Sounds like a great concept! I loved Star Trek right from day one.

Who do I talk to about being an actor on the new series?

-- John Saad

 I wouldn't mind seeing a "Saga Begins" Star Trek series -- removing some of the technobabble and getting back to drama and space-western action might save on the special effects budget. That money could buy acting and writing talent.

-- Timothy M. Moses

I think Birth of the Federation is a great series concept because it opens up the prospect that Star Trek will once again be able to teach valuable lessons appropriate to our age.

The lessons we need to learn these days -- as a culture, as the "human race" -- all revolve around how our world will someday learn to live together cooperatively. With the end of the Cold War, this is the most pressing question facing humanity: how do we go from being a world of separate, independent, competing nations to a world of linked, interdependent, cooperating nations?

Because it is about giving birth to a new, cooperation-based socio-political structure, Birth of the Federation is perfect for our times.

-- Steven G. Brant

 Having been a Star Trek superfan since 1966, I just hope the new series is done with the same degree of quality and care as the past ones.

For some history, I was newly arrived in L.A. with my doctorate from the Harvard Business School in 1966. I started watching Star Trek as soon as it started.

I also was an Adjunct Prof. at USC in the Business School, and had Gene Roddenberry speak as a guest lecturer in my Strategic Planning class. When NBC was going to cancel the program I called the head of programming at NBC to try to convince him not to do so, and that the demographics of the Star Trek audience were superb.

Since they only counted bodies -- usually dead/dumb ones at that -- they went ahead and cancelled one of the greatest series ever to show on television.

Anyway, let's hope the next series holds up to the quality and interest of the past ones. Incidentally, all of the first series, under Gene's supervision, had sexual overtones and titillation, and there is no reason to suppress it so heavily as is done in the later series, except for seven of nine, who oozes sex appeal.

-- Dr. Phillip F. Myers

-- Rick Dorion

 I wasn't aware of that movement, but sounds good to me.

-- Frances Berndt

While an early-Federation Series sounds interesting, they should definitely go with Captain Sulu while George Takei and all are still alive and available. Birth of the Federation can be made anytime!

-- Mickey Charles Bishop

 Love the idea of the Sulu-led Excelsior. If not as the series itself, what about as a series of TV movies?

-- Stu Rockafellow

 I truly hope that the rumor about a Birth of the Federation series is false. Pre-Classic Star Trek history should not be touched by the current producers.

They've shown time and again that they do not care about continuity or consistency. They don't even keep Voyager consistent within itself, let alone the rest of the Star Trek universe.

This would be their chance to gut Star Trek history and truly create it in their own image, finally laying waste to the vision of Gene Roddenberry.

I do, however, love the idea of a Captain Sulu-Excelsior series starring George Takei. I'll support that campaign and I think it's as important as those that saved Star Trek.

I'm pretty sure that neither Rick Berman nor Brannon Braga would ever do an Excelsior series so it would have to have new producers and writers. I suggest Leonard Nimoy, Ron Moore, Jonathan Frakes, Ira Behr, or Majel Roddenberry.

Even some new Sci-Fi writers would be fine, but they do need to understand the true meaning and appeal of Star Trek.

If the Birth of the Federation idea goes through, I have a feeling it will be second-rate Sci-Fi, hardly recognizable as Star Trek.

This begs the question: why don’t the current producers go off and make their own television program? Well, they need to stick Roddenberry's Star Trek on anything they do or nobody will watch.

All I can say is warp speed Captain Sulu -- we want Star Trek back!

-- Michael Schillace

 Sulu rocks!!!!!!!!!

Birth of the Federation is too close of a rip-off of the Star Wars prequel concept. I also think that the overall Star Trek franchise is better off if it leaves the events leading up to the formation of the Federation a little vague.

Besides, the Sulu idea is just a lot more engaging. The fans know him and love him and he makes a great Captain.

Long live Sulu.

-- Erik Graham

I would say make Birth of the Federation an anthology series, and make Data the host.

The concept could track events through out the history of the federation as he researches the past with the assistance of the Guardian of Forever. Since Data has such a long life span this research could be set in a time frame centuries after Voyager and the Next Generation.

This would bring a new level of tension and drama to Star Trek—the audience won’t know how it will end in any given week.

They could do conventional space dramas, spy dramas, political intrigue. During sweeps they could even bring in Sulu or Picard or any prior cast member.

-- Randy Pastrone

Like the fans that where mentioned in the article, seeing Sulu lead a new series would be nice if a good crew were built around him,

However I don't think anyone would complain about Data leading his own vessel, or at least becoming second in command of one. His character is powerful enough to bring many fans from TNG back

--Ryan Oyler

In Deep Space Nine, there were stories about the Orion Syndicate. It would be interesting to have the Syndicate performing tasks – a la The Sopranos -- on behalf of the different alien races and have some interaction with Starfleet Intelligence.

Another area of stories is to continue to look at the Gamma Quadrant and the worlds that exist there. Send an ambassador team to meet and establish economic ties on behalf of the Federation.

Finally, the novel Imzadi showed that we could continue to explore space and time and determine what really happened in history.

-- Karl Kook

 I wish Paramount would consider a series done from the Romulan point of view. They could tell how the Romulans got started , build the series around the exploits of a crew of Romulans against the Federation and lead up to a peace treaty with the Federation.

Makeup with the Romulans would be minimal and I'm sure they could come up with some good characters and story lines. They could even blow some of the Federation’s stereotypes out of the water.

As the series developed, Ambassador Picard might make a great character who because of his earlier dealings with the Romulans wishes to see them brought into the Federation. This could also open the door for some Spock episodes with his Romulan wife.

What do you think?

-- Scott Pollard

I think that the Star Trek: Special Forces idea would have been incredible if done right. The whole Birth of the Federation isn't even mildly interesting to me -- more like a "been there, done that" type of thing and I think it would be completely boring to have to see all that "older" Star Trek technology.

Where is the "Warp Factor 13" technology that Riker talked about? I want to see "the next technology," not the old crap.

-- Steven R. Hatfield