Star Trek: Final Frontier - the animated web series that could have been

Near-final 'hammerhead' design for the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: Final Frontier

Star Trek: The Animated Series was Trek's first and (thus far) only foray into non-live-action TV. Produced several years after the cancellation of The Original Series, the show was the network's way of returning Kirk and the Enterprise to the silverscreen after seeing the huge success of TOS in syndication. Now jump forward to 2006. In the wake of Star Trek: Enterprise, CBS has garnered interest in a new web series concept, one that would take the franchise in a new, darker direction.

Project: Potemkin releases "We Few..."

The Star Trek fan series Project: Potemkin has released their latest vignette, entitled 'We Few..."

Continuing with their tradition of character-driven stories, a shuttlecraft from the Potemkin crash lands on an inhospitable world. Can Commander Delaney and the others survive until their rescue?

The episode can be seen on YouTube below:

Book Review: Frank Herbert's 'Dune'

Poster art from the 1984 film adaptation of 'Dune'

Dune is hailed by many as an unparalleled work of science fiction. I've recently finished reading the novel for the first time, and give my thoughts and observations about this epic story.

Star Trek's first pilot began filming 50 years ago this week

image courtesy of TrekCore

Star Trek's first pilot, a show deemed 'too cerebral' for TV, turned 50 this week.

New 'Star Wars' trailer released!

The much-anticipated trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released on the Web earlier this week, giving fans a look at the first film in the new Disney Star Wars trilogy.

Starship Farragut releases 'Conspiracy of Innocence'

Starship Farragut is a professionally-produced fan series set during the time of TOS. Since 2007, four full-length, live-action episodes have been released, as well as several vignettes, animated productions and comics.

Farragut's latest offering, 'Conspiracy of Innocence', takes us to an underground city where, during a first contact mission, the landing party finds their perceptions of reality challenged by a xenophobic race.

I have mixed feelings about 'Conspiracy'. One of my biggest issues with the show is that the mystery of what's going on is revealed way too early, making the rest of the episode a bit predictable. On the other hand, the story has a very TOS feel to it, which is complimented nicely by the modern widescreen aspect ratio and CG special effects.

The complete episode can be viewed on YouTube below:

Farragut's previous releases can be found on the show's YouTube channel.

'Prelude to Axanar' released!

Star Trek: Axanar is probably one of the most highly-anticipated, professionally-produced fan films currently in the works. After the release of an official trailer back in June, a short prelude film, Prelude to Axanar, come out earlier this week.

The docu-drama style short introduces us to the world of Axanar, which is set some 20 years prior to TOS during a time of war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. It's a race for technological and space superiority, with the fate of the Federation itself hanging in the balance.

The film can currently be viewed as an embedded video on the Axanar Kickstarter page. Scroll down to the second video from the top.

UPDATE: the film is also now available in HD on the Axanar YouTube channel.

Incredible new trailer for highly anticipated 'Prelude to Axanar' released!

The first official trailer for the professionally-produced fan film Star Trek: Axanar has been released! The docu-drama-style trailer, which gives us a sneak-peak at the project's introductory short film Prelude to Axanar, is filled with plenty of eye-candy and intrigue. 

“Axanar” takes place 21 years before the events of “Where no Man Has Gone Before”, the first Kirk episode of the original Star Trek.  Axanar is the story of Garth of Izar, the legendary Starfleet captain who is Captain Kirk’s hero.  Kirk himself called Garth the model for all future Starfleet Officers.  Garth charted more planets than any other Captain and was the hero of the Battle of Axanar, the story of which is required reading at the academy.  This is that story.

“Axanar” tells the story of Garth and his crew during the Four Years War, the war with the Klingon Empire that almost tore the Federation apart.  Garth’s victory at Axanar solidified the Federation and allowed it to become the entity we know in Kirk’s time. 

It is the year 2245 and the war with the Klingons ends here.

