My Day With Nichelle Nichols, or I got to meet Uhura!!

Special thank you to Tom M. and to Kyle. Without both of you, the day would not have been possible.

Since moving to Maine life has taken a different track. I am still working on my book which I really hope to now finish by the spring. I got to go to the Stephen King house in Bangor but other than that I have not done much other than work and raise the kids. The programs available to special needs children up here are more widely available than in Rhode Island and the kids have made incredible progress.

When the 2019 RI Comic Con was announced I was excited as always but I knew going would be hard, if not impossible. I followed the Facebook page and knew who the guests would be. I really didn't think about the convention other than that until the fall when my friend and former co-worker Tom M. called me and told me that he was working on Nichelle Nichol's Facebook page at the request of her son Kyle. The page, http://uhura.com/,  is still under construction but it is having more content added every day. I told Tom that is fantastic news. Tom has experience doing PR for the original cast as he was one of the people behind Walter Keoning's Walk of Fame star, he helped run a convention, and he worked on both Star Trek Of Gods and Men and was a co-producer of Star Trek Renegades. As always I was jealous and proud of Tom because I have been a fan of Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek since I was four years old. There were not many women on TV who looked like me. There were certainly not many women in older movies who were not in servitude or were stereotypes. Nichelle Nichols is a talented singer, dancer, and actress. I know a lot of people are not Star Trek fans but Nichelle Nichols is so much more than a woman who was on a tv show about aliens, especially to the African-American community. She sang with Duke Ellington at the beginning of her career, long before informing Captain Kirk hailing frequencies were open. Because of how she was treated by the studio while on Star Trek she wanted to quit. An extremely influential person told her not to and why and if you do not know about what happened, I encourage you to read about when Nichelle met Martin Luther King, Jr. As an adult knowing she faced the same pressures I have faced (even at my current job) but she stuck with it makes an even bigger impact. She has positively affected so many people in ways that cannot be described.

A great read. I might own a *few* Star Trek books.

Tom called me a few weeks before Comic-Con to tell me that he would be helping to set up Nichelle Nichol's booth and in effect be part of her entourage. Tom said he knew a life long dream of mine is to meet Nichelle and that if I could get tickets that he would ask Kyle if I could have a minute of her time to just tell her that I admire and respect her and all that she has done and possibly get a picture with her. Of course, he added, there was no guarantee that could happen because there would be a lot of variables to consider. I just stood in my apartment holding my phone next to my face with a look of total shock.  I could not actually reply. I stammered some incoherent semi-words and then asked if he was serious. He laughed and said of course he was. He said I would never have this chance again and we are friends and he knew how much it would mean to me.  As soon as I was capable of coherent thought I bought my tickets.

I've got a golden ticket!

I spent the next few weeks telling everyone with a set of ears that I was going to Rhode Island Comic Con and if all worked out as planned I'd be meeting a living legend. Since I no longer live in RI, I needed a place to stay. I called my mom and step-father and asked if I could spend the weekend of Comic-Con in their RV. They saw no problems with that. My mom and I chatted about how George Takei and Nichelle Nichols are both instrumental figures of civil rights and all they have symbolized as well as accomplished. Of course, life had completely other plans for me. Comic-Con would be November 1-3. On the morning of October 24, I woke up to red, itchy hands covered in a rash that burned. I work as a patient service representative in a Dr.'s office and I asked one of my coworkers who has seen a lot in her 10 plus years in medicine. She said it would probably be fine but if the blisters got worse the next day maybe I should go get it checked out. I agreed. Then she asked me if I did any yard work lately. I laughed and said I am an indoor girl. She told me several of our patients had encounters with browntail moth caterpillars and the rash can be quite bad. I asked one of the RNs in the practice but she also said to just watch it and if it got worse the next day to see my regular Dr. I started working when another coworker said her son and husband had hand, foot, and mouth and it burned and left a red rash. I jumped out of my chair and asked our Nurse Practioner if she could identify HFM by sight. She looked and my hands and asked if I had a sore throat and fever. I replied I did indeed have a sore throat when I woke up but I just thought it was fall in New England so that was why.  She asked one of the Drs in the practice his opinion and he agreed in full with her. I was then told I was contagious and could not work until this viral infection cleared up. After meeting with my regular Dr. I found out this viral infection can last 7 to 10 days in an adult. This was not what I wanted to hear at all! Comic-Con was 10 days away! I spent the next 8 days avoiding civilization and watching the rash spread. During this time I took pictures of the rash and emailed them to Tom. I told him there was no way I could go to Comic-Con until this plague cleared up. He told me just to play it by ear and not to worry. He said if I really could not go he would ask  Kyle if Nichelle could Facetime me. I had to go to Employee Health in order to be cleared to return to work. I was declared to be no longer patient zero and sent back to work. This was the news I wanted to hear. I was no longer contagious and would be able to go in public again.

