Trekkie Central Intrepid

3
Welcome to Issue 4.

Firstly I would like to take the opportunity to thank you the readers
for your support, because without you reading the magazine there
would be no point in producing it, I would also like to thank the
cast and crew of Intrepid, who have been fantastic in answering all
the questions put to them, to help make, and I hope you agree, is a
fantastic issue delving deep into Star Trek Intrepid, its opening epi-
sode, its special episode that they released with Hidden Frontier
Productions and also a glimpse at the episodes that are currently in
production.

As usual we have interview with the cast and crew of the show, in-
cluding; Nick Cook; David Reid; Lucy Cook; Steve Hammond and
many more. Also in this issue very have been very lucky in getting
a sneek peek at future characters and as such have got short inter-
views with Michael Hudson; Alex Matthews and Bodo Hartwig.

I hope you enjoy this issue of TCM.

Live Long and Prosper

Richard
5
FUTURE EPISODES
A LOOK AT FUTURE EPISODES BY NICK COOK 6

NEWS
BRING YOU UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE FAN FILM WORLD 7

INTREPID
AN OVERVIEW OF STAR TREK INTREPID WRITTEN BY ALEX MATTHEWS 9

CROSSOVER
AN IN DEPTH LOOK AT HOW THE WORLDS OF INTREPID AND HIDDEN FRONTIER INTERACT 10

PROMOTION BY ASSASSINATION
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE SHOWS CREATOR NICK COOK 11

HEAVY LIES THE CROWN
A REVIEW OF THE SERIES FIRST EPISODE 15

LIVING ON THE FRONTIER
AN INTERVIEW WITH STEVE HAMMOND 17

MUSICAL MAESTRO
AN INTERVIEW WITH DAVID BEUKES 20

ABOUT THE SHIPS
FACTS, FIGURES AND OTHER THINGS YOU WANTED TO KNOW 22

DAVID LEES AND ALEX MATTHEWS
THE FIRST OF OUR SHORT INTERVIEWS 23

ROMULAN IN STARFLEET
AN INTERVIEW WITH DAVID REID 25

LUCY COOK AND BODO HARTWIG
THE SECOND OF OUR SHORT INTERVIEWS 27

GORDON DICKSON AND MIKE CUGLEY
THE THIRD SET OF SHORT INTERVIEWS 28

ORPHANS OF WAR
A REVIEW OF THIS SPECIAL EPISODE 29

A MAN AT WORK
AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JEFF HAYES 30

ALAIN DE MOL AND NICK BECKWITH
THE FOURTH SET OF SHORT INTERVIEWS 34

SPECIAL INTELLIGENCE
AN INTERVIEW WITH ALAN CHRISTISON 35

DYLAN FEENEY
THE OTHER MUSICIAL MAESTRO 36

MICHAEL HUDSON
THE FIFTH SHORT INTERVIEW 37

ALAN SCORE AND LEE ANDREW
THE LAST OF OUR SHORT INTERVIEWS 38

CAPTAINS LOG
WITH NICK COOK 39

NEXT ISSUE 40
6
We currently have three instalments in production; Where
There's a Sea, Transitions and Lamentations, and Machi-
nations, which will be approximately 10 minutes, 30 min-
utes and five minutes in running time, in that order.

Where There's a Sea (which is actually set after the other
two, but will be released first) is essentially a vignette,
which will show Prentice in a rather different light than
we've previously seen him, and highlight the friction be-
tween Starfleet and the Merchant Service a little more.
We'll also see more Cole, Ariadne in battle, and Orions.

Transitions and Lamentations takes place about a week
after the events of Heavy Lies the Crown. I don't want to
give too much away about this one, but I can tell you it'll
feature more Surai, more location work, more action, a lot
more Navar, Navar's father Zobrin, Keran Azhan, a Klin-
gon, the science vessel Pandora, Hunter's search for an
XO, a (very wet) cave, and a seedy alien bar.

Machinations is essentially a coda to Transitions and Lam-
entations, set a few months later and will feature Navar,
Azhan, information about the Surai, and an interesting
little twist...

Nick Cook, Producer
On this page we are lucky enough to have a sneak peek at some information about future episodes.

PLEASE NOTE IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW DO NOT READ THIS PAGE.

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
7
After releasing three short
episodes that have introduced
the audience to the main char-
acters Fan Film series The
Expedition has just begun
filming on its pilot episode.
For more information visit
www.theexpedition.org
STAR TREK AND
FAN FILM TIME-
LINE RELEASED
An unofficial timeline has
been released. It contains all
the official Star Trek series as
well as most of the major fan
series players including Hid-
den Frontier; Intrepid and
Phase 2, to view it please go to
www.geocities.com/sabarwolf/
time-line
The latest episode from Areakt Pictures Star Trek Odyssey has been released. The episode entitled The Lotus
Eaters introduces us to the Kelvans, a race that have been persecuted by the Archeins. This episode also gives
us a more in depth look at most of the characters both main cast and secondary cast a like.

To download this episode visit www.hiddenfrontier.org and click on the links to go to the download page.
Upcoming fan film Star Trek
Origins has recently released
the theme music for the series,
to listen to it please visit
www.startrekorigins.com
A new audio series has recently released their
first audiosode. The audiosode entitled Court
Martial is available to download from here
http://www.starfleetrenegades.com/forums/
index.php/topic,22.0.html

What is the series about, well here is the de-
scription from the front page of their website;

WELCOME TO STARFLEET RENE-
GADES. The Continuing Saga of the Starship
Columbia. When we last left our Renegade
crew, the Columbia had been presumed de-
stroyed in a confrontation between Cardassian
forces and the Federation starship Excel-
sior. Not wanting to embroil Starfleet in an-
other interstellar war for which they are ill pre-
pared, Captain Nicolas Roberts - a fugitive
from Starfleet for stealing the Columbia to rescue his crew - engaged the Car-
dassians in a battle he couldnt win. When it was all over, the Columbia dis-
appeared in a fiery explosion. But was she destroyed or was it a ruse thanks
to her stolen cloaking device? This audio dramatic series has the answer!
Helena Chronicles latest episode Obsessions was released on
22nd March. The episode gives us some insight into one of He-
lena's new crew members, Lt Dias.

It also gives us a bit more about Corey Aster who is still strug-
gling to come to terms with the loss of his husband Ro Nevin. For
more information please visit www.hiddenfrontier.org

8
Star Trek New Voyages has changed its name to Star Trek Phase 2, this has already come into effect and will
be the name on the next episode they release, Blood and Fire. Other noticeable changes after the name
change will be the new actors, Blood and Fire will introduce the new Spock (Ben Tolpin) and the new Uhura
(Kim Stringer), and Blood and Fire will introduce us to a new character, Peter Kirk, played by Bobby Rice, of
Hidden Frontier fame having played Ro Nevin for three years.

Future episodes also will see the introduction of new characters firstly, the new Chekov (J onathon Zungre)
and also Sulu has been recast with J T Tepnapa taking on the role, people will recognise J T as he has played
Corey Aster in Hidden Frontier, and its spin off series The Helena Chronicles, where he will continue to star,
for several years now. For more information visit the Phase 2 website at www.startrekphase2.com

Pictures: Far left; JT
Tepnapa as Sulu
Near Left; Bobby Rice
as Peter Kirk.
Star Trek Of Gods and Men have released the sec-
ond instalment of their tribute to forty years of Star
Trek. Available to watch from
www.startrekofgodsandmen.com the episode has
been a lot better received by the fans who have been
saying on forums that the CGI is a lot better and the
acting is superb.
Although the series is
not perfect they are
pretty close and it is a
very fitting tribute to a
saga that has spanned
four decades. Lets hope
that in another forty
years Star Trek is still
going strong and more
fans will be releasing
their tributes to Star
Trek that are as good as
this one.

