Star Trek Axanar, a fan film

Ok, J.J. Abrams is a cool guy. He made the best espionage TV series of all time (Alias and revealed Jennifer Garner as a bombshell action heroine), he created the most intriguing mysterious TV series since The X-Files (Lost) and he brought the monster movies to a new degree (Cloverfield), but we have to be honests here: J.J. Abrams is not a Star Trek real fan. He almost sank the Enterprise in an ocean of nonsense and changes that not only angered the most loyal fans of Star Trek (who can forget Vulcan’s destruction and two Mr. Spock living in the same timeline???) as it seemed that the franchise would not survive a second film. But Star Trek Beyond, the third film starring the reinvigorated Enterprise crew, is coming soon, and without Abrams, who is handling the return of Star Wars to the movies (I hope he does not also sink the Millennium Falcon with his nerd-revolutionary ideas). If you are a real trekker you know what we all expect from a new Star Trek movie.

The guys behind Star Trek Axanar probably also know, and the proof that they are in the right way is the video Prelude to Axanar that counts more than 1,4 million hits on their official YouTube Channel. Last week I talked about Star Trek: Renegades fan film, that seems like a great bet for a new TV series of Star Trek, and now another project for a new series of adventures in the Star Trek universe begins to gain similar strength. Truth be told: if you want something done right, do it by yourself.

The Four Years War

In the world of fan fiction, there is perhaps no group as rabid and as loyal as Trekkies. The Internet is littered with the works of fans who took their inspiration from Star Trek and went in interesting, unsanctioned directions. While most of these works are noted for their poor quality, one group of fans have their eyes set on a professional level production, and they’ve been taking the Star Trek world by storm.

Axanar, though unsanctioned by CBS, who owns the rights to Star Trek, boasts a cast and crew of professionals to elevate the film beyond normal fan-fueled productions. Included in the cast are Trek veterans Tony Todd as Admiral Marcus Ramirez, Kate Vernon as Captain Sonya Alexander, and J.G. Hertzler as Captain Samuel Travis.

Kate Vernon, JG Hertzler, Gary Graham, director Chris Gossett, Alec Peters, and Richard Hatch at “Prelude to Axanar” premiere at San Diego Comic Con 2014. Source: TrekMovie.Com.

Recently, Axanar announced that they had received over $500,000 in donations from their latest fundraising campaign on IndieGoGo. The success of this campaign pushes the budget for the project into the million dollar range, with thousands of Star Trek fans across the globe kicking in money to ensure Axanar sees the light of day. Set during the period of the Four Years War between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, the film explores the incident that ended the one hot conflict between the two civilizations. While long time Trekkies are familiar with this story, which has been explored in various games and expanded universe books, this project marks the first time anyone has attempted to bring the story to life.

The major cast for Star Trek Axanar, from above left to right: Alec Peters as Captain Garth, Gary Graham as Ambassador Soval, J.G. Hertzler as Captain Travis, Kate Vernon as Captain Alexander, Richard Hatch as Kharn, and Tony Rodd as Admiral Ramirez.

The film follows the journey of Captain Kelvar Garth (Alec Peters), as he faces off against the Klingons at the outpost of Axanar. Taking place 21 years before the original series, Axanar promises to be a return to the roots of Star Trek, focusing on exploration of both space and humanity with the Four Years War as its backdrop. Captain Garth, according to lore, is one of Captain James T. Kirk’s heroes, an ideal model for what a Starfleet captain should be. This is more than enough to excite the imaginations of Trekkies, who’ve been clamoring for a more traditional Star Trek to contrast with the rebooted series that kicked off with J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek film. Even though Axanar is officially a non-sanctioned Star Trek story, it feels like a breath of fresh air for the series, which has seen no new TV outings since Enterprise was canceled in 2005.

The USS Ares, commanded by Captain Kelvar Garth (Alec Peters).

The movie will be released in four episodes, following the act structure of the script, and is set for release sometime in early 2016. Excitement for the project soared upon the release of last year’s Prelude to Axanar, a 21 minute short film, presented as a History Channel-style retelling of the events preceding Axanar, complete with interviews and reenactments. Widely considered one of the best Star Trek fan films ever made, it was also hailed as one of the best Trek projects in recent memory, with fans sharing the film all across social media.