A truly unique project like none other, the movie seems to be creating its own identity by mixing elements from Enterprise, TOS, and the new JJ Abrams continuity. At the same time, the movie explores a long-forgotten aspect of Trek lore from an unlikely source, the third season episode 'Whom Gods Destroy'.

If this new trailer is any indication, Axanar has the potential to be one of the best, if not the best, fan productions to date. The film could also very well prove that high quality sci-fi is no longer limited to major studios. Series like Star Trek: Phase II and Star Trek Continues have already more than shown this to be feasible, but this film could very well take it to a whole new level.

Starship Exeter releases long-awaited final Act of 'The Tressaurian Intersection'

After an eight-year hiatus, Starship Exeter's 'The Tressaurian Intersection' has finally been completed!

GIF courtesy of www.thelogbook.com

Starship Exeter follows the adventures of the new crew of the starship Exeter, which originally appeared in the TOS episode 'The Omega Glory'. Filmed in 2004 and released in segments over the next several years, Act III of 'The Tressaurian Intersection' left viewers with a massive cliff-hanger that wasn't resolved until last week.

"Searching for a starship in distress, the crew of the Starship U.S.S. Exeter finds a destroyed starbase and a deepening mystery. Has an enemy species from Captain Garrovick's past invented the ultimate weapon, or is the truth even stranger and more deadly?"

A major improvement over the series pilot, 'The Savage Empire', 'The Tressaurian Intersection' has, for years, been widely praised by fans for its quality, production values, and excellent writing. And rightly so. This episode has managed to capture the 'feel' of TOS so well that one may forget they're watching a fan-produced show.

If you've never seen this classic fan production (or its new epic conclusion) before, check it out on YouTube below. Although, to my knowledge, no further episodes will be produced, the show has clearly set a high standard for anyone entering the Star Trek fan film business. It's also a great example of a 'dead' production brought back to life, something that often doesn't happen with projects such as this.

"Space. Endless. Silent. Waiting. This is the new odyssey of the starship Exeter..."

ST Continues releases message-heavy 'Lolani'

The renowned fan series Star Trek Continues has done it again. After a live screening in Dallas, the show's second full-length episode was released this past weekend via YouTube.

In this installment, "a survivor from a distressed Tellarite vessel puts Captain Kirk and his crew into a moral quandary over her sovereignty."

Although the plot may not be original, the delivery is excellent, leaving the viewer wondering about the moral implications of slavery. With several other themes such as love, freedom, and justice, this tale would have fit right in amongst Classic Trek's not-so-subtle message stories.

Like its predecessor, 'Pilgrim of Eternity', 'Lolani' is a great episode in almost every respect. The show's sets, props, and special effects are all top-notch, while remaining faithful to The Original Series. The acting and characterizations are spot on. Even the two alien ships appearing in the production look like they could have been designed in the '60's. The producers have clearly learned from other fan series, releasing two high-quality shows right off the bat.

Not only does 'Lolani' explore an age-old issue in-depth, but also presents us with several strong female characters to offset the male leads. Besides Lolani herself, we also have the new ship's counselor, Dr. McKennah, who's clearly not afraid to stand up to her captain.

The episode also features several former sci-fi stars, including Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk) and Erin Gray (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century).

After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Star Trek Continues now has the funding for three additional episodes. New to the series? Check out STC's previous show 'Pilgrim of Eternity' and three short vignettes.

'Project: Potemkin' releases 'The Night the Stars Fell from the Sky'

Project: Potemkin is a Star Trek fan series set in 2296, not long after the events of Star Trek VI.

The show centers around the exploits of veteran Starfleet captain Alec Grigory and the starship Potemkin. The last Constitution class ship still in service, the vessel has a unique crew of mostly inexperienced offers who continue the tradition of going boldly.

Filmed in Southwest Georgia (US), Project: Potemkin has released eight short vignettes and two full-length episodes. Although not on the same 'level' as many professionally-produced series, the show is definitely worth checking out.

