"Butterfly Effect" -- a Star Trek fan production

Cast more than three decades into the past, the crew of the Starship Deimos confronts a terrible choice where the universe as they know it hangs in the balance. What would you do when you come face to face with history?
Starring Victoria Avalon as Captain Gabriel, Jim Brucke as Executive Officer Klawitter, Lee Drew as Security Chief Drogo, Robin Rushing as Science Officer Robinson, Tuck Stevens as Tactical Officer Harper. Guest starring Ichabod Temperance as Romulan Commander T'rance and Ann Elliott Drew as Sub-Lieutenant Tezak. Featuring Renda Carr as Doctor Maura Drake, Timothy Carr as Comm Officer Faron, Brett Harris as Helm Cadet Watson, Pamela J. Herald as Yeoman Travers, Melissa Paul as Engineer Sylyna, and Cheryl Sahawneh as Navigator Katar.
Written by Victoria Avalon. VFX by Ross Trowbridge. Music by Chris Kroznuski. Directed and Edited by Randall Landers. Associate Producer & Webmaster: Michael Day. Assistant Producers: Lee Drew & Chris Kroznuski. Co-Producers: Tuck Stevens & Victoria Avalon. Producer: David A. MacKenzie. Co-Executive Producer: Rick Foxx. Executive Producer: Randall Landers.
Produced by the Starship Deimos Creative Group
from POTEMKIN PICTURES

[@Reziac]

This is one of the best I've seen. Tough choices and absolutely no cop-outs. Brought a tear to my eye. Bravo, one and all.

[@ronhanks4610]

One of things that I was taught in command training, was that sometimes you have to make the tough decisions and just accept what it is. Well done my friends 👍👍😎

[@williammaddock9179]

Even though I wish it could have been longer, Two Thumbs WAY UP!

[@silvereagle2061]

Wow what an emotional episode. "Doomsday Machine" is my favorite episode and having to live it over again and leave those people to their fate, well it brought tears to my eyes.

[@markbishop9743]

The quality of this episode and the intricate writing has me wondering one thing. Why hasn't CBS put you under contract for any of the various Star Trek's that are being produced today ? Well done Victoria and the entire cast

[@DMSProduktions]

LOL!

[@markbishop9743]

I wasn't trying to be funny I was being serious

[@DMSProduktions]

@@markbishop9743 I know you were, I just loled at the irony of your comment! I thought you sounded like more of those, 'Discovery/Picard, is not 'Trek'' losers! I appologise if this is not the case.

[@cpuwrite]

@@DMSProduktions With all due respect, I believe that those "losers" are entitled to their opinion even if I do not happen to share it--and I don't.

[@drmayeda1930]

Problem is Victoria would need to change focus. They don't want a well written star trek story. They want something to cram a certain philosophy down the viewers throat but make it loosely based on star trek. Even if they only use 0.50 - 1% of it

[@anthonylowder6687]

I like that warp effect at the beginning

[@rons9946]

this is to cool for words great job people great job

[@patricklynch1962]

Excellent work by everyone involved! The storytelling was excellent, in the best Trek tradition. It reminds me in the best way of the dilemma faced by the captain of the U.S.S. Nimitz upon discovering his ship has arrived at December 6th, 1941 and the chance to save people who died in the attack on Pearl Harbour. (The Final Countdown, Kirk Douglas, 1980) Two captains, centuries apart, reach the same conclusion.

[@MatthewCaunsfield]

That sun looks gorgeous!

[@CZ350tuner]

The "butterfly Effect" comes from a short sci-fi story called, "A Sound Like Thunder", where a company takes hunters back to the Jurassic era to hunt specially marked already doomed dinosaurs, from hovering walkways, from which the hunters are forbidden to leave. One disobeys the rules and goes for a walk, treading on a butterfly. This eventually causes the development of writing with ink on paper, because early inks were developed from the crushed wings of a species of butterfly that would have evolved from the dead butterfly. On returning to the future, the hunting party notices a vastly changed world. The guide sees the dead butterfly, on the idiot hunter's boot, points his massive dinosaur hunting gun at him and pulls the trigger, "And there was a sound like thunder".

