Star Trek - Project: Potemkin "Third Watch" P25

Third Watch, the middle of the night for a starship; usually a quiet shift with little of consequence to do. But tonight, the Potemkin's third watch commander, Lieutenant Sara Rose Mallon, finds herself tested as things get interesting...
Starring Rachel Riemke as Third Watch Commander Mallon, Leslie Lewis as Security Officer Ava, Ande Ross as Tactical Officer Avery, Hannah Ruiz as Science Officer Spampinato, Ashley Longacre as Comm Officer Jameson, Eric Holt as Engineering Officer Sheppard, Christopher Gilstrap as Navigator Thrath, and Dakota Dodge as Helm Officer Burroughs. Featuring Jeff Green as Captain Grigory and John Wallace as Chief Engineer Mooney. Written, directed and edited by Randall Landers. Music by Tony Lunn. VFX by Chris Cameron. Produced by David A. MacKenzie. Co-Executive Producer Rick Foxx.

[@robertf3479]

I think that could qualify as the final exam to get LT Mallon out of whatever doghouse she had managed to land herself in. Speaking as a retired Navyman, judging from her personal log entry I'd say she's been standing '3rd watch' with this group for some time and has somehow managed to weld them into a team who trusted her and she trusted when it all hit the fan. As an aspiring author I must say this story was well written, I like it.

[@Potemkin1711]

Glad you enjoyed it. One of my favorites, too!

[@dwmartin6277]

I thought star fleethad physical standards. So many of these chicks are fat.

[@robertf3479]

@@dwmartin6277 You do realize that these folks are fans just as we are who have the chance to act out their dreams or fantasies and BE that Starfleet Officer for a little while. I'm happy for them that they had this opportunity. Please, take your 'shaming' comments down.

[@drmayeda1930]

Malon may not realize it but third watch is a good place for first watch candidates. They occasionally have situations that grow into something big. Malon will have something interesting to put in her report.

[@robertf3479]

@@Potemkin1711 I want to add this to go along with my first remark ... in real life, being entrusted with an independent watch as Officer of the Deck Underway (having 'the Conn' as Star Trek puts it) without the Captain or XO on the Bridge is a big step in any officer's 'Log Book' and career. I was never an officer so I never got the opportunity. Even though the Captain sleeps in his "Sea Cabin" just off the Bridge (consider it his "Ready Room," bunkroom with a desk and "Head,") the OOD is entrusted with the safety of the ship and everyone aboard her. LT Mallon would NOT be standing that watch if the Captain did not implicitly trust her judgement. The OOD has a small number of watchstanders on the Bridge with him or her. A helmsman (self explanatory,) a Quartermaster who assists in navigation, charting the ship's position and helps keep an eye on the radar repeater(s,) a 'Boatswains Mate of the Watch,' a Messenger of the Watch who often doubles up with the Quartermaster and as a Helmsman in training. Depending on the ship and the mission requirements additional personnel may be added. This does not include lookouts posted on the signal bridge (forward) or superstructure (aft.) All the watchstanders should function as a team, everyone backstopping and supporting everyone else with the OOD as the senior watchstander and in charge of the Bridge. As in Star Trek, the OOD has the authority to make changes to ship's course and speed on his or her own authority when events require it (i.e. to avoid running over or into something (like another ship)) or when required by the Captain's Night Orders ("at 0245 change course to zero one zero, increase speed to 25 knots. Inform me when on new course and speed.") The 'Captain's Night Orders' include everything the Skipper wants his Bridge team to be aware of or watch out for. Its most important function is to lay out the conditions or events the Captain wants to be called (woken) for, either to be informed of by intercom or to be called to the Bridge, such as another ship estimated to be closing on our ship, another warship is sighted within "X" distance whether closing or not, and so on. The best Night Order I've ever read is one used by every skipper I ever served at sea under. Paraphrasing, "If you are ever in doubt whether or not you should call me ... CALL ME." Unlike Star Trek, the Captain is on duty 24/7/365 when the ship is at sea or while on board in port. He or she would rather lose a couple of hours sleep than lose his or her ship. I have never once heard of a Captain chewing out a watchstander who called him, even if it eventually turned out to be a false alarm.