Above: A Klingon destroyer, and right below from left to right four of the Federation starships that will be in the Star Trek Axanar movies: USS Ares, USS Geronimo, USS Hermes and USS Korolev.

If the quality of Prelude is any indication, Axanar stands to be a remarkable step for the future of fan films. If you do not believe, take a look in this first scene from the first Axanar movie already filmed and titled “Vulcan Scene” on Axanar official Channel on YouTube and forget for a moment that that planet does not exist anymore thanks to J.J. Abrams:

Star Trek is known for its acceptance of fan projects, provided no money is made from the efforts. With so much support from Trekkies, perhaps Paramount and CBS will take this as an indication of what fans expect from the Star Trek brand and react accordingly. Regardless, Axanar is sure to be a treat for Trekkies when it makes its debut. The IndieGoGo campaign is still up and running, so there’s still time to pitch in and support this project. Click here to visit the project official website and make a donate.

Take a look at Prelude to Axanar below, a good documentary about what was the Four Years War and what we are going to see very soon if the project goes well:

Live longer and prosper!

Source text: Screen Rant and Axanar.

Updated: Star Trek: Renegades, a fan film

Note: I’m very proudly to say that according to WordPress this is my 500th post on this blog. All That I Love started on May 2011, and it was a long way of learning and hard work to know how to make a blog as good as possible but I guess I’m in the right way. I know it there’s a long journey ahead but this is a great mark for All That Love, and I hope to get to 1000 posts very soon. Thanks for all followers and visitors of All That I Love. Now, to infinite and beyond!

Space, the final frontier

When you think of “film made by fans” based on some TV show or movie, immediately you picture a backyard production, starring teenagers, film students and amateur actors wearing costumes made by hand, in cardboard sets and effects produced in a makeshift studio in a garage or basement. Most so-called “fan films” really are like that, following the maxim “an idea in his head, a camera in hand.”

Fortunately, this is not the case for Star Trek: Renegades. The film was produced by passionate fans of Star Trek who joined their love for the series created by Gene Roddenbery with the highest degree of professionalism to create a high quality product, able to satisfy the most loyal fans of the original series and at the same time those who do not distinguish a Vulcan of a Klingon.

Written by Jack Trevino and directed by Tim Russ, Star Trek: Renegades cost about $ 375,000 to be produced (a real dab in movie budgets made by fans) and uses modern film techniques and enough good visual effects to allow the film to draw the attention of any production company or broadcaster able to transforming the original idea into a pilot for a new TV series based on the Star Trek universe.

Boldly going where no Trek has gone before

Star Trek: Renegades is an unlicensed and unofficial fan film based upon the Star Trek franchise, although it features several characters from commercially produced Star Trek played by the same actors who realized them for film and TV, who in some cases are reprising their former roles as  Walter Koenig cast as Admiral Pavel Chekov and Robert Picardo as Dr. Lewis Zimmerman who is the developer of the Emergency Medical Hologram. The story concerns a group of criminals and misfits assembled to undertake a covert mission when suspicion arises that the official military chain of command has been compromised by enemy agents. The film was largely funded through crowdsourcing, and the film’s producers claimed they were going to submit it to CBS as a spec TV pilot.

It’s ten years after the starship Voyager’s return from the Delta Quadrant, and the Federation is in a crisis. The Federation’s main suppliers of dilithium crystals (the primary catalyst for the fuel used in faster-than-light travel) are disappearing. Space and time have folded around several planets, isolating them from outside contact. The phenomenon is unnatural – someone or something is causing it to happen. The need to stop this necessitates drastic measures; some of which are outside the Federation’s normal jurisdiction. For this, Admiral Pavel Chekov, head of Starfleet Intelligence, turns to Commander Tuvok, Voyager’s former security officer and current head of the newly reorganized Section 31, Starfleet’s autonomous intelligence and defense organization. Tuvok must put together a new covert, renegade crew – mostly outcasts and rogues – and even criminals. This new crew is tasked with finding out what is causing the folding of time and space, and stopping it at all costs. But will they be able to put aside their differences and stop trying to kill one another in time to accomplish their mission?

