It’s the end of another year, and I’m still here, you’re still here, and so are Star Trek fan films! Admittedly, I’ve been less prolific in 2025 than I have in past years because I’ve gotten involved with mentoring my sons Jayden’s high school robotics team, The Bagel Bytes (named after their first sponsor back in 2001, Noah’s Bagels). And I’ve kinda gone all-in, assisting the team with marketing materials and e-mail communication, finding sponsors (including RODDENBERRY ENTERTAINMENT!), filming and editing team videos, helping them set up a Patreon campaign, and a whole lot more. I’m with the team 2-3 times a week, helping out the coach, and just marveling at these amazingly talented teens! But putting in all of those free volunteer hours is leaving me with much less time and energy for this blog.
That being said, I’m still organizing the annual SHOWRUNNER AWARDS, interviewing many Star Trek fan filmmakers, and even assisting some of them with their fan films (as I did twice this past year!). And of course, my regular YEAR IN REVIEW blogs have been an annual tradition since my first one back in 2017. And each year, I remind my readers who predicted back in 2016 that CBS/Paramount’s fan film guidelines would utterly destroy Star Trek fan films that our little sub-sub-sub-genre is still very much alive and kicking.
And indeed, even nearly a decade later, Trek fan films continue to be produced and posted to YouTube—quite a lot of them! Buy, hey, don’t just take my word for it. Check it out for yourself below. In fact, there were so many to cover that I’ve split this year’s compilation blog into TWO parts!
Many of the following fan films were ones that I had intended to cover here on Fan Film Factor, but life and robotics got in the way. So instead, I’ll be spotlighting them here with short blurbs for each one. There’s probably at least a few you haven’t seen, and I strongly recommend that you check out any that intrigue you—and possibly some that don’t, as you might be pleasantly surprised. Let’s dive in…
JANUARY
RED SHIRTS (a STAR TREK parody of “Starships” by Nicki Minaj)
What better way to kick off the year than with a new Star Trek parody music video from the hilariously creative IAN RAMSEY of the STAR REKT YouTube channel? Ian has been creating and releasing a few of these funny little gems each year since his first one back in 2021. This latest effort was a masterpiece, recounting the deaths of every redshirt (and some yellow and blue shirts) during the three seasons of TOS—all to the awesome melody of “Starships” by Nicki Minaj…
WYLDE SPACE: “Chickens of Terror – Part 1”
January saw the