Star Trek: Renegades

[Amaris]

Someone told me this is where we could talk about Renegades, guess I was wrong

It happens on the Renegades FB page, and I admit I am a part of that conversation, too. I think a lot of us are antsy (or just me, I don't know), because I do like the fan films, it's nice to see fellow Trek fans making these episodes and films, and I want it to continue. Axanar has put all of you under a very large microscope, and it's frustrating.

This is how I feel. I know I disappeared from the BBS, but I can still remember when fanfilms were first starting and New Voyages first came on the scene. Hidden Frontier was something I got into next, then its spinoff fiction. Intrepid was fun too. Back then there was a fear that they could be shut down, but never to this extent.

Now, I am afraid for all of you. I'm afraid for all fan productions from the fan film, to fan fiction, to fan art, to online gaming at this point.

My first best experience was with New Voyages. Downloading "In Harm's Way" over a 56K connection was worth it, IMO, for what I got to see. Today it looks so amateurish, but back then I felt it was the best thing since sliced bread.

 

[BillJ]

My first best experience was with New Voyages. Downloading "In Harm's Way" over a 56K connection was worth it, IMO, for what I got to see. Today it looks so amateurish, but back then I felt it was the best thing since sliced bread.

I remember downloading "Come What May" over my spanking new broadband connection. Fun times.

 

[nx1701g]

^ It's things like this that have me worried for the future. I can still remember those premieres, I can remember the battles in Hidden Frontier and actually being impressed by what they were pulling off.

This is why I don't like Axanar these days.

 

[mos6507]

They didn't try to build a studio or create a new media empire with someone else's IP - they raised money to make a fan film and then went out and did so.

They raised money for a fan-film intended to pitch CBS to take it to series. That's far beyond the scope of any other fan-film project other than Axanar.

 

[nx1701g]

^ Very true. Their efforts were to develop a new product for CBS.

 

[Maurice]

^ Very true. Their efforts were to develop a new product for CBS.

Ehhhhh... not exactly.

 

[SuperSpaceMan]

What I don't understand with Renegades, is that, it's something that would benefit from "filing the serial numbers" off of, and having it stand on it's own. The concept of antihero's is great, it's what made Firefly compelling.... but it just doesn't fit in the cookie cutter realm of Star Trek.... (IMO)

 

[Maurice]

What I don't understand with Renegades, is that, it's something that would benefit from "filing the serial numbers" off of, and having it stand on it's own. The concept of antihero's is great, it's what made Firefly compelling.... but it just doesn't fit in the cookie cutter realm of Star Trek.... (IMO)

It would be interesting to know if they'd have raised that kind of money if they'd done an original IP (a la Space Command) as opposed to a Star Trek.

 

[SuperSpaceMan]

What I don't understand with Renegades, is that, it's something that would benefit from "filing the serial numbers" off of, and having it stand on it's own. The concept of antihero's is great, it's what made Firefly compelling.... but it just doesn't fit in the cookie cutter realm of Star Trek.... (IMO)

It would be interesting to know if they'd have raised that kind of money if they'd done an original IP (a la Space Command) as opposed to a Star Trek.

Probably not... Unless they had backing for some sort of proof of concept video.. Like a pilot that was self funded first... and taken that to CONs and such to promote FIRST.. and then launch crowd funding second....

 

[Maurice]

What I don't understand with Renegades, is that, it's something that would benefit from "filing the serial numbers" off of, and having it stand on it's own. The concept of antihero's is great, it's what made Firefly compelling.... but it just doesn't fit in the cookie cutter realm of Star Trek.... (IMO)

It would be interesting to know if they'd have raised that kind of money if they'd done an original IP (a la Space Command) as opposed to a Star Trek.

Probably not... Unless they had backing for some sort of proof of concept video.. Like a pilot that was self funded first... and taken that to CONs and such to promote FIRST.. and then launch crowd funding second....

Well Space Command racked up over $200K with little more to show than some CGI by Doug Drexler et al and a bunch of genre people pledging their time.