Project: Potemkin's latest release is 'The Night the Stars Fell from the Sky'. After discovering M-rays on a primeval world, the crew must unravel the dark secrets of the planet's inhabitants.

'Night', overall, is a very solid episode that nicely ties in with established Original Series cannon. The fact that Potemkin's officers are supposed to be inexperienced is clearly reflected by the actions of this episode's central Vulcan character, Ensign T'Noshi. Although the acting across the board feels a bit stiff at times, it gets the job done.

The episode's sets and special effects are, for the most part, well-done for a fairly low-budget production. The ship's bridge feels a bit cramped, but showcases a nice blend of TOS and movie-era tech. Planet-side, the show makes use of greenscreen (combined with real-world footage) to create background imagery and the large-scale structures. The end result is fairly convincing. Space shots of the ship and planet are also CG; it's by no means high end, but adequate.

The uniforms worn by the crew are a bit of a TOS or Motion Picture throwback, not at all resembling the militaristic, maroon uniforms introduced in Star Trek II. It was good to see, however, that all the officers were finally given Starfleet chest insignia, something that was absent in previous episodes. Using these 'simplified' uniforms instead of the much more complex movie versions was clearly a cost-saving measure, but it really doesn't take away from the show.

The moral decision at the center of this episode is one that's been used many times before to great effect, and was just as effective here. My only real complaint was the captain's stance on this issue near the end of the episode. Although, to some degree, he rectified this in the final moments of the show, irreparable damage was already done. It's interesting to compare this to other similar situations in Trek, if for no other reason than to see the other side of the coin.

Despite Project: Potemkin's limited resources, the show is very watchable and a highly-respectable fan effort. As long as you're not expecting a Phase II-quality production, this is definitely worth taking a peek at.

Interested in writing a screenplay? Potemkin is currently accepting script submissions, something you won't find with many other productions.

'The Night the Stars Fell from the Sky' and previous installments can be viewed or downloaded here.

Behind-the-scenes in the early days of Star Trek: TNG

Since I haven't posted lately (I have several new articles in the works), here's an interesting (but brief) look at the production of TNG in its first season. This segment aired in 1988 as part of the children's TV show 'Reading Rainbow', hosted by none other than LaVar Burton. This is considered one of the first behind-the-scenes features about the then-new series.

ST: Phase II dives headfirst into Klingon politics in' Kitumba'

Although Star Trek doesn't have a huge history of canceled TV or film projects, there are a few worth noting. Star Trek: Phase II is one of them. Originally developed in the 1970s as a continuation of Classic Trek, the series' pilot was ultimately transformed into the feature film Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979.

The present incarnation of Phase II (formally New Voyages) isn't on TV, but instead is a long-running web series, one of the first mainstream fan productions to hit the cyberwaves. Starring James Cawley as Kirk and produced by the Cawley Entertainment Company, Phase II has since turned into one of the most highly-regarded fan productions on the web.

What does the aborted Phase II TV project have to do with all this? One of the Cawley's goals is to produce scripts written for the aborted series. Two such episodes have already been released, in addition to five original stories and three vignettes (all of which can be downloaded here).

Phase II's most recent episode is 'Kitumba', a Klingon-centric show originally written by John Meredyth Lucas. Had it been produced in the '70's, 'Kitumba' would have established a very different culture for our favorite galactic warriors than what was later created for TNG.

'Kitumba' takes us to the heart of the Klingon Empire where Kirk and the Enterprise must convince the Empire's new, teenage ruler to stop a war with the Federation. The conflict could lead to mutual destruction for both sides, but is it the Emperor's war to stop?

This latest installment from Phase II does a nice job of bridging the gap between Original Series Klingons and their Next Generation counterparts. Not only does the show neatly tie up lose ends and unanswered questions, but also gives us a peek at Klingon politics and society in the 23rd century (something TOS was never able to do). 'Kitumba's many (subtle) tie-ins and references to other episodes also help it to fit almost seamlessly into established cannon.

