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A Fan’s Guide to the Best Star Trek Fan Films

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When it comes to Do-It-Yourself projects, the ultimate expression has to be fan films . The amount of work required to pull off a fan film, from the construction of sets and costumes, to the writing, to the lighting, the camerawork, the acting, the direction, the sound design, the scoring… it’s a fabulously massive undertaking that requires an insane range of skills to even comprehend, let alone pull off with flare.

Star Trek has long encouraged a range of intrepid explorers in the field, however. Fans from all backgrounds and walks of life have come together over the decades to share their love of the magic underlying this incredible setting, trying to share what they themselves love most about Roddenberry’s incredible vision for a socialist future where all people work for the betterment of society as a whole, and their own self-growth, rather than the accumulation of profit.

So, sit back and engage your senses as you travel through time and space on some kind of star “trek” in a bold exploration of the imagination and the power of art.

1 – Digital Ghost (2000)

Digital Ghost is a German-made Star Trek fan-film set within the Star Trek: Generations timeline. The story involves two Enterprise-E crewmembers who are sent on a mission to test Starfleet’s new fully-autonomous starship design, and who soon discover that all may not be as it seems.

There aren’t magnificent sets in this one, but the CGI is surprisingly good, especially when you remember that this was made back in 2000. But, what stands out for me most with this film, is how well-acted it is. The CGI makes it all come alive, and there are some very clever moments in there, but what makes it engaging to watch is the interactions between the two visiting crewmembers and the experimental ship’s computer.

2 – Star Trek: Of Gods and Men (2007-2008)

There can absolutely be no better example of an incredible Star Trek fan-film experience than one which uses actual members of the original series cast! . Walter Keong and Nichelle Nichols star in this superb 3-part drama (finally combined into one feature film), and directed by Tim Russ (Tuvok in Voyager ).

The story, the acting, the sets, and the CGI all positively glow in this one. The care, dedication, fun, and love of Star Trek is so plainly visible in every aspect of this film that it easily outshines most of the modern Trek material created by big studios.

3 – Star Trek: Axanar (2014)

Here we come to the biggest name on this list, because it was a landmark film in the evil of corporate Hollywood and the further eroding of artistic power in the world. Axanar was an incredible production, providing a powerhouse script, production value far beyond anything seen before, and a huge cast of veteran Star Trek actors (Richard Hatch, J. G. Hertzler, Kate Vernon, Gary Graham, Michael Hogan, and Tony Todd).

The film is a 22-minute documentary-style experience recounting the events of the Battle of Axanar, which was briefly mentioned in the original Star Trek series episode Whom Gods Destroy, and depicted in Axanar as a decisive military engagement between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire.

The incredible feature film that had been planned for release was killed by the subsequent CBS/Paramount lawsuit, but this gem remains behind.

The film was so good, so popular, and raised such a huge budget on Kickstarter, that CBS and Paramount sued its creators in an attempt to destroy fans’ ability to produce similar work ever again. Sadly, they succeeded.

The resultant lawsuit ended with CBS/Paramount drawing up a restrictive list of rules that all future fan films would need to follow: “be no more than 15 minutes long and have no stories longer than two installments (for a total of 30 minutes); play on YouTube without commercials; and all participants are required to be amateurs who have never worked on Star Trek or another licensee of CBS or Paramount Pictures.”

This effectively killed off all Star Trek fan projects, forcing other planned productions like Star Trek: Renegades to quite literally go renegade and remove all references to Star Trek from their production.

It’s a truly sad example of how dismally copyright laws function in the world today, offering little protection to real creators while allowing mega-corps to demand ever-greater control over all the artistic projects that make it into the public eye.

4 – Star Trek: Renegades (2015)

Something is folding time and space around entire planets, cutting them off from the galaxy. Admiral Pavel Checkov (played by Walter Koenig) enlists the aid of Section 31 chief Tuvok (played by Tim Russ) in an effort to enlist an extra-Starfleet operation to discover the cause, a crew of misfits, even criminals, who can do what Starfleet can not.

Directed by Tim Russ, this was intended as a pilot episode for a new Star Trek series. When the pilot was rejected, a series was planned, but was later scrapped due to the disastrous move by CBS/Paramount to restrict the creative ability of fan productions. Renegades would then go on to live as its own science fiction production, removing all references to Star Trek to escape studio censorship.

A Fan’s Guide to the Top Science Fiction TV Series From one fan to another: the best sci-fi shows of all time.

5 – Star Trek: Horizon (2016)

In a time prior to the United Federation of Planets, a young coalition of worlds led by Earth battle the Romulan Star Empire for their very survival.

This was another masterful little fan production, falling someplace between grand productions like Axanar and Of Gods and Men , and more amateur productions, and offering a first-class homage to the Star Trek universe.

While the planned sequel was annulled by CBS/Paramount due to their ridiculous feud with the Axanar production, we at least have the full feature film original to enjoy.

6 – Chance Encounter – A Star Trek Fan Film

A gentle and heart-warming science fiction love story, with all original characters, set within the Star Trek universe.

The Most Underrated Science Fiction Films of the 1970s 1970s scifi films included some of the greatest ever made, but also some unsung gems.

Quite possibly the sweetest little fan film in existence, the team behind this film would later go on to create The Holy Core, another Star Trek fan film that went even farther in the creation of something superb.

I absolutely love the writing of this one, as well as the acting. The special effects aren’t as sharp and polished as other productions, but I found that this doesn’t really matter much given how superb the rest of it is, and how much range of special effects through the many decades of Trek there is anyway!

I spent the entire film immersed, enjoying it as much as I’ve ever enjoyed another Star Trek experience, and I think you will as well.

7 – What We Left Behind (2019)

Ira Steven Behr announced a new Deep Space Nine project in 2017, eighteen years after the series finale, What You Leave Behind , aired. Bearing the same title, this would be an immersive documentary journey into the creation of, and life of, the last great Star Trek series to air on TV.

The documentary is wonderfully potent, drawing back the cats and crew for an in-depth and sometimes harrowing discussion of the show’s making, with stars Alexander Siddig, Avery Brooks, Colm Meaney, Michael Dorn, Nana Visitor, Rene Auberjonois, and Terry Farrell all appearing to speak about their experience making the show.

DS9 was really transformational, managing to bridge all that had come before, with a deeper level of internal exploration than had been seen in Star Trek. Of course, there were downsides as well.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a premise completely ripped off of J. Michael Straczynski’s Babylon 5 series, which he had pitched unsuccessfully to Paramount some time before DS9 was put into production. Everything from the premise, to even at least one character’s name, was pulled from B5 without even a hint of shame.

And yet, however terrible that sin is, the seed of Straczynski’s initial vision, and the hard work of the amazing cast and crew of DS9, ended up providing Star Trek with its own brilliant jewel, something that offered a new type of show that kicks harder than previous iterations while maintaining the optimism, pacing, and theatric reverence that all embodies true Trek .

8 – The Holy Core – A Star Trek Fan Production (2019)

A thoughtful and exciting adventure set in the TNG era of the “Star Trek” universe, featuring all original characters. The crew of a Federation starship assist the deeply religious Vitans to restore their polluted atmosphere after centuries of war. Events soon take an unexpected turn, however, and the crew must rely on their courage and principles to prevent disaster…

I love this one for the use of real sets, the style, the lighting… it’s a love-letter to everything great about TNG, and manages to be both exciting and reflective in its story and construction. Proof that, while Paramount/CBS gutted fans’ ability to create work of Axanar level production value, fans will continue to showcase their passion for the source material.

Seriously though, this production uses full sets , and in an age where fan productions frequently rely on less-expensive green screen replacements, the use of real physical sets shows. It makes The Holy Core something unique and very special.

9 – Interlude: A Star Trek Fan Production (Axanar Continuity)

While not officially endorsed by the Axanar team, this little film dives into some of the Axanar continuity and envisions a short scene from one of the crucial battles of that timeline, as the new Klingon D7 cruisers are fielded for the first time.

It has a high-production feeling to it, though perhaps not quite as immerse as the original Axanar was. Still, a work of art, soul, and beauty, and I’m honestly just so impressed with all the great work that went into making this.

10 – Doomsday: A Star Trek Fan Production (2022)

Tales from The Neutral Zone in association with Avalon Universe presents “DOOMSDAY,” the third Star Trek Fan Film from Neutral Zone Studios in Kingsland, GA Based on the original story by Norman Sprinrad, music by Sol Kaplan, and visual effects by Samuel Cockings, “DOOMSDAY” is an exciting Star Trek adventure!

This feels like TOS and is just frankly incredible, offering up a brief vision of the original series’ brilliance with modern styling.

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Star Trek: Hidden Frontier

The Star Trek fan series that became legend....

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All episodes in this season now feature remastered editions.

Enemy Unknown, Part One

Star Trek: Hidden Frontier - Season 1

Enemy Unknown, Part Two

Enemy unknown, part three.

Star Trek: Hidden Frontier - Season 2

Yesterday’s Excelsior

Great starship robbery, to the stars, fire in the heart, coward’s death, worst fears, part one, worst fears, part two.

Star Trek: Hidden Frontier - Season 3

Worst Fears, Part Three

In memory of, modus operandi, voyage of the defiant, hell’s gate, part 1, hell’s gate, part 2.

Star Trek: Hidden Frontier - Season 4

Piracy of the Noble

Grave matters, entanglement, part 1, entanglement, part 2.

Star Trek: Hidden Frontier - Season 5

Imminent Danger

Darkest night, security counsel, the battle is joined, countermeasures.

Star Trek: Hidden Frontier - Season 6

Dancing in the Dark

Her battle lanterns lit, heavy losses.

Star Trek: Hidden Frontier - Season 7

Hearts and Minds

The widening gyre, things fall apart, the center cannot hold, its hour come round at last, download instructions.

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The remastered editions of Star Trek: Hidden Frontier (currently all episodes from the first through third seasons) are presented in video format. They are made available through YouTube.

You will need a third-party application to download this video episode from YouTube.

Episode pages featuring remastered editions also contain a link to the original episode on Vimeo. These episodes can be downloaded from Vimeo.

To download from Vimeo, click the link. This takes you to the episode’s page on Vimeo. You can download the episode from that page.

A free Vimeo account is required.

Video (Original Editions)

The original versions of all episodes of Star Trek: Hidden Frontier are presented in video format. They are made available through Vimeo.

To download an episode through Vimeo, go to its page. Left-click the Vimeo logo in the lower right of the video player. This takes you to the episode’s page on Vimeo. You can download the episode from that page.

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Starship Farragut

Fan-made show based on the original Star Trek series follows the adventures of Federation Starship Farragut, its crew and Captain John Thomas (Jack) Carter. Set in the same era as the origin... Read all Fan-made show based on the original Star Trek series follows the adventures of Federation Starship Farragut, its crew and Captain John Thomas (Jack) Carter. Set in the same era as the original ST series (TOS). Fan-made show based on the original Star Trek series follows the adventures of Federation Starship Farragut, its crew and Captain John Thomas (Jack) Carter. Set in the same era as the original ST series (TOS).

John Broughton
Michael Bednar
Holly Bednar
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Captain Jack Carter …
Cmdr. Robert Tacket …
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General George Washington …
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Attlan Grey …

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Trivia Produced by Farragut Films, Starship Farragut is the first independent film series to have full episodes in live-action, cartoon animation and comic book form.

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Super-authentic 'Star Trek' fan series warps into Kickstarter

They've got the costumes, the hairdos, the props, and even the lighting right. All the "Star Trek Continues" Enterprise crew needs is $100,000.

"Star Trek Into Darkness" was a monster in the "Star Trek" franchise. It made over $460 million worldwide, more than double its $190 million budget.

That's great and all, but to be honest I had a better time watching a humble fan-made episode in a Web series called " Star Trek Continues " that was shot for some $40,000.

For fans of the original "Star Trek," this tribute has mind-blowing authenticity. Now it has beamed into Kickstarter with a campaign to raise $100,000 to make three more episodes.

Produced by Farragut Films and DracoGen Strategic Investments, the nonprofit series stars Vic Mignogna as Captain Kirk, Todd Haberkorn as Mr. Spock, and features the late James Doohan's son Chris in his father's role as Scotty as well as Grant Imahara of "Mythbusters" as Lieutenant Sulu.

Inside a $40,000 'Star Trek' fan episode (pictures)

Much of the look of the recreated Enterprise, however, was achieved through collaboration with colleagues such as Matt Bucy, director of photography.

"It was actually Matt Bucy who sat down and took the original blueprints apart and figured out all of the dimensions and sizes of everything and that's why our sets look as good as they do," says Mignogna.

Aside from the physical authenticity of the sets, emulating the original lighting and camera positioning is absolutely key, he says, along with preserving the traditional 4:3 aspect ratio . Grain was also digitally added to the finished episode because "Star Trek" was shot on 35 mm film.

But where did this relentless drive for authenticity come from?

"It's because I'm an obsessive-compulsive person," Mignogna laughs. "When I was a kid my parents gave me a movie camera. I learned how to sew and how to build props. I would wrangle the kids in the neighborhood up and make them put on costumes, and I would play Captain Kirk and make my own episodes.

"When I was a little boy, I was inspired beyond words by the original series of 'Star Trek.' It captivated me. It was a catalyst that inspired me to get into acting, and it started me on that journey when I was 10 years old. And I have been doing all of those things for 40 years since then.

"This is a chance for me to take everything I've learned for 40 years in production, music, sound design, costumes, makeup, lighting, props, and acting, and marry it with the thing that started it all in my life."

Well, if that isn't a superfan, I don't know what is.

You can see footage of Mignogna playing Kirk as a kid in the video for the Kickstarter campaign here , and the show's first episode here . For more shots of the recreated Enterprise set from "Star Trek Continues," check out the photo gallery above.

Farragut Forward: A Star Trek Fan Production

Welcome to the final frontier…

The prologue to Farragut Forward was released January 27, 2022! See it HERE !

In june 2021, kaotica studios announced a partnership with farragut films, one of the longest-running and most beloved star trek fan productions. .

