TCM Issue 11

Is taking

Welcome to the eleventh issue of TCM,

Special Thanks:

Contributors:

Alex Matthews and Richard Miles

Interviewees:

Barbara Clifford; Gina Devettori; Jacques Freydont; Aaron Leddick; David O’Neill; JT Tepnapa and Beau Williams.

Production Companies:

Hidden Frontier Productions; Intrepid Productions; Farragut Films; Neo FX.

Trekkie Central Staff:

Writers:

Heather Ashleigh; Jennifer Cole; Gerri Donaldson; Josh Edelglass; Beo Fraser; Danny Lavery; Gustavo Leao; Alex Matthews; Richard Miles; Eugenia

Stoypra; Michael Struck; Sean-Paul Teeling; Tim Vining and John Whiting.

Head Writers:

Gerri Donaldson; Alex Matthews; Richard Miles and Eugenia Stoypra.

Graphics Artist and Front Cover:

Richard Miles

Creative Consultants:

Michael Hudson and Rick Pike.

Assistant Editors:

Heather Ashleigh and Alex Matthews

Editor: Richard Miles

Trekkie Central Magazine and Supplemental is produced for fans by fans. This is a free to download and view online magazine, from which no profit is made in anyway. If you see this magazine on

sale anywhere please do not purchase it as this will jeopardise feature issue of this magazine. If you do find it on sale please inform us immediately by emailing us at

[email protected] and marking the inbox as fraudulent magazine in the subject box. Many Thanks

Welcome to the eleventh issue of Trekkie Central Magazine,

Featured in this issue we have three reviews of all Star Trek Odyssey, Helena Chronicles and Federation

One episodes by Alex Matthews.

Also we have numerous interviews with the stars of the shows.

We have interviews with Barbara Clifford; Gina Devettori; Jacques Freydont; Aaron Leddick; David O’Neill;

JT Tepnapa and Beau Williams.

Also back this issue is the news section that will bring you up to date with all the latest happenings in the

Trek fan film universe.

Finally I have two pieces of exciting news for you, firstly Trekkie Central Magazine now has its own

domain name, you can now reach our website by simply typing in trekkiecentralmagazine.com

and secondly we also now have our own email address, so if you have any suggestions, comments or

queries you can now contact us at [email protected]

We all hope you enjoy the magazine

Live Long and Prosper

Richard

Editor

Inquisition 7

Captains Table 8

Captains Log 47

Coming Soon 48

Beau Williams Interview 13

David O’Neill Interview 15

Star Trek Odyssey Review

By Alex Matthews 17

Barbara Clifford Interview 25

Gina Devettori

Interview 27

Star Trek The Helena

Chronicles Review

By Alex Matthews 29

JT Tepnapa Interview 35

Aaron Leddick Interview 37

Jacques Freydont Interview 39

Star Trek Federation One Review

By Alex Matthews 41

1. What is your name? Andrew George Matthew Gregory Foster

2. What was the last book you read? Spanish For Dummies

3. Is the glass half full or half empty? Its fullness has been diminished towards a half-empty

state

4. What is your favourite colour? Green

5. Sci-Fi or Chick Flicks? Sci-fi

6. Picard or Kirk and why? Picard (a man of passion and exploration) as opposed to Kirk (a

bit too bold and horny for my liking)

7. What question have you always wanted to be asked? “Your place or mine”

8. When was the last time you were star struck? 1977

9. Who was it that made you star struck? [Standing in front of] the entire original cast of

“Star Trek” [for the first time]

10. What is the natural colour of water? The only colour I see is the colour of the container

as water is clear

11. Family Guy or The Simpsons? The Simpsons

12. Quark or Odo? Quark, he’s usually good at getting what he wants/needs

13. The original Enterprise or The Enterprise D? Enterprise-D (its so spacious!)

14. Football or Baseball? Football

15. Who would you most like to meet and why? John Williams, for direction in writing

music for the screen and television

THIS ISSUE WE PUT HIDDEN FRONTIER’S ANDREW FOSTER

UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT IN ‘INQISITION’.

7

8

The second episode of Hidden Frontiers Star Trek Federation One has been released.

This episode follows on from Unity and further develops the characters and the storyline.

To download this episode visit the Hidden Frontier website at www.hiddenfrontier.com

The season finale of Star Trek Odyssey has been released.

The story looks at a one of the client citizens of the Archein Empire and

the lengths they will go to, to secure the favour of their masters.

To download this episode visit the Hidden Frontier website at

www.hiddenfrontier.com

The season finale of Star Trek Helena

Chronicles has been released.

This episode follows on from the second

episode and has some exciting twists.

To download this episode visit the Hidden

Frontier website at

www.hiddenfrontier.com

9

Farragut Films have released

the first of their ‘Crew Logs’

episodes.

A Rock and a Hard Place sees

Captain Carter go on an away

mission with an old flame.

To download this episode go

to the Starship Farragut

website at

www.starshipfarragut.com

The second ‘Crew Log’ has

been filmed and aired to a

private audience and is due

to be released soon.

STAR TREK PHASE 2 HAVE RELEASED BLOOD AND FIRE PART 1

The people behind Star Trek Phase 2 have recently released the much anticipated Blood

and Fire. The episode written by David Gerrold brings back Kirk’s nephew Peter Kirk and

his homosexual relationship.

To view this episode online visit their website at www.startrekphase2.com

Star Trek have made the following announcement about recent cast amendments.

Star Trek: Phase II announces that J.G. Hertzler has been cast in the role of former

tutor K'Sia for the upcoming episode "Kitumba." "Kitumba" is based on the story

treatment developed by Star Trek producer/director/writer John Meredyth Lucas for

the unrealized Star Trek: Phase II series in the late 1970's. The Klingon-centric

episode will be a closer look at the Klingon Empire during the original series era.

Although the original story treatment calls for a uniquely different government and

history for Klingons, Cawley says that particular attention will be paid to keeping the

Klingon back-story in line with what we have come to know in subsequent Trek

installments.

Hertzler is best known to Star Trek fans for his role as a Klingon warrior, General, and

ultimately Chancellor Martok on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as well as his

appearances a Star Trek conventions with friend Robert O'Reilly, who played Klingon

Chancellor Gowron on DS9. Hertzler was originally to appear as Harry Mudd in the

Star Trek: Phase II (New Voyages) episode, "The Sky Above, The Mudd Below." "That

episode has been put on the back-burner for now," commented Senior Executive

Producer James Cawley when asked about Hertzler's casting, "but, when this role

came up, I immediately thought of J.G. and decided to give him a call - he got back

with me and confirmed his availability," concluded Cawley. "Kitumba" is set to go

before the cameras this June.

10

LOST FRONTIER CANCELLED

Darker Projects Audio series Star Trek

Lost Frontier has been cancelled due to

cut backs.

News that has been taken from the

Darker Projects forums has Eric Busby

stating that Lost Frontier has run its

course and been cancelled.

This is sad news indeed.

EXCELSIOR EPISODE RELEASED

The audio series Starship Excelsior have

released a new episode.

The episode entitled ‘The Investigation’

is available to download at their

website

http://www.starshipexcelsior.com/epis

epis.php

‘After attending a formal party in her honour, Jessica Kingsley reflects

on the reason why she was assigned as the Federation Ambassador to

Tahn'Los. She remembers her initial visit to the planet and the first time

she met several key members of the planetary government, and the

difficult situation they faced.’

Star Trek Diplomatic Relations have recently released a new episode.

The episode entitled ‘Agrement’ follows on from their first episode.

To download this episode visit their website at

http://www.startrekdiplomaticrelations.com/ep_s01e02.htm

HIDDEN FRONTIER ANNOUNCE NEW AUDIO SERIES

Hidden Frontier Productions have announced a new audio series. Henglaar

MD will focus on Doctor Henglaar from Hidden Frontier with his niece in a

supporting role.

The pilot episode will focus on Henglaar coming to terms with his loss of

Elbrey in the finale of Hidden Frontier as well as introduce us to his new job.

11

Region Five & RadCon February 13, 2009 at 5pm to February 15, 2009 at 12pm – Best Western Pasco Inn & Suites

TREK VALENTINE'S SOCIAL AND VIDEO MIXER! February 14, 2009 at 3pm – RIPLEY GRIER STUDIOS, NEW YORK CITY

Farpoint February 15, 2009 at 6pm to February 17, 2009 at 6pm – Crowne Plaza Hotel, Timonium MD

Australian Star Trek fan club - Star Trek Monopoly series February 22, 2009 at 1pm – SA Writer's Centre

Australian Star Trek fan club - 1st meeting for 2009 February 22, 2009 from 3pm to 7pm – South Australian Writers Centre

Australian Star Trek fan club open day 2009 February 22, 2009 at 3:30pm – South Australian Writer's Centre

CoastCon XXXII March 20, 2009 at 12pm to March 22, 2009 at 4:30pm – Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum

Leap Back 2009 - Quantum Leap convention featuring Scott Bakula March 27, 2009 at 12pm to March 29, 2009 at 8pm – Beverly Garland Holiday Inn

Venom Wars 6 April 17, 2009 to April 19, 2009 – Choudrant, Louisiana

Starfest April 17, 2009 at 12pm – Denver Marriott DTC

The conventions page makes its return this issue. We

have listed below February, March and Aprils issues

that we know of.

Next issue we will have a more comprehensive list.

To have your convention included above please feel

free to contact us at the following email address:

[email protected]

Please remember to include all your details.

HERE TCM TALKS WITH

BEAU WILLIAMS ABOUT

HIS EXPERIENCES

DURING THE FIRST

SEASON OF THE

HELENA CHRONICLES.

TCM: How do you see Artim as a person?

BW: I would put Artim in the “Golden Boy”

category. Always doing what he feels is

right and just. He is very loyal to his

friends both on Odyssey and Helena, and

it is those friendships that drive his

decision to go against Starfleet.

TCM: What inspires him?

BW: Artim is inspired by the stars. He is

an explorer at heart and he loves his job. I

also like to think that the memory of his

old mentor, Naros, inspires him as well.

All that Naros knew and was, I think Artim

really wants to become and understand.

TCM: How you see their relationships with

others?

BW: Artim can be a bit awkward when it

comes to talking to the ladies. I like to

think he has had his good share of

experience, yet still is a little intimidated.

Artim is a nice guy and generally isn’t out

to get anything from them ;) As for

friends, as I stated he is very loyal to those

he is close to. Artim has made many

friends on Helena, yet I don’t think he

wants to get to know Rockney, he’s weird.

TCM: What do you bring to your performance to make Artim come to life?

BW: I bring a good positive attitude every time I get on set. Artim is

generally a positive guy, and I think by myself being excited and positive to

be there, it will come out in the character.

TCM: What are your thoughts on the various ongoing storylines?

BW: I love Odyssey. I think the story is as epic as the tale it is based on. I

love the characters, and the acting that is given by its cast. Though, I

cannot comment on federation one, I have yet to watch it � I really like

Helena as well. I think it is a wonderful counterpart to Odyssey and though

I might be a little biased, I really dig the whole renegade storyline, and

especially Artim’s part in it.

TCM: What do you do to prepare for a scene?

BW: Well I receive the script and read through it. Then I go back to my lines

and try to figure out why Artim is saying or doing whatever it is he is doing.

