"Seeing in the Dark" -- a Star Trek fan production

[@Potemkin1711]

In 2015, word came suddenly and unexpectedly that Potemkin Pictures was relocating from Albany, Georgia, to Birmingham, Alabama. With barely any time to pack up the studio, we moved to the suburb of Pelham Alabama, came back and salvaged two truckloads of materials from Studio 2, and went back to Pelham to set up house and to create Studio 3. Only a handful of actors were able to transition with us to Birmingham, and so I reached out to Star Trek fans in the area to see if they would be interested in helping create a new fan film. The response was overwhelming, and we ended up immediately creating not one but two Star Trek fan film series: Starship Tristan and Starship Deimos. The majority of the Project: Potemkin cast were incorporated into Starship Tristan, and once the sets were built in Studio 3 (a boathouse atop a mountain, of all places), filming on both productions began at roughly the same time. Each production filmed every other month, so that we were going to shoot around four episodes each per year. And over five years, we did shoot twenty episodes for each, along with a handful of other productions including Hospital Ship Marie Curie, Starship Endeavour, Starship Alexander, Starship Triton, and Battlcruiser Kupok. Five years later, it was time to move again, this time to Lexington, Kentucky, and in a house that had a full basement capable of serving proudly as Studio 4. Even fewer actors from Birmingham followed us up to Lexington, but those that did comprised the crew of the Starship Deimos. Tristan, Marie Curie, Kupok, Endeavour, and Alexander were let go. We had footage from a partially filmed Starship Tristan, and Rick Foxx was able to assemble it into the wonderful "36 Hours" during the COVID epidemic. Terrell Manasco (who not only appeared in episodes of Kupok, Endeavour and Triton, but also filmed and directed a number of episodes, including Starship Tristan, and even wrote/co-wrote a couple of scripts) wanted to continue producing Star Trek fan films, as did several of the key cast members of Starship Tristan. We had discussions for several months, and were working on a way of bringing Tristan back. At that time, Steve Gallant had been doing graphic animations for the digital photo frames on our set, and had discussed doing a digital background for the Tristan bridge. In late 2022, it was decided to film a new Tristan fan film in Alabama, shot almost entirely with a green screen, except for one scene to be filmed at a remote location serving as the “planet surface.” The Tristan shoot, directed by Terrell, would serve as a “test run” to determine if a digital background of the ship’s bridge could be integrated with the actors in a realistic manner. While the actors were shooting scenes, Steve Gallant began to design a 3D mockup of a bridge and briefing room ‘set’. The software gave him the ability to move the ‘camera’ around so that reasonable angles of the backgrounds could be achieved that would marry up with the camera footage. The overall aesthetic and layout of TRISTAN’s upgraded concept bridge and briefing room were approved by Director Terrell Manasco and Executive Producer Randall Landers. Once principal photography was completed, the raw video files were shared with Steve Gallant, who started a rough assembly cut of this footage. When this was completed, he was able to grab appropriate backgrounds of the newly designed bridge and briefing room for compositing into the film. Animated graphics were either adapted or newly created that presented the ‘back wall’ of TRISTAN’s bridge, in a single, utilitarian style display. The idea was the main bridge stations (e.g. sciences, engineering, tactical, etc.) would be in a line along the back. Helm and navigation sat in their traditional starship positions in front of the on-set captain’s chair. Once the composting was completed, subtle color grading and lighting effects were added to complete the overall appearance. The exterior farmland and house footage was subtly enhanced with color grading, atmospheric “particles” and ambient sound effects. Planetary rings were added to the sky to give it an alien world feel. The interior shots were enhanced with some VFX to animate the doctor’s hand-held scanner, and to add some blur to an actor’s eyes to simulate blindness. The ‘rebooted’ TRISTAN production is Potemkin Pictures’ first production rendered and distributed in 4K. If the episode is deemed a success by producers, it will hopefully spawn more episodes filmed and edited in the same way. It will also require the designs of more 3D interiors of TRISTAN, so other locations can be depicted in the storytelling. So enjoy now, this proof-of-concept film...

[@andytay5507]

Thanks for all that detail! As a Trekker since '66 and an engineer, that appeals to fans like me.

[@davemac2580]

I'm just a time passenger on the Star ship Potemkin.

[@BradSaintGeorge]

You guys rock. Keep up the good work. Glad you were able to salvage some of your stuff. Looking forward to more episodes! : )

[@drmayeda1930]

Pretty good but the audio in the studio needs a little work it has an odd hollow sound to it It sounds like it was filmed in an empty building.