Watching ST: TNG in Batman sweats with a friend.

As I was emailing Tom to tell him I would be there, my step-father called me. His niece, my cousin, who has been sick for years had an unexpected setback with her health and was in the ICU. He said it looked better than it had at first but ultimately no one was sure of her condition. Comic-con was in 3 days. Due to what had happened, I decided it would not be fair to my family to add stress to them by coming to stay with them. They would be in and out all day going to the hospital, plus they would have my two autistic kiddos running around. It just would not be fair to them.  I called Tom and told him it was going to be a washout that weekend for me. My tickets were given away to a friend in RI. I was so upset but it was for the greater good, and Spock would have agreed that the needs of the many outweigh the wants of the few or the one.

Friday, November 1, the first day of Comic-Con my phone rang. I was getting a Facetime call from Tom. I answered and he said he had a surprise for me. His phone turned around and it was HER! It was Nichelle Nichols! She waved and said hi to me and I burst into tears. Tom told her I was a friend of his who could not go but wanted to be there. I just cried and cried. Tom sent me pictures of Catherine Tate, Alex Kingston, George Takei, and so many other celebrities who were in the green room.

On Saturday I sent Tom a text asking him to sneak me in and he said if I could get down on Sunday he would. He told me I would have to work once I got there. I told him that would not be a problem. I honestly thought this was some cruel joke, that I would drive 4 hours and then be stopped by security and be told to leave.

Sunday, the big day was here.  Being a Whovian as well as a Trekkie, and a cosplayer, I dressed like Martha Jones and headed on down to RI.

At the Omni Hotel sky bridge not convinced I wasn't dreaming.

Feeling more nervous than I ever have, I walked to the Omni Hotel and promptly pulled on the wrong doors. Shaking, I texted Tom that  I was coming into the hotel.  I had no badge and thought I would be stopped by security immediately. Tom told me to wait on the sky bridge connecting to the Convention Center. It has been 3 years since I lived in Rhode Island and the last time I was in the Convention Center I was 13 or 14  so I lied and told him I definitely knew where that was. The last time I was in the Omni Hotel was never so I just walked around with my head up looking not lost and anxious.  Tom texted again for me to just wait and he would be a few minutes. I stood awkwardly trying to not look like a lost puppy.  This was it, it was a lie, why would I think I would actually get a guest pass to work at Comic-Con for a few hours and other extremely negative thoughts went through my head.  I heard a voice call out "Oh there you are" and there was Tom with a guest pass in his hands. He said we had to go because "she" was on her way down from her hotel room and we would have to meet her at the elevators. We walked over to the elevators and it was like being in a surreal dreamland. Cosplayers and celebrities were milling around. As were standing making small talk, George Takei came around the corner with his husband, Brad. I looked at Tom and said, "Holy cow, that's The George Takei!"  Tom said, "Well yeah." I felt like I was going to pass out. The man who as a young man lived in an internment camp, the man who played Sulu, the man who is currently killing it on Twitter was going to walk past me. I flashed up a Vulcan salute and he returned the gesture. Then him and Brad were whooshed away by an elevator. A handful of other celebrities trickled past us.  All of a sudden everything started going slow motion.  It felt like the area got quieter. The elevator doors opened and there she was. Nichelle Nichols was in her wheelchair with her son behind her. My jaw dropped and I forgot how to talk and think. She's absolutely beautiful and elegant. Tom said "Nichelle this is my friend, Alana. She's going to help us today.......oh and she's shy." I stuck my hand out and she smiled and said, "It's ok. I'm shy, too." Her voice was very soft but very strong. Then we were off. Tom led the way directing people out of our path and we were flying down hallways flanked by security.  We whipped around a corner and to add to the surrealism, I almost collided with Duffman. I said "Duffman loves to party!" and he yelled back "Duffman!"

