There'll Be Fan Films But Not As We Know Them

After weeks of speculation, Paramount and CBS have unveiled their guidelines for the future of fan films.

The list of points have been posted most prominently on the star trek.com site and have sparked a great deal of response due to their apparently severe restrictions which will change the face of fan films as they exist. It's also key to note that these are termed as "guidelines" and not rules - however woe betide anyone who would dare to side step their words. 

If we go back to the very end of 2015 we can see that it was the still ongoing legal battle between Paramount/CBS and the Axanar production which has led to the introduction of these guidelines. I for one totally understand that Paramount and CBS have every right to be invested in the use of their intellectual property but the lawsuit against Axanar certainly stirred the pot and devisely split the Star Trek fandom - were you standing with Axanar or against? That was the question most fans were asking each other as we entered the 50th anniversary year.

While I'm not going to get into the nitty gritty of the court case, it is worth saying that even though JJ Abrams announced at the Beyond special event that the suit was going away it is still rolling on with Axanar now counter-suing for losses as well. Oh the fun. However, part of the disagreement did focus on the introduction of fan film guidelines that would stop such instances of productions skirting far more close to the line than the IP holders were happy with as seems to be the case with formerly independent production Axanar.

I'm not a lawyer (yes, honestly I'm not) but the case is still super interesting and certainly the mudslinging, name calling, fan-banning and parody accounts has kept Twitter (and some relevant forums) very entertaining even if it has made the Star Trek fandom look utterly ridiculous at times.  

With the new guidelines announced there was a lot of hate thrown in the direction of Axanar. Whether it's justified or not, the last few months have not been kind to anyone associated with it. Former players have talked out against the project and even persons asked to become involved perhaps through inappropriate means have voiced their concerns about the project. Is the studio being rented to to other productions? What was Peters being paid? What happened to all that donor money - was it spent jetting around the globe to events? Let's not speculate on all the "news" that vomitted out of the original case but the rather scrappy trailer produced recently as well as the latest one minute polished teaser seem to have left fans speechless and shocked at what was promised and what has been produced. As someone who donated I really don't know where I stand going forward or if I will ever see any of the perks promised. Heck, with these new guidelines can Axanar actually be completed? I would say not because there will need to be changes made that will possibly make the project in-viable and what's going to have happened to all that cash?

So to the guidelines.

Well they will certainly mean the end of Axanar as it currently exists and may well have a big effect on series such as Continues, New Voyages and friends of Some Kind of Star Trek, Anthology and Dreadnought Dominion.  Let's break them down and air my thoughts...

1. The fan production must be less than 15 minutes for a single self-contained story, or no more than two segments, episodes or parts, not to exceed 30 minutes total, with no additional seasons, episodes, parts, sequels or remakes.

Being only 15 minutes in length for a single story or 30 for a segmented story plus they can only be one offs. This kills the series such as Continues immediately which has hour long episodes and uses standing sets for repeat productions. Say farewell to your long running fan series which will immediately overrun this rule in one go. Just think about Renegades which has only just started filming its second film.

2. The title of the fan production or any parts cannot include the name “Star Trek.” However, the title must contain a subtitle with the phrase: “A STAR TREK FAN PRODUCTION” in plain typeface. The fan production cannot use the term “official” in either its title or subtitle or in any marketing, promotions or social media for the fan production.

The removal of Star Trek from the title isn't a big thing for Axanar for example but think of the impact for shows such as Continues or New Voyages for example - it's a part of what they are. The inclusion of "A Star Trek fan production on the title card is pretty fine and I don't see there being many issues over that. No shock that you can't use the word "official".

3. The content in the fan production must be original, not reproductions, recreations or clips from any Star Trek production. If non-Star Trek third party content is used, all necessary permissions for any third party content should be obtained in writing.

Basically it's got to be 100% original material and if you don't own the copyright to it you're going to need to ask if it's not a Star Trek property. You can't reproduce anything, copy anything or use anything (clips) from the show or movies. Wondering if this also encompasses using any characters from the show such as Apollo in Continues' Pilgrim of Eternity?

