A Look At The Lost Starship: A Star Trek Fan Production
It really is amazing what you can do with good writing, basic filming equipment, good actors and the right people who know how to get what's needed to do whatever you have in mind.
I've been thinking about what it would take for me to put something together. In my case, I don't think I'd want to do it with anybody's IP. You're subject to whatever rules they put in front of you, if they allow you at all. You might even just get a cease and desist letter for your efforts. You won't be able to make a profit if you're making something with an established brand, such a Star Wars, Star Trek or other franchises.
There's plenty of information out there that chronicles the story of what happened to fan productions in the Star Trek universe. Star Trek Continues had episodes left that they wanted to make, but they shut it down to avoid legal issues after 11 episodes. As it turns out, that show's leader, Vic Mignogna, was involved in something I just watched.
The Avalon Universe makes some very good efforts within the guidelines laid out by CBS and Paramount. You can't do more than two 15 minute episodes for any story line, and you can't use any of the familiar Star Trek characters. In fact, you can't even use people who are actors in the franchise.
That not withstanding, the Avalon Universe crew makes a pretty good effort within those guidelines. Back in June of last year, they did something called The Lost Starship - A Star Trek Fan Film.
This episode is set in the time of the original Star Trek. The USS Cherokee is meeting with the Romulans in The Neutral Zone for what is supposed to be a discussion of peace. The captain beams off the ship to be a part of the negotiations, leaving his commander in charge.
At this point, I caution you to view the episode. It's only 22 minutes long and I don't want to spoil it for you.
We get into the discussion of what can be considered official canon or if this is just fan fiction or what have you. What I will say right now is that what I witnessed on the screen I would have no problem considering official canon within the original timeline of the official Star Trek Universe.
When the captain beams back to the ship, the crew detects an energy beam. The commander confronts the Romulan ship's captain, but they deny anything. They attempt to turn it around on the crew of the Cherokee, as if it's their fault. The captain returns to the bridge and tries to calm the situation down.
The crew notices that the captain isn't acting quite right, so they're trying to figure out what is happening with him. They are not attempting to engage in mutiny, but they feel like something is wrong. They want to help. Of course, the captain becomes suspicious.
I sort of felt like actors portrayed the crew in a way that made them too familiar with each other. That is to say I think they were a bit unprofessional in their behavior. I don't think they were doing things that would have been considered inappropriate within the Star Trek Universe, but they were two informal and familiar with each other.
I think it's written that way to make us comfortable with them in the short time we get to see them. We are supposed to get a sense that these people are friends. Sure, they did that on the old show, but there was a time for that and a time to behave professionally. They did it better back then, but then again, that was a professional production. These are fans of the franchise they love, attempting to tell a story.
I'll point out that it didn't take me out of the story. I was curious where they were going with it. You have a difficult time trying to tell a complete story in 30 minutes, knowing you're not going to be able to come back to those characters again.
They did a good job of building up the suspense. How was the situation going to be resolved? The captain's behavior was becoming more and more erratic. We finally got to the point where the confrontation would occur, and that's where I think it was played beautifully in the story.
I'm not going to reveal the secrets. I don't like to do that in these types of reviews, because inevitably people will read reviews and look for spoilers, and then get upset that you spoiled it for them. I'll just say that I thought this was a good fan story with the kind of ending that certainly wrapped it up without a doubt.
This is fan fiction, sure. However, in my mind, I'll file this away as official canon. What they did with this story didn't interfere with the timeline in any way, and I think what happened here is still relevant to that timeline. It mattered. That is to say, in the universe in which these characters existed, their actions mattered and probably made a difference.
Star Trek fans love their show, and some of them have the ability do things like this. They have to jump through certain hoops too make the films they love to make. Avalon Universe Fan Films are worth checking out. I recommend this particular episode. I've seen some of their other stuff, I recommend you check that out as well. I think you'll be entertained.
