8. The Talosians
Of course, if you really wanted a fresh spin on an old classic, you couldnt get better than the Talosians. These aliens were the original antagonists, appearing in the original pilot
The Cage and capturing Kirks predecessor on the Enterprise, Captain Christopher Pike. Yes,
that Christopher Pike played brilliantly by Bruce Greenwood in the last two films. What I liked about this race was that they were not evil; instead using their mental abilities to convince Pike to help them build their civilisation, devastated by nuclear war. There was a moral ambiguity about their actions, capturing space travellers to study them in an attempt to build a new life. There could be some fun to be had with a race with a grey moral centre and the ability to create illusions. The Talosians of course returned in the only two-parter in the original series
The Menagerie Parts 1 and 2, where Kirk and his crew, dealing with the events of The Cage, returned a crippled Admiral Pike to Talos IV to life his life free of pain amongst these aliens. In the new timeline Pike is now deceased, but what better way to bring the actor back then to have a reference to his earlier encounter with the Talosians long before Kirk and his crew were out travelling among the stars?