Greetings f/Starbase CNY!
     My hope is that all of Playtrek is prospering as their souls prosper and are enjoying good health.

I have sat back and seen all the posts that "Enterprise" has generated. For me it is a non issue since I do not find fantasy history enjoyable. So here is my contest idea.

Paramount, tired of the current production team fumbling and fooling around with the Star Trek
Franchise, has hired you to take over. So what would you do? That is what this contest is about and here are the following areas you need to address:

(1)Synopsize what the show's premise is to be. The only thing not permissible is to set the show in the past. It must be set in the present Star Trek time line or in the future. Please answer the 5 "w"s of writing: who, what, where, etc.

(2)Tell us about a few of the major protagonists and if you want to, who the cast will be. You may cast yourself as a character if you desire to. Isn't that what a lot of us dream about anyway? Since you will have a physical trainer at your disposal, do not consider any physical limitations when you are casting yourself in a role.

(3)How are you going to handle the Merchandising of the show? Specifically, who is going to produce your line of figures, what scale will they be, etc.

   There you are, you are now in the driver's seat. So how will you  handle and save the Star Trek franchise?

Prizes:
First prize consists of the following figures(All unopened in Original package):

Prizes to be awarded when I recieve the judges decisions. Winners will need to contact me and will be announced via Playtrek. James Alpeter, His family, immediate and otherwise, and the judges are excluded from entering. Happy Trekking and Best wishes,

An example is included to give you a clue on what you are to do.
    *        *          *          *          *
"Star Trek, The Colonies"
1) The crew of the USS Cook (Named after Captain James Cook) will depart for a seven year exploratory mission within the uncharted regions of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. The Captain and crew will be Ambassadors and colonists will be carried to places uncharted to start colonies, the goal being to meet new races and start colonies on inhabitable, but uninhabitated worlds. Episodes will be contain a lot of Action and Drama, with very little to no social commentary. No
two episodes in a row will have the same premise and there will be little to no equipment failures.  Colonists and equipment to start colonies are carried on the ship, that is fully outfitted to protect itself. The colonists and crew are either human or vulcan since the two races complement each other well. The timeframe is 5 years after Voyager's return. The first four seasons would show the USS Cook and it's crew exploring and the next three would show the crew returning toward Federation Space and strengthening the colonies that they have help started. The Finale would show the triumphant return to Earth.

2)Cast:
 A) Captain John O'Connor (Sam Neill): Captain O'Connor is a veteran of many wars, first of Wolf 359,  then against the Borg attack on Earth and has seen action against the Dominion forces. He is a cool, calm man with a mischievious smile when warranted and a steel fist in a velvet glove when needed. His is an easy going command style, accept in emergencies, and
is friendly with the crew. He was chosen for his bravery, level headedness, and excellent ability.
Plays jazz piano for relaxation as well as reading Shakespear plays.
 B) Commander Thomas Clifford (Will Smith): Commander Clifford was chosen as Number One by Captain O'Connor due to his excellent abilities in navigation and command. Commander Clifford also is a genius when it comes to staffing decisions. He enjoys playing classical piano and loves fishing when using the holosuite.
 C) Lt Commander James C. Thomas (James Alpeter): Lt Commander Thomas has served under Captain O'Connor before and is a trusted friend. He is in charge of the ships security and is it's tactical officer. They both served together during the War with the Dominion. Jim, as he prefers to be called casually, has studied Klingon and Vulcan martial arts. When relaxing, he
enjoys playing the acoustic guitar and bass guitar with Captain O'connor when time permits. He also like working on old Earth classic cars with strange names like Barricuda, Mustang and Chevelle to name a few. Lt Commander Thomas is married to the chief Medical Officer, Dr. Rachel Thomas
 D) Dr. Rachel Thomas (Natalie Portman): Rachel Thomas is the wife of the ships' tactical officer, Lt Comm. James Thomas. She is a skilled surgeon and wonderful doctor, winning many awards for her skill and as well as her compassion and caring. She is also her husband's moral compass, reminding them of their Orthodox Christian faith. In her "spare" time, she
enjoys aerobics and ancient languages, proving that beauty and brains are not mutually exclusive.
 E) Torak (Actor uncast at present):Lt Commander Torak is the ship's science officer. A vulcan, he aspires to a career not dissimiliar to that of the famous Ambassador Spock. When they are able to, he spars with Lt Comm. Thomas so that both of them are able to maintain their fighting edge. Torak's specialty in science is Astronomy and it's related fields. He is also a highly competent navigator.
 F)T'shanik (the same actress who portrayed her in ST:TNG, name unknown at present)Lt Commander T'shanik competed with Wesley Crusher to gain entrance to Starfleet Academy. She was selected for admission the year after he was enrolled. She is a highly competent
Engineer and this is her first engineering command.  She enjoys games of logic with Lt Commander Torak, the Vulcan Harp, and other Vulcan cultural arts.

3)Merchandising: Merchandising would start with action figures that would be produced by Bluebox Toys in 5" and 12" formats in their collector friendly packaging.  Also, cards for the Decipher card game would be released as the teaser, with the figures  coming on sale the day after the series premiere has showed nation wide. Figures would be produced all seven
seasons. On all odd years of the shows seven year run, figures from the series would be available. On odd years, figures from previous shows would be avaiable, starting with, TNG, DS9, and Voyager. In the seventh year, figures from TOS and the new show "Star Trek,
The Colonies"  would be available. Each year, the basic characters would be showcased, so as to help new collectors get caught up with the current character assortment. Included in each assortment would be a variety of aliens as well. Each run would be limited to 25,000 pieces in North America, and 25,000 abroad, half in Australia and half in the British Isles.
 
That's it!