Manga based series USS Tamerlane has released it
first major Issue. Following on from its first Omake
the first Issue sets the scene for whats to come from
the rest of the series. The first issue will be reviewed
in the next issue of TCM. To download USS Tamer-
lane comics visit their site at www.usstamerlane.com
The audio series Star Trek
Defiant have recently re-
leased their latest episode. To
download visit their website
at pendantaudio.com/defiant
A new series that is currently
in pre-production is looking
for cast and crew. If you are
interested visit their website
at www.startreksfi.org
Star Trek Phase 2s J ames
Cawley has been given a
walk on role in the upcoming
Star Trek movie.
For more information visit
Phase 2s website
www.startrekphase2.com
Star Trek Aurora have an-
nounced that the third part of
this animated series will be
released sometime during
Spring 2008.
The people over at Starship
Farragut have begun filming
their fourth Vignette A Rock
and a Hard Place. For more
information go on over to
www.starshipfarragut.com
Since Voyager ended, the 24
th
century has
gone by largely unviewed, except in the pur-
view of fanfilms. Star Trek: Hidden Frontier
was one of the first fan-based series that re-
turned to that era and helped re-identify that
period of stellar history and made it's own
definitive mark.
Another series that has attempted this is Star
Trek: Intrepid
The brainchild of Nick Cook and Steve
Hammond, the fan-series deals with the ad-
ventures of the crew of the USS Intrepid, the
first of the Intrepid-class, which the infamous
USS Voyager belonged too. Their premiere
feature-length episode, Heavy Lies The
Crown sets the series up nicely, showing that
the ship has been assigned to what should
have been a standard milk-run, escorting colo-
nists to a far flung system in a lonely sector of
space near to the upper edge of the galactic
rim. But since this IS Star Trek, things start to
get out of hand when an new alien presence
reveals themselves, resulting in the ship being
assigned as the main Starfleet presence to help
defend the fledgling colony.
Based in Dundee, Scotland, Intrepid Produc-
tions took a lot of inspiration from Hidden
Frontier, using the idea of green-screen to
help project the image of 24
th
century life to
20th century viewers, but also expanded on
some ideas from other productions, notably
Star Trek: Exeter and Star Trek: Phase
II (formerly New Voyages). This lead them to
create several of what could be called
'standing sets', although not on the scale of the
former efforts. Whereas they have built vari-
ous sets, such as Sickbay and the Bridge, In-
trepid uses a combination of physical sets,
such as wall units, consoles and displays,
alongside the green-screen, to allow more
dynamic camera shots. Whereas early HF
efforts were mostly bust shots so not to see the
lack of a console, this combination allowed
the Intrepid film crew to make usage of lim-
ited space while still projecting an illusion of
size and dimensions that only exist on a com-
puter screen. Also, since their premiere epi-
sode deals with a threat to an entire planet,
they took advantage of the lush greenery
local to Dundee to give a sense of realism
to their efforts, moving beyond the small
green-screen set built into the small kitchen
of Nick Cook's own flat. The Intrepid film
crew took this one step further in the film-
ing of one of their latest efforts,
Transitions and Lamentations, using an
actual theatre stage to film a bar scene,
complete with physical on-set aliens.
In an extra twist, Intrepid also attempts to
show that the workings of the Merchant
Marine Service, an organisation only ever
really hinted at in the official Trek series. It
demonstrates the animosity between the 2
services that both work with the Federa-
tion, but are completely different. Whereas
Starfleet is the spit-and-polish miltary-
esque 'exploration and defense' arm, the
officers and crew of the Merchant Marines
are more rough and tumble, dealing with
older, more run-down starships, and their
jobs involving trade missions and colony
supply. This difference in charters is a ma-
jor plot point of their premiere episode, and
is explored more in subsequent shorts and
episodes.
The cast and crew is a large varied group
for their first episode, and more characters
are planned on being introduced in further
episodes, but for Heavy Lies The Crown,
the main players are:
Captain Daniel Hunter: Formerly the XO,
he is promoted to the rank of Captain after
his predecessor is killed in a shuttle acci-
dent during their mission. (Portrayed by
Nick Cook)
Lt. Yanis Caed: The Trill Operations Offi-
cer, and second host to the Caed symbiont.
She is a close friend of Hunter's. (Portrayed
by Lucie Cook)
Lt. S'Ceris: The half-Romulan, half-human
Chief of Security, who differs with Hunter
on many regards, but has a grudging re-
spect for the man. (Portrayed by David
Reid)
Lt. Matthew Cole: A former member of
the Maquis arrested before they were
massacred by the Dominion, he was
granted reprieve during the Dominion
War, and serves as Mission Operations
Officer on Intrepid. (Portrayed by Steve
Pasqua)
Commodore Aaron Prentice: Flag officer
in charge of the entire fleet sent to estab-
lish the colony, and later placed in com-
mand of the Sector. (Portrayed by Alan
Score)
Lt. Commander J acen Navar: A Torothan
(seen in ENT), who serves as Intelligence
Adviser to Commodore Prentice, but
knows more then he is letting on.
(Portrayed by Alan Christison)
Lt. Commander J oseph Garren: Security
Adviser to Commodore Prentice, who
should have been Tactical Officer on
board Intrepid, if not for S'Ceris' appoint-
ment.(Portrayed by Gordon Dickson)
Governor Karyn Finney: The civilian
leader of the Chiron IV colony, who must
balance working alongside Starfleet and
the Merchant Marines, while looking out
for the best interests of her fellow colo-
nists. (Portrayed by Lyn McGarrity)
Captain J ago Merrick: Commanding Offi-
cer of the SS Ariadne, the lead Merchant
Marine vessel assigned to the colony con-
voy, he is not Starfleet's biggest fan, but
understands the need for their presence
now that they are under threat of attack.
(Portrayed by Steve Hammond)
Dr. Richard Garren: Science Officer un-
der Captain Merrick, and adopted brother
to J oseph Garren, he has a fierce dislike
and distrust of Starfleet, and has not for-
given his brother for joining up.
(Portrayed by Mike Cugley)~
9
Star Trek has been going on in one form
or another for 40 +years, with each film or
series somehow being related to each other,
to show that a continuity exists between
them. Sometimes, this takes the form of
crossovers, such as the appearance of Dr.
McCoy in TNG's premiere, Picard in
DS9's, and Quark in Voyager's.
It was in this kind of spirit that in Heavy
Lie The Crown, the premiere episode of
Star Trek: Intrepid, we have a brief ap-
pearance from Captain Elizabeth Shelby,
during a subspace call between Excelsior's
commanding officer and Intrepid's XO,
Daniel Hunter. The call not only estab-
lishes that the two are old friends, but that
the two series run parallel to each other in
the same interpretation of the expanded
Star Trek universe. An earlier crossover
had occurred, in the HF Season 5 finale,
The Battle Is J oined when Commander
Tolian Naros, then-Executive Officer of
Excelsior, runs into an old family aquain-
tence, Keran Azhan, on DS12's docking
area. Azhan mentions his assignment as
ship's counselor on board Intrepid, much to
Naros' disbelief. At this point, Intrepid
was still in late post-production, so this
crossover constitutes more of a tip-of-the-
hat reference, such as a reference to Camus
II, the early setting of the 79
th
and final
episode of TOS, mentioned in the 80
th
epi-
sode of TNG.
To say the two shows work together, would
be an exaggeration. They are two inde-
pendent productions, and are not deliber-
ately weaved together in any shape or form,
but they do have common points, which
also link them to the general universe of
Star Trek. They both stick to the canon of the
televised shows, and also try to adhere to what
has been established in each other. This is
much easier for HF, since Intrepid has only
aired the one episode thus far, but the Scottish
production does try to stick to whatever points
have been made by Hidden Frontier. So far,
since Intrepid is set around the six season
HF, they have very little interaction with HF's
sister shows, Odyssey and Helena Chronicles,
at least in episodes produced by Intrepid Pro-
ductions.
Areakt Studios, though, in league with In-
trepid Productions, has already made one
small crossover episode dealing with the fall-
out of the Archein invasion, one of the main
points in Odyssey's premiere episode. This
stand-alone episode does reference the previ-
ous appearance of Captain Shelby in HLtC,
and furthers the relationship glimpsed at, a
relationship many of the fans of both series
were glad to see expanded on. There are also
plans in the works to make a longer follow-up
to this piece, which will expand on its story-
line and introduce more plots which will be
continued in another new Areakt made HF
spin-off. But these episodes occur in Intrepid's
'future', at a point their own efforts have not
brought them to yet. So, if a season spans a
year, there is still at least 2 years of stories
from Intrepid to explore before they catch
up with these other efforts.
So thats good news for the Intrepid fans out
there, although the people involved might feel
a little pressured to deliver now :p.~
10
11
Daniel Hunter, captain of the Starship In-
trepid, got there by killing his commanding
officer in order to protect the colony on the
planet below. Here the man behind him talks
to Trekkie Central;

TC: When did you first discover Star Trek?

NC: As a kid in the seventies I grew up
watching sci fi; Star Trek, Space: 1999, the
Incredible Hulk, that sort of thing. I don't re-
member when I first encountered it, but I do
remember watching the Animated Series,and
playing Captain Kirk at a birthday party back
in '75 or '76. I don't really remember a time
before Star Trek to be honest, it's just always
been there.

TC: How did you become involved with In-
trepid?

NC: I used to run the local Trek club, and had
seen both Hidden Frontier and Starship Exe-
ter. I'd thought we could do an audio novel,
but Dylan Feeney, who wrote our theme, sug-
gested we take it a step further and make a
fanfilm instead. It all kind of snowballed from
there. I guess you could say I was there at the
right time.

TC: If you could create your own official Star
Trek series, what would it be?

NC: I'm a huge fan of the TNG crew, so I'd
probably bring back J onathan Frakes, Marina
Sirtis and Wil Wheaton for a Titan series.

TC: Why did you decide to start your own
fan series?

NC: Well it seemed like a good idea at the
time. Seriously though, we'd seen Hidden
Frontier, and Exeter, and thought it would be
fun. I'd always had an interest in writing, and
had dabbled in acting when I was younger, so
combining those interests with Star Trek just
seemed a like a natural choice. The idea of
creating our own little corner of the Star Trek
universe was simply too much temptation. Of
course, back then we didn't have a clue how
much work it'd be, so it was basically a bap-
tism by fire. Having a circle of close friends
who shared the same interest was a huge help
though, and I doubt we'd have ever gotten past
the concept stage without them. And of
course, those friendships were also a large
part of why we decided to make Intrepid,
since the club was winding down, and we
were all looking for something new to do
as a group.

TC: And how long did it take to develop?

NC: Much longer than we expected. The
groundwork had already been laid to an
extent, since we'd decided to base some of
the characters on those we'd used for our
role playing game, so that much was easy.
I'd say our pre-production phase was
probably about two years, then we spent
roughly another two and a half years on
principal photography and post-
production. We had a number of setbacks
along the way, but we hung in regardless,
and I'm glad we did.

A great deal changed in the development
process, and while the main thrust of the
script remained the same, the details
changed often. Sometimes, even as we
were filming. For example, Talath's death
played out completely differently as well,
instead of shooting her down to save the
settlement, Hunter had abandoned her to
die aboard an exploding transport. We
also hadn't originally planned to do exte-
rior shots, the entire story played out
aboard ship. The decision to do location
work was, I think, a wise one, since it got
us away from the greenscreen, was much
more visually interesting, and frankly told
a better story. That said, it also added at
least a year to our production time, so it
has its drawbacks too. All things told, it
was roughly four and a half years from
concept to finished episode. It's worth
noting that, in the beginning, we thought
it'd take us "about a year" to produce a
finished episode, which should give you
some idea how naive we were back then.

TC: How do you deal with the fandom
that surrounds Intrepid?

NC: I'll be honest, having people tell you
they like your work isn't the hardest thing
in the world to cope with. Once upon a
time, Steve and I both said we thought we
had a good story, but we really didn't
know whether anyone would take the time
to watch, or indeed if they'd enjoy it. That
people actually have watched, and most
seem to have enjoyed it is a source of
great pride to me. I'm very grateful that
most people who watched it have been
kind, and most of the criticism has been
constructive. Sure, there's been the occa-
sional harsh word directed at us, and the
odd bit of nitpicking, but with very few
exceptions it's been a pleasure.

TC: And were you surprised by it?

NC: I was amazed by it. I still am. If
someone had turned 'round to me five
years ago and even suggested some of the
places this would take me I'd have simply
laughed it off. I've made some wonderful
friends, and travelled to places I never
expected. If it hadn't been for Intrepid, I'd
have never set foot on the New Voyages
bridge, shared screen time with the won-
derful Risha Denney, met Rob Caves, or
J ames Cawley, or chatted to Dennis Bai-
ley (who wrote one of my favourite Star
Trek episodes, Tin Man, and who pro-
duced some of our effects) or any of the
other folks I've been priviliged enough to
cross paths with. I'm continually amazed
by some of the people we hear from, or
the places we've been seen. A colleague
of mine came up to me last year, who'd
been holidaying in Egypt, and mentioned
she'd been watching CNN in her hotel,
when suddenly my face appeared on
screen. Then there's all the folks who con-
tact us offering to help with subtitling.
Surprised is probably an understatement,
and I'm incredibly grateful for it all, and
to all those people who have taken the
time to watch, share their thoughts, and
offer their help and support.