[@markfergerson2145]

“A sound *of* thunder” by Ray Bradbury. One of the seminal modern time travel stories.

[@lorcis1]

this deserves more views

[@jwc00789]

Excellent and very well done! She kept the Temporal Prime Directive!

[@Raggedymannn]

Super story, well done by all from writing to end results, thank you all so much for all your heart and creative sole, winners all every episode, thank you all for your expertise and bringing the story to life being the characters and the focal point clearly acted out superb Star Trek in perfection

[@williammitchell4417]

Fascinating. Repeating the events of Doomsday Machine in the same vane as the movie the Final Countdown. As well as Yesterday's Enterprise.

[@donaldhiles_k9sgz428]

Excellent story, cast was superb, kudos to the Captain for her great performance. Good job all. 💕

[@Lyraa357]

An ethical tightrope handled very well, asking all the right questions. Especially when some of the people involved directly affected your own future self. There would be no way for someone's else's future not to be harmed if the Captain resolved her own personal heartbreaks. The universe demands balance - birth, death.

[@JB-ym4up]

One of my favorite star fleet captains. Great work Again As usual 👍🖖

[@claudeduda3607]

Good job

[@yeldarbarrow3172]

A scene chewing Romulan and Captain Uncle Martin? What's not to love?!?

[@rahadyans199]

You all have created some powerful fan films, but this one was particularly resonant for me. There are many people I love whom I would gladly save if I could go back in time. Thank you for this. Blessings to all of you and your families and loved ones this holiday season and New Year.

[@Potemkin1711]

I think that's part of the reason this one appeals to so many. The cast did a wonderful job with Victoria's script as well.

[@garyk3478]

The way I figure, change time and probably hundreds of people who were in the time they know will never have been born. They didn't sign up for those risks, and the crew of the Constellation did. Unless there was a way to unobtrusively rescue those people, the captain did the best she could. But putting the captain and crew into a tough decision like that makes for a good episode, IMHO. Thank you for sharing it with us!

[@robertf3479]

Situations requiring the toughest decisions often produced the best Star Trek stories.

[@nevaehlumiere5418]

I am reminded of the great wisdom of Master Ugway: "one often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it". How did she know she wasn't part of the other ships future???

[@TheChoiceVoice]

A truly great episode.

[@scififan90]

Great episode - the Doomsday Machine is one of my all time favorites and you paid great homage to it - bravo to all involved !

[@justins.1283]

Great story living up to the standards set in the original series!

[@MissMarinaCapri]

Thank you for sharing this fanfiction favorite genre of science fiction, Star Trek. Here is an interesting perspective. An act of kindness reverberates throughout history in positive ways. It is enough for evil to flourish when good people do nothing.

[@ChongcharoenSornkaewPok]

Excellent! Love it!

[@GeorgeKayaian]

Wow! Great episode-- proud of you guys! Loved the story and the production values. Good job by the cast, as always!

[@Potemkin1711]

thanks, George! That means a lot to us!

[@JB-ym4up]

GEORGE!! 🖖

[@GeorgeKayaian]

@@JB-ym4up --Greetings!

[@JoeCannon1]

Thanks for another well written and acted episode. I’m sure the pandemic makes doing these extra challenging. Your efforts are appreciated 🖖

[@hosermandeusl2468]

The "Tough Choice" left out the option of transporting the doomed crew to the cargo bay, isolating them & then going back to the future where they would have no "butterfly effect". Too bad, would have been a warm & fuzzy ending...

