Technically if they added a multi-role ship with a reasonably good jump range, but the optional internals were divided up into a large number of smaller slots, with only one or two larger ones (scoop & fsd booster, mainly), it might naturally make a good explorer. For other roles, a large number of smaller slots might be less optimal, but potentially still viable. Perhaps trade might be the weakest role, since it would be hard to stack enough cargo racks to be competitive with the ships that already fill that role quite well. Maybe more of a combat-explorer? Just musing aloud here.
Ideally I would love to see one that had more of a sciencey sort of look to it, a good jump range, lots of smaller module slots and utility slots, weak on the hardpoints (unless we get probe launchers to use in those, or something), and just enough larger slots to use a large fuel scoop and still fit SRVs and the class-5 FSD booster. And perhaps most importantly to me, a good cockpit view. It doesn't have to be Lakon, but I like Lakon's level of visibility. However if it were Lakon, this could be a good use of the "Type-8" gap in their lineup.
As far as slots are concerned, we could have a multitude of small slots on any ship if they ever add slot-splitters of some kind. That is, equipment racks that let you put two small modules into one large slot, or something along those lines. Ideas have been posted before about having a slot splitter that accepts two modules at two sizes smaller than the splitter.
Again, just thinking aloud here. If I really had my way, we'd be able to modify or engineer the ship hulls so that we can change the FSD sizes at the expense of something else, and make any ship into a long-range explorer.
