Continuing Mission: A Star Trek Fan Films Podcast

Starbase Studios. Have you ever dreamed of making your own Star Trek fan film, but don't have sets, costumes or props—and don't know how to make them yourself? You're not alone. Many fans have faced this creative obstacle, and have overcome it thanks to Starbase Studios. In this episode of Continuing Mission, host Dennis Castello is joined by Richard Wells and Scott Johnson of Starbase Studios to learn about their standing TOS sets that they make available to any fan group that wants to make their own films… for free! Chapters Intro (00:00:40) About Starbase Studios (00:01:49) Meet Richard and Scott (00:03:19) The Genesis of Starbase Studios (00:07:02) Helping Starship Yorktown (00:11:27) Getting to Play Star Trek (00:17:26) Advice for Fan Projects (00:22:44) How to Donate to Starbase Studios (00:26:04) George Takei in the Captains Chair (00:29:01) Host Dennis Castello Guests Richard Wells and Scott Johnson Production Dennis Castello (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Ex

Robin Heirt Talks Star Trek Dark Armada. A group of fans from the Netherlands are hard at work making Star Trek fan films and proving, once again, that Star Trek fandom crosses all borders. In this episode of Continuing Mission, host Dennis Castello interviews Robin Heirt, the executive producer of Star Trek Dark Armada, to find out what it's like to be a Star Trek fan in the Netherlands. Robin also talks about the learning curve they went through making their past episodes, why they decided on the post-Voyager era as “their Trek,” and their plans to turn Star Trek Dark Armada into Star Trek Batavia. Chapters Meeting Robin (00:01:49) How the Project Got Its Start (00:04:53) The Dark Armada Team (00:07:22) About Star Trek Dark Armada (00:09:02) Robin’s Favorite Thing About Making STDA (00:12:52) Their Greatest Challenge (00:16:16) Their Greatest Joy (00:18:57) Robin’s Advice to Other Fan Filmmakers (00:20:28) How They Make Their Shows (00:23:32) About The Writing (00:25:20) How to Find Robin (00:26:16) Final T

Tommy Kraft Talks Star Trek Horizon. Tommy Kraft has labored for three long years as the main creative force behind the film Star Trek Horizon. Now the film is about to be released, and Tommy has a lot to say about the rigors of being a one-man-band filmmaker. In this episode of Continuing Mission, host Dennis Castello is joined by Brandon-Shea Mutala as they interview Tommy to find out how he almost died making the film, learn about some of the good things that happened to the project along the way, and get some great advice for those thinking of making their own fan films. Chapters Welcome Tommy (00:02:02) Why a New Crew? (00:06:20) About Tommy Kraft (00:09:08) Tommy's Favorite Enterprise Episode (00:10:19) Why Make a Film? (00:16:11) A Good Surprise (00:20:16) How Tommy Almost Died Making His Movie (00:22:42) Tommy's Gear (00:24:59) Tommy's Advice to Fan Filmmakers (00:27:44) How to Contact Us (00:37:38) Hosts Dennis Castello and Brandon-Shea Mutala Guest Tommy Kraft Production Dennis Castello (Editor and

Pacific 201. During the forty years following the cease fire that ended the Romulan War, mistrust, and a general wariness of the unknown led humanity to withdraw and turn away from exploration. But as the children of those who fought in the war grew tired of hiding from the galaxy, Earth began to regain its confidence and make a new name for itself. This era was marked by the launch of a new flagship—the Starship Pacific NCC-201—to embark on a bold mission towards a mysterious and uncharted region of space. This is the story of Pacific 201. In this episode of Continuing Mission, we’re joined by Pacific 201 creator Eric Henry to learn about how the idea first came about, how it has evolved, and how he hopes to bring a fresh approach to Star Trek through this hopeful story about the period between Enterprise and The Original Series.   Host C Bryan Jones   Guests Eric Henry   Editor and Producer C Bryan Jones   Associate Producer Michael Frisbee   Chapters Eric’s Star Trek Fandom (00:02:06) Eric’s Filmmaking Bac