TC: Also are you surprised by how popu-
lar the character of Daniel Hunter has
become?

NC: I think "gobsmacked" is the word. I
swear, "We're Starfleet you idiot" is going
to be carved on my gravestone. I'm very
fond of him myself, though I guess I'm
biased. To be fair
though, not everyone
likes him.
12

Regardless, I'm just happy there are people who do like him.

TC: During the first episode we saw Hunter nervous about making decisions due to the fact he 'killed' his captain, will we see more of
that in future episodes or has he put old ghosts to bed? (so to speak)

NC: We'll definitely revisit that. Brian Matthews, the staff writer for Helena Chronicles, who also wrote Orphans of War, is working on
a script for us called The Stone Unturned, which will touch on this, though it's not the main thrust of the story.

I personally believe that human beings have a tendency to second guess themselves and agonise over the choices they make. Very few
people, in my experience, can honestly make a life-changing decision and just move on. While I don't think you'll see Hunter constantly
haunted, that decision will always be with him, and I think that's as it should be.

TC: Do you think that the 'Orphans of War' special with Hidden Frontier helped develop your character more?

13
NC: Insofar as we developed the Hunter/
Shelby dynamic a little more, I'd say yes,
but I don't think we really got to know him
any better than we did in Heavy Lies the
Crown. Orphans didn't give us a lot of time
to really get under the skin of any of those
characters, and that was unavoidable given
the time constraints. Again, I'm probably
biased, but the Hunter/Shelby dynamic is
what made Orphans so much fun for me.

TC: The first episode also featured Section
31, will that storyline develop over coming
episodes?

NC: Definitely. Transitions and Lamenta-
tions, which is being shot at the moment,
deals with that in some detail. Suffice to
say, you'll find out a lot more about both
Commander Navar, and Section 31's plans.

I'd always intended to involve Section 31 in
the plot in some way, and at some point I
thought it'd be cool to somehow involve
Eric Busby's Section 31 Files characters
somehow. I can't honestly recall what order
it all happened in, but Eric had approached
me about appearing in Section 31 Files as
Lieutenant Cain, and I think it was some-
time after that that I approached him and
the other Darker Projects cast about appear-
ing in Intrepid. I'd quite like to try and
bring them back in at some point, but
whether it'll happen, or how, is anyone's
guess at this point. It's worth noting,
though, that both, Korg and Hunter will
appear in Operation Beta Shield, so I guess
anything is possible.

TC: What other aspects of the show do
you do, apart from the acting and being the
creator?

NC: In addition to being one of the writers
(I wrote Heavy Lies the Crown, Transitions
and Lamentations, Machinations, and
Where There's a Sea) I'm also responsible
for costuming and props. Most of the props
you see on Intrepid, and pretty much all the
costumes were my work. The props were
largely built up from kits, so I don't think I
can take much credit for them, but the cos-
tumes were made from scratch, except for
one which is screen-used, and those I'm
pretty proud of. I constantly have several
costumes under construction at any given
moment, and finding time to work on them
isn't always easy.

The writing is probably my favourite aspect
though, with acting a close second.

TC: Are you looking forward to filming
Operation Beta Shield?

NC: Very much so. We've got a wonderful
script, by Brian Matthews, which is based
on an outline by Rob Caves, and the folks
over at Areakt are such a genuinely nice,
welcoming group that you can't help but
want to hang out with them. They've also
got a very creative, efficient atmosphere
over there and while I can't speak for any-
one else, I think Orphans was by far my
best performance to date, and I owe that to
J ennifer Cole's direction. So yeah, I can't
wait. These folks are my friends, so it's
always a pleasure to see them. The fact that
we get to make Star Trek together as well,
is just icing on the cake.~
14
15
It was thanks to watching Hidden Frontier, and seeing various posts from
a person called Daniel Hunter that lead me to the website for the USS
Intrepid and her crew. I pretty much fell in love with the show after watch-
ing their collection of bloopers, and eagerly waited another few months for
the finished episode to come out. I was also one of the first people to see it
in any form, after I joined the Intrepid production team, designing the pilot
episodes opening credits, and also being cast as one of the recurring char-
acters. As part of the 2
nd
Excelsior Ball, I took a preliminary version still
lacking some of the CGI to be aired, and enjoyed allowing other people
the chance to get a sneak peek as well.
The episode did not disappoint, and although there were rough spots in
certain places, all in all, it was a great first effort, and speaks highly of
those that participated. 4 or more years in the making, the time, attention
and care these people took is evident in every chosen shot, the CGI effects
used, and the original musical score that was developed.
As a premiere, it is designed to introduce us to the characters and make us
develop some kind of feeling towards them, be it to care for them, or de-
spise them. Given the eclectic range of characters and personnel, the epi-
sode delivers very well in that respect, as well as giving us a story that
intrigues and interests the viewing audience, and sets the floor for further
stories.
In the far away Charybdis sector, near the upper portion of the galactic
edge, the USS Intrepid is baby-sitting a group of settlers as they establish
their preliminary colony, with help from a detachment from the Merchant
Service. This immediately differs it from other canon and fanon efforts,
which have barely ever mentioned the Merchant Marines before, the other
side of the Federation's space services, with far less spit and polish then
Starfleet. We soon meet the crews of both services, and see the tension
that exists between then two of them, as well as amongst the crew of the
Intrepid itself. Of course, this tension is given a slightly scary dimension,
when the first officer (the afore mentioned Daniel Hunter) is forced to
destroy a shuttle carrying his captain, in order to stop it from crashing into
the colony.
But all the various forms of tension are forced to the side when a strange
energy field activates, which cuts the planet off from the Intrepid, as well
as knocking out power on the multitude of convoy ships in orbit. Intrepid,
having been conducting a survey of the system's asteroids, avoided the
same fate, and soon heads into the rescue, sending an away team down,
prepared for combat after an unknown alien vessel had attacked them ear-
lier without seeming provocation. A link between the two events is theo-
rised, which is proven when one group from the away team is pinned
down by automated attack probes. Hunter and his security chief, a half-
Romulan named S'Ceris, team up with the two senior Merchant Marine
personnel and manage to render aid to their trapped comrades, as well as
pinpoint what is creating the energy field.
Meanwhile, Intrepid leaves orbit in order to intercept and delay n attack
16
force of aliens identified as the Surai. Again,
tension between members of the crew comes
into play when the convoy commander, a
Starfleet Commodore, discovers that his Intel-
ligence Officer is not only keeping informa-
tion from him, but acting under the orders of
another. Despite this, they manage to work
together in order to achieve their mission,
before returning to orbit, and using the away
team's findings to destroy the energy field and
return the planet and the orbiting ships to nor-
mal. The episode ends with the realisation that
the peaceful life the colonists hoped for might
not exist now, as well as Hunter struggling
with the decision of whether to take command
of Intrepid, something he does as the episode
fades out.
The fact that this first effort took so long to
make is evident in various facets. The CGI is
top-notch for the most part, only with the oc-
casional wobble, such as the very beginning
opening montage, where some of the CGI just
looks a little rough. But all in all, it helps cre-
ate the setting of the show, mixed with physi-
cal sets and actual location footage. Both Nick
Cook and Steve Hammond, the co-creators
and producers, have said how they wanted to
differ from Hidden Frontier by using real sets
and locations, as opposed to constantly using
green-screen. The combination of both gives
an extra dimension to the production, making
it seem more 'real', especially with the loca-
tion shoots, giving an extra dynamic and feel
to the action.
When full CGI is used, it could very nearly
meet Hollywood-level production style, espe-
cially when the Surai ships are first glimpsed
at, and when Intrepid fires torpedoes while
laying a trap. The various artists Intrepid Pro-
ductions put to work took their time with their
pieces, not wanting things to look rushed, and
for the most part, they succeeded. Although it
is amateur, it's VERY high level amateur. The
compositing of effects onto real environments
is near flawless, with barely no green outlines
apparent, expect for one scene in the trans-
porter room, due to the Commodore (being in
an old style Admiral uniform, in science blue)
being fully against the green screen.
The costumes are incredibly accurate, when
we Starfleet uniforms, and the fact that Nick
Cook made many (of not all) of them is evi-
dent, as none of them look like the cheap ones
that Hidden Frontier initially used. The
casual uniform jackets of the Merchant
Marine are different enough from Starfleet
wear that it immediately sets them apart,
but still gives them a look of their own
without looking too informal. The usage of
props also differentiates the two, as the
Starfleeters use up to date VOY-era phasers
and tricorders, while the Mariners use older
style props, like ENT-style phase pistols or
the early bulky TNG phasers and tricorders.
One bone of contention regarding costume
was that the hairstyle of two of the female
characters: Ensign Styles should have her
long hair up in a regulation ponytail or
some such style, but in order to hide the
bagginess of her uniform, she wore it loose,
while Lt. Caed changed hairstyles between
almost every scene she was in, this being
due to the various stoppages in filming
between her scenes.
Whereas many different early fanon shows
may borrow from official sources for their
soundtrack, Intrepid kept its high bar by
having original music composed, both for
their theme tune, and their soundtrack. The
work of Dylan Feeney and David Beukes
are both easy on the ears, and add that extra
layer of depth and moodiness to the fin-
ished product. And although there are times
when the soundtrack can over power the
scene, that is a matter of the mixing, not the
work itself.
That happens several times throughout the
episode, with the sound, where background
noise can drown out the dialogue, such as
the river scene between Garren and
Merrick, and later, when Caed is reporting
her group being under attack to Hunter. But
this odd occurences do not spoil the general
flow of the episode, at least not too much
as to disrupt the enjoyment of viewing.
The fact that this project took so long to
complete is also evidenced in the acting
style - these people not only enjoy playing
their characters, but enjoy working with
each other. The bloopers that are available
on their website show this for all to be-
hold, and this humour and bond helped
them continue throughout the several
years they took to make the final aired
product. I can also personally attest to the
fact that they do have that good a time
when filming, and yes, there can be mo-
ments when the stress and such can get to
you, we are all there to have a good time,
while maintaining a professional outlook
on the work as well.
Intrepid is now in the process of post-
production on at least 3 further projects,
as well as preparing for Operation: Beta
Shield, the follow up to their previous
HF crossover, Orphans of War, so they
have a lot of work to do.
But they promise that this time, it wont be
another 4 years of waiting patiently...
17
Here Trekkie Central talks exclusively to
Steve Hammond on what life is like in the
Charybdis Sector.