We walked into the ballroom and I had to pause. I was face to face with Scott Ian. Since we were still walking quite fast, I was almost past the cast of Family Matters before I realized they were there.

Tom lead us past all the tables and to a door in the back of the room. He said Kyle would have to set up so this was a good place to wait. I stood in stunned silence when the doors popped open. Cat, who was a Comic-Con employee introduced herself as a tall man with a blue shirt was walking by. He looked familiar but I didn't think he was that tall. 

Dr. Alexi! And I am so not cool.

Alec Utgoff was extremely nice and took a picture with me and I was trying hard to not have a panic attack. 

Nichelle made small talk with Tom and I still had no idea why I was there or how this happened. After Kyle got the table set up, Tom told me to wait with Nichelle and he went and spoke with Kyle. After they spoke Kyle looked at me, seeing me for the first time and waved and smiled. This was it, I was part of today's crew. I spent the next few hours taking pictures of fans with Nichelle using their phones and cameras. Nichelle genuinely loves her fans and it was extremely evident on her face. She joked around and smiled and talked to everyone who came up to her.

The next extremely surreal moment was when Super Dog walked by. The blue tape was supposed to be guides for fans to form a line with. It was a good attempt but it was not followed.

 I was diagonal from John Barrowman and he was just as animated all day as I imagined.

The highlight of my morning came when Tom asked if I wanted to walk around. I definitely did. Catherine Tate's table was close and I wanted to see if I could say hi to her and tell her how much I like her comedy and admire her work with The Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust. As I approached her table security asked if I was in line for Alex Kingston or Catherine Tate. I replied Catherine Tate and he pointed to a woman with long red hair writing in front of the table with her back to me. I said "Hi" and she said "Oh hello sweetheart. Are you Martha Jones today?". I got extremely lightheaded and asked "Oh wow! How did you know? You're the first person today who got that!" She said, "I could tell by your maroon coat and your tank top." I got super flustered and started tearing up. I have been a Doctor Who fan way back when PBS aired reruns in the 80s.  I have watched the show since it was brought back in 2005. And now on this day that is certainly a dream and not real, Donna Noble is recognizing me as Martha Jones. I had to walk away because it was too much at that moment. I was blown away by how nice she was and how soft-spoken she was. Tom brought me back later to get a picture with her because I was far too embarrassed to ask her myself.

