As I announced last week, the final submissions for the 2022 Star Trek Fan Film SHOWRUNNER AWARDS were made official on June 1, and now the panel of twelve judges—each the showrunner of a Star Trek fan film or series—get to have their chance to pick the winners in 18 different categories…
- Best Fan Film
- Best Director
- Best Writer
- Best Lead Actor
- Best Lead Actress
- Best Supporting Actor
- Best Supporting Actress
- Best Cinematography
- Best Film Editing
- Best Sound Design/Mixing
- Best Visual Effects (CGI)
- Best Special Effects (non-CGI)
- Best Musical Score
- Best Costuming
- Best Hair & Makeup
- Best Original Character
- Best Micro-Budget Fan Film (total production cost $1,000 or less, not including set construction)
- Best Short Scene (up to 2 minutes)
This final category is one that I personally find fascinating!
Think abut the long history of Star Trek, and there are some amazing episodes. But there are also some really impactful SCENES, as well. Let your mind and memory wander back to the scene of Edith Keeler being killed and Kirk’s reaction (“You deliberately stopped me, Jim. I could have save her. Do you know what you just did?” “He knows, Doctor. He knows…”), the scene of Kirk relieving Matt Decker of command on Kirk’s personal authority as captain of the Enterprise (“You’re bluffing…” “Vulcans never bluff…”), Khan stranding Kirk in the middle of a dead planet (“Buried alive…buried alive…” “KHANNNNNN!!!!!!”), Picard appears as Locutus for the first time (“From this time forward, you will service…us.” “Mr. Worf, fire…”), and the list goes on and on.
Yes, those impactful scenes were from some of the best episodes and movies—but not always. The climactic scene of three Losiras about to touch Kirk, McCoy, and Sulu o the shoulders just as Spock and a security guard beam in and shoot the Kalandan computer in “That Which Survives” was an exciting scene in an otherwise average episode.
And what about Star Trek fan films? Do WE have really exciting, dramatic, and impactful scenes? The judges and I decided to find out by offering the category of Best Short Scene (up to two minutes) for all entries. In retrospect, two minutes may have been a tad too short, and perhaps two and a half or even three minutes would have produced more submissions in the category. So we’ll probably increase the runtime limit next year as we figure out ways to improve the contest going forward.
But for this year, we received 10 solid submissions for Best Short Scene out of the 38 total fan films entered. And it’s an interesting collection of scenes—some serious, some funny, some exciting and suspenseful, some poignant and intense. Take a look at the following, and feel free to share in the comments which one(s) YOU think is/are the best and why…
From AGENT OF NEW WORLDS…
From AVALON LOST…
From BEYOND THE SUN…
From INTERLUDE…
From LAST SURVIVOR…
From PACIFIC 201…
From STAR TREK: FIRST FRONTIER…
From TEMPORAL ANOMALY…
From THE FEDERATION FILES: “EXTRACTION”…
From THE MORE THINGS CHANGE…
Right off the bat, I have to say that just looking through these short clips alone makes me glad I’m not having to judge all the other categories. It’s very hard to choose because I’ve watched most of these films and they all appeal in one way or another. I look forward to seeing the results for the other categories.
But, if pushed, I’d give it to First Frontier, for the performance of the actors. It stands above the rest for its passion and intensity. But I believe First Frontier used pro actors (or am I wrong?) so I guess this isn’t surprising.
Honorable mention to Avalon Lost, mainly because I really liked Mason!
Now, that said, am I going to be in trouble for not mentioning Interlude? 😉
Hey, I think you chose some excellent ones, Alastair. And personally, I’d vote for First Frontier over Interlude for best short scene even if I weren’t constrained by our rules. Also, for me, Pacific 201 and Beyond the Sun are likewise up there in the best short scene short list.
I won’t say yet who will get my vote, but I’m really happy that the choice(s) will be so tough…as it should be!