Lifting the Dark Veil: Picard in Print from James Swallow

Romulans, Jean-Luc, the USS Titan and something of a mystery. Warning...spoilers potentially ahead!!!

The latest Star Trek hardback, the second Picard novel, flies us into the ‘lost years’ between Nemesis and the end of the 24th century. Focusing most of the time on Captain Riker and the Titan, The Dark Veil manages to do more than just tell a new Star Trek story.

With the Mars tragedy in the recent past, aid to the Romulans has stopped leaving the Empire to the mercy of the imminent supernova that will consume the homeworld. Starfleet has retreated but a few captains are still offering under-the-counter aid.

The Titan itself has been tasked with assisting the Jazari, a reclusive race who have decided to trade it all in and head out into the distant special yonder to live out their days.

Circumstances mean that their society ends up a little more scrutinised than they ever intended and forces an alliance between the Titan and the crew of a Romulan Warbird. 

But lo and behold there's more to it than that and The Dark Veil goes above and beyond to not just begin to fill in the intervening years between Nemesis and Picard but also dovetail the various media strands into one cohesive story.

Several elements from the Picard series materialise here, the Zhat Vash being the most prominent. The narrative from the show in which they are dedicated to the eradication of synthetic life is kept alive as well as their deference to the Tal Sh'iar and the Romulan military. Swallow also manages to weave in references to the Picard prequel comic book series (four issues) that ran at the end of 2019. 

To call this a Picard novel is a little unfair since Jean-Luc makes only two fairly superficial appearances in the book and the bulk of The Dark Veil is told from the standpoint of the Riker family. The unseen and sadly deceased Thaddeus (in Picard) receives a good deal of attention from the start with his life on the Titan examined showing both his intellect and also his alienation from other children due to his parents' position on the ship.

His part in the book is core to driving a lot of the narrative where Deanna is concerned for the most part since they are paired for the back half of the story. Swallow revives Thaddeus' love of languages mentioned in Nepenthe and the benefit of him being an only child here serves perfectly to round out the missing link in the Riker family. Character-wise both Will Riker and Deanna have seasoned and their parental responsibilities are openly on display and certainly there is a mental shift from the 100% focused duty officers of TNG into more rounded individuals where their personal lives have taken hold more than ever before and definitely affect more than a couple of decisions within the text. 

Seeing Riker at his commanding prime and with a family is new experience even within the literary arm of the Star Trek universe before and James Swallow does a masterful job of retaining enough of the TNG Riker thst he's still familiar but has learnt from life, experience, marriage - and a child.

Will Riker does find himself off the bridge of the damaged Titan more than usual here but this provides the chance for him to physically interact not only with the emigrating Jazari but also the Romulan commander. With the political climate as it is following Starfleet's withdrawal from aiding the doomed Romulus, Medaka is a much more approachable and less aloof captain than we have seen before and definitely less over dramatic and demanding than readers will be used to. He's almost - well - human.

Yet the machinations that are happening behind the scenes are what drives the real heart of the novel and once the action kicks in, this book truly picks up a pace that I found very difficult to put down. That's probably about a third of the way in once the pieces are slotted in and moving. 

Helek, the Zhat Vash operative is the best player in The Dark Veil and her inclusion adds a really bleak element of foreshadowing. Indeed, some of the elements of the Zhat Vash themselves were much easier to comprehend through Swallow's novel than they were in the TV series. Her interplay with the Romulan Medaka are a highlight even if the warbird commander has very little room to manoeuvre.

Watch out two for a couple of appearances of some of Star Trek's more diverse races such as the Remans and also a Kelpien plus one Macha Hernandez which will raise a smile to anyone familiar with the development of TNG. But do keep on reading beyond that because there's so much more involved.

The Dark Veil is a tense, well paced and actually, pretty straight-forward novel that helps develop the sandbox that is Picard as a series. James Swallow's characters have aged but are very much recognisable and there's a notable overuse of nods to the past in here with more relevant references to the recent past and associated events that make sense in the context of the book. There is a twist too which is, I'm happy to say, again in keeping with the ethos of the franchise particularly around this period of future history.

It's been a total pleasure to read this one during lockdown and a great road into expanding the new TV frontiers of Star Trek and I do think there's much more of a "feel" of '90's Trek within these pages than we see in the shows at the moment - and that's a good thing when it comes to how our favourite characters are being cared for and portrayed on the page.