The team behind Renegades had previously produced the fan film Star Trek: Of Gods and Men (click here to watch the full movie on YouTube). The film was shot at Laurel Canyon Studios in Los Angeles, utilizing green screen techniques. Principal photography commenced on October 2, 2013 and was completed on October 16, 2013 in Los Angeles. The premise for Renegades originated on the final day of the Of Gods and Men shoot. Jack Trevino made the suggestion of a series where the cast had to work outside of the boundaries of Starfleet. Writer Ethan Calk later credited this as being the origins of the idea. The production team announced plans for three possible outcomes from the film: CBS picks it up for a series; it is made into a stand-alone film; or it would be the first episode of an Internet based series.Source text: Wikipedia.

Read more about Star Trek: Renegades on IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2621446/. Watch the official trailer on YouTube:

Click here to know the artists behind the production and the visual effects used in the movie. Buy the original Blu-Ray or DVD if you are a real Trekker and help to keep the project alive. Support Renegades Team making a donate directly from the project’s official website and receive the digital download of the movie poster, access to exclusive web content, the digital download of the film, plus a Blu-Ray or DVD of Star Trek: Renegades.

Updated on August 31: Star Trek: Renegades full movie is now available on the Renegades Channel on YouTube. Live long and prosper!

R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy

“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory.”
– Leonard Nimoy

This is a sad day to me because one of my childhood heroes has passed away. I grown up watching Star Trek the original series in the early of the 70s, and like millions of people the Gene Roddenberry’s series was essential to the development of my passion for science fiction since that time.

Legendary actor Leonard Nimoy, most known as Mr. Spock from Star Trek series, died this Friday, February 27, at 83, in Bel Air, California. According to his granddaughter, Madeleine Nimoy, the cause of death was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. His “Star Trek” co-stars, including William Shatner and George Takei, expressed sadness at his death. Source: CNN.

“I loved him like a brother. We will all miss his humor, his talent, and his capacity to love.” – William Shatner

“We return you now to the stars, Leonard. You taught us to ‘Live Long And Prosper,’ and you indeed did, friend,” – George Takei

Two years ago I made a post to celebrate Leonard’s 82th birthday. I will reblog it now. R.I.P. Mr. Nimoy.

Leonard Simon Nimoy was born on March 26, 1931, in Boston, Massachusetts, in the West End, to Yiddish-speaking Orthodox Jewish immigrants from Iziaslav, Soviet Union (now Ukraine). Nimoy is four days younger than his Star Trek co-star William Shatner. His father, Max Nimoy, owned a barbershop in the Mattapan section of the city. His mother, Dora Nimoy (née Spinner), was a homemaker. Nimoy began acting at the age of eight in children’s and neighborhood theater. His parents wanted him to attend college and pursue a stable career, or even learn to play the accordion—with which, his father advised, Nimoy could always make a living—but his grandfather encouraged him to become an actor.

Nimoy’s film and television acting career began in 1951, but after receiving the title role in the 1952 film Kid Monk Baroni, a story about a street punk turned professional boxer, he played more than 50 small parts in B movies, television series such as Perry Mason, and Dragnet, and serials such as Republic Pictures’ Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952). To support his family, Nimoy often worked other jobs, such as delivering newspapers in the morning.

In the 50’s, Nimoy appeared in many TV series as The Twilight Zone, Sea Hunt, Highway Patrol, Colt .45 and Wagon Train. Throughout the 1960s, Nimoy appeared in Bonanza, The Rebel, Two Faces West, Rawhide, The Untouchables, The Eleventh Hour, Combat!, Daniel Boone, The Outer Limits, The Virginian, Get Smart and Mission: Impossible. After worked together in Star Trek series, Nimoy and William Shatner first worked together on an episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E., “The Project Strigas Affair” (1964). Their characters were from opposite sides of the Iron Curtain. Nimoy first worked with DeForest Kelley – best known as Dr. Leonard McCoy in Star Trek series – in “Man of Violence”, a season two episode of The Virginian.

Where No Man Has Gone Before

Leonard Nimoy’s greatest prominence came from his role in the original Star Trek series. As the half-Vulcan, half-human Mr. Spock, Nimoy became a star, and the press predicted that he would “have his choice of movies or television series”. He formed a long-standing friendship with William Shatner, who portrayed his commanding officer, saying of their relationship, “we were like brothers”.