[@iowanforjustice5656]

The acting Captain does an excellent job acting she is great the whole crew’s acting was great! Excellent story line too. However the captain wouldn’t say carry on 😓 that part was unrealistic. However the Acting Captain impressed me! I enjoyed her directness and her acting confidence was superb. All in All EXCELLENT PRODUCTION!

[@Potemkin1711]

It's one of my favorites!

[@iowanforjustice5656]

@@Potemkin1711 I agree! She knew her lines. She pulled it off! She was amazing. The dialogue was very funny. You ain’t gotta tell me twice. Hilarious 😂

[@jv-lk7bc]

every now and then you gotta tweak the rules just slightly ...I mean, as if TOS never gave us a wink...or a raised eyebrow.

[@jv-lk7bc]

"the child was named Leonard James Ak'Aar?"

[@kellyrayburn4093]

Very good episode. The officer sitting in the center seat deserves an Executive Officer's berth. Given some seasoning, she will make a great captain. No-nonsense, decisive and knows how to use her personnel resources. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@Potemkin1711]

+Kelly Rayburn Thank you for the feedback!

[@Jeng4280]

I like the Lieutenant in the Captain’s seat. She’s no nonsense. Reminds me of Janeway’s command stance. 😁👍🏻🖖🏻 Love it. Great episode.

[@Potemkin1711]

This is one of my personal favorites as well!

[@andytay5507]

I said the same thing. perhaps shes Janeways mother?

[@michaelaldredge-greenwell1692]

@@andytay5507 could be🤔🤔

[@randylanders3741]

+Dude Spock Depends. Most of them were made following the B&W reference materials available on Cygnux X1 and animated by our volunteers. A few were created from scratch. A few were used with permission from creators like Keiichi at Deviant Art.

[@ankoutechnica8211]

Very well done! Technically speaking, possibly the smoothest episode I've seen so far. Nothing in it was obvious to me as "fan made". Rachel Riemke as Lt. Mallon did an outstanding job. The character came across as very credibly being a competent officer dealing with an unexpected hostile encounter, and the storyline showed her observing chain of command and interacting well with the bridge crew. Whatever the events were that resulted in her getting booted to the Potemkin, one gets the feeling that freezing up under pressure was NOT one of them. Bravo.

[@Potemkin1711]

Rachel did a fantastic job, and it was always a pleasure working with her.

[@stephenleedle6931]

My feeling is she isn't landed "in some doghouse" situation because she did something wrong. She needed to be transferred to a ship with a crew tough enough to execute her direct but excellent command style! Whatever it is, this is one of the best of many great stories told about the Potemkins's crew, told by the people behind Project Potemkin!

[@johnvaldez8830]

What a great strategy! Beat them with their own torpedo!!! As always, very entertaining fan feature...I love it :D

[@randylanders3741]

John Valdez Glad to hear it!

[@michaelaldredge-greenwell1692]

Absolutely beautiful, brilliant, wonderful episode!! This young lieutenant is beautiful, noble, wise, strong, & I love how she & her crew quickly & decisively problem solved the pesky Romulan problem. Using their own weapons to swat that Romulan ship just like a fly😁😁👍👍!! I especially loved the KA-BOOM😁😁😁😁❤️❤️❤️❤️!! I believe she’s going to make a great Captain someday soon! I’d serve with her

[@drmayeda1930]

The lieutenant may not be aware of it but third watch is an ideal place for someone to go before being moved to first watch. It is easier to adapt a person's natural biorhythms.

[@jv-lk7bc]

That was the right balance in a fan film between accurate and cute. you obviously had a blast making every fan's daydream... "oh, well, carry on, then .. "

[@rabbidonngross5886]

Perhaps, at least part of the Kobayashi Maru test was just solved! I think the Navigator should be advanced to Captain! He saved the day! Nice job on the production! Sensors say my heart was beating faster!

[@Potemkin1711]

Glad you enjoyed the film! I love the ensemble of characters we've put together. The cast makes it easy for us to tell good stories.

[@templar501]

and here i am...still watching this...

[@davideversole9767]

Great all around. Outstanding performance by Ms. Riemke

[@funzjag]

Nice! Short, sweet, and full of action!

[@Potemkin1711]

Keep it short and sweet!

[@bovnycccoperalover3579]

Trail by Fire! Great!