Catherine Tate

At lunchtime, we headed through hallways that brought us away from the crowds to the cafeteria. There was no conversation. Nichelle was chilly so we were walking quite quickly. Once we got to the cafeteria, I was not sure if I was allowed in. Tom said it was fine, and as soon as I walked in, I saw Benedict Wong eating his lunch. Being a lover of things obscure, I rewatch The IT Crowd a couple of times a year. I was within arm's length of Prime. Oh yeah, and I think he was in some movie with Sherlock. As I tried just being out of the way, Mankind walked by to leave the room. As Nichelle was sitting down, I overheard a conversation at the next table. Ethan Peck and Joonas Suotamo were sitting next to each other talking. Joonas was doing something on his phone, and when I glanced over it he was playing a piano app. Joonas Suotamo is 20 feet tall just in case if you were wondering. I am 5 foot flat and when he stood, I got dizzy looking up at him. I turned around and in walked Sean Pertwee and David Mazouz. David Mazouz had an adorable dog in his arms. My head started spinning. Tom walked by a dark-haired man who was sitting down and said hi to him. The dark-haired man looked up at me and in a very familiar baritone said: "Hi, I'm Patrick." My voice worked faster than my brain and I said: "I know you, Patrick, from Dave's World." He laughed and said that it was a long time ago. We had a brief conversation and I turned around to get out of everyone's way and I was face to face with Darius McCrary. He pointed to Nichelle and told me he is her biggest fan. It took a few minutes to realize he was talking to me, and he initiated the conversation. He told me that if it wasn't for her he would never be where he is today, and she paved the way for him. I really wanted to tell him I am a patient service representative at a Dr's office in the country and I feel she paved the way for me and I also wanted to tell him as far as fans go I won the fan lottery today. We had a brief conversation and I noticed his shirt. It was a vintage-looking Karate Kid tee shirt and it was easily the coolest shirt worn by any guest at Comic-Con. I said, "I love your shirt." He got a big goofy grin and said,  "I was feelin' it today!" As I turned to let him eat, a tall muscular man wearing a grey shirt strode into the room. Henry Simmons sat down and took out his phone. I turned around again and a person in a giant inflatable Pikachu costume was coming through the door. I told Tom this was too much, I had to get some air and he said to not leave as we had to bring Nichelle down for a photo op. As we left the cafeteria, I almost accidentally bumped into a young woman wearing a white shirt. I apologized to Gabby Pizzolo and then was face to face with Gaten Matarazzo. He has  Cleidocranial dysplasia and raises awareness about it. Of course, I admire that. I tried to tell him that I appreciate what he does for his fans but I got tongue-tied and awkward. The mom in me kicked in because when watching Stranger Things, I can't get over how much my little autism warrior looks like him and in person, it was so much more so. As we were leaving, a cake topped with a Big Bird was pushed in the door. I have read accounts of what it was like to work at MGM in the 30s and 40s when it was time to eat in the commissary. At one table, there was Judy Garland dressed as Dorothy, and at the next table, you could see Southern Belles from Gone With The Wind and how dreamlike it was. I have also read what it's like to work at Disneyland and enter the cafeteria to see Snow White eating with janitors. I often wondered if that would be a heady experience, and yes, it is incredibly dreamlike to be eating a cold turkey club sandwich while drinking Poland Springs water and hear Ethan Peck say "Oh, I play the new Spock in a show." 

As we walked down a maze of hallways to get to the photo op area I felt like I was watching a behind the scenes documentary of how a fan found herself tagging along with her childhood idol at Comic-Con. Backstage at the photo op, it was a maze of black curtains. Agents and handlers were moving their clients around and I was walking past people I have only seen on tv shows and in movies. I almost walked into Shawn Harrison and in front of Nichelle, I saw Kellie Shanygne Williams. Somehow my pocketbook was on Nichelle's wheelchair and she picked it up and said: "This is a nice bag." Tom said it was mine and she said again it was a really nice bag. The bag in question can be seen in the top picture. It was a $20 Walmart bag purchased only because it was a crossbody and would easily hold anything I put in it. I was blown away that this classy lady said my Walmart bag was nice.

In the photo op area, Tom told me where to stand so as not to be in people's pictures.  A pretty blonde woman standing next to me said hi and asked me who I was with. I pointed to Tom and said I am the assistant to the assistant of Nichelle. I then laughed and said I was kinda the Dwight Schrute of the group. The woman laughed and said she liked that. Tom whispered, "That's George's agent." I somehow found myself getting a picture with Nichelle and the fans started pouring in. They filed out as quickly as they came in, appearing through one curtain and disappearing through another.  After the last fan left, Brad Takei walked in followed by George Takei.  I found myself between Sulu and Uhura and George looked at me and said: "We are going to preserve this moment forever." I swear my knees buckled. As a lifelong fan of Star Trek, I could not believe any of this was real. I live in the middle of the woods in Maine. I am from the middle of nowhere Rhode Island. I am a special needs mom who struggles daily to just not through my hands up and walk away. And here I was in the middle of a day with these amazing people.

I told Tom I really needed to clear my head and I got to walk around the floor a bit and geek out a bit. The lights were bright and it still felt surreal.  I saw someone waving at me and I waved back before I realized it was Devon Hughes. I headed over to the Civic Center looking for the Alex & Ani display when Tom texted me that I head to back NOW.

I started my walk back and I saw the 501st. I knew I had to hurry but I had to check them out. I was happy I did.

I had one more fast stop to make. I promised my daughter I would meet Big Bird. Unfortunately, Carol Spinney was away from his table. But I got some pictures of her friends.