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End of an Era; May 2005

With a final flourish of starships and the famous narrative, Enterprise left our screens on this day in 2005.

Now, 15 years later we are in a new era, that of Alex Kurtzman, Discovery, Picard, two animated series and so much more but significantly that May day marked the end of Rick Berman's control over the franchise.

When I asked for positives on the final episode from social media they ranged from "The Enterprise-D looked good" through to "nothing" which mind of says a lot about how These Are the Voyages is perceived.

Regularly you hear about it in the same paragraph as Shades of Gray or Spock's Brain because a lot of fans felt it stuck two fingers up at the franchise and also made the Enterprise cast guest stars in their own series finale.

The story itself on the NX-01 is massively overwhelmed by the Riker story which is, in itself, happening in the background of The Next Generation's excellent The Pegasus from halfway through its own final season. In itself that's a bit of a kick since Picard's crew made it to the end of seven years, got a feature length finale and went on to do four motion pictures - Archer's got These are the Voyages.

However, looking at it now there are a few things which mark it out for distinction some 15 years after its first airing. For one, as said, it marked the end of the "Golden Era" started in 1987 by Encounter at Farpoint which saw a Star Trek series in production every year until 2005. It closed the book on the Berman and with it the contributions to the franchise from individuals such as Ronald D Moore and Brannon Braga (for example) who would be among the many to go on to other significant projects.

But it also shares some interesting parallels to the previous Star Trek era from 1966 to 1969 - you know, that one with Kirk and Spock. It too suffered the indignity of cancellation after only three years and 79 episodes and although Enterprise managed to stick it out to 98 and make its final season one of its best, there would be no big fanfare at the end as its more popular siblings The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager, all of which would receive their double-length finales.

In fact, even if Picard and Discovery were to never see another episode produced (I can hear some people cheering already), they would both have ended on double-length stories albeit in two part format (which would happen to all the series when in syndication/repeat). This means that only The Original Series and Enterprise ended on a standard duration story.

Ok, that's a bit rubbishy but These are the Voyages is a sign of the state of the franchise at the time it was written. What was considered by writers Berman and Braga to be a love letter to the fans was actually taken in a completely different light. It screams of the excesses, perhaps some of the tropes and monotony of the later years of that "Golden Age" where  the expectations of Star Trek were a lot higher than it was producing. There was a familiarity by this time - ship/base plus crew with a strong captain going out and meeting aliens with forehead bumps before the status quo was returned at the end of the hour.

Deep Space Nine certainly toyed with that but in the big scheme of things, the franchise was getting comfy and it needed a shakeup. Trip's death is hardly that but slipping in Riker and Troi, who look decidedly uncomfortable at times in their uniforms and back on reconstructed Enterprise-D sets after 11 years trying to tie in a plot to an episode they filmed years ago.

It doesn't work to a large degree and, credit where credit's due, Michael Chabon's Picard did wonders for their return in Nepenthe. Here though it's feeling tired, the story lacks real pace and effectively tells you everything you needed to know about where Star Trek was at the time. If it was a racehorse, this would have been it's time to pasture.

Anyway, their inclusion does wrap up that '87 to '05 period even more with two characters who appeared in Encounter at Farpoint back to wave off the franchise, close it down and leave the keys under the mat for another person to take on. Riker's time on the recreation of the NX-01 puts him into close contact with Archer, Tucker and T'Pol most prominently but seems to forget that there were a few other members of the ensemble cast - another issue with the 42 minute run time in a story that could probably have been better structured over 84 minutes 

Jumping the narrative forward several years from Terra Prime at least allows for some rounding out of the series and the creation of the Federation that we would have hoped to have seen develop over the series but is ultimately rushed into service here. Again, it's a merit for the episode that it tries to encapsulate so much - returning characters, a major event in Star Trek lore, a character death, action sequences and a final bow for three ships named Enterprise that These are the Voyages mutates into one of those long hugs from an elderly relative that lasts just that little bit too long.