 

[Tom]

What I don't understand with Renegades, is that, it's something that would benefit from "filing the serial numbers" off of, and having it stand on it's own. The concept of antihero's is great, it's what made Firefly compelling.... but it just doesn't fit in the cookie cutter realm of Star Trek.... (IMO)

It would be interesting to know if they'd have raised that kind of money if they'd done an original IP (a la Space Command) as opposed to a Star Trek.

It has been talked about on and off, it would be easier and we would not have to worry about copyright concerns. I guess we are too big of Star Trek fans, and wanted it to be Star Trek.

 

[DCR]

They didn't try to build a studio or create a new media empire with someone else's IP - they raised money to make a fan film and then went out and did so.

They raised money for a fan-film intended to pitch CBS to take it to series. That's far beyond the scope of any other fan-film project other than Axanar.

Sure, we can talk about similarities of scope, but that doesn't change my point:

Renegades raised money to make a film, and then went out and made the promised film with that money. That cannot be said of Axanar.

 

[137th Gebirg]

What I don't understand with Renegades, is that, it's something that would benefit from "filing the serial numbers" off of, and having it stand on it's own. The concept of antihero's is great, it's what made Firefly compelling.... but it just doesn't fit in the cookie cutter realm of Star Trek.... (IMO)

Heh...IMO, that's exactly what Trek needs! Someone needs to blow the cobwebs off the 50 year old sacred cows and do something different for a change. Granted, it could be argued that NuTrek is doing just that, to a degree. However, I think they're still quite concerned with fandom backlash (despite the fact that this has still happened with a vengeance - pun not quite intended) and holding back from going into truly innovative fields of exploration - whatever they may be.

Hate to say it, but the existing fandom has really acted like an albatross for the franchise. Wasn't too sure a few years ago but I'm pretty positive of it now - the self-styled keepers of "Gene's Vision" an' all that...

 

[Tom]

Some projects are trying to do there own thing, Polaris and Space Command come to mind. Polaris has potential, and if they raise more money for an ongoing series, it may be great.

 

[SuperSpaceMan]

What I don't understand with Renegades, is that, it's something that would benefit from "filing the serial numbers" off of, and having it stand on it's own. The concept of antihero's is great, it's what made Firefly compelling.... but it just doesn't fit in the cookie cutter realm of Star Trek.... (IMO)

It would be interesting to know if they'd have raised that kind of money if they'd done an original IP (a la Space Command) as opposed to a Star Trek.

It has been talked about on and off, it would be easier and we would not have to worry about copyright concerns. I guess we are too big of Star Trek fans, and wanted it to be Star Trek.

Just remember, one 13 episode season of Firefly was FAR better than more than half a dozen full length season of Star Trek released in the late 90's early 2000's.

And while I am not suggesting that you go off and make a firefly fan film, or firefly clone, just consider that what you have, potentially, could be far better than anything you could set within the sandbox of fanfilm trek... and you could make money at it too....

 

[SuperSpaceMan]

What I don't understand with Renegades, is that, it's something that would benefit from "filing the serial numbers" off of, and having it stand on it's own. The concept of antihero's is great, it's what made Firefly compelling.... but it just doesn't fit in the cookie cutter realm of Star Trek.... (IMO)

Heh...IMO, that's exactly what Trek needs! Someone needs to blow the cobwebs off the 50 year old sacred cows and do something different for a change. Granted, it could be argued that NuTrek is doing just that, to a degree. However, I think they're still quite concerned with fandom backlash (despite the fact that this has still happened with a vengeance - pun not quite intended) and holding back from going into truly innovative fields of exploration - whatever they may be.

Hate to say it, but the existing fandom has really acted like an albatross for the franchise. Wasn't too sure a few years ago but I'm pretty positive of it now - the self-styled keepers of "Gene's Vision" an' all that...

I agree that someone needs to blow the cobwebs off of 50 year old sacred cows.. But Star Trek, is something uniquely optimistic... something that for better or worse, Renegades (Albiet in the spirit of DS9) walks away from.

If we are talking Star Trek, I would prefer a full on reimagining. Especially the technology. Instead of thinking what 300 years would look like from 1960, we should look at what 250 years of technological development from 2016 would look like. An example what I mean, is the Tricorder, and communicator.. why would you have two devices... why not one.

