Star Trek: Hidden Frontier

Star Trek: Hidden Frontier
Genre	Science fiction space opera fan series
Created by	Rob Caves
Starring	David Dial Risha Denney Larry LaVerne John Whiting Joanne Busch Wayne Webb Barbara Clifford Bobby Rice J.T. Tepnapa Adam Browne
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	7
No. of episodes	50 total
Production
Running time	35–40 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	none; Online release
Original run	2000 – 2007
Chronology
Followed by	Star Trek: Odyssey Star Trek: The Helena Chronicles

Star Trek: Hidden Frontier (HF) was a Star Trek fan film project. Produced on digital video, the show's sets are almost completely virtual, using a green-screen chroma keyed process to place performers into virtual settings.

The series is set during the era of the Star Trek: The Next Generation series. Episodes revolve around the starship USS Excelsior, and its home base, Deep Space 12, which is located in the Briar Patch, a region of space introduced in the film Star Trek: Insurrection.

Hidden Frontier has produced 50 episodes, and focuses on character relationships, including gay and lesbian characters and subplots.

Produced by Rob Caves, Hidden Frontier ran for seven seasons and was produced by volunteers in Southern California. The final episode of the series aired in May 2007. Two new spin-offs, Star Trek: Odyssey and Star Trek: The Helena Chronicles, also produced by Rob Caves, take place shortly after the end of Hidden Frontier.

Plot

Based in the Briar Patch (Tikrit Expanse) introduced in Star Trek: Insurrection, on Deep Space 12, a space station in orbit of the planet Ba'ku. It follows the daily life of several officers serving onboard the station and a few of the ships stationed there. Early in the series, an advanced species, the Grey, are introduced and become the primary villain, with a story arc that spans the entire series. Later, secondary villains are introduced including an Andorian trader and later the Tholians along with a man named Siroc. Mysterious ancient alien artifacts become a key focus of the series.

The crew interacts with many established species from Star Trek, including Andorians, Ba'ku, Klingons, Romulans, Son'a, and Tzenkethi.

Cast and crew

Main cast

Character	Actor(s)	Rank	Position
Ian Quincy Knapp	David Dial	Rear Admiral	Commander of Deep Space 12 (former Commanding Officer, USS Excelsior)
Elizabeth Shelby	Risha Denney	Captain	Commanding Officer (former Executive Officer), USS Excelsior
Tolian Naros	Larry LaVerne	Captain	Commanding Officer, USS Helena (formerly Executive Officer, USS Excelsior)
Dr. Henglaar	John Whiting	Lieutenant Commander	Chief Medical Officer, USS Excelsior
Robin Lefler	Kelly Jamison, Joanne Busch	Commander	Executive Officer (former Chief Engineer), USS Excelsior
Matt McCabe	Wayne Webb	Lieutenant	Tactical Officer/Security Chief, USS Excelsior
Myra Elbrey	Barbara Clifford	Lieutenant Commander	Counselor, USS Excelsior
Ro Nevin	Arthur Bosserman, Bobby Quinn Rice	Lieutenant	Chief Science Officer, USS Excelsior
Corey Aster	J.T. Tepnapa	Lieutenant Commander	Chief Engineer (former Assistant Chief Engineer), USS Excelsior
Jorian Zen/Dao	Adam Browne	Lieutenant	Tactical Officer, USS Helena (former Helmsman, USS Excelsior)

Notable recurring characters

Character	Actor(s)	Rank	Position
Glinn Betras	Rebecca Wood	Glinn, Cardassian military	Renegade Cardassian officer in Siroc's employ
Jennifer Cole	Jennifer Cole	Rear Admiral	Commanding Officer, USS Independence
James Darwin	Cliff Gardner	Commander	Executive Officer, Deep Space 12
Artim Ibanya	Beau Christian Williams	Ensign	Junior Science Officer, USS Excelsior
Joseph Johns	Mike Johns	Commander	Executive Officer, USS Independence
Traya Knapp	Crystal Huerta, Noora Hadden, Leanna Spear, Jessica Lyons	None	Admiral Knapp's daughter
Korg	Karl Puder	General, Klingon Defense Forces	Commander of Klingon forces in the Briar Patch
Malek	Jonathan Connor-Foertsch, John Nelson, Travis Sentell	Gul, Cardassian military	Ambassador to the Federation
William Martinez	Anthony Diaz, Dan Crout	Commander	Head of the Grey Research Facility
Jason Munoz	Jason Munoz	Lieutenant Commander	Commanding Officer, USS Olympus (former Executive Officer, USS Excelsior)
Jenna McFarland	Adrianne Lange, Rebecca Wood	Lieutenant	Helmsman, USS Excelsior
Alynna Nechayev	Reneé Huberstock	Admiral	Commander of Operations in the Briar Patch
Siroc	Jim Davis	None	Enemy of Tolian Naros, instigator of the Tholian War
Milo Surgant	Brandon Stacy, Lorenzo Leonard	Lieutenant	Renegade Starfleet officer in Siroc's employ
Vorina	Suzy Kaplan, Julie Anne Gardner	None	Member of the Orion Syndicate in Siroc's employ