[@markfergerson2145]

That’s exactly what I thought of. Fulfill your duty, without screwing up,your past. However, the Captain of the Connie would not remember his crew dying…

[@robertf3479]

An excellent story, well produced and acted. The decision Captain Gabriel had to make, resisting the temptation to change history by aiding Commodore Decker and his crew would be wrenching no matter who had to take it. Personally I don't think I could have resisted the temptation to 'do something.' Even trying to beam Constellation survivors from the planet would pose risks.

[@bovnycccoperalover3579]

Great episode and done during a pandemic! Kudos! Well done!

[@Potemkin1711]

post-production was done during the pandemic, but we're hoping to restart production by the end of tjis month.

[@wooderdsaunders6801]

Love your videos. Can't wait until the next episode. Keep up the good work.

[@habituallearner7680]

Excellent! The writing and execution on your show is consistently excellent.

[@rez0071]

Great job

[@Protosaki]

thanks for your hard work guys!

[@wrightsublette1701]

Well Done! I really enjoyed your production, and I hope you have more stories in your pipeline. LLAP

[@Potemkin1711]

We only have one production left in post. We're hoping to get restarted filming by the end of June.

[@FQP-7024]

This is great i have no complaints about this

[@livenbelieve4819]

The score accompanying the conference room struggle of the Captain to take action or not - is very effective music selection ~~emotional and strong. Perfect 👌 Scores are so difficult! That scene it was at a level just right. We hear them speaking, .. as the score is subtle ... low in the background, so as to increase feeling without us necessarily knowing the music is there. 👏👏👏 The score ~~~ the unknown, invisible, actor peeking around the corner, whispering ...😯🧐 Funny, the success of the audio mixer is to be sneaky and imperceptible! LOL. Agh!, 🙄🤫😏😏🧐

[@robertgeiter7958]

Well done

[@andytay5507]

Almost thought I was watching Capt. Kirk giving that speech for a moment!

[@lorcis1]

gotta love star fleet just a thought, she could have rescued them and brought them to the future although of course the ship might not have made it to the future, tough choice, great show, well done all

[@deonmurphy6383]

Well done. Nice storytelling within the confines you have been given.

[@richardgroberto]

These keep getting better and better. Great work!

[@zollerdon]

Good show!

[@balventray]

Ace many thanks true star trek

[@Atlas_System01]

This is still one of the best releases of 2020. Even at the end of the year this fanfilm still holds up this is one production that will stand the test of time. That along with starship antyllus episode 17. Both production teams did amazing work. The future of Star Trek is pretty much in the hands of the fan film creators now as CBS keeps repeatedly missing the mark with episodes that are full of continuity errors and bad logic.

[@Atlas_System01]

The future of Star Wars will be bright but I don’t know how much longer official Star Trek can last if something doesn’t change and fast. The problem isn’t politics. The problem is that they don’t care enough. The team that’s currently working on the Star Wars tv shows cares a lot and that shows. It shows here too. These fan productions along with the IDW comics and STO are the last remnants of a once great franchise. We must continue making passion projects and sharing our love for Star Trek. Real Star Trek. Not Star Trek made by a soulless corporation who doesn’t care enough to hire people that actually care enough to make something good.

[@Atlas_System01]

And as far as I am concerned both these productions, starship antyllus and the Vance major films are real Star Trek.

[@wernerlouderback6796]

Thought provoking 🤔😁👍

[@bovnycccoperalover3579]

What if rescue the crew and somehow the "planet eater" isn't destroyed and continues eating planets because Kirk didn't figure out from Decker's sacrifice what to do. As tragic as was their choice, it was the right one. A very thought provoking episode.

[@jessewilson8676]

bovnyccc operalover there would not have been any “bodies” to find... just rescue the crew put them on your ship destroy the weapon after it destroys the planet return to present deliver the passengers back to earth... they will be younger then their children that were on earth at the time... would make for a reunion episode...