The result of this collaboration is Farragut Forward: A Star Trek Fan Production, the continuation of Starship Farragut adventures, set in the “monster maroon” world of the 1980s Star Trek movie era.

Preproduction began in summer 2021 in accordance with the Fan Film Guidelines issued by CBS/Paramount. At this time, several key production decisions were made on the production’s tone and visual style, including the costumes, and an emphasis on filming practical ship models as an homage to the 1980s era of sci-fi filmmaking, and to the early days of Industrial Light and Magic (ILM).

Producer and Farragut Films founder John Broughton had this to say: Fans can expect a more ‘sophisticated’ version of Farragut… a darker, more serious side. After a recent camera/lighting test, Johnny said, “This isn’t your Daddy’s Farragut!” He’s right, and my expectation is that our fanbase will be highly impressed, wanting to see more with new fans following.

THE PROLOGUE

After pre-production concluded in the summer 2021, cameras rolled on the Farragut Forward prologue in October 2021. The single set was a very small room (roughly 10′ by 10′), which was packed full of lights, gear, smoke, and at some points more than 10 members of the cast and crew.

Filming was originally planned for two days, but thanks to the hard work of the cast and crew, production wrapped in a single 12-hour day, including a full tear-down and rebuild of the set midday.

The three-minute prologue was a lot of work crammed into a very tight production period. It took many of our actors several hours to get into their costumes, prosthetics, and makeup, so instead of coming back and doing it all over again on the second day of filming, everyone pushed to wrap the shoot in a single day. We even tore the set down at lunch and rebuilt it for the turnaround shots. It made for a very long day, in a very cramped set, but the results were well worth it.

– Director Johnny K.

With principal photography wrapped, editing began and a rough cut was shown in November 2021 with all cast and crew seeing it for the first time together as a group. Sound design and visual effects shots were added and finalized soon after, including the filming of the practical Bird-of-Prey ship model, built by actor and model-maker Michael Bednar.

The prologue sets up the story for the full Farragut Forward episode, currently in pre-production and to be filmed throughout 2022 and 2023, with an expected release in early 2024.

Farragut Forward marks the return of of several classic characters from the Farragut universe, including John Broughton as Carter and Michael Bednar as Tacket. William Jay, Dale Henry, and Matt Henry play Klingon officers.

The Farragut Forward prologue features the track “War Drums” by Rhythm Scott, as well as music by Austrian composer Martin Puehringer.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Stay tuned to Kaotica Studios and Starship Farragut social media channels for more information!

Star Trek and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan production is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made film intended for recreational use. No commercial exhibition or distribution is permitted. No alleged independent rights will be asserted against CBS or Paramount Pictures.

Fan Film Factor

Exploring the world of Star Trek fan films.

List of Fan Films (highest to lowest rated)

Articles and interviews spotlighting the fantastic world of fan films and the fascinating folks who make them.

Viewing log entries: BY RATING Click to View: Newest First or Alphabetically

NOTE: In cases where there are multiple episodes of a fan series in one feature article, the highest-rated episode determines the placement on this list.

Created by Fan Film Factor blogger JONATHAN LANE, this special video compilation features clips from nearly three dozen Star Trek fan films spanning decades. The goal was to show people who were unfamiliar with Star Trek fan films what was possible. So the main criteria for being included was that the segment make a typical person think, “Wait! This is a FAN film???”

If you’re new to Star Trek fan films or just looking for ideas of which one(s) to watch first, start with this video and see if anything speaks to you. Most likely, you’ll come away with at least one clip that leaves you wanting more.

Blog entry posted: May 13, 2019

As a project, INTERLUDE began when JONATHAN LANE wanted to see a fan film shot on the (at the time) newly-completed U.S.S. Ares Bridge set in Lawrenceville, GA. Using a short sequence taken from the script for the first of the AXANAR sequels, Jonathan expanded the story first into an eight-page online comic book and then into a full shooting script. The story serves as a direct sequel to PRELUDE TO AXANAR and a lead-in to the sequels—essentially an “interlude” between the two.

The project kicked off with the addition of JOSHUA IRWIN and VICTORIA FOX, two professional filmmakers from Arkansas who had already made names for themselves in the fan film community with their AVALON UNIVERSE projects. All told, more than fifty people came together to create an exciting and touching fan film with top-level production quality, stunning visual effects, powerful performances, and music from an Emmy-winning composer.

Blog entry feature for version 1 posted: April 5, 2021 Blog entry feature for version 2 posted: April 23, 2021

Originally crowd-funded with a $26K Kickstarter way back in September of 2015 and a$32K Indiegogo campaign the following year, Pacific 201 was the brainchild of Harrisburg, PA-based showrunner ERIC HENRY.

What makes Pacific 201 so unique and exciting is the time period it covers in Federation history. The year is 2200. It’s four decades after the end of the Romulan War and the founding of the United Federation of Planets, and still more than six decades before the time of Kirk’s five-year-mission. Earth and the Federation are at a crossroads. Those who remember the horrors of the Romulan attacks fear a return to deep space exploration and the risk of provoking new enemies. But a new generation born after the war dreams of returning to a renaissance of exploration and discovery.

Blog entry interview for Part 1 posted: November 14, 2020 Blog entry feature for Part 2 posted: December 31, 2020

STARSHIP EXETER (feature), Part 2 – “The Tressaurian Intersection”

What a long, strange trip it’s been for Starship Exeter!

In December of 2002 when Starship Exeter released its first episode, “The Savage Empire,” it was a total game-changer. Exeter rewrote the rules of what a Star Trek fan film could be and helped to usher in what many call the modern age of fan films. Twelve years later, Starship Exeter released the final act of its second episode, “The Tressaurian Intersection,” considered by many to be one of the few MUST SEE Star Trek fan films out there.

Blog entry PART 1 posted: January 16, 2016

I always found it eerily appropriate that this two-word piece of dialog, spoken by Captain Kirk at the end of the final TOS episode “Turnabout Intruder” in 1969, was the last line uttered for the entire original Star Trek series run.

Kirk was referring to the tragic descent into hate-filled insanity of his former love, Dr. Janice Lester. But for me, these two words were so much more powerful: If only Star Trek hadn’t been canceled. If only Star Tre k could have…

…continued.

Blog entry PART 1 originally posted: April 15, 2016 (updated October 20, 2017 )

View all Star Trek Continues episodes, vignettes, and videos here: http://startrekcontinues.com/episodes.html

Some fans believe that Axanar was the first fan film to use professionals or, at the very least, the first to pay them. Both of those assumptions are incorrect by nearly a decade.

The first fan film to feature a known Star Tre k professional in their credits was the debut episode of Star Trek: New Voyages in early 2004, “ Come What May ,” which featured Doug Drexler as visual effects artist (under the pseudonym “Max Rem”) while Doug was also actively working doing the digital FX for Star Trek: Enterprise and also for the new Battlestar Galactica .

Blog entry PART 1 posted: July 8, 2016

If you’re a true Star Trek fan, you should watch “Mind-Sifter,” the ninth episode released from Star Trek: New Voyages .

You shouldn’t watch “Mind-Sifter” simply because it’s a well-constructed, well-acted, and well-produced story. And you shouldn’t watch it simply because it feels like good Star Trek .

No, you should watch it to honor the memory of an amazing woman who almost single-handedly helped to define, grow, and nurture Star Trek fandom while it was still in its infancy. I dare say that we all wouldn’t be here today celebrating Star Trek as passionately as we do if it weren’t for Shirley S. Maiewski, also known as “Grandma Trek.”

Blog entry posted: January 12, 2016

ADVENTURES OF THE USS PARKVIEW – “The Bunny Incident” (audio interview)

Easter came early to STARBASE STUDIOS on a cold day in January. That’s when Emmy-winning musician and Parkview Elementary School teacher KEVIN CROXTON brought 33 students from his Music Club to shoot a Star Trek fan film.

I consider this a MUST SEE Trek fan film not simply because the kids are adorable but because it really is a remarkably well-produced fan film! It’s well-lit with lots of interesting camera angles, the sound levels are perfect, the music is great (the kids even get to sing!), there’s amazing make-up on Spock and the Klingons (plus really nice TOS Klingon uniforms), and all of the children do a spectacular job.

Blog entry posted: March 29, 2018

AVALON UNIVERSE: “Avalon Lost” (audio interview)

THE AVALON UNIVERSE kicked off its debut with a complete surprise for most fans: the 2-part GHOST SHIP , a sort of “ Star Trek meets The Walking Dead ” hybrid fan film that quickly went viral and now has a combined 280K views on YouTube!

Filmed both in Kingsland, GA on the old Star Trek Continues TOS sets and also in the new WARP 66 Studios in Arkansas, Ghost Ship looked amazing. Lighting, make-up, directing, editing, music, VFX, acting…everything came together flawlessly to present fans with one of the most polished-looking set-based fan films in a long time.

The second Avalon Universe fan film, “Avalon Lost,” premiered and quickly surpassed 35K views! This time, it was a one-parter with a very unexpected ending.

Blog entry posted: March 8, 2019

The AVALON UNIVERSE is an alternate Star Trek timeline where show-runner JOSHUA IRWIN (from Fayetteville, Arkansas) can play around with stories without worrying about tripping over existing canon. in the very first episode from the Avalon folks, GHOST SHIP , Captain Derek Mason (played by TYLER DUNIVAN) is given command of the U.S.S. Excalibur ). But in the very next episode, AVALON LOST , the character died. Or did he?

Four episodes were released since then with a new lead actor, but now with the seventh Avalon release in less than three years, fans discover that Captain Mason might not have died after all! But where is he? When is he? And do these strange aliens who look like people he’s known mean him harm? Find out as Captain Mason and viewers watching enter the COSMIC STREAM…

Blog entry posted: July 17, 2021

The AVALON UNIVERSE made its unexpected debut in our universe on Halloween of 2018…which was somewhat appropriate, considering the storyline of the debut episode (the 2-part GHOST SHIP ) was kinda a “ Star-Trek -meets- The Walking Dead ” mash-up. Exactly one year later, on Halloween 2019, the latest Avalon Universe fan film, DEMONS (the third story so far), premiered the first of its two segments, with part 2 coming out a week later. In between was the one-part AVALON LOST , which came out in February of 2019.

All three stories were something quite different than most other fan films…and I don’t mean just the unusual meshing of Kelvin -verse uniforms with TOS-style sets…along with nacelles and shuttlecraft which looked slightly different than the familiar Prime Universe technology. No, what fans noticed almost immediately was a quality level—of acting, directing, lighting, camera angles and lens selection, sound mixing, film editing, pacing—that was a step or three above the vast majority of other Star Trek fan films.

Blog entry posted: November 30, 2019

The bar has just been raised for Star Trek fan films. On May 2 of last year, Gary O’Brien and Paul Laight launched a Kickstarter to fund their latest short film. Based in Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom, over the past eleven years Gary and Paul had collaborated on eight other short films.

At first, their script had nothing whatsoever to do with Star Trek . It was, quite simply, a chance encounter between an older man and a younger woman. Then Paul suggested adding in a science fiction element, and Gary (who would later be crowned the U.K.’s “Ultimate Trekker” and win a trip to Los Angeles to tour Paramount Studios) suggested that the idea might work well as a Star Trek story.

Blog entry posted: February 1, 2017

The strangely surreal DATA & PICARD Star Trek fan music video has been viewed on YouTube nearly seven and a half million times…making it one of the most widely seen Trek fan productions of all time. When the musician/DJ/remix artist/film editor/YouTuber POGO (whose real name is NICK BERTKE) first uploaded this unusually hypnotic video back in late 2016, it was certainly a project I intended to cover. But less than two years later—and before I was able to blog about him—Pogo/Nick created some major controversy and trouble for himself.

And so I was torn. On the one hand, Pogo had created this wildly popular Star Trek fan film music video…and his background story is quite interesting. On the other hand, hate speech and homophobia is anathema to me. I am totally repulsed by Pogo’s prejudices against gay people and women. If you can’t stomach my decision to post this blog feature, then please feel free to skip it.

Blog entry posted: May 1, 2019

AARON VANDERKLEY is a wonder from down under! When some fans began complaining that the guidelines ‘ limit of 15 minutes for a fan film wasn’t long enough to tell a compelling story, Aaron proved them wrong by doing it in less than HALF that time!

Aaron has just released his fourth fan film in two years, THE FALL OF STARBASE ONE , his longest and ambitious yet…and another MUST SEE. After this, Aaron plans to do only one more “big finale”—likely sometime later this year. As of now, the final script isn’t written or even titled.

Blog entry posted: June 24 2018

Back in early 2015, a group of young fan filmmakers out of Vancouver, Canada launched an Indiegogo campaign trying to raise $15,000 (Canadian) to complete their production. It would be a crossover fan film featuring the ships and characters from Star Trek , Star Wars , Mass Effect , and Halo . They had already been working for nearly two years, starting out pretty slow with just a few artists, all of them new to the pipeline process of working together on an open, collaborative, community-driven movie project.

By 2015, they had managed to build a team of 20 digital artists, two sound designers, several actors (including Mark Meer from Mass Effect ), one dedicated screenwriter, two social media coordinators, and many more. Along the way, they picked up sponsors that donated some pretty amazing free hardware, software, plus meeting and studio space. Having now developed an industry-grade pipeline process, they just needed $15,000 to finish this incredibly ambitious project.

Blog entry posted: January 4, 2019

The vast majority of the fan film community had no idea that GHOST SHIP was coming (including me)! But just a few weeks ago, on Halloween, the newest full-length Star Trek fan production from JOSHUA IRWIN and VICTORIA FOX debuted on YouTube.

A “ Star Trek meets The Walking Dead ” mash-up, of sorts, the film combines spooky zombie horror tropes with comedic moments and fun characters to create a wonderfully enjoyable space adventure. And it follows the guidelines completely, including dividing the fan film into two less-than-15-minute segments. The cast is made up of trained actors along with a crew of experienced film producers. The result looks great, sounds great, and is written, directed, and edited at a noticeably high level.