4. If the fan production uses commercially-available Star Trek uniforms, accessories, toys and props, these items must be official merchandise and not bootleg items or imitations of such commercially available products.

So fan productions can't be making their own uniforms or any items that you can buy in a shop. Surely a sign that Paramount and CBS are looking to reap some sort of financial benefit from the shows because a percentage of those item sales will obviously go back to the IP holders at some point. Could push fan films into designing their own props, clothes and accessories but then does that mean it's not Star Trek anymore...?

5. The fan production must be a real “fan” production, i.e., creators, actors and all other participants must be amateurs, cannot be compensated for their services, and cannot be currently or previously employed on any Star Trek series, films, production of DVDs or with any of CBS or Paramount Pictures’ licensees.

So no paying cast to star in your movie anymore. This also puts paid to getting Star Trek actors to guest on your show as has happened in a few of the New Voyages episodes for example (Sulu, Chekov...). This probably comes off the back of Axanar paying its cast to appear - and remember that three of the gents in their Prelude were former guest cast for Star Trek (JG Hertzler, Gary Graham, Tony Todd) so there's another nail in the coffin (yes, Todd has since left the production). Axanar made a lot of its own uniforms, patches and a lot more. Also productions like Renegades may now have to grind to a halt in light of using a plethora of Star Trek actors and making their own props for the film. 

6. The fan production must be non-commercial:

CBS and Paramount Pictures do not object to limited fundraising for the creation of a fan production, whether 1 or 2 segments and consistent with these guidelines, so long as the total amount does not exceed $50,000, including all platform fees, and when the $50,000 goal is reached, all fundraising must cease.

The fan production must only be exhibited or distributed on a no-charge basis and/or shared via streaming services without generating revenue.

The fan production cannot be distributed in a physical format such as DVD or Blu-ray.

The fan production cannot be used to derive advertising revenue including, but not limited to, through for example, the use of pre or post-roll advertising, click-through advertising banners, that is associated with the fan production.

No unlicensed Star Trek-related or fan production-related merchandise or services can be offered for sale or given away as premiums, perks or rewards or in connection with the fan production fundraising.

The fan production cannot derive revenue by selling or licensing fan-created production sets, props or costumes.

Well that's a big one. Axanar is clearly the precedent for this one as it raised somewhere in the region of $1.2million which has been spent in a variety of ways (none of which I wish to speculate on here I would add again!). The ceiling of $50,000 is interesting because I think this means it remains on a "shoestring" budget rather than moving into some serious TV/movie level budgets that Axanar was certainly prodding at with its seven figure fundraising balance. The perk DVD/Blu-ray has now been eliminated by the guidelines effectively reducing the output to the production's website and maybe to YouTube BUT you can't make any money off it whatsoever. Not a shock really with this guideline because it's protecting the IP and making sure only the licence holders are making money off the item that they own.

This extensive point also ensures that the sites can't even have advertising to bring in revenue or offer any items for sale or as tempters to donate money. For a lot of fan productions the ability to give away items is what has made the difference. Again look at the perks from Axanar including those DVDs, uniform items, ship models and the combadges and rifle props that Renegades offered as a further example.

I think we can all understand this is purely the owners making sure there's no cash being pocketed on the side.

7. The fan production must be family friendly and suitable for public presentation. Videos must not include profanity, nudity, obscenity, pornography, depictions of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, or any harmful or illegal activity, or any material that is offensive, fraudulent, defamatory, libelous, disparaging, sexually explicit, threatening, hateful, or any other inappropriate content. The content of the fan production cannot violate any individual’s right of privacy.

No brainer. It's making sure that the Star Trek brand is kept in good repute and I think all fan productions will be able to adhere to that without any effort at all. One thing they all want is to portray the franchise effectively on the screen and for the enjoyment of the fandom.

8. The fan production must display the following disclaimer in the on-screen credits of the fan productions and on any marketing material including the fan production website or page hosting the fan production: 

“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.”