Star Trek: Captain Pike. He was captain of the Enterprise before Kirk, but remained little-known to Star Trek fans for years. Even after the release of Star Trek’s original pilot “The Cage” in 1988, fans had to rely on books and comics to learn more about the character played by Jeffrey Hunter. Then came J.J. Abrams, who put Pike in the center seat—for a bit. Thanks to this, even casual Star Trek fans are now familiar with the officer that die-hards have longed to see fleshed out. In this episode of Continuing Mission, new host Eric Brasure is joined by someone attempting to do just that: Todd Shawn Tei. As the producer of the new independent film project Star Trek: Captain Pike, Todd is drawing upon elements of the captain’s life that have been revealed through the expanded universe—along with his own unique take—to tell Pike’s story. Co-writing with him is none other than Walter Koenig, and the film has signed on a star-studded cast of faces familiar to all Star Trek fans. Together with Shawn, we delve deep

The Red Shirt Diaries: Season Two. Through their comedic web series, The Red Shirt Diaries, actress Ashley Victoria Robinson and filmmaker Jason Inman have taken us on a comedic journey through Star Trek. Set aboard the Enterprise during Kirk's five-year mission, the series gives us a glimpse of life aboard the ship from the point of view of a lady who may just be the luckiest red shirt in Starfleet, Ensign Williams. Season One, which is comprised of the first ten episodes of TOS, has been released in full and has been met with rave reviews. Now it's time to head into Season Two, which will deliver the remaining 19 episodes from the inaugural season of The Original Series. In this episode of Continuing Mission we’re joined once again by Ashley and Jason to find out what they’ve heard from fans about the first ten stories, what they have in store for us in Season Two, what they plan to do differently in producing the next set of episodes, and how we as fans can help them continue the tales of the Ensign in Red

Star Trek: Horizon Virtual Set Design and Video Production. On a previous show we talked with Star Trek: Horizon creator Tommy Kraft in broad terms about shooting and processing video, working with green screens, and creating visual effects. In this epsiode of Continuing Mission we're joined once again by Tommy to talk about how these techniques apply to creating an actual Star Trek film, including building virtual sets on the NX-04 Discovery, integrating the Discovery crew with these environments, and the importance of sound design and capture in making the visuals believable.   Host Christopher Jones   Guest Tommy Kraft   Editor and Producer Christopher Jones   Associate Producer Michael Frisbee   Chapters Reasons for Going Virtual (1:47) Build the NX-04 Virtual Sets (7:17) Integrating Actors Into Virtual Sets (20:23) Sound Design and Capture (34:21) The Single Biggest Challenge (40:42) Horizon Production Update (44:55) Closing (46:51)   Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm Facebook: http://facebook.com/

Starship Farragut: The Crossing. The Original Series time period is a popular one for fan series, but that doesn't always mean Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise. There were more ships out there during the time of the five-year mission, and Starship Farragut takes its queues from this fact. The series premise, simply put, is “New Ship, New Crew, New Adventures—but all based on the era of Classic Trek.” Conceived of in November 2004 and officially launched in 2005, Starship Farragut is one of the most veteran of Star Trek fan series. In this episode of Continuing Mission we're joined by actor and writer Paul Sieber, who has been with Farragut since the early days and is returning to write the screenplay for the next episode, "The Crossing," to learn more about the series and plans for the future.   Host Christopher Jones   Guest Paul Sieber   Editor and Producer Christopher Jones   Associate Producer Michael Frisbee   Chapters Paul's Star Trek Background (2:07) The Premise of the Crossing (10:37) Visual FX and Pr

Shadows of Tyranny. The Mirror Universe, despite being visited only eight times on screen—with most of those on Deep Space Nine—is a fan favorite. The classic episode "Mirror, Mirror" has been hard to top in terms of sheer fun and intrigue, but TOS never told us what happened once Mirror Kirk returned to the ISS Enterprise. That story has been left for novelists and screenwriters to pick up on the fan side, and many have done so with fascinating takes on the Terran Empire. But while the story has been told before, there are always new ideas to be explored. In this episode of Continuing Mission we're joined by Mathieu Blondin and Sebastian Prooth to learn more about their upcoming audio drama, Star Trek: Shadows of Tyranny, which picks up where "Mirror, Mirror" left off as it tells the story of how Spock goes on to lead the Empire.   Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact   Chapters The Gen

