The universe is so unfathomably big that the likelihood of "alien" life existing is almost a certainty so at least Mutants would be something different than the world we live in.
Riker's awesome but got alot more to do and to become in his respective shows/movies, while Sulu on the other hand has potential I always loved the idea of Sulu and the Excelsior, also moving in a direction away from picard amd the new shows would be great