I usually come up with a couple different motivations for the scenes and try

to work it out in different angles. I then pick which one I like most. After

that, I talk to my director to figure his/her interpretation of the scene. I

enjoy working with the directors, and often our interpretations match up

pretty well.

13

TCM: Compared to the direction your character took in Hidden Frontier, how

would you like to see them change and evolve of the course of this series?

BW: I was unhappy with Artim’s role in HF. He didn’t seem to grow that much,

and I didn’t feel that any of his appearances really displayed any challenging

scenes. I believe this is due to the fact that he was a guest character rather

than one of the names in the opening credits. I was overjoyed to get the call

for Helena because I think that this time Artim will prove his worth many times

over. I mean after seven years as an ensign now he has been promoted. And

his character is showing signs of attitude and backbone.

TCM: If you weren't playing Artim, which Helena character would you like to

portray?

BW: Hmmm… I really can’t see any other actor in the place of the current ones.

They do such a splendid job; I can’t imagine myself in the role instead of them.

TCM: Do you focus just on your series, or do you keep updated with the story-

lines in your series' sister shows?

BW: Seems to me this question should have been before question #5 O.O

Hehe, I keep up with Odyssey. I need to go watch some Federation One.

TCM: How does this character differ from your other recognised character,

Daagad, of Odyssey?

BW: The characters are very different. My character on Odyssey is very

militaristic. He enjoys doing the bidding of his general, and will even kill with a

smile. Artim while in a militarily structured organization, is not so serious and

enjoys the company of his comrades.

TCM: Do you enjoy playing one character over the other?

BW: I enjoy being able to do the dirty work of my superiors, and doing it well.

That makes my Archein very fun to play. Artim has his own, “yes sir” charm. I

couldn’t say I like one more than the other, but I do enjoy getting in the

Archein makeup, I can barely recognize myself, and it is awesome.

TCM: How did you get involved with Hidden Frontier?

BW: Through a casting magazine called “Back Stage West”. An add was in it for

someone meeting my description, and I answered the call at age 13. This was

for the original series featuring the Angeles. I really enjoyed working with

Areakt, and I suppose they liked me well enough to call me back later for HF. I

don’t get to do much acting as of late, but I still and will always answer the call

to come be a part of any Areakt production.

TCM: What is your own experience with 'canon' Star Trek?

BW: When I was growing up I would watch TNG not really knowing what it was.

When I was a little older I got really into it with Voyager. I would never call

myself a trekkie, but I do enjoy Star Trek very much and Voyager will always be

close to my heart.~

14

DAVID O’NEILL TALKS

DIRECTLY WITH TCM

ABOUT HIS NEW

CHARACTER SELEK AND

WHAT HE HOPES FOR THE

FUTURE

TCM: How do you see Selek as a

person?

DO: Right now, we know little of Selek as

a Vulcan, however I would like him to be

a more unconventional one. That he’s

been around humans so long that he lets

slip in some emotion.


DO: Oddly, I think he has faith that the

humans he works with are more logical

than his fellow Vulcans think.

TCM: How you see their relationships

with others?

DO: Actually, I think he has a very usual

relationship with all his fellow officers,

and respects McCabe very much.

TCM: What do you bring to your

performance to make Selek come to

life?

DO: I think I bring a history of Star Trek

with me, my years of following the

shows, reading the books. Plus, I’m a

person who likes the odd, the

unconventional; enjoying satire and non-

sequitur jokes. And I kinda, think you'll

see that in my performance.


DO: I love the serialized storytelling, and how clever Rob and the writes have

been to connect everything together. And even though Hidden Frontier’s last

three seasons were more serialized than the previous four, the writers were

able to tie many things together. With Odyssey, The Helena Chronicles,

Federation One, Orphans of War and Operation Beta Shield all these

storylines are connected from the start. And for someone who loved DS9, I

appreciate the effort to keep all the shows connected.


DO: Tough question, as I’ve never trained to be one. However, I approach it

by reviewing my fellow actors, especially Sharon and JayTee. When I work

them, I try to read their performances and try to use what I see in my roles as

Vito on Odyssey and Selek on Federation One.

TCM: How would you like Selek to change and evolve over the course of the

series?

DO: As I mentioned earlier, I think Selek is more different than other Vulcans

and would like to see him become that way as the show progresses. Plus, I

would like to see him actually doing something, instead of sitting in a chair.

15

TCM: If you weren't playing Selek, which Federation-One character

would you like to portray?

DO: Kaart, as he is one the most complex characters on the show. There

are certain depths to Kaart we’ve yet to see, but he’s one character that

I find is very interesting. He’s dark and you’re never really sure where

his alliances lay.

TCM: What draws you to this character?

DO: I think what draws me to Selek is his understanding of human

dynamics. And I sort of want to play him that way, less Vulcan you

know?

TCM: Do you focus just on your series, or do you keep updated with the

story-lines in your series' sister shows?

DO: As one the producers and directors of the show, I have to keep an

eye on all these shows. So I have intimate knowledge of all the shows

and their story-lines.

TCM: You are primarily known for being involved in production and

direction – why the change to in front of the camera?

DO: Selek was a role that Rob thought I should play. And after reading

the script, I thought it was big enough to put me in front of the camera,

but small enough for me to continue my behind the scenes work.

TCM: Do you enjoy playing one field over the other?

DO: I enjoy directing a lot, almost to point where I’ve gotten gone

through a few text books on the craft of it. I’ve also considered taking an

acting class so I can understand them better when I direct.


DO: Like most, I stumbled upon it after reading an article about in

Variety in 2005. In February 2006, HF had its first convention, I went to

it, and then went (with others) who were invited back to watch filming

begin on the seventh season of the show. Since I lived close by, I kept

coming back to each shoot and, as they say, the rest is history.


DO: I’m not sure I understand the question, BUT when it comes to

canon of Star Trek, I’m not much of a stickler. That being said, if you

make obvious blunders (much like what Enterprise did week in and

week out) and take a blasé attitude about it, then I take issue with it. To

me, it was fairly obvious that Enterprise was a series set in parallel

timeline, ala Back to the Future II way, and had the creative team and

Paramount decided to admit that, maybe the show would’ve lasted

longer and maybe the fans would’ve not taken such issues with way it

did violate canon. Now, years later, the new Star Trek film is taking the

parallel timeline more serious. And while some will say that is sloppy

writing, I find it interesting, and something that needed to be done to

save a dying franchise. ~

16

HERE ALEX MATTHEWS TAKES

A LOOK BACK AT THE FIRST

SEASON OF HIDDEN

FRONTIERS PRODUCTION

STAR TREK ODYSSEY.

As the first spin-off show of the

successful Hidden Frontier web-series,

Star Trek: Odyssey has its fair share of

pros and cons, before it even began. It

had seven years of back history to

start with, which included a plethora

of characters it could use in it's

launching pad of a pilot episode,

“Iliad”, but it also had to meet the

expectations of the fans that have

been following it's predecessor.

When promotion began on the series,

heavy emphasis was placed on the

fact that Ro Nevin, one of the junior

characters in Hidden Frontier who was

the focus of a series-spanning arc

concerning his emotional

development and acceptance of self,

was going to be the driving force for

the new show. It would be set on a

brand-new starship, and only scant

details about the rest of the cast were

released, which did not include

anything about their characters. This

was released much closer to the airing

date, when the website released

production stills from the filming of

the pilot. All four of the main actors

that were announced were known to

HF fans from various roles they had

portrayed during the run of the series,

so instead of bringing in completely

fresh faces, viewers would have an

idea of what those actors could bring

to their new roles.

As time grew towards the release date of “Iliad”, more images and teasers were

released, detailing just who the announced actors would be playing, as well as

more details about the show. One important detail released that caused quite a

bit of speculation was that the captain and first officer of the Odyssey, the

starship that acts as the show's name sake, would not be main cast characters,

and did not appear on the opening title credits that were released as a teaser.

The trailer, launched at around the same time as the credits, showed that Ro

would be acting in some kind of command role during a fierce battle, and that a

new threat, the Archeins, were attacking Romulan forces via an artificial

wormhole. All this lead to a great amount of rumours and general speculation

before the first episode was finally released. This was followed by a blitz of

promotional images, that cemented that a Romulan officer (played by Michelle

Laurent) called T'Lorra, would be serving in some kind of capacity on the Odyssey,

as well as introducing the missing senior officers, Captain T'Lek, Commander

Steven Conner, and a Bolian Chief Engineer. They also showed that Julia

Morizawa (known for portraying Lt. S'Tal) would be playing Lieutenant Maya

Stadi, the sister of the previous conn officer aboard Voyager, as well as Matthew

Montgomery (who portrayed Captain Nej'ta) as Dr. Owen Vaughan, and Tim

Foutch (who portrayed Pelas) as Ensign Josh Gillen. But there were still many

unanswered questions that only watching “Iliad” would answer...

17

Episode 1x01: Iliad

...and answer them it did.

“Iliad” not only reintroduces us to several familiar faces, such

as Ro Nevin, his husband Corey Aster, and their sector

commander, Admiral Knapp, but also allows us to meet several

new characters, all of whom would come to play vital roles

throughout the episode. The Archein are identified as a

powerful alien race that reside in the Andromeda Galaxy, who

are facing some kind of threat that is slowly causing their

home territory to undergo gravitational collapse. In order to

survive, they are using wormhole technology to explore and

colonise the neighbouring Milky Way. But their leader is

unaware that her daughter, ruling in her proxy, is aggressively

taking Romulan space, instead of the agreed uninhabited star

systems.

The Romulans, unable to deal with the sheer mass and power

of the invading Archein fleet, and their control over a

wormhole, reluctantly turn to the Federation for help, who

after investigating the wormhole for themselves, devise a plan.

Using the surviving hyperdimensional technology from the

tetrahedrons that had once been the mystery of the Briar

Patch, they will equip two ships with experimental quantum

slipstream technology. The Starfleet ship, the Allegiance-class

USS Odyssey, will accompany General Korg commanding the

Negh'var-class vessel IKS R'Kagh, on a mission to destroy the

Archein's wormhole generator. Ro and Aster, as experts on

slipstream and the tetrahedrons, are assigned as mission

specialists to the Odyssey and R'Kagh respectively, which ruins

their honeymoon plans. The Odyssey is also equipped with a

Romulan cloaking device in order to fulfil the mission

parameters, and assigned a Romulan observer,

SubCommander T'Lorra, to operate it.

The journey to Andromeda takes two weeks via

slipstream, and T'Lorra and Ro soon clash over the

command structure aboard ship, since her rank is

technically superior to his, but she is assigned to report

to him. But their differences must soon be put aside

when the mission goes awry – during their attempt to

sabotage the generator, their bomb is prematurely

destroyed and the R'Kagh is discovered. The Klingon ship

loses its slipstream capability, and is forced to flee

through the active wormhole back to Romulan space,

where it is caught in between a massive fight between

Allied and Archein forces. Just before the ship is

destroyed, Aster is caught in the explosion of a console,

as General Korg orders an evacuation.

The Odyssey sacfrices its own slipstream core to

successfully destroy the generator, trapping themselves

in Andromeda among the angered Archein, and to

complicate matters further, both the Captain and

Executive Officer are killed during the battle, alongside a

large number of the crew. Ro is left as the highest

ranking officer, alongside security chief Lieutenant Maya

Stadi, and is forced to take command of the ship, and

manages to get them to safety. During their escape, they

see for themselves the gravitational anomalies that are

ripping through Andromeda, and use them to hide from

their attackers until T'Lorra repairs the cloaking device.

