While AXANAR usually hogs the comments on social media asking, “Why isn’t it finished yet?” there’s been another crowd-funded Star Trek fan project from 2015 also still lingering in post production. No, not PACIFIC 201. And not FIRST FRONTIER either (it wasn’t crowd-funded). And not EQUINOX or PIKE (although successfully crowd-funded, neither project was ever filmed).
No, I am talking about the long-awaited finale to the venerable fan series STARSHIP FARRAGUT, an episode titled “Homecoming.”
Starship Farragut got its start way back in 2005 when they began shooting their pilot episode “The Captaincy.” Over the course of the next decade, the folks at Farragut Films would release nearly a dozen more full-length episodes, vignettes, and even two animated episodes (featuring voice-overs by TIM RUSS (not playing Tuvok from Voyager) and CHASE MASTERSON (not playing Leeta from Deep Space 9). Along the way, they expanded their filming space and constructed an extensive TOS set recreation that was eventually shared with and later sold to VIC MIGNOGNA of STAR TREK CONTINUES. (Read the full and fascinating history of Starship Farragut here.)
At the end of 2014, Farragut Films made a decision to transition themselves to become the first full-budget, set-based regular fan series to be set in the Trek movie era. The actors had aged a decade since the earliest episodes of Starship Farragut, so jumping the series forward seemed logical. In fact, the new series was to be called Farragut Forward. But it never came to be. Instead, at the end of 2015, they crowd-funded a series finale episode called “Homecoming,” and raised $15,787 from 207 donors on Kickstarter.
Things seemed to be going smoothly on “Homecoming.” Filming took place in early 2016 with some outdoor reshoots being completed in June of that year, according to donor updates. In early 2017, donors were treated to a two-minute teaser-trailer with an unexpected cameo by Marvel Comics legend STAN LEE (who passed away in November 2018). The trailer looked promising…
An October 2017 update by show-runner JOHN BROUGHTON reported decent progress:
Our video editor Jay Pennington is doing an outstanding job with the edit. I’d say that we’re 1/2 way done based on the cuts that have been reviewed and critiqued for edits. Although he is on track to deliver as promised an edited film before year’s end, the CGI and FX shots still need to be done. In addition, there is also color correction and ADR work to do given the acoustical and lighting challenges we had filming outdoors.
And then, silence…
Two and a half years went by without any further update to donors or new trailers or news of any kind. I’d heard through the grapevine that the project wasn’t dead, but I had no official confirmation from anyone directly involved and, therefore, had nothing to report.
This all changed this past Tuesday when a new update was sent to Farragut donors by new Post Production Supervisor STEVE SEMMEL (who is also writing some of the score). Steve came on board the project last September, and he has some good news…
Dear Farragut Supporters,
My name is Steve Semmel and I started working on Homecoming in the capacity of volunteer music scorer in September of 2019. In February 2020, John Broughton asked me if I would take the lead as the new Post Production Supervisor for Starship Farragut–Homecoming.
Post production is well in progress. I am planning for a new release date of 2021. As music scorer, in the last six months, I have scored the rough cut up through Act 1, including three original music pieces I have written based on the theme song you already know about: “Remember Me” by Amy Berry. I’m also incorporating an original Starship Farragut melody from the pilot episode “The Captaincy”.
Working with us are Special Effects Supervisor Ken Thomson, Film Editor Jay Pennington and Music Scorer Carl Hayes, who is helping me in that respect. Everyone has previously worked on Starship Farragut, except for myself. We are all volunteers.
Part of my role as Post Production Supervisor is to keep all of you updated regularly on our progress and respond to any questions. I will schedule a regular monthly event on my calendar to update this page. Please feel free to post questions for me in the comments section.
Very sincerely yours,
Steve Semmel, Post Production Supervisor
Farragut Films–Homecoming
I’ll try to keep you all informed as further updates are posted. I’ve also reached out to Steve for an interview, but I haven’t heard back yet. Hopefully, we’ll be able to have a chat soon that I can share with all of you.
In the meantime, it seems we can look forward to Axanar, Pacific 201, First Frontier, and the Farragut finale all coming either this year or next!
To quote Professor Farnsworth “Good news everyone.”