to their new throne world.



Release:  "family dinner" in the captain's mess introducing the family dynamic as one of the new "customs" of the ship. The captain sometimes invites others to his table to get a feel for other aspects of the ship's workings. Kind of like Archer did with T'Pol and Trip, but more relaxing and inclusive.



Downtime:

Reintroduce the RPG characters and begin revealing their new histories.

Crew learns that the Cardassians are making overtures to Romulans for a united empire.



Black moment or climax:

A very important senator is found murdered in her quarters on the Arabella. There is an uproar as the news spreads to the Romulan passengers. Some blame the Federation for assassinating her or failing to protect her, some believe it is the Romulan defectors others believe it is the Tal Shar. The Romulans who believe it's the Federation (and/or the defectors) form a group and try to take the ship.



Resolution: This senator was murdered by the aide of another senator. She was actually going to defect and that would have hit the empire with a serious blow to its pride and honor at point when moral is necessary to rebuild their Empire. Arabella security and medical (working together) uncovers the plot and solves the crime.



After effects:  The Arabella is successful in maintaining peace on the ship. She avoids an all out war with remnants of the Romulan military and delivers the senators to their thrown world without much bloodshed. Because of the rift between military and state, after the senators are returned, the Arabella is granted special status to operate in Romulan space by the 'Empire', and continues to operate as a humanitarian vessel by assisting the migration of Romulans and their subjugated neighbors.



----

Terms and Definitions from 'First Draft In 30 Days' by Karen S. Wiesner

Story Goal: the catalyst of the story—the reason why the characters are there, the reason why the story evolves, the reason why the reader opens begins the story, starts and keeps reading.



Subplot threads: Secondary plots. Contrast or run parallel to the main plot. Function outside the realm of the main plot, existing largely to provide a change of scene, emotion or tone.



Plot tension: Anything that brings the reader to a fever pitch of anticipation. A story without plot tension leaves the reader uninvolved and unemotional.



Romance/sexual tension: Begun as early in the story as possible. Start the suspense promptly and keep it intense. Can be subtle or intense, depending on how important the romance is to the story.



Release: An easement of plot or romantic tension. Ex. a kiss, resolution to one aspect of the main problem. The final words in a story should also produce a release that satisfies the reader and makes them long to revisit the story.



Downtime: A form of release that happens during a time of incredible tension. It should be one of the most poignant scenes in your novel. During downtime, which comes at the end of the middle section of the book, the main character may step back from the action and reflect  on what happily-eve-after could have been (if not for all the obstacles you put in his way).  For a time, the main character also may believe that the story goal is unachievable, and he may seem to give up the fight.



Black moment or climax: All horrors is happening or has happened, and the main characters (and readers) are now thoroughly convinced the future will never be happy. The black moment which occurs in the first part of the end section of the book (when tension is at its highest), leaves the reader and the characters wondering whether evil will overcome good.

   

Resolution: comes after the climax when the story's main problems have been resolved. This is your chance to tie up any loose ends and provide satisfying conclusions for your subplot threads. The resolutions for the long term story threads should be relatively clean, but subplot threads resolutions may not tie up quiet so neatly (egg death or some other legitimate dead end). Tying up these loose ends is crucial to leaving the reader satisfied.

   

Aftereffects of resolution: An emotional reaction or an event that carries a story goal or subplot thread beyond its conclusion. In other words, the thread my continue even after it's been resolved. Very few writers included aftereffects of resolution, though they're used frequently in movies.

[X]

I really like this idea and I can't wait to see the application of it.

[wraith1701]

Jen & Chris- This is a pretty cool idea!  :)   Great job on the plot framework; looks like we'll have a fresh, exciting new sandbox to play in!  :thumbsup

[Rico]

I like the idea of a change, but I am confused.  In the movie alternate timeline, Romulus is not gone.  It was not destroyed.  Am I missing something in the time frame you are talking about?

[wraith1701]

I like the idea of a change, but I am confused.  In the movie alternate timeline, Romulus is not gone.  It was not destroyed.  Am I missing something in the time frame you are talking about?

I think the story is supposed to pick up in the future of the alternate timeline; at the same point in time at which Romulus was destroyed in the "Trek-Prime" timeline-- the assumption being that in the alternate timeline, the Hobus star goes supernova, just like it did in the 'Trek-Prime' universe. 

[Rico]

I like the idea of a change, but I am confused.  In the movie alternate timeline, Romulus is not gone.  It was not destroyed.  Am I missing something in the time frame you are talking about?