As always, the production values and overall quality are very high. The CG effects shots (and there are quite a few of them) are top-notch and the acting, for the most part, very respectable. The show really does resemble a professionally-produced TV episode, clearly going to great lengths to get all the details right.

For those James Cawley fans out there, you may be sad to learn that this is his final appearance as Captain Kirk before turning the reigns over to actor Brian Gross. After playing the part for over 10 years, Cawley has decided to focus on the production aspects of the project, leaving the center seat to a new Kirk.

In a second notable change, Phase II will soon be transitioning to a refit version of the Enterprise, a stepping stone, transitory design to what was finally shown in The Motion Picture (see the vignette 'Going Boldly'). The redesigned ship was originally a facet of the '70s Phase II, and has been retained with virtually no changes. The interiors of the ship, however, will remain the same.

I have no way of knowing how close to the original story this episode turned out, but 'Kitumba' is a solid episode in its own right and definitely worth checking out. The show can currently be viewed on YouTube or downloaded via the Phase II site.

Phase II's next regular episode, 'The Holiest Thing', will premiere on February 14th.

Europa Report: a highly-satisfying, slow-building space thriller

"Fear. Sacrifice. Contact."

The near-future. A privately-funded, international team of astronauts set off on a mission to search for life on Europa, Jupiter's largest moon. Despite a systems failure that leaves the spacecraft out of communication with Earth, the mission goes on, leading to a surprising discovery. But at what cost?

Told in found-footage style, the film is a pretty convincing look at what a real-life, deep space mission might look like. To my knowledge, this is the first movie to capitalize on the possibility of life on Europa, something that's long been believed but never confirmed. Is Europa Report a bit science-heavy? Yes. Is it slow-moving? Yes. Is it a horror movie about evil aliens on a distant world? Most definitely not. Instead, Europa Report is more of a chilling 'what-if' film that leaves you wondering about the possibilities.

Almost all the footage is shot using wall-mounted or hand-held cameras, interspersed with earth-based scenes of scientists later analyzing the mission. This aspect really adds to the movie's feeling of 'authenticity', since no real space mission has room for a full-fledged camera crew. In true found-footage style, Europa Report doesn't really feel like a movie, but instead like a collection of roughly-edited clips from the ship's data recorders chronicling the mission. It's not fancy, but it gets the job done.

Despite the movie's modest budget, the special effects are more than adequate. The visuals aren't quite on-par with other sci-fi films that have come out recently, but fit the context of this movie well. It's nice to see a movie that's not so heavily reliant on special effects for a change -- that's obviously a major trend lately, but would have ruined the 'feel' of the film had it been done that way.

Verdict: Europa Report is a very well done and scientifically intriguing movie, much more so than what I was expecting from a (fairly) low-budget production. It's especially worth checking out for those of you who want to put the 'science back in science fiction', or are looking for a more realistic portrayal of near-future space exploration. In addition, fans of 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010: The Year We Make Contact will feel right at home with the movie's pace and feel.

I'd love to see something like this happen for real someday, but for now, we'll all just have to settle for films like Europa Report. Don't miss it!

Ender's Game: a worthy adaptation of a classic tale?

"This is not a game."

Set a century in the future, an unusually brilliant young man, Andrew 'Ender' Wiggin, is recruited and trained to lead Earth space forces in a final battle against an alien race.

For those of you unaware, Ender's Game is based on the 1984 military sci-fi novel of the same name by author Orson Scott Card. The highly-successful book spawned several sequels following Ender's later exploits as an adult. These dealt with the ramifications of Ender's actions in the original novel and his taking on the role of 'speaker for the dead'. I was originally introduced to the series by my seventh grade English teacher, and after a pretty long hiatus, I started re-reading them in anticipation of this movie. If you're looking for something new to read with really well-developed characters and a highly-engaging story, check out this series.