Background information

Star Trek: Hidden Frontier premiered in 2000, an offshoot of the fan series Voyages of the USS Angeles, produced by the Star Trek fan club of the same name in Southern California. For legal reasons copies are limited to the cast and crew. No earlier series episodes are available to the public and no reference to the show is made on the club's web site. Hidden Frontier inherited the setting, Deep Space 12, and several of the characters from the Angeles series, however it established its own identity. Two later HF episodes made usage of footage originally shot for Angeles that were never produced.

Due to production expense, the series is filmed in the executive producer's home utilizing a green screen matting technique to place actors into "virtual" sets. Often a slight green halo appears around the actors, which some viewers decry. While technique and technical standpoints of the show may not be as advanced as other fan films, it shows progress in the milieu. This amateur web based series contains a multi-arc plot, producing at least six episodes per year. Others are often one-offs or released at a much slower rate.

Most episodes are released in low resolution due to potential legal issues. Currently only five (originally six) episodes have been released in high quality: A special edition of Season 1's fourth episode, "Two Hours," Season 6's premiere and finale, "Countermeasures", "Her Battle Lanterns Lit," (released in both low and high resolutions, modified into a single regular episode) Season 7's premiere, "Heavy Losses" and the two-part series finale.

Several key roles had replacements during the seven year run. The character of Lefler was originally played by Kelly Jamison,later portrayed by Joanne Busch. The character of Ro Nevin was originally played by Arthur Bosserman who left the cast after five seasons to pursue professional interests in music. This role was resumed by Bobby Rice.

For Seasons 2 and 3, nine episodes were produced each. The later seasons were reduced to six episodes, as nine were too much work for the volunteer cast and crew. Season 7, the final season, consists of eight episodes. In Season 6, a short fan-fic author Steve Berman writings were adapted for a memorable scene in episode "Vigil."

Hidden Frontier's theme music is taken from the film Galaxy Quest. Because of the crew's short production schedule and low budget, the music for most of HF's episodes was inherited from Paramount-owned soundtracks (both Star Trek and non-Star Trek), thus confining potential copyright issues to a single studio. Original scores were created for the last four episodes, when several composer fans of the series volunteered to create the music.

Connection to Trek canon

• Elizabeth Shelby appeared in the TNG 2-parter "The Best Of Both Worlds". She was also featured in the novel series Star Trek: New Frontier.
• Robin Lefler appeared in TNG episodes "Darmok" and "The Game". She was also featured in New Frontier.
• Ro Nevin is the brother of Ro Laren, who left Starfleet to join the Maquis.
• Captain Mackenzie Calhoun from New Frontier appears in "Vigil" portrayed by James Cawley. His ship, the USS Excalibur, appears briefly in "Perihelion".
• Captain Hikaru Sulu and the USS Excelsior appear in "Yesterday's Excelsior".
• Wesley Crusher appears in "Echoes".
• The USS Defiant featured in the TOS episode "The Tholian Web" and Enterprise 2-parter "In A Mirror, Darkly" appears in "Voyage Of The Defiant".
• Artim Ibanya was introduced in Star Trek: Insurrection.
• Corey Aster is the cousin of Jeremy Aster, who appeared in the TNG episode "The Bonding".
• Alynna Nechayev made four appearances in TNG, and two appearances in DS9.
• Kira Nerys appears in "Countermeasures".

Episode listing

For a key to the abbreviations and additional notes, shown thus <1>, see the end of this section. The ratings for "Best of Season" come from a series of polls done on the Hidden Frontier forum in January 2006. A synopsis of each season is included, as well as a first air date, when known.

Season 1

From the ashes of the Dominion War, the Federation meets the Grey, a powerful confederacy of alien races. The U.S.S. Excelsior is assigned to a new starbase, Deep Space 12, which serves to protect the healing planet Ba'ku and the hidden frontier of the mysterious Briar Patch.

• HF1.01 – 2000-__-__ "Enemy Unknown, Part 1"
• HF1.02 – 2000-__-__ "Enemy Unknown, Part 2"
• HF1.03 – 2000-__-__ "Enemy Unknown, Part 3"
• HF1.04 – 2000-__-__ "Two Hours"
• HF1.05 – 2000-__-__ "Perihelion" - Voted best of season
• HF1.06 – 2001-04-29 "Echoes"

Season 2

Conflicts with the Grey escalate as the Excelsior begins to explore the Briar Patch. Old enemies, like the Dominion, resurface and new enemies, like the Orion Syndicate, appear amid ancient mysteries.