As they head off to make repairs, and the dawning

realisation of their being stuck millions of light years

from home sinks in, Ro appoints T'Lorra as his XO, and

makes Gillen acting Chief Engineer. Stadi and Ro discuss

just how much they can trust T'Lorra, but Ro knows they

have little choice, as it may be a long time before any

rescue, if at all, comes for them.

“Iliad” serves its purpose, launching the new series with

a fair mix of character development, intrigue and action.

The viewer is left uncertain as to the fate of Corey Aster,

a plot thread that would be developed by the soon-to-

be-released sister show, The Helena Chronicles. We are

given a good grounding in all the new characters,

especially the 'villains' the Archein, who are already

fleshed out beyond simply being 'the bad guys'. The fact

that Seram, daughter the ruler of Archein society, is

misleading her mother over the fact that they are

invading the territory of another, against her express

wishes, is highlighted very early, as is her adversarial

relationship with General Morrigu, commander of the

military. Her relationship with her servant Caecus is also

explored very early, and the apparent disapproval

Morrigu has for it, and how it seems to goes beyond the

simple caste difference. All these characters are shown

to be multi layered in their first appearance, and shows

the quality of both the writing as well as the acting.

The actors also attack their roles with relish, be it Sharon

Savene making Seram come across as barely

18

sane, Michelle having T'Lorra quickly take

the position of Head Bitch, while Julia

shows that being a telepath can be funny

and annoying at the same time. Matthew

shows us that despite being a Starfleet

officer, Dr. Vaughan may have more to

him than meets the eye, while Tim is

delightful as the nervous Ensign Gillen,

who like Ro, is thrust into a position of

authority with no preparation.

The idea behind the series is a

reinvention of both the Voyager series,

as well as a futuristic take on the Greek

tale of “The Iliad”, which details the

journey King Odysseus had to undertake

to get home after the final battle of Troy.

The script contains various references,

such as the type of deep-space probe

used by Starfleet to gain intel being

christened the Iliad.

There is however some drawbacks, and

that comes with the fact that it is a spin-

off. Although a new viewer could sit

down and enjoy this, they may find it

slightly confusing when some of the plot

links back to the Hidden Frontier series.

Unless the viewer is familiar with the

later plotlines of the mother series, they

may not understand the references to

hyperdimensional physics and the

tetrahedrons, which are crucial to explain

how it is that the slipstream technology

was stabilised for continued use. The

brief appearance of Commander Robin

Lefler, used mainly for comedic effect, as

she is interrupting Ro and Aster's plan for

a last minute assignation, would fall flat

on its face with people not really familiar

with her relationship with the two

characters. The whole relationship

between the two is also

underappreciated by new fans – they

would not realise the tragedy of their

separation so soon after they finally got

together.

Episode 1x02: The Wine Dark Sea

One of the main points of contention with Star Trek: Voyager was the massive

use of the cosmic 'reset switch', such as when the ship suffers massive damage in

one episode, but is patched up in perfect working order for the following week.

“The Wine Dark Sea” makes a point of addressing this, as the Odyssey, with its

reserves of antimatter running low after their initial sojourn to Andromeda,

desperately tries to replenish itself as well as cope with the large amount of

damage they have sustained during their continuing skirmishes with Archein

cruisers. Despite Stadi's recommendation, Ro follows T'Lorra's suggestion to raid

a nearby Archein supply station, but the mission goes awry almost straight away

when the away team trips an alarm, and activates planetary defences. The

resulting security measures nearly destroy the Odyssey before she jumps to

warp, but not before one of the away team members, a junior engineer, is

mortally wounded, resulting in a tough ethical dilemma for Ro, and forcing him to

once again step up to his new role as starship commander. Working together

with his senior officers, left with little choice due to their antimatter situation, Ro

devises a plan that turns the planetary defences against the newly arrived

Archein battle group, allowing the Odyssey to grab the much needed antimatter,

and once again use their cloaking device to evade their attackers. With their

situation improving, Ro finally begins to accept his new role on the ship, by taking

his place both in the ready room, as well as in the captain's chair.

19

Episode 2 not only had to deliver on the follow-up of the action packed premiere, but also had to introduce a new actor

in the role of Ro Nevin. Bobby Rice, who played the character from season 6 of Hidden Frontier, stepped down to focus

on other pursuits, and Brandon McConnell stepped into some very large shoes... and proved his ability straight away with

this storyline that involves tough decisions that could make or break Ro's captaincy. The acting captain not only must deal

with the failing systems of the ship, continuous Archein attacks and his own doubts, but also the petty bickering that

carries on between T'Lorra and Stadi, two very strong and stubborn women who are more alike than they would care to

admit. Brandon definitely brings his own unique energy to the role, and the raw emotion and conflict Ro is feeling come

across easily to the viewer, especially in the last few seconds of the opening teaser, when a fellow Bajoran officer is

mortally wounded. This haunts him throughout the episode, until he is forced to admit defeat, and that the young

lieutenant is beyond saving. Both Michelle and Julia bring a zest and enjoyment to their roles, especially to the fractious

relationship their characters have, while Matt Montgomery brings an natural empathy to his role as Vaughan, as well as a

steel edge when making sure everyone knows just whose Sickbay it is. Tim Foutch is a delight to watch as the nervous

and overwhelmed Josh Gillen, trying his hardest to keep the ship going despite the overwhelming damage and crew

losses they sustained. However, it seems strange that given they have no experience at all with Archein technology,

Gillen is able to reprogram the weapons to target their own forces – wouldn't this be more complex than simply turning

them off? Is this supposed to be an indication of his expertise as a theoretical engineer?

Another aspect that Odyssey continues to explore is the personality of the Archein characters we have met. Morrigu is

shown to be a skilled commander, and develops a grudging respect for the Odyssey crew, after they escape him again,

while Seram, who in “Iliad” came across as merely power hungry, now shows that her hunger existed alongside a certain

degree of madness. The episode lays key elements that would later be explored throughout the series, such as her

relationship with Caecus, and how many find their dalliances to their distaste.

20

Episode 1x03: The Lotus Eaters Following up on the fact that Odyssey is

being hunted by the Archein, “The Lotus

Eaters” starts off with the starship

narrowly escaping from another skirmish

with superior forces, with Ro disregarding

T'Lorra's advice to take more aggressive

tactics and destroying their enemy. When

Stadi picks up a distress call, it seems to

prove T'Lorra's point, until the Betazoid

reveals it is a Starfleet signal! Quickly

changing course to intercept, they find a

vessel caught in one of the gravitic

anomalies that are plaguing Andromeda,

and unable to use transporters, take a

shuttle. The delight at detecting a friendly

face is soon squashed when they realise

the vessel is not Starfleet, but rather

crewed by Kelvans, who have assumed

humanoid form. The two scientists, Achlys

and Panos, have been studying the

singularity zones, which have badly

damaged their ship, necessitating a rescue.

But when the shuttle heads off, it is caught

in the explosion and forced to make a

crash landing on the nearby planet. The

two Kelvan admit they use Starfleet

encryption codes, sent back from a scout

mission centuries ago, to evade Archein

detection, as they are at war with the

Empire.

Finding an ally seems a good turn-out, until

it is revealed that somewhere on the

planet, is an Omega molecule, which

causes both the shuttle systems and the

systems on the orbiting Odyssey, to lock

up. Ro and his away team find out that

Omega is what powers Kelvan technology,

despite their attempts to shield it from

detection, and the only way to get the

systems back online is to take out the

Omega core. This is met with resistance

from some of the Kelvan forces, who wish

to use Omega as a last-ditch weapon

against the Archein, until it is discovered

that it is the use of those weapons that

have created the growing problem of the

singularity zones. Achlys sacrifices herself

to destroy an approaching Archein attack

squad to give Odyssey and her people time

to evacuate and make it away, detonating

the last Omega core, which greatly

expands the forming zone, and destroys

the planet as well.

When Odyssey was announced, and the details of the ship's mission to

Andromeda were released with its initial trailer, many classic Trek fans

immediately made the connection to the TOS episode “By Any Other Name”,

which introduced the Kelvans as one of the inhabitants of the distant sister

galaxy of the Milky Way. The Lotus Eaters delivers on that idea, by showing us

just what the Kelvans that reside in Andromeda have continued to do since

sending out their scouts – they have been at war with Archeina, and lost...

badly. They are scattered, no longer having a world to truly call their own,

having to stay on the move, and to add insult to injury, thanks to a bio-weapon,

have been trapped in a constrictive humanoid form. Discovering that their

attempts to enact revenge on their attackers is what has lead to the slow

collapse of the space they live in seems to be the final nail in the coffin for this

species.

The environmental allegory of the story is clear, and handled well without being

to heavy-fisted in its message, with enough of a sci-fi twist to make it subtle.

But seeing the Kelvans reduced to such a ragtag bunch is rather disappointing,

considering they were powerful enough in their premiere episode to

immobilise the Enterprise crew, transform the majority into small blocks, and

refit the vessel to pierce the outer Galactic Barrier. The group of Kelvans

encountered also seemed to have become used to the emotions that their new

forms granted, which suggests they had been trapped this way for quite some

time. It seems, though, they may not be totally helpless, if they are still

harnessing Omega as a power source, which for the Odyssey crew, is the Holy

Grail, since it would allow them a way to get home, if harnessed properly.

The mystery surrounding Caecus and Seram continues to deepen as well, as

Caecus discovers a friend of his has been executed for crimes against the

Majan, and when he looks into it, he is arrested as well. Seram shows the depth

of her descent into madness when she casually stabs and tortures her supposed

beloved, before healing the wound, as punishment for his disobedience – just

what was he close to finding out?

21

Episode 1x04: Vile Gods

“Vile Gods” continues the Kelvan story arc started in the previous

episode, by delving more into the Kelvan political situation, and

addressing the allies and enemies the Odyssey crew made, when Ro is

captured by Tybis, the military leader of the Kelvans and sentenced to

death for his actions in destroying their Omega source. While Stadi is

forced to concede T'Lorra as the next in the chain of command, Ro must

deal with his own personal demons that Tybis tries to exploit, as well as

visions he receives seemingly sent by the Prophets. T'Lorra gains an ally

in Melantko, the civilian leader of the Kelvans, who agrees to stay the

execution while the Odyssey helps in attacking Archein targets, as long as

no escape attempts are made. But Stadi soon helps her release that

Tybis cannot be trusted, and together, they use Odyssey to avoid

escalating the body count, while T'Lorra herself keeps Tybis busy as

Vaughan volunteers to infiltrate the Kelvan ship and rescue Ro. He

arrives just in time to resuscitate the Bajoran after a murder attempt by

a vengeful Kelvan politician, and together they also manage to secure

T'Lorra's safety after she completes her own mission, leaving Tybis for

dead. Although they have lost the support of their only ally so far,

despite the wishes of the civilian leaders, T'Lorra, Stadi and Ro's working

relationship moves further away from being so adversarial and more

cooperative. But Ro is haunted by the cryptic warning he seemed to

receive

from his vision experience, telling him that we

will soon 'loose one'.

