Gene Roddenberry had tight control of Star Trek back in the heyday, to the point where he had official rules for scripts that couldn’t be deviated from. A lot of the cast and crew were frustrated with the heavy hand he put upon the franchise, but it seemed to be for the better, as those in charge of the modern iteration don’t seem to respect the property at all.
This comes from the Star Trek: TNG Writer/Director's Guide as an excerpt, that is important to look at in the context of what Star Trek should be:
THE SCRIPT -- WHAT DOESN’T WORK
We have found that the following does not work well for us:
Stories which do not materially involve our own crew. Yes, we do like to see interesting new characters -- but only when used in addition to an interesting story line involving our continuing characters.
We do not do stories about psi-forces or mysterious psychic powers. No matter how fantastic the events in a story, the explanation must be extrapolated from a generally accepted science theory. (We have accepted the telepathy of Lt. Commander Deanna Troi because many reputable scientists acknowledge the possibility of such abilities, but you will note that we have limited Troi to “reading” only emotions.)
We are not buying stories which cast our people and our vessel in the role of “galaxy policemen.” (See Prime Directive) Nor is our mission that of spreading 20th century Euro/American cultural values throughout the galaxy.
We are not buying stories about the original STAR TREK characters: Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura, Chekov, Scotty and Sulu. Or their descendants. As much as we love our original cast (they are our children, after all), we need our audience’s attention centered on our new characters.
Writing FANTASY instead of SCIENCE FICTION. The difference between the two is profound. Despite the fact that both science fiction and fantasy can deal with unusual events, a science fiction story is based on an extrapolation of a generally accepted scientific fact or theory. Fantasy, which our format does not permit, need have no basis in reality.
Writing “SWORDS AND SORCERY”. Knights and princesses, stalwart yeomen and dragons are not science fiction for our purposes.
Treating deep space as a local neighborhood. Too often, script ideas show characters bouncing from solar system to solar system, planet to planet, without the slightest comprehension of the distances involved or the technologies required to support such travel. Fine (and even fun) on SPACE RANGERS but not on STAR TREK.
STAR TREK is not melodrama. Melodrama is a writing style which does not require believable people. Believable people are at the heart of good STAR TREK scripts.
No stories about warfare with Klingons or Romulans and no stories with Vulcans. We are determined not to copy ourselves and believe there must be other interesting aliens in a galaxy filled with billions of stars and planets.
Stay true to the Prime Directive. We are not in the business of toppling cultures that we do not approve of. We will protect ourselves and our mission whenever necessary, but we are not “space meddlers.”
Plots involving a whole civilization rarely work. What does work is to deal with specific characters from another culture and their interactions with our own continuing characters.
Mad scientists, or stories in which technology is considered the villain. It doesn’t make sense for a group of 24th century interstellar travelers (whose lives depend on the successful workings of their technology) to be Luddites.
Stories in which our characters must do something stupid or dangerous, or in which our technology breaks down in order to create a jeopardy. Our people are the best and the brightest, and our technology is tried and proven. Likewise, our characters are very committed to their ship, their crewmates, and their mission. Please do not have them abandoning or betraying same because they have fallen in love with a beautiful pirate princess.
Starfleet Academy and Strange New Worlds have violated a large number of these even at a cursory glance. It begs the question: are these even Star Trek?
When genetic engineering nearly doomed the species, humanity made a desperate bargain: let the frontier do what nature intended. In a harsh universe, these cadets have to make impossible decisions. Read Space Fleet Academy today.
NEXT: Billie Piper Won’t Be Next Doctor as Casting Search Continues Amid Show’s Uncertain Future