"To Boldly Go Where No Trek Has Gone Before...."

Gemini1999 · December 19th, 2004, 08:58 PM

Hey everyone -

I was talking with someone about our forum and BSG fandom in general attempting to do a BSG animated feature, or a fan produced film or episode based on TOS. He pointed me to yet another Trek website where a group of fans are producing a series of episodes and "broadcasting" them via their website.

This Trek venture is called "Star Trek - The Hidden Frontier":Star Trek - The Hidden Frontier

It is a Trek series that uses elements of TNG, DS9, Voyager and some of the more recent Trek films. I was kind of impressed by what I saw - at first I wasn't sure if they had managed to actually duplicate some of the less complicated standing sets, but then I realized that they are using something like a "green screen" techinique to film the live action parts of the episode. For background, they appear to be using screen caps of the sets from various Trek epsiodes and films and create the rest using CGI imagery.

The episodes have all the appearances of a regular television episode from teaser to closing credits. One of the most interesting touches is the theme music - it's the theme from the Tim Allen film, "Galaxy Quest"! I can tell that some of the SFX are lifted from various Trek PC games, but there is some original CGI done as well.

You might have wondered why I titled the post "To boldly go where no Trek has gone before". I'm coming to that.... For years, there have been various rumors that one Trek series or another would have a Gay crew member. As we all know, they had an epsiode with two women kissing in DS9, or the episode when Riker fell in love with a member of a species that had no gender. Hidden Frontier has two male crewmembers (one Trill, one Terran) that are having a relationship. From what I saw in the one episode, it's very "G" rated" and it's not the focus of the series anyway.

I thought that those of you might want to take a look at it when considering making a Fan-Produced BSG episode or film (Steve's Dark Exodus story, or Bill's script come to mind). I thought that some of the obstacles were somewhat insurmountable, but nothing seems to halt the imagination and ingenuity of a group of Trek fans!

Happy Holidays to all!
Bryan

Gemini1999 · December 23rd, 2004, 09:16 PM

Hi folks -

Well, I've been spending the last few nights watching episodes of Star Trek: Hidden Frontier....

As it turns out, they had only just recently finished Season 5 and are soon gearing up for production of Season 6. I've gotten all the way through Season 1, which is 6 half-hour epsiodes. This series does quite well considering each episode is only 30 minutes long. The series is serial in nature and each episode builds up the story with each segment.

I must say that the scripts are very well done - there are one or two scenes that are a bit long on conversation, but it's not too bad. The actors are quite good for the most part, considering that all of the talent is local and fan-based. The costumes in Season 1 are not too bad, but the costuming quality improves from season to season.

The VFX in Season 1 are pretty good - there were a few scenes that made my jaw drop considering that someone did them at home on a PC. The VFX gets almost TV series quality as the seasons pass by. If nothing else, the VFX are worth "tuning" in for!

Here is a count for the episodes completed thus far:

Season 1 - 6 eps
Season 2 - 9 eps
Season 3 - 9 eps
Season 4 - 6 eps
Season 5 - 6 eps

There have been some interesting character appearances in this "series". I've seen an episode where Wesley Crusher returns. A couple of main characters are from TNG - Commander Elizabeth Shelby ("Best of Both Worlds") and Lt. Robin Lefler ("The Game" & "Darmok". Another character is a more mature version of the young Baku boy, Artim, from ST: Insurrection and there is even the brother of Ensign Ro Laren from TNG. Another TNG staple is Admiral Necheyev as a recurring character.

One of the things that I like about this series is that the cast does change in and out from beginning to end. Unlike the very lengthy attatchments that Starfleet crews have for ships named Enterprise, the characters in Hidden Frontier get reassigned and move on and up in their careers.

I know that in my previous post, I mentioned a couple of gay characters in the show. As it turns out, this is a very minor subplot, and only comes up in a minor way in Season 3 (I've not seen it yet) and Season 5. If it's keeping anyone from taking a look, I wouldn't let it stop you.

The one thing that I've learned from this site, is that there are actually quite a few Trek sites that are making their own episodes and showing them online. I did read that Paramount has no problem with this as long as the episodes don't wind up on DVD (even if they are only sold at cost for the disks). None of the material that has been shown so far, directly infringes upon what has already been established in the Trek universe. The majority of the plotlines are confined to the "Briar Patch" that was introduced in ST:Insurrection. The stories pretty much take place after ST: Voyager ended - I did note a reference to Admiral Janeway in a Season 3 epsiode.

So, if you've got some time on your hands after the holidays and would like to watch some "fresh" episodes of Trek, you might want to check this out - It's been keeping me from the TV every evening this week....

Happy Holidays!
Bryan

CaptCStark · December 27th, 2004, 12:22 PM

If you enjoyed the Original Star Trek series, you may want to check out these fan made films

Star Trek New Voyages http://www.newvoyages.com A group of fans develop what would be the fourth season of TOS and beyond with new actors as Kirk and Company. Two episodes released so far with another in development.

Starship Exeter http://www.starshipexeter.com Stories of a new ship and crew set in the TOS timeline. One episode released with another coming out in March and a third in development.

-=/\=-
CaptCStark
http://Captain.USSTiconderoga.org

Gemini1999 · December 27th, 2004, 12:58 PM

Capt Stark -

I did see links for those sites on the Hidden Frontier site - I'm almost finished with the HF episodes and then I will be visiting the other sites as well. This online Trek experience is addicting!