That sort of thing.....

 

[137th Gebirg]

Why have any?

Considering some of the tech we have now conceivably surpasses what was shown in TOS, it's entirely possible that all the communication and scanning devices we would need could be surgically (or even genetically) implanted and working seamlessly with the brain. HUD's in our eyeballs, sensors in our fingertips, all triggered and controlled by electro-chemical reactions within the body. Hell, you could even have a phaser built into your dominant hand. No need for gadgets to loose on away missions at all any more. If they want to show real bleeding-edge (literally) tech, they definitely need to go the Cyberpunk/wetware route.

And why will this never happen in a major franchise like Trek? Because then Trek's whole market share of the toy industrial complex and, ergo, a major source of income would embarrassingly dry up. The company still needs to make a buck. They can't do it on legal action alone. There's only one Axanar.

 

[Maurice]

Ha. The costs of taking Axanar to court will exceed any possible monies they could ever get in damages.

 

[Noname Given]

What I don't understand with Renegades, is that, it's something that would benefit from "filing the serial numbers" off of, and having it stand on it's own. The concept of antihero's is great, it's what made Firefly compelling.... but it just doesn't fit in the cookie cutter realm of Star Trek.... (IMO)

Heh...IMO, that's exactly what Trek needs! Someone needs to blow the cobwebs off the 50 year old sacred cows and do something different for a change. Granted, it could be argued that NuTrek is doing just that, to a degree. However, I think they're still quite concerned with fandom backlash (despite the fact that this has still happened with a vengeance - pun not quite intended) and holding back from going into truly innovative fields of exploration - whatever they may be.

Hate to say it, but the existing fandom has really acted like an albatross for the franchise. Wasn't too sure a few years ago but I'm pretty positive of it now - the self-styled keepers of "Gene's Vision" an' all that...

Considering both JJ Abrams Star Treks films did 4 to 5 times the box office of the previous two TNG films; I honestly don't think you can claim 'fan backlash' hurt either film's marketability and overall (if you use RT or Cinema Score as a gauge); neither of the JJ Abram's Star trek films were all that 'hated' by Star Trek fandom in general.

That said, in the end, it's always true that someone who dislikes something he used to like; so a small group of detractors can amplify and make it appear they are more the 'majority'.

 

[Jerikka Dawn]

IANAL, but from a quick once-over it seems clear that if CBS/Paramount adopted the Disney model, it would spell the end of most semi-pro fan films like Star Trek Renegades, Star Trek Continues, and Star Trek: New Voyages, and even smaller fry productions like Star Trek Aurora would be vastly different under the new regime. From the page you linked:

1. [N]o more than five (5) minutes in duration - That would zot out practically every modern Star Trek fan film ever made.
2. [A]n original parody or documentary of the fan experience - Again, that would blot out nearly every Star Trek fan film in existence. Trekkers aren't parodying fandom; they're trying to create their own Star Trek canon.
3. You will be provided with a creative asset pack (“Pack”) which includes official Lucasfilm music and special effect soundclips (“Lucas IP”), but you do not have to use the materials in the Pack. However, if you decide to use any Lucas IP, it must be the Lucas IP that is contained in the Pack. - Nearly every Star Trek fan film samples heavily from the original series soundtrack. If CBS/Paramount was to limit what fan films could use, almost all productions would have to be taken down and re-edited (not to mention that the limited range of musical cues would probably prove creatively daunting).
4. Make sure not to shoot any violent activities or dangerous stunts that put you and/or others at risk of getting hurt. For your safety and the safety of others, don't try any risky moves. - That fight between mirror universe Kirk and Spock in the recent Star Trek Continues episode "Fairest of Them All" would probably be verboten.

I won't even attempt to get into the various and sundry ramifications of the general rules.

The rules have actually changed over time. At one point they had the films could be 30 minutes or longer. The five minutes is recent (last year it was 10).

Aren't these rules for a specific contest though? It''s been said that LucasFilm is "friendly to fan films" .. have they set out any guidelines for fan films outside of the rules listed for a specific contest?