[@rahadyans199]

Glad I read the other comments first because I was just about to post the same thing about night watches (or gamma- or even delta-shift) being just as important as daywatch/alpha-shift. I can see that Grigory's intent was not to punish Mallon, but to give her valuable experience. I can imagine Mallon becoming a CO somewhere down the line. Great episode! I remember in at least one fan film (not one of yours) where they represented the late watch as having only an OOD, helmsman, navigator, and comms officer. If they had to get other people there during an alert, valuable time would be wasted in responding to an urgent situation.

[@Potemkin1711]

We postulate that there are three watches, and all are fully manned.

[@karaoke18south96]

keep them coming!!!! enjoyed this one!! very good story line. and for most well played

[@randylanders3741]

karaoke18 south Thanks! We're nearly ready with our next one!

[@markbishop9743]

The story was suspenseful and well-acted by the entire crew. Look forward to seeing many more sounds thank you for all you do

[@wsims257]

Well done good sir

[@Potemkin1711]

wsims257 Thanks, Wil!

[@wernerlouderback6796]

Lt Mallon didn’t do bad 😁👍

[@zoppie]

Never give up! Never surrender!

[@Potemkin1711]

zoppie Never have, never will. :)

[@davemac2580]

Potemkin1711 By Grabthar's Hammer, they kicked the Romulan's tail!

[@Potemkin1711]

Yes, they did.

[@JoeCannon1]

Rachael did a great job as LT. let’s see more of her 🖖

[@Potemkin1711]

We're relocating our studios to Lexington Kentucky. Maybe we can get her onboard again!

[@JoeCannon1]

@@Potemkin1711 Great! Have a fun move to Kentucky too!

[@drmayeda1930]

If she was in the dog house, this is a good step to getting out. Third watch is good for training in routine operations.

[@stevejeter330]

Well done

[@FiveofDave]

Well done! Fun and substantial at once.

[@Potemkin1711]

thanks - it's one of my favorite shows

[@InventorZahran]

What are we waiting around for? Get moving, people!

[@wu3705]

Feisty!!! :D

[@imkluu]

Tho this is well done, the premise of third or night watch makes no sense on a star ship where there is no 'night' and all watches are equally as likely to have something happen as any other time because encounters in space are not relative to the cycle of a planet, all times are just as likely to have an encounter with something or a problem as any other time while in space. There is also one problem. A plasma torpedo is unable to travel or follow at warp. If the ship could go to warp then it could elude the plasma torpedo and its damage would dissipate to a fairly harmless yield after a few minutes.

[@Potemkin1711]

+imkluu Thanks for the feedbac! The original series and the movies set in that era had night watches. We were just following the precedent. Interestingly enough, many fan film series employ the same approach. Re: the plasma torpedo. That's a movie era improvement over the old plasma torpedoes, much like the Klingon bop could use its cloaking device and still fire its weapons in STVI: TUC.

[@laser31415]

Yea, after working night shift for +25 years, what's wrong with night shift? Your sitting in the Big Chair, be happy your there.

[@Potemkin1711]

Lewis Burmeister I agree completely, buy Lieutenant Mallon does not. ;)

[@drmayeda1930]

I just found this but the idea of "night watch" and the dimming of lights durring these times is to help the body clock of ships personel so rhey can maintain maximum efficency. It also allows the captain some flexibility. The captain showing up early for his shift so he can get a glimpse of how things are going. Third watch is a good place to put someone till their skills and attitude show their ready for working with the captain on first shift

[@MeBeTheDB]

In writing terms ... the Romulans were 'Hoist by their own Petard ...' or rather -- 'Live by the sword, die by the sword ...' Cool little slice of life aboard the Potemkin. BRAVO-! If I may, and this is a director friend talking .... consider Season 1 of TOS ... and recall that during the 'night' -- the lights on the bridge were darker. With pools of light for thems working to think 'night' and thus have a feeling of a 24 hour day. In the future, get some adjustable clip on lights you can iris down and dim. As I've taught new cameramen & directors ... 'First, turn off all the lights and then what is the moments you need to realize ...? Only then ... you begin lighting.' Keep at it guys -- you have fans & friends who enjoy your efforts ... D.A.

[@Potemkin1711]

We definitely will be working on the lighting for our new series. thanks for the recommendations!

[@MeBeTheDB]

Potemkin1711 Please let me know if I can be assistance of 'How-to' make it all cool and pretty. It's what I do ... and I'd be honored to put some 'water back into the well' for your most excellent efforts in the name of TREK. D.A.

