Star Trek: Hidden Frontier – 102 – Enemy Unknown Part 2

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Star Trek fan series have multiplied around the web like rabbits on Viagra. The pioneering series that showed fan films can have story arcs, recurring characters, and good computer graphics was Hidden Frontier. A spin-off of a private series known as Voyages of the USS Angeles, which you can only see if you know someone who worked on it or at a lucky screening, Hidden Frontier became an epic series on its own, and helped inspire many other fan productions. The production lasted seven seasons, and spawned several other Trek series and even an original science fiction series. Like all projects, there is improvement over time, one that mirrors the actual Star Trek series as well. Early episodes of The Next Generation are laughable, and Enterprise was almost unwatchable until season three. As TarsTarkas.NET will be covering the entire run of Hidden Frontier episodes, we have to start at the beginning. A beginning that will look pretty bad once we get to later productions. But a beginning never the less. There is no shame in these being not technologically sound. Judging the earlier episodes, we will keep in mind the technology of the time. The important thing is if the show is entertaining, not if the makeup is professional. That is the main criterion in which we will be making our judgments. Superb CGI effects cannot save a terrible script. But if things are fun, we have nothing to fear.

Episodes of Hidden Frontier are available online at HiddenFrontier.com. You can also see their other series and participate in their forums. All of this stuff is free, so you got to give them props for having so much free entertainment.

Things to know:
USS Excelsior – The USS Excelsior is a Galaxy-class III dreadnought that looks suspiciously like the Future Enterprise from the episode All Good Things…. It is the flagship for Captain Knapp as he spreads his anger across the Briar Patch and gets into fights with Blue Space Jawas.
Deep Space 12 – Deep Space 12 is the new starbase built to deal with the Ba’ku stuff from Star Trek: Insurrection. Captain Knapp is in charge, and we don’t see much inside the station this season.
Briar Patch – The Briar Patch is a region in Sector 441 made of supernovae remains, false vacuum fluctuations, metaphasic radiation and planets including the Ba’ku planet. It was was seen in Star Trek: Insurrection. Most of the action takes place in this area, because fans demanded more information about the Ba’ku. By fans I mean they just built off the last movie (at the time) because Voyager was too terrible to use at all.

Anything else we will cover as we go along, or you can just spend time browsing the Memory Alpha website if you aren’t a super Star Trek nerd and don’t get the in-jokes.

Second star to the right! Episode 102 – Enemy Unknown Part 2

Captain Ian Quincy Knapp (David W. Dial) – Angry! His brother was killed by the Dominion, and left Captain Knapp angry! Had a mysterious encounter during the Dominion War (The Dominion who killed his brother) with mystery aliens that made him angry, and now that he commands Deep Space 12 and the USS Excelsior he can take out his anger over his brother’s death with flaming kill-lasers. Did I mention his brother was killed? Lt. Cmd. Jason Munoz (Jason Munoz) – First officer of the USS Excelsior—For Now! Overly happy and strangely familiar with many of the crew who seem to be like 10 years old yet all went to the Academy with him. Expect him to abruptly disappear. SPOILERS! Dr. Henglaar (John Whiting) – Medical Doctor, Tellarite, and an actual interesting character. Ignore the fact he is wearing a pig nose and Muppet gloves. John Whiting will eventually get fed up with them and learn how to be a makeup supervisor just so he doesn’t have to wear a pig nose. Until then, I will make lots of bacon jokes. Counselor Myra Elbrey (Barbara Clifford) – Betazoid, used to teach at the Academy. Survivor of the Grey attack on the USS Rutledge. Has a dog named Mr. Scott. Despite her being interesting and played by a decent actress, not much is done with Elbrey in the first season. Rayvan (Gregory Allen) – Iconian, pronounced Raven, instead of like Ray-Bands, which is what I though. But then he’d be wearing sunglasses and erasing memories. He should do that, anyway. Remember how the Iconians were extinct? Well, they aren’t. Yet. Ensign Jenna McFarland (Adrianne Lange) – Half-Trill, Half-Human, all Navigation. Was on the USS Olympus before joining her entire graduating class on the USS Excelsior. I don’t know if she has a worm in her belly. Cmd. Joseph Johns (Mike Johns) – Commander who does high-level stuff on Deep Space 12, I guess. I am not really sure where he is in the command hierarchy. We will get a whole episode dedicated to one of his goofy hobbies soon. Lt. Toby Witczak (Matt Kruer) – Assistant chief engineer, was on the USS Devonshire during the Grey attack. Spends most of his time hitting on his boss Lefler and getting shot down by his boss. Stop putting it on the pedestal, dude! Go watch 40 Year Old Virgin for more tips. Ensign Andrew Barrett (Tyler Bosserman) – Communications officer and starting second grade next week. If this kid was any younger, they’d have to install diaper changing stations on the bridge! Lt. William Martinez (Anthony Diaz) – Chief of Security who looks like a Chief of Security. Thus he is the Chief of Security. I know he does so on the USS Excelsior, but I don’t know if he does so on Deep Space 12 as well. Doesn’t get enough character development this season. Lt. Cmd. Robin Lefler (Kelly Jamison) – Chief Engineer, and someone who can act. Will be recast, so don’t get attached to this face! You may remember Lefler when she was Ashley Judd on the actual The Next Generation show. Has a bunch of laws that she will recite until you pull out a gun and kill yourself. Lefler’s Law Number 244 is “Recite laws until everyone dies!” Ensign Ro Nevin (Arthur Bosserman) – Science officer and Ro Laren’s brother. He stares at his tricorder a lot. Not given a lot to do this season, but will become a bigger player soon. Ensign Brad T. Rawling (Tristan Clark) – I see they’re recruiting straight out of Junior High now… Communications officer who vanishes into the wind in season 2. Went to the Academy with Ro Nevin and Andrew Barrett, which is weird because one is like 5 years older than him and the other 5 years younger. Makes bad jokes. Ensign Amanda Hanley (Betty Bainton) – Who the Devil is this? She never appears on the show, yet she gets title credit billing? What an awesome agent! Maybe she was so young she is just a fetus inside some other cast member’s uterus…