Pretty much the same as the "A Star Trek Fan Production" line that has to be added at the beginning of the movie. Just another subtle reminder to all and sundry who is in charge of the show at the end of the day. I can't pick at this one. Straight forward. 

9. Creators of fan productions must not seek to register their works, nor any elements of the works, under copyright or trademark law.

Fair play. You would be a bit silly trying to copyright something that's already copyrighted and owned by someone else.

10. Fan productions cannot create or imply any association or endorsement by CBS or Paramount Pictures

These last few points don't do anything that's not logical really do they? If it's fan made and glaring says so as per points 2 and 8 then there's no reason why you should be implying the last point here. I guess that Axanar's independence and then comments around the IP holders being absolutely fine with it all must be reasons for this to have been included as the final line.

Commented exec producer for Dreadnought Dominion, Gary Davis when I dropped him a line shortly after the guidelines were announced: "...this is a "gut punch" to stay the least." he said, "These guidelines will bring to an end the Fan Film era as we know it. Under these guidelines any future plans for Dreadnought Dominion would be severely hobbled. The guidelines seem to be aimed at giving consent, yet making it virtually impossible to produce any semblance of a show worth watching.

"We all understand that CBS/Paramount have the right to protect their intellectual property. We further understand that the producers of Axanar overstepped the accepted bounds of crowdfunding, compared themselves with the current Star Trek productions calling themselves a "professional" film rather than a Fan Film, THEN deriving personal income FROM the crowdfunding."

It's good to see that productions - on the whole - recognise the privilege they have been allowed to play in the Star Trek universe but there is recognition that the game has changed and it's a big move by the IP holders.

Continued Gary, "However, just because there was one bad apple, shouldn't mean that CBS/Paramount cripples everyone from producing Fan Films when everyone in the past was adhering to the unspoken "rule" of Fan Films by "not making any money". Its a shame, a travesty, and will really put a bad taste in the mouths of the fans who come to enjoy the genre of Star Trek."

There we have it. A very different day for the fan film community. I like the point that these are guidelines and not RULES but you would be a bit idiotic to ignore them and incur the wrath of Paramount and CBS. Perhaps this won't be the final version and we will see the more prominent productions stepping forward and speaking to the owners about how these rules can be amended. If not then I think we can guarantee an end to the recurring webseries and the more exotic fan films such as Renegades.

It also seems that it will take some time for these rules to fully sink in and it could lead to our favourite web-series existing in a very different format. 

Wrote Vic Mignogna on the Star Trek Continues Facebook page: "Hi everyone, thank you all for your tremendous outpouring of concern and support. First and foremost, we have the utmost respect for CBS and their right to protect their property as they see fit. As soon as we know for sure how the latest developments will impact Star Trek Continues we will most certainly share it with all of you. Star Trek Continues was created purely out of love and tribute, not a desire for profit or self-promotion. Thank you again for all your support. Vic"

Did Axanar become too big? Did those involved believe they were bigger than Star Trek itself? Was it wrong declaring independence? Has it angered people who donated? I think all of those questions aren't as straight forward as they may seem depending on where you sit and that's what's really damaged the fan community - there seems to be no definitive right or wrong when it comes to the people who would be watching the end result.

This will not be the last time we'll hear about these rules as their introduction sends shockwaves across the moviemakers out there. How this announcement will affect productions currently being made or edited is also something that will have to be considered since they were in process before the guidelines were announced. What happens, for example, to the episodes of Continues that are in post-production? I hope that the issues Axanar has thrown up in the last six months do not mean an effective end to fan films but right now I'm very, very uncertain as to what the future holds.

How do you feel about the new guidelines from CBS and Paramount? Is it the end of the fan film?

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Events on the Horizon

While the dust is kicked up around the Axanar situation, you may well have missed the arrival of Star Trek: Horizon.

Based on the franchise, Tommy Kraft has brought a fresh new story to the universe and, most importantly, it's not set during the oft-used Kirk-era of The Original Series. Oh - usual warning, SPOILERS ahead.

Horizon instead takes us back to the time of the Romulan War and the years we glimpsed through Enterprise. This time we're not on the NX-01 but the Discovery under the command of one Harrison Hawke.