Blog entry posted: November 22, 2018

GOOD MEN (interview)

Last October, I posted an interview with the fan film wonder from down under, Australia-based Trekker AARON VANDERKLEY. When the fan film guidelines came out in 2016, many fans worried that it would be impossible to create a decent Star Trek fan film story in 15 minutes or less. But Aaron had already disproven that six months earlier when he released the six-and-a-half minute NEEDS OF THE MANY , an emotionally intense NX-01 era fan film with great acting, real practical sets (not green screen), and wonderful costumes.

In September of 2017, Aaron wowed the fan film world again with yet another NX-01 era fan film, the twelve-minute THE DERELICT . Even more intense than his first effort, Derelict cemented Aaron’s reputation as a top-notch Star Trek fan filmmaker.

But Arron wasn’t done yet!

Blog entry posted: February 12, 2018

When the fan film guidelines set a 15-minute limit on the runtime of Star Trek fan films, many in the community shouted, “It can’t be done!” AARON VANDERFLEY in Australia apparently didn’t get the memo.

Between 2016 and 2018, Aaron released four different NX-era fan films, each impeccably produced, beautifully acted and directed with compelling stories, and none over the 15 minutes allotted by the guidelines. The four films seemed to be completely unconnected to each other, but now with a fifth and final release, Aaron ties all five films together in a masterful effort that is as good, if not better than, his previous releases.

Who says it can’t be done?

Blog entry posted: August 6, 2019

Fan films like Star Trek: Horizon , Prelude to Axanar , Star Trek: Renegades , Star Trek Continues , and New Voyages have been viewed millions and millions of times on YouTube….and with good reason. All are excellent productions of professional-level quality.

But those are the “big fish” in the fan film pond. Two much smaller fish have swum underneath the sonar and haven’t been noticed by more than a couple of thousand viewers each…which is a shame because they are two of the best, highest quality Star Trek fan films you’re likely to see!

They didn’t have mega-budgets like some fan films, nor did they use big-name Hollywood actors or Trek veteran producers. Both short films take place during the Enterprise NX-01 era and use real, practical sets instead of green screen. The costumes look amazing, and the actors do a really spectacular job. Add in subtle lightning, great make-up, excellent camera work, a strong script, solid directing, and even top-notch editing, and these two fan films can easily take their place among some of the best ones so far.

Blog entry PART 1 posted: October 6, 2017

THE RED SHIRT DIARIES (interview)

THE RED SHIRT DIARIES ran from September 2014 through January 2016 and produced 30 hilarious short episodes plus an almost equal number of specials, sneak peaks, and light-hearted behind-the-scenes vignettes. Much like potato chips, I guarantee you won’t be able to watch just one episode.

What makes this series fun, creative, and unique is the fact that Ensign Williams (played by the amazingly talented ASHLEY VICTORIA ROBINSON) is NOT directly involved in any of the missions that we TOS fans have seen a thousand times. And yet she is involved… in her own way. A poor player strutting and fretting her hours behind the stage, Ensign Williams is stuck on Deck 7, commenting in her logs on what is going on. And her insights and observations are hilarious… as are guest appearances by certain fellow crew members and other colorful and familiar faces like Trelane, Harry Mudd, and Balok.

Blog entry posted: October 16, 2018

The first hints of THE ROMULAN WAR fan film appeared back in 2017. Not to be confused with the fan series THE ROMULAN WARS (plural) from show-runner LEE GARTRELL in Arkansas, this fan film from show-runner MARK NACCARATO in Tennessee is a straight-up two-parter—presented in the same “mockumentary” style as PRELUDE TO AXANAR .

By the time 2018 hit, The Romulan War had most of its scenes filmed and was crowd-funding for mainly post-production costs with a $10K Indiegogo (which ultimately took in more than $13K). With visual FX by the sensei of CGI, Great Britain’s SAMUEL COCKINGS, the trailers and stills from this dynamic fan film created a palpable excitement throughout the community. Frustratingly—but unavoidably—post-production would stretch out another two-plus years. However, unlike other fan films, The Romulan War served fans an almost constant stream of “hors d’oeuvre” vignettes and trailer/prequels and even a couple of short comic book stories leading up to the big premiere of the main fan fillm.

Blog entry audio interview posted: October 20, 2020 Blog entry crowd-funding interview posted: April 10, 2018

When you think Star Trek , you probably don’t immediately think of the Czech Republic in central Europe (Star Czech maybe, but not Star Trek ). But when it comes to Trek fan films, there’s some folks in Prague who have taken things to a whole other level! A number of fan groups have already utilized an amazing 360-degree 24th century-era bridge and ready room set, but the group from SQUADRON has taken things to a whole new level.

Having filmed just prior to the pandemic and only partially crowd-funded just after the lockdown started and the global economy began to collapse, the Squadron folks managed to do a whole lot with relatively little. Costumes, props, make-up (including a Vorta, two Jem’Hadar, a Vulcan, Andorian, Trill, and Orion), VFX, lighting, editing, music—all are executed flawlessly in this Dominion War era fan film. The lines are all in Czech, but English subtitles are available on YouTube. It’s not to be missed!

Blog entry for Zoom video interview posted: February 7, 2021 Blog entry for Music Video posted: February 22, 2021

THE ROMULAN WAR: War Stories (feature ) War Stories: “Final Flight” (feature) “Holocaust” Motion Comic (interview)

War stories, if done right, can be very compelling. They test the characters, twist them into unrecognizable shapes, and spit them out…sometimes for the better but all-too-often for the worse. How do we survive war? How do we fight? What decisions do we make that might have been unimaginable to us during peacetime?

There are just some of the questions that are asked in a fascinating new “enhanced” audio drama just released in the lead-up to the debut of The Romulan War fan film series.

Blog entry posted: August 15, 2018 Blog entry posted for “Final Flight” posted: December 20, 2018 Blog entry posted for the “Holocaust” motion comic: February 17, 2021

The last time fans saw the kooky TOS crew of the USS Second Prize was in 2012’s “ Amutt Time .” But last summer, Stalled Trek creator and certified genius lunatic MARK LARGENT announced a Kickstarter to fund a brand new episode: “The City on the Edge of Foreclosure.” He successfully raised $4,181 from 114 backers, and so it was off to make a new fan film parody.

But before he could begin, Mark found himself forced to switch over to a new 3D modeling and rendering application, Blender 3D, and it required a bit of a learning curve. To challenge himself to master the new digital tool by tackling an actual project, Mark decided to create a Stalled Trek “quickie,” and the vigneette ALL AHEAD FULL is the hilarious result.

Blog entry posted: June 19, 2019

Okay, now I’ve seen everything!

Star Trek MUPPETS??? Well, why not?

Truth to tell, when I first found this little gem—entirely by accident on YouTube—I wasn’t expecting much. It looked silly, and I didn’t really get what the title meant. And then I watched it. Hilarious! Brilliant! A perfect parody of one of the most classic fan-favorite TOS Star Trek episodes: “Amok Time.”

Blog entry PART 1 posted: March 11, 2016

How’s this for a first? A parody fan film of another fan film! And not just any fan film…it’s a parody of Prelude to Axanar !

Prelude to Ax’d-We-Are is a love letter to the amazing fan production that has become so popular… and it also doubles as a bit of light-hearted satire on this whole copyright infringement controversy. Oh, and it’s pretty darn funny, too!

So how did this Axanar parody come about? Who can we blame?

Blog entry posted: April 22, 2016

“Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”

Rear Admiral David G. Farragut issued that order in 1864 at the Battle of Mobile Bay during the American Civil War. A century and a half later, a group of dedicated Star Trek fans has followed that order with enthusiasm to make a film series that bears his name.

Starship Farragut had its fair share of torpedoes to get past, but speed on it did. And through a full decade of filming and production, Farragut has continued to grow, improve, and evolve into one of Star Trek fandom’s MUST-SEE fan-based series. Along the way, Farragut boldly went where no fan film had gone before, blazing a successful trail for other fan series to follow.

Blog entry PART 1 posted: February 5, 2016 Blog interview for “Homecoming” posted: December 7, 2021

To quote Scotty, “I’ve always held a sneaking admiration for this one.” Actually, my admiration for the efforts of Fan Trek Productions (out of the Netherlands) has never exactly been “sneaking.” These “semi-professional” (their words) fan filmmakers have consistently turned out really impressive, self-funded episodes of their fan series. And now, after ten years, that series, STAR TREK: DARK ARMADA, has released its final episode.

But that’s only the beginning!

I’ll explain that unusual comment in Part 2, but first, let’s take a look back at a decade of a truly remarkable fan series…

Blog entry PART 1 posted: January 13, 2017

Back in 2013, LEO TIERNEY of the United Kingdom set out to make a Next Generation -era Star Trek fan film called STAR TREK: DECEPTION . Most live action fan films set in that time frame either record away teams in outdoor locations or else use green screen composited actors in front of virtual backgrounds…since creating practical sets in the 24th century style is incredibly challenging.

Leo, however, was up to the challenge of building a TNG -era set! He decided to design and construct an actual Starfleet runabout cockpit set in which to film his actors. He just needed a little bit of money to do it. How little? Well, considering what even the cheapest fan films cost, £500 (about $635 back then) was an amazingly small amount for what Leo was planning. Ultimately, after a month, his January 2013 Kickstarter took in a little over twice that amount: £1,174 (about $1,500).

Then it was time to get to work…and so he did!

Blog entry posted: January 19, 2018

Shortly after the debut of the first Star Trek: Deception back in mid-2013, writer/director LEO TIERNEY began discussing the production of a sequel. However, the idea mostly languished until Leo briefly brought it up again on Facebook in 2015. But even then, nothing much happened for nearly another year.

Leo began working in earnest on Deception II in 2016, and once again set out to construct actual physical (practical) sets—this time for both an Excelsior -class bridge and also for the bridge of a Klingon bird-of-prey. And he constructed both…in a tiny garage!

September 8, 2020 is the 54th anniversary of the first airing of STAR TREK back in 1966. It is also the five-year anniversary of the beginning of production on STAR TREK: FIRST FRONTIER , the long-awaited fan film from show-runner KENNY SMITH.

Kenny had a dream to create a fan film focussing on the very first captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701, Robert April , and his first mission commanding that legendary starship. Kenny’s dream was BIG! He wanted real sets and real professional actors and even visual effects with a real, custom-built 11-foot model of the U.S.S. Enterprise …none of this CGI nonsense. Go real or go home!

Blog entry audio interview posted: September 8, 2020 Blog entry video montage interview posted: February 28, 2019 Blog entry interview posted: March 19, 2017

Man, are you guys ever in for a treat! The full-length Star Trek: Horizon has just been released to the general public, and it is a cinematic triumph of Trek fan films.

Show-runner Tommy Kraft gave me a special link to view the movie early. I’d watched barely the first 15 minutes when I shot him a Facebook IM saying simply “F—king WOW!”

Horizon (no ‘s’ at the end, folks!) starts out with a bang—several, in fact—and immediately lets the viewers know that they’re in for a wild and high-quality fan film ride.

Blog entry PART 1 posted: February 26, 2016

STAR TREK: RENEGADES , Part 1 (feature) STAR TREK: RENEGADES , Part 2 (feature) STAR TREK: RENEGADES , Part 3 (feature) STAR TREK: RENEGADES , Part 4 (feature) RENEGADES: The Series , Part 5 (feature)

Before there was Renegades: The Series , there was STAR TREK: RENEGADES , one of the largest, most ambitious fan film projects ever attempted. Nearly four hundred thousand dollars in crowd-funding, multiple Star Trek veteran actors reprising their roles from the various TV series, paid industry professionals on both sides of the camera, two years in the making, enthusiastic plans to present this to CBS as a potential pilot for a new Star Trek TV series, and even a gala Los Angeles red carpet premiere at the historic Crest Theater in Westwood.

Looked at through the hindsight lens of the constraining limitations of the post- guidelines reality we now live in, it’s hard to imagine that something like STAR TREK: RENEGADES could even have been attempted, let alone successfully completed and released with such fanfare. How on earth (or in space) did they manage it?

Blog entry PART 1 posted: July 14, 2017

It’s amazing how much movie trailers have changed in the last few decades!

Three months ago , I shared a link to a fan video from 2016 that featured a modern take on the trailer for STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN . The updated trailer was created by JONATHAN WORMAN , a talented video editor based in Toronto, Canada who has worked on commercials, music videos, shorts, and documentaries over the past eight years. Posting under the name “Orange Band,” Jonathan’s Wrath of Khan trailer has already garnered more than 100,000 views on YouTube.

Then, last month, Jonathan Worman did it again! This time, he tackled STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE . And…wow! Considering how relatively slow the pacing was for the first Trek feature film (I still think it’s a good movie…just slow), this new and updated trailer makes the film look like a real thrill ride!

Blog entry posted: December 22, 2017

Most fan films feature fan-written scripts with fan actors, fan-generated visual and sound effects, etc…some with small budgets and others with big budgets. But as far as I’m concerned, fan films don’t stop there!

Sometimes fans can show their innovation and cleverness by taking existing Star Trek footage from the five decades of countless episodes and 13 feature films, editing and manipulating it in new and creative ways.

One of the best examples I’ve seen of this recently is a fan-edited version of the trailer for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . JONATHAN WORMAN is a talented video editor based in Toronto, Canada who has worked on commercials, music videos, shorts, and documentaries over the past eight years. Last summer, he released a brilliant “modern” version of a trailer for this beloved fan favorite feature film.

Blog entry posted: September 8, 2017

STONE TREK , Part 1 (interview) STONE TREK , Part 2 (interview)

When it comes to fan films, Star Trek is no stranger to mash-ups. Fans have taken Star Trek into the Star Wars universe and vice versa. Kirk and Spock have met the 1960s TV Batman and Robin. Heck, the Enterprise has even picked up Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz! (I’ve already done a feature on Star Trek vs. Batman . The others are coming.)

But by far (at least in my opinion) the most inspired, creative, and well-executed of all the Star Trek fan film mash-ups is Stone Trek , a series of nine cartoon shorts created by Brian Mathews and released online using Adobe’s Flash software between 2000 and 2007.

