Prelude to Axanar

Prelude to Axanar is the first real piece of Star Trek to come out since the penultimate episode of Star Trek: Enterprise 10 years ago. It has a great trek-worthy storyline and magnificent acting, and the special effects are great! I also greatly enjoyed the numerous "easter eggs" hidden throughout the film.

The quality is nothing like Star Trek: Into Darkness, which was just a mindless action flick intended for today's unenlightened audience. Prelude to Axanar is a thought-provoking Star Trek that visionary Gene Roddenberry himself would have been proud of.

The fact that Prelude to Axanar is an independent production (commonly referred to as a fan film) did not derail the production at all. The teams at Axanar Productions did a fantastic job of making the movie just as good, if not even better than, any "professional" production, and I have that in quotations because this was made professionally just like any other movie.

I highly recommended watching Prelude to Axanar, which is only twenty minutes long. See for yourself whether or not you like it. It's free and extraordinary; you'll love it.

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.

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 is the best independent Star Trek short film ever made, and the full length, upcoming feature film will blow everyone away!

In Prelude, the acting, make-up, special effects, writing, camera work, etc. are phenomenal! If you're a Star Trek fan, this short film will bring all the excitement of the franchise back to the forefront of your mind!

You will literally sit at the edge of your seat with your mouth agape as you watch this story unfold. If you want to see true, dyed in the wool Trek, watch Prelude To Axanar and get ready for the ride of your life!

The cast and crew pulled off the best Star Trek I have seen in decades.

Can't wait for the movie next year!