The best inspiration sometimes comes from an unexpected source. I think Star Trek, despite being science-fiction and not fantasy, provides a great amount of inspiration that Dungeon Masters could use for their D&D 5E games. DMs could approach the game like the writers of a TV show. You've got a collection of characters who team up and go on "away missions" for exploration. It fits with the 3 main pillars explained in D&D 5E (exploration, social interaction, and combat).
I sometimes make direct comparisons, though you don't have to. The Vulcans are space elves. The Romulans are the dark elves. The Klingons are like space orcs. The Ferengi could be greedy halflings or goblins. The Cardassians are lizardfolk. The Betazoids have limited psionic powers. There's really a lot to play with even doing a literal conversion.
Years ago I actually setup a series of D&D adventures called "Sea Trek" in which I was hoping to use the Star Trek episodic nature as an inspiration for a sea-ship crew to go on adventures exploring islands and accepting privateer-type of jobs hauling cargo and solving problems. The characters only stayed at sea for so long though, because their goals didn't align with staying on the ship. Of course, I kept NPCs sailing around the world and reporting back in every so often. The problem was that I introduced the concept mid-campaign. I think a campaign could be planned from the beginning to consist of a "Sea Trek" series of adventures.
You could also do a Spelljammer type of setting with actual starships interacting in space as well as engaging in away missions. My current group had that going on with their Tortuga ship, until it was too damaged and put in for repairs.
For my next blog, I think I will explore possible character conversions for Star Trek inspired teams...
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