Prelude to Axanar

This little mock-documentary tells of the battles of the United Federation of Planets leading up to the famous Battle of Axanar as mentioned in the Original Series episode: "Whom Gods Destroy." That's how we first met Garth of Izar. What we still don't know is what happened at that famous battle. CBS and Paramount are determined to do anything to prevent that story from being told. I just want to know what happened. So, for God's sake, CBS, either let these fans tell the story of the Battle, or else surrender the "Star Trek" rights back to the Roddenberry family. "If a court-martial is the only way to reveal the truth, I welcome it!" - Captain Picard, Star Trek: Insurrection (1998).

Until George Takei's Facebook post supporting Prelude, I was unaware of fan-funded Trek films. Truth in advertising, I contributed to both the Kickstarter campaign for Prelude and for the full Axanar movie which will be filmed in 2015. However, if I thought I hadn't gotten my money's worth, I'd say so. That is NOT the case here.

This is a great concept that presents a prequel to The Original Series. And despite the shoestring budget for Prelude, the production quality is astounding! It's also cleverly presented as a History Channel-like documentary that reviews the events of the Four Years' War between the Federation and the Klingons.

Production quality aside, this is a brilliant collection of on-screen talent with veterans of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Babylon 5, and even the original Battlestar Gallactica. I'm sure I'm missing other projects but you get the idea. This is NOT a bunch of rookies.

What makes me an expert at all this? Years of fandom as a viewer, with the elevated expectations that come with that. Bottom line is that this leaves me hungry for the full movie, just as it was intended to do!

This film is what Star Trek was meant to be. On a Q&A panel the director and producer explained that as they made this film they kept asking themselves "Would Gene Roddenberry Do This?" and they made it true to Gene and true to Star Trek fans.

I like how they've used the 2009 ships' models and phaser mounts while fixing the exaggerated ship size and ridiculous out of proportion engines. Its wise to maintain some recognizable features from the latest films. On the other hand I would have liked to have seen the Fleet HQ, Dreadnought, Destroyer and Transport/Tug from the 1975 Star Trek Technical manual. Or even the Klingon Battleship from the '90's Task Force Games Star Fleet Battles. This arms race could have been "bigger" but I see how that would have taken away from their " We were explorers" vein they are pursuing and their unveiling of the Constitution Class. Which is very cool.

Where JJ Abrams has turned Star Trek into an unintelligent, mass appeal action romp these guys succeed in bringing it back to its roots and I couldn't be more impressed or eager to share it with my friends who really care about Sci Fi. I can't wait for the feature film.

What an amazing original piece of star trek history an amazing project that makes you feel like you were there. The actors in it were amazing keep up the great job at this hit film. A Movie I will watch over and over again. Richard hatch's performance was on top and so was the Alec peters as Garth of Izar as well as the whole cast. don't miss this movie you will not be disappointed.A Hit that is better than JJ Abrams movies. The Special visual effects were awesome. The Ships were very impressive. The Story was excellent and it makes you want to see more.It was also very detailed into the war.and Even be amazed at the Klingon makeup and the Vulcan.and The Female Captains makeup it is stellar.

Technically its a "fan film", but you would not know it from watching. Told in a kind of history channel series of interviews, it grabs you right from the start and leaves you wanting more at the end. The SFX are on par with any Hollywood production and the story is original and entertaining. The cast is compromised of Sci-Fi veterans who know what they are doing and do it very well! This was a project funded through Kickstarter as a "proof of Concept" for the bigger full length production of "Axanar" and they more then proved the concept. If the next production is as good as this it may very well kick start(like that?)a whole new revolution in fan films in not just the Star Trek Universe.