Horizon is very much a story of time, reintroducing us to the Iconians and introducing us to a terrifying technology that they managed to steal away from the Elway before they could use it. It's a scene we actually saw a few months ago as a teaser but my god did it leave a lot for us to discover.

Flash forward a few thousand years to the Discovery making a run for Earth territory carrying a Romulan defector. The escape results in the loss of Hawke's helm officer who, it also turns out, he was romantically entwined with. Seeing Romulan Birds of Prey laying down a barrage of fire onto the NX Class starship is incredible. The acting alone is spot on from everyone involved even at this early point in proceedings and, to be honest, it just gets better and better from there.

Turns out that the Romulans are preparing for a big push just around the corner from Earth and someone needs to go and sort it out before it gets nasty. The Discovery, Enterprise and a couple of Vulcan ships take on the mission. The Romulan defector, T'Mar, joins the crew at the helm although her presence isn't welcomed by all.  On the flip side, the Romulans are being aided by their own "Future Guy" in the effort to win the war but this time it's not a big help as the coalition fleet manages to save the day and destroy the weapon. Problem is that in the process the Discovery's brand spanking new tricobalt torpedoes set off a reaction which throws the ship out of time and into a distant galaxy where they arrive at Horizon. Without giving too much away, the movie tells the story of that mission and the need to stop the Elway weapon from being used plus some hallmark Enterprise Temporal Cold War elements mixed in for good effect.   

So let's get into the movie a bit more. For one thing the acting on all accounts is damn fine and spot on. Paul Lang as Captain Hawke provides a solid element of control as the commanding officer of the NX-04 and manages to sprinkle his performance with some more "human" touches than you might expect from a character who has been relentlessly experiencing the horrors of the Romulan War. Marc Bowers as First Officer and Science Officer Jackson Gates is a more calming influence within the crew and steps up to the plate when required. Ryan Webber perhaps has the most interesting role to play within Horizon providing the foil to Callie Bussell's altered Romulan T'Mar. 

Their relationship develops from hostility to a mutual "cease fire" but not friendship across the course of the movie and I think that's a good choice should this ever be expanded into other episodes. It is a cast which is fully utilised and everyone gets their moment in the limelight and for that Tommy and the production team must be congratulated. No-one hugs the camera and there is a use and purpose for every character. I actually expected Ensign Sutherland (Ashley Croft) to be a bit of a side character but she's well included during the away mission to Horizon plus she helps open up some more to T'Mar's character during an early interaction.

As for the Romulans, there are two key players. Firstly in the early events of the story, Admiral Verak, ably portrayed by Ryan Husk and latterly Daekon played by Rocco Guirlanda. The two "villains" of the piece do split the narrative with Verak being the main opponent when the coalition fleet attacks the hidden Romulan weapon and Daekon holds his own in the events surrounding Horizon. They are pretty standard Romulan characters although Daekon is perhaps provided more breathing space in terms of development moreso because of his role in the conclusion of the story. 

There is a little bit of moustache-twirling villainy in the air with Guirlanda's character but it does help up the ante. Also significant to the story of Horizon, Daekon and the Temporal Cold War is Amelia Yarris. Seemingly killed off in the opening few minutes of Horizon during the Romulan battle, she flits in and out of the show through Hawke's dreams and actually has a decent part to play when all the different strands are brought together. Her path is a little forecast and won't take a great amount of thinking to work out where it's heading by the halfway point but the payoff, at the least, makes sense and actress Jeannine Thompson carries the part off very well and makes it believable.

The story itself is very clearly set out as I've noted. It is quite simple, easy to follow and well explained from the start. The hectic battle which introduces us to the Discovery and her crew is excellently executed and for a one-off production I was blown away. Kraft and the production team have utterly amazed me with their attention to detail in every way. The phasers, uniforms, tricorders, consoles and overall environments are just as you would expect and have seen during the four years Enterprise was on our screens.  A lot of the production does use green screens/backdrops to create the full environment but the way in which it's filmed draws your eyes away from the backgrounds and onto the main characters. Their performances do make you forget that a lot of what you're seeing is all being created inside a computer and really helps you invest in the story.