After I got back to the table, I got to see more delighted fans, and an equally delighted Nichelle take pictures and make memories. I saw little girls with giant smiles who were excited to recognize Uhura and saw Nichelle smile back at them with even bigger smiles. I saw a completely red-faced, breathless mother run-up to the table and say she could not believe it was Nichelle, that was really, really her. She had a young boy with her and she said that she really wanted her son to meet her because of how important she is. I almost cried with her. I wanted to tell that woman that I felt the same way all day. When I took her pictures with Nichelle, I took a few extra because I understood how she felt. 

As the day wound down I realized Bonnie Wright was at the table next to us. I have never seen the Harry Potter movies but my mom loves them. I got a picture for her. Thank you, Bonnie, she loved it. My mom wants you to know that was very nice of you to do.

I took a few minutes to sneak away to say hello to Alex Kingston. My mother is a fan of hers, not that she knows of River song, but my nurse mom really enjoyed ER, or has she calls it Emergency. Thank you Alex, my mom really appreciates the picture.

Shortly before it was time to start packing up, my husband's friend John and his wife got in line.  They were the lucky recipients of my original tickets.  John wanted to talk to Nichelle but he felt nervous. When the line was empty I turned and looked at Kyle and said John was my friend and he had a  question for Nichelle.

I am so very happy that he got to speak to her. She was extremely kind to him.

The day was winding down when Tom said "Hey check out BB-8. That's cute."

As Kyle was deciding to call it a day, we had one more person come up to the table. It was one more moment that was a huge payoff for a fangirl.

That is me taking a picture of Tom taking a promotional picture for Nichelle's website. Again, I don't know what I did to be here, but I was beyond happy that this happened. If you had told me at any point prior to this day that literally any of this was going to happen I would have laughed and thought you were crazy.

After this picture was taken, Kyle started packing up the table. I turned to Nichelle and said "Thank you for letting me work with you today. I enjoyed you in Star Trek and I have been a fan of yours my whole life. Thank you for not  quitting the show and being an inspiration for little girls who look like me."
She gave me a big smile and said, "No, thank you." And she shook my hand.
Kyle and Tom got everything packed and all the signs taken down. The spell was breaking just a little as the room became just a room and not a dream factory.

Tom asked me to wait in the hallway with Nichelle which I did. As we hurried through the secret hallways one last time I tried to commit every detail to memory. As we walked past the janitorial staff and security there were lots of excited whispers, "That's her!", "Is that really her?" "Hey, it's her!". Nichelle, this is what you mean to us. From the cast of Family Matters, to a fangirl in Maine, to janitors and security guards, we all love you. We walked through one last security check on our way over the sky bridge to the hotel. The security guard had a big happy smile and asked if he could have a moment of Nichelle's time. He told her how happy he was to meet her and to thank her for all she's done for us.  We ended up back at the elevators and I waved goodbye to Nichelle and Kyle. The security guard with us waved me into the elevator but I said: "Oh, I don't think I go up there." Tom looked at me and said, "Come on! Get in." I got in and thanked Kyle for the opportunity and smiled and said thank you.  We got up to the hotel rooms and an exhausted Nichelle took a big sigh of relief.  Kyle and Tom had some small talk with Nichelle and I stood being quietly thankful while thinking "I AM IN NICHELLE NICHOL'S HOTEL ROOM."   As Tom and I turned to leave I held my hand out to Kyle and said, "Seriously thank you very much for the chance to work with your mom today." He smiled and said, "We are all friends here."  Then took a deep breath and said way more confidently than I felt "Thank you, Nichelle. It was nice to meet you." She smiled at me and said, "No thank you." Then she pulled me close and gave me a kiss on my cheek.

The view from the floor Nichelle's room was on.

It was an amazing day and I will never forget it. Nichelle, Kyle, Tom: You all are the best and thank you all for the best day a nerdy girl could have.

Star Trek Renegades news and some randomness

Star Trek Renegades will not be picked up as a series by CBS. My source on the production team discussed a little about what's going on and it is all red tape stuff. But, it will be a crowd sourced web series. Walter Keoning confirmed he would be back for at least two more episodes and then he would retire his iconic Russian character. Since I am pretty sure Russians invented the internet this makes sense that he would be on board. I will post the kickstarter information as soon as I have it.

