I actually wouldn't mind seeing a new Trek show which would be based off a newly formed colony, perhaps a rebel colony or one that was a former member of the Federation? Maquis survivors? Starfleet might be seen as the bad guys who are trying to reexert their rule.
This could be useful, as you could have in the first episode, one person that survives, and is telling the story, from a historical view. So you know that charcter survives, but who else? It would also help with the series, as you see the people there, and know that in ~5 years, the Dominion will come along, and kill them all.
If going by the timeline after VOY, maybe there would be no better time for a rebellion? Consider that the Klingons were decimated during the Dominion War ("Inter Arma Silent Enem Leges" suggests that the Klingons would need years or decades to recover from the war), and the Romulans as of Nemesis are now leaderless (the entire senate was wiped out) and may in fact be ruled by federation proxy ("Inter Arma Silent Enem Leges" again). The Cardassians aren't a threat, nor are the Dominion.
I like. Have the first episode of the Klingon series show the Emperor bringing the empire together, and show the whole series as the Emperor himself is the force that binds the various warlords together. Then in the last episode, have someone assassinate the Emperor, and the whole empire goes into a twenty-sided civil war. Lots of warlords fighting each other, politics to play others against each other, commando operations to cripple key ships, and lots of hopeless last stands that the new Klingons love.
Even more fun, is that the Romulans are raiding the Klingons as well, and helping to prune back their forces. When 2 Klingon forces attack, the Romulans wait under cloak, then when one side wins, the Romulans attack them, and steal whatever supplies they can )Romulans need the supplies too).
Klingons that try to attack Romulans are ambushed enroute, as the scattered warlords are too busy fighting each other to coordinate.
Besides, it would be a nice change of pace - the usual nice-guy image of the Federation would be replaced with the stark cold reality - they're bastard sonsabitches. And dammit, I want to see the Maquis again!
This would be useful. Have a group of starving Romulans going to the Federation for help, to get food for their children. The Federation replies that "the situation presently going on is an internal Romulan affair", and then refuse the food. So the Romulans then make up a plan to steal it.
There could be some Romulan commanders who are taking advantage of the Klingon situation to raid their worlds, and kill off the Klingons. However, when they return to their bases, they notice extra supplies there, to help offset the resources used in the attacks. Someone is helping them in the assaults against the Klingons.
Other groups start maknig alliances with the Cardassians and Ferengi, and bgrowing strong through trade and cooperation. For some reason, they aren;t making as much money as normal. Where is the extra going?
The Romulan Empire itself is in a similar Civil War as the Klingon Empire. However, have some of the central groups start allying together, and militarizing. At the end of the 5th season, you finally see their leader - Commander Selar. She has reunited the Romulan Empire, strengthened it, new technology, lots of warships, and she still hates the Federation, and so does every other Romulan.
The next series would be a Federation-Romulan War, with Selar on one side, and the whole Federation on the other. Opening Strike = sabotage attack on the Enterprise that destroys it, for the morale effect, and strategic strikes on Utopia Planitia shipyards and Binarians, for long-term effects.
The Federation is now in the position of trying to play peacemaker among the Klingons, while fighting for its life against the Romulans.
(Whew)
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