I actually think this way of producing, as opposed to the standing sets of Continues or New Voyages means that Kraft and co have been able to be a lot more expressive in their artform and do a lot more than you might chance with "real" props. Certainly the pounding the Discovery gets in its first appearance is testimony to that in the least. It also means that we are granted some stunning vistas and alien environments and technology when we are taken to Horizon. 

There are definitely a few sequences I can immediately think of which would otherwise not have been possible if not for the use of CGI. Saying that about the internal visuals it also has to be said for the space battles and realisations of the Earth, Vulcan and Romulan ships that appear throughout. The texturing, the lighting, the finished article is just beautiful to watch and I think it's actually an improvement on some of the visuals even CG Enterprise gave us 15 years ago. 

The space-bourne sequences are in the minority and act as an accompaniment rather than a major part of the story. They are important but are used effectively with the narrative rather than being a good excuse to have some stuff blowing up. What CG has done for Horizon is allow it to really embrace the universe and do whatever it wants. Bridge of a starship? Check. Alien world complete with killer drones? Check. 

Horizon is unique in the fact it has avoided doing the "inexpensive" classic 60's Star Trek and has broken the boundaries to passionately embrace the prequel era and the technical wizardry that those later produced episodes brought viewers. It's a brave move that could have easily looked cheap and nasty but the commitment of the actors plus the brilliance of the digital recreations on screen had me captivated and enthralled from the first scene. If you've yet to see Horizon you are missing a true diamond from the fan film community. I fear we may never see a sequel but this rally does go to show what a limited budget and total belief from all involved can produce. 

Tommy Kraft should be proud of this achievement and I'm sure that his skills will be in great demand particularly from other fan productions in the future. Horizon is a great action adventure story which sits perfectly in the Star Trek universe. It has heart, it has a soul and it has dared to explore something and somewhere different, drawing on elements from the franchise's past but yet successfully adding to it and remaining faithful to the core material. At an hour and a half this is perfectly paced and totally enjoyable. Get yourself a brew, get comfy and watch it. This could well be the film future productions use as their benchmark and could well be a turning point in how fan movies look for the next fifty years.

Were you impressed with Horizon? Will it have an impact on future fan productions? Let me know your thoughts below!

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Further Horizons: Trailers and Teasers

Works seems to have gone exceedingly well for the Star Trek: Horizons team with this week's reveal of the second and final trailer for the Enterprise-era movie.

"Horizon...so aptly named..."

Their first trailer, released 11 months ago, has amassed over 2.7 million views and the opening scene 211,000 views so far.

The vision of Tommy Kraft, Star Trek: Horizon is turning out to be a must-see as far as I'm concerned. There have been some voices out there suggesting it's all gone warlike and it's not keeping with the original Roddenberry vision but it was always going to be the case that future generations would take the franchise and mould it to how they saw it. Horizon is just that and more, taking us into the very uncharted territory of the years following Enterprise and placing us with the crew of the NX Class Discovery.

After three years of work on the project, we can expect the final work to be revealed in February 2016 - just four short months away - but for now we'll have to do with the trailer and what a work that is in itself. It's been out for a fair few weeks now but with #30daysoftrek and also Tommy taking the time to answer some questions in his very busy schedule, it's taken until now to put something in words.

Now we know how good the Renegades trailer looked and how that all turned out so I'm keeping fingers crossed that this doesn't head in the same way but there are a few things already swaying my favour towards this great-looking movie. It's not relying on an all-star cast to deliver its story and it's moved the story into an earlier Star Trek era rather than attempting to portray a time after Voyager with even more futuristic tech that a KickStarter funded work just can't make look as good as a fully-fledged studio. This looks like a very professional production and before I get too carried away, let's actually look at the trailer.