Stone Trek is NOT some silly crossover where the USS Enterprise travels back in time to Bedrock and Fred Flintstone beams up to meet Captain Kirk. Instead, it’s a complete hybrid of the two shows, an entirely new entity combining recognizable elements of both but ultimately emerging as something totally unique and original.

Blog entry posted: October 2, 2016

The time has finally come! After nearly six years, TEMPORAL ANOMALY has been released to astound and amaze Star Trek fans. Written, directed, and produced by SAMUEL COCKINGS—the King, Ace, and Jack of all trades involving CGI animation—back in 2013, Temporal Anomaly has traveled a long and challenging path on its way to completion. This included an e-mail directly from CBS saying, “You can’t release this fan film!”

Yep, for only the fourth time, CBS stepped in to put the kibosh on a Star Trek fan film project (the others being Axanar, Federation Rising from Tommy Kraft, and “ He Walked Among Us ” from Star Trek: New Voyages) . Considering there are literally several hundreds of Trek fan films, the VAST majority never hear from CBS. But Samuel did…just weeks before releasing his half-decade labor of love.

Blog entry posted: January 31, 2019

SAM COCKINGS surprised the fan film community at the beginning of May 2021 by launching an Indiegogo campaign funding not just one fan film but SIX different fan films!!! The series of unrelated anthology stories will be set in different time periods of Trek from TOS to the Wrath of Khan era to the Dominion War to the Enterprise -E encountering another “Doomsday Machine” planet-killer. Calling the anthology series TREK SHORTS , Sam announced participants from various other Trek fan series including: INTREPID , AVALON UNIVERSE , STAR TREK CONTINUES , DREADNOUGHT DOMINION , DARK ARMADA , and TEMPORAL ANOMALY .

Sam was so excited and eager to show fans (and potential donors) the amazing quality of these productions that he didn’t wait to release the first one! Featuring four different actors from three previous fan productions, Sam debuted A LONG WAY FROM HOME to rave reviews for acting, uniform quality, and stunning VFX that meld characters into virtual backgrounds seamlessly.

Blog entry posted: May 13, 2021

This fifth release from the AVALON UNIVERSE not only follows the introduction from LEGACY , but it also picks up on the mysterious plot points left unresolved in the excellent 2-part Avalon release DEMONS from late 2019. While most of the recent “fandemic” films tend to have just one character on the screen at a time, that would have been impossible with this production due to the stunts requiring hand-to-hand combat. So VICTORIA FOX and JOSHUA IRWIN came up with a very clever way to work masks into the outdoor fight scenes and simultaneously minimize the need for make-up.

You don’t usually see convincing hand-to-hand fight scenes in Star Trek fan films. But when your main star is also an accomplished martial artist and works in the entertainment industry, you’ve got a valuable asset. CHUCK MERÉ , who plays Captain Lance Ramirez, was the fight choreographer and did a fantastic job. He also was one of two FX make-up artists on the production.

Blog entry posted: January 5, 2021

You don’t have to be a theoretical physicist to write a Star Trek musical…but it sure helps!

BOLDLY GO! – Where No Musical Has Gone Before didn’t start off as a fan film. In fact, it was only performed six times in front of audiences in late February and early March of 2016 in Pasadena, CA at the Ramo Auditorium at Caltech. But last month, a year after its too-short theatrical run, the full two-and-a-half hour live performance was posted to Youtube…and now I consider it officially a “fan film.” And not only that, but it’s one to which I am giving a rating of “ Highly Recommended + ” because it’s REALLY good! (And if you don’t want to commit that much time, at the end of this blog, I’m including time codes to skip to the four best musical numbers that are MUST SEE/HEAR.)

Blog entry posted: May 26, 2017

Back in the summer of 2016, ALBERT MARTINEZ debuted a new fan film consisting primarily of breathtaking CGI visual FX inspired by the Kelvin- verse style of starship design. CHASING THE INFINITE SKY quickly went viral with hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.

Usually, my interviews of fan filmmakers are simply audio or text (’cause I can’t afford camera crews!). But today I present to you a special VIDEO interview. At the end, the video also includes a new REMASTERED higher-quality version of Chasing the Infinite Sky .

Blog entry posted: February 13, 2019

SAMUEL COCKINGS was in the middle of a crowd-funding campaign for his TREK SHORTS series of green screen fan films. He’d been planning to put together a now teaser-trailer for the third Trek Short, “Hours to Doomsday,” which would star MARCUS CHURCHILL, reprising his role of Ensign Sam Harriman from Temporal Anomaly , along with NIMRAD SAUND as Lieutenant Keeley. But on the scheduled day of filming, Nimrad was diagnosed with COVID-19 and couldn’t come for the shoot. (She fully recovered.)

Not wanting to cancel the shoot entirely, Sam called up Marcus, who was still an hour and a half away, and told him to come anyway. Sam then spent the next 90 minutes writing a 5-minute vignette script for Marcus to perform. The finished product, including Sam’s impeccable CGI and Marcus’ fine acting (and a voice-over cameo from ROBIN HIERT of DARK ARMADA) looks FANtastic and is proof that necessity can certainly be a mother.

Blog entry posted: May 27, 2021

INTREPID (3-part interview) INTREPID: “Dangerous Minds” (Interview)

If you hear the words “ Star Trek ” and “Scotland,” chances are you’ll immediately think of Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott. But do you think of NICK COOK and the cast and crew of the STAR TREK: INTREPID fan series? You should…because Intrepid is currently the longest-running Star Trek fan series still in active production (and there’s no end in sight).

Even though their first episode didn’t premiere until 2007, production actually began way back in 2003—before there was YouTube!—and you could count the total number of Trek fan series on one hand (well, maybe you’d need a couple of fingers from your second hand, too).

Since then, Intrepid has released twelve fan films PLUS an additional three crossover fan films with STAR TREK: HIDDEN FRONTIER …and has also had its characters make cameos in three (soon to be four) additional fan series.

Blog entry feature posted: December 5, 2019 Blog entry interview posted: February 12, 2020

HINDSIGHT: The Unmaking of ALTERNATIVE VICTORY (feature)

Back in the winter of 1982, a number of dedicated Trekkers from northern California came together to make a Star Trek fan film. Most were in high school or college, and nearly all of them were pretty clueless about filmmaking. But the thing was: they didn’t know they were clueless! And so they soldiered on, always imagining the awesomeness of their final production.

This 2013 documentary is a retrospective from 30 years later, featuring the young kids—now all grown up—who tried to make Alternative Victory . Looking back from the perspective of adults in their 40s and 50s, the documentary isn’t just about the making of this fan film. It’s about the people involved and the effect this shared experience had on all of their lives…even decades later.

Blog entry posted: April 24, 2020

LAST SURVIVOR (interview)

Back in 2010, a short 10-minute 24th century-era Trek fan film made its debut. Despite being ultra-low budget, it was actually quite ambitious, being shot in multiple outdoor locations by a team of just four people…two of whom appeared on screen. It was called SURVIVOR and was written, produced, and directed by MATTHEW BLACKBURN, who also starred in the leading role.

Most fans thought Survivor was just a one-and-done effort, but seven years later in the summer of 2017, Matthew released a sequel: SURVIVORS . Still low-budget, this time six people had produced the fan film, and it was 15 minutes long and a bit more ambitious.

At the very end of 2018 (two days before the new year), Matthew released what seems to be—at least from the title—the final installment of the Survivor trilogy: LAST SURVIVOR . It’s my favorite of the three, although they are each very enjoyable.

Blog entry posted: March 15, 2019

Without a doubt, we live in a veritable renaissance of Star Trek fan films… one after the other they come, dazzling us with intricate and expansive sets, elaborate green screen backgrounds, meticulously crafted costumes, breathtaking special effects, professional level make-up and lighting, and rich music and sound effects. Production teams in the hundreds often include veteran Star Trek actors and professional screenwriters who have worked in Hollywood. Heck, some of these fan films are even being shot in Los Angeles with crowd-sourced budgets well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

But what if your budget is missing four or five zeros at the end? What if you’ve got virtually nothing to spend on your fan film? With all the blazing supernovae of independent Star Trek cinematic achievements out there, is it even worth it to make just a simple “fan film” anymore?

Blog entry PART 1 posted: January 26, 2016

To paraphrase (De)Forrest Gump: “Fan films are like a box of chocolates—you never know what you’re gonna get.”

That was certainly the case when I sat down to watch the premiere of the new fan series PROJECT: RUNABOUT , created by GARY DAVIS and RANDY WRENN, who are also the co-showrunners behind the veteran fan series DREADNOUGHT DOMINION . I went in completely cold, knowing only that Gary had worked long and hard to build a brand new TOS-era cockpit set in his basement and that British VFX phenom SAMUEL COCKINGS had designed an awesome-looking CGI model of a 23rd century runabout and was really excited about the visual effects that he was creating for this initial release.

What I was NOT expecting was…a music video??? And honestly, a really good music video!

Blog entry posted: July 23, 2021

The brainchild of local resident MICHAEL L. KING, who would play the main character of Jackson Bishop, STARSHIP VALIANT was the first completed fan production to film on the 360-degree bridge set at Starbase Studios back in late 2013. In 2016, they would also be the last fan series to film at that location. During those years, they produced three excellent fan films focusing mainly on the characters rather than the more typical space battles or threats to the ship. Starship Valiant would introduce the character of Chief Engineer Erick Minard, played by VANCE MAJOR, who would go on to appear in several dozen more low budget fan films.

After a nearly four-year hiatus, Starship Valiant returned in early 2021 to release a brand new fan film episode titled “Animals.” In a four-part series of blogs, we take a deep dive look into the long and rich history of this highly-respected Star Trek fan series.

Blog entry countdown posted: January 19, 2021 Blog history features posted: January 21 – February 11, 2021

In today’s world of cutting-edge Star Trek fan films, teams of dozens—sometimes hundreds!—work to make these ambitious cinematic endeavors come to life on YouTube, Vimeo, or even a DVD or Blu-ray.

So it’s definitely worth taking notice when a top-tier Trek fan film is produced by only ONE man. Well, I should qualify that. His first episode cast was comprised of 17 people (including the creator himself and his wife Jeannette), the original music was composed by John Catney, and a number of CGI 3D meshes and textures were created by other artists. But everything else – the writing, directing, producing, sets, make-up, wardrobe, lighting, sound, camera angles, editing, and 3D animation – that was all in the hands of one guy: Tim Vining.

And he never even had to get out of his chair!

Blog entry posted: February 16, 2016

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Opening Title Sequences by Fans

Like STAR TREK: DISCOVERY itself, people seem to either love or hate the opening title sequence for Star Trek: Discovery …just as they did for the “Faith of the Heart” opening for Star Trek: Enterprise . But Enterprise was canceled before YouTube existed (or rather, just as it was being launched). Now, however, fans feel quite comfortable making and posting their own new versions of the opening title sequence, and there are currently dozens of videos out there!

After reviewing all the ones I could find, I selected my TOP TWELVE . Yeah, I know it’s supposed to be TOP TEN, but I just couldn’t eliminate the final two. They were just so good!

I’ve assembled those twelve fan-made videos here in one blog—ranked in order so that my favorite is last. Which one is YOUR favorite?

Blog entry posted: March 22, 2018

Two of the most ambitious and visually stunning Star Trek fan films you will ever see don’t feature a single human actor on the screen. Instead, both fan films star action figures from the Art Asylum line for Star Trek: Enterprise and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (plus a Terminator action figure thrown in for good measure).

One of these fan films took two and a half years to complete…the other took more than eight years! Both of them will blow you away, and you’ll be even more blown away when you go behind-the-scenes to see the meticulous work and craftsmanship that went into each one.

Blog entry posted: March 10, 2021

Before there was Renegades: the Series or Star Trek: Renegades , there was Star Trek: Of Gods and Men . And if you are a student of fan film history (or you want to be), this article is required reading.

You see, Star Trek: Of Gods and Men marked a turning point for fan films…several turning points, in fact. It was the first time a major fan film used the resources of another major fan film for shooting. It was the first time multiple Star Trek acting veterans all appeared together in the same fan production reprising their iconic characters. And it was the first time a major fan film had done a stand-alone feature-length film. (Other fan series had done hour-plus length episodes, but these were all for ongoing fan series. Star Trek: Of Gods and Men was a one-shot story with a movie run-time of nearly 90 minutes.)

A look at this groundbreaking fan production from 2008 actually allows us to look at its fascinating place in the grander history of all Star Trek fan films…

Blog entry posted: August 14, 2016

In the spring of 2016, STAR TREK: PHASE II founder and show-runner JAMES CAWLEY announced, shortly before the unveiling of the fan film guidelines by CBS, that his fan series would cease all fan film production. This left three projects nearly all filmed but still uncompleted: “Bread and Savagery” (a sequel to the TOS episode “Bread and Circuses), “Torment of Destiny” (a sequel to “For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky” and featuring the now-deceased RICHARD HATCH), and “Origins: The Protracted Man” (co-written by DAVID GERROLD and the recently-passed DAVE GALANTER).

On January 4, 2021, without any fanfare or explanation, James Cawley quietly posted “Origins: The Protracted Man” in its unfinished format. The film is still very close to completed, but there are some obvious places where the sound and/or image quality is off, the VFX are low resolution or missing entirely, and some scenes remain unfilmed. And the entire film is has a slight horizontal compression. But nevertheless, there is enough to get a good feel for how this excellent fan film would have turned out…including amazingly powerful performances.

Blog entry posted: January 12, 2021

The one thing that nearly every fan and viewer agrees on is that the visual effects sequences in Star Trek: The Motion Picture are stunning and some of the grandest, most beautiful, and unforgettable in Star Trek ‘s 50-plus year history.

Those VFX sequences, overseen by the legendary DOUG TRUMBULL and JOHN DYKSTRA, were rushed together in less than six months. To see the finished breathtaking scenes, one would hardly think any of them were created with anything other than the most painstaking attention to detail over years…not simply months.