As far as book adaptations go, Ender's Game is surprisingly close to its source material -- it probably helped that the original author co-produced the film, but even so, it's unusual to find 'good' adaptations of even the best novels. For example, for those of you familiar with Burroughs' classic novel A Princess of Mars and it's recent Disney film adaptation, you know what I mean.

As close an adaptation as it is, Enter's Game does condense the plot considerably to fit a two-hour window, but manages to do so without loosing too much of the original story. I'm pleased to say, though, that in the process of condensing, few plot details where altered to fit the faster-paced story. The only major tradeoff is a story that feels a bit rushed and forced at times.

Aspects of the story such as Ender's time at the Battle School is (somewhat) glossed over in favor of focusing on the latter half of the novel. Other elements, like Ender's empathy for the alien queen and his relationship with Valentine, are only touched on. The book's Earth-based sub-plot involving Valentine and Peter's political writing endeavors and Peter's rise to power are completely absent. There are others, but suffice to say, it's impossible to fit a few hundred pages worth of material into a one two-hour movie. Overall, the producers did a decent job of finding compromise.

Like many sci-fi movies this year, Ender's Game is pretty special effects-heavy. Although the story involves very little space travel, much of the computer technology talked about in the book was updated for a 21st century audience and looks quite stunning. The film, for instance, replaces references to dots on a radar screen (in the simulator scenes) to completely immersive holographic displays controlled by hand movement. This was clearly an excuse to show off cool starship designs and space combat, but I'm definitely not complaining. It's unfortunate this movie wasn't released in 3-D since the visuals could have benefited from it.

If you're looking for a sci-fi action film, Ender's Game probably isn't for you. On the other hand, if you're a fan of the book series or like military sci-fi films, definitely check out this movie. It's taken nearly 30 years, but we finally have a fairly solid, big-screen adaptation of this classic tale and a good sci-fi film in its own right.

Happy Halloween from The Enterprise Bridge!

In honor of Halloween, journey to a distant planet full witches, black cats, and haunted castles. No, it's not an episode of Scooby Doo, but Trek's 'Catspaw'.

The first episode of season two produced, the show didn't air until October 27th, just four days before Halloween (1967). Besides being Trek's only holiday-themed show, it was notable for being the first episode filmed after Walter Koenig joined the cast as Russian navigator Chekov. In addition, 'Catspaw' was the first to include DeForest Kelly (McCoy) in the opening credits and also changed the fonts of the title card and closing credits to match that of the opening credits.

Although not a very good episode by any account, it's a fun one to watch for some light Halloween entertainment. Watch the original version (not remastered) here on the official Star Trek site.

Have a safe and happy Halloween, folks!

Realism and space drama collide in Cuarón's 'Gravity'

"Don't let go."

Gravity has been praised ever since it's initial release, and rightly so. It's difficult to tell from the trailer what the movie's about, but in retrospect, the trailer does say it all. What do you do if a disaster leaves you stranded with no hope of rescue?

The near future. A shuttle mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope goes terribly wrong when a massive, fast-moving debris field destroys both spacecraft and everything else in its path. The two surviving astronauts, a rookie mission specialist (Bullock) and a veteran mission commander (Clooney), must mount their own rescue or face imminent death in the cold vacuum of space.

The plot of the movie is a classic survival story about rising above adversity. Because of this, Gravity really isn't an action film, but when things do get exciting, they do so very rapidly and on a big scale. Bullock's character is clearly not ready to deal with the situation she's facing, yet she must since failure really isn't an option. Like other survival movies, the characters perform one dangerous maneuver after another to reach their ultimate goal of getting home. This aspect of the plot provides some decent character development, giving Bullock some backstory to help explain why she's acting the way she is.

One of the film's most-discussed aspects is its realism. In short, it's pretty close to the real thing, much more so than most Hollywood space disaster movies. Are there issues with the science and physics? Of course. The producers went to great lengths to get the majority of the details right, from astronaut jargon to physics, but also had to take creative liberties to sustain the story. It's rare to find movies that aim for realism, especially in a sci-fi setting such as this, so kudos to the producers for getting that right.