I posted before that my son will be a ring bearer. I am going to the bridal shower tomorrow. So excited for the bride sn and groom.

This pregnancy has me unbelievably thirsty all the time. I am kind of nervous since I had Gestational Diabetes with my son. I also can't get over the vivid movie quality dreams I keep having. I forgot about those. The Midwife ordered prenatal vitamins for me last evening and I have to pick them up at the hospital's pharmacy.

Don't know if I mentioned it, but my new job is walking distance from my house. My last job was an hour away. Not only is it incredibly nice to be home by 3:40 everyday, but I have the added benefit of being able to walk home for lunch everyday. Life is good.

STAR TREK RENEGADES IS ON YOU TUBE! I am sharing the link with you all.

Have you seen Star Trek Renegades yet?

You can watch it here:Star Trek Renegades on YouTube

I saw Renegades and thoroughly enjoyed it. You can read my review here: http://momlovesscifi.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-secret-can-be-told-spoiler-free.html and if you want to know why I am so happy about Renegades, I talk about that here: http://momlovesscifi.blogspot.com/2015/06/why-i-am-so-excited-about-star-trek.html

Star Trek Renegades North America Premire

From Star Trek Renegades official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/STRtheSeries


The production team is in talks to rent a very large theater so cast, crew, and fans can all meet together to watch the pilot/film.  It looks like the showing will be in Los Angeles, California on Saturday, August 1st.  Based on what is on Facebook at this time, there are not any firm plans for YouTube or DVD releases.  It also looks at this time, it is not known when the general public can see Renegades.

You can get more up to date news on their website www.startrekrenegades.com

Renegades really is good.  This fan truly hopes we haven't seen the last of Star Trek Renegades.

Why I am so Excited about Star Trek Renegades

When I first heard of Star Trek Renegades, I did not know that I believed what I was hearing. I  was told that there was a new Star Trek series that may be picked up by CBS depending on how well the pilot is received. It was going to be a kickstarter and hopefully would be debuted at a convention.  The person who told me about it did not delve far into the plot, but talked a little bit about the background of the story of the creation of the pilot itself. As production progressed, I followed the progress on Facebook, and Google+.  At first I was more excited about Star Trek continuing than the actual plot of Renegades.  I started seeing production pictures of Adrienne Wilkinson as Lexxa Singh and then I saw pictures of Chasty Ballesteros posed with a phaser rifle, and I knew this was not a typical Trek series.  I knew Sean Young would be involved, and I got really excited when I saw pictures of Courtney Peldon as Shree, an Andorian computer hacker. If this story was handled correctly, this looked like it would be an exciting adventure.  I have now seen it twice, back in May and now that the backers have a had the film released to them. The first time I saw it, I was too excited to really think about the plot more than "That was amazing!", but the second time I saw it, I really watched and thought about it.  I realized while watching it that instead of women quietly moving in the background and helping the plot along, the women are the main characters and it the men who quietly help the plot along.  This show would fill a gap in TV.  We need a woman who is at the helm of an action sci-fi series.

I was very wary of Adrienne Wilkinson's acting when watching trailers.  I thought she was going to chew the scenery, but I was very excited to see I was wrong.  Watching her scenes in context, you can see what motivates her to play the character of Lexxa Singh the way she does.  In some scenes, her acting is actually subtle when it needs to be. She gave a very strong performance.