Star Trek: The Original Series was broadcast from 1966 to 1969. Nimoy earned three Emmy Award nominations for his work on the iconic program that has defined American television science fiction, both for fans of science fiction, and beyond.

He went on to reprise the Spock character in Star Trek: The Animated Series and two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The six Star Trek movies feature the original Star Trek cast including Nimoy, who also directed two of the films.

He played the elder Spock in the 2009 Star Trek movie, directed by J. J. Abrams. In April 2010, Leonard Nimoy announced that he was retiring from playing the signature character of Star Trek‘s Spock.

Live long and prosper

Spock’s Vulcan salute became a recognized symbol of the show and was identified with him. Leonard Nimoy created the sign himself from his childhood memories of the way kohanim (Jewish priests) held their hand when giving blessings. During an interview, he translated the Priestly Blessing which accompanied the sign and described it during a public lecture: “May the Lord bless and keep you and may the Lord cause his countenance to shine upon you. May the Lord be gracious unto you and grant you peace. The accompanying spoken blessing, Live long and prosper”.

After Star Trek

In the 70’s, Leonard Nimoy oined the cast of the spy series Mission: Impossible, which was seeking a replacement for Martin Landau. He played the role during the fourth and fifth seasons of the show from 1969 to 1971. He co-starred with Yul Brynner and Richard Crenna in the Western movie Catlow (1971). He also had roles in two episodes of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery (1972 and 1973) and Columbo (1973), and appeared in various made for television films. He received an Emmy Award nomination for best supporting actor for the television film A Woman Called Golda (1982).

Nimoy’s interest in photography began in childhood; he still owns a camera that he rebuilt at the age of 13. His photography studies at UCLA occurred after Star Trek and Mission: Impossible, when Nimoy seriously considered changing careers. His work has been exhibited at the R. Michelson Galleries in Northampton, Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

Nimoy has written two volumes of autobiography. The first was called I Am Not Spock (1975) and was controversial, as many fans incorrectly assumed that Nimoy was distancing himself from the Spock character. In the book, Nimoy conducts dialogues between himself and Spock. The contents of this first autobiography also touched on a self-proclaimed “identity crisis” that seemed to haunt Nimoy throughout his career. It also related to an apparent love/hate relationship with the character of Spock and the Trek franchise. The second volume, I Am Spock (1995), saw Nimoy communicating that he finally realized his years of portraying the Spock character had led to a much greater identification between the fictional character and himself. Nimoy had much input into how Spock would act in certain situations, and conversely, Nimoy’s contemplation of how Spock acted gave him cause to think about things in a way that he never would have thought if he had not portrayed the character. As such, in this autobiography Nimoy maintains that in some meaningful sense he has merged with Spock while at the same time maintaining the distance between fact and fiction.

Leonard Nimoy has also written several volumes of poetry, some published along with a number of his photographs.

Source: Wikipedia.

Happy B-Day, Mr. Spock!

Four days after William Shatner – best known as the Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise James T. Kirk – turned 82, the legendary actor Leonard Nimoy – best known as the half-Vulcan, half-human Mr. Spock in TV series Star Trek – turns 82 today, 26 March. Shatner and Nimoy now shared the same age. Happy B-Day, Mr. Spock!

Leonard Simon Nimoy was born on March 26, 1931, in Boston, Massachusetts, in the West End, to Yiddish-speaking Orthodox Jewish immigrants from Iziaslav, Soviet Union (now Ukraine). Nimoy is four days younger than his Star Trek co-star William Shatner. His father, Max Nimoy, owned a barbershop in the Mattapan section of the city. His mother, Dora Nimoy (née Spinner), was a homemaker. Nimoy began acting at the age of eight in children’s and neighborhood theater. His parents wanted him to attend college and pursue a stable career, or even learn to play the accordion—with which, his father advised, Nimoy could always make a living—but his grandfather encouraged him to become an actor.