The visuals are simply extraordinary, especially in 3D. Much like Avatar, Gravity utilized a huge amount of CG to create the world our two surviving astronauts float around in, and had to develop revolutionary new techniques to do it (for example, in many shots, only the faces of the actors are real). This adds quite a bit to the film's sense of realism, since nothing looks, well, fake. It's one of those films that you can't truly appreciate unless you've seen it on the big screen of a movie theater.

If you're looking for a breath-taking space drama that's a bit closer to home, check out Gravity. Just don't watch it as your in-flight movie to the International Space Station :-)

Want more classic Trek? This fan series delivers.

Star Trek's original five-year mission may have ended two years too early, but the adventures are far from over. The new live-action fan series Star Trek Continues picks up exactly where the original left off, and it definitely doesn't disappoint.

Produced in part by the same studio responsible for Starship Farragut, STC has released three vignettes and one full-length episode so far. The first vignette re-films and expands the ending of 'Turnabout Intruder' (the final episode of TOS), allowing the viewer to easily transition into the next phase of the five-year mission, with an all new cast portraying the classic characters.

In the pilot episode, the Greek god Apollo (from TOS 'Who Mourns for Adonais?') returns to wreck havoc with the Enterprise crew. It's more than just a villain episode, though. It's very clear the producers went to great lengths to recreate the look and feel of TOS down to the last detail.

The show's CG visual effects are quite impressive as well, if not a bit inconsistent at times. While some shots look downright professional, others look, well, like CGI. Regardless, it's a great effort, and what I'd come to expect from the studios producing it.

The actors and characterizations are amazingly accurate, and the writers weave a very engaging story with all the elements of the best TOS episodes.

It's really difficult to find much to fault with Star Trek Continues. Thus far, it's a very professional-looking series in the spirit of the original, and probably one of the strongest efforts I've seen. If you enjoy Star Trek: Phase II, Starship Farragut or other similar fan productions on the web today, definitely check out this series.

Want to help fund future episodes? Drop by STC's 'Kirkstarter' campaign page to donate.

Ark: unravel the mystery in this 9-part web series

Ark is an incomplete, nine-part web series following two people, Connie and Daryl, who wake up aboard a mysterious ship in deep space. With no knowledge of how they got there or why, the pair begin exploring the vacant vessel in an attempt to discover its secrets. I recently watched through the entire 'series' -- it's unfortunate production didn't continue since the show had quite a bit of potential.

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of a web series, each 'webisode' is only a few minutes in length and always ends on a cliffhanger (also see BSG: Blood & Chrome). Therefore, each episode picks up exactly where the previous one left off without any gaps.

All nine webisodes are available for viewing on Hulu. It's definitely work checking out -- just don't be too disappointed when the show abruptly ends and there's still lots of unanswered questions.

Space Rangers: a forgotten sci-fi gem?

I recently learned of this obscure, short-lived '90's series and just wanted to share it with you. Set in the year 2104, it follows the adventures of a rag-tag team of police/marine 'Rangers' based at the Earth colony Fort Hope. The show isn't exactly considered 'great' sci-fi, but it has its moments (at least, from what little I've seen).

Produced in part to capitalize on such hits as Star Wars, Space Rangers had heavy competition from Star Trek: Deep Space 9, which premiered the same week. It also suffered from meddling network execs, who among other things, aired the episodes in a different order than produced, confusing viewers.

In some ways, Rangers reminds me of Space: Above and Beyond, another short-lived (but well-liked) '90's series about a team of marines fighting in a war against aliens. The show doesn't take itself nearly as seriously, though.

Although Space Rangers seems to have had a lot of potential, it was canceled after only one of the six produced episodes had aired. In fact, only four of the six episodes were ever shown on US network TV. The entire 'mini-series' did air in the UK, however.


Sci-fi gem? Probably not, but worth a peek for some light action/adventure entertainment.