I'm a fan of the Section 31 ideas! (Haven't been around for a while, Rochey, but nice to see you're still posting such great material
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
).
I certainly like the idea of S31 taking over the government secretly and getting Starfleet onto a military footing. - maybe the already have been, seeing as we have been seeing more and more blatantly military ships! I could see them backing hawks in government, getting them info, getting them credit for said militarization, and a reactionary/fascist/S31-backed party takes credit for this (maybe saying that that is why the Fed won the Dominion War - no thanks to allies
![Rolling Eyes :roll:](./images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif)
) and convincing many people that the Federation IS safer now. But of course at the expense of civil liberties.
There can be all sorts of departures from this - A Federation Civil War; where perhaps the Government either has a purge of disloyal officers that goes bad and creates a rebel faction (Led by Picard and/or Spock, of course
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
), or said purge involves kicking out "disloyal" worlds or planets that have been less helpful to the Federation - which might actually precipitate the action. Alternatively, there could be a real crisis; invasion by a more powerful neighbor (every military society is more than likely to eventually run up against someone tougher), and with the rebels caught in the middle, they might spectacularly solve the problem, eventually unmasking the conspiracy, etc. (after all, those Hirogen just wanted a cup of sugar....
![laughroll :laughroll:](./images/smilies/laughing-smiley-014.gif)
)
Anyway, definitely liking that idea. I would personally like to litigate S-31 out of existence in the most bureaucratically constrained way possible. I can think of no greater torment for "ends justify the means" types.
The Tholians would be nice, too. I would love to see the Romulan War, but we've already had Romulan antagonists for two movies in a row, and neither has really been able to deal with that rather obvious plotline, so it will probably have to wait. Again.
Whatever it is, I would like to see something OTHER than "Bad Guy tries to blow up everything. Big Fight. Angst (new ingredient thanks to ST:XI). Hand to hand madness. More angst. Explosions. Crazy idea. More Explosions/Noble Sacrifice of Character/Great Climactic Fisticuffs. Bad Guy go BOOM." The Evil Psycho Baddie plots are starting to run together for me!
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
Jean-Luc Picard, quoting judge Aaron Satie