"Polaris"

[Admiral Buzzkill]

xortex wrote:

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Does that pose a problem with the title?

No.

"Polaris" is a noun - it's possible to protect the use of a existing word as a trademark, within limits, but not to copyright it.

In the last sixty or seventy years Polaris has been used as a spaceship name in varied works such as "The Space Explorers," "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet" and a series of sf novels by Jack McDevitt (and considerably less notably in an unpublished four page short story about the first manned landing on Mars, written by Dennis Bailey for a grammar school assignment in 1965). A partial list of other uses of the name can be found here.

[Tom]

Starship Polaris wrote:

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Right now D.J. Nielsen, Paul Seiber and myself are producing.

Ok Cool, I believe I met Paul in June 2007 at Phase II's shooting of B&F he gave me a Farragut DVD, nice guy.

[Admiral Buzzkill]

He is. He also may be one of America's great as-yet-unrealized renewable energy sources.

[doubleohfive]

Dennis --

I've been following your progress on this project here and over at UnitedWorlds/StarshipPolaris over the last two years and I am quite excited to see what you guys are doing. So far it all looks fantastic!

If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know. Otherwise, rock on!

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Thanks.

Another casting announcement in the next 24 hours, probably by this evening.

[areakt]

You guys doing SAG deferred contracts now that the new rules are in effect?

Rob

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Well, we haven't cast any SAG actors yet.

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Meghan King Johnson will play Doctor Valerie Young in Polaris.

Meghan is best known to the film and online community for her portrayal of Janice Rand in Star Trek: Phase II since 2003. Other credits include co-hosting The Brice Kennedy Show starring in a music video for Brother Short, working as a production assistant for Real Interrogations (Investigation Discovery), and a cameo in Starship Farragut’s “Just Passing Through.”

Meghan has extensive experience on the live stage, anchored by theater studies at the University of Minnesota and the Guthrie Theater.

Meghan's talents extend to singing and song writing as well. You can listen to and download some of her music on Facebook, or at myspace.com/meghankingjohnson.

Regarding Polaris, Meghan says, “I’m so thrilled to be working on this project. It’s such a great team of people who are putting it together – many of whom I have worked with in the past in one form or another. Based on their previous work, I’m confident that the episode will be a quality one, and am hoping that it leads to more – not just for my own sake, but for the sake of proliferating engaging, quality story-telling through the use of digital media.

“The people I have met working in the online science fiction world have proven to be some of the most innovative, creative, caring people I have ever met – Polaris is no exception."

In addition to Polaris and Phase II Meghan is currently voicing the part of T-Pol for an animated German short based on Star Trek: Enterprise.

About the character

In Polaris's era, the deck of a starship is the last place you'd expect to find a citizen of Earth. As Earth's interstellar empire has disintegrated and many of her settlement worlds have formed the nascent United Worlds, most of "Old Blue's" dwindling population has turned its back to the universe beyond the Solar System.

This makes Valerie Young an eccentric from a world of eccentrics, and a puzzle to most of her crew mates. Having abandoned hereditary political power and social privilege for the life of an explorer and scientist, she now oversees Polaris's civilian science staff. She's served aboard the ship longer than anyone save Fredericks himself and, allowing for required military courtesy, they regard one another as equals and as friends.

www.starshippolaris.com

[USS Intrepid]

Meghan signing on for this is fantastic news.

[ST-One]

Ah, you've added anther concept-drawing by Vektor.
Looks even better in that vertical orientation.

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Well, the ship's likely to be seen in any number of orientations in the film but - despite the definite appeal of the vertical version I'm inclined to stick with the horizontal wing. "Forbidden Planet" is a big inspiration and touchstone for this movie.

In addition to the major design elements that Vektor is introducing there are a number of details that I like which are beginning to crop up and repeat in his sketches. I don't want to jump the gun but I may incorporate some of his work into a new prototype mesh in the next week or two.

It's really exciting to me to have Vektor and aridas sofia working on this - my initial ideal for "Polaris" was to have a project where some of the extraordinary talents who show various kinds of Trek artwork on forums like Trek Art here or SciFi Meshes or Foundation 3d might be enticed to contribute original designs for a space opera/space travel kind of show. The worst thing that could happen would be for me to be the primary designer of almost anything in the movie (or, at most, of more than a few things).

[middyseafort]

USS Intrepid wrote:

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Meghan signing on for this is fantastic news.

Fo'sho.

It's nice to see Meghan get a more meaty, prominent role. Moreover, it's good to see you on board as well.

[Admiral Buzzkill]

middyseafort wrote:

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It's nice to see Meghan get a more meaty, prominent role.

I agree, obviously - I think she's really underutilized on "Phase II," but that's just the nature of the fan film beast as opposed to anything else - Janice Rand is just not a featured role in any version of Trek TOS. Meghan's great and has a really professional approach to her work.

And I'm estatic that Nick is willing to go to the lengths he has to in order to work with us.

[RJDiogenes]

Does the Polaris land at any time, or is it a space-only ship?

[USS Intrepid]

[quote=Starship Polaris;2534261]

middyseafort wrote:

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And I'm estatic that Nick is willing to go to the lengths he has to in order to work with us.

You say that now.