Nimoy’s film and television acting career began in 1951, but after receiving the title role in the 1952 film Kid Monk Baroni, a story about a street punk turned professional boxer, he played more than 50 small parts in B movies, television series such as Perry Mason, and Dragnet, and serials such as Republic Pictures’ Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952). To support his family, Nimoy often worked other jobs, such as delivering newspapers in the morning.

In the 50’s, Nimoy appeared in many TV series as The Twilight Zone, Sea Hunt, Highway Patrol, Colt .45 and Wagon Train. Throughout the 1960s, Nimoy appeared in Bonanza, The Rebel, Two Faces West, Rawhide, The Untouchables, The Eleventh Hour, Combat!, Daniel Boone, The Outer Limits, The Virginian, Get Smart and Mission: Impossible. After worked together in Star Trek series, Nimoy and William Shatner first worked together on an episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E., “The Project Strigas Affair” (1964). Their characters were from opposite sides of the Iron Curtain. Nimoy first worked with DeForest Kelley – best known as Dr. Leonard McCoy in Star Trek series –  in “Man of Violence”, a season two episode of The Virginian.

Where No Man Has Gone Before

Leonard Nimoy’s greatest prominence came from his role in the original Star Trek series. As the half-Vulcan, half-human Mr. Spock, Nimoy became a star, and the press predicted that he would “have his choice of movies or television series”. He formed a long-standing friendship with William Shatner, who portrayed his commanding officer, saying of their relationship, “we were like brothers”.

Star Trek: The Original Series was broadcast from 1966 to 1969. Nimoy earned three Emmy Award nominations for his work on the iconic program that has defined American television science fiction, both for fans of science fiction, and beyond.

He went on to reprise the Spock character in Star Trek: The Animated Series and two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The six Star Trek movies feature the original Star Trek cast including Nimoy, who also directed two of the films.

He played the elder Spock in the 2009 Star Trek movie, directed by J. J. Abrams. In April 2010, Leonard Nimoy announced that he was retiring from playing the signature character of Star Trek‘s Spock.

Live long and prosper

Spock’s Vulcan salute became a recognized symbol of the show and was identified with him. Leonard Nimoy created the sign himself from his childhood memories of the way kohanim (Jewish priests) held their hand when giving blessings. During an interview, he translated the Priestly Blessing which accompanied the sign and described it during a public lecture: “May the Lord bless and keep you and may the Lord cause his countenance to shine upon you. May the Lord be gracious unto you and grant you peace. The accompanying spoken blessing, Live long and prosper”.

After Star Trek

In the 70’s, Leonard Nimoy oined the cast of the spy series Mission: Impossible, which was seeking a replacement for Martin Landau. He played the role during the fourth and fifth seasons of the show from 1969 to 1971. He co-starred with Yul Brynner and Richard Crenna in the Western movie Catlow (1971). He also had roles in two episodes of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery (1972 and 1973) and Columbo (1973), and appeared in various made for television films. He received an Emmy Award nomination for best supporting actor for the television film A Woman Called Golda (1982).

Nimoy’s interest in photography began in childhood; he still owns a camera that he rebuilt at the age of 13. His photography studies at UCLA occurred after Star Trek and Mission: Impossible, when Nimoy seriously considered changing careers. His work has been exhibited at the R. Michelson Galleries in Northampton, Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

Nimoy has written two volumes of autobiography. The first was called I Am Not Spock (1975) and was controversial, as many fans incorrectly assumed that Nimoy was distancing himself from the Spock character. In the book, Nimoy conducts dialogues between himself and Spock. The contents of this first autobiography also touched on a self-proclaimed “identity crisis” that seemed to haunt Nimoy throughout his career. It also related to an apparent love/hate relationship with the character of Spock and the Trek franchise. The second volume, I Am Spock (1995), saw Nimoy communicating that he finally realized his years of portraying the Spock character had led to a much greater identification between the fictional character and himself. Nimoy had much input into how Spock would act in certain situations, and conversely, Nimoy’s contemplation of how Spock acted gave him cause to think about things in a way that he never would have thought if he had not portrayed the character. As such, in this autobiography Nimoy maintains that in some meaningful sense he has merged with Spock while at the same time maintaining the distance between fact and fiction.

Leonard Nimoy has also written several volumes of poetry, some published along with a number of his photographs.

Source: Wikipedia