By GustavoLeao / 03:41, 27 January 2013 / Star Trek: Nemesis

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Renegades Studios have made the entire Star Trek movie Star Trek Of Gods and Men available on YouTube, plus the first trailer of their upcoming web series Star Trek Renegades.

The fan film stars Walter Koenig as Captain Pavel Chekov, Nichelle Nichols as Captain Nyota Uhura, Grace Lee Whitney as Janice Rand, Tim Russ as Tuvok and Alan Ruck as Captain John Harriman. The movie also stars Ethan Phillips (ST: VOY), Gary Graham (ST: ENT), Garrett Wang (ST: VOY), Chase Masterson (ST: DS9), Cirroc Lofton (ST: DS9), J.G. Hertzler (ST : DS9), Jack Donner (ST: ENT) and three special guests from Star Trek New Voyages fan series have roles as well - James Cawley, Jeffery Quinn and John Carrigan.

Article by Bill Williams

Ever since the 1970's, fan films have consistently been considered ways to celebrate and capitalize on the success and notoriety of a popular movie. The first one that comes to my mind is HARDWARE WARS, a low-budget romp that used hardware and kitchen appliances to lampoon the then-popular STAR WARS. Since the 1970's hundreds of fan films have emerged in the fan community to those fans of popular films and TV series, too many to even name.

The first time I heard of a STAR TREK fan film was around 1986. Starlog Magazine reported that a fellow by the name of Stan Woo had produced a short film entitled YORKTOWN II: A TIME TO HEAL, which featured George Takei as Hikaru Sulu and was set in the timeframe prior to the events of the first feature film. Since that time fan films have taken off like never before, and today it's possible to check out all sorts of fan films for STAR WARS, STAR TREK, THE MATRIX, etc. on the Internet. Where TREK is concerned, there are quite a number of fan film series out there, including the NEW VOYAGES/PHASE II series, HIDDEN FRONTIER, and STARSHIP INTREPID, as well as audio fan series such as EXCELSIOR, DEFIANT, ERAS, and THE CONTINUING MISSION. Even several fan films were included on the TREKKIES II DVD release back in 2004.

The most ambitious fan film to date has to be the three-part tale OF GODS AND MEN, which was recently named by the SyFy Portal Genre Awards as the top web project of 2008. Ambitious in scope and scale, this saga brings together many top talents in the STAR TREK universe for an epic tale through space and time itself. Produced by Jack Trevino (who has worked on the NEW VOYAGES/PHASE II series and DEEP SPACE NINE) and Sky Douglas Conway (who also produced the hilarious 2004 fan project RODDENBERRY ON PATROL), and directed by Tim Russ (reprising his role of Tuvok from STAR TREK: VOYAGER), OF GODS AND MEN not only brings together creative talent behind the camera but also in front of the camera as well.

In OF GODS AND MEN, twelve years have passed since the apparent death of James T. Kirk. Starfleet captains Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig), Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), and John Harriman (Alan Ruck) have arrived to attend the christening of the U.S.S. Enterprise-M, an exact museum replica of the original Constitution-class starship. But a distress signal lures the crew to a distant world code-named M-622, which turns out to be the world of the fabled Guardian of Forever. Because of the actions of Charlie Evans (William Wellman), who has returned from Thasian space to exact vengeance upon Kirk, the three captains suddenly find themselves in an alternate universe of total domination.

In this parallel universe of evil, Harriman finds himself in command of the starship Conqueror, serving a mysterious "supreme being" bent on total domination of the universe. Under his command are equally devious crewmen, among them security chief Garan (Garrett Wang from VOYAGER), first officer Koval (J.G. Hertzler from DEEP SPACE NINE), and the Orion communications officer Xela (Chase Masterson from DS9), all of which are equally bent on serving their ultimate master while secretly plotting their own means of seizing control of the Conqueror. When Harriman unleashes a devastating weapon that destroys the planet Vulcan, the entire planet's populace finds itself scattered in different directions, while Uhura and Tuvok find themselves captured by Harriman's forces. Also imprisoned are two rebel soldiers - freedom fighter Ragnar (Gary Graham from ENTERPRISE) and Kittreck (Koenig) - with their own agenda in mind for defeating Harriman. Yet somewhere locked in Uhura's memory is the truth behind this universe.

 What unfolds from there is an epic tale of adventure, betrayal, and redemption on a grand scale that hasn't been seen in STAR TREK in quite a while (at least not until J.J. Abrams' recent 2009 film). Granted, if you've not seen OF GODS AND MEN I don't want to spoil it for you, but let me just say this: now THIS is a STAR TREK adventure! It's fast-paced, with strong storytelling and character depth that gives each of the main cast members a chance to shine. I have to give special kudos to Walter Koenig, who not only adds depth to his portrayal of Chekov but also brings a very intense side to his alternate universe character of Kittreck that we haven't seen from him since "Mirror, Mirror" four decades before. Alan Ruck furthers his development of John Harriman from his previous appearance in GENERATIONS, giving us a more confident character rather than the uncertain and guilt-ridden Cameron-like portrayal from fifteen years prior. (Talk about going from killing his father's Ferrari to commanding a ship where the most legendary captain died to this - this is enough for any three shrinks to handle by themselves!) And Nichelle Nichols' portrayal of Uhura is the glue that holds these people together. There are also wonderful appearances from other TREK notables including Ethan Phillips, Grace Lee Whitney, Lawrence Montaigne, Cirroc Lofton, James Cawley (creator/producer of NEW VOYAGES/PHASE II) - even Herbert Jefferson from the original BATTLESTAR GALACTICA makes an appearance as the leader of the rebel forces. And there are more than plenty of TREK references to make even the most die-hard fan slack-jawed with wonder!

At 87 minutes, OF GODS AND MEN is briskly paced and brimming with action, and the precise attention to production detail is such that rivals the previous series. While the CGI visual effects are of budget scale, it's not a distraction as there is plenty of action to keep fans on the edge of their seats. It's a well-made film from start to finish, one that rivals some of the best officially produced episodes from 40 years before. If anyone should be hired to develop and produce the next TREK TV series, Jack Trevino and Sky Conway should be given the chance. Their love and appreciation for the franchise is highly evident throughout this film.

You can watch the entire Of Gods and Men movie and the Renegades trailer at YouTube