This mission could be crafted for all levels.
Example:
Lt Cmdr - Cmdr players fight Klingons
Cmdr - Capt players fight Romulans or Jem'hadar.
Admiral - players fight Borg.

Mission is designed for 5 players.

The Goal: Protect a planet's colonists from being killed/captured by the enemy faction.

Combines 2 parts, a Space Section and a Ground Section.
(Can be done either together at the same time, with say 2 people in space and 3 on the ground. Or setup where the players fight the ground section after completing the Space Section).

Reward: Variable based on % of Colonists who survive attack. So say they get 100%, a purple or set of blues drops.

For Admiral Level:
Space Section:
Players in space attempt to destroy Borg Ships before they can reach a beam down distance to the planet. Ships that reach the beam down distance to the planet intact, beam down 2 groups of "invaders" to the planet to attempt to kill civilians.

If a ship is destroyed there is a % chance (based on the distance from beam down location) for the ship to emergency beam out 1 group to the planet.

Fighting Starts with smaller ships: (for the Borg, probes to spheres to cubes) to multiple groups.
Perhaps ends with when the Borg (or which ever faction) have their flagship lost.


The Ground Section
Players defend the colonists on the ground from any incursion teams.
Killed or Captured Colonists become Borg in Admiral Missions, and perhaps for other factions a colonist might change faction if their friends are dying in hopes of gaining favor with the invaders.

Fighting continues until all ground forces are destroyed. These forces would appear based on Space Section combat. Also, would not appear in the same spot.

AI Control of NPCs (in space & ground):
AI's only goal is to put troops on the ground.

Ships and ground units ignore players (unless directly attacked) and race to either beam down troops or kill/capture civilians.

Very well thought out and described. Maybe one of the ones they will look at when working through mission enhancements A nice option for groups of friends to play together.

What an excellent post and idea Argovian..and as stated by Xrysal a good option for friends to with.

I really like this idea, hte mission would sure be fun!

I think that would be a little boring and unrealistic. How 'bout an AI that attacks with some forces and tries to sneak past with other ships whele the players are distracted. Maybe the players would have to spread out to detect and catch all ships.

Another idea: STO being MMO and such, why not have both stages of the mission simultanously with 2 teams. 5 players in space and 5 players on the ground at the same time that battle invaders. Could be fun, too.

Possibly the players arrive with the invasion already going and have to dispatch the blockade first and then fight the ships that try to abduct colonists or steal goods or something like that. So the second team instantly gets something to do, too.

Regards