The Red Shirt Diaries. Everyone knows that, in the 23rd century, if your name is called for away mission duty you don't want to be wearing red. Many unfortunate crewmen lost their lives while donning the crimson threads. But there were a lot of other people aboard the Enterprise who managed to survive the five-year mission despite their attire. What was life like for these men and women? In this episode of Continuing Mission we're joined by Ashley Robinson and Jason Inman to talk about their new web series, The Red Shirt Diaries, which aims to answer that question through the eyes of one Ensign Williams. We discuss how the series came to be, how it was shot, favorite moments from production, why it's important to check each and every Home Depot carefully, and what we can expect to find when we peer into the private life of the Ensign in Red.   Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact  

Video Production with Tommy Kraft. Watching and listening to independent Star Trek productions is always fun and insightful as we take a trip into the minds of fans and see the franchise through their eyes. But it isn't just the finished product that we love. The process of creating them is fascinating as well. Advancements in camera technology, computer workstations, and editing software have put power previously only available to Hollywood studios into the hands of anyone with the vision and motivation to bring Star Trek to life. In this episode of Continuing Mission we jump into the visual realm of production as we're joined by Tommy Kraft, creator of the Enterprise-era film Star Trek: Horizon, to talk about shooting and processing video, working with green screens, creating visual effects, building virtual sets, and more.   Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact   Chapters Cameras

Voicing Audio Dramas with Michael Liebmann. The genesis of stories, the ins and outs of scriptwriting, and the art of pulling all the pieces together is fascinating, but the voice actors themselves are the ones who bring the words of a Star Trek audio drama to life. In this episode of Continuing Mission we're joined by Michael Liebmann, who has appeared in nearly 30 Star Trek and non-Trek audio dramas, to learn about the process from the voice actors' perspective. Michael has appeared in Star Trek: Grissom, Valkyrie, Ranger, Defiant, Outpost, and many more, and we find out how his love of Star Trek led to these roles as well as some advice for those who want to take on roles of their own.   Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact   Chapters Michael's Star Trek Background (1:28) How Michael Got Into Voice Acting (6:12) Star Trek Audio Drama Roll Call (10:40) Advice on Breaking Into Audio Dra

Star Trek: Secret Voyage. The Original Series—or at least the late 23rd century—tends to be the focal point of today's fan productions; but that doesn't mean Kirk and Spock must always take the lead. There was a gap between the end of the five-year mission and the refit of the Enterprise as we saw it in The Motion Picture. What happened during that time? Star Trek: Secret Voyage, a creation of Craig Sheeler, is the story of a special mission carried out aboard the historic 1701 but under the command of a different captain with a different crew. In this episode of Continuing Mission we're joined by Craig to learn more about the series, various aspects of production—including creating visual effects, composing original music that’s true to TOS, shooting in the desert, the premise behind the first two episodes, and more.   Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact   Chapters Craig's Star Trek Ba

Star Trek: Excelsior. Few ships in the fleet have a name whose history can rival that of Enterprise. The Great Experiment, however, is one of them. Borrowing its name from the ship captained by Hikaru Sulu, Star Trek: Excelsior is an audio drama founded in 2007 by James Heaney that follows the adventures of the fourth starship to bear the name. Set in the Delta Quadrant, the series follows the missions of the NCC-2000-C through intricate season-spanning arcs. In this episode of Continuing Mission we're joined by James along with Mathieu Blondin of the post-production team to learn more about the Star Trek: Excelsior, its history, the challenges of production, and the upcoming episode "At Death's Door."   Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact   Chapters James's Star Trek Background (1:47) Why Excelsior? (8:45) Mathieu Arrives on the Crew (13:28) Past Excelsior Stories (20:00) At Death's Do

Michele Specht on Dr. Elise McKennah. One of the biggest is independent series around is Star Trek Continues. The first three episodes have recaptured the look, the feel, and the spirit of the original Star Trek with incredible authenticity. But in the process of recreating the 1960s television icon, Star Trek Continues hasn't shied away from addressing some of the gaps in TOS. For many, one of the most noticeable missing links in TOS is the gender balance amongst the Enterprise crew. Star Trek Continues has addressed this by bringing aboard a new character, Dr. Elise McKennah, played by Michele Specht, who joins Uhura as a female voice on the show. Additionally, Dr. McKennah brings a TNG element to the 23rd century in the form of ship's counselor. While this may ruffle the feathers of some purists, the results more than speak for themselves. In this episode of Continuing Mission we're joined by Michele to talk about McKennah, how she approaches the role of a character that, unlike her those played by her cas