But apparently, there were indeed some mistakes. And now a fan has fixed those mistakes—not with physical models and high quality camera equipment but instead using only his computer…

Blog entry posted: December 23, 2019

DREADNOUGHT DOMINION (feature) DREADNOUGHT DOMINION (interview) DREADNOUGHT DOMINION (audio interview) DREADNOUGHT DOMINION (interview) DREADNOUGHT DOMINION (interview)

Back in April of 2015, a new Star Trek fan series called DREADNOUGHT DOMINION premiered with its initial episode. It wasn’t the only TOS-era fan series to feature the crew of a non-heavy cruiser class starship, but it was the first and only one to feature the crew of a Starfleet dreadnought -class starship based on the mid-1970s Franz Joseph Star Trek Technical Manual .

Over the next half-decade and beyond, the cast and crew has served up a steady and consistent meal of fan films ranging in length from short vignettes up to full episodes 22 minutes in length. This is particularly impressive considering that the two show-runners, GARY DAVIS and RANDY WRENN, live in Ohio and North Carolina, respectively, and they film at NEUTRAL ZONE STUDIOS in Kingsland, Georgia with many cast and crew members from out of state, as well.

Blog entry feature posted: November 11, 2016 Blog entry interview posted: July 29, 2018 Blog entry audio interview posted: June 16, 2019 Blog entry interview posted: March 31, 2020 Blog entry interview posted: November 18, 2020

There’s a whole sub-sub genre of Star Trek fan films where the filmmakers don’t bother with sets or actors but instead simply use their CGI or animation skills to tell a story. I call these “fanimations.”

These “fanimators” tell a STORY through their productions. It’s not easy! It usually involves at least two different ships (or a ship an an object), since having only one ship usually falls into the “hero shot” video category. For there to be a story, the viewer needs to imagine the crews on board, hear in their head the familiar orders given (“Raise shields!” “Evasive maneuvers!” “Fire phasers!”), and figure out what has happened at a pivotal moment. In other words, the viewer should be able to figure out the story even without words or narrations…and hopefully the story is compelling and makes some sense.

Blog entry posted: September 18, 2019

At the heart of every Star Trek fan film is…well…heart. The drive to create fan-produced stories emanates from a deep love of Star Trek . And few Trekkers love the series more than cosplayers. So what happens when a bunch of cosplayers get together to make a Star Trek fan film?

Writer/producer DAVID CHENG and his team produced THE HUMAN ADVENTURE , a TMP -era vignette focusing on the “meeting” Admiral Kirk had with Admiral Nogura convincing the Starfleet commander to give Kirk back the Enterprise to investigate the giant cloud approaching earth.

On the surface, The Human Adventure is a fairly simple and straightforward fan production—minimal VFX, no custom-built sets, basic sound, etc. But below the surface, there’s a lot to be said for this effort.

Blog entry posted: October 10, 2019

There are some amazing cosplayers and impersonators out there…folks you walk past at conventions and you do a double-take. “Was that…? Nah, couldn’t be! Could it?” One of the most convincing cosplay impersonators out there has to be JENS (pronounced “YENS”) DOMBEK…also known as “The German Spock.” Born in Berlin and currently a resident of Brieselang, Germany, Jens is completely committed to our favorite Vulcan/Human hybrid, portraying him in all manner of uniforms and clothing.

Like many others, I was blown away by the simple-yet-complex intensity of a fan film monologue that lasts a total of less than 80 seconds and takes place against a stark and empty black background. One of the best things about fan films is that there are no rules—guidelines, yes, but I’m not talking about those. Fans can add in or leave out whatever they want. And in this short film, so much was left out in order to distill a haunting but loving tribute to the “emotionless,” logical first officer of the starship Enterprise .

Blog entry posted: July 8, 2020

The name MATTHEW BLACKBURN isn’t the most famous in the fan film community, but Matthew has just released his fourth Star Trek fan film in ten years, and he’s still going strong. The first three each had the word “Survivor” in them and all follow a general “pattern” of featuring nearly all of the action down on a planet where the protagonist(s) is/are separated from any help from the ship. While down on the surface, they face a threat that usually involves running, climbing, and at least one solid fight scene. And all in all, these fan films are really quite excellent!

Matthew and his team of six people have now released a fourth Star Trek fan film, LEFT BEHIND , and it’s another very strong offering—definitely their most ambitious so far.

Blog entry posted: October 28, 2020

The MINARD Saga (feature and interview)

In an interview with fan film maker VANCE MAJOR , I called him the “Where’s Waldo of Star Trek fan films.” The interview included a list of over a dozen different Trek fan films that Vance had written, directed, produced, appeared in, and/or worked on.

But now, after releasing ANOTHER seven (yes, SEVEN!) Trek fan films—one per day!—in just seven days, I think I need to rechristen Vance the “Oompa Loompa of Star Trek fan films” …perhaps even Willy Wonka himself!

Prior to these most recent seven fan film releases, Vance’s previous production was the emotionally charged Minard . The fan film followed the career of the chief engineer character whom Vance first portrayed in the extended edition of STARSHIP VALIANT ‘s initial episode “ Legacy ” back in 2014. The 7-minute Minard was meant to be one of many non-linear pieces of a “tapestry” of fan productions and short vignettes focusing on this character.

Blog entry posted: September 22, 2017

View all episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmKxi5xAVJrJuLkreoPnHq-nAc2wIt4_t

Ratings vary by episode from:

As far as fandom and canon go, the animated series (TAS) is a peculiar life form. TAS was the first time we ever learned that the “T” in James T. Kirk stands for Tiberius (which became official canon in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country ). Details of Vulcan from the animated episode “Yesteryear” made it into fourth season episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise . And many fans consider Robert April to be the first captain of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 and Dr. McCoy’s daughter’s name to be Joanna…both revealed in TAS episodes.

CURT DANHAUSER has already released numerous animated Trek fan films, ranging in length from short vignettes to 66-minute multi-part releases. Curt’s latest 23-minute episode spotlights Scotty and premiered on July 9, 2020, timed to coincide with the year marking one century since actor JAMES DOOHAN was born and exactly 15 years to the month of his passing in 2005. This year also marks the 25th year since Curt Danhauser’s Guide to Animated Star Trek website debuted on the Internet.

Blog entry posted: July 20, 2020

From its humble beginnings as just a fun activity for the STARFLEET fan club chapter USS Angeles , Hidden Frontier turned into a fan film production dynamo for more than a decade, going on to produce 50 episodes over seven seasons plus five spin-off series and even cross-overs with other fan series. Hidden Frontier broke new ground in using green-screen compositing, generating home-made 3D visual effects, recasting established characters from Star Trek canon, and even featuring the first gay Starfleet officers in a fan film series.

Blog entry PART 1 posted: April 1, 2016

View the 7 seasons of Star Trek: Hidden Frontier here: http://www.hiddenfrontier.net/productions/hf/

Back during the summer of 2012, something happened at the annual Creation Entertainment Star Trek convention in Las Vegas that had never happened before and hasn’t happened since: there was a convention table dedicated solely to an unlicensed Star Trek fan film!

STAR TREK: SECRET VOYAGE was a unique Trek fan film, featuring the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 from TOS but with an entirely different crew on a secret mission. Shot primarily in a desert area in southern Nevada, the cast and crew featured a mix of trained professionals, semi-professionals, and just plain old Trek fans. Considering the amount of footage and variety of camera angles, it was a very ambitious production.

Blog entry posted: March 25, 2021

STAR TREK STUNT DOUBLES (audio interview)

How many people does it take to make a Star Trek fan film? Five? Ten? Fifty? A few have listed over a hundred cast and crew members in their credits.

But what if there’s just ONE guy? One guy doing all the camera work, costuming, make-up, writing, direction, lighting, sound, editing, compositing, visual FX…and even playing all of the roles?

Meet MrBonk85 (that’s his YouTube handle) and his STAR TREK STUNT DOUBLES fan series. I first discovered this fellow a few months ago when he released his version of the TOS episode “Spectre of the Gun” (see below). It compressed the classic episode down to just 5 minutes, a mix of recreations of scenes using original dialog with unexpected flourishes of humor. And this one fan was was playing all of the roles himself! It was very surreal.

Blog entry posted: May 11, 2018

View all episodes: Youtube Playlist

How many people does it take to make a Star Trek fan film?

Think about the actors, writer(s), director, camera people, sound people, lighting people, costumers, make-up, props people, set designers and builders, special effects, visual FX, music composers, editor…and don’t forget all the production assistants and even the folks who bring the snacks, do the catering, or just run our for pizza.

For the “big” productions, like Star Trek Continues or Axanar , the number can be 50 or even 100 people! For some of the smaller productions, maybe one or two dozen.

But for a little fan film released in 2010, the answer was just…FOUR. Titled STAR TREK: SURVIVOR , the 10-minute production featured just four names in the credits, including one name who was the writer / director / producer / star / director of photography / camera operator / editor / music composer / special effects / miniatures / make-up / visual effects / and additional voices guy: MATTHEW BLACKBURN.

Seven years went by, and Star Trek: Survivor seemed content to hold its place in fan film history as a simple one-off project. I’d written a blog about it early on for my FAN FILM FRIDAY feature on the Axanar website, and I was planning on bringing it over here to FAN FILM FACTOR eventually. But before I could, Matthew Blackburn surprised me with a SEQUEL!!!

Blog entry posted: June 30, 2017

At the beginning of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Admiral Kirk quips, “Galloping around the cosmos is a game for the young…” If he only knew!

The captains just keep getting younger as 8-year-old ARIANNA ANDREWS takes the center seat in ARIANNA’S ENTERPRISE …an impressive 6-minute fan film.

As a dad myself, I smiled the whole time as I watched this adorable little girl put in a top-notch acting performance along with her father (a professional actor and writer) and her mom. I reached out to Arianna’s daddy, CHRISTOPHER ANDREWS, with enthusiastic praise and some questions for him and his daughter.

Blog entry posted: July 26 2018

VANCE MAJOR had previously made a name for himself when he turned his character of Chief Engineer Eric Minard from the fan series STARSHIP VALIANT into an artificially long-lived Starfleet officer whose career spanned from the Christopher Pike era all the way through the Battle of Wolf 359, the re-taking of Deep Space Nine, and beyond. Along the way, Minard has encountered multiple alien races, survived space battles and starship crashes, and even squared off against his Mirror Universe doppelgänger. All the while, Vance paid for his dozens and dozens of fan films with the change he found in his sofa, and shot them all on his cell phone.

To me, Vance represents the true HEART of the Star Trek fan film community—a Trekker who does this not to get noticed or to get accolades for quality or “sizzle” (most of his episodes are, frankly, minimalistic and slow-moving) but because it’s in his blood…an itch he has to scratch. And Vance invites others to come along and play in his little corner of the sandbox simply because it’s fun!

Blog entry posted: December 9, 2019

CONSTAR CONTINUES (audio interview with GREG TEFT) CONSTAR CONTINUES (audio interview with GREG MITCHELL)

When you hear the word “Constar”—at least if you’re a member of the Star Trek fan film community—you’ll probably think of VANCE MAJOR. Between his MINARD saga fan films, his CONSTAR CHRONICLES and CONSTAR CONTINUES fan series, and his brand new CONSTAR COMPLETED fan productions, Vance is responsible for roughly a hundred different Star Trek fan films!

But Vance isn’t SOLELY responsible for them, and he’ll be the first to tell you that. In fact, shortly after his Constar Chronicles fan series dropped forty new fan films at the end of 2019 and his Constar Continues was about to kick off in early 2020, I asked Vance if he wanted to do a Fan Film Factor interview to discuss his newest series. And that was when Vance suggested, rather than yet another interview where he was the center of attention, why not shift the focus to some of the other important people who help make the U.S.S. Constar fly…both literally and figuratively.

Blog entry audio interview with GREG TEFT posted: December 1, 2020 Blog entry audio interview with GREG MITCHELL posted: December 8, 2020

It was the dawn of the Modern Age of Fan Films…

Although fan films date back to the early days of the original Star Trek series, it wasn’t until the mid-1990s that fans were finally able to create something with off-the-shelf consumer products that looked like more than just a crappy home movie. By the late 90s, fans could record and edit footage using digital cameras, do their own 3D effects and Chroma-keying, and even add music through the use of MIDI. Many fans were also getting quite good at costuming. Suddenly, the only limits facing fans who wanted to make their own filmed versions of their favorite genre franchises were their imaginations, creativity, and skills with these new technologies.

Blog entry posted: February 21, 2016

Last November, the fan series DREADNOUGHT DOMINION returned from a 16-month hiatus with a new episode that crossed over with sister fan series STARSHIP VALIANT …an episode entitled “Chain of Command.” You can read more about that endeavor here in th is Fan Film Factor blog .

Written by Vance Major, Gary Davis, and David R. Wrenn, and directed by Vance and Gary, the scenes for “Chain of Command” were filmed separately in the states of Ohio, North Carolina, and Oklahoma (the former location of Starbase Studios) and then edited together into a 7-minute fan film. It focused on the new CO of the USS Dominion trying to find a first officer.

It’s rare to see the full (or nearly full) casts of two different fan series cross over into a single fan film. What’s even rarer is to see them cross over TWICE!

Blog entry posted: August 14, 2017

THE FEDERATION FILES is an anthology Star Trek fan series from show-runners GLEN L. WOLFE and DAN REYNOLDS, both currently based in Arkansas. In fact, Glen is 50% owner of what remains of the TOS sets formerly known as STARBASE STUDIOS. But more recently, Glen and Dan constructed a new TOS bridge set for use in their fan films.

With the release of their latest Federation Files episode, the Star Trek/Star Wars crossover “Galaxy Hopper,” Glen and Dan come together once again for a very exciting and good-looking fan effort on board the USS Lexington . What stands out this time—in addition to a really awesome astromech droid!—is a brand new TOS bridge set constructed specially for this production…along with the director: KELLY REYNOLDS.