SH: It's just been a constant background pres-
ence, really. Only when TNG came along did
I become what you'd call a fan (small 'f') and
it wasn't until much later than it became any
sizeable part of my life. My first memories are
of watching TOS on a 4 black and white TV
at my Gran's house though I'm now sure I saw
the cartoon first, which would have been the
early 70s.

trepid?

SH: Technically, I became involved with Star
Trek: Pioneer before we changed the name to
Intrepid! It was an offshoot of the club which
I turned up to once in a while, and as luck
would have it I had recently bought a digital
video camera shortly before discussion about
the possibility of making a movie. Then I
started waving my arms around for a year or
so, making anguished squeaking noises.


SH: I don't think it would be a million miles
from what we're doing at the moment. If
someone, somehow, gave me the funding to
create any series I felt like, I don't think I'd
want to do more Star Trek. At the moment, we
have a platform in which we can tell a wide
variety of stories and Trek is an incredibly
adaptable universe. But a new series in that
universe... I honestly don't know, though I
think it would be interesting to do something
set pre-federation. I seem to be one of the few
people who genuinely appreciated Star Trek:
Enterprise, at least where it didn't tread the
usual timeworn themes.

TC: What is it like being part of a Star Trek
series, and how do you deal with the fandom
that surrounds Intrepid?

HS: It feels normal, surprisingly enough.
Whether it's because it's been so long that I've
been involved or it's just because I'm such a
hardcore Geek, I really don't think of it as being
out of the ordinary. Most of my friends are SF
fans in one way or the other and at times I tend to
see this whole Intrepid things as merely a natural
consequence of all this perfectly ordinary tech-
nology we have lying around. I have creative
friends, I have a video camera, we all enjoy Star
Trek, why on earth wouldn't we dress up and
film ourselves?! Dealing with the fandom has
never really been an issue, since I've only ever
been recognised in the street twice. One was a
relative of a friend of mine and the other was a
girl in the newsagent on the day that my photo
was in the paper, so it's not really representative.
Generally the only contact I have is posts on the
forum where I was surprised to find that I could
handle criticism better than I thought I would.
Most of the time!

TC: What sort of storylines would you like to see
your character featured in?

SH: The sort of storylines where I have a reason-
able chance of making them actually happen, so I
best not reveal anything here! Having said that,
I've suggested a plot to Nick concerning Merik
which would make the audience jump out of
their collective seats. It couldn't happen for a few
years though.

TC: All three of your characters are non-starfleet
and two seem to hate starfleet how do you play
characters like that and does that make them
more interesting to play because they aren't Star-
fleet officers?

SH: I can't really say how different it would be,
since this is the first role of any kind that I've
played. Originally I agreed to be a character,
despite having no evidence of any acting ability,
because at the beginning of HltC we were really,
really, short or help. Bit of trivia, when we
started I had long hair (rock star hair, not hippy
hair!) and so Nick toyed with the idea of writing
me in as a Klingon! For Merik, I think hate is too
strong a word and I've consistently been de-
scribed as 'grumpy' in my portrayal, so I'd guess
that the merchants are grumpier than starfleet.
They have all the shiniest toys!
18
an absolute ton of footage would be enough to cut it to-
gether without worry.
So what I had in mind was piecing together the footage in
my head as I filmed it up to the point where we had a
minimum scene. Then enough to make a better scene.
Then enough to make a good scene. Then enough to
make the scene that I wanted. The bar has been gradually
raised, so that it hasn't been uncommon for me to shoot a
dozen takes. The record so far was the bridge scene right
before the credits, which had twenty four takes from half
a dozen angles! That was a long day... I think I do it more
economically now, though Nick may disagree.
Shooting against greenscreen had the additional difficulty
that I knew I was going to be doing the compositing af-
terwards and so I had to keep in mind that getting to right
upfront would save me pain later, though it was very lib-
erating to be able to have all kinds of junk in the frame,
knowing that I could easily remove it in the computer.
Now I have to think not only how a scene is going to
look, but the mood of the scene, the pacing of the scene
and how it all fits together, the motivation of the charac-
ters and their backstory. On the most recent shoot, one of
the actors made a suggestion about how he should play
the scene and in a case like that it's important to know if
it contradicts anything that's already been established.
So really, it's evolving all the time!~

TC: Steve, you directed the first episode, what sort of
things do you have to keep in mind when filming and
how long did it take to film?

SH: From the original idea to actually getting something
released was something like four and a half years, but not
all of that time was actual shooting. We ran around in
circles for a couple of years before really trying to get
through all the scenes. A large part of it was that we had
no idea how to go about making a movie and had to fig-
ure it out for ourselves. It's hard to say how much time
the actual shooting took, but you can get an idea from the
fact that at the end of it I had over thirty hours worth of
footage. And of course all that material had to be filtered
and edited.
In the beginning, all I was trying to keep in mind was
getting enough coverage for whatever scene we were
filming. Over the course of a few scenes I gradually
dropped the idea of having a list of specifics shots and
instead tried to get a series of 'standard' shots, the wide
angle, the close ups and so on. Plenty of stuff went wrong
in the early days and the idea was that after a certain
point there was enough filmed to make a scene. With
only a master shot I had a very basic scene, but a scene
nevertheless, assuming it was in a single take. A close up
of a character would then be enough material to cut be-
tween the two shots. Any additional footage would then
make the resultant scene more visually interesting. And
19
20
David Beukes wrote the score for In-
trepids first episode, Heavy Lies the
Crown, and he did a fantastic job helping to
set the scene within the episode.

Here he talks to Trekkie Central about that
experience and also if he would like to do
future episodes.

TC: When did you discover Star Trek?

DB: Season 1 of TNG - it finally made it
over here when I was in junior high. Tasha
Yar's death ruined me, I was only 14. No
one dies on TV, what's going on?

TC: How did you become involved with
Intrepid?

DB: I asked nicely.

TC: If you could create your own Official
Series what would it be?

DB: I enjoyed Enterprise, but I think that
prequels are generally a bad idea, so my
own Official Series would be post-
Voyager. The stories would have more of
the sciency-what-ifishness of TOS and
TNG - one of the things that's always ap-
pealed to me about Trek is the exploration
and the possibilites. And somehow it would
have Bob Picardo in it.

TC: Where did you get the feel of the mu-
sic from? (did you watch the show first or
did the inspiration come from somewhere
else)

DB: It grew organically. I read the script
first - and loved it - and began sketching
ideas that Nick would give me feedback on,
and later he began sending me scenes as the
editing proceeded. I guess the feel comes
from what I imagine a space opera should
sound like. If I had to name some of my
influences, I'd say Klaus Badelt, Michael
Kamen, and J ames Newton Howard. And
one to watch is a guy called Ilan Eshkeri,
who I've just discovered. He's amazing.

TC: You seem to have enjoyed doing the
music, would you come back and do an-
other episode again?

DB: I absolutely loved it. And unless some-
thing has changed (Nick? Am I fired?), I'm
going to keep on doing them. Being part of a
fanfilm is being part of the fantasy, and get-
ting to contribute is awesome. Pathetically
nerdy as it sounds, the time I spent with Nick,
Lucy and the gang playing spaceships remains
one of the major highlights of my time in the
UK. Why would I give it up?

TC: What do you think of the fandom that
surrounds Intrepid?

DB: We had endless fun (ok, and stress too,
but mostly fun) making the first episode, and
it's exciting to know that people out there en-
joyed our adventure too. I'm surprised, hum-
bled, and enormously pleased that people have
responded to it as well as they have, and I'd
like to take this opportunity to thank all of our
fans, especially those that took the time to
come and hang out with us on the forums and
give us feedback - it's immensely gratifying
and it really makes it worthwhile for us. You
guys rock.

TC: How did you create the music, I am as-
suming that you did not have a live orchestra?

DB: What makes you say that? of COURSE I
have a live orchestra, I keep them chained in
the basement and feed them breadcrusts ok
I'm clearly lying. I use a sampler called Kon-
takt, and I sunk most of the money I saved
working in London into an orchestral library
from East West called Symphonic Orchestra.
It's great because the sounds are really well
designed, and most importantly, they respond
to controls that let you express emotively.
You're not just playing notes, you can add
swells and feeling, which goes a long way
towards selling the idea that the orchestra is
live.
I had to live on mysterious unpronounceable
foodlike products from stores I'd rather not
mention (LIDL (UK foodstore)) for weeks to
pay for it, but I regret nothing.

TC: How long did it take to create the music?

DB: Much longer than it should have. It devel-
oped over about a year, but probably only a few
weeks if you stuck it all together. None of us do
this fulltime, we have day (and night) jobs to
bring the loot in. I now work at a production
facility here in J ohannesburg where I write mu-
sic for a living, but at the time I was slaving
away at a desk in a finance department in Lon-
don.

TC: And was more created than was needed for
the show?

DB: Yes. I sketched several themes that didn't
make it into the show, mostly because I started
writing long before I saw any footage. My fa-
vourite of these is The Intrepid Overture, which
I'm meaning to finish some day - it would work
fantastically as an opening to a full length In-
trepid motion picture (Nick? How about it?).
But that's the nice thing about my job, nothing
is wasted. Whenever I get an idea I try to sketch
it - you never know when you'll come across a
project it will work for. I carry a dictaphone
with me for this very reason - you can be out in
a supermarket weighing vegetables when you
suddenly get an idea, and you whip out the dic-
taphone and hum the tune so you don't forget it.
People look at you like you're a mentalist, but
it's indispensable.

TC: Is there any of the music that you would
change if you were given a second chance?