I think the story is supposed to pick up in the future of the alternate timeline; at the same point in time at which Romulus was destroyed in the "Trek-Prime" timeline-- the assumption being that in the alternate timeline, the Hobus star goes supernova, just like it did in the 'Trek-Prime' universe. 

Sorry, but this doesn't make much sense to me.  Sure, certainly certain physical events might end up the same, but 120 plus years in the future of the Federation things would be so vastly different I'm not quite sure we even have a frame of reference to work with.  I suppose that could be interesting but EVERYTHING would have to be reinvented.  Is that the proposal?

[Jen]

... or we could simply build our own universe based on what we saw in the movie.

It would be, in essence, a soft reboot that will allow us to write fresh stories. It will serve as a jumping 'on' point for any new contributors that might be intimidated by the prior 9 seasons of reading.

All we know is what the movie showed us (which only shows the past after the supernova). We are imagining a future that stemmed from the event.  This could have affected the future of the altered timeline if we want it too. This proposal is an imagining of what could have happened from that point forward. It is a blank canvas which allows us to paint what ever we want on it. Some Trek history could remain the same or we can alter it. Not everything would have to be reinvented if we want to keep some elements the same. We would, in a sense, be doing exactly what JJ Abrams did...rewriting history. Only he's probably going to focus on the past, while we focus on the distant future.

[Rico]

Thanks for clearing up my confusion.  Well, that certainly would be a very daunting task.  Heck, we don't even know how big the new Enterprise is!  LOL!   ;)

[Jen]

It doesn't have to be daunting. We're just focusing on our character's story, on our ship, in our future which has always been set in a time that is outside the movies and television shows. We had to invent a future at that point too. :)   We're not writing the whole of Trek...just the things that have touched the lives of our characters. Like Sevryll, obviously her backstory is out the window if Vulcan was destroyed. So I have had to imagine where she would grow up, and what career she would have chosen if she no longer had Vulcan's historic landscape to inspire her to an archaeologist. Her father was a Vulcan diplomat working toward Unification...was he on Romulus? Was he on Earth? These are the things we have to dream up. We don't have to worry about all the particulars of Trek history. :)

[Bryancd]

How about we just create all new characters and start right where the new Star Trek film left off? I think that would be more inclusive for new writers and get out moving again. I understand what you are saying Jen, but for me, the RPG has grown stagnant and I would love a "reboot" for real.

[Jen]

How about we just create all new characters and start right where the new Star Trek film left off? I think that would be more inclusive for new writers and get out moving again. I understand what you are saying Jen, but for me, the RPG has grown stagnant and I would love a "reboot" for real.

It's very difficult for me not to take offense at that. It may be stagnant to you Bryan...but there are quite a few people who continue to write in the RPG season after season. We have more writers participating in the RPG than ever before and more individuals that have seen the season through from beginning to end.  If you want to create a new character, I won't stop you but it's easier to build upon something that was already constructed than to start all over with new characters. If that wasn't the case, then JJ would have created his own crew instead of using the one we know and love.

[Rico]

I guess I just see things so different in the Kirk/Spock new movie era, that I have a very hard time thinking of what the Federation, Starfleet and so on would be like over a hundred years later.  Frankly, I think it would be a lot different than the post Voyager era the Arabella and crew have been in up until now.  It's just a lot to work out.  And it would have to be all written ahead of time to a degree.  The technology present, the state of the Federation, etc.

[X]

Okay folks, I'll add my two copper pieces into this.

First let me clear up the confusion. This will be a different universe set in the future. The year 2387 ... shortly after the destruction of Romulas and Remus.

Various sources from book to movie will be used to make a new universe that is our universe. We can use the same characters with altered histories or different characters. In the coming weeks, a new time line will be constructed that tells what the major events that happened in our universe are. We don't need the ins and outs of what Kirk and his crew did or didn't do because that rarely comes into play in even TNG.

Major differences in the time line will be addressed in the timeline that comes out. Similar events that happened in the stories that we previously wrote might have happened in this new timeline, but the changes will be spelled out in the new timeline that is posted.

We are still going to be on the Arabella. It's going to be the same size. We are doing this because of a passage in the book that suggests a reality will try over time to make the timeline what it's supposed to be.

So visually, we're sticking with the same things that we have been using. Technology wise, we are sticking to the same things we have been using. This new universe will be a blending of elements from all trek.

