Introducing Star Trek: Antares

[Orbing Master]

2353. The 'golden age' of the United Federation of Planets has waned as Starfleet is forced to pull away from its missions of exploration. With deadly border conflicts being fought with both the Talarian Republic and Cardassian Union, many Starfleet officers and Federation citizens have lost their lives needlessly.
New enemies give way to new technology. Older starships are refitted with the latest phaser technology and torpedoes with an increased yield. The mighty Ambassador-class has had to step up and prove it's worth as a battlecruiser, although the loss of the Enterprise-C nine years ago gave many people pause as to the design's ability to function in times of crisis.
The Galaxy-class is on the drawing board but won't be constructed for a long while yet. However, ships based on the advances created by the design process are now being commissioned.
The latest starships to come from Utopia Planitia are the Freedom, Springfield, Challenger and Niagara classes, with the New Orleans, Cheyenne and Nebula classes soon to follow. Many an officer is hoping for an assignment to one of these new ships, to take a stand for all the Federation stands for in this time of crisis...
But for newly promoted Lieutenant Daniela Reese, that was not mean to be.
Reese finds herself assigned as the chief of security to a 30-year old Miranda-class starship that has been refit into a new sub-class - the Antares-class. The USS Antares departs Deep Space 4 under orders to explore the outer edges of the region being known as the "Typhon Expanse". A place barely charted but already with a reputation as a place where many a ship has gone missing. Far from the supposed front lines of conflict, although space controlled by the absent but not forgotten Romulans is only a few short light-years through the Expanse.
Under the command of seasoned veteran Helena Tel, a captain whose career has lost luster after a classified incident, Reese and her crewmates find themselves on a relatively innocuous mission that will forever change the course of events not just in the Typhon Sector, but the very idea of what it means to be human...

STARRING
Vicky McClure as Lt. Daniela Reese
with
Marcia Cross as Captain Helena Tel
Michael Fassbinder as Cmdr. Xerxises Cinaran
Steven R. McQueen as Commander Solan
Indira Varma as Cmdr. (Dr.) Maggie Campbell
Hannah John-Kamen as Lt. Mitchell 'Mitch' Hanover
Kit Harrington as Lt. Eitan Dayan
Freddie Fox as Olishnavar ‘Oli’ th'Dane

1x01: "Antares Dawn"
Newly reassigned to starship duty, Daniela Reese arrives at DS4 to begin her new assignment on the training ship USS Antares. But the simple task of overseeing a group of cadets and interns on a routine mapping and survey mission in the Typhon Sector rakes a much more dangerous turn when the Antares responds to a distress call.

 

[admiralelm11]

I like this series. I thought it was well-written.

 

[Orbing Master]

Hoping to have the final part, Episode 8, done in the next few months

 

[Orbing Master]

1x02: "Seasons of Distress"
What should have been an easy but boring cargo run through the Typhon Sector becomes a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse for the crew of the broken-down freighter, Winds of Andoria.

 

[CeJay]

Couldn't quite get myself to read your script-based series but this here is more my speed. Not much in terms of story in the first entry just yet but I do like the setting, the small, somewhat ordinary ship and a crew of wet behind the ears cadets. What could go wrong?

I'm fond of the era and I like how you establish it by giving us cameos of familiar faces and painting this as a time of transition between the old Starfleet and what it is about to become.

I also dig the notion of making one of the ship's officers the main protagonist, rather than the captain. One of the things I liked about Discovery.

Interesting choice to offer downloads rather than posting the stories.

Looking forward to reading more.

 

[Orbing Master]

thanks, CeJay!
I could post the stories in the threads if preferred, but using downloads at least allows me to see/track if they're being read

 

[CeJay]

The beginnings of a nice little mystery which is no doubt going to pose an interesting challenge for Reese and the crew of the Antares.

 

[Orbing Master]

1x03: "The Call of the Expanse"
The simple task of overseeing a group of cadets and interns on a routine mapping and survey mission in the Typhon Sector rakes a much more sinister turn when the Antares picks up the emergency disaster beacon of a missing freighter.

 

[CeJay]

This is heating up rather nicely, with plenty fo action in this latest installment.

I appreciate Tel's backstory and her apprehension about combat. Captains aren't immune to psychological trauma and I'm curious to learn what brought it on and if she'll be able to overcome it. Not to mention who these aliens are and what kind of threat they'll pose to our intrepid crew.

 

[Orbing Master]

1x04: "Conflicts of Interest"
While Captain Tel leads her crew of cadets and interns into their very first taste of battle, Reese, Campbell, Solan and Cinaran brave an unknown planet to rescue the survivors of the crashed freighter, while fending off an attack by hostile forces.

 

[CeJay]

Some intense action both in orbit and planet side. Looks as if we're about to get some answers regarding our mystery adversaries.

And what about the people left behind? Already doomed or will there be a chance for a rescue or a prisoner exchange?

Real curious as to where things go from here.

 

[Orbing Master]

1x05: "The Good Don't Last"
As Captain Tel tries to help the crew of the Antares deal with the absence of two of their own, Reese finds herself dealing with an unexpected 'guest' and a despondent god-son. Meanwhile, Solan and Cinaran try to figure out their next move in the hands of the enemy.

 

[CeJay]

Neat development and very cinematic reveal. I should have seen the confusion over the "green-bloods" coming but I didn't make the connection until late. Nicely done.

The question now is, where do we go from here. Are these guys the true enemy or is there somebody more sinister and dangerous waiting in the wings.

Cool stuff. My only complaint so far is the fact that you're telling a story set during the early TNG years but nobody is rocking a skant ....

 

[Orbing Master]

1x06: "The Kindness of Strangers"
The year is 2058. Back to where it all began. A group of humanity's best and brightest; lost and cut off from everything they knew must come together and learn new ways of thinking to survive their new home...

 

[CeJay]

Well, that certainly went into an unexpected direction. A full story within a story. And while it provided some answers, it didn't delivery all of them. Although we know who the baddies are, motivations are not so clear yet. Much more to be discovered here!

 

[Orbing Master]

1x07: "What Dreams Indeed..."
With the real threat in the Expanse revealed, the crew of the Antares realize they must now work alongside their new ally to make sure that they do whatever they can protect the region. Captain Tel makes an offer to someone that may change their life.

============

This will be the last Antares episode for a while. Episode 8: "A Double-Edged Sword" is currently next on my 'To Do' list but I can't say when it will be ready/finished/released...

 

[CeJay]

This took an interesting turn and ended in a big, Trek-like cliffhanger.

Things don't exactly look rosy for the under-powered and under-staffed Antares and her mostly green crew, but at least erstwhile enemies are bound to become allies as they'll have to come together to face a common foe.