Now see, that sounds interesting already. Instead of the typical 'Big Bad Baron' storyline.
I would love to read super-fresh storylines by this rate in the very long running series.
I can only imagine how hard it must be at this juncture for the writers you pen untouched territory.
Or, maybe it is not hard. There is SO much untouched areas of the world - and beyond! - that the writers can tap into. (Would love to see the companions go back to Mars!) A serious sci-fi storyline such as this one, where the original author had the companions transported to early on in the series, where Ryan spotted something akin to a giant Dune-like worm coming at him from beneath the red sands, I would really dig to read about.
Or, how about a storyline in which the companions really and finally run out of ammo, and finally for the first time in the entire series, are forced to rely on their wits, blades, and muscle in a story in which they have to battle against the old-fashioned strange weather patterns, a new mutie threat, and just a Bones to Balls out survival gritty storyline of old. Huh? 
And of course, the chron-jumps could really breath much needed fresh air into this series, making that sci-fi aspect work more magical storylines infused into it. 