DB: Yes and no. I think with any project like
this you can hear things you'd like to change,
but I find that true of all of my music. I try not
to go back and revise unless it's really neces-
sary because I've found that if you're constantly
editing and tweaking, you often destroy what
was good about it to begin with. So I rather
walk away and start something new.~
21
22
The Federation Starship U.S.S. Intrepid, Starfleet Registry NCC-74600, is an
Intrepid Class Starship. The first of her class, she was launched from Utopia
Planitia Shipyards on November 12th, 2370 (stardate 47864.1), and continued
to serve as a testbed for new technologies, including the Emergency Medical
Hologram, until 2371, shortly before the outbreak of hostilities with the Klin-
gons.
In 2382, under the command of Captain Talath, the Intrepid was assigned to
the Chiron Colonial Convoy. (Star Trek Intrepid,Heavy Lies The Crown).
Dimensions
Length: 344.42 metres
Beam: 133.42 metres
Height: 66.35 metres
Decks: 15
Mass: 700,000 metric tones
Performance
Crew Complement - 152
Maximum Evacuation Limit: 2000 persons
Maximum M/AMRA power output: 4000 Teradynes per second
Maximum Sustainable Velocity: Warp 9.984 for 12 hours
Absolute Maximum Velocity: Warp 9.992 for 20 minutes
Maximum Exploration Endurance: Warp 6 for 3 years
Recommended Yard Overhaul: 24 years
Standard 6 Person Transporters: 2
Emergency 22 Person Transporters: 3
Cargo Transporters: 3
Tactical Systems
Shield Output: 9.3 x 10~5 kw
Directed Energy Weapons: Thirteen [13] Type X phaser arrays
Maximum Phaser Power Output: 5.1 megawatts
Maximum Phaser Range: 300,000 kilometres
Four [4] Mk 95 Quantum/Photon Torpedo Launchers - 2 fore 2 aft
Torpedo Explosive Yield: 52.3 isotonnes
Torpedo Spread: 4 per launcher
Maximum Torpedo Range: 4.05 million kilometres
Torpedo Load Status: 100 Type II quantum torpedo warheads

Regenerative, multiphasic shielding systems are designed to exceed 9.3 x 10~5
kw primary energy dissipation rate, and incorporate full metaphasic capability
on demand. All tactical shielding has full redundacy, and auxiliary systems can
provide 75% of primary rating. Type XII phaser array elements have a power
output of 7.2 megawatts. Each quantum torpedo launcher has a maximum
spread of four. Usual storage complement is 100 quantum torpedo warheads.
One hundred and fifty standard torpedo casings are stored aboard, and these
may also be utilised as probe casings. Additional casings may be fabricated as
required, assuming the necessary raw materials are available.
Auxiliary Vessels
Type 9 Shuttlecraft: Reyga [NCC-74600/1], Nazca [NCC-74600/2]
Type 11 Shuttlecraft: Dathon [NCC-74600/3]
Type 16 Shuttlepods: Ballard [NCC-74600/4], Forrest [NCC-74600/5]
Aeroshuttle: Gabriel Bell [NCC-74600/6]
Workbees: 4 (Unamed)
6 person ASRVs: 42~
USS Pandora (NCC-11327)

An Oberth-class starship, one of the later models commis-
sioned, currently assigned to the Chiron Colonial Convoy
as a surveyor. The small vessel takes the lead in planetary
science matters, but also used the long voyage to the remote
Charybdis sector in order to study many of the stellar phe-
nomena that they encountered during the journey.
She is currently under the command of Lt. Commander
Xara Tagen, who serves as post-Captain with a small crew
of specialists, both Starfleet and civilian, under her author-
ity. When he was removed from his position as Counselor
aboard the USS Intrepid, Lieutenant, junior grade, Keran
Azhan was transferred to a position aboard the Pandora.
Here, he serves double duty, firstly as Ship's Counselor for
the much-smaller crew, but also as a linguistics specialist.

The USS Pandora and some of her crew appear in Transi-
tions and Lamentations which is currently in production
alongside Machinations and Where There's a Sea. It's not a
new ship to Intrepid, it can be seen in the convoy in "Heavy
Lies the Crown" but was crippled by the Surai along with
the rest of the convoy near Chiron IV. This time round
however, it should be possible to actually read it's registry
and she may even get involved in some action.~

Here is a short chat with David Lees who plays SCPO Alexander Quint.

DL: Can't remember when ST first appeared on BBC, but if it was pre-1969, then
that's where I discovered it. If it was after 1969, then it was in issue no. 1 of "J oe
90" comic.

TC: How did you become involved with Intrepid?
DL: A long time after most of the main cast and crew - I'd been informed about
Intrepid when Nick Cook started it, but was too busy with other things to give it
much of my time initially. Once I started to have a look at the website, and see
some of the work produced (about a year and a half ago?), I realised that this was
something special, and I think it was around that time that I started to pester Nick
about becoming part of it - despite me having turned down an offer of the same
from Nick previously, because I had been too tied up with other activities. Eventu-
ally Nick took leave of his senses and offered my the chance to play SCPO Alex-
ander Quint. He may already have started to regret that, but hasn't yet said as
much.

TC: If you could create your own official Star Trek series, what would it be?
DL: Maybe a ship-based series a la TNG, but set earlier, around the time of the
Enterprise-C? (i.e., TNG with less advanced technology - but more space battles!)~
Here we chat with our very own Alex Matthews who plays Keran Azhan;

AM: When I was about 10, around the time my parents were getting divorced, when season one
of TNG was showing on Sky One. It was escapism, and triggered an life-long interest not just in
Trek, but all sci-fi stuff.

AM: After finding out about fanfilms, i followed a link to Intrepid's website, and after watching all their bloopers and trail-
ers, joined the forum. I got friendly with Nick via email, because as a aspiring author, I wanted to bandy some ideas on
stories with him. When the part of Azhan was officially announced as being recast, I hounded him, since I had loved the
cameo Chris Clarkson had done on Hidden Frontier, did several auditions with limited resources, and eventually got the
part!

AM: To keep Trek interesting, it needs to be something different, with a completely different take. Each series had some-
thing that set them apart from each other. To be honest, the fanfilms and audio shows that are around do a great job of com-
ing up with new ideas, and they can take it directions 'official' channels probably could not.

TC: What is it like being part of a Star Trek series, and how do you deal with the fandom that surrounds Intrepid?
AM: I love every chance I get to travel up to Scotland and dress up or take part, and wish I could do it more often. I haven't
had to worry about the fandom, since my scenes haven't aired, but there is a kind of mutual appreciation thing - when I
travel over for a amateur Trek convention, I was warmly welcomed as an official 'Intrepid Ambassador', and that was en-
joyable, and a great ice-breaker as well.

TC: What can you tell us about your character? (to introduce them to us)
AM: Keran Azhan is a member of a long-lived humanoid race, called El-Aurians (like Guinan in TNG), who has a past
history with the crew of the Intrepid, which means he is not very popular with them. He was the ship's counsellor, but cir-
cumstances forced his reassignment for a lower (in his eyes) position, so he holds a grudge. He would see himself as an
knowledgeable and experienced man, whose years of experience (being over 100 human years - NC Ed - He's 82 when we
meet him) as a reason to be superior to 'younger' humans, but in all, he is quite arrogant and sarcastic, which is a great bit of
fun to bring to life.

TC: What sort of storylines would you like to see your character have?
AM: So far, I've had the chance to see he has a mysterious side that may or may not be beneficial to the crew, but I
would also like to see some humility and humanity brought to him, without compromising the character. I would also
like to get on the bridge some day too!~
23
25
David Reid has the distinct honour of play-
ing the first onscreen Romulan in Starfleet,
here he talks directly to Trekkie Central
Magazine.


DR: I first discovered star trek when I was 17
years old; I had just joined the Royal Navy
and was at my first posting when TNG was
first shown in the UK. From that time on I
was hooked, I read all the books that I could
find as well as tapping the episode to re-watch
later.

trepid?

DR: While on leave from the Navy my mother
told me about a Star Trek group that was men-
tioned in the local paper so I went along to it.
It eventually folded and Nick cook started it
up again. While going to the club I became
good friends with Nick and his girlfriend (now
his wife) and eventually became one of the
committee members. During one of the club
meetings there was a discussion about doing
an audio Star Trek show which eventually
became Star Trek Intrepid.


DR: Not sure, but it would have to be along
the line of TNG. (you can tell Im a big TNG
fan) It was a great family show with believ-
able characters.

TC: Your character is Romulan and as estab-
lished in 'Orphans of War' he doesn't like to
go into Romulan Space, do you think that
this could well appear in future episodes
and affect how the crew interacts with him?

DR: There is going to be a sequel to OoW
(now known as Operation Beta Shield) and
I dont want to give too much away, but
some of your points will be answered in
future episodes.

TC: What storylines would you like to see
your character involved in?

DR: I would like to see more of SCeriss
past being shown, maybe in flash backs or
merely being recounted by him. He has a
very interesting past.

TC: How much of your time does the
show take up?

DR: It doesnt take up that much of my
time, several weekends here and there for
location shooting and a few more for studio
shoots. I also spend sometime designing
and building the sets and some of the larger
set pieces. I have also made some of the
alien artefacts for one of the upcoming
short episodes.

TC: What is it like being part of a Star
Trek series and how do you deal with the
fandom that now surrounds Intrepid?

DR: It was a bit overwhelming last year
when we got all the media exposure, but
that has all died down now. The other week
I got stopped in the street by a complete
stranger saying arent you the guy from
star trek programme on the web. To get
recognised was unbelievable and brought
home to me the fact that lots of other peo-
ple are able to see the film.

TC: Your character is a defector, do you
think that this storyline will appear in
future episodes?

DR: Im not sure, when the character was
created there was an extensive back story
written, so who knows maybe you will
find out a little bit more about it.

TC: Your character seems to show affec-
tion for Lucy Cooks character, do you
think that this friendship might be put
under pressure in future episodes?

DR: I hope not, Caed has a lot of experi-
ence (through her other host) and goes out
of her way to be friends with all the other
crew members, although I think the fact
that myself and Lucy are such good
friends that it just
comes out in our act-
ing.~
26
Here Trekkie Central talks to everyones favourite Trill Yanis Caed,
aka Lucy Cook;

TC: Your character has become a fan favourite were you surprised by
this?
LC: Yes it has been a surprise. Caed is just like all the others aboard
Intrepid, there is nothing special about them, they are every day people
and I think a lot of people can identify with that.

TC: Did you enjoy filming Orphans of War and what was the best bit
that came out of it?
LC: Filming Orphans of War was amazing, it was great to see how the
'other side of the pond' does it, friendships were formed and every mo-
ment was a learning experience.

TC: Your character, during the first episode, seemed to have a close
friendship with David Reid's character is this something that you
would like to see continue in coming episodes?
LC: This is something I would like to see develop, it's friendships like
these that sees both character growing.

LC: It would be great to see story lines based around Caed's previous hosts or episodes that see Caed save the ship, the federation or the
galaxy single handed (joking!).

TC: How do you deal with the fandom that surrounds Intrepid?
LC: I see Intrepid as just another aspect to my life and deal with it as normally as anyone could.~
Bodo Hartwig is also new to Intrepid in the form of the Vulcan Solek, here we chat to him about
his experiences.

BH: I discovered Star Trek back in the 70s as a little boy when TOS aired for the first time in
Germany. My whole family used to watch it and I can say I grew up with it.