A bloated, saccharine finale it might be with all these nods, references and "fan pleasing" pointers but we know where all that kind of thing can lead - look at where both Star Wars and Doctor Who have ended up in the last 12 months for instance with their attempts at doing the same. Star Trek had made the error of trying to bow to the fanbase here and give them what they thought Trekkies wanted and failed. Overconfidence? Overfamiliarity? Perhaps when you've been doing it for 18 years straight. At least Riker makes his decision after consulting with the crew - not that we already sort of knew that from The Next Generation...

Star Trek did of course recover with the successful Kelvin Timeline movies from 2009 onwards but a TV resurrection would be a lot further off. That would be a divisive turning point again with a distinct tonal shift from the two series currently available to watch. However there's a few differences that seem to have been learnt from the Berman era.

No longer was the captain the central star (Burnham) and no longer was a ship the key  element (Picard's La Sirena didn't appear for the first few episodes) and there was less of a formulaic approach. They did continue to expand on the larger story arcs that were a signature of Enterprise's last season but crucially each show now has a distinct identity to set it apart.

Going back to it's bonds to The Original Series though, Enterprise has grown in appreciation since its cancellation - in fact I think it's a damn fine series that I underappreciated immensely when I was younger and now think is one of the strongest shows the franchise has delivered - maybe with a few episodic exceptions.

While the feelings for These are the Voyages are still mixed 15 years on, it's an episode and a pivotal point in the franchise that attracts discussion. Lessons have, I think, been learned and the new era of Star Trek is trying a lot of different things from the way in which it explores its characters to how the stories evolve over the course of a season. There's no overconfidence but I know one thing that might be levelled at the current Powers That Be is that perception that we might be approaching saturation level and we're only three years in. 

There's a mass of Star Trek on the way and we felt that it was getting too much back in the early 2000's when we only had to deal with one series per year and an occasional movie - now we are well on the way to having new Star Trek content each and every week of the year for at least the next three years.

These are the Voyages is, as I realised after an observation from @CaptainRevo on Twitter, a rare occasion where the parts do not make a greater sum. It's fragmented with good ideas that don't come together and satisfy its audience and hopefully a time in Star Trek history that all future writers and producers will be able to learn from...

What are your thoughts on These are the Voyages 15 years on? What worked? 

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Picard: Nepenthe

Picard certainly hit us with the emotional punch this week. 

Off the back of his and Soji’s escape from the Artifact, Jean-Luc is reunited with former crewmates Riker and Troi at their home on the planet of Nepenthe. Certainly times have changed for the Rikers since their marriage in Nemesis. 

Their time aboard starships is over (although Will is still listed on the reserves list) due to a change of family situation however they are without hesitation when it comes to offering help to their former captain. The episode is a return to the more relaxed pace of the season after the series of frantic events that closed out The Impossible Box with Nepenthe feeling, at its core, as the biggest piece of fan service the show has produced thus far and by god is it sublimely executed. 

The reunion of the three iconic The Next Generation characters is masterfully carried off and just as you would wish it to be. The emotions feel so real you can taste them. The Rikers provide both familiarity and a level headed opinion of Picard’s predicament in what might be construed as a ‘breather’ before the closing three episodes of this first year.  The revelation that the Rikers’ oldest child, Thad(dius) Troi-Riker died die to a disease that could have been cured with positronic technology which had been outlawed is heartbreaking while also providing that little edge of tension and conflict not visually but more from within these characters. Note; the name of their son comes from one of Riker’s ancestors who was mentioned in Voyager’s Death Wish. 

Marina Sirtis thoroughly deserved to be listed on the opening credits as Special Guest Star offering up some fine Deanna moments and even slipping slightly into that classic counsellor role for which she was known on the Enterprise. Along with Frakes, her appearance here goes above and beyond anything she's done since All Good Things... and finally casts aside, for me, the rather poor material she had to work with on Nemesis (nothing awful about the Voyager eps but this is far better and more natural!).

Their daughter on the other hand is named in memory of Deanna’s older sister, Kestra, famously played by Kirsten Dunst in The Next Generation’s final season episode, Dark Page. While Will and Deanna allow for a more personal approach to Picard’s mission and two people he can rely on, Kestra acts in the same manner with Soji has she begins to come to terms with the fact that she is an android and not a human as she was led to believe and truly believed. Kestra is a free spirit if ever there was and surely her return to Picard has to be guaranteed. She's a wonderful addition to the crew/family and fits right in with the direction the family has taken.

The relationship between Thad and Kestra is mentioned a lot; the theme of family is therefore right at the front of this week's story in multiple forms from the bond of the three former Starfleet officers through to the bond that Kestra and Soji have. The little nuances that Isa Briones adds into her role emphasise that link to Data and clearly wash away any suggestion that they may be linked to Lore. However, we do know that the Romulans are intent on finding the homeworld of these Soong-esque synthetics and who knows what else will be discovered there before the season is out.

Nepenthe  is the episode fans have wanted and have finally been delivered after 20 years. Riker is probably at his best since The Pegasus, clearly relaxed and at home in his shielded house complete with its outdoor pizza oven. Frakes carries off the older, wiser but still active and fun Will with aplomb and y'know, he's on the reserve list so there's always a chance to get him back on a starship...

Over on the Artifact there's a lot less joy as Hugh and Elrond are attempting to make their escape from the Romulans. Hugh's fellow XB's are executed under orders from Narissa  while Narek takes out a rather funky new Romulan scout class ship to hunt down Soji by following the La Sirena.

Our opening flashback actually reveals a little bit about what's going on in the present, taking us back three weeks to when Commodore Oh met with Jurati before she joined the crew. Certainly the mindmeld indicates that Oh is a Vulcan but potentially she might be one from the future who has seen the carnage unleashed by the synthetics and has come back to work with the Romulans to "save" the galaxy. Might this explain Oh's sympathies to the Federation's former enemy? It does however answer how Narek is able to keep up with the La Sirena even with some nifty piloting from Rios.

The thought that Jurati was playing a different game has been subtle for the last two weeks but in Nepenthe there's the dawning realisation that assisting Oh is definitely not one of her best life choices. While she has been less than forthright and displayed a very nervous disposition since day one, Agnes' ultimate choice helps her crewmates over the Romulans.

Alison Pill has been incredibly understated in Picard and the twist we now find her character in make her even more fascinating - in fact as does everyone in the show. There are many more layers here than Discovery  and not necessarily just the story but in the development of the people.

Over the last two weeks for example, Elrond has frankly had sod all to do but in Nepenthe he's elevated from sidekick to be able to do what he was brought into the crew for. With a swift fighting style he's able to dispatch Romulans at pace and is thrown into a well crafted one on one hand to hand duel with Narissa. 

Hugh's appearance here acts more to assist Elrond's escape but it's not all happy endings for everyone and there's certainly a jarring event that comes unexpectedly out of nowhere to make the episode feel ever much more grounded. Hugh's last revelation that Elrond will need to get a part-Borg to help him activate the transporter Picard used to escape only goes to ensure that a certain Fenris Ranger will be back on screen next week.

The split between the Artifact and Nepenthe was always going to be 25% to 75%. This is too big an opportunity not to enjoy the return of two The Next Generation characters and it's done in precisely the right way. They're people beyond the uniforms of Starfleet and their life choices - particularly based around giving the chronically ill Thad a "home planet" are totally believable. There's real depth to their story and the way in which it ties to the overall narrative is equally as solid a part of the series. 

Nepenthe is simply superb. The mix of classic and new absolutely plays on the heart strings and is emotionally satisfying at every single turn. The Troi-Rikers' return is played perfectly, gives us a break from the oncoming storm and proves firmly that Picard is doing the right thing by the fan base. t is new and different but Star Trek can exist and evolve without having to be set purely within the ranks of Starfleet. It has and always will be about people, characters and relationships and here, for 45 minutes, they absolutely nailed it.

Catch up on all our Picard season one episode reviews here.

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Thanks to Chris Groves for assistance with screencaps

Picard: The New Stuff

Stepping down and choosing to spend retirement at the family vineyard hasn't worked out quite the way he planned. 

Confirmed with a January 24th 2020 (Amazon Prime) launch date, New York Comic Con was the venue to see the brand new trailer for the upcoming Picard Star Trek series. 

Now reviews of trailers tend to go on shot by shot but looking at this one there’s a sprinkling of new mixed in with action shots, reaction shots and phaser shots.

"Would you like to finish it, Captain?"

"I don't know how."

"That is not true, sir."

1. Data 

Opening with vistas of the vineyard, we focus in on a figure painting - it's Data. Dressed in full The Next Generation uniform, the Soong type android is painting a faceless, hooded woman and asks the approaching Jean-Luc to finish the image. Hes also dressed in the uniform from the same era complete with captain’s pips. 

Now if memory serves, this would only have been filmed a few weeks back since we know Patrick Stewart had implicitly stated he would not be wearing a uniform in this show however it had come to a point where he realised there was no way around it. I don't think speculation is too applicable - this has to be some sort of dream sequence/suggestion that will ultimately link into the bigger picture.

It also appears that Starfleet/the Federation are developing what look like Soong type androids which would link in to what we saw in the first trailer of B-4/Lore in storage. The red suited, blank stare wearing bots definitely have a similarity to the ageless(!) Data - might their existence be a reason for Picard to get a bit upset with the admiralty?

Also here's one for you - the whimsical naming of the androids seems to have returned - the one in the pic above is F-8....F-Eight...Fate? Isn't this a huge clue as to their nature?

2. The New Crew

Again we see the arrival of Dahj (Isa Briones) at the vineyard which could prompt Picard into visiting Starfleet headquarters and having it out with one of the admiralty. Purely conjecture here since this trailer is definitely out of sequence and doesn't specify this. We also have Picard looking up Michelle Hurd's Raffi Musiker who is living in a remote location that is awfully familiar - maybe because it's Vasquez Rocks and has turned up in many a TV show over the years let alone Star Trek. Note too that Jean-Luc has taken Raffi a bottle of Chateau Picard (just next to the green plant)...

We have some new shots of the remaining crew - Doctor Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) joining the crew as well as (I think) her lab and science complex(?). Cristobal Rios (Santiago Cabera) and Elnor (Evan Evagora) appear in quick flash shots. Rios is flying his ship with heads up virtual controls which is pretty nifty while the latter is seen gearing up for combat wielding some large Romulan bladed weapon. I'm shocked that more isn't being made of these new characters and they feel very sidelined in this trailer but given the appearances of other longer loved individuals I can understand where the hype would be centred.

3. Seven and Hugh

Few little clips of the Borg splattered in here. There's that broken Borg cube once again plus a blink and miss of a Borg arm piece (below). Now in the background of this first shot we can see a lab and what appears to be the remnants of an attack of some sort - could it be that these Soong androids are being combined with Borg tech? Is this the same lab because I think it is...

The biggest new arrival here though is Jonathan Del Arco's Hugh who is seen leading Picard and Dahj at one point and also glimpsed having a sneaky look around a corner. The makeup for Hugh is a lot less intrusive than we saw in The Next Generation with his implants resembling those on Seven with a few apparent open scars on his face but none of the large elements from before. 

I would guess over 20 years pieces have become useless, deactivated or irrelevant leading to removal. Seven as noted is back too. At one point toting two phaser rifles (green burst so potentially Romulan) and then seen cradling a lifeless body. The suggestion this is Chakotay is, frankly, garbage but it could be a freed Borg? Someone that Seven has been looking for perhaps? 

Ryan does appear to have quite a wide range of aspects to play as the "new" Seven and not just her more relaxed speech. We know that she will be around for several episodes and given that filming is now over I believe that more of her work from later in the series is included here.

4. The CG

New shots of San Francisco at the end of the 24th Century and also a lab/science complex plus more to mention in...

Note the solar panels on the bridge and the much less cluttered side of the bay - lot less buildings and more in line with the high-rise angles of Into Darkness perhaps?

5. Space...

The first shots of the new hero ship which may or may not be called La Sirena are here - and they're all arse end shots giving us no real sense of what this one looks like. We can tell that it's got a reddened hull and a more industrial feel than we got from the Enterprise and as a merchant vessel this is to be expected.

Maybe the bigger surprise is that we have Romulan Birds of Prey in action against the hero vessel. By this time those ships are around 200 years old(?) but what's to say they weren't in operation during The Next Generation but we never saw them on the front lines because of their age? Absolutely no reason whatsoever.  Sadly though it doesn't help identify what the third ship in the photo below is...!

The inclusion of the Romulan ships plays well against the nod to the Borg and indicates that there will be a good split of the story focusing on these two huge spacefaring powers whom have both had their fair share of society changing events.

During the opening "Data dream" sequence as I'll refer to it for now there are inter-cut shots of alien craft attacking an undetermined installation. These ships are also responsible for the attack we see right at the end of the trailer with the large satellite/craft exploding as one flies past.

"I came here to find safety...but one is never safe from the past."

6. Picard

Down the list but yes, the dog IS called Number One and wakes Jean-Luc at his home. We can all rest easy now.

His return to Starfleet Headquarters sees that junior officer having to check his name while we get a shot of a holographic recreation of the Galaxy Class USS Enterprise before Picard is reminded that he's no longer a part of the galactic organisation and is forced to depart and find his own means of completing his new adventure.

"We have an obligation to investigate."

"There is no WE, Jean-Luc."

"Admiral, I am standing up for the Federation; for what it still should represent!"

"This is no longer your house, Jean-Luc...Go home."

Conscripting his crew must be the first step to making this mission a reality. We know from the trailer he needs their abilities but why these particular people? Why Elnor? Also why isn't Harry Treadway (Narek) not featured here?

"The past is written but we are left to write the future."

We do get to see Picard practicing his fencing skills one more time - ironically the last time this was utilised as part of an episode was I, Borg back in season five which was Hugh's first appearance.

Also showing up is Picard's First Contact era combadge - now 20 years old and surpassed by the latest Starfleet technology. For me this is a spin on the Insurrection scene where Jean-Luc removes his badge and rank pips symbolising his decision to take on a personal crusade. Here it seems he is standing up for what he believes the Federation should be representing by putting it back on, possibly following a conversation with an individual whom I am as yet unable to identify...

7. The Rikers

"Dad..."

"What?!"

"Come out here!"

"Stop yelling!"

"It's Jean-Luc Picard!"

OK, it's THE highlight of the trailer. The return of Will Riker and Deanna is what makes this two minutes of footage feel so complete. Appearing to live in a house very similar to the one Kirk had in the Nexus, Will has definitely retired from Starfleet. Now check the cast list out on IMDB and you'll spot "Kestra" listed who was Deanna's sister from Dark Page in The Next Generation (played by Kirsten Dunst if you recall) so logic would suggest that this is the name of Will and Deanna's daughter who we hear but don't see in the clip.

Like Picard they have retreated away from technology and space-faring to a more sedate lifestyle. Information leads me to believe that these shots must be from later in the series but how they are brought into the story has not yet been revealed. 

Marina Sirtis' time on screen is fleeting with only a welcoming hug for Jean-Luc while Will gets a little more time with his former captain. It's bits that we knew would be happening but to see them onscreen is such a lump in the throat moment. Let's hope that their inclusion isn't limited to sitting by the lake reminiscing over past missions.

"Thank you for not trying to talk me out of all this."

"Believe me I know better."

What do you think to the new Picard trailer? Does it tell you anything new? What's your take?

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Familiar Faces Star Alongside The 5th Passenger

Heard of it?

The answer is "Probably" as 5th Passenger stars four (count'em) FOUR Star Trek luminaries in the form of Tim Russ (Tuvok), Marina Sirtis (Troi), Robert Picardo (The Doctor) and Manu Intiraymi (Icheb) plus some Hellboy actor Doug Jones and even more faces from the sci-fi universe to boot.

Ok, here's the spiel in a couple of lines - Four crew, one escape pod, a pregnant officer, a lack of air and a mysterious fifth passenger who gradually picks off our well-known cast one by one. It can only mean it's going to be a race against time to get it before it gets them mixed in with a spadeful of conflict. Pre-production is well underway and the Kickstarter project is in full swing with just two weeks left to run.  $41,000 of the $65,000 has now been raised to make the movie viable and full pre-production can begin once the target has been met which looks like a real possibility.

"The fundraising is going well but we will definitely need more support if we are realistically going to make this initial goal." said cast member and writer, Morgan Lariah, "We really believe in this story and we know this film is something our audience is to enjoy."

With perks such as PDF scripts, access to donor-only groups, exclusive content, digital movie downloads, DVDs, lunches with crew and cast, names on end credits, costumes, miniatures (running out of breath...) and more and more, it's one of the more fan-friendly productions ensuring that backers are getting a lot of bang for their buck.

Explained writer/director Scott Baker, "I always have little seeds of ideas jumping around in my head. I really love The Twilight Zone and the way Rod Serling would tell stories and the core of this film is very much inspired by all the episodes of that show that I have watched."

"My friend Philip and I were chatting up ideas and bouncing different things back and forth when one of the little seeds came out. I wrote up a few scenes from it and took it to a table read session and the others really liked them, so I set in to flesh out the entire story."

Morgan was hooked very early on; "He approached me one day, told me the premise and how I would be great for the role of Miller. I was hooked!"

The big thing that will attract Star Trek fans to this project and certainly caught our eye was the unmistakable cast. "Scott met Manu Intiraymi on the set of another production and they chatted." recalled Morgan. "Scott mentioned 5th Passenger and how Manu is perfect for the role of Thompson."

Manu, who is also starring in the Tim Russ web-series "pilot" for Star Trek: Renegades loved the script and suggested the Tuvok actor for another of the parts in the movie, that of Franklin. "Tim joined us for the filming of the trailer. He recently helped to get Marina Sirtis and Robert Picardo on board as well." enthused Morgan,  "Having iconic Star Trek actors wasn't something that Scott and I initially planned but knowing these actors and their work we couldn't be happier with the cast we have. I can’t wait to see how they bring these roles to life."

Morgan herself was always slated for the key role of Eve Miller and recently started writing and producing her own projects such as the short film, 2-Star (which she co-wrote, produced and starred in) at the East End Film Festival in London and then went on to several other festivals internationally and in the United States. 

"I think we are so lucky to be living in this era where we have access to the equipment and technology that others before us could only dream of. Being on set with Tim Russ and Manu Intiraymi to film the trailer was such an incredible experience. They are such amazing actors and I loved watching their process. I can only imagine what acting alongside Doug Jones, Robert Picardo, Marina Sirtis and Hana (Molly O'Brien) Hatae (recently added to the cast) will be like but I am greatly looking forward to collaborating with them."

But it's not just about the wonderful world of Star Trek and while that is our main focus here(!) there are cast and crew who have been associated with films such as Captain America, Tron Legacy, Donnie Darko and series including Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It certainly looks like something which has brought together a bundle of experience from all corners of the sci-fi genre. Among those luminaries is visual magician Tobias Richter who has been seen bringing something amazing to the Axanar project in recent months.

The trailer itself is dark, brooding and atmospheric. If you're looking for a comedy element or a nice easy diversion then this won't float your boat but for those of you who like your sci-fi in the gritty tone rather than light and fluffy it'll be on your must-see list from this moment onwards. Seeing Star Trek actors facing off against each other rather than being all pally-pally makes a refreshing change and is out of the comfort zone in which we fans would usually see them. As trailers go there's not a lot given away but we go get to understand the filming style, a sense of the narrative and dialogue and a few shots both internal and exernal activity to keep you locked into your seats and more importantly helping fund this imaginative project.

Initially planned as a one-off ("You never know what will happen," said Scott), original movie, this was envisaged partly as a break from the explosion of superhero movies we've experienced in recent years; "Studios don't want to take chances on something new and I get that. They want safety. But that's where we come in. We are not beholden to men in suits who only see numbers." said producer Scott,  "We are looking to the fans of sci-fi and horror who want really new content. People vote everyday on what they want by where they spend their money. We're asking people to look at what we're doing, and if they like it, vote for us. We will deliver something amazing and NEW."

And on that one-off possibility, Morgan also wasn't sure if this would be the characters' only outing; "It’s funny because Scott and I know these characters so well. We know their past like our own and have mapped out their future. 5th Passenger only explores a sliver of their lives. We get to see and experience them just for this particular moment in time. If this first film is successful, we certainly can explore more of this universe with these characters."

It is still early days for the project but the Star Trek community is sure to be onboard with such a headline cast and knowing that in the background are some of the great heavyweights of the sci-fi movie industry itching to get started. I can only imagine that these characters will be worlds away from Icheb, Molly, The Doctor, Troi and Tuvok and will make compelling viewing in every sense.

Closed Morgan; "I think those who believe in the importance of strong female leads, diversity in casting and a captivating story will want to fund this project. I believe so strongly in making films that portray different aspects of the human condition, this is one of them."

Wanting to find out a bit more? Try out the 5th Passenger website or head onto their Kickstarter campaign and help fund the project.

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