Opening with some sublime CGI shots of the Discovery and of a strange new world, the overlying narrative suggests Horizon to either be a planet or some form of device(?) of enormous power. Linked into this is a shot of what appears to be a full-face helmeted Romulan that reminds us we're in the midst of the never-before-seen war with the secretive race. 

Discovery's mission it seems is to retrieve a spy who is carrying information on a super-weapon that is being constructed within spitting distance of Earth. Cue some even more beautiful shots of a Romulan space station and a 22nd Century Bird-of-Prey. Man, these CGI shots are just amazing and all the way through this trailer this is the one thing that just blew me away. While there's been good CG in other productions and yes, Renegades did have some great work in there, the level here just takes that another step up. The lighting, the action, the movement of the ships themselves is extremely fluid and realistic to a point that it would easily rival anything you can see on TV right now. Look out for the Vulcan ships too as the trailer progresses. I loved the work on them in Enterprise but they look even better here and that's a fact.

Paul Lang is very prominent within this trailer as Captain Harrison Hawke of the NX-04, leading the mission against the Romulans. He's got a lot of presence here and from the short amount of material we see here, Paul looks to have done a good job in the role and has clearly played it straight which suits the style of the movie. Key to the story is the intel provided by a spy/defector that the Romulans are building a weapon of mass destruction which will turn the tide of the war and it's being constructed two light years from Earth. Is this weapon being constructed on Horizon? Is it something that the Romulans have actually discovered rather than a weapon they have made?

One thing you do notice is that there is a lot of JJ-esque lens flare in the footage whether CG or on the sets. Accompanied by some very Battlestar Galactica-like musical overtures you can certainly see which side of the sci-fi fence has influenced the feel of the movie and cast its net a little further than the sets of Berman and Braga's Enterprise from 15 years ago. In fact I'd be pushed to say that there was much of a set built since the backgrounds I could see through this were mainly computer generated and slightly out of focus which pulls your attention immediately to the action taking place at the front of the shot.

I asked Tommy about that visual nuance when I caught up with him after watching the new trailer; "I think the blurred background is an odd choice to pick on as it's simply a result of the camera and lenses used to shoot a film; IE cameras with larger sensors and faster lenses will tend to have much blurrier backgrounds.

"In that regard, I do like that particular look a lot. In the case of Horizon, since the film was shot almost entirely on green screen, the blurred backgrounds you referenced were made to simulate real cameras and lenses. Regarding the rest of the visual style, it's just a look that I like and I think fits the tone and story I've chosen for Horizon. I wouldn't necessarily choose that look for every film I make because each film needs to have it's own look and stand on it's own."

Explained Horizon creator, Tommy; "I'm very close to finishing the film visually. There are 177 scenes in the shooting script and I've finished 167 out of those 177. We're close to the end!"

"We have done the work and we are ready..."

Great news with that premiere only a few months away so what's left? "I had a great guy, Michael Huang, volunteer for sound design duty." continued Tommy, "He'll be doing a 5.1 and stereo mix for the film as well as doing all of the sound design duties. He already has the first hour and twenty five minutes of the film to work on while I finish the last fifteen or so minutes of the film. After that it's onto music duty for me!"

If you think it sounds like Tommy is working particularly hard to get this project completed you would be absolutely right - and then some; "There have been so many challenges over the course of making this film that it's hard to list one. One of the things that has made this film unique is I've had to do the vast majority of the work myself.

"Whereas productions like Renegades, Axanar, etc. have decently-sized teams behind them, I'm almost entirely a one-man-band. I've had some people to help me out here and there: a couple people provided some Vulcan and Romulan ship models, some folks have helped with tasks like rotoscoping here and there."

"Overall though, it's been all me from the beginning. I've written, directed, edited and shot the film, done all of the visual effects and compositing as well as will be doing the music, and I sewed all the costumes. I'm sure there's other stuff in there I'm forgetting as well. Probably the hardest part has been staying motivated and passionate over this now three year haul. But we're getting close to the end and it's really gratifying to see it all come together"

So can we expect to see a Horizon II in the near future or was the three year journey just long enough for Tommy?

