Fan Film Friday: Star Trek: Intrepid: Heavy Lies the Crown
Written by Randy Hall on December 11, 2009 – 12:00 pm -
With the holidays upon us and the end of 2009 approaching, a lot of folks are taking this opportunity to look back and reminisce, including me.
My very first Fan Film Friday column last July reviewed “Transitions and Lamentations,” which was the brand new second episode from Star Trek: Intrepid, an independent production group that had already released its first outing. I made a mental note to go back soon and do an article on that opening program, but as often happens, life got in the way.
So let’s take a look at “Heavy Lies the Crown,” which is set after Star Trek: Nemesis and introduces a Voyager-sized starship assigned to the distant Charybdis Sector, where a group of Federation citizens is establishing a new colony.
However, the mission of the Intrepid turns sour with the sudden death of the starship’s captain. As the crew struggles to adjust, tensions between Starfleet and the colony’s civilian authorities flare up until a mysterious alien enemy threatens them all.
Time to put on my Clint Eastwood hat and get reviewing.
The Good: Without a doubt, “Heavy” is the best first effort of any fan film series I’ve seen. The direction is pretty tight, the costumes and effects are great, and the script is regularly clever and often witty.
The central character is Commander Daniel Hunter. He’s played by Nick Cook, who also wrote the script, helped with the costumes and handled the props. When he did take the time to act, he managed his angst pretty well, making his role more Kirk than Picard.
Also populating the Intrepid are Lieutenant S’Ceris (David Reid), the half-Romulan (!) chief of security who spends much of his time saying “I am not Spock;” Lieutenant Yanis Caed, a Trill played by Lucie Cook, wife of the guy who plays Daniel Hunter; and Commodore Aaron Prentice (Alan Score), who is not trying to take over the ship but ends up commanding it for a while anyway.
Another officer on the vessel is Lieutenant Commander Jacen Navar (Alan Christison), a pragmatic native of Torothan (as established in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode “Desert Crossing”) who’s the intelligence officer in the sector and whose race seems to have trouble eating a hot fudge sundae without spilling it on their chins.
Two of the Merchant Marine characters are Captain Jago Merik, played by Steve Hammond, and Doctor Richard Garren, portrayed by Mike Cugley. Like most of the other colonists, they consider Starfleet’s presence “overly paternal” and unwelcome, which complicates things for the starship crew.
One reason this first outing is as good as many other later productions can be determined by a look at the film’s end credits. Instead of reinventing the wheel, the Intrepid folks drew on skills from other fan film groups.
You can tell who they are by the nods scattered through the program. There’s a reference to Jim Kirk, a tip of the hat to Phase II; the fact that the commander keeps a model of the Starship Exeter in his quarters; and a cameo by Captain Shelby from the Next Generation-era series Hidden Frontier.
Perhaps the most interesting effect was the little red organic ships the enemy used. Or were the little red organic ships the aliens themselves? I hope we find out soon.
The Bad: Not much to discuss here, though it would have been a lot more poignant if we’d actually seen the captain of the Intrepid before her death and not just heard her disembodied voice.
The Ugly: One of the most difficult aspects of making films is something quite invisible. Many people focus on making great costumes and creating computer-generated effects, but it’s easy to overlook something you can neither see nor touch: the sound!
Often throughout the episode, the sound made it tough to tell what everyone was saying, and the worst times were when people were on the planet, when the wind and the background noise often made it difficult to hear.
Adding to the problem was the fact that the production was made in Scotland, so naturally, everyone in the cast, including the Romulan and the Trill, had nice, thick Scottish accents when we all know that everyone in the galaxy speaks crystal clear American.
I found it interesting that “Heavy” was dedicated to Jimmy Doohan, who of course brought Enterprise Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott to life. With that in mind, it often seemed like the entire cast had received diction lessons from Scotty!
As a result, I’d have to say that the first Intrepid episode ain’t “Heavy,” it’s actually pretty darn good!
You can watch this episode and other Star Trek productions from the Intrepid crew, including the second episode “Transitions and Lamentations,” by checking out the group’s website.
Related posts:
- Fan Film Friday: Intrepid: Transitions and Lamentations
- Fan Film Friday: Star Trek: Phase II: In Harm’s Way
- Fan Film Friday: Star Trek: Of Gods and Men
- Fan Film Friday: Star Trek Phase II: World Enough and Time
- Fan Film Friday: Star Trek Animated: And Let the Heavens Fall
Tags: Heavy Lies The Crown, Star Trek, Star Trek: Interpid, voyager
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