Star Trek Futures. Independent projects present a great opportunity to fill in the many blanks that were left by the six officially produced television series. Sometimes these blanks involve lost eras of Federation history, and sometimes they are more focused on specific characters. A new project by Dan Thale called Star Trek Futures is the latter, focusing on Beverly and Wesley Crusher. But it's more than just the backstory to TNG. Star Trek Futures brings with it an interesting twist. In this episode of Continuing Mission we're joined by Dan to learn more about the project, what led him to this particular story, and what he hopes to accomplish by looking back at the Crusher's lives before the Enterprise-D.   Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact   Chapters Dan's Star Trek Memories (1:39) The Genesis of Star Trek Futures (5:21) The Star Trek Futures Story (11:28) A Twist of Timelines (14

Obsessed: Star Trek Continues and the Mirror Universe. Star Trek Continues recently released their third episode "Fairest of Them All," which is a direct follow-up to the Original Series episode "Mirror, Mirror." It tells the story of what happened when the mirror landing party returned to the ISS Enterprise. The attention to detail in set design, costumes, lighting, and even framing of shots is so meticulous that it is easy to forget that you're watching something shot in 2014, not 1967. While the onscreen story is intriguing, what is equally fascinating is everything that happened offscreen to make "Fairest of Them All" possible. As fans watching from home, it isn't easy to get a feel for what goes into making an episode like this. But thanks to Condé Nast Entertainment and WIRED, now you can. Obsessed: Star Trek Continues is a five-part behind-the-scenes look at our return to the Mirror Universe. In this episode of Continuing Mission we're by Captain Kirk himself, Vic Mignogna, along with director James Ke

Starship Valiant with Michael L. King. The TOS time period is a popular one for fan series, and many go to painstaking efforts to accurately reproduce every detail of the Enterprise and the unique charm of The Original Series—with breathtaking results. But a key part of Star Trek is found beyond the ships, the space battles, and the strange new worlds. The recesses of the human soul play a critical part in what makes Star Trek special; and when an independent production lacks the resources for sets and CGI great stories can still be told by turning inward. Starship Valiant is the personal story of one man dealing with death and turmoil after events led him to assume command of the USS Valiant. Written by Michael L. King, who also plays the story's lead, Commander Jackson K. Bishop, Starship Valiant goes where great Star Trek should—into the souls of its characters. In this episode of Continuing Mission we're joined by Michael to learn more about Valiant, the origins of the story, and how the first episode, "L

Lead Game Designer Timothy Crosby talks Timelines. While watching Star Trek in new incarnations is fun, exploring the Star Trek universe through interactive adventures is also a popular way to continue the missions of our favorite crews. A new game in development by Disruptor Beam, the creators of Game of Thrones Ascent, will transport players into the Star Trek universe. Titled Star Trek Timelines, the free-to-play game will span desktop and mobile devices as well as all of the time periods we've seen on screen. In this episode of Continuing Mission we're joined by Timothy Crosby, lead game designer on Timelines, to learn more about the genesis of the game, how it differs from others, and what players can expect as they take to the stars.   Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact   Chapters Meeting Timothy (1:47) Disruptor Beam and Social Focus (4:55) The Genesis of Timelines (7:33) Star T

Star Trek: Ambush. Through Enterprise we learned a great deal about the events of the 22nd century, but the one-hundred-year gap between the end of Enterprise and the start of The Original Series remains largely a mystery. A new short film entitled Star Trek: Ambush aims to fill in some of those gaps. Ambush will introduce a new ship and a new crew whose existence is well known to the Federation, but something that would best be kept secret. Set just after the events of "Balance of Terror," the story focuses on a single away mission to rescue a captured Commander and how the Federation ultimately dealt with the Romulans, after the incident involving Kirk and the Enterprise. In this episode of Continuing Mission we're joined by Greg Lock, the producer of Ambush, to learn more about the project.   Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact   Chapters Meeting Greg (1:55) The Genesis of Ambush (8: