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Star Trek: Renegades - Directed by TIM RUSS

bionicbob

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It seems someone has uploaded it to Youtube today....


Based on many of the early reviews, I was expecting the worse, but I was pleasantly surprised.

It is far from perfect, but I liked the basic concept though the execution could have used more polish.
The acting for a Fan Film was actually overall decent... it only becomes noticeable when you have scenes mixing seasoned professional actors with the inexperienced ones. The young actress playing Chekov's great, great, great granddaughter is a prime example.

The production values were nice, with many of the shortcoming cloaked in creative lighting and green screen. The FX ranged from acceptable to excellent, but overall was light years better than their previous production Of Gods And Men. I absolutely HATED the new Starfleet uniforms. They looked cheap, ill fitted and just plain awful. Why they felt the need to create new ones is beyond me.

Most of the action scenes lacked energy or impact due to poor choreography, framing and editing. There is some very forced/awkward exposition throughout the movie, especially the introduction of the crew of Icarus.

The story is an intriguing one. It presents a fresh way of exploring the Prime Trek Universe without being hampered with Starfleet rules of conduct (i.e. Prime Directive) and allows for more mystery and conflict. The characters all show interesting potential, though you only get a shallow introduction to them and do not really become invested in them.

I enjoyed the myth building done. Constructing upon previous Trek lore, seeing the evolution of previous character and plot concepts. It clearly shows the Prime Universe is ripe for fresh storytelling and should not be abandoned for Abrams NuTrekveres. I would love to see the story develop and learn more about the crew of the Icarus.

If I were to compare it to the other Fan Series (New Voyages and Continues), I would say this project is not quite as fine tuned but has more intriguing elements.

As a Fan Film it is very good. As a proposed TV Pilot, well it needs a lot more work. But I think it is welcomed addition to the wonderful world of Trek, and hope the producers have great success with it and are able to create more episodes. If you are Trek fan, it is worth the watch. :)
 

Captain Khajiit

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bionicbob said:
It seems someone has uploaded it to Youtube today....

Yeah; it was leaked.

As a Fan Film it is very good. As a proposed TV Pilot, well it needs a lot more work.

That sums it up nicely. I agree with everything that you wrote.
 

bionicbob

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The Renegades team has released the episode early (probably due to the early online leak and the pressure they are getting from donors), so here is better quality version to watch:


Watched it again. I can not believe that is Sean "Blade Runner" Young as the Doctor?!?!? As I was watching, I kept thinking the actress was miscast/too inexperienced for such a large role.... go figure! LOL!

Also, I think the way they wrote Captain Alvarez was very un-Starfleet... way too conflict/gun happy imo. Felt like he should be in the Star Wars Verse, not Trek.

Again, a very ambitious and potential filled fan film. Though definitely not worth the $60.00 donation fee they are asking for the official dvd.
 

Vultural

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I just viewed.
Did anyone go the DVD or BluRay route?
If so, were there subtitles available?
Fixer (Edward "Mushmouth" Furlong) was 93% indecipherable to me.
Also, did anyone notice an audio sync problem during the Picardo and Young scenes?
 

flaminio

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bionicbob said:
Watched it again. I can not believe that is Sean "Blade Runner" Young as the Doctor?!?!? As I was watching, I kept thinking the actress was miscast/too inexperienced for such a large role.... go figure! LOL!

I'm almost embarrassed to say, but I didn't recognize her on first viewing either. To be perfectly honest, she looked like any number of middle aged fangirl Trekkies that I've met. My first thought was that she was just one of the fans making the movie -- not that she was a bona fide actress.

My other takeaway was how hot Chasty Ballesteros was ... then I Googled her ... I'll be in my bunk.
 

bionicbob

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Lots of BIG news from the Renegades team these past weeks....

Trek novel author and TNG contributor MELINDA SNODGRASS has joined as a producer and writer.

Hollywood concept designer Andy Probert has joined the production.

While many more former Trek actors are joining the series including Terry Farrell, Robert Beltran, Cirroc Lofton and Aron Eisenberg.

Here's the new Kickstarter for episodes 2 and 3....

 

Vultural

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Walter makes a persuasive pitchman.
I look forward to the next pair.
Didn't hate the "pilot" and I'm hoping creators have learned and grown.
Given half a chance Renegades could provide a dark addition in the Trekworld underbelly.
 

bionicbob

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Renegades surpassed their Kickstarter goal of $350, 000 today, thus episodes 2 and 3 are a definite go.

Also, they announced that Nichelle Nichols has joined the cast! Admiral Uhura!!! lol
 

bionicbob

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The fallout from Axanar disaster and the new CBS/Paramount Fan Film Guidelines......

[font='Open Sans', sans-serif]A message from the Renegades team regarding the new fan film guidelines[/font]

[font='Open Sans', sans-serif]Dear supporters,[/font]

[font='Open Sans', sans-serif]On June 23rd CBS and Paramount issued fan film guidelines – [/font][font='Open Sans', sans-serif]http://www.startrek.com/fan-films[/font]

[font='Open Sans', sans-serif]We, at Renegades, have nothing but the utmost respect for Star Trek and its IP holders, CBS and Paramount. Everything we have done has been because of Gene Roddenberry's vision and creativity. Star Trek is their property and we will absolutely abide by their rules and guidelines.[/font]

[font='Open Sans', sans-serif]That being said, we do have an obligation to our donors and fans, and we have every intention of fulfilling it to the best of our ability. So, we will continue to make “The Requiem” as promised, but without any Star Trek elements.[/font]

[font='Open Sans', sans-serif]As you know, we've already begun filming “The Requiem” so we cannot halt, suspend, or postpone production. Renegades, from the get go, was designed to be transformative... not derivative. Thus, with very minor changes to our script, we have eliminated all of the Star Trek references. The good news is that Renegades is now a completely original and ongoing series.[/font]

[font='Open Sans', sans-serif]We would like to take this time to thank CBS and Paramount for letting us play in their proverbial sandbox for as long as they did. And we'd also like to thank our loyal, creative, and passionate fans for their unending support. We truly appreciate it.[/font]

[font='Open Sans', sans-serif]-The Renegades Team[/font]
 

asterixsmeagol

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That's too bad but I support their efforts doing the best they can to comply with the rules and not let their donors down.
 

Vultural

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CBS has deep pockets and can keep the creative elements in litigation for decades.
Nevertheless, I wonder about the legality of many of their restrictions.
Like not permitting actors to reprise signature roles elsewhere.
Didn't franchise owners try doing just that with Clayton Moore?
And they lost in court.
I realize Trekworld overlords are trying to protect their franchise (by extension, their paychecks),
but they did jack doodle for - what - almost a decade?
Until they themselves trainwrecked with Enterprise, followed by Jar Jar Abrams' renditions.
Visually slick, packed with explosions, running, yet empty headed and thoroughly lacking "heart."

I hope the producers reboot, call themselves Federal Renegades,
wear gold lamé costumes to reflect phaser fire,
and target corporate media owners as slave owning villains.

Like I know.
 

hbenthow

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Vultural said:
Nevertheless, I wonder about the legality of many of their restrictions.
Like not permitting actors to reprise signature roles elsewhere.

Actually, their rules don't prohibit the actors from reprising their roles. They prohibit the makers of any fan film from featuring an actor that has appeared in any Star Trek or other CBS property. I'm not a legal expert, but I imagine that's different legally.

But more importantly, they can sue the makers of any fan film (even one that follows their rules) that doesn't qualify as "transformative" under fair use laws (meaning any Star Trek fan film that is not educational, a parody, etc). So their rule against using Star Trek or CBS actors isn't directly about copyright law or about who owns the images of the characters. Their rules are just guidelines with the implication, "we could legally sue you and win if you make any Star Trek fan film, but if you follow all of these guidelines, we'll be nice enough not to, even though we could."
 

Vultural

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hbenthow said:
But more importantly, they can sue the makers of any fan film (even one that follows their rules) that doesn't qualify as "transformative" under fair use laws (meaning any Star Trek fan film that is not educational, a parody, etc) . . .

So, a pastiche or homage would be frowned upon, yet a porn version could slide past?
 

hbenthow

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Vultural said:
So, a pastiche or homage would be frowned upon, yet a porn version could slide past?

Probably yes, if by "pastiche or homage", you mean a non-parody film actually featuring Star Trek characters or settings (as opposed to something that merely features nods or references to Star Trek).

Contrary to common belief, simply not making a financial profit from a fan film doesn't make it qualify as fair use. It must be a parody, have educational value, or in some other way qualify as a transformative work.

Here are a few articles on the subject:

Measuring Fair Use: The Four Factors - Stanford Copyright and Fair Use Center

Fair Use: What is Transformative?

Understanding Fair Use - University of Minnesota
 

thecuddlyninja

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The official Star Trek Podcast, Engage, did its whole latest episode about the fan film guidelines. They had on the VP of product development for CBS and talked about it for an hour.

I didn't listen to the whole thing since I really don't see the problem with the guidelines (I tend to err on the side of creators' rights pretty much every time) but I thought I'd mention it here.
 

DANLAV05

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bionicbob said:
Renegades updated their production page with cast pictures and the character's new non-Star Trek names....

http://renegades.show/home/renegades-production-media/

Tim Russ still has pointed Vulcan ears.... though the picture may predate the Guidelines release.

The uniforms look greatly improved.

I still love it. I'm still gonan see it as a Trek film - in 1992 Colin Baker & Nicola Bryant made a couple of indie videos called 'The Stranger', they were Doctor Who in all but name. I see Walter in that uniform and still see Admiral Chekov.

It's the same as it would have been just names have been changed . The uniforms are still the same abnd the bridge parts are
 

bionicbob

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A short teaser for the next episode... I am assuming those are the redesigned non-Trek starships...?

I am certainly intrigued and look forward to its release. 

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTjPQ2TR6Tc[/video]
 

DANLAV05

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I reckon we may be able to 'fan edit' this, if not into sa Star Trek film then a Star Trek episode. Apparantly Walter's still using his Russian accent, the script has not been drastically altered (bare in mind the space between guidelines and filming day 2 was tiny) and it is a continuation of the Renegades' story from the first film. All the same actors stayed in prety much the same roles

The main differences I reckon are none of the familiar aliens like Klingons or Ferengi are appearing and the ships will be different, the bridge of hte Archer uses pieces of the 'Enterprise-D restoration' moved round.

As I said, it's like the pastiche 'Doctor Who' films and audios Bill Baggs did in the 90s:


Apart from the fact Peri/Miss Brown is speaking with an English accent, the actors are a little older and we don't see the TARDIS this is very much a Sixth Doctor story - it was adapted from a fan audios!! I edited the Doctor Who titles onto them. i see the first one made in 1992 as like a pilot for a new series giving Colin Baker a second chance in the role, given his terbulant run.

Likewise Bill also produced Sylvester McCoy & Sophie Aldred as the 'Professor' and Ace in an audio series before the BBC asked them to change the character names. Again all you need to do is put on the Doctor Who theme - Ace nicknamed the Doctor 'Professor' throughout her time on the series. Naturally they were pretty much redundant when Big Finish acquired the licence for the real thing in 1999.
 
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