Guest Cast:

Captain Jennifer Cole (Jennifer Cole) – An old friend of Captain Angry, she visits him crossing over from the previous fan series, then departs forever on her vessel the USS Angeles The Grey (Jason Munoz) – Evil Psychic Space Smurf Jawas. Etherials are the master race, and Jawas are used as foot soldiers. They have a Hive Mind. Remember, Hive Mind=Scary Villain. You never see a good race with a hive mind in science fiction. I call this the Pod People Effect.

18 months later. (Later than part one, not later than the introduction above.)

The Future Enterprise-class USS Excelsior – NCC-77246 – is docking at Deep Space 12. Actually, in this series they are known as Class-III Dreadnaughts. But if you are going to have a ride in a fan film, you might as well go with the pimpest one of them all! Another Future Enterprise is already docked, that is the USS Angeles, left over from the previous fan series. Captain Knapp is voiceovering the Captain’s Log. Knapp is meeting with his old friend as he is taking command of Deep Space 12. Captain Jennifer Cole is one of those people who wears glasses in the 24th century, because retro is back in (sort of like this century at this moment!) Knapp is still angry that his brother is still dead. Also, no bodies were recovered from the Grey wreckage, but don’t let that get in the way of remembering that Knapp’s brother is dead. More ships are disappearing, which is why Knapp has been brought in. He dealt with them in the previous episode, see. So how long until Knapp crashes his ship again? The USS Angeles then leaves Deep Space 12 to disappear forever.

Let’s talk about Deep Space 12 before we get any further. It is located around the planet Ba’ku in the Briar Patch from Star Trek – Insurrection and looks to be an original model. We don’t see that much on Deep Space 12 this season, but I think later episodes show more of the inside. So enjoy the outside shots and the random scene in Knapp’s office.

We meet the new first officer, Jason Munoz. We also meet some other guy named Joseph Johns who I guess is the Commander of Deep Space 12 or something, they don’t make it that clear. Knapp continues to be angry, then goes to visit the Iconian named Rayvan. He’s alien, because he’s lighting candles and only aliens do that as all aliens are New Age Wiccans. Reyvan doesn’t seem bothered by the fact he should be extinct. Reyvan knows all about the Grey, so tells us at a staff meeting (Dr. Henglaar is at the meeting! Woooo, pig guy! Dr. Henglaar is cool.)

What you need to know: The Grey Confederacy is run by race known as Inferials. They bombed the Iconian homeworld (as seen in the Star Trek The Next Generation episode “Contagion”) and then disappeared several thousand years ago for parts unknown. They probably were lining up early for the Star Wars prequels. Captain Knapp then gets angry! And the he insults Iconian Pride. We also find out that if the Grey leave the Briar Patch, their hull plating is more susceptible to attack.

Lefler and Witczak do some engineering work, and Witczak gets shot down for a date. Witczak will get shot down a lot, he’s like the Rebel Starships in the trench – stays on target and gets blown away. Dr. Henglaar and Elbrey chat some; their conversations are among the best written stuff in the show right now, probably helped by the actors. Somehow, Commander Munoz knows Ro Laren enough to ask if Ro Nevin is related, but doesn’t know that Bajorans go by last name first. That’s like asking if two guys named Joe are related. This scene is shot at a weird angle, and part of Ensign Jenna McFarland is cut off, though that may be an artifact of making the show widescreen if it wasn’t shot that way originally.

Munoz goes and gives us more character introductions, we meet Martinez, Rawling, and Barrett. That’s great. You know who we don’t meet? Ensign Amanda Hanley. Because she’s never on the show, nor even mentioned on the website. She has been erased from history. Those time traveling alien bastards! Captain Angry arrives on the bridge, there was another attack and they must go investigate! Now! Or not now, as it is To Be continued!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This episode dragged a bit as we got introduced to more and more characters for like a minute. Sort of like being at a party where you know no one and the host drags you from table to table introducing you to everyone. The next episode promises at least something will happen, but at this point we have gotten bored. So let’s have something happen!

Lefler’s Laws:

• 22 – Never date a co-worker.
• 123 – If it works perfectly, someone will re-design it.

Rated 4/10 (Glow time, it is that goofy sphere chair!, candle-lighting, check out this tiny ship!)

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