It is the guest actors that help to make this

episode, as we learn more about the political

structure, or rather lack of, amongst the Kelvan

people, who despite having a civilian leader,

have given almost all control over to their

surviving Militia. Tybis, a play on the Odysseus

enemy of the Cyclops character, complete with a

patch over one of his eyes, is a proud

commander, but a warrior, who connects with

T'Lorra's inner soldier. This allows Michelle to

play a slightly softer side of her Romulan

character, as she explores the idea of a romantic

dalliance with the Kelvan. But this begs the

question – just what do aliens trapped in a

humanoid form know of that kind of physical act,

and why would know about it, if their forms are

simple shells, not the actual deal? We see that

the Kelvans have indeed adapted well to their

new form, mastering Archein control interfaces

and such – but this seems a ploy to avoid

constructing a new set that would be more

appropriate to the Kelvans natural, multi-

tentacled form. Oh, and don't even get me

started on the visible 'skull-and-crossbones' we

see on the hull of the captured Archein warship

Brandon again shows the more emotional side of

Ro as he undergoes a series of visions seemingly

sent by the Prophets to test and warn him of

what is coming. The anguish at seeing the image

of his beloved husband, the horror of realising he

may be losing someone vital to the Odyssey

crew, and the shock of realising he may be in the

presence of his Gods, all come across as real and

heartfelt. But despite that, the scene sits ill with

me – this is the first time the Prophets have ever

come to Ro, and considering his upbringing, his

sister's own failed relationship with the

Prophets, and his natural leanings as a scientist,

the idea of a religious experience seems a little

too much for this character. Add to that the fact

that only Sisko ever received spontaneous visions

like is seen here, whereas others needed to

consult the Orbs to receive visions.

Many people have commented on the fact that

there seems to be more to Vaughan then meets

the eye, given how easily he has seemed to

connect with T'Lorra in previous episodes, and

this episode capitalises on that, when he

infiltrates and rescues Ro – but it does seem

somewhat easy, simply dressing in civilian attire,

and walking straight onto a Kelvan shuttle – no

questions asked.

22

Episode 1x05: Keepers of the Wind The season finale of Odyssey introduces a new

Andromedan race, the Alosians, a race who after

a brief misunderstanding when the Odyssey

attempts to salvage the wreck of one of their

ancient starships, offer their hospitality and the

use of their nearby shipyard. But the seeming

altruism gives way to a darker motive when they

are rendered helpless when the Alosians take

control of ship systems, and reluctantly inform

them they are now prisoners in preparation for

the arrival of Majan Seram and her armada. The

crew are taken prisoner and isolated, except for

Vaughan, who manages to evade capture, and

place himself in position to fight back when the

Archein take over the bridge. Vaughan's actions

have consequences though, when Seram orders

one of the crew killed in retribution for his

disobedience. Meanwhile, Morrigu interrogates

T'Lorra, taunting her with his seeming victory, but

when ordered by Seram to kill her, does not do

so, managing to circumvent the order and make it

appear he is doing his Majan a favour in the

process. When being escorted to Seram to

provide command codes, Ro and Stadi manage to

escape custody, and attempt the secure a way of

the station. It seems the Archein have the upper

hand until Vaughan reveals to the stunned

Archein invaders that Seram has a family member

aboard the Odyssey, and the Alosians, incapable

of lying, confirm that Caecus, her servant and

sexual plaything, is her son! Their leader Liendo,

believing the turn of events is the work of his

Gods, allies with the Odyssey crew, and holds the

Majan hostage, allowing them time to retrieve

T'Lorra from Morrigu's ship. He also buys them

time to make their escape, even though this

means that when the Majan is released, she will

surely destroy the Alosian shipyard – which she

does, as well as leaving a severely wounded and

blinded Caecus behind on the Odyssey. Heading

away from the coming carnage, Odyssey sets off,

having again lost another ally, but having gained

both a list of all Alosian worlds and colonies, as

well as a detailed map of Kelvan space, showing

the location of active Omega modules – a valuable

piece of information. But T'Lorra tempers the

senior staff's delight with her words of caution,

before she visits Caecus and offers him a deal –

act as a guide for them, and prevent the

unnecessary deaths of countless innocent

Archeins they would have to deal with in order to

return home.

The first season finishes with several bangs, and quite a few shouts of

stunned horror, with the revelation that Seram is Caecus's mother,

something that was hinted back in episode 2, when his mother was

referred to as having “lost herself” after the death of her husband – so

consumed with grief, she saw her son as a substitute for her lost love,

especially given their physical resemblance (as evidence by Morrigu's

portrait). This is an interesting twist on the Oedipus story, where the

son falls in love and marries his own mother, unaware of her identity,

whereas Seram was fully cognizant of this fact, and was aware of the

indecency of it, since she tries to deny it when questioned. Taking the

twist even further, Seram viciously blinds Caecus, whereas according

to the Greek tale, Oedipus blinded himself, and his mother/wife killed

herself – will losing her son to the truth cause Seram to descend

further into madness, and loose what little sanity she still retained, as

a similie of death of self?

Seeing Ro on the verge of a nervous breakdown when he realises he

has failed gives Brandon a moment to cut loose and simply allow his

character to give into the tidal wave of emotion he has been swept up

in since he assumed the role. The same for Stadi, who feeling the same

sense of failure of duty, beats herself up viciously, especially

considering her telepathic abilities allowed her to feel she could trust

the very people that betrayed them. However I was slightly

disappointed by the sudden abortive announcement that she could

only project to Ro because she has some degree of feelings for him –

as a devote kick-ass Stadi supporter, I certainly hope they don't inflict

the security chief with a case of 'captain crush'. Again, it was nice to

see Vaughan assume a more action oriented role, as he single

23

handedly holds of the Archein attempts to take Odyssey for

themselves, despite it conflicting with his training as a doctor,

when his actions result in the death of a crewmate. However, I did

feel that scene itself was grossly underused – back in “Vile Gods”,

the Prophets told Ro he 'will lose one', and the faces of his senior

staff flashed before him, yet the casualty of the Archein invasion

was an science officer whose name wasn't revealed until the end

credits. It could be that the Prophets warning is more far reaching,

but it seems like a cheap way of making the viewer wonder just

who might be up for their final cut. Saying that though, Tim Foutch

was simply breathtaking to watch as Gillen, whose every scene was

alongside the science officer, deals with the death of his friend,

especially the empty looks on his face as he is forced to sit beside

the body. His conversation with Ro in Engineering shows the depth

of how much this shook up the young engineer, so perhaps this is

what the Prophets meant – the loss of Gillen's innocence to such a

brutal display of callousness.

For its first season, Star Trek: Odyssey did not

pack any punches, capitalising on its spin-off

nature, and introducing a swift moving arc of

stories that not only present action and

adventure, but also delve both into the main

characters as well as the supporting cast of

aliens that they encounter. It could have very

easily fallen on its face many a time, with a

sudden change in lead actor, as well as the

simple fact that fans of the Hidden Frontier

series may not have found the story line evoking

enough for their time.

Rob Caves takes the centuries old tale of

Odysseus and breathes new life into it, taking

advantage of the plethora of ideas that Greek

mythology presents, and reinvents them or

takes inspiration from them to present the tale

in the format of science fiction. Each episode

title of the first season takes its inspiration from

the original 'Iliad', expanding on that idea, and

adding in other mythological elements, such as

the Cyclops, Scylla and Charybdis or the titular

Lotus Eaters.

He is not the first to do this idea, and it can be

argued that Odyssey is not that original, as it

does expand on the idea that Voyager initially

started off with. But Caves has said that he

wants Odyssey to correct the mistakes he

believed Voyager made, and therefore he is

giving viewers something that little bit different.

Although many of the questions raised in this

opening season have been answered, more have

been raised – will the revelation about Seram

and Caecus affect her standing as regent of the

Empire? Has the Prophets prediction come to

pass, or should Ro still be prepared to lose

someone close to him? Just what does Stadi feel

for Ro, and how much will his experience on the

shipyards affect Gillen in the long run? Just what

has Vaughan done in the past and will it have

any effect in the present? What was that

strange signal Stadi kept detecting onboard

ship?

All will be answered... in the fullness of time.~

24

TCM TALKS TO BARBARA

CLIFFORD ABOUT LIFE

DURING THE FIRST SEASON

OF STAR TREK FEDERATION

ONE.

TCM: How do you see Margaret as a

person?

BC: Margaret is a person that wants to

help change the universe into a better

place. She wants the American dream for

everyone. She wants tomorrow to be

better than today and hopes that she can

help accomplish this.

TCM: What inspires her?

BC: She is doing something to help.

TCM: How you see her relationships with

others?

BC: She’s everyone’s mom.


performance to make Margaret come to

life?

BC: Honesty. I try to keep my performance

as honest and real as possible.

TCM: What are your thoughts on the

various ongoing storylines?

BC: There are so many, it’s hard to keep

them straight.

TCM: What do you do to prepare for a

scene?

BC: I memorize my lines then figure out

what is happening in the scene and what I

need to do to get the desired outcome. I

try to be as real as possible.

TCM: How would you like Margaret to change and evolve over the course

of the series?

BC: I’d like to see her take on more challenges, be more involved.

TCM: If you weren't playing Margaret, which Federation-One character

would you like to portray?

BC: The President!


BC: Her sense of fairness, even though she is a politician she tries to be

honest & wants those around her to be honest also.

TCM: Do you focus just on your series, or do you keep updated with the

story-lines in your series' sister shows?

BC: Unfortunately at the moment my personal life is keeping me very busy

so I am concentrating on Fed One only.

25

TCM: How does this character differ from previous ones you have portrayed?

BC: Margaret is a politician, I’ve never played a politician before. And since I’m not a big fan of politics it’s harder

for me to relate to her.

TCM: Do you enjoy playing one character over the other?

BC: I love acting but I think I would like playing a crazy, over-the-top person probably because I don’t normally get

cast as a crazy person.


BC: I sent my photo and resume for a part in a student film at Loyola. I was called for an audition and after

finishing the scene, I said “is this Star Trek?, it reads like something from Star Trek.” About a month later, I was

called and offered a part. I thought it was a onetime deal, I had no idea it was going to be an internet series and

would become what it is today. I’m so glad I was offered a part with this wonderful group.


BC: I was a fan of the original series. Loved Spock. I’ve gone to some of the conventions so I was able to see

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and Majel Roddenberry. Majel was very sweet, I had a lovely conversation with

her on an escalader at one of the conventions.~

26

GINA DEVETTORI TALKS TO TCM

ABOUT THE CHARACTER OF LT.

DIAS AND HER FIRST YEAR ON THE

U.S.S HELENA.

TCM: How do you see Dais as a person?

GD: Dais is strong and fragile at the same

time. Her strength covers her weakness of

not belonging and not fitting in.

Putting up a front that she doesn't care hides

the fact that she really does care. If she

showed her true feelings, this would put her

in a vulnerable place and I don't believe she

is ready or evolved enough as a person to

show this to herself let alone to open this

aspect of herself to other people. She isn't

ready to see what is inside her and only

really knows how to mask her true emotions.

She has so many layers covering up who she

really is that she will have to peel back

many aspects of herself and I don't believe

she would be able to handle what is

underneath her environmentally & self-made

facade she has created as a barrier for

herself. It would take a lot of soul searching

for her to even be able to go back to a time

where she felt included and loved. However,

I believe she is finding a place on the Helena

that is slightly starting to chip away at her

ideas of what it is to be a member of a

community instead of just a single entity.

TCM: What inspires her?

