Quick Picks
NOTE: The links in the following essay have been made partially obsolete by our migration from Blogspot space to StarTrekReviewed.com. A new revision is in progress.
Don't want to waste time reading reviews? Just want to know which fan films to watch first? I've already found these Quick Pick Treasures:
For Golden Age Fan Film Star Trek, start with...
The most praised group of all the Star Trek Fan Film producers, Star Trek: Phase II (formerly Star Trek: New Voyages). Although each of their episodes have much to recommend them, you might start with "World Enough and Time" which is their third episode. Go to (Blog 20) Star Trek Phase II or Star Trek New Voyages for discussions and reviews, or directly to their website, and download and watch it: http://www.startrekphase2.de/en/4x03_world_enough_and_time.php / http://www.startreknewvoyages.com/?page_id=378 Rating: 5. Also, the best fan film I have seen. In one additional note, this Fan Film Group has such enthusiastic followers that it has a Fan Film about New Voyages/Phase II's Fan Films! (See Short One Shots in the Table of Contents).
If you are very shy about taking on a full-length film, you could also start with their excellent short vignette, "Center Seat." It's here: http://www.startreknewvoyages.com/?page_id=407 . Or, watch them both!
Starship Exeter (Two Episodes,) See Starship Exeter, or click on http://www.starshipexeter.com/ and watch, "The Savage Empire." Rating: 5. Then watch one of the greatest Star Trek Fan Films of all time, "The Tressaurian Intersection."
Also recreating TOS, Star Trek Continues, second episode entitled, "Lolani". It was filmed in late 2013 was released February 8, 2014. View it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mOpmIFTxkE (50:46) or here: https://vimeo.com/86215323 (50:47). With Portuguese subtitles, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKE-x5i8leo (50:46). For their other offerings see http://startrekreviewed.com/series.php?id=1
Also try: "Of Gods and Men" See Blog 24 Star Trek: Of Gods and Men, or click on
Star Trek: Of Gods and Men Rating: 5
The first Episode of Starship Farragut, Blog 22 Starship Farragut, "The Captaincy" Rating: 5
http://www.starshipfarragut.com// Many more episodes follow.
For a very original but well done take on Trek, follow the Merchant Ship Aurora and her two woman crew as they make cargo runs and face the challenges of space without the help of a massive ship, weapons, or Starfleet. Star Trek: Aurora, (see their series page here). Now completed at two episodes, beautiful 3D animation, well written, well edited, good voice acting, Rating: 5
For an excellent series, with only very minor technical issues, The Multiverse Crisis, http://startrekreviewed.blogspot.com/2009/06/34.html. I'll put more details here when I give this elevation a Headline.
For Silver Age Fan Film Star Trek, "Star Trek: Intrepid." See Blog 79 Star Trek: Intrepid
OR click on:
Star Trek: Intrepid
but watch the episodes in this order:
Heavy Lies the Crown
Transitions and Lamentations
Confessions by Firelight
Machinations
Where There's a Sea
Turning Point
A Stone Unturned
Speak Czech? Or, if not, willing to handle subtitles? If so, I can recommend "Star Trek: The Metrensky Incident". Rating: 5. See Blog 85, Star Trek: The Metrensky Incident for both download instructions and instructions on how to run the film with the subtitled language of your choice.
Like Comedies? I recommend "Stalled Trek: Amutt Time". A friend of mine who is a comedy lover says this is the best of all Trek comedies/parodies. For more information on this original series parody, see http://startrekreviewed.blogspot.com/2009/06/50.html .
[proposed section]Other Quick Picks: The following films are all very good, rated 4 or 4.5, but lack a single element that would move them up to a 5. That element might be poor quality sound or picture at places that doesn't interfere with viewing enjoyment, or a great, well-told story with no 'message'.
For example,
Star Trek Deception. (Adult fans, live action, sets, costumes, green screens, CGI, Silver Age, Cheshire, Northwich, UK) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALGLRd5RyA4 (8:30) Exceptional short film. For more short films not classified elsewhere, see http://startrekreviewed.blogspot.com/2009/06/207.html
[This section is proposed, not yet developed!]
I have only begun going through the comedies and parodies, and do not expect to develop a system to rate them. However, I can strongly recommend the animated film, Stone Trek. Episode One, The Deadly Ears. I can also recommend Stalled Trek: Amutt Time.
But, be Warned: I haven't watched most of the Star Trek fan films listed here.
I've sorted out websites that have films from ones that don't, and found films on You-Tube, Vimeo, and other video-hosting websites that have no websites of their own. I'm optimistic that much of what I've found but haven't watched yet is very good! However, know that I have removed a few films I have glanced at for sexual content. I have created a separate "Adults Only" website for Fan Films with explicit sex and violence. Links to that website, rather than links to those fan films, are in the appropriate places in this website. I'm trying to put links to every fan film which does not have that kind of problem which I can find below, organized in a useful way... I have put aside plans to review most films until a later time. If I do more reviews, I want to inform you about what's good to watch... what's good to skip.... and enough about why I think so so that if your taste differs from mine, you can watch what will make you happy. Where I've found easy to access reviews or review threads on the fan films, I've included them. Randy Hall of SciFiPulse did many reviews of Star Trek Fan Films, but sadly they have been taken down.