Blog entry posted: January 3, 2019

The the seventh overall fan film from the fan series THE FEDERATION FILES (you can view all of their releases on this YouTube playlist ), “The Green Manifesto” was written and filmed after the start of the global pandemic and provides a possible origin story for the COVID-19 outbreak.

Set solidly in the 21st century during the time of World War III, the story focuses on Colonel Green from the TOS episode “The Savage Curtain” (although in this fan film, Green is still a Major). His genocidal campaign in the 21st century resulted in the deaths of 37 million people. Green believed he was cleansing the gene pool—a hero in his own mind and to scores of followers…an evil homicidal monster to others and to the annals of future history. But how did he kill so many people so quickly? This “fandemic” fan film seeks to shine a light on this dark question with a little help from today’s headlines.

Blog entry posted: August 2, 2020

When is a Star Trek fan film NOT a Star Trek fan film? Or is it vice-versa? For GLEN L. WOLFE, writer and director of the sixth installment of the anthology series THE FEDERATION FILES , “Voices from the Past,” any distinction is totally blurred and probably irrelevant. No matter what “Voices” might seem to be, it is at heart VERY much a Star Trek fan film!

Granted, it certainly doesn’t look like a Star Trek fan film. There are no starships flying around, no one wearing Starfleet uniforms, no Klingons or Romulans or Cardassians in sight. No main characters from any Star Trek TV series or movie are walking around. “Voices” doesn’t even take place in the 23rd or 24th century. And yet, it’s 100% a Star Trek fan film!

Blog entry posted: May 14, 2020

Last year, show-runner GLEN L. WOLFE released “His Name Is Mudd,” the first fan film in a new anthology series called THE FEDERATION FILES . Now Glen and his producer DAN REYNOLDS have released the second production in the anthology series, “Walking Bear, Running Wolf.”

Glen has actually worked in myriad capacities on more than a dozen different fan films (take a look at his IMdB page for a complete list) from actor to producer to set decorator, cameraman, even electrical operator. But The Federation Files was Glen’s first chance to really take charge, writing and directing both episodes of the new anthology series.

The fourth AVALON UNIVERSE fan film, LEGACY , is a short vignette that will lead into their major fifth release, AIR AND DARKNESS . Filming on both projects happened at WARP 66 STUDIOS in Mountain Home, Arkansas on GLEN WOLFE’s TOS bridge set. But as you’ll see from the fan film, the bridge underwent some noticeable modifications to mimic the look of the U.S.S. Ares bridge set in Lawrenceville, GA.

And indeed, an Ares -class starship, the U.S.S. Athena , is the setting for this vignette, with visual FX done by his lordship—or is it shiplord?—SAMUEL COCKINGS. The music was composed by ADAM MULLEN, who has been scoring scores of VANCE MAJOR’s many MINARD and CONSTAR fan films and has recently begun scoring for DAVID CHENG’s many cosplay fan films that have come out this year. Adam is a busy guy!

Blog entry posted: December 28, 2020

NEW ORDERS might not seem like much. There’s minimal VFX, and only two characters are talking to each other via subspace for most of it, with a third popping up at the very end. But for me, it was so much more—it was a chance to watch two dear friends come together to make a fan film.

JOSHUA IRWIN and VANCE MAJOR have worked together before this. Josh (as well as his Avalon Universe collaborator VICTORIA FOX) has appeared in some of Vance’s CONSTAR productions, like “ SHAKEDOWN .” And Vance made a very brief cameo in the Avalon Universe episode DEMONS . But this time felt different. New Orders wasn’t simply one of them appearing briefly in the other’s film. It was two fan filmmakers who have become “legends” in our small-but-close-knit community, coming together as equals, and teasing the arrival of an awesome fan-favorite character into a fresh, new universe.

Blog entry posted: May 17, 2021

When everything else is stripped away, fan films are the chance we adults get to live out the fantasies we had as children. We are the music makers. We are the dreamers of dreams. And Benny Hall is the very epitome of what fan films are all about. LET OLD WRINKLES COME is a 16-minute fan film shot both at Neutral Zone Studios in Kingsland, GA as well as at the iconic Vasquez Rocks Park north of Los Angeles where Kirk fought the Gorn and Vulcan was destroyed by Nero. But this time, Kirk isn’t fighting a Gorn—he’s fighting a Mugato!

The fan film has a real flavor of the 1960s TOS Star Trek , right down to Kirk putting the moves on a female crew member. I mention this because, what seemed totally normal five decades ago as Kirk regularly hit on crew women like Yeoman Rand, Dr. Helen Noel, and Lt. Marlena Moreau has been supplanted by the #MeToo movement. And while Let Old Wrinkles Comes has generally been getting very positive feedback, Kirk’s romantic overtures toward a female crew member in this fan film are stirring up a bit of controversy.

Blog entry posted: January 8, 2020

Holy campy cosmic crossovers!

Is it true that the Caped Crusader cunningly confronted a cranially-controlled Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock??? Did the Dynamic Duo actually encounter an Enterprise ensnared by a capricious collaboration of the Clown Prince of Crime and the captivating Catwoman??? Hold onto your phasers and buckle your utility belts, because Batman and the Boy Wonder are about to go where no Gotham superhero has gone before…

Blog entry posted: March 26, 2016

As you know from reading my many blogs, there’s a heck of a LOT of Star Trek fan films out there! And thanks to the annual Lucasfilm Star Wars Fan Film Awards (which have been going on since 2002), there’s at least as many (if not more!) Star Wars fan films out there!

But surprisingly, there’s almost no crossover Star Trek/Star Wars fan films on the Internet. And it’s not as though the idea of crossing the franchise streams is completely alien. Fans have edited together scenes from both franchises to create clever mash-ups where the USS Enterprise battles a Star Destroyer or Captain Picard confronts Darth Vader over the view screen. But try to find a film where fans themselves portray the characters of both realities at the same time, and you’ll be looking for a long while.

Fortunately, you don’t have to look…I found one for you!

Blog entry posted: December 15, 2016

Back in the fledgling days of filmmaking, silent movies endeavored to tell stories without the benefit of spoken words. Indeed, the early works of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton endeavored to make audiences laugh with purely physical (“slapstick”) comedy. In many ways, silent movie-making is a bit of a lost art.

But what’s so great about the fan film format is that there are no rules (only guidelines ), and that freedom and flexibility allow fan filmmakers to explore all aspects of cinematic expression…including, as of now, silent slapstick comedy. Granted, I don’t think Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy have anything to fear (yet) from the comedy hijinks of JENS DOMBEK (“The German Spock”) and his buddy MICHAEL O’CONNOR KELLY. But who cares? It’s fun watching Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock in a whimsical series of sight gags.

Blog entry posted: February 26, 2021

CERBASI TREK – The Search for Nicolas (interview)

The Cerbasi family lives in the town of Reading in the United Kingdom. “Captain Daddy” WAYNE CERBASI has two sons, PETER (almost 12-years-old) and NICHOLAS (9-years-old). And a few months ago, they made a 16-minute Star Trek fan film.

Most machinima-based Trek fan films use only the video game renderings for all of their scenes. What makes Cerbasi Trek unique, however, is that this is the first time (that I’m aware of, and I’ve looked hard) that a Trek fan filmmaker has utilized green screen compositing alongside machinima to incorporate real people INTO the computer-generated scenes. Wayne and his two sons appear with the CGI characters on the virtual bridges, and the result is a really fun-looking adventure…

Blog entry posted: April 27, 2018

Just before the start of the new year, the anthology series THE FEDERATION FILES released its third full episode: “Extraction.” Produced by GLEN L. WOLFE and DAN REYNOLDS, this episode was written by Glen and features Dan as the captain of the USS Nikita , a dreadnought-class starship. Glen also appears briefly as a shuttlecraft pilot.

But the cast is much more extensive than that. The 12-minute fan film features Romulans, a Starfleet bridge crew, shuttlecraft pilots, and a team of TOS-era MACOs. The episode also features a Starfleet shuttlecraft interior set that took about four weeks to build.

Blog entry posted: January 4, 2018

Recently, Glen Wolfe “rescued” (my word) a fan film from several years ago that was partially filmed at Retro Studios in Ticonderoga, NY, but never completed. That fan film was STAR TREK: EQUINOX. Glen came in, created a new 24th framing sequence, and finished the ill-fated fan film half a decade later.

Late last year, Glen decided to do an encore with another uncompleted fan film from 2006-2007 called STAR TREK: ORIGINS – “The Wounds of War.” Once again, Glen produced a framing sequence and incorporated filmed elements of the the original footage to create an entirely original production—a new episode of the The Federation Files that he chose to call “ FRIENDS AND FOES .”

Blog entry posted: June 4, 2021

If there were ever a game of “Where’s Waldo” using the credits of Star Trek fan films, Glen L. Wolfe would surely be Waldo. If you visit Glen’s IMDb page , you’ll see him having participated in a dozen different fan films and series stretching back to 2013: Star Trek: Renegades, Horizon, Deception, Secret Voyage, Ambush, Equinox, Temporal Anomaly , and multiple episodes of New Voyages and Continues . He’s worked on fan films as an actor, producer, cameraman, electrician, and art designer.

And now Glen can add writer and director to that list, having finally been the show-runner on a fan film of his own. “ His Name Is Mudd ” serves as the debut release of the new THE FEDERATION FILES , which is produced in conjunction with Starfleet Studios in Iowa.

Blog entry posted: October 21, 2016

When the global pandemic hit and the world began sheltering in place (at least in many countries), I wondered what effect the quarantining would have on Star Trek fan films. After all, most fan films involve multiple people interacting closely together. Even the distance between an actor and a camera person can’t always be six feet…and who wants to film a bridge crew who are all wearing masks? I mean, I suppose you could do a fan film that takes place entirely on board a Breen or Gorn vessel, but most races in Star Trek show their mouths and noses.

When I finally saw how one group of Trekkers from France solved that problem, their answer seemed so elegant (leave it to the French!) and so obvious that I just had to stand up and clap for their ingenuity and inspiration. At first, you don’t even realize it’s a Star Trek story, but then—well, rather than spoil it, just watch the short film first, and then read on.

Star Trek Channel

A continuing journey..

Audio Dramas

Audio star trek.

Dispatches from the Romulan War

Federation Rebirth

Gates of Sto’vo’kor

The Psychotic Hour “The Return of Vorg”

The Section 31 Files

Star Trek: 2409

Star Trek at the Griffith

Star Trek: The Continuing Mission

Star Trek: Dimensions

Star Trek: Lost Enterprise

Star Trek: Lost Frontier

Star Trek: Outpost

Star Trek: Ranger

Star Trek: Starfinder

Star Trek: Valkyrie

Starfleet Renegades

Starship Excelsior

A Star Trek Fanfilm Based on the series created by Gene Roddenberry

Five Star Trek Fan Films You Should Watch Right Now

Star Trek is one of the franchises that popularised fan fiction. When the adventures of Kirk, Spock, Bones and the rest of the Enterprise ended on television, their exploits were kept alive with books, comics and an animated series, before they returned in several feature films. Fans have also kept the series alive by writing their own adventures for the Enterprise crew, or acting them out with their friends. With the rise of the internet, fans have places to show their love for Trek online, as well as upload their own additions to the universe:

Prelude To Axanar

Axanar represents an important moment in Trek history, both in and out of the universe. As the title suggests, this was a taster for a film centred around the battle of Axanar, the Federation’s first battle with the Klingons. Shot as a fictional documentary, it was designed to show that great fan films didn’t need huge budgets, as well as act as a showcase for the film itself. However, Paramount and CBS, who own the copyright, got wind of the efforts and threatened to sue the team. It was eventually settled, after harsh guidelines and restrictions on fan productions were introduced, but meant that the project would now be released as two 15-minute parts, rather than a 90-minute feature.

Star Trek- Horizon

Set in the prequel era of Star Trek: Enterprise, this impressive fan film focuses on the Discovery and its mission to help a Romulan defector and keep an ancient doomsday weapon out of their hands. While not the most original premise, the draw here is that, for a fan project, it’s very impressive. The effects are good for its small budget, and various elements from Trek canon make it feel like part of the universe in a seamless way. A sequel was planned but was reworked into an original project after the fan fiction guidelines changed.

Star Trek Continues

As Kirk says in the iconic intro to the original series, the Enterprise is on a 5-year mission. Although changes to the airing of episodes meant that the dates didn’t always go in order, the series chronicles three of those years. Star Trek Continues shows some of the events of the final year, giving the series a proper conclusion. The look and feel of the original series is lovingly recreated, with sets built from the original blueprints and filmed in the same aspect ratio. It also features a stellar cast including Mythbusters Grant Imahara as Sulu, and the son of original Scotty, Chris Doohan playing the role of his father. Many Trek alumni cameo, such as Micheal Dorn and Jason Isaacs. It also features cameos from other sci-fi projects such as former Doctor Who Colin Baker and Battlestar Galactica ‘s Jaimie Bamber.

A Long Way From Home

The Covid-19 Pandemic disrupted everyone’s daily life, with many people unable to work or leave their houses. Film and TV projects were disrupted, with many films delayed and series shortened. This fan film was made during the 2020/2021 lockdowns in the UK. With only a few actors and locations, this fan film manages to stand alone, whilst also featuring nods and easter eggs to many other series, and films both official and fan-made.

Of Gods and Men

An unofficial 40th Anniversary celebration, this mini-series focuses on Uhura and Chekov (with the original actors reprising their roles) as they find themselves in an alternate timeline where Captain Kirk was never born, as an act of vengeance from one of his enemies. Despite not being officially endorsed by the rights holders, it did have lots of coverage on the official website. As well as several former cast members reprising their roles from various instalments of the franchise, it also credits creator Gene Roddenberry’s son as an executive producer.

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Is Strange New Worlds the Most Innovative Star Trek Series Since the Original?

As Star Trek is almost 60 years old, the latest series from this iconic Sci-Fi series may be the most groundbreaking since the original series.

The refreshing and entertaining storyline will please both newer fans of Star Trek and even the fans of the original Star Trek series that aired back in 1966.