"I currently have no plans for continuing the story after the film. That's not to say I haven't thought about it, I have." he said, "But after this incredibly long project, I need to branch out and do something different. As for what exactly that is? I've written some scripts: a few shorts and a feature, but I don't know exactly what I'll be doing. I'm just focusing on getting Horizon done at the moment."

Overall fan reaction to the trailer that I've seen across the various forums talking about the movie have been positive especially in regards to the look of the film and the quality of the effects shots we've seen so far. Added Tommy; "We have nearly three million views on our first trailer and are climbing in views on the second trailer."

No question why that second trailer is proving popular since it's packed out with action and is now hitting 46,000 views. There's an entrancing story, Romulans, Vulcans, space battles and - if you catch him - Future Guy (looking a little bit Romulan himself). Future Guy does imply that the   I also suspect from the trailer that one of the crew will turn out to be an agent for another faction who is aboard the Discovery to deal with the threat that Horizon presents - in fact that's suggested by some of the later dialogue in the trailer. Could this crewmember be a temporal agent similar to Daniels in Enterprise? She does, in the trailer, mention that she has undergone a "procedure" so could it be she is from the race that created that Horizon weapon?

The use of green-screen may be evident all the way through but it means that the movie can step out of those ship confines and onto strange new worlds, starbases and more. Within this trailer there are glimpses of those aspects in visuals I would not have expected from such a production. The last sections of the trailer do indicate some final showdown surrounding the titular Horizon but exactly how it all fits together will have to wait until February. But how incredible does it all look?!

The crew in an alien base, Romulan Birds-of-Prey all over the place and the Discovery in grave danger just heighten my interest and leave me wondering how the story will evolve from the few minutes we have already seen. What really impressed here is the fact that this isn't a bottle show. We're getting off the ship and in style. Certainly Horizon seems to have a lot more angles than we know about besides the Federation and the Romulans. We are going to be thrown into the Empire's territory, potentially in search of Horizon and its creators. 

If the trailers have whet your appetite for the movie then Tommy would love you to share it with other fans of the franchise and help spread the word. "In addition to that, we have various donation options via Paypal still available on our official website." said Tommy, "As rewards for donations, donors can receive various things such as a digital download of the film when it's done, a copy on DVD or Blu-ray, a copy of the soundtrack, and more. Check out the Support Us section of our website for more information on that."

You can visit the Horizon site now to hep the cause and also view the second trailer right here.

All picture credits Star Trek Horizon and Tommy Kraft.

Is Horizon something you're looking forward to? What did you think to the second trailer?

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Coming Over the Horizon

When I first heard of Star Trek: Horizon I approached it with some trepidation. Fan projects are great, they keep the dream alive but the only decent ones are set in The Original Series because of cost, right?

Not strictly true. Since I started Some Kind of Star Trek in 2012 I've had to hit a fast learning curve to catch up on the multitude of fan films and series that are scattered across the plains of the internet. Some are great, some are OK and there are others which I can never unsee. It could  be said that the stronger offerings are those from the original show's era; Phase II, Continues, Starship Exeter and Farragut immediately spring to mind. The trouble is that there are a lot of others which tread outside of that "inexpensive" territory. A good deal of those shows which attempt to sit in the later eras of Picard, Sisko and Janeway rely on a vast amount of green-screen and CGI wizardry to fill in the backgrounds (sometimes the plot) and save a lot of money on producing hi-tech sets. This leads to varying levels of quality which can adversely affect the result whether or not the script and the acting are any good.

When I got asked to take a look over Horizon I already knew of its existence (see April's Blagger's Guide) but very little else.

At present the team have a Kickstarter fund which has now been fulfilled to help them complete the movie. Targeted for $10,000, Horizon has doubled that amount thanks to 366 backers.  But there's more to this project than just looking for money to get the job done. I sat down to watch the trailer and opening teaser scene and was shocked. Utterly shocked. 

I had visions of 1980's Atari graphics, poor acting and a certain "cheap" feel to the show as well as lasting about 20 seconds into the trailer before turning it off. What I can say is that I made it all the way through that trailer and the opening scene with ease. I wanted to see more. 

