7 to 8 basic plotlines
With a variation of each makes it a retread of TOS, only fresh approach was in the 60's when Trek was pitched to DESILU as Wagon train of space. Up until then aliens were portrayed as baddies or evil intents, but TOS put it in different light. Times change, people change, tech changes but same story plots will be re-cycled into episodes for years to come. BTW, any new sci-fi writers or movies on the scope for future ?