The first season of Star Trek Strange New Worlds first premiered on the fifth of May 2022. It is actually a sequel to the slightly controversial Discovery series that didn't follow some of the known or established lore in the Star Trek universe.

How Does Strange New Worlds Fit Into The Star Trek Universe

The original Star Trek series takes place in 2265, while the Strange New Worlds series starts in 2259. This means the iconic Captain Kirk is not the captain of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), which means the current captain will be Captain Christopher Pike .

This may be a bit of a change for some Star Trek fans, but it's a good change.

Star Trek's iconic characters from the original series, such as Spock, Scotty, and Nyota Uhura, are also in the Strange New World series.

Some minor characters from the original show also appear throughout the new series, making Strange New Worlds feel like the show was meant to be.

Why is Strange New Worlds The Most Innovative Star Trek Show In Many Years

As the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds series shows us the adventures of Captain Christopher Pike and the crew at the start of USS Enterprise, it will immediately be compared to the original series.

The cast of the new Star Trek show has a compelling story arc, which can make fans of the show feel attached and almost there with them during the crew's many adventures.

The new show takes many elements of the original show, such as the optimism and fun that the crew seems to lavish on.

This does not mean the Strange New Worlds series doesn't have any heart-wrenching moments. The show does have some heavy hitters, as any Star Trek fan knows the fate of Captain Christopher Pike.

Spoiler warning for new Star Trek fans who haven't watched the original series or finished Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 1 :

Captain Christopher Pike will die.

Captain Christopher Pike's death happened in 2266, seven years after the Strange New Worlds series started and two years after the original series.

Christopher Pike dies during an accident while trying to save a handful of trainees on a Class J Starship.

Strange New Worlds doesn't shy away from the fact that Captain Christopher Pike will die; during the show, he learns that he will die and that he has to learn to face his future.

Anson Mount , who plays Christopher Pike in the Strange New Worlds series, gives us one of the best Star Trek captains who has even been in the series.

Anson Mount conveys the essence of how a Star Trek captain should act and treat his crew during any situation, even during a stressful situation.

This doesn't mean this captain doesn't break the rules; he just bends them when there is a need to do so.

Another great reason many Star Trek fans hold Strange New Worlds in such high regard is that it is family-friendly.

This alone is why the show is so popular, as families who grew up watching Star Trek can now spread the joy of Star Trek to their children without worrying about any taboo subjects or vulgar words popping up in the episode.

Why Does Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Look So Good?

Strange New Worlds does a great job of using the older elements and designs of the original series while still finding new ways to improve the show's look and feel.

For example, during the Star Trek: Discovery series, the USS Enterprise does make an appearance in the show.

However, the design elements did not match how the starship was supposed to look during the original series.

The latest Star Trek series did a great slight remodel of the starship hull to bring it closer to the original designs while still giving the design a modern feel.

Some fans of the original series may think that the "new" USS Enterprise may look too modern and have lost the charm of the '60s version; this can be seen with the bridge of the Enterprise.

The bridge of a starship in Star Trek is the most important room on all Star Trek shows; this means they are iconic, and many fans know exactly how they look.

The Strange New Worlds creators revamped the bridge with its own elegant and unique design, but it still has many elements of the original set.

The Strange New Worlds series also relies heavily on props and filming sets that help the actors easily immerse themselves in their roles.

This allows the acting and chemistry between the actors to flow naturally.

How Will the Show Progress?

As the Strange New Worlds series is a prequel to the original series, there is only so much time before they reach the original series starting date.

But don't worry because this doesn't mean that the show will not have any compelling stories or familiar faces for fans to enjoy.

As the series continues on Paramount+ , we'll surely see some exciting and unique storylines.

What do you think about the two shows?

Is Strange New Worlds truly more innovative than the Original?

Jason Collins is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. You can follow him on X .

Pike: Send someone else. You don't want me in command of that ship. April: You're getting us confused. You don't want you in command. Permalink: You're getting us confused. You don't want you in command. Added: May 04, 2022

No matter how many stars there are in the sky. No matter how many galaxies swirl beyond our own. No matter the mathematical probabilities or the number of times we say, 'We are not alone in the universe,' our first visit from the stars is always the province of children's stories and science fiction. First contact with aliens always lives squarely in the impossible. First contact is just a dream until one day, it isn't. Una Permalink: No matter how many stars there are in the sky. No matter how many galaxies swirl beyond our... Added: May 04, 2022

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What creators hope young fans will get from watching Star Trek: Prodigy

A fter being cancelled by Paramount+, Star Trek: Prodigy had no home. Thanks to the unwavering support of the fans and the determination of the team behind the show designed for young adults, Prodigy found another place on Netflix. The first season debuted on Christmas Day and hit the top ten in several countries. Now fans are waiting for the second season of the series which should release sometime this year, although, we don't have a solid date.

Prodigy is one of those shows that is designed for young audiences, but older fans love, too. And that's just one of the many reasons why there was such an outcry when the series was cancelled...and why fans rallied behind the series to help find it a new home. There is a purpose to each episode, a lesson along with good entertainment. And speaking with Kevin and Dan Hageman , the brothers who created the series, Star Trek Explorer #11's John Kirk wanted to know what message the creators hoped the young audience would take from the show.

"You can't go through life alone. You need friends, a family, a group, and you need to work together with people." Kevin Hageman

This message is evident in every episode of Prodigy. Though Dal starts out as wanting to be the leader in charge of everything, it doesn't take him long to realize that he needs the rest of his team (and soon-to-become friends) and Hologram Janeway to navigate each obstacle.

"It's about the importance of communication. It's not just about one person talking, but about the team."Dan Hageman

Another great point the writers of Prodigy drive home with each episode. Dal and Gwyn started out as enemies, but after working together and hearing more than just what they wanted to hear, they became friends. And it was that friendship that helped saved Starfleet. Once Jankom Pog realized he was being heard, he became the engineer the team needed, and Zero became the voice of reason and comfort. Rok-Tahk, though young, has managed to communicate quite effectively with the non-talkative Murf. And after a really bumpy start, they have worked together practically seamlessly.

Kevin and Dan Hageman are achieving exactly what they want from Prodigy. Not only do the characters communicate, the fans communicate as they did with other streaming channels to uncancel the series no one wanted to lose. It's a satisfying achievement for all concerned.

This article was originally published on redshirtsalwaysdie.com as What creators hope young fans will get from watching Star Trek: Prodigy .

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Original U.S.S. Enterprise Model From ‘Star Trek’ Is Returned to Creator’s Son

The 33-inch model surfaced on eBay after disappearing decades ago. An auction house is giving it to the son of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of “Star Trek.”

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A model of the U.S.S. Enterprise stands on a wooden base against a black backdrop.

By Emily Schmall

The first model of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the starship that appeared in the opening credits of the original “Star Trek” television series , has been returned to Eugene Roddenberry, the son of the creator of the series, decades after it went missing.

“After a long journey, she’s home,” Mr. Roddenberry wrote on social media on Thursday.

For die-hard Trekkies, the model’s disappearance had become the subject of folklore, so an eBay listing last fall, with a starting bid of $1,000, didn’t go unnoticed.

“Red alert,” someone in an online costume and prop-making forum wrote, linking to the listing.

Mr. Roddenberry’s father, Gene Roddenberry, created the television series, which first aired in 1966 and ran for three seasons. It spawned numerous spinoffs, several films and a franchise that has included conventions and legions of devoted fans with an avid interest in memorabilia.

The sellers of the model were bombarded with inquiries and quickly took the listing down.

The sellers contacted Heritage Auctions to authenticate it, the auction house’s executive vice president, Joe Maddalena, said on Saturday. As soon as the sellers, who said they had found it in a storage unit, brought it to the auction house’s office in Beverly Hills, Calif., Mr. Maddalena said he knew it was real.

“That’s when I reached out to Rod to say, ‘We’ve got this. This is it,’” he said, adding that the model was being transferred to Mr. Roddenberry.

It was not clear what Mr. Roddenberry, who was traveling and could not immediately be reached on Saturday, would do with the reclaimed model. It was also unclear how it got to the storage unit in the first place and who had it before its discovery.

The original U.S.S. Enterprise, a 33-inch model, was mostly made of solid wood by Richard C. Datin, a model maker for the Howard Anderson Company, a special-effects company that created the opening credits for some of the 20th century’s biggest TV shows .

An enlarged 11-foot model was used in subsequent “Star Trek” television episodes, and is now part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum , where it was donated by Paramount Studios in 1974.

Mr. Maddalena said that Gene Roddenberry, who died in 1991 , kept the original model, which appeared in the show’s opening credits and pilot episode, on his desk.

The model went missing after Mr. Roddenberry lent it to the makers of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” which was released in 1979, Mr. Maddalena said.

“This is a major discovery,” he said, likening the model to the ruby slippers from the “The Wizard of Oz,” a prop that was stolen in 2005 and recovered by the F.B.I. in 2018, and that Heritage Auctions is selling.

While the slippers represent hope, he said, the starship Enterprise model “represents dreams.”

“It’s a portal to what could be,” he said.

Emily Schmall covers breaking news and feature stories and is based in Chicago. More about Emily Schmall

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11 star wars fan theories that actually came true.

Of all the many Star Wars fan theories that have been canonized over the franchise's nearly five decades, these 11 represent the very best.

Star Wars fan theories confirmed as canon include Darth Maul's return, Ahsoka's Order 66 survival, and Leia's Force-sensitivity.
Canonized fan theories have provided audiences the closure they were looking for.
Ahmed Best's appearance as Kelleran Beq showcases how fan theories can become reality in the Star Wars universe.

Although Star Wars fans have tossed out a number of shocking theories over the years, from Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padmé being in love to Rey being a Kenobi, these 11 fan theories were eventually confirmed to be canon. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Star Wars movies and TV shows is the extent to which the franchise keeps audiences in the dark. In fact, many of the best Star Wars movies have included the most surprising twists, the most prominent arguably being Darth Vader's Empire Strikes Back reveal that he was Luke Skywalker's father.

Star Wars' best TV shows have kept up that tradition, even retconning some of the most significant parts of the Star Wars timeline . While not all surprises have been pleasant—most notably the fact that, somehow, Palpatine returned in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker —several thrilling theories delighted audiences by becoming true. These 11 fan theories in particular reflect some of the biggest that, after considerable speculation, were canonized.

6 Times Star Wars Retconned Its Own Timeline

11 darth maul survived the phantom menace, star wars: the clone wars.

Darth Maul seemed quite dead after Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace . After all, Obi-Wan had chopped his legs off, and, in classic Star Wars fashion, Maul then fell down a reactor shaft. However, many suspected that Darth Maul wasn't truly dead after all , particularly following Star Wars: The Clone Wars teasing his return. When the Jedi discovered Savage Opress, a Zabrak male bearing a striking resemblance to Darth Maul, Obi-Wan briefly thought it was him.

This became something of a red herring, as the Jedi insisted it couldn't be Maul. Ultimately, however, The Clone Wars revealed that Maul had in fact survived and was on a desperate hunt to get on Kenobi. Darth Maul went on to become a major character, taking over Mandalore for a time and then reappearing in both Star Wars Rebels and Solo: A Star Wars Story . While the character is now confirmed to be dead, this was an incredible example of Star Wars' willingness to bring characters back from the dead and feed fan theories.

This was an incredible example of Star Wars' willingness to bring characters back from the dead and feed fan theories.

10 Ahsoka Survived Order 66

Ahsoka tano.

As soon as Ahsoka Tano was introduced as Anakin Skywalker's Jedi Padawan in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie, audiences were concerned that this meant her imminent demise in light of Order 66 and Anakin's role in it. At first, this wasn't so troubling a possibility. Ahsoka was new to Star Wars , and audiences weren't initially very fond of her. Many found her to be a bit annoying, ironically for mirroring many of Anakin's own flaws, such as entitlement and sarcasm.

Many found her to be a bit annoying, ironically for mirroring many of Anakin's own flaws, such as entitlement and sarcasm.

Over time, though, her popularity grew significantly, which made the seeming certainty of her death more distressing. The fact that Ahsoka didn't appear in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith seemed only to confirm that this fate was coming, and Dave Filoni has since even revealed that at one point he planned to kill her off . However, perhaps because of her growing popularity, Filoni dropped the idea.

Instead, as many hoped and some fans suspected, Ahsoka became one of the survivors of Order 66 , going on to appear in Rebels , The Mandalorian , The Book of Boba Fett , and her own show. Given the upcoming Ahsoka season 2 , it seems her popularity in the franchise remains. It's lucky, then, that this fan theory turned out to be true; Star Wars' upcoming shows seem increasingly tied to Ahsoka and her future in the franchise.

9 Obi-Wan And Darth Vader Had Another Battle Before A New Hope

Obi-wan kenobi.

Audiences had long expressed some confusion over the dialogue in A New Hope that suggested Darth Vader and Obi-Wan had another encounter following their epic battle on Mustafar. Particularly because Vader tells Obi-Wan, "We meet again at last," it seemed some part of the narrative was missing. While, yes, technically Obi-Wan had fought Darth Vader, he still seemed more like Anakin than like the Sith Lord of the original trilogy. Not only in appearance but also in motivations and lamentations, Anakin, not Vader, seemed to fight Obi-Wan on Mustafar.

Not only in appearance but also in motivations and lamentations, Anakin, not Vader, seemed to fight Obi-Wan on Mustafar.

In light of that, fans suspected that some meeting had occurred between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope wherein the two fought yet again. Luckily, this fan theory was confirmed in the Obi-Wan Kenobi show . The limited series not only brought back fan favorites Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen but also provided some of the best Anakin/Vader and Obi-Wan scenes to date, providing closure that hadn't yet come.

Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader

8 the prequel trilogy characters would be back.

Coinciding with the suspicion that Darth Vader and Obi-Wan had another battle was the theory (and strong hope) that McGregor and Christensen would reprise their roles. Not only did they return for the Obi-Wan Kenobi show, but Christensen also made his second return in the Ahsoka series. However, not every prequel trilogy character has been back .