BH: After reading about Trek fanfilms on the internet in 2006, I googled and found the Hidden
Frontier fan series which I immediately fell in love with. It was actually Nick Cooks signature
banner on their forums that I clicked on and started to read the Intrepid forums as well. I sent an
audition video in response to a casting call but did not get the role. Later, Nick asked if I would
like to play a Vulcan.

BH: It would be set a decade after the Dominion war. Starfleet would discover a kind of energy, device or plant able to alter both the human
body and brain and could speed up human evolution if incorrectly used. It would weaken the Federation from inside and set it on a horrendous
path to war caused by its own mistakes. The humans would ultimately declare themselves the Galaxys ruling race and billions would suffer.
These terrible events would turn out to have been designed and initiated by some evil race/force in the first place (not the founders!) and hu-
mans would have to prove once more that they can do better..

BH: My character hasnt shown up on screen yet and Im quite a part of this fandom myself. The people at Intrepid are very friendly and easy
going and the good atmosphere amongst the fans reflects that very much.

BH: Im playing the Vulcan Lieutenant Solek, who is an expert in programming sensors and scanning devices. He has never seen the Acad-
emy from inside though. J oining Starfleet during the Dominion war was a strange and deliberate decision of his. Although he has lived almost
a third of his life amongst humans in Starfleet, he is still trying to find his place.

BH: The show itself is really not about Solek, but to answer the question, I would very much like to play a human villain sent by Starfleet In-
telligence to knock Mr. Solek out and take his place for a while. Hed be getting Intrepid and the whole sector into grave
danger until someone finds out hes not the real Solek and no Vulcan at all. ~
27
Here is a short interview with Gordon Dickson, who plays J oseph Garren of the
Starship Intrepid.

GD: I discovered Star Trek in the early late 70's via BBC2 in the UK showing re-
runs of the Original series.
GD: I met most of the main cast back in the mid - late eighties when we used to go
to Dundee's Star Trek fan club called Discovery. I've been involved in Intrepid
right from the start.

Note from Nick - It was actually '93 that the club started

GD: Star Trek - Distant Shores. Follows the adventures of the USS Discovery. Set
in the Beta quadrant where the federation is investigating distant ruins of one of the
galaxy's oldest races. ~
Mike Cugley plays Richard Garren, the brother of J oseph Garren, however they
are not on speaking terms due to J oseph joining Starfleet, here Trekkie Central talks
to Mike in a short interview about his character.

MC: I don't recall much before Star Trek: TNG. I'm pretty sure I'd seen a few TOS
episodes, and definitely Star Trek: The Motion Picture and The Wrath of Khan, but
I don't think I really got Star Trek until I found The Next Generation when I was at
University. At that point, I joined in a University Science Fiction club, where we
got to see the new episodes from the States, and watched every new episode I
could.
MC: It was when I was at University. Back in those days, Star Trek episodes weren't really available easily. Satellite and Cable channels
were rare and expensive, and there wasn't the ease of access to American shows that there is now. So, pretty much the only way to see Star
Trek was to get into a club where someone's got hold of an episode and we all watch it. And in those days, in Dundee, that was USS Intrepid.
And that's when I first met Nick, Lucy and the rest of the gang. We all got together for a love of Trek, and the fun of being fans together.
MC: Star Trek: Galaxy 2

A wormhole intermittently opens up into a point far away - in fact, another galaxy. A team of scientists from the Federation, the Klingon
Empire, and the Romulan Empire must work together to discover the mysteries of this new unexplored frontier, where nothing is familiar,
and everything is strange.

This would be the famed "no humanoid" aliens show - most of the drama would come from the disparate people thrown together into a tense
situation, and the wonder and strangeness of this far galaxy.

MC: It's great fun - but apart from my family and friends, I've not exactly been mobbed by fans Seeing myself, and the effects I did, on the
news, was very cool.

TC: What sort of storylines would you like to see your character featured in?
MC: I'd like the differences between Starfleet and civilian life to be brought out. Star Trek has always shown things from the point of view of
Starfleet, and there's a lot more to life in the Federation to be explored.

I'd like to throw Richard Garren and Daniel Hunter into some horrible situation, where they have to work together to survive, and Solve The
Problem. Traditional, but so long as they don't like each other too much by the end, and there is a chance to really explore their differences, I
think it could be interesting.
TC: Mike, your character has an ongoing dispute with his brother, would you like to see this continue or would you like to see them resolve
their differences?
MC: Pretty much both. I would like the differences between them to be explored - why did one Garren pick Starfleet, while the other the
opposite? What does that tell us about their respective characters? Is J oseph really as Starfleet as he seems, and is Richard as anti-Starfleet?
TC: All three of your characters are non-starfleet and two seem to hate starfleet how do you play characters like that and does that make them
more interesting to play because they aren't Starfleet officers?
MC: It's fun, because you get to go against the grain somewhat. Everyone grew up with Star Trek, which loves Starfleet.
So playing someone who actually doesn't like Starfleet is quite interesting. You get to say things that might get people to
think about things that they might not otherwise do. And you get people to see this very different viewpoint.~
28
29
After finding themselves trapped, Hunter;
Caed; Lefler and new character Nistrom
have to find away to escape the cell they are
in and shut the station down before both In-
trepid and Excelsior are destroyed by the
weapons platforms that are orbiting the
planet and station.

To escape the cell they rig a com badge to
short out the force field, by using Leflers
wedding ring as a conductor. As they leave
the cell however they are attacked by an
automated weapon that begins firing at them,
diving for safety of the cell they again rig up
a com badge, but this time to explode, there
is a nice little reference in this scene to the
cultural differences between British and
American cultures when Lefler says to
Hunter Hope you are better at baseball then
you are at chess to which Hunter replies
Never heard of it, is it anything like
Cricket, that line just brings Orphans more
into todays world and personifies the fact
that this is being made by two different
crews from two different countries.

Once they have escaped the team manage to
shut down the station by again rigging a com
badge, and then are narrowly beamed out in
time before a Romulan attack force destroys
the station and everything on it.

Overall the episode is very good, the CGI is
as always brilliant and is up to the quality
you would expect from Hidden Frontier and
Intrepid. The acting also is very good and
considering the two casts have never acted
together before they interact beautifully,
which is also a testament to the writing skills
of Brian Matthews and the directing skills
of J ennifer Cole.

The two things that did bug me a bit were
firstly the over use of the com badge, adapt-
ing it to do so many different things.
And secondly the fact that a space station
Spurned out of two separate series,
Orphans of War is the first major cross
over for the fan film universe of Star Trek.
Yes we have had J ames Cawley and co ap-
pearing in the pilot episode of Starship Far-
ragut and Risha Denny appeared in the pilot
episode of Star Trek Intrepid, but never have
two separate casts from two different conti-
nents come together in one place to film one
episode.

Orphans features cast and crew from Intrepid
and LA based series Hidden Frontier. Star-
ring Nick Cook and Risha Denney Orphans
explorers the set of events that happened in
the Alpha Quadrant after the events in the
pilot episode of Star Trek Odyssey.

The story starts with a recap of what hap-
pened in Iliad , showing the Archein inva-
sion forces fight with Romulan, Federation
and Klingon forces. Once the USS Odyssey
destroys the artificial wormhole, the Archein
abandon their plans to invade the Alpha
Quadrant, but do however leave behind a
star base and weapons platforms around a
planet within Romulan space.

The Romulan commander in charge of that
region of space asks SCeris, who owes him
a favour, to come with his Captain and crew
to try and sort out the problem and destroy
the platforms. Captain Hunter involves Cap-
tain Shelby and the crew of the Excelsior,
and together they launch a plan to destroy
the last of the Archein technology left in the
Alpha Quadrant.

As the episode progresses we see four of the
crewmembers abducted by the Archein space
station, however the reason for their abduc-
tion was a little weak, they had been drink-
ing Romulan Ale the night before and the
Stations automated systems read them as
Romulans.
could mistake someone for Romulan just be-
cause they had drunk Romulan Ale the night
before. That said the episode is well worth a
watch and I would recommend that anyone
who has watched and enjoyed Hidden Fron-
tier, Odyssey and Intrepid download it and
watch it.~
30
Although J eff Hayes isnt a major cast
member of Intrepid, he does do a lot of their
art work, here Trekkie Central takes an in
depth look at what it is he exactly does.

TC: How do you find the time to be in-
volved with so many fan films?
(Intrepid,NV,Hidden Frontier)

J H: I began working with Star Trek: Hidden
Frontier during their fifth season on episode
5.04 "Security Council." I was amazed at
what Rob and company had accomplished.
Although I love the original series, I can find
something to like about each of its subse-
quent incarnations. Hidden Frontier was an
opportunity to work on Star Trek related
graphics, which I have done for almost 30
years as a hobbysince I was a 10-year old
kid and traced my first pictures of the Enter-
prise out of the "Making of Star Trek." Do-
ing entertainment or promotional related
illustrations for Hidden Frontier combined
my love of filmmaking and Star Trekwhat
more could I ask for? Shortly after I began
doing work for Hidden Frontier , I began
meeting people through the forum and chat
rooms who were involved in other Star Trek
fan productions. I met Nick Cook and sent
him an e-mail asking if Star Trek: Intrepid
needed any illustration work. Long story
short, we became "internet" friends and
worked hard on all sorts of promotional ma-
terials for their production. As a result, he
gave me a small part in their initial episode,
"Heavy Lies the Crown." I played Admiral
T'yla, the Bolian who appears and gives
Commodore Prentice a short cryptic mes-
sage. That was a real blast, but a heck of a
lot of work, fun work, but a lot of work. My
involvement with Star Trek: New Voyages
happened as a result of my work on the Hid-
den Frontier episode, "Vigil." That episode
was written by Carlos Pedraza, who origi-
nally got me involved in Hidden Frontier, and
guest starred New Voyages' J ames Cawley as
Captain Mackenzie Calhoune. J ames saw my
work and asked me if I'd be interested in doing
work for the Star Trek: New Voyages episode
"World Enough and Time." I wasn't prepared
for what I was getting involved in, as things
went crazy over the summer of 2006, when I
was juggling work for Hidden Frontier, In-
trepid, and New Voyages. As Hidden Frontier
came to a close, Intrepid premiered, and New
Voyages rolled on, I was as busy as I have ever
been. I have also had the opportunity to work
on other productions such as Star Trek: Hatha-
way, Starship Farragut, and a few other inde-
pendent film productions.

TC: What is it like being involved with so
many fan films?

