I would like to see a political atmosphere in which the shifting loyalties of republican representatives and the prevalence of impenetrable bureaucracy makes dealing with the Federation (from a Starfleet point of view) even more difficult. This can be integrated into the future Star Trek series quite easily.

The Milky Way is almost entirely explored. There are no domestic enemies any longer. The borg and the bugs they fought have staggeringly wiped each other out. The Dominion is little more than a nuisance, with an occasional shapeshifter showing up when least expected. The Jemhaddar have been integrated into the Federation also, and are among some of the most dependable security officers.

The Federation has expanded exponentially. The links made in quadrants Delta and Gamma by the last two crews and the dawn of peaceful growth in the wake of the Dominion War has made the Federation too big for the old system to handle. Instead of listening to the Vulcans (see below), the Federation kept the old system because they didn’t feel it was necessary to expend the considerable resources to change the republican government into a more feasible democratic government. It’s not too late to turn back, but the Federation’s real power brokers, Congressmen and local Governors, have become rich and powerful as a result. Power brokerage and partisan bickering have replaced the once dependable and productive unified hierarchical government that saw the golden age of the Federation.

This coincides nicely with the long-standing tradition of Star Trek as a mirror of our society.  Our current government is in similar straits, with lobbyists and influential private interests wielding the most power in the US government.