I have liked Star Trek my whole life, even when it decidedly not acceptable to be an avid fan.  I spent my Saturday afternoons watching four hours of Star Trek on a local Fox affiliate. James Kirk was the captain that we needed in the 1960's.  He was a man's man. Every woman, regardless of planet of origin, wanted to be with him, and all men wanted to be him.  Jean-Luc Picard was a captain with the heart of a poet. When he was not avoiding the advances of Lwaxana Troi, he was reading or deep in conversation over Earl Grey tea, hot.  Benjamin Sisko was a very forward thinking father who turned out to be the prophesied Emissary of the Bajoran people, but he kept his cool under pressure even if he may have started the Dominion war. Then along came Kathryn Janeway.  Maybe it wasn't her fault she was an awful captain.  Maybe the stress of having her ship flung out to the Delta quadrant or maybe it was all the Maquis who had to join her crew that did it. Maybe Neelix switched her coffee to decaf and never told her. I did not watch much of Voyager because every show started with "Here is the problem." and Janeway responding with "I don't know anything at all about that." or "I am so confused."  Voyager could have been such a better show, but the captain never grew or held her own with well anyone really. It was disappointing to see such a lackluster performance from a female lead. Lexxa Singh is the female captain we need. She is not technically Starfleet, more of a contract employee for them.  She is the perfect mix of emotion and action that Jim Kirk, Picard, and Sisko embodied.  She had a troubled past and had to rely on her inner strength survive.

In the original series there were strong women characters.  You could not survive on the original Enterprise if you could not keep your wits about you.  The Next Generation brought us Tasha Yar, a character sadly killed off before we fully knew her.  Kira Nerys was the woman we waited for as Star Trek fans, but toward the end of the series even she was under utilized. Star Trek Renegades brings us a ship full of strong women characters.  Lexxa Singh and her almost entirely female crew show that we can have a strong female presence among the stars.   She is a very strong character who can carry the show, if it gets picked up.  I also enjoyed Chasty Ballesteros as the Betazoid Ronara who has a genetic defect.  Sean Young is excellent as Dr. Lucien.  She plays the character very soft spoken and I hung on every word.  Her emotions project off the screen and you understand why she makes the decisions that she chooses.

As I understand, the production crew is in talks with CBS to have Renegades picked up as a series.  As a fan, I would watch this on any platform.  It is not the typical Star Trek storyline, but it is also not typical Star Trek characters. These characters are outcasts, they have seen things that cannot be unseen. The may have done dark things for either the greater good, or their own personal gain.  I feel this as a show would lend much to the Star Trek legacy.

If you did not see Star Trek Renegades at Fed Con, and if you are not a backer, it will be available in its finalized version this summer. I urge you to watch it when it does become available.

 I did write a spoiler free review of Renegades. I also watched Of Gods and Men, which is by the same production team.

STAR TREK RENEGADES IMPORTANT NEWS

Today, June 10, 2015; Star Trek Renegades was sent to backers.  This is amazing. To date, the film has only been shown in Germany at Fed Con in May.  Fans can finally get a first glimpse at this project if they were not able to attend Fed Con.

It appears that the finished version will be released some time next month.

It is still not known if this will be a fan film, or a series.  As someone who saw Renegades, it would be an amazing series.

The production crew has asked that all that received the link to not share it at this time.

Also, this is not 100% finished. There are still some editing/effects work to be done.  If it looks a little rough, hopefully all the finishing touches will be done by next month.

Thank you so much for sharing this project. Speaking as a lifelong fan, this looks pretty good.  I did review  Renegades last month and you can read the review here: http://momlovesscifi.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-secret-can-be-told-spoiler-free.html

Exciting Star Trek Renegades News!!!

I found out some things about Star Trek Renegades I wanted to share with you all :)

As you know I saw the movie and reviewed it (http://momlovesscifi.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-secret-can-be-told-spoiler-free.html).  Soon the backers  can also see the movie/pilot as well.  Looks like it will be released to the backers the beginning of July.  Backers, check your emails for updates.

Also, the production team is still in negotiations with CBS for a show on some platform to be developed.  It might be a web based show, which would be great since so many people stream shows anyway.  Hopefully we can get a limited run season at least. I know I would watch it, and frankly I streaming to television.  Any thoughts?

Review of Star Trek Renegades

This is the post that I was very excited to put up.  Hope you enjoy the review, and the movie itself.

This is a spoiler free review.