GD: Dais is inspired by what she doesn't

know. She is very interested in what makes

people do the things they do.

What it is, that invisible force that resides in

us all that compels people to act or not act in

ways that we can control and cannot control.

TCM: How you see her relationships with others?

GD: Dais is highly intelligent and knows what to say to get her way with

brute strength to back up her words. She respects Faisal (in her own way)

and has her own ideas about everyone else on the ship.

TCM: What do you bring to your performance to make Dais come to life?

GD: Well, I bring Gina :) I am who I am and that is who I bring. Not sure

how else to answer this one.


GD: Brian is a genius writer and his scripts are desirable to work with.

27


GD: For Helena (everyone I work on seems to be a

little different) I read over the entire script, then I

read my part several times. I see what is going on

and where I have been coming from and where I

am going. I actually use Ivanna Chubbuck's ideas

along with Amy Lyndon's technique and there you

have it. I ask a lot of questions when I get on set so

I know what is going on in each scene if I haven't

figured it fully out on my own.

TCM: How would you like Dais to change and

evolve over the course of the series?

GD: I think Dais wants to be more open but needs a

reason to do so. I actually know Dais is in able

hands with the creators so I will leave that up to

them!

TCM: If you weren't playing Dais, which Odyssey

character would you like to portray?

GD: I wouldn't want to play someone elses'

character. I would want something new created.


GD: I enjoy the storyline, script, the people I work

with when I am on set, everything about it.

TCM: Do you focus just on your series, or do you

keep updated with the story-lines in your series'

sister shows?

GD: I have been focused on the Helena :)

TCM: How did you get involved with Hidden

Frontier?

GD: They had an audition post on one of the acting

websites and I sent in my info!

TCM: What is your own experience with 'canon'

Star Trek?

GD: My sister watched the Star Trek series when

we were little and if I remember correctly, she

thought that Patrick Stewart was hot :)~

28

HERE ALEX MATTHEWS TAKES A

LOOK BACK AT THE FIRST

SEASON OF THE SISTER SERIES

TO STAR TREK ODYSSEY, STAR

TREK THE HELENA CHRONICLES.

Several months after the general announcement

of Star Trek: Odyssey, rumours started to fly

around the Hidden Frontier forums boards about

a sister series, which would pick up the story of

the former Briar Patch. Eventually the new spin-

off, The Helena Chronicles, was confirmed,

focusing on the Starship Helena, one of the

support ships during the last years of HF's run.

She would be under the command of Theresa

Faisel, who has served as the XO under her

former commander, HF regular Tolian Naros,

and her supporting staff would include former

HF regular Jorian Dao, as well as former

recurring character Artim Ibanya, alongside new

and original characters. It was also announced

that JT Tepnapa, known for his portrayal of

Corey Aster, would also be in this new show, but

it wasn’t clear as to what role he would be

playing. Given the ambiguous nature of Aster's

fate at the end of “Iliad”, it was not clear if he

would return as Aster, or like co-star Adam

Browne's role in Odyssey, play a new role,

especially since no promotion pictures of him

were released. It wasn’t until production

pictures were released that we discovered he

would be playing Aster once again.

One plot point was made clear as the show

neared its premiere – this would not simply be a

spin-off, but a true sister series to Odyssey,

following the effects that the Archein invasion

had on the Alpha Quadrant, and how the loss of

the Odyssey affected those left behind. One of

the more well known promotional angles the

show had was an image of the Renaissance-class

starship, with a skull-and-crossbones

superimposed over it, along with the tag “How

far would you go for your friends?” suggesting

that perhaps the crews efforts to help their

stranded comrades would go beyond

'acceptable' limits...

29

Episode 1x01: Sanctuary Lost

The premiere episode of the series is vastly different from that of her companion

series, Odyssey, since the necessary back story was already established in “Iliad” -

instead we get straight into the consequences of the Archein attack, which has

decimated Romulan forces. The Helena, though, has spent the last six months

pursuing a different goal – searching for Corey Aster, who was amongst those

unaccounted for during the evacuation of the Klingon vessel he had been

stationed on. Having finally recovered him from Romulan 'care', he is slowly set

on the path of recovery, both physically and mentally, although the latter may

take much longer then the former. Convinced his husband is somehow still alive

in Andromeda, he is unable to be swayed to any other line of thought, but his

friends worry for his sanity is pushed aside when the Helena is diverted to a

scientific station, Sanctuary Outpost. Essentially a nature preserve for the

botanical lifeforms indigenous to the Patch, the facility is designed to provide

them with the necessary conditions to allow to survive with the dispersal of the

Patch gases. However the technology that enables this can also be harnessed as a

weapon, so Helena is sent to secure the station, which has been out of contact.

Finding the station damaged, and with the remains of bodies, the investigation

reveals a shocking discovery into not one but two species of space born lifeforms,

one that was drawn to the energy type produced by the station, while the other

is drawn to the lifeforms themselves. Helena finds itself in the middle of a battle

of the food chain, and is forced to destroy the predator before it can wreck havoc

throughout the former Patch area. Evidence also arises that this predator may

not be the 'top dog', but rather just one rung of the chain, and that other, nastier

creatures may be laying in wait though-out the sector.

The fight with the predator also has another unexpected effect, when Aster is

knocked unconscious, and experiences a vision of his husband, which leaves a

physical remnant in the form of a scar on his hand, which he becomes convinced

is a sign of Ro's existence, as well as a clue to his whereabouts.

The plotline of this episode harkens back

to the days of TNG, where the Enterprise

crew encountered several space-born

entities, something that Hidden Frontier

never addressed during its seven-year

run. The idea that the dissolution of the

Patch gases had this kind of unforeseen

side effect is a stroke of genius on writer

Brian Matthew's part, as it links to the

idea of how certain animals on Earth are

losing their own feeding habitats to the

continued growth of the human race. The

CGI used to bring both the 'minnows' and

'squid' to reality are amazing, and do the

script justice without looking at all

cheesy, except for the end moment when

the squid is destroyed by a photon

torpedo, and real goo goes flying

everywhere – in my opinion, that was a

bit too comedic as all it lacked was a shot

of it splattering over the Helena's hull...

Speaking of comedic, despite the

seriousness of Aster's seeming loss, it

seems that there are at times

inappropriate character moments, such

as Chief Engineer Rockney's obsessive

affection for his ship, and CMO Dr. Ness's

habit of self-experimentation – it pulls

away from the moments of genuine

emotional trauma. This is the first time

we have seen the crew of the Helena

explored, aside from the characters of

Faisel and Dao, and it seems that they

are just walking eccentricities.

Another note is the sheer amount of

technobabble this episode has, which is

not normally something I would complain

about, but in this case, many a viewer

may get lost in the various moments that

deal with scientific minutia. When the

crew realise just what they are up

against, I felt lost and did not understand

the significance of what we had just been

shown until it was spelt out.

30

Episode 1x02: Obsessions

Following on from the events of “Sanctuary

Lost”, this episode addresses just how

distanced Aster has become from his

friends, due to his unwavering belief that

not only Nevin is still alive, but of his vision

and the resulting scar. Unfortunately, his

determination to prove himself correct

leads to him taking unnecessary risks with

his own safety, leading to Dr. Ness

recommending the young man is put under

psychiatric care. But talks with both his

friends, and his newly appointed counsellor,

Lieutenant Heta'an, does nothing to

convince him of the error of his ways – in

fact, it is his friends who become more

convinced of the veracity of his claims. Of

course, having a counsellor who may be

aligned with Section 31 may prove to be

detrimental to Aster's mental health as it is.

When Jorian and the visiting Robin Lefler

manage to find tangible proof that the

pattern of the scar corresponds to an

Andromedan constellation, they are not

only able to bring Faisel into their

confidence, but Admiral Knapp as well, who

authorises the release of Omega-related

technical data. But their efforts to using

Omega bring them into contact with

Caelano, a merchant-pirate, when they

need to secure a thalaron generator in

order to properly power the device. Security

Chief Dias agrees to act as a diversion when

the payment Caelano specifies is declared

too dangerous for her to have, and the

Helena crew, the majority of them unaware

their commanding officers are working

strictly off-the-books, quickly manage to

anger the merchant-pirate. Her revenge

results in the arrest of Admiral Knapp when

his role in the scheme is uncovered, and

Admiral Rand orders the Helena to

surrender, an order Faisel refuses to obey,

ultimately turning her unknowing crew into

fugitives.

It is with this episode we finally begin to get to the crux of the idea behind

Helena Chronicles – just how far will Faisal and Dao go to help Aster

reunite with his lost love, Penelope to Ro's Odysseus. The doubts that his

friends have for the veracity of his visions are understandable, since Dao is

naturally scientifically minded and Faisal hasn't known him as long as

others, so to see Lefler as his only ally makes perfect sense. It is nice to

see the two characters being friends again, instead of banging heads as

they did during the early days of Season Seven of HF, and she is perfect to

bridge the gap between whatever psychic ability it is Aster has, and Dao's

analytical thinking.

The character of Caelano is refreshingly 'evil' for lack of a better word,

someone who will do what she wants when she wants, and those who

dare cross her are risking much, as the Helena crew discover when she not

only spills the beans to Starfleet Command on what they are planning, but

also revealing Jorian's secret nature as a illegally joined Trill.

But I am disappointed in how this story is panning out. As much as I can

understand both Faisal and Dao's desire to help their friend, they have

forgotten the first rule of a commander – to watch out for the people

under their command. Their actions have not only condemned them and

their careers, but also those who serve under them. Rand made it clear

she held the entire crew in contempt, and Faisal's pitiful attempt to

maintain a degree of secrecy by 'clearing the bridge' was laughable – if

that doesn't get the attention of her crew as to the illegal nature of the

mission, then the crew deserves to be punished.

31

Episode 1x03: The Letter Of The Law

Starfleet versus Starfleet: that is the main angle of the season finale of Helena

Chronicles, as Faisel and her small group of collaborators, intent on securing

the means to test their new Omega-powered drive and embark on a rescue

effort to Andromeda, while maintaining their distance from the task-force

that has been sent after them. The Legacy, under the command of Captain

Joseph Johns, is forced to relinquish command of the fleet to Captain

Benjamin Maxwell of the USS Phoenix, something he is not happy with, given

the man's rather 'colourful' past. Meanwhile, Helena visits a Ferengi mining

facility to procure an ore they need for the Omega reactor, but find

themselves sold out to their old foe Caelano, although they manage to slip

away from her clutches once again. In fact, everything seems to be going in

the Helena's favour, even when Ness and Rockney begin to put the pieces

together and realise they are not being told everything, and that the mission

may not be on the up and up. But their good luck gives way dramatically to

tragic consequences when the shuttle testing their Omega-core self

destructs, killing Lefler, and destroying subspace across almost an entire

sector, as the shockwave pushes the Helena to who-knows-where...

Bringing in the pariah that is Benjamin Maxwell was an inspired idea by series

writer Brian Matthews, as well as placing him alongside long time HF

supporting character Joseph John, reintroduced as the commander of the USS

Legacy in the previous episode. We also get to see more the original design of

the Legacy-class vessel in this episode, after its introduction in the previous

episode, as it serves alongside the now totally refit Starship Phoenix.