Best,
Bryan

Gemini1999 · December 31st, 2004, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptCStark

If you enjoyed the Original Star Trek series, you may want to check out these fan made films

Star Trek New Voyages http://www.newvoyages.com A group of fans develop what would be the fourth season of TOS and beyond with new actors as Kirk and Company. Two episodes released so far with another in development.

Starship Exeter http://www.starshipexeter.com Stories of a new ship and crew set in the TOS timeline. One episode released with another coming out in March and a third in development.

Capt Stark -

I ran out of Hidden Frontier episodes to watch - yes, I really finished them all!

I took your advice and checked out both Trek sites you pointed me to. I watched Starship Exeter first and really liked it, but I found the CGI somewhat limited, but it was a fun TOS-style romp.

When I watched the epsiode that was available at New Voyages (In Harm's Way), I was blown away! There's a lot of money put into this show! The sets, the costumes, the SFX - all top notch! I wish that I could see the first episode, but I couldn't find it on the website. I saw the preview for the 3rd episode, I can't wait for that one!

Best,
Bryan

Gemini1999 · January 17th, 2005, 08:34 PM

For those of you that would like to see a "behind the scenes" look at the inner workings of "Hidden Frontier", they have just released a documentary on the production of season 5.

Take a look:
Hidden Frontier - Season 5 Production Documentary

Enjoy!

Bryan

Gemini1999 · February 10th, 2005, 07:37 PM

Hey people -

I just saw the new opening credits sequence for Season 6 of Hidden Frontier. If you want to take a look, here you go:

http://www.hiddenfrontier.com/news/s6credits.html

Only a couple more weeks until the first episode of Season 6. Trek's not dead, it's just in the hands of the fans....

Best,
Bryan

Nimrod · February 15th, 2005, 04:34 PM

I've been watching HF for a long time now, but I can't remember that ep with these two guys having a relationship... which one was it?

Gemini1999 · February 15th, 2005, 04:53 PM

Nimrod -

There are actually only 4 episodes with that theme. The most recent episode would be the season 5 finale - "The Battle is Joined"

Nimrod · February 15th, 2005, 05:11 PM

Ah thanks... haven't watched the latest eps...

Gemini1999 · February 21st, 2005, 08:48 PM

Hey folks -

I just attended the premiere chat session for the first episode of Season 6 of Star Trek Hidden Frontier. The episode is called "Countermeasures". Here's the link. It's a 214 MB QuickTime File (not for folks with dial up, sorry):

http://www.hiddenfrontier.com/news/c..._download.html

I hope you enjoy it!

Bryan

Nimrod · February 22nd, 2005, 09:56 AM

Phew... file size have gotten bigger since I d/l-ed my last ep of HF... and I'm on dial-up.

Gemini1999 · February 22nd, 2005, 10:11 AM

Nimrod -

The reason that the file size was so large, is that the preview of the premiere episode was in High Definition (a rare occurrence). Hidden Frontier will be putting out a normal-res version, I would check their download page until you see it.

Best,
Bryan

Nimrod · February 23rd, 2005, 08:27 AM

Ah okay. So, do you have any contact with Rob? Haven't talked to him for ages.

Gemini1999 · March 13th, 2005, 08:48 PM

Hey folks -

Just thought that some of you might be interested in the teaser for the second epsiode of Season 6. The episode is called "Dancing In the Dark" and the trailer is an interesting one!

Here's the link:

http://homepage.mac.com/puder/.Movies/602Preview.mov

Enjoy!

Bryan

Gemini1999 · April 15th, 2005, 10:21 PM

Hey online Trek fans...

Star Trek: Hidden Frontier has just released their second episode of Season 6. It's called "Dancing in the Dark".

Ever see Trek go underwater? Ever see a Horta crewmember? There are some surprises in this episode. The viewing reaction has been very good - some are hailing the VFX and the story as a benchmark for the series. It's got an original SciFi themed story with some great character development for those following the series.

Here's the link to download the episode:

Episode 602 - Dancing in the Dark

In light of the impending Trek drought on TV, series such as Hidden Frontier have caught the attention of Trek media sites. There are some excellent articles at Trek Today. Take a look!

Season 6 is reportedly the last season for Hidden Frontier and there are only six episodes - only 4 more to go. If you haven't taken the time to watch this very well done, fan produced series, it's about time to check it out!

Best to all,

Bryan

warhammerdriver · April 25th, 2005, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gemini1999

Capt Stark -

I ran out of Hidden Frontier episodes to watch - yes, I really finished them all!

I took your advice and checked out both Trek sites you pointed me to. I watched Starship Exeter first and really liked it, but I found the CGI somewhat limited, but it was a fun TOS-style romp.

When I watched the epsiode that was available at New Voyages (In Harm's Way), I was blown away! There's a lot of money put into this show! The sets, the costumes, the SFX - all top notch! I wish that I could see the first episode, but I couldn't find it on the website. I saw the preview for the 3rd episode, I can't wait for that one!

Best,
Bryan

The sets are under construction for ep three. Walter Koenig (Checkov) is scheduled to be in it. Filming is going to be in late summer here in Ticonderoga. A newspaper article is available in the archives at pressrepublican.com. (I will be prowling around trying to get Mr Koenig's autograph.)

After I move this summer, I'm very seriously thinking about joining the people at New Voyages to work on sets (If Mrs WHD approves

)

Paramount actually borrowed set parts from New Voyages to make the two part Mirror eps of Enterprise.