Star Trek Fan Films

Less than a year ago I went to see an episode of a "Star Trek Fan Film" (Star Trek Phase II's World Enough And Time) at EMP in Seattle. I must admit I did not know what to make of it going in and was totally shocked by how much I liked it. Of course, I immediately went online and found the other episodes from that group and watched them.

I looked online and realized that there are a lot of low quality parodies and some really solid production value projects. I am really not into watching parodies beyond a few skits and the like, so I turned to the more serious productions only.

So, over the past year I have watched Borg War and Of Gods and Men, and the various episodes of Phase II, Intrepid, and Hidden Frontier, amongst others like Farragut, Exeter, and Stone Trek.

There are a few times where it is clear the intent outmatches the finished project in regards to acting talent, scripting, directing, and effects. So be it. These projects are fun and in some instances of truly professional quality. The amount of work that goes into these productions deserves a certain amount of ... tolerance. For the most part, these are actually really good.

Star Trek alums have pitched in on and off camera in many of these productions and add a respectability to them that is very cool. There are those that comment how these actors are desperate and pathetic for stooping to the fan film level. I beg to disagree. These are homages or tributes and are opportunities for these actors to interact with their audience.

I have no respect for anonymous types that post about how stupid these people are for trying or that some sort of green glow on the screen offends them. Create and do something yourself.

Almost a year has passed now and I have watched an awful lot of this stuff. I now actually look forward to new episodes of these productions. A year ago I was skeptical, now I am a fan and caught up ... and looking forward the next adventure on The Helena and others ...