Maxwell's Nebula-class explorer seems to have been converted into a

dreadnought, with a rollbar added onto the sensor pod, alongside extra

torpedo banks, as well as phaser cannons mounted near the bridge, akin to

the original Galaxy-III design. Tom Bulmer brings new life to a character we

haven’t heard from since his original episode in Season Three TNG, and it was

nice to see he hadn't lost his edge, although one scene did have a production

blooper. The Son'a facility's work prevents warp travel unless they power

down – so how had Maxwell's task force gotten so close to them beforehand

– 3 light-years on impulse is quite a LONG trip. Still, I look forward to seeing

what Maxwell may bring to the 2nd

season, alongside his new counsellor

Heta'an, whose true loyalty to Section 31 means she is under orders to

preserve Omega.

HF productions is no stranger to the idea of

killing a character off, having killed not one

but two of its major characters in its series

finale, but personally I was completely

underwhelmed by the death of Robin

Lefler. It has such potential, since she was

not just a regular for the entire run of HF,

but also a proper canon character they

took and modelled into the loyal friend to

Aster and brilliant engineer she became. I

was let in on the secret that was the plan

to have Robin die in this episode several

months ago, so I could prepare a fitting

tribute video for the character at the

request of Rob Caves, so perhaps this is

why I feel that way. I feel her death would

have been more poignant if she had gone

out with more of a 'sacrificing for the

greater good' death, instead of being

simple collateral damage to a failed

experiment – it made her death

meaningless, and Robin deserved better.

Of course, this may just be the point, as it

will surely haunt Faisal, and could very well

lead to Aster's fragile psyche taking an

even worse blow.

Speaking of Faisal, I again question her

command decisions, even before it cost

Robin Lefler her life and sent the Helena

off to who-knows-where. The majority of

her crew have no idea what they are

involved in, although I am happy (so to

speak) that Artim is now in the loop – as a

former Excelsior officer, he has a vested

interest in the safety of the Odyssey

himself. Seeing Rockney stand by his

captain, even if he doesn't know the full

details was a surprise, considering his only

loyalty thus far has been to the Helena

herself. But Ness obviously has his doubts,

and is growing more suspicious of the

actions of his captain, despite the loss of

Rockney as an ally, and is adamant all this

work is detrimental to the welfare of Aster.

Melodee Spevack is a delight to watch as

Caelano, as she pursues the Helena, but

her scenes did seem somewhat

superfluous in the end, and despite the

threat she could have presented, she has

no involvement in the final tragedy, which

would have shown Faisal just what crossing

her has cost her. Instead, she is merely a

footnote in the story, but I hope to see her

again in Season Two.

32

With the heavy production schedule HF Productions undertakes, filming not one but three separate series, and this has the

effect of limiting the amount of episode per series they produce. The Helena Chronicles is designed to not just compliment

Odyssey, but also flesh out new characters and follow the development of older ones, but at only 3 episodes length, it

more deserves the designation of 'mini-series'. In fact, considering that “Sanctuary Lost” does not contribute much to the

overall arch of the Helena going rogue, aside from an initial introduction of the characters, it could very well have all been

condensed into a “Operation: Beta Shield” type movie, that could have been explored by a series afterwards. Alternately,

the series had been longer, we could have spent more time getting to know the newer characters, seeing them forge closer

bonds that Faisal's decision would weaken. We could also have explored the idea that Section 31 is interested in what

Helena was trying to achieve, and how Heta'an, who secretly wants Omega for her superiors, could have manipulated Aster

into the path he chose.

All these questions and doubts aside, I look forward to Season 2, as it does have a lot of new loose end to tie of, as the hunt

for the Helena intensifies and the crew deal with the ramifications of what their captain has lead them into. Does the loose

of Robin somehow tie into the vision the Prophets sent Ro in Odyssey, and how will Corey deal with the fact that he killed

his beloved friend? Will Ness and Rockney continue to stand by and do nothing after the disastrous Omega test, and what

will that do to the morale and support of the remaining collaborators? Just how far will Faisal and Dao continue to go now

they really have nothing left to lose?~

33

JT TEPNAPA TALKS DIRECTLY TO

TCM ABOUT HOW HIS

CHARACTER COREY ASTER HAS

DEVELOPED SINCE THE END OF

STAR TREK HIDDEN FRONTIER.

TCM: How do you see Aster as a person?

JT: I see Corey as an incurable romantic

that once he has his heart set on

someone it’s hard to let the person go. In

the course of 8 years, Corey has only had

a few relationships. But his true love was

always Ro Nevin. Like all Starfleet

officers, he’s a workaholic, a

perfectionist, and he doesn’t like to take

no for an answer.


JT: People and technology inspire Aster. I

think that’s why he went into Starfleet to

begin with. Part of it was to escape his

past, but an even stronger part was to

reach out to people. He is an orphan and

the only family he has is his fellow

officers. Together they are able to be on

the cutting edge of technology and

create new things for the betterment of

humankind. I saw humankind, as in

humanoid, because I think Aster

probably gets along better with alien

races than his own.

TCM: What do you bring to your performance to make Aster come to life?

JT: Aster contains the extremes of my personality. I look up to Aster. He’s

extremely intelligent. He knows how to make a successful relationships and

he’s career motivated. I try to tap into pieces of my own personality to make

Aster more real. I’m happy to say that in the 8 years I’ve been portraying this

character, I’m coming closer to his success. Although Aster will always be

several steps ahead of me; he’s the enlightened J.T.


JT: I love the new storyline. Aster’s perfect world is being challenged. He’s lost

the love of his life. He is losing his career. And now with recent events from

the episode “Letter of the Law”, he may lose his mind for a time. So maybe

Aster isn’t so perfect after all. It’s nice to see the shift in his storyline.


JT: To be honest, not much. I like to write out my lines on paper several times.

I also act out my lines a bit with my husband, Adam Browne. I’ve been playing

this character for years, so he doesn’t need a lot of prep time. In the beginning

I wrote out a backstory to Corey, I traced his origins and I obsessed on

everything he would say. But I’ve grown comfortable with him. I don’t need to

work as hard as I might if I were to take on a new character.

35

TCM: Compared to the direction your character took in Hidden Frontier, how would you

like to see them change and evolve of the course of this series?

JT: Well, I pretty much know how my character will evolve. I don’t want to give

anything away. Let me just say it’s all new territory. And I’m happy to go there. At this

point, I’m just enjoying the rollercoaster!

TCM: If you weren't playing Aster, which Helena or Odyssey character would you like to

portray?

JT: I would love to play a villain! I’ve been asking to play one for years, but I think

people are so use to my Corey, they can’t see me as evil. I can be evil! Seriously! I could

totally do it. Some of my best friends think I’m a total jerk at time!

TCM: What drew you to this character?

JT: Frankly, It’s because Aster is gay. Although it shouldn’t matter in the 24th

century, it

does matter in the 21st

century. He has been the single most controversial character on

Hidden Frontier. Aster has always been gay. He never questioned his sexuality. I felt he

represents many gay sci-fi fans out there that just wanted to be part of the fandom. I

think he adds a special voice to Star Trek. I have received heartfelt fan mail from gay

fans around the world expressing their joy at finally seeing characters representing

them. People have even been able to come out of the closet because of watching our

characters come out and express their love. That’s just awesome! It’s sometimes a bit

overwhelming that a webseries can make such large impact on someone’s life.

TCM: Do you focus just on your series, or do you keep updated with the story-lines in

your series' sister shows?

JT: I really consider it one show in several parts. They exist together. Besides, my

“movie husband” is the other storyline! I better pay attention. I consider myself the

“Penelope” to Ro’s Odyssey.


JT: Before there was even a Hidden Frontier, I did a pilot episode called “Q in the Dark”

with the Star Trek fan club, USS Angeles. Rob was branching out and finding actors to

fill out supplemental roles. I think it was even that far back he had in mind for Corey

Aster to be a gay character. Years later Rob took that episode and recut it into a second

season of Hidden Frontier called “In Memory Of”.


JT: I grew up on Star Trek. My mom was a huge Star Trek fan. Her favorite characters

were Spock and Sulu. So I was a natural sci-fi fan. I’ve loved all the incarnations of Star

Trek. My favorite being Voyager and the last season of Enterprise finally got some good

storylines.

TCM: What other projects do you have going on?

JT: Right now I’m doing double duty, not only am I playing Corey Aster on Star Trek

Helena Chronicles, but also once a year I head to the east coast to play Lt. Cmdr Sulu on

Star Trek Phase 2. Outside of Trek, I write and direct my own gay movies. My latest

project is a gay fantasy piece. It’s a bit like Twilight Zone meets A Christmas Carol. You

can check it out at judaskissmovie.com~

36

HERE TCM TALKS TO AARON

LEDDICK ABOUT HIS YEAR AS TAM

ENSI IN STAR TREK FEDERATION

ONE.

TCM: How do you see Tam as a person?

AL: I am still in a growing stage with him,

trying to flush out this individual. He is

certainly an observer. With the empathy

abilities comes a lifetime of studying,

watching others handle themselves. I think

Tam has a quiet confidence that is just

beginning to take shape.


AL: Accomplishment. Solving problems.

Being press secretary, Tam runs into many

“sticky” situations that require quick strong

choices. His job is to make the right choices

as quickly as possible, so there can’t be too

much hesitation. The press meeting in

episode 1 was a situation Tam would have

nightmares about. Thrown out to the wolves

(the press) with little information to present,

and certainly no substance to back up what

he has to say. The ultimate humiliation

comes when the president steps in. That

stings because he desires to do a great job,

and that was far from it.

TCM: How you see their relationships with

others?

AL: I think Tam is friendly with everyone on a

surface and professional level, but at this

point I don’t think he hangs out too much

with the co-workers outside of the job. I

don’t know that others think about him too

much. Good or bad. I feel like Tam’s time is

coming.

TCM: What do you bring to your performance to make Tam come to life?

AL: There’s the old saying that you’re stuck with the character, but the

character is also stuck with you. I lead with a boyish charm, so

incorporating that with Ensi is just going to happen naturally. Since I’m

playing Tam, I see him as the new young guy coming into the fold. If an

older actor were playing this part, it would be a different story. In order

to bring this character to life, I look for opportunities to portray the

struggle between stepping up to accomplish the job at hand and the

insecurity that comes with being new and a little uncertain of one’s place.


AL: Obviously, I’m curious to see where things go with Ensi. I’m waiting

for Kaart and McCabe to actually get in a fist-fight. That would be

exciting! Vindenpawl has had a rough go of things as president. I can’t

imagine how difficult that job would be in real life. I think at some point

she is going to fail, give up, or be removed. I’m sure you guys have that

one covered, but I expect some major shake ups to occur in the near

future. Maybe Ensi will be president! Ha! Just kidding. I like how

storylines connect among the different shows, and I am anxious to see

that occur with the Fed. 1 crew popping up elsewhere.

37


AL: It starts with memorizing the lines. That’s somewhat

important. Next, I try to get as much information about the

scene, the characters, and where the story is going from

there. Then I play with the scene, searching for alternative

choices that will make my performance more alive and real

for me. If I can find a certain level of truth in what I’m doing,

then I think it has a good shot of coming across to the

audience.

TCM: How would you like Tam to change and evolve over the

course of the series?

AL: As I’ve discussed earlier, I would like to see the more

confident side begin to take over. It’s happened a little in

episode 2, but there is plenty of room for growth. I want Tam

to be more of a leader down the line. Perhaps there’s also a

lady in his future…

TCM: If you weren't playing Tam, which Federation-One

character would you like to portray?