[@drmayeda1930]

The enterprise isn't in this equation. They arrived to find the third planet destroyed. They juyst need to shield their transporter emissions from the constellation. Rescue as many survivors as possible but keep them secure and warp them into the future. This would be in keeping with the temporal prime directive. The enterprise will arrive and find the third planet destroyed and assume the planet killer got them. They will need to create new identities so they can see their families again just like spock's "uncle" in TAS

[@nevaehlumiere5418]

Awwww man! I'm so disappointed! Not in the episode, but in the captains decision not to help! She could have brought the other crew forward with them and time would not have been altered. The ship disappeared 35 years ago and its survivors reappeared 35 years later... via this crew! Time wouldn't have been altered! Of course the crew from the lost ship would have returned to find their families and friends gone or older etc.

[@zemenerrichey1980]

I like the idea of the many worlds model of the Multi Verse. I like to think that she did save the crew, but we are only able to observe the time line where she chose not to.

[@mysoulwanders]

I like the addition of “Emergency Escape Hatches” But When the NCC-2787 gets its bridge refit, perhaps make it more easily accessible to the entire crew by not being blocked by workstations. Example being integrate into the floor, accessed via pocket door or iris mechanism.

[@Potemkin1711]

We actually use the escape hatches in a Tristan fan film. If they were in the floor, they wouldn've have worked. Our new bridge set here in Lexington may not have them.

[@mysoulwanders]

Potemkin1711 Perhaps on your new bridge set there in Lexington you all could relocate those hatches to the lower bottom left and right of the main view screen.

[@Potemkin1711]

@@mysoulwanders we will consider that. Thanks!

[@drmayeda1930]

@@Potemkin1711 The escape hatches are a little on the small size. Maybe just a door marked escape hatch that would lead to a lifepod. I think DS9 had good scenes with lifeboats. Voyager may have some scenes as there were a couple of times they had to abandon ship.

[@andytay5507]

@Potemkin1711:. I can't get that catchy theme song out of my head hours later: Da da da duh, di di di dum, di di di dum, di di di dum dum dum..... Now you prob. won't be able to either.

[@lorcis1]

subscribed

[@IrishWhiskeyParanormal]

But they had time travel. The crew could have been rescued from the planet and brought back 35 years to the future and the past would not have been affected. Just make sure Decker had been kept in the dark.

[@chrismayer3919]

Time is a funny thing; if you make a mistake in the past, you’ll want to go back in time to fix it. If you fix the mistake, you will never have made it. If you never made the mistake then there’s no reason to go back in time. If there’s no reason to go back in time, then you don’t… and the mistake STILL occurs! That’s called a chrono-paradox.

[@Adui13]

Well written, but I would have played it differently. If they rescued the crew of the constitution and then returned to their time, no changes would have been made to the timeline as the crew would not have been recovered till current time.

[@laser31415]

"don't you think I know that, they called me, they begged me".... Decker would have known. It took Decker, mad with grief, flying the shuttlecraft into it to give Spock/Kirk the clue to destroy it.

[@bryanttillman]

I don't get it; why don't she just beam the Constitutions' crew into the pattern buffer storage and take them back to her home timeline. There would be no change to the timeline and the crew would resume their lives in the near future....unable to return home, however.

[@Potemkin1711]

That technology of storing people in pattern buffers doesn't exist yet at this point in the Star Trek time frame.

[@DMSProduktions]

You KNOW what will happen, so do NOTHING!

[@01grhornet]

Well, they know what happened in the past. But do they change History , and thus their own future? Hard decision.

[@KingOfUtah100]

As with any fan film, I can deal with the acting, and the sets, you dont have JJ Abrams budget, but does every single person have to have a different uniform?I did like the way you wrote it just the same.

[@Potemkin1711]

we have variations on the same basic uniform. we're hoping to continue developing our wardrobe.

[@howardrobinson6598]

Going the Time Warp """"""""

[@DMSProduktions]

A-GAAAIIINNNN!

[@andytay5507]

@@DMSProduktions gotta love it when you're refered to in the same breath as a very famous production, eh?(Let's do the time warp, again!).

[@rons9946]

im first yeah me