Notably, Natalie Portman hasn't returned as Padmé. This would be slightly more difficult for Star Wars to execute because, unlike Anakin and Obi-Wan, Padmé died at the end of Revenge of the Sith . Moreover, Padmé didn't have the Force, so she could not return in some of the creative ways other characters have. However, if Star Wars can make Darth Maul, Boba Fett, and Emperor Palpatine's resurrections make sense, surely Padmé could make a reappearance in some form.

7 Darth Vader Tried To Resurrect Padmé

Darth vader #22, padmé amidala.

It seems Darth Vader made several attempts to bring Padmé back , which could have provided audiences with the long-hoped-for return of Portman to Star Wars . In the Star Wars canon comic book Darth Vader #22 by Charles Soule, Vader specifically attempted to resurrect his wife. This makes sense, given that Vader's entire effort in Revenge of the Sith that led him down the path to the dark side was driven by his desperation to save Padmé's life. When he had already destroyed the Jedi and ruined the life he'd had, resurrecting Padmé would surely become his one focus.

Purchase Darth Vader #22

What If Darth Vader Had Succeeded In Resurrecting Padmé?

Cruelly, Palpatine yet again exploits this desperation, telling Vader, "Perhaps the dark side will bring her back to you." Of course, this doesn't ultimately come to be. However, that Darth Vader tried to resurrect Padmé at all fulfills the fan theory that this certainly would have been a next step for him following the tragedies in Revenge of the Sith .

6 The Death Star Was Made Poorly On Purpose

Rogue one: a star wars story.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was a brilliant inclusion in the franchise. As one of few Star Wars movies that focuses on narratives outside the core Skywalker Saga, Rogue One revealed the steps leading up to the destruction of the Death Star in A New Hope . Shockingly, one of the key steps came not from a Skywalker nor even from a Jedi, but rather from an average human hoping to help the Rebel cause .

Galen Erso, father of Rogue One protagonist Jyn Erso, was forced back into working for the Empire, building the Death Star against his will. However, as a rebellious act that changed everything, he built in a weak spot on the Death Star and revealed the information to the Rebels through his daughter Jyn. Although Luke's destruction of the Death Star in A New Hope remains a great feat in Star Wars , audiences had long found the moment a bit too easy, making this plan by Galen the perfect answer to a prominent fan theory.

5 Rosario Dawson Would Play Ahsoka In Live Action

The mandalorian.

Star Wars audiences enjoy guessing who will be cast in upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, but perhaps no casting has been so accurately guessed as Rosario Dawson playing the live-action Ahsoka . Rumors had flown online for quite some time before Star Wars revealed that Dawson would be playing Ahsoka in her live-action debut in The Mandalorian . While voice actress Ashley Eckstein will always have a special place in Star Wars audiences' hearts as the first Ahsoka, Dawson has taken up the torch beautifully.

In fact, Dawson has just seen Ahsoka through one of the character's most critical arcs, as she encountered Anakin in the World Between Worlds and needed to face her traumatizing past and her perception of herself as a Jedi (or not one). Despite never acting opposite Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, Dawson perfectly captured Ahsoka's pain, affection for Anakin, and lingering conflict. This is yet another happy example of Star Wars canonizing a popular fan theory.

4 Leia Had The Force

Star wars: the rise of skywalker, leia organa.

Leia's connection to the Force had been a puzzling mystery since the original Star Wars trilogy. Multiple major hints had been dropped that she too was Force-sensitive and had the potential to become a Jedi just as her twin, Luke, had, yet it was never confirmed. Not only does Leia seemingly use the Force to find Luke in The Empire Strikes Back , but also, both Yoda and Darth Vader reference her potential. In The Empire Strikes Back , Yoda revealed that there was "another," and in Return of the Jedi , Vader taunted Luke by saying perhaps Leia would join him.

However, it wasn't until The Rise of Skywalker that Leia's full potential in the Force was revealed. Tragically, this story arc was reduced significantly because of Princess Leia actress Carrie Fisher's sudden passing prior to production, but the movie still proved fans right about Leia's Force-sensitivity. Not only had she trained under Luke, but Leia also became Rey's Jedi Master.

3 Rey's Parents Weren't "Nobody"

Rey skywalker.

One of the biggest mysteries of the Star Wars sequel trilogy was Rey's parentage. From Star Wars: The Force Awakens through the majority of The Rise of Skywalker , Rey's exact lineage was unclear, with many red herrings in between. At first, fan theories consisted of the many prominent Star Wars characters to whom Rey could have been related, presumably following in the footsteps of Luke and Leia being Darth Vader's children and even Ben Solo being Han Solo and Leia's son.

This led to widespread speculation, ranging from Rey being Luke's daughter to Obi-Wan's granddaughter . However, Star Wars: The Last Jedi surprised audiences with Kylo Ren's assertion that Rey's parents were instead "nobody." Fan theories quickly spiraled about this being a misdirection, although few predicted that Rey would be a Palpatine (at least in blood). While Rey being a Palpatine descendant did address the fan theory that Kylo Ren's assertion wasn't the final word in Rey's origins, it wasn't quite the answer many wanted.

Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious

2 finn was force-sensitive.

Before The Force Awakens was even released, many believed Finn to be Force-sensitive. In part, this was not a fan-generated idea. Instead, promotional materials for the first installment in the sequel trilogy showed Finn gripping Anakin's blue lightsaber. Although he did hold the weapon at the end of the movie when fighting Kylo Ren, that ended up being a one-off. Rather than becoming a Jedi, Finn was sidelined throughout the sequels, becoming little more than a character dedicated to Rey.

Rather than becoming a Jedi, Finn was sidelined throughout the sequels, becoming little more than a character dedicated to Rey.

Interestingly, Finn was confirmed to be Force-sensitive in The Rise of Skywalker , employing Force intuition throughout the movie and persistently hoping to tell Rey a secret—presumably that he had the Force. While this did address the fan theory that he was Force-sensitive, it may have been too little too late . While Rey's upcoming Star Wars movie opens the door for Finn to develop into a true Jedi, it's unclear whether John Boyega will return to Star Wars after feeling quite burned by the sequels.

1 Kelleran Beq Rescues Grogu From The Jedi Temple

Few can say they anticipated Ahmed Best's return to Star Wars , but one impressive post on X from 2020 proves that at least one fan had a hunch . Ahmed Best was first cast as Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Sadly, Best faced unfair and often scathing backlash for the role. However, he made an incredible return in The Mandalorian Chapter 20: "The Foundling" when he appeared as Kelleran Beq, the Jedi who saved Grogu from Order 66.

This incredible redemption arc was theorized by keldorjedii on X (then Twitter), as perhaps the best example of fan theories coming true. Shockingly, this speculation was posted three years before Best would debut as Kelleran Beq.

Of all the fan theories that have become canon, this is likely the best. Not only is this an incredible example of fan intuition, but it also marks one of the best updates Star Wars has ever given. Many prequel trilogy actors, Hayden Christensen and Jake Lloyd also prominent among them, received harsh criticism. Not every actor who received this treatment has been brought back, but it's clear that Star Wars is working to ameliorate some of the damage done. While this may be the best example, though, these 11 Star Wars theories that have been canonized are each incredible.

Source: keldorjedii

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Star Trek fan productions
Star Trek fan films have been made since the 1960s by individuals and various fan groups but, ... Star Trek: Phoenix is a fan-film series that is set 42 years after the events of the motion picture Star Trek: Nemesis. The pilot episode, "Cloak & Dagger", premiered on the Internet May 2, 2010.
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these are all the fan-made videos i could find--some are really good--some are really bad--but i wanted to put them all in one place, in the best order i cou...
Star Trek Continues
Star Trek and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan production is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made film series intended for recreational use. No commercial exhibition or distribution is permitted.
Star Trek Fan Projects
Fan-made series based on Star Trek: The Animated Series follows the adventures of Federation Starship Farragut and its crew and captain John Thomas Carter during the same era that the original Star Trek series is set in. Stars: Chase Masterson, Holly Bednar, Tonya Broughton, Tim Russ. Votes: 31
Star Trek Continues
Star Trek Continues is an American fan-made web series set in the Star Trek universe. Produced by the nonprofit Trek Continues, Inc. and Dracogen, and initially co-produced by Far from Home LLC and Farragut Films (who previously produced a fan-made "Starship Farragut" series), Star Trek Continues consists of 11 episodes released between 2013 and 2017. The series is an unofficial direct ...
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Digital Ghost is a German-made Star Trek fan-film set within the Star Trek: ... and life of, the last great Star Trek series to air on TV. The documentary is wonderfully potent, drawing back the cats and crew for an in-depth and sometimes harrowing discussion of the show's making, with stars Alexander Siddig, Avery Brooks, Colm Meaney ...
Star Trek Reviewed: Major Fan Series
A series of Star Trek fan films made by teenagers at Choate Rosemary Hall, a private, co-educational, college-preparatory boarding school founded in 1890 in Wallingford, Connecticut, "with a 5.0 megapixel digital stills camera, Windows Movie Maker 2.0, Microsoft Paint, Micro Machines, and a shoestring budget." ...
Star Trek: Hidden Frontier
Star Trek and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan production is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made film or audio production intended for recreational use.
Starship Farragut (TV Series 2007-2016)
Starship Farragut: Created by John Broughton. With John Broughton, Michael Bednar, Holly Bednar, Dean Rogers. Fan-made show based on the original Star Trek series follows the adventures of Federation Starship Farragut, its crew and Captain John Thomas (Jack) Carter. Set in the same era as the original ST series (TOS).
Super-authentic 'Star Trek' fan series warps into Kickstarter
Star Trek Continues. "Star Trek Into Darkness" was a monster in the "Star Trek" franchise. It made over $460 million worldwide, more than double its $190 million budget. That's great and all, but ...
Farragut Forward
Stay tuned to Kaotica Studios and Starship Farragut social media channels for more information!. Star Trek and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan production is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made film intended for recreational use.
What are the best Star Trek fan films and series to watch?
I have a giant master spreadsheet that notes pretty much every fan production that has released content since the 1970s. (Big thanks to Star Trek Reviewed, which covers fan productions exclusively, for providing much of the data.)The spreadsheet includes everything from the obvious -- Continues and Horizon -- to the bizarrely obscure, like the French 1990 film-school project "The Judge", and ...
Just binge watched the entire Star Trek Continues, a fan made old Star
If you looking for some other fan made series of similar calibre, check out these: Starship Exeter -- probably the oldest of these from the early 2000s. 2nd episode is much higher quality than the 1st. Star Trek Phase II (aka Star Trek New Voyages) -- from mid-2000s, very similar to Star Trek Continues
Star Trek Fan Productions International
Fan-made Star Trek films/videos that are intelligent, thought provoking, and entertaining.
Fan Films
This fan production is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made film series intended for recreational use. No commercial exhibition or distribution is permitted. No alleged independent rights will be asserted against CBS or Paramount Pictures.
The Very Best of STAR TREK Fan Films
Find links to all of the fan films featured in this video (and more) on FAN FILM FACTOR: https://fanfilmfactor.com/log-entries-fan-film-features-2Read more a...
List of Fan Films (highest to lowest rated)
THE VERY BEST OF STAR TREK FAN FILMS (special video). Created by Fan Film Factor blogger JONATHAN LANE, this special video compilation features clips from nearly three dozen Star Trek fan films spanning decades. The goal was to show people who were unfamiliar with Star Trek fan films what was possible. So the main criteria for being included was that the segment make a typical person think ...
Audio Dramas
Audio Star Trek. Dispatches from the Romulan War. Federation Rebirth. Gates of Sto'vo'kor. The Psychotic Hour "The Return of Vorg" The Section 31 Files. Star Trek: 2409. Star Trek at the Griffith. Star Trek: The Continuing Mission. Star Trek: Dimensions. Star Trek: Lost Enterprise. Star Trek: Lost Frontier. Star Trek: Outpost. Star Trek ...
Starship Exeter
Starship Exeter is a Star Trek fan film project, one of the earliest of the semi-professional fan film projects that have become an increasingly common fixture of the internet video scene. As with many other fan films, it created new stories and characters around an event of an established franchise. Starship Exeter is set within the continuity of the original Star Trek TV series, and features ...
Intrepid
A Star Trek Fanfilm Based on the series created by Gene Roddenberry. Star Trek and all related items are the sole property of CBS/Paramount Pictures. All videos on this site are un-licensed, non-profit fan fiction works and we gratefully acknowledge CBS/Paramount's tolerance.
Make Your Fan Film
Disclaimer: Star Trek and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan production is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made film series intended for recreational use.
Five Star Trek Fan Films You Should Watch Right Now
Set in the prequel era of Star Trek: Enterprise, this impressive fan film focuses on the Discovery and its mission to help a Romulan defector and keep an ancient doomsday weapon out of their hands. ... with many films delayed and series shortened. This fan film was made during the 2020/2021 lockdowns in the UK. With only a few actors and ...
Star Trek Fan Made
Star Trek Fan Made is a collection of amateur and semi-professional Star Trek content organised into playlists for easy consumption. I also upload new, hard to find and split content.
Is Strange New Worlds the Most Innovative Star Trek Series Since the
This may be a bit of a change for some Star Trek fans, but it's a good change. Star Trek's iconic characters from the original series, such as Spock, Scotty, and Nyota Uhura, are also in the ...
What creators hope young fans will get from watching Star Trek ...
A fter being cancelled by Paramount+, Star Trek: Prodigy had no home. Thanks to the unwavering support of the fans and the determination of the team behind the show designed for young adults ...
Original U.S.S. Enterprise Model From 'Star Trek' Opening Credits Is
The first model of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the starship that appeared in the opening credits of the original "Star Trek" television series, has been returned to Eugene Roddenberry, the son of ...
11 Star Wars Fan Theories That Actually Came True
Although Star Wars fans have tossed out a number of shocking theories over the years, from Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padmé being in love to Rey being a Kenobi, these 11 fan theories were eventually confirmed to be canon. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Star Wars movies and TV shows is the extent to which the franchise keeps audiences in the dark. In fact, many of the best Star Wars movies have ...