• HF2.01 – 2001-__-__ "Refugees"
• HF2.02 – 2001-__-__ "Yesterday's Excelsior" - Voted best of season
• HF2.03 – 2001-__-__ "Old Wound"
• HF2.04 – 2001-__-__ "Great Starship Robbery"
• HF2.05 – 2001-__-__ "Encke"
• HF2.06 – 2001-__-__ "To the Stars"
• HF2.07 – 2001-__-__ "Fire in the Heart"
• HF2.08 – 2001-__-__ "Coward's Death"
• HF2.09 – 2001-__-__ "Worst Fears, Part 1"

Season 3

Deep Space 12 tries to repel a major Grey attack, political tensions rise among galactic powers in the Briar Patch, and a centuries-old antagonist appears at the center of a growing conspiracy.

• HF3.01 – 2002-__-__ "Worst Fears, Part 2"
• HF3.02 – 2002-__-__ "Worst Fears, Part 3"
• HF3.03 – 2002-__-__ "Heroes"
• HF3.04 – 2002-__-__ "In Memory Of"
• HF3.05 – 2002-__-__ "Modus Operandi"
• HF3.06 – 2002-__-__ "Santa Q"
• HF3.07 – 2003-__-__ "Ashes"
• HF3.08 – 2003-__-__ "Voyage of the Defiant" - Voted best of season
• HF3.09 – 2003-__-__ "Hell's Gate, Part 1"

Season 4

Ancient and powerful artifacts are at the center of new conflicts among the Federation, Cardassians, Bajorans and Tholians in the Briar Patch. The crew of the Excelsior face their own personal tragedies.

• HF4.01 – 2003-__-__ "Hell's Gate, Part 2"
• HF4.02 – 2003-__-__ "Piracy of the Noble" - Voted best of season
• HF4.03 – 2003-09-11 "Addictions"
• HF4.04 – 2003-10-28 "Grave Matters"
• HF4.05 – 2003-12-03 "Crossroads"
• HF4.06 – 2004-03-26 "Entanglement, Part 1"

Season 5

For five years the Grey have stalked the Federation as Starfleet has plumbed the depths of the Briar Patch, discovering the powerful and ancient tetrahedrons. Meanwhile, the inscrutable Tholians have stepped up their own incursions in the Patch, bringing them to the verge of war with the Federation.

• HF5.01 – 2004-05-02 "Entanglement, Part 2"
• HF5.02 – 2004-06-13 "Imminent Danger"
• HF5.03 – 2004-07-07 "Darkest Night"
• HF5.04 – 2004-08-04 "Security Counsel" - Voted best of season
• HF5.05 – 2004-10-24 "Epitaph"
• HF5.06 – 2004-12-01 "The Battle is Joined"

Season 6

The Tholians make their move, and the galaxy will never be the same. New villains emerge, and new threats entangle the crew of the Excelsior in unexpected danger. Episode 6.05 has a scene based on a story written by author Steve Berman.

• HF6.01 – 2005-02-27 "Countermeasures" - Tied in vote for best overall episode
• HF6.02 – 2005-04-12 "Dancing in the Dark"
• HF6.03 – 2005-06-__ "Homeport"
• HF6.04 – 2005-08-12 "Beachhead"
• HF6.05 – 2005-09-28 "Vigil" - Voted best of season; tied for best overall episode
• HF6.06 – 2005-11-24 "Her Battle Lanterns Lit"

Season 7

Thrown into a war with sinister enemies, Starfleet and the members of the fleet attached to Deep Space Twelve fight for the safety of the Briar Patch and Federation. Shrouded by mystery and circled by villains with no remorse, the war is just beginning.

• HF7.01 – 2006-03-17 "Heavy Losses"
• HF7.02 – 2006-04-29 "Bound"
• HF7.03 – 2006-06-23 "Past Sins"
• HF7.04 – 2006-09-01 "Hearts And Minds"
• HF7.05 – 2006-11-23 "The Widening Gyre" - Music composed by Patrick Vogler
• HF7.06 – 2007-01-19 "Things Fall Apart"
• HF7.07 – 2007-03-17 "The Center Cannot Hold" - Music composed by Dex Craig
• HF7.08 – 2007-05-19 "Its Hour Come Round At Last" (series finale)

See also

• Star Trek fan productions

External links

Media

• 06/18/2006 Mention in New York Times article
• 06/19/2006 Featured on NBC, The Today Show
• 07/07/2006 Featured on National ABC, affiliates and ABC Video on demand.
• 09/06/2006 Featured on BBC.
• LA Times

Official websites

• Star Trek: Hidden Frontier website
• Hidden Frontier/Odyssey/Helena Chronicles series wiki encyclopedia
• Star Trek: Hidden Frontier at the Internet Movie Database (as a single title, not a series)