4. Quality Action and Drama
When it comes to TV, action and drama have been and always will be key ingredients. Star Trek has always varied wildly in terms of executing both. Action has always been the weaker of the two, usually consisting of a security team getting their butts handed to them in a hallway and/or starships exchanging a few shots of phaser fire. Every episode doesnt need a big gunfight or space battle and the show probably cant match what motion pictures can, but whatever action there is should feel exciting and satisfying. While the Abrams film was pretty mediocre when it came to story, it certainly managed to use dynamic cinematography and editing to inject some much needed energy into fight scenes, setting a new standard for TV Trek. Drama, on the other hand, is something a bit easier to work with. The big handicap for Trek was Roddenberrys Box, the idea that there would never be any conflict between members of the crew because humanity evolved past petty emotional turmoil. This rule was the main reason why the entire TNG writing staff left after season 3 (as told in Michael Pillers unpublished book, Fade In, which documented the writing of Star Trek: Insurrection). While its tempting to just ditch the box wholesale, shows like Stargate Universe, Fallen Skies, and The Walking Dead have shown that total freedom for conflict doesnt always lead to interesting drama. A new Star Trek show would have to find a balance between plot and character balanced drama to prevent the audience being alienated from the characters.