If this is a teaser of what's to come then this could be a great movie. Oh - and did I mention that it's set in the Archer era?!

Yep, I'll just direct you to read that line again; the time just after Enterprise. That has to be one of Horizon's unique selling points since very few projects will ever choose to use the least popular time period from Star Trek as their setting. I was never a super-fan of Enterprise but for once I wanted to see more. 

Taking us into the heart of the Romulan War and aboard the NX Class Discovery, this movie will allow us to see the fledgling Coalition of Planets seeking out any way they can to gain the upper hand in the conflict.

The accompanying website gives a decent level of background to the cast and crew who will be working on Horizon. Covering background crew and cast as well as links to a rather impressive range of video blogs documenting the project's progress as well as the teaser trailer. They haven't been idle either in coming forward as there are a large number of articles where project commander Tommy Kraft has been actively promoting this new episode in the Star Trek universe. All well and good but is this just all show? Is there any substance behind this great display of energy and enthusiasm? We know the money is there at least so what are fans getting?

Said Tommy Kraft shortly before the completion of the Kickstarter funding:

"We're in the final hours of our Kickstarter campaign and I couldn't be more excited about everything that's been happening with the project. We're approximately 60% of the way through principal photography and our Kickstarter campaign has garnered nearly 200% of our original $10,000 goal. Big things are in store for Horizon and I can't wait to share some of the latest work we've been doing."

Let's first turn our attention to the trailer. Running at just over one minute it won't remove a lot of time from your day and it'll certainly give you a taste of the bigger vision. Taking dialogue from the opening scene, the sequence has us in the melancholy of remembrance for comrades lost in the Romulan War while also treating us to damage and destruction on board the Discovery. It's short and aside from glimpsing the key characters, some fleeting shots of environments and a gorgeous flypast of the ship there's still much to be answered. The music framing the trailer is very reflective of Battlestar Galactica and I suspect that that show may have had a fair share of influence on the feel of the end result.

But the story doesn't stop there. The Horizon team have also provided us with the titillating opening scene.

These six minutes don't feature anything to do with Starfleet and instead sets up the plot, talks about exactly what Horizon is and also puts a face to the never-before-seen Iconians mentioned previously in Contagion and To the Death. It's a wonderful scene which evokes a sense of Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome through the graphics (yep, seriously seeing an influence here). The two actors involved here give no suggestion that this is all a computer simulation in their interactions and it has to be one of the smoothest combinations yet. I just hope that this is maintained for the upcoming feature production. Nothing really gets given away in these six minutes - but you'll probably work out the main plot point at least!

I did get a bit of a sense of Stargate through the physical form of the Horizon but then it all goes planet-killing which wasn't quite what I expected. My earlier note on the feel of Battlestar Galactica definitely stands here - this is a much more gritty entry into the franchise universe than Enterprise ever was (although it could have been for year five). These guys are producing some top level animation with pretty good quality acting which is rare within the fan production community. OK, so we've only been privvy to a fairly explosive trailer and a few minutes of footage that doesn't show any of the cast who are featured on the website so I'm more than ready to play this cautiously. The test of the tape will come when we start to see complete scenes from later in the story and how the ensemble handle the material.

With funding complete, work can continue in earnest to finish this project. I'm staying on the fence for a while here because so far we've not seen a lot of meat. There's lots of tempting morsels but nothing substantial to dig in to and critique. What we do have seems solid and at least on a par with some of the bigger budget and more well-known films and series that exist. I hope that Horizon in the very least does ignite some more passion for the Archer era of Star Trek. Enterprise was definitively cut short but here we have a group of fans who are trying to expand on that clipped story, to tell an aspect of the narrative that we could have seen if there had ever been a fifth season.

We will be keeping in touch with our new friends over at Horizon to get the latest info on their work and will be reviewing the finished product as soon as it's released.

You can find out more on Star Trek: Horizon by going to their website HERE

All images courtesy of Star Trek: Horizon

What do you think to this new chapter in the Star Trek fan universe? Let us know below!

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