“Always be true to yourself and the rest will follow.” –Pavel Chekov

The full cast and crew can be found here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2621446/fullcredits/

The website can be found here:  http://startrekrenegades.com/home/

I have seen the trailers and although they looked amazing, I was very wary of Adrienne Wilkinson’s acting. She seemed to overact in all the trailers. It was a very pleasant surprise that watching those scenes in context her acting is very strong and powerful, not over the top.  Manu Intiraymi reprises his role as Icheb, and he has been through some things.  I did not always enjoy Voyager, but I really always liked the character Icheb. Manu Intiraymi flawlessly slips back into his old role.  I don’t want to give away too much, but he appears to have had some upgrades.   There were several cameos Trek fans will enjoy including Gary Graham as Ragnar, the shape shifter first seen in Of Gods and Men. Another cameo of note was Clint Carmichael who played a Nausicaan in the TNG episode Tapestry. He again plays a Nausicaan, Moordenaarr, in Renegades.  It was actually a nice moment when I remembered him from his previous character. There are a few established Hollywood actors in the movie as well. Edward Furlong is excellent as Fixer, the mechanic.  All I could think while watching him was how much he reminded me of Kaylee from Firefly (which is fitting since the Icarus is the same set as Serenity).  I really would have liked to have seen more of the character on screen. The entire cast delivered a powerful performance.   One nitpicky question I had was, were Sean Young’s Dr. Lucien’s glasses an affectation, like Picard’s books or an anachronism?   Either way, as a glasses wearer who will never get LASIK or wear contacts, I thought they looked cool.

The special effects are outstanding.  There are plenty of well done space battles. The CGI on Icheb’s tech is incredible.  Looking at the special effects it is hard to believe this was done on a small budget.  A scene I especially liked was seeing Icheb’s hands take on what I can only describe as a Green Lanternish effect during a climatic fight scene.  The only thing I thought was, although the makeup is relatively flawless, some of the masks are incredibly rubber looking.  One more brief thought on the makeup is that Larissa Gomes plays T’leah a Romulan, and based on her makeup, her race had to be pointed out to me.  It isn’t poorly done, but I did not recognize her as a Romulan.

This movie was done by the same team that brought us Of Gods and Men.  They stay true to the feel of Star Trek, but this definitely doesn’t have the heart that Of Gods and Men had.  This movie is decidedly darker toned, which is not a bad thing. There was a blink and you miss it tribute to Leonard Nimoy that was added post production that will resonate well with fans. I think that as of today the future of Renegades is up in the air. Will it be a TV show, a web series, or a stand-alone film? As a show pilot, it works, as a fan film, it lacks something. As a stand-alone TV movie it has potential.  You can tell that the production team put a lot of hard work into Renegades.

The story is excellent.  Who are these so called Renegades? Who has infiltrated Starfleet? Who is Lexxa Singh? What is Sean Young’s Dr. Lucien hiding? What does Fixer finally understand?  What will be the fate of Admiral Paris? It seems that the main suppliers of dilithium crystals are getting harder to find. Planets are being engulfed with a mysterious energy that cuts them off from the rest of the universe.  Will the Renegades accomplish their secret mission or will Starfleet be torn apart?  Will Earth be destroyed by an evil the likes of which we have never seen before? Who can you trust when anyone could be a double agent?

As I said, this movie does have a very dark tone. It almost has the same dark tone as Nemesis.  There are some violent scenes and implied sexual violence against one character.  I would use discretion when allowing young children to watch this movie.   This movie only gets 7 out of 10 stars from me.  It was good, not mind blowing. Definitely see it if you get the chance because it is good, and fan films need our support.  This movie is far better than anything from JJ Abrams.

And to the production crew, I am but a humble blogger but if there is ever anything I can do, I am a fangirl. It has been my lifelong dream to contribute to my favorite fandom. I would love to contribute in any way I could to this or any future projects, as most fans would.

After watching Renegades a second time, I had a little more to say about it.

Star Trek Renegades Trailer!!!!

HOLY COW!! This looks so good.

I am having a hard time waiting to see this. Every trailer builds my excitement. I am so glad that this has been put together and is looking amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjeX5drV9ms

Quick thought on Star Trek Renegades

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhZPbX2x3Ug Renegades trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgRJWBB12GA Renegades trailer

So does anybody else think that the blue guy (he's a villain but I can't remember his name) looks similar to The Destroyer of Worlds from Doctor Who Battlefield? I giggle every single time I see him. I really want to see Renegades but that distracts the hell out of me.

The Destroyer of Worlds is in the clip below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP6T1wcFwms