We'll start our "Focus on Fan Films" series with one of the biggest and most ambitious. "Star Trek: Of Gods and Men" is a three-part mini-series produced by Sky Conway, whose PlanetXpo also produced the landmark "Beam Me Up Scotty... One Last Time" convention in 2004.

The story - in the form of three 30-minute episodes - was written by Conway and DS9 writers Jack Trevino and Ethan H. Calk. Trevino's two credits include the "Little Green Men" episode; Calk also wrote two episodes, including "Children of Time". The mini-series is directed by Tim Russ, who also reprises his role of "Tuvok" as well.

The cast reads like a "Who's Who" of all the Star Trek series and feature films, some playing their familiar roles and others branching out in new directions. From the original series, Nichelle Nichols plays "Uhura", and Walter Koenig is "Chekov"; Grace Lee Whitney is "Janice Rand". Guest stars from the original series include Lawrence Montaigne as "Stonn", Celeste Yarnell as "T'Pring", with Jack Donner and Tania Lemani in cameo appearances.

Regular cast members from later series include Ethan Phillips (recognizable here - as a human - sans heavy character makeup) Garrett Wang and Cirroc Lofton. Recurring cast includes J.G Hertzler (as a Klingon, naturally), Chase Masterson (still very recognizable even in green full-body makeup as an Orion), and Gary Graham. Former Enterprise Orion Crystal Allen and veteran William Wellman Jr. also have key roles. From "Generations", Alan Ruck returns as "Captain John Harriman".

Production commenced in July 2006 in New York. OGAM collaborated with the "New Voyages" team (more on them in a future column), benefitting from their painstakingly-recreated Enterprise bridge and other sets. Location shooting around Los Angeles, including the iconic Vasquez Rocks, took place in October 2006. A tantalizing three-minute clip from the episode's opening was released online in April 2007, and was frequently screened at conventions; Part 1 of the story arrived for Christmas 2007, with Part 2 appearing on Valentine's Day 2008.

The third and final installment will premiere online at 1701 hours (!) ET on June 15. Convention attendees will be treated to screenings of Part 1 and 2 at The Wrath of Con (Florida), Trek Expo (Tulsa), FedCon USA (Dallas) and Shore Leave (Baltimore).

The OGAM site is very impressive, with lots of photos, articles, video clips and goodies. Visit StarTrekOfGodsAndMen.net to watch the first two parts, and get ready to watch Part 3!

---

Walter Koenig faces "The Que?"

We were thrilled to chat with Walter Koenig and ask him your questions, and now you can see him answer them! Check out "The Que?" for this amazing interview.

---

Star Trek Remastered

Airing this coming weekend is the Remastered version of "The Mark of Gideon" - production number 72 which first aired on January 17, 1969.

The episode was written by George F. Slavin and Stanley Adams. Like many writers of this era, Slavin penned episodes for a variety of other series, including many westerns (Cheyenne, Bronco, Maverick and others), Combat, Tarzan, Mission: Impossible and Happy Days. This was his only Star Trek episode.

Stanley Adams accomplished an exclusive trifecta: he appeared in an original series episode and voiced the same character in an episode of the Animated Series. His writing credit on this episode is unique among all Trek guest cast. Adams also wrote episodes of The Flying Nun, Daniel Boone and The Name of the Game.

Jud Taylor began his career at an early age, with TV acting credits by the time he was seventeen. He directed episodes of Dr. Kildare and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (don't get me started on how much I loved that show!) in his mid-twenties. This was just one of the five episodes he helmed in the series' final season; quite a challenge for a director not even thirty years old! 

---

Passages

We lost two important members of the Star Trek family recently.

Alexander "Sandy" Courage composed one of the most recognizable musical themes in history. The original Star Trek series began with that eight-note trombone fanfare which, when you hear it, I defy you not to spontaneously recite, "Space... the final frontier..." The Oscar-nominated composer and orchestrator worked on two dozen television series and scores of feature films, including "Jurassic Park", "Air Force One" and "The Hollow Man" - just eight years ago. He often served as orchestrator for composer Jerry Goldsmith. Courage was 88.

Joseph Pevney directed many of the most significant and best-loved episodes of the original series. The dramatic "The City on the Edge of Forever" and the humorous "The Trouble With Tribbles" both benefitted from his expert touch. In all, Pevney directed 14 Trek episodes, and helmed such diverse fare as "12 O'Clock High", "Emergency!" and "The Munsters". Pevney was 96.

---

Star Trek Family Birthdays

Today marks the birthday of writer/producer/series co-creator Michael Piller.

He is widely acknowledged as not only a great Star Trek writer (TNG, DS9, Voyager) but as a visionary producer. His open-submission policy for story ideas allowed many fledgling screenwriters to make their first script sales in Hollywood, leading many to great careers in television and film.

His influence is still widely felt today, and he is certainly missed by those of us who had the pleasure to have known him.

Warm birthday greetings go out to these family members:

Colm Meaney ("Miles O'Brien" - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) - May 30
Rene Auberjonois ("Odo" - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) - June 1
Anthony Montgomery ("Travis Mayweather" - Star Trek: Enterprise) - June 2
Zachary Quinto ("Spock" - "Star Trek (2009)") - June 2

Site Search Transmitter Newsletter