[@randylanders3741]

MeBeTheDB Contact me at [e-mail], and let me know what you've got in mind!

[@LucDevine]

lol I can't remember ever seeing such temperament issues displayed from a canon Trek bridge officer.

[@Potemkin1711]

Luke Devine This character is unlike what we've seen, certainly.

[@DMSProduktions]

Good job! KEEP Trekkin'!

[@Potemkin1711]

***** Thanks! We're really proud of this one!

[@DMSProduktions]

Potemkin1711 Good tactical move by the Lieutenant!

[@randylanders3741]

***** Yes, it was!

[@andytay5507]

@DMSproduktions: Darn it! Now I can't get that Star Trekkin song by The Firm out of my head.

[@andytay5507]

Was that Janeways mother? Smart as a whip!

[@Potemkin1711]

Thie episode is just a reminder that none of the female roles in our productions are weak women.

[@marcparella]

My constant complaint about the evolution of Star Trek is that it turned out to be a never-ending reenactment of the HMS Hood vs. Bismarck naval battles from WWII. The series ended up becoming engulfed in geo-political themes and endless warring. Is that our future? Here's a premise for you: "Star Ship Potemkin receives a distress call from a planet where a race of beings are so advanced they are invisible, except for the ability to plant images and ideas in the minds of anyone who comes in contact. Unlike the Talosians from the Cage episode from TOS, these beings are completely invisible and seemingly benevolent. However the Potemkin uncovers the real reason they are called to the planet: the population is in civil war and needs to replenish new minds/bodies to fight their war. The crew must be able to discern fantasy from reality to figure out how to end the war and escape from the planet."

[@Potemkin1711]

1) well, by posting the story idea, we can't use it! never post them to open forums. Contact us first and we'll send you a release so we can consider a story idea. 2) We've only had two episodes with space battles out of the 27 we have on-line. Definitely not what you can call a trend. ;)

[@marcparella]

Potemkin1711: I don't care if you use the story line or not. It really isn't very original. If you know your science fiction literature, it almost mirrors the story in Forbidden Planet. The reason I posted it was to inspire Trek Fan Based production to produce more-engaging and thought-provoking content. I know criticism isn't always something we want to read/hear, but the alternative is indifference and neglect, and star ships blowing each other up isn't very imaginative story telling.

[@Potemkin1711]

+Marc Parella I would say it's something we rarely engage in ourselves. We'd much rather tell science fiction stories like "Ashes," "The Night the Stars Fell from the Sky" and "Holding Pattern." Those are the sort of episodes Potemkin is known for.

[@richardgroberto]

super!

[@dudespock5651]

Another awesome episode (as usual). Just one question though, which has been bugging me for a while. Where did you download the 23rd century LCARS? I've been looking for a long time and can't find any. Anyway, I love your series. Keep up the good work.

[@surplusgavids]

That was enjoyable. A little bit more interpersonal reaction between the crew would have been nice. This played a bit like bridge commander type computer game. Also it was weird when the female officer in the background was talking to the captain and half her face was out of the shot. Over all it was good for a fan film and I like how they used the Romulans weapons against them. I also noticed a 24th century Defiant class red alert klaxon. But isnt this set in the 23rd century? The set looks great if a little bit too brightly lit. The computer graphics look good. The CGI is great too and the sound was faultless. Well done guys

[@Potemkin1711]

Hey, thanks for the feedback. Glad you enjoyed the episode. The series is currently six years after ST:TUC, so there's some overlap in tech, including sound. Interesting comment about the lighting. We'll have to address that with the new sets.

[@surplusgavids]

Potemkin1711 Yeah the lighting is a bit too bright throughout. I think that especially during red alert the lighting needs to change to set a moodier atmosphere. The set looks great in any light though. I look forward to more. How did you add the CGI computer panels? They look added on after filming .

[@Potemkin1711]

surplusgavids Yes, they're animations added in post production. We're hoping our new sets here in Birmingham will have monitors that display the graphics. We have the monitors; just need to figure out how to do it without buying nine computers, LOL

[@QuorkQTar]

Great as usual =)

[@Potemkin1711]

QuorkQTar Thanks. Very proud of this one.

[@freddybonilla2472]

I'm starting to think it's a series which it is