For instance, Vulcan is destroyed, but by the time we get to our point in the timeline, the vulcans have a new home they can call vulcan. Their numbers are still WAY lower than what they would have been in our old timeline and there are ramifications of the destruction of Vulcan.

Everything is going to be spelled out completely for people to get. When new people come aboard, they can look at the handy dandy timeline and see just what important things have happened in the universe that we are writing in.

The reason that we are starting with the same ship and a similar crew is because some people have finally gotten a feel for their characters and when polling the active writers of the last season, this plan works the best.

Sure, this might seem like a lot to work out, but at the same time, it works better because things are a mystery. Sure the average cadet might know about the BIG stuff that happens in the past, but they wouldn't know what happened in every episode that has ever aired on TV. This goes for officers as well. The big stuff that has happened or that has been changed will be covered. The other things weren't supposed to be common knowledge anyway.

As Jen pointed out, this also allows some of the errors that we might have made while learning the ropes to be corrected. To me, that's a win.

Another win is that it has revitalized the creativity of most of the people that worked to bring an end to the season. I don't think that the RPG has grown stagnate because there were a handful of people working to the very end to finish the season. I do think that this new direction has given them new motivation to write more and that's what keeps the story flowing. People writing and this idea works for that.

I think the confusion here is that there is the perception that the story is going to have all these huge changes with everyone else having no idea of what has come before. This is not the case. For the past few season, Kenny and Jen have worked pretty hard getting all the information together for a season, doing the research for things that might affect the plot, and then getting the story moving along.

These changes don't affect how things are done in the background. Things will still be planned out and everyone will know what to expect. This isn't that hard. It's no harder than the work that was put into building our version of the mirror universe. This time, we're just going to stick to the new universe because it will work better and allow for an easier time of putting together those stories.

I understand that there will be some hesitation and objections, but all that it needs to work is just a little bit of trust. Trust that Jen wouldn't try something if she didn't think it wouldn't work out for the best. Trust that the a good portion of the writers that finished this season agreed with her and will still continue to write and push the story from beginning to end.

I think that this is the best course, not just for this season, but for future season of the RPG. I believe that this is a perfect jumping on point for new people or for old people to change their characters or adopt new characters because of what they learned in the past.

This will work, all it requires is a little leap of faith.

The only thing that most people will have to worry about going in is designing an actual history for their characters, but the time line will help with that. You will know who was born when. If there were other famous people in your class at starfleet.

This will give the RPG a far better foundation for future stories and that's the most important part right? The ability to continue the RPG and keep the people that have been constantly contributing still contributing? That's what this offers.

Well, that's my opinion. I hope it makes sense.

[Rico]

Thanks for that and I certainly do trust all of you.  But, if things are going to be "pretty much the same" - then I have to ask - why do it at all?  I'm not a heavy player in the RPG, so this is just me asking and being curious.  Jen, Kenny and the rest of you can certainly do what you feel is best and I have no issue at all with it.  But again, frankly I personally think a lot will have changed in the intervening years in the alternate timeline.  But that's just me I guess.

[X]

Thanks for that and I certainly do trust all of you.  But, if things are going to be "pretty much the same" - then I have to ask - why do it at all?  I'm not a heavy player in the RPG, so this is just me asking and being curious.  Jen, Kenny and the rest of you can certainly do what you feel is best and I have no issue at all with it.  But again, frankly I personally think a lot will have changed in the intervening years in the alternate timeline.  But that's just me I guess.

I think a lot of things will change, but the focus will still be on the characters. For the sake of imagination, the look of the tech and the design of the ship that we are in won't be changing, but the characters will be.

I think that if people have a better idea of their history, they can better write their characters. For instance, from my perspective, Aeric's nanites aren't there, his infant daughter doesn't exist, aria is a tween. those are just a few of the changes that happened to Aeric to make him better to write and remove some of the stuff that didn't work well in the story. This will cause slight changes that will be addressed in the storyline notes and the timeline. It will also make the story stronger in the long run.

Another example is that some people were never on the ship. Quinn was the Captain of the Tirberius and Bell was never there. It was a loose end from season one that needed to be addressed or corrected.

There are more things, but I think the example above give a general idea of how things are changing to make the characters central and clean up some of the mess of people joining for a post and never being seen again. There are other things that people are working on, but I can't speak on everyone. This is a good time to build great histories for your characters that will carry them through to the season after this one.

So thing of the changes in two categories: Major universe affecting changes like Vulcan's fate and Character changes.

Build a good frame and the rest will fall into place.