J H: Well, it is like juggling kittens. Sorry, that
was an old Steve Martin joke. It has been diffi-
cult, as I have a full-time job as a police Cap-
tain, and I'm going back to school on a part-
time bases. With all this extracurricular activ-
ity, I have to acknowledge my lovely and very
indulgent wife, Stephanie. I love each of these
productions, but currently I have to budget my
time and I have had to begin limiting my in-
volvement in some of the productions. It's a
matter of practicality I assure youI would
work on all of them if I had the spare time. It
was fun developing a style and look that was
unique to each show. I have started developing
a style that is more consistently my style and
started utilizing it in the illustrations I've done
for the various different productions. I have had
to urn down projects I really wanted to work on
because of time. J ack Treveno and Sky Conway
asked if I would be interested in doing work for
"Of Gods and Men" and it killed me to have to
decline. Both were very complimentary and
kind, but I just didn't have the extra time. Man,
it kills me even as I write this. I love doing this
stuff. I need to win the lottery.

TC: You develop Starships and the like for
different series (CGI) could you talk us
through the process?

J H: I have done a little pre-production de-
sign work, but have only designed one ship
and that is the original series era science
ship Copernicus for the upcoming Star
Trek: New Voyages "Blood and Fire." It
was a collaborative effort, but New Voy-
ages Visual Effects Supervisor J ol Bel-
lucci crafted the final gorgeous model that
will be seen in the episode. Now, what I
have done is CGI set design for Hidden
Frontier and Intrepid. I dabble, and I do
mean dabble in 3D graphics. There are true
3D artists out there that I couldn't come
close to touching the hem of their 3D sor-
cerer robesI am in awe at their skills. I
have put together some basic sets with
stone knives and clubs, but nothing really
spectacular. One of my favorite works is
the bridge of the Intrepidwe had a lot of
fun in trying to get it as close to the Voy-
ager bridge as we could. One thing I love
doing is LCARS work for post-production
compositing. It is fun to see a piece of a
script that calls for a LCARS display to
further the story or
spice up the look of a
31
particular scene. Rob Caves used a number
of my LCARS displays in very creative
ways. I loved how he would integrate the
images in a 3D scene, on a kiosk, or in a
holographic projected display. That extra
work he put in to the details of Hidden
Frontier is what made it fun to be involved.
Rob had a way, and still does this with Od-
yssey and The Helena Chronicles, of mak-
ing the most out of what he has to work
with. That is what drew me to Hidden
Frontier and Intrepid in the first place,
making full-blown productions with limited
resources. I admire that kind of creativity
and resourcefulness.

TC: And how difficult is it?

J H: It is difficult because I don't fully un-
derstand all the aspects of 3D modeling. It
is something I want to learn, and will learn
more about in school, but right now it is a
"time" thing. I don't have time to learn be-
cause I'm just too busy trying to get pro-
jects, doing schoolwork, and trying to get
other real life stuff done. I use Photoshop,
Illustrator, and Cinema 4D, but I don't
know Cinema 4D enough to be dangerous
with it. I am contemplating switching to
Lightwave 3D, as I have had the opportu-
nity to learn a few things in that program
and find it very interesting. We shall see.

TC: Could you tell us about the character
that you play on Intrepid?

J H: Well, I guess the artwork I did for In-
trepid must have made Nick and the crew
feel guilty enough to throw me a bone, so
they gave me a small but fun part in their
initial episode, "Heavy Lies the Crown." I
played Admiral T'yla, the Bolian who ap-
pears on the desktop screen and gives
Commodore Prentice a short cryptic mes-
sage. That was a real blast, but a heck of a
lot of work, fun work, but a lot of work. I
learned so much about make-up and simple
prosthetics. Hidden Frontier's J ohn Whit-
ing gave me his make-up notebook and I
learned so much from it. My son, who is
also a graphic artist, helped airbrush the
"watermelon" stripes on the top of my
Bolian bald head. Nick has told me a bit
about the back-story on T'yla and I have
imagined a bit more myself, but it was really
probably only a one-time gig, unless I can
get over to Scotland during a filming week-
end. The funniest thing that happened as a
result of that small on camera appearance
was when a coworker saw my photo in the
Scotsman newspaper when they did a story
on Intrepid. Who in hell would have though
a coworker would see an article in a Scottish
newspaper? It turns out he subscribes to it
on-line and decided to share the photo to
many others. I've been "outed," so to speak
everyone at work knows I'm a Bolian now. I
hope I'm not treated different just because
I'm blue.

TC: Also could you tell us a bit about the
work you do on New Voyages?

J H: OK, my time to confess. I love the origi-
nal Star Trek so much, that when I first saw
New Voyages, I said, "Nopenot my Kirk,
Spock and McCoy not my Enterprise
no, no, no." As I got involved and got to
know how dedicated to the original series
J ames Cawely was, I got hooked. I spend the
lion's share of my time on New Voyages
these days. I get to play Star Trek with my
favorite crew and characters. I have made
some really good friends at New Voyages
and have become integrally involved in
many facets of the production. I do all sorts
of artwork for promotion and productionso
much so, that I have been given the title of
Scenic Art Supervisor for the series. I am
also the editor of the Star Trek: New Voy-
ages eMagazine, which we kicked-off about
a year ago. The eMagazine is extremely time
consuming, but I am slowly building a team
of regular contributors that helps make it
much easier and keeps it interesting. I have
made friends with people I never dreamed I
would even meet. Working with George
Takei, Denise Crosby and David Gerrold
was unbelievable, and there are a couple of
guest stars coming up that I really want to
32
meet. New Voyages is trying to push its pro-
ductions schedule a bit harder than before
and it keeps us all busy, as we work on pre-
production for one or two episodes, produc-
tion on another, and post-production on yet
another. I'm not complaining mind you, I'd
do this full time if I could make a living at it.
It will be hard to make every shoot, but we
are developing teams of people to make
things happen faster. It seems to be working,
but I'll have to let you know once I've had
some sleep and can think clearly.

I have to say in closing that I appreciate
every opportunity that each of the produc-
tions has given me. Everyone involved in
these productions are dedicated fans and
immensely creative people that deserve to
succeed. I hope they best for all the produc-
tions and for those involved. I hope that each
person will get what they want form their
involvement. Whether it is a big break into
the industry or a lifetime of memories, I wish
everyone great success. I want to thank
every production that has allowed me to par-
ticipate and I hope we can have some more
fun in the future. Keep on Trekkin'!~

Here Trekkie Central talks to Alain De Mol about what it is like playing a Klingon.

AM: Thanks to my father. Back in Belgium, Star Trek was broadcast on TV on Wednesday evenings. We still had a B/W TV, our
neighbours had a colour and they also watched TOS. I often went there just to watch it. There were no subtitles, as it was on the BBC, and
that was something new for me (and helped with my English(winks) ).

AM: I noticed 5 Year Mission (now : New Voyages) as they were making a Charity for the children for the deceased astronauts of the space-
shuttle a few years ago. That made me google around for some more Fan-based stuff. This is how I noticed that almost next door there was a
Fan Series being made. Decided to make contact with Nick, he replied... and he was looking for a Klingon (smiles) Now THAT was some-
thing up my street.

AM: Actually, since I grew up with TOS, it would be something in the TOS era... can't help it. (winks)
But if it would be an official series, it would be more concentrated around... yes you guessed it : Klingons.
I would love to follow Klingons and do some good episodes. Eventually a lot with flashbacks... or telling the history of Kronos.

AM: First of all, it's an honour to be part of this. It's a great crew I'm working next to. Also it's a dream come true, double dream actually.
Always dreamed to be an actor... and being in Star Trek (smiles).
Second... Nah... am not famous at all. It's nice to be recognised for something you do, but the main thing is :
making sure people LIKE what you do. My aim is to develop (together with Nick) my character Chief D'Gor into a more
complex character.

AM: Chief D'Gor, well, although he's a starfleet officer, he is still a Klingon at heart. Having to work with another officer who is (half) Rom-
ulan... well that he doesn't like at all (watch this space (winks)).
although he can be grumpy, (that's how I see him, but then again, which Klingon isn't ?), he's a hard worker, loyal... again... true to his Klin-
gon nature.

AM: With a starfleet officer who's Romulan, what do you think ? hehe no really there is definitely lot's of stuff to be told there. I would like
Chief D'Gor to grow more, to evolve, get more depth. I'll see what else Nick has in store for Chief D'Gor.

TC: Your character is posted on another ship in the same sector can you tell us how it features into the Intrepid universe?
AM: I guess Nick's in a better position to answer that question for you. But let's say that our ship is currently in the sector and has some tasks
to fulfil . can't say too much without having to kill you afterwards hahahah.

Anyways... I have to thank Nick for letting me onboard and the whole international crew (oh yeah, we are truly an international crew... Scot-
tish, English... German, Belgian... ) who accepted me.~

Nick Beckwith stars as Lt Michael Simmons in Intrepid, here Trekkie Central talks to him about how he
got involved with Intrepid.

NB: While I was aware of the Original Series re-runs on BBC2 when I was a young child, the first experi-
ence of Star Trek that stuck with me was watching ST:III at the cinema. However, I did not become a real
fan until The Next Generation - to date it's always been my favourite series.

NB: It's all my mum's fault, actually - she knew I was a fan after joining an online role-playing game, so
when the item with Lorraine Kelly came on GMTV she encouraged me to watch it. I found the website
from the article and got in touch with Nick Cook, offering my services should he want any help - Like
most Star Trek fans I guess I had always dreamed of donning a uniform and performing in front of a cam-
era. Fortunately, my luck was in and that dream finally came true in J anuary 2007 when I was asked to
come and take on an "extra" role. During that visit Nick offered me the role of Ship's Counsellor - I was
only too happy to take him up on it.

NB: Something I've always wondered about when watching most sci-fi programmes; who cleans up all the
mess? I think it would be interesting to see how that is dealt with, and I had envisaged a sort-of Starfleet
"salvage" operation, with a ship crew and a proper salvage crew - given all the wars Starfleet seem to get
into, there'll be plenty to do!~
34
Navar is the mysterious crewmember of
the USS Intrepid, here Trekkie Central
speaks to the man behind the mask Alan
Christison.

TC: When did you first discover Star
Trek?

AC: Always been keen on sci fi
(particularly Doctor Who) watched the
classic series on one of its many repeats on
the BBC in the late seventies and early
eighties. I've not really followed the later
series but have a fondness for the films.

Intrepid?

AC: Stephen Pasqua who plays Cole is a
friend of mine and was already involved.
I've been doing amateur stage work all my
life and when a role came up, I screen
tested and won the part.

TC: If you could create your own official
Star Trek series, what would it be?