AL: McCabe! Not just because he’s the lead.


AL: He gets to do all the fun stuff like confront the other

characters. He’s a fighter and he’s passionate. It’s hard not

to be drawn to that. He’s a lot of things Ensi (and Aaron)

desire to be.

TCM: Do you focus just on your series, or do you keep

updated with the story-lines in your series' sister shows?

AL: I enjoy checking in on what my good friend Sharon Savene

is doing over at Helena Chronicles.


AL: I’ve been friends with Sharon for several years now, and

she asked if I wanted to be a part of this web series. I replied

with a very excited yes. It’s been a blast too. I can’t wait to

work on more and new projects with Rob and the crew.


AL: Before all this, I had seen the original movie and

“Generations” with Patrick Stewart. I probably had seen

about five episodes of the entire thing. When I was told my

character was a betazoid, I had to look up what that even

meant. I am learning more and more about this world,

universe rather, and it is fascinating. I am still a Star Trek

newbie, but that just means I have plenty of room to grow.~

38

JACQUES FREYDONT TALKS TO

TCM ABOUT HIS CHARACTER

KARRT FROM STAR TREK

FEDERATION ONE.

TCM: How do you see Kaart as person?

JF: Kaart has a fruitful mind and a

flexible conscience, both in full service

of what he thinks is right. Work is all he

knows. He has never explored his own

emotions, and considers introspection

navel gazing.


JF: He is dedicated to Vindenpawl above

all else, and would die for her. He loves

her brilliance, her diplomatic and

strategic skills.

TCM: How you see their relationships

with others?

JF: He is not interested in or talented at

personal relations. People have duties,

and he is most interested in how they

perform those duties and how the

behaviors of others impact his goal:

maintaining Vindenpawl’s pre-

eminence.


performance to make Kaart come to

life?

JF: In my previous life, I was a cooperate

executive, never a CEO, always a

number 2, behind the scenes advisor to

my bosses. I understand Kaart’s view of

his purpose in the world and his

unflagging commitment to service that

purpose.


JF: I like the McCabe-Onshul team and I hope full romance blooms. I see no

reason to explore “the pod explosion”. What’s done is done, let’s move on.

Long live the new president!


JF: I use emotional memory. I think back to my own days as a person w/ power

over the lives of others, and remember how I felt as I manipulated employees,

bosses, vendors and the university leaders.

TCM: How would you like Kaart to change and evolve over the course of the

series?

JF: I would like to gain more power, use it for the good of the Federation. He

will be willing to do the moral dirty work that might not be pretty to watch, but

which the Federation needs. He is on the side of good, but will fight dirty to

defend that good. I hope that Star Fleet will come to appreciate his worth even

if they always dislike his person and his bad breath.

39

TCM: If you weren't playing Kaart, which Federation-

One character would you like to portray?

JF: I don’t know of another character in particular, but I

would like to play a Cardassian. I like that they are at

once sensitive and unscrupulous.


JF: Again, the similarity w/ my own position in the

working world: I think he is competent, selfless and

intelligent. I love his moral ambiguity.

TCM: Do you focus just on your series, or do you keep

updated with the story-lines in your series' sister

shows?

JF: I have watched some of the other shows, but I’m

very busy with theater this year and have not given

them the time they deserve. I will.


JF: Audition off a breakout from Now Casting.

TCM: What is your own experience with 'canon' Star

Trek?

JF: I have watched the show since the beginning, many

times for the original. I kept up through the 2nd

season

of Enterprise, and then drifted away. Like many Star

Trek actors, I also do a lot of Shakespeare. Both worlds

are based on honor and duty. I think life is based on

these ideals too, but we don’t notice in today’s world.

Loving and knowing Shakespeare and Star Trek helped

me get through life with those ancient virtues as my

load stars.~

40

HERE ALEX MATTHEWS

LOOKS BACK AT THE FIRST

SEASON OF STAR TREK

FEDERATION ONE.

Shortly after Operation: Beta Shield was

announced, it was followed up by the news

that this HF/Intrepid feature-length

crossover would also act as a stepping stone

for another HF Productions spin-off, called

“Federation-One”. It would star several HF

alumni, including Wayne Webb continuing

his well received portrayal of Lt.

Commander Matt McCabe, chief of security

of Excelsior, as well as Rebecca Wood, who

would bring back one of her more

underdeveloped characters, President

Vindenpawl of Vreijheid.

Speculation soon started on just what the

focus of the show would be, since it

involved a politician as a major character,

and how McCabe would deal with his

disdain for her. There was also the cryptic

title, which lead to several fans commenting

on the likeness to “Air Force One”, the call

sign assigned to planes carrying the

President of the United States.

When O:BS premiered, it soon set the scene

for what the series would be about,

following Vindenpawl on her own personal

journey as acting-President of the United

Federation of Planets, onboard the

presidential transport, the Diplomat-class

Federation-One. McCabe, having been

assigned as Head of Presidential Security,

carries with him not only the desire to

discover who assassinated Vindenpawl's

predecessor, but also his intense

dissatisfaction that someone like her now

runs the Federation. Vindenpawl and

McCabe's past history and their antagonistic

relationship promises to bring something

different that the other series lack –

consistent interaction between a hero and a

villain, as they try to work out each others

agenda.

Episode 1x01: Unity

Picking up only a short time from the end of O:BS, Federation-One

rendezvous’ with Excelsior, as Commodore Shelby continues leading the

allied task-force in Romulan Space. Vindenpawl receives a situation briefing

in person, cutting out the middle man, much to Shelby's surprise, and any

time McCabe wished to spend with his former CO is curtailed by Kaart,

Vindenpawl's chief of staff.

Put in charge of an independent investigation into the death of President

Se'Fron, McCabe is assigned a young Vreijheidian woman, Mara Onshul, as

an assistant to the investigation, and is initially distrustful, believing her to be

Vreijheid Security. But Mara, formally assigned as a Science Intern, soon wins

him over, especially when she agrees that Kaart has bad breath.

Unfortunately, McCabe's first task for her is to act as a decoy onboard the

new diplomatic module, so the sensors read a Vreijheidian female onboard,

while Vindenpawl beams down to Romulus to meet Praetor Yeshva.

The meeting, to propose a joint effort in constructing and manning a

starbase inside Romulan space, in order to shorten supply lines for the fleet,

goes in Vindenpawl's favour, as she sweet-talks her recently promoted

Romulan counterpart, but Yeshva does not agree completely, leaving the

topic open for now.

41

Focusing on the investigation, Mara and McCabe look over several sensor logs that

were conveniently not confiscated by Starfleet Intelligence, and find evidence that

may suggest sabotage but nothing concrete. They also argue about their opposing

views regarding Vindenpawl, with McCabe not willing to give her any leeway,

whereas Mara supports her, having seen the good she believes she has done to

Vreijheid. Leaving her more fresh eyes to look over the data, McCabe visits the ship's

lounge, and meets Tam Ensi, the Presidential Press Secretary. The two men bond

over a mutual dislike of Kaart, but McCabe is soon called away by a message from

Shelby. She contacts him ostensibly to recommend boosting the ship's long range

sensors, while Excelsior undergo a diagnostic, but also mentions focusing them on

the local asteroid belt, which peaks the security chief's interest.

Unofficially taking a shuttle, he and Mara run a scan on the area, and discover

something emitting a signal, but after beaming it aboard, they are detained by the

arrival of the Avenger-class USS Vigilant. Thankfully, Mara is able to not only bluff

their way out of trouble, but also secrete the data core of the device somewhere safe

and smuggle it back aboard Federation-One. McCabe receives a slight verbal

reprimand for going behind everyone's back, but the fact that the data-core shows

Se'Fron's module was infected by a Romulan adaptive virus shows he WAS

assassinated. However, McCabe doubts the Romulans themselves would be

responsible, although Kaart contests they may do so as a show of force, given the

previous Section 31 presence on Romulus. Unfortunately, McCabe is not allowed to

continue with his own analysis, since the data-core is the rightful property of

Starfleet Intelligence. Once the meeting is dismissed though, Vindenpawl and Kaart

share a sense of worry on this new discovery.

A meeting with Admiral Selek, the Commander-in-Chief of Starfleet, not only informs

McCabe that the virus is of Tal Shiar lineage, but also provides him with an idea, in

order to get more information. Piggy-backing a transmission through Starbase 395's

comm array, McCabe calls Korg, ad asks for the former general's help. Korg, although

cautious in his advice, sends McCabe details on a Tal Shair agent who may be able to

help, and promises to call if any new information comes his way. Mara, however, is

angry at being pulled into the thickening plot, and refuses to go any further, even

though McCabe argues she is already involved. Their argument is halted when

McCabe is alerted to an unscheduled press conference which is starting very soon. He

angrily interrupts a meeting between Vindenpawl and her Secretary for the Exterior,

Margaret McGowan, neither of who know anything about the conference. They race

down to the Press Deck, and as Tam begins to address the crowd with the

information Kaart has provided, Vindenpawl quickly interrupts, taking control of the

conference, and saving face. She also manages to give McCabe another two days to

follow up on his leads, so he heads out to a meeting with Decius, the informant Korg

provided. The agent explains that although the Tal Shiar did not assassinate Se'Fron,

they were involved, as they traded their adaptive virus for weapons to fight the

Archein, although he doesn't tell McCabe just who the arms dealer was, leaving that

for the security chief to figure out for himself. He also leaves a parting gift – a flask of

Romulan ale, with a datachip inside!

Vindenpawl, however, is not impressed in the slightest, even though the datachip

shows the Orion Syndicate was the arms dealer. But she has more important matters

to tend to, with the arrival of Praetor Yeshva. Here, Vindenpawl shows she is not to

be trifled with, and strikes a deal with the Praetor, using the fact that they traded

weapons to force her hand. Handing over a list of Tal Shair operatives whose covers

have been blown, unknown to their superiors, Vindenpawl suggests allowing those

named to be blamed for the death of Se'Fron, acting renegade from their

government, in order to close the investigation, and save Romulus' political face. But

Vindenpawl also demands a concession for joining in with the lie – granting

permission for the supply starbase to be constructed. With no other choice, Yeshva

acquiesces, allowing Vindenpawl to push her own agenda a little further.

42

Episode 2: “Institutions” Mara and McCabe share a rather intimate

moment as he helps her refine her phaser

skills, but the mood is ruined when she

reveals that, with the investigation into

Se'Fron's death closed, her assignment has

been terminated, and she will be leaving

Federation-One within a few days. They both

try to make light of it, but after she leaves,

McCabe's mind is obviously not on his own

phaser practise.

Vindenpawl is in a meeting with Kaart,

McGowan and Ensi regarding the Son'a and

the reformation of the borders, but the topic

soon turns to the imminent “State of the

Federation” address. Her speechwriter, a

bumbling sycophant on the verge of puppy-

love with the President, promises to deliver a

speech that will get everyone's attention.

Before dismissing the meeting, another

matter is raised, which unnerves everyone –

there is a leak in the Presidential office, who

passed information that has allowed one of

Vindenpawl's political rivals to criticise a plan

of action she has yet to propose.

McCabe is offered a First Officer position

onboard one of the ship's in the defence fleet

by Commodore Shelby, but he is hesitant to

accept it, even though Shelby reminds him

that with the Romulans claiming

responsibility for Se'Fron's assassination, he

has no reason to stay. McCabe's

dissatisfaction with his assignment is

increased even more when Vindenpawl

assigns him to identify the information leak.

He has no interest in the politics, until she

makes it clear that it goes hand in hand with

heading her security.

Federation-One arrives at the newly

constructed Unity Station, but McCabe is

busy with interviews of possible suspects for

the information leak, starting with Broddik

the speechwriter, whose opinion of

Vindenpawl is diametrically opposed to

McCabe's. Finishing the interview up, he

manages to catch Mara just before she

disembarks, and gives her a going away

present, but asks her not to open until she is

secured on her way home. Mara herself has

just finished arguing with her betrothed over

subspace, who reminds her of the sacrifices

he has made for their relationship, and

expects her to place their marriage first.

During a press conference held by Ensi, it comes to light that Vindenpawl's

rival has not been invited to an important official function, and Ensi bears

the brunt of Kaart's anger at this basic slip-up. Ensi defends himself,

pointing out that he was one of several not invited, and the press are the

ones making the situation appear worse than it is. He recommends a

calmer plan, not to antagonise the situation further, but begin damage

control. Their meeting is interrupted by McCabe, and once Ensi leaves, he

reveals he has figured out that Kaart leaked the information, but because

of a loophole, can get away with it. Kaart even admits it was Vindenpawl's

idea, as it helped flush out her rival, and show he intends to run in any

special election that will be held to bring in a voted for president, instead

of a pro-tempa one like Vindenpawl.

In a briefing, Tam offers to resign, but Vindenpawl won’t hear of it, since it

was just a party, and she applauds and approves his suggestion to offer the

rival the position of Secretary of Education, since it was her education

policies he was attacking. However, at the ceremony, where Vindenpawl

will deliver her Address, Kaart informs her that not only has the rival

refused the offer, but he is holding a press conference straight after her

speech. Vindenpawl mentions a story, about the futility of protesting at

something more powerful then oneself, referring to her rival as just one

man, whereas they represent something bigger then themselves.

Even though the investigation has been taken out of his hands and closed,

McCabe follows a lead that introduces him to Lt. Gwen Miller, an engineer

assigned to Unity Station. Having noticed that several Romulan ships have

arrived with heavy machinery, he crosschecks logs with the lieutenant's

activity. It soon shows that the deflector has been reconfigured to harness

gravitons in a way it was not designed for. Contacting Mara, who has

discovered it was a phaser McCabe gave her as a going away present,

McCabe uses her as a sounding board, as he pokes holes in the theory that

rogue Tal Shiar agents assassinated Se'Fron. He then gets a call from

Shelby, who is returning a request from him, and after a little flattery, asks

her for a favour only a Commodore can grant.

43

Arriving at Earth, Vindenpawl continues to deal with the fallout from her rival's actions, but there is a silver lining to her

troubles, as she confirms McCabe's reassignment of the ship. He is being sent back to Earth for 'further training and review',

and both of them take enjoyment and being rid of the other. However, unknown to Vindenpawl, this is just a cover arranged

by Shelby to allow him to move more freely to track a connection he has figured out. He has realised that by tracking the

purchase of the subspace weapons the Empire has purchase, he might also find those who sold the adaptive program used

to trigger the destruction of Se'Fron's transport. There, he can track who really arranged Se'Fron's death, since he believes it

was not the rogue Tal Shiar operatives. He is surprised though, when Mara unexpectedly arrives, and insists on

accompanying him, even if it means going straight to the site of the sale – Hell's Gate.

My first thought watching both episodes was that it was enjoyable to see Rebecca Wood and Wayne Webb playing against

each other as Vindenpawl and McCabe, their mutual animosity only glimpsed at by the end of O:BS. The two light up the

screen when they share it, and have a good chemistry, as does Webb and Heather Ashleigh, formerly Silan of Hidden

Frontier, and now Mara Onshul. It is also nice to see storylines that are outside of the Odyssey/Helena arc, and the

continuing life of characters outside that storyline, and how life in the Federation continues forward.

We also meet several other new characters, such as Margaret McGowan, portrayed wonderfully by HF alumni Barbara

Clifford, returning for the first time since her previous character, Counsellor Elbrey, died in the HF finale. Tam Ensi, the Press

Secretary is brought to life by Aaron Leddick, who brings a boyish charm to the role, giving McCabe to joke around with,

while also standing up for himself, as demonstrated by not being intimidated by Kaart. Jacques Freydont was introduced

during O:BS as Vindenpawl's chief of security, who is now her Chief of Staff, and brings a delightfully more villainous

character, who can play “bad cop” to Vindenpawl's “good cop”. Finally, the cast is rounded up by Admiral Selek, played by

David O'Neill, who is usually behind the camera instead of being a lead in front. The Commander-in-Chief of Starfleet, David

brings a coolness to the character, which is important for any Vulcan, but he evokes memories of early TOS Spock, with his

dry wit.

We also meet some other supporting characters, such as Speechwriter Broddik, who I hope to see more of again, not

because I liked him, but because I didn't. I thought he was annoying, sycophantic and an excellent comedy moment,

especially with some of the praise he gives Vindenpawl and the way she responds.

44

The plot carries on from where O:BS left off, as McCabe deals with

being in the lion's den, as he works to figure out how Se'Fron was killed,

and by whom, as he also must contend with Vindenpawl's affect on the

Federation. We also get to see how skilled Vindenpawl is in the political

game or outmanoeuvring and one-upmanship, as she is explored

further then she got the chance in her two appearance in Hidden

Frontier.

However, I find that calling this a “season” is far too generous, since it

only consists of 2 episodes, even shorter than the Helena Chronicles

first season. This doesn't really even constitute a mini-series, and I

wonder why it couldn't have been done as a feature length follow up to

O:BS. Considering the sheer amount of time that passed in the

premiere of Odyssey, having a little caption that says “One Month

Later” does not seem too much of a idea, to segment the two together.

Speaking of time, we again have no idea how much time has passed

since the end of 1x01, and the beginning of 1x02, but is must be a

couple of months, since Unity Station is up and running, a feat

Vindenpawl claimed would take about that amount of time in 1x01.

There is also the risk inherently involved in the manner the show exists.

It seems that Vindenpawl seems to run the Federation from Federation-

One, because we have not seen her set foot in her office in Paris – even

at the end of O:BS, instead of taking delight in that office, she is

flouncing around her transport ship. Surely having a President on a

vessel, without any significant escort until the latter half of

“Institutions” is a grossly negligent risk considering her predecessor was

killed aboard a smaller version. Starships are inherently dangerous

places, compared to the security of Earth, so why would they not keep

her planet-bound, especially since as a former planetary ruler, she is

used to that kind of life. Not only that, but it seems a large portion of

the Cabinet also travel with her, as well as the head of Starfleet – all

that is left is for someone to paint a bullseye on the hull.

Although I was able to follow the storyline, it did feel at times,

especially in “Institutions”, that it went off on unneeded tangents, like

the introduction of Gwen Miller. She seemed not only far too familiar

with a superior officer she has just met, but it seemed the information

the scene delivered could have been done in a simpler fashion, such as

McCabe reading a report aloud, or brainstorming with Mara.

Speaking of Mara, the plot attempts to flesh her out a little bit,

introducing a fiancé and a strained relationship, and forcing her to

choose between her betrothal or a friendship with McCabe.

Unfortunately, I found it difficult to care, since we have only seen them

just meet, and now she is telling him how much she has learned from

him, and going on a dangerous unofficial mission with him. Also, on a

costuming note, they changed the hairstyle of the character, with one

scene in “Unity” switching from a natural dyed look to a wig, before

switching back again (due to filming out of sequence), before keeping

the wig for “Institutions”. I felt the wig looked too fake and it ruined the

otherwise natural look of the Vreijheidian make-up.

With the second “season” comprising mostly of audios, I hope, as I said

with Helena Chronicles, that perhaps we will be given glimpses into the

past, filling in the gaps between the two episodes, so we understand

just how close Mara and McCabe grew, and spend some more time

with the other less established characters. Given the fact that Mara was

a steadfast supporter of someone McCabe despises, it should be

explored.~

45

Star Trek Hidden Frontier has set a benchmark for a lot of Star Trek Fan Films that have followed, however

when Hidden Frontier Productions announced that they themselves were going to launch a spin-off from

Hidden Frontier, they took that benchmark and blew clear out of the water.

Star Trek Odyssey, Star Trek The Helena Chronicles and Star Trek Federation One are a huge step up from what

this group of people were producing in Hidden Frontier. With their own original theme tunes and stories they

are well and truly close to what Paramount produce and put out when they do Star Trek well.

Star Trek Odyssey took the lead in this trinity of series when the Starship Odyssey boldly went to the

Andromeda Galaxy to stave off an Archein Invasion of Romulan Space. This series has taken the well known

character of Ro Nevin and developed him way beyond the confused young man we saw in parts of Hidden

Frontier, they have then complimented that character with a whole host of new characters, in the form of

T’Lorra the Romulan, Stadi the Security Chief, Gillian the very unsure of himself Engineer and the mysterious

Doctor Vaughan. Over the course of five episodes Star Trek Odyssey has developed into a nice series that has

me hooked as to what is going to happen and this is credit to the actors and writers of the series.

Star Trek The Helena Chronicles is the second series and is a companion to Odyssey. This is probably my least

liked of all three series and most of that is because of some of the characters and not the storyline. I love Dias

and Ness, they are a new way of dealing with aliens in Star Trek and both show a lot of ability to be developed

as characters and I am looking forward to seeing where they are going to go. However I find Rockney really

annoying and at times over the top, the way he talks to the ship and even has mood lighting is almost always

pointless to the storyline and to be honest just plain stupid. As a series I like Helena and will follow it to the

series end because the characters that have got my attention I care enough about to go back and actually find

out what they are doing.

Star Trek Federation One is my favourite series out the lot and the third to come from Hidden Frontier. When

this was announced after the announcement of Operation Beta Shield I got really excited, because I am a bit of

a politic buff. Also the idea of seeing what happens in Federation Politics really interests me. I think it has

always been the one thing that I feel Paramount Trek could have dealt with a bit more and I am glad Rob and co

did. Add to that a great mix of characters from McCabe and his assistant Onshul through to Vindenpawl and

Kaart they all seem to have depth that can lack in some series. I am following this one with enthusiasm and

cannot wait to see what the outcome is.

Over all I love Hidden Frontier Productions efforts into the Star Trek universe, mainly cause it is the era I grew

up with and also the storylines are great. With that in mind I am really looking forward to seeing what more can

be produced by them in the future.

So without further ado I would like to thank the many people behind all series that come from Hidden Frontier

Productions and long may this continue.

Richard

47

ISSUE 12 OF TCM FEATURES THE NEW SERIES STAR TREK PHOENIX

FEATURING INTERVIEWS WITH ALL MAIN CAST MEMBERS AND AN

ARTICLE ABOUT THE SHOW BY EXCUTIVE PRODUCER LEO ROBERTS.

COMING SOON FOR DOWNLOAD AND VIEWING ONLINE.

ISSUE 6 OF TCM SUPPLEMENTAL TAKES A LOOK AT STAR

TREK COMMANDERS PAST A PRESENT.

FEATURING ARTICLES BY ALEX MATTHEWS AND RICHARD

MILES

COMING SOON FOR DOWNLOAD AND VIEWING ONLINE.

Documents

TCM Issue 11