[@Potemkin1711]

@@drmayeda1930 It was filmed in a community center. We have made some improvements to the Tristan group's audio equipment that we hope will work better.

[@DanielVance]

Always a pleasure to watch a Potemkin story unfold.

[@ChristinaMoore79]

"And please don't break my ship." "No promises." Frickin' GOLD! And I loved how y'all tapped into an old story and made it new, and how you pressed the truth that even with advanced technology, we can't solve every problem we face. Well done. Also, I loved seeing the Tristan group back again.

[@v.sandrone4268]

I agree though the reference to god left a bad taste in my mouth as I like my optimistic utopian future secular.

[@ChristinaMoore79]

@@v.sandrone4268 Even in an "optimistic utopian future" there are sure to be people who believe in God.

[@joshuairwin2016]

Superb Production! Interesting story. I'm a big fan of the Constellation Class, so I'm glad you were able to revisit the series! Loved the digital sets. They had a very unique feel to them!

[@DanielVance]

You finished it just before me.

[@drmayeda1930]

It's not a Constitution class ship. It has 4 warp nacelles not two. It resembles the USS stargazer but the primary hull is different with the numbered cargo bays.

[@joshuairwin2016]

@@drmayeda1930 I said Constellation Class not Constitution. The USS Stargazer was Constellation Class.

[@calanon534]

Awesomesauce. I like seeing a _Constellation-class_ ship in a prime role. Well done. The story was pretty good, and there was a lesson learned - all the hallmarks of good Trek.

[@Telemachus2814]

Hell yeah, let's go! Always a good day when you get a Project Potemkin video.

[@JoeCannon1]

Ditto that :)

[@FPjr-filkferretproductions]

Great job as always. I always love seeing the offerings from Potemkin :) Good to see Tristen still producing quality content.

[@mkendallpk4321]

Very interesting story with a realistic ending. No TV happy ending here. Just one that makes this episode come to life!

[@brunozeigerts6379]

Not every story has a happy ending... how true. Not every episode of the original series did... like City on the Edge of Forever. Love the shout-out to This Side of Paradise.

[@cwtnc]

A cool story. Love the CGI for the ship interior.

[@andytay5507]

Interesting side note: Many years later Capt. Geordi Laforge retransplanted the colonists and their offspring after giving them implants like his own with the help of Dr. Crusher.😉

[@Potemkin1711]

Possibly. :)

[@troopercapp]

Thank you for your fine effort!

[@wernerlouderback6796]

We can't always cure and fix everything, but we should do the best we can. 🤔

[@janetbailey3804]

LOVE THAT CAPTAIN, NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE NEW BRIDGE STAFF, BUT LOVE THE TRISTAN SURE I WILL COME TO KNOW THEM BETTER!!!GARY BAILEY KING OF DARKNESS

[@Potemkin1711]

Most of them appeared in Tristan and Deimos episodes from 2015 until 2020.

[@drmayeda1930]

I recognized two faces, the captain and Hrssa, from older episodes. Too bad we lost the Kupok. That was an interesting change up. That one episode where the Kupok made a Cameo in a Tristain episode. I wonder if Potemkin 1717 would consider a cameo on SNW if the show continues. The Cerritos needs to sort of escort the Tristen to a colony in a sensitive area Starfleet wants to avoid trouble.

[@josephtoucheck6135]

A well written but sad story. Very compelling though. Hopefully Starfleet Medical finds a cure. Tristan is a great ship and I love The Captain, she's Foxy!🌹❤🖖

[@larrygrebler5054]

Very interesting story. I just wish it had been longer. After reading the comment below I understand why it couldn't be. Live long and prosper, and good luck with your future projects, I'm sure they will be great.

[@Potemkin1711]

This is part one of a three part story arc.

[@larrygrebler5054]

@@Potemkin1711 Okay cool!

[@drmayeda1930]

CBS would need to adjust the fanfic guidelines to let fans make longer stories. Paramount had a problem with an Axnar video and lowered the boom. I think 20 minutes might be better. Compared to the paramount projects were doing, fanfic might be a better option. Things are coming around but rhey have a lot of work to do to rehab their reputation in the hard core Star Trek community.

[@DMSProduktions]

Cool!

[@thecopycat7153]

Beaming down to the planet to find everyone has gone blind those people might need to use visors just like la forge did in seven seasons of ST TNG and the movie ST GENERATIONS before he became a commandor.

[@Potemkin1711]

Quite possibly. Stay tuned.