AC: My own official Star Trek series
would involve a time traveller with a police
box and a nice line in female compan-
ions..... hmm that might have been done
before though!!!

TC: During the first episode your character
constantly goes against Hunter and the
other starfleet personnel in the sector caus-
ing friction, do you think that this could
reappear in future episodes?

AC: I think we'll find out more about
Navar's agenda as each story progresses.
He's certainly got issues but that makes the
part all the more interesting to play.

TC: Do you think that the reason for the
friction could be that your character is actu-
ally working for another Federation organi-
sation (ie Section 31)?

AC: Maybe, maybe not!!!!

TC: How much time does the show take
up?

AC: I've been involved in several shoots
now, all indoors and each seems to take up
the best part of a weekend. There's the
learning of the script that takes up the time
as well and adapting to the process of film-
ing as my previous experience has mainly
been as a stage actor.

TC: What is it like being part of a Star Trek
series, and how do you deal with the fan-
dom that now surrounds Intrepid?

AC: For me, regardless of the fact that it's
Star Trek but more playing a continuing
role that grows and we learn more about
him is the most engaging factor in it for
me. As far as dealing with fandom, all the
peripheral things have been a lot of fun and
quite surreal (meeting Lorraine Kelly and
taking my top off on German TV!!!). No
one has asked for my autograph but one
review pleased me when the reviewer hated
my character. I took that as a compliment.

TC: Section 31 featured in the first episode
do you think that they will appear in future
episodes?

AC: They might!

TC: Could you tell us a bit about your char-
acter?

AC: I could be letting you into a secret that
I don't know much about my character until
each script arrives but I am playing him as
someone who is somewhat aloof. I think he
has a problem with authority figures but
when push comes to shove you'd rather be
on his side than against him.~

35
The theme for the first episode was com-
posed by Dylan Feeney, here Trekkie Cen-
tral talks to the man who brought alive,
(with music), Heavy Lies The Crown.

TC: When did you discover Star Trek?

DF: I used to love watching the Original
Series - loving all 'space' stuff when I was a
kid but was nothing more than a casual
viewer - until I saw Star Trek II on terres-
trial TV when I was a little older and was
hooked. Discovered The Next Generation
at a local video store and later on the tv and
have watched all incarnations religiously
since then.

Intrepid?

DF: I've known Nick for about 16 years
now from a local Star Trek club - and
we've stayed in touch off and on since that
time. Nick was speaking at some point
about doing some audio adventures. Hav-
ing seen the stuff produced by the guys
over at 'Hidden Frontier' - I thought it pos-
sible to create something similar and
pitched the idea to Nick. He ran with the
idea and produced a fantastic script and
characters that eventually evolved into
what you see today.

TC: If you could create your own Official
Series what would it be?

DF: I'm really excited about the new movie
- and would love to see the return of Kirk
& Co to the small screen - so probably
that"

TC: Where did you get the feel of the mu-
sic from? (did you watch the show first or
did the inspiration come from somewhere
else)

DF:I adore Dennis McCarthy's DS9 score
and J erry Goldsmith's Voyager theme so
the structure of the Intrepid theme defi-
nitely has its roots in there and just evolved
naturally - eventually including the com-
plex time signature.

TC: You seem to have enjoyed doing the music, would you come back and do another
episode again?

DF: I would love to a complete episode at some point - but work tends to get in the way
quite a bit. I think David Beukes did a wonderful job scoring the first episode and the Hid-
den Frontier short. Hopefully in the future.

TC: What do you think of the fandom that surrounds Intrepid?

DF: Everyone is very positive and encouraging and they all seem to be a good bunch.

TC: How did you create the music, I am assuming that you did not have a live orchestra?

DF: The melody came really quickly but the arrangement took weeks due to work com-
mitments. The intrepid theme was produced over 3 years ago if memory serves and I did-
n't have any decent orchestral samples back then - most of my work revolving around
trance at that time. The instruments you here on the Intrepid theme are all default sounds
on the Korg Triton and trying to make the most of them.

TC: And was more created than was needed for the show?

DF: A couple of little motifs I was playing with ... but haven't expanded on any of them.

TC: Is there any of the music that you would change if you were given a second chance?

DF: I have a new array of orchestral samples now and am trying to put together a new
arrangement of the theme. But I wouldn't change any of the melody for
Intrepid, no.~
36
Here we talk to Michael Hudson, the man behind the upcoming character Lt Ellis Gibbs, about life within the Intrepid universe.

MH: I've been a fan of Star Trek my whole life. I used to watch TOS as my mum liked it but of course there were no video recorders at the
time and only 3 channels so it was "appointment" TV.
The Motion Picture re-ignited Star Trek for me, it was a "neck hair" moment when we first saw the Enterprise on screen again! Out of all the
series, my favourite is DS9 and I didn't dislike Enterprise or Voyager.

MH: I'm fairly new to fan films and came across Hidden Frontier about 2 years ago. From there I found Darker Projects and then In-
trepid. The more I saw, the more I was intrigued by the process and the amount of work and talent involved in the productions and wanted to
help out in some way. To say I have little artistic talent is an understatement and shortly before their first release I started to update the Web
Site in preparation. I am now responsible for the web site and managing the download mirrors. Since then, I've attended a very wet location
shoot and it was great to meet everyone and take part in the production.

MH: Not sure, there are so many about covering most areas I'm note sure there's much "new" to bring. I prefer the TNG/DS9 era so it would
be based in that time period much like HF and Intrepid. One thing I am interested to see is the back story and history to the existing charac-
ters.

MH: I only have a few lines in an unfinished episode so don't have any "fandom" to deal with and I'm not really expecting any. In fact I was-
n't planning on appearing in front of the camera but wanted to attend a shoot to meet the cast and crew and for the experience.

One thing that has annoyed me when reading the forums is the amount of impatience there seems to be about productions being available.-
able. Give them some space!

MH: I play Lieutenant Ellis Gibbs of the USS Pandora. I'm usually a bridge officer but when the Intrepid crew need assistance on Chiron
IV, I'm included as one of the landing party and assist with protection of the survey/scientific members of the party.

MH: I'd never done any acting before this and am not very good at remembering lines so I'd like to see storylines with very little dialogue for
Gibbs :) Maybe he's the quiet, heroic type.~

37
Lee Andrew is part of the Visual Effects team on Intrepid, here Trekkie Central speaks to
him about some general Star Trek things.

LA: 1990 When I was 10 years old.

LA: I started my own Star Trek Film, which in the end didn't work out due to member problems. After shutting down the
project, I got invited to join ST INTREPID by Nick Cook. Having seen my skills in CGI animation, I was asked to help out
in the CGI section of the cast and crew.

TC: If you could create your own official Star Trek series what would it be?
LA: It would probably be a series set after Star Trek Nemesis or even a century after that. I have always liked the more
modern Star Trek. ~
Here Trekkie Central talks to Commodore Prentice aka Alan Score about life in the sector.

TC: Your character is the highest ranking officer in the sector, what traits do you have to keep in mind when playing a
character like that?
AS: At first I did not keep anything in mind! For that reason I think I portrayed Prentice as being far too casual in Heavy
Lies the Crown. A person in his position has an enormous amount of responsibility and he must be able to take command
of any situation. In future, I hope to portray Prentice as being comfortable with his duties but realising that command
really is lonely.

TC: How much of your time does the show take up?
AS: Not very much time at all. I tend to have short scenes so chauffeuring people around various locations and baking
cakes take up most of my time.

TC: What is it like being part of a Star Trek series, and how do you deal with the fandom that now surrounds Intrepid?
AS: I have been watching Star Trek for most of my life, starting with the original series. I have always dreamt of being
on starship bridge and being on Intrepid goes a little way to realising that dream. As for the fandom, well I am more than
happy to stay in the background. As long as I can contribute to Intrepid (whether from my attempts at acting or my cakes)
I will be more than happy.

TC: Your character has a long friendship with Hunter, do you think that, that might affect how your character deals with
Hunter?
AS: I suppose, at least to begin with, this may make Prentice more open to Hunters suggestions. But that does not mean
Prentice will not take the views of other people into account.

TC: And do you think that, that friendship might cause friction in coming episodes?
AS: That is possible, as Prentice now has to balance suggestions from a wider range of people, some of which may con-
flict with Hunters views but be more appropriate to the situation.

TC: What storylines would you like to see your character featured in?
AS: I would like Prentice to have to make some difficult decisions. For example, where the alternatives are as bad as
each other but a decision has to be made and then justified. At the same time I am acutely aware that my acting skills are
not very high so I would only want to play those storylines if I could make Prentices actions/reactions believable.~
38
I've been a fan of Star Trek pretty much as long as I can remember. In all that time, I've
never quite been able to put my finger on the how or the why, but the simple fact is there's a
certain something about Gene Roddenberry's universe that fires my imagination.

There's no denying that Star Trek means a great many things to a great many people, and
while that meaning almost certainly varies from person to person, ultimately what matters is
that it does indeed mean something to so many.

For me, Star Trek at its best is about good stories. Sometimes it moves us, sometimes it
makes us want to throw a brick at the screen. And that's as it should be; good stories make us
think, make us feel, and no one can deny that in the past forty years, Star Trek has done both.
I don't know what the next forty years will bring, but one thing's certain. No matter what
happens, in one form or another, Star Trek will always be there. And it'll mean something.

Here's to the next forty years, and beyond.
Nick Cook
39
Thanks to Interviewees;
Lee Andrew; Nick Beckwith; David Beukes; Alan
Christison; Lucy Cook; Nick Cook; Mike Cugley;
Gordon Dickinson; Dylan Feeney; Steve Hammond;
Bodo Hartwig; J eff Hayes; Michael Hudson; David
Lees; Alex Matthews; Alain de Mol; Alan Score and
David Reid.

Writers; Alex Matthews and Richard Miles.

Special Thanks to; Michael Hudson and Nick Cook
for the help with extra information on the show, post-
ers and pictures, many thanks.
The Star Trek name is property of CBS/Paramount, no infringement is intended.
Star Trek Intrepid remains the property of Intrepid Productions, no infringement is
intended.
All images in the news page are property of their respective shows, no infringement is
intended.

This magazine has been made for fans for their enjoyment. This magazine has been
distributed free of charge and no money has been made from its distribution.

If the creator of this magazine and the creators of this fan series cannot make any
money than neither should you.

If you find a copy of this magazine on sale anywhere it is illegal, please do not buy it
and benefit those that are ripping off fans and committing an offence.

Copyright Trekkie-Central.piczo.com March 2008.

Trekkie Central Intrepid

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