Once wasn’t enough! Trekkies was shot in 1996, during the 30th anniversary of Star Trek™. 7 years later, we’re finding out what’s new in the world of Star Trek™ fandom.
After we
completed Trekkies, we were inundated with fascinating stories about
the fans of the greatest science-fiction show in television history.
We had an amazing adventure meeting and interviewing hundreds and hundreds
of Star Trek fans for Trekkies, but we didn’t venture beyond the
borders of the United States and Canada. This time, in addition to following
up on some of our original profilees and finding a few new ones in the
United States, we traveled to several countries around the world.
Additionally, our goal in producing a follow-up to Trekkies was partly to respond to the concerns some Star Trek fans voiced after seeing the first film. We asked fans about extremism in fandom, when is it appropriate to wear a Star Trek uniform in public, and how is a “normal” fan defined. Another thing we did was present more of the charitable side of Trek fandom, observing and hearing more of the stories of how fans donate their time, money, and other efforts to better their communities.
We traveled to 8 countries across Europe, North and South America, and Australia. (Africa, Asia, India, the Middle East, and Russia, look out for us in Trekkies 3 in a few years!) We met thousands of people. And though they were all unique, they all shared a love for "Star Trek".
We began
our three month journey in Bonn, Germany for Fed-Con 11. Nobody is more
serious about Star Trek than the Germans. Then we drove to Heiger (near
Frankfurt) to meet Christoph Hees and his crew shooting their fan film,
"Star Trek: Das Vermächtnis" ("Star Trek: The Legacy").
We continued on to see Robby Amper’s fan-film bridge-set in his
flat in Munich.
We hopped a train from Munich to Paris to meet the founders of the French Star Trek organization, Unification: Eric Saussine, Frank Mikanowski, and Jean-Regis de Vanssay. It was non-stop amazing food, art, architecture…Paris was awesome!
Next stop
was England, for a chit chat with fans at a London pub called the Pitcher
and Piano. We also drove to Hinckley in Leicestershire to see Tony Alleyne
and his flat, which he has renovated as a starship—it has to be
seen to be believed.
We flew to the U.S.A. to meet with Commodore Barbara Adams in Little Rock, Arkansas. Still working (and highly appreciated) at Sir Speedy Printing, Adams is doing very well.
Then it was back to Europe for a convention on the Adriatic Sea in Bellaria, Italy, run by Massimo Romani and Jessica Farella. It’s hard to beat a week by the sea in Italy—and the food was unbeatable.
The biggest
surprise was the fun we had at the first-ever convention in Serbia (part
of the former Yugoslavia). The Serbian folks were so sweet, we didn’t
want to leave.
Next we flew to Australia, via Los Angeles. Talk about jet lag! We visited both Sydney (the beauty) and Melbourne (the culture).
Our last international stop was in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The Trek fans were great and the night life was insane! Can’t wait to visit there again…
Not to leave the U.S.A. out of the picture entirely, we visited Minneapolis to see Star Trek fan Brian Dellis shooting his fan film, “The Final Frontier: Revisted.” We also traveled to Baltimore for Shore Leave, the longest running fan-run convention.
We
also made several stops in California. Gabriel Köerner (and his
father Richard Köerner) was busy with his fan film in Bakersfield.
And we met not one, but five Star Trek tribute bands in Sacramento:
No Kill I, No Kill I: The Next Generation, No Kill I: Deep Space 9,
Stovokor, and Warp 11.
In Los Angeles we checked in with Brannon Braga at Paramount, and Robert Burnett, the director of the Star Trek-themed comedy, Free Enterprise, and we saw a play called Romeo and Juliette: The Last Battlefield, a reworking of Shakespeare with all Trek characters directed by Ggreg Snyder.
After sorting through150 hours of footage, we hope we’ve brought you to the best, the wildest, and the most informative moments in Star Trek fandom.
| Below is a list of all the locations and conventions we attended:
Bonn, Germany Paris, France London, England Roc*Kon Science Fiction/Fantasy Convention Bellaria, Italy Belgrade & Novi Sad, Former Yugoslavia Sydney, Australia Melbourne, Australia Trek Dia Feliz 31 CONvergence Shore Leave No Kill I Warp 11 Concert |
Below is a list of all the Film Festivals and Conventions where
Trekkies 2 has screened:
Newport Beach Film Festival Novi Sad, Serbia & Montenegro (Former Yugoslavia) Date: Wednesday, Oct. 27th Date: Saturday, Oct. 30th Date: Sunday, Oct. 31st Roger Nygard will be in attendance at this festival screening. |