[@jackieanderson9408]

This was sweet 🎂

[@JB-ym4up]

🖖

[@DarrenHughes-Hybrid]

I appreciate the effort. Nice short story and like others have said; not every story has a happy ending. Beyond that, would you want an honest critique? To help you improve I mean.

[@charleshareford8713]

I also agree with many others that Potemkin is a good project, however you guys should do some soundproofing to your sets. The obvious echo immediately tells the listener that you are recording your dialog in an empty room. Something simple like carpet on the walls and ceiling will dampen this echo and give the proper effect. Keep up the good work producing interesting story lines.

[@Potemkin1711]

This episode was shot in an empty school cafeteria with the air conditioning running as opposed to our studio in Kentucky. We were aware of the risk of having poor sound, and took many steps to alleviate the issue, but were clearly unsuccessful.

[@Potemkin1711]

@@roberthousedorfii1743 Probably not.

[@allencolvin5231]

I am blind. I have been blind since birth. If I were thrust into the story, what would happen to me? Would I be (relocated)? Could this be why seven, eight, 9 million out of 10 million in the United States of America are unemployed because blindness is looked at this way? 10 million strong is my population of my people in the United States of America who happen to be of work age. They say the statistics indicate only a 70% unemployment rate. I know different. Will it be the same in the 23rd or 24th century for those who cannot be (cured) of their blindness? Perhaps I think too much. Good thing this isn’t real and it’s a good thing that if it were real there might yet be technological advancements, allowing me some sort of vision, like on Star Trek the next generation. It has been said this is a good story with no happy endings. That may be the perception of some. For me this is just scary. The blind in this episode don’t even have a voice. Just a footnote. Just a relocation. Yet, success to your endeavors. Keep striving to make Star Trek fan fiction. It honors the creator of Star Trek and brings many people joy including myself. Even though not quite so hip on this particular episode. But that’s my personal problem. Offense is a choice and I choose not to be offended.

[@Potemkin1711]

As noted in Star Trek, both the original series and The Next Generation, had blind characters. Dr. Miranda Jones had her sensor web. Geordi LaForge had his visor. In Encounter at Farpoint, there appears to be a blind Vulcan child as well, although that has been debated. But blindness is not the end. Dr. Jones still has a career, as does Geordi. In this episode, a small colony has been stricken blind by unknown means. What would happen if a small city on present-day Earth were stricken blind? What would happen to its people, who went from sighted to unsighted overnight? In Star Trek's time, we hope that most of them will, through surgical means, regain their sight. But the fact remains: their lives, their community, have been totally disrupted. They will be relocated to a starbase to receive treatment, and even then, the treatment may not work (as noted by the doctor). In Star Trek, we always hope for a happy ending. But the point of this episode, and as is often the case of reality, there is no happy ending. These people's lives have been changed forever, overnight, without warning. What will become of them? We don't know. That story hasn't been written yet. All we (and they) can have is hope.

[@allencolvin5231]

@@Potemkin1711 I absolutely love that. You are absolutely right, there are no happy endings, therefore the episode is a good reality check. We are along for happy endings. Sometimes we have to make the happy endings, and just like in real life, the story is not written yet. Let us therefore write our stories and write them well so that we might honor, those who dwell with us in our paths and lives for goodness ,kindness, we all do strive.

[@markzambelli]

Brilliant, simply brilliant, thankyou peeps. (Am I correct in assuming this is episode 'T22')

[@Potemkin1711]

It is indeed, T22. ;)

[@markzambelli]

@@Potemkin1711 Thankyou so much... I couldn't see it in the description🥰

[@Potemkin1711]

@@markzambelli I forgot to add it. It should be there now.

[@markzambelli]

@@Potemkin1711 Thankyou again... and thankyou for keeping on making these episodes and inviting us along for the ride🖖

[@Potemkin1711]

@@markzambelli Thank you for watching. We have a blast making all our productions. We're glad we have fellow Star Trek fans to share them with, and a means of sharing them!

[@robertwheeler5125]

love the video, but 5 commercials in 10 mins...

[@Potemkin1711]

Wow, im sorry to hear this. To be clear, we have no control over the commercials in our films. In fact, I highly recommend getting KZbin Premium. Commercials literally were driving me crazy before I got that service (I watch every Star Trek fan film when they're released, and hundreds of others monthly). There's a try-it-for- free-for-a-month option, too. Above all, bear in mind that Potemkin Pictures is not monetized, and we make nothing on the our films nor on the commercials you're watching.

[@vargr]

Too short.

[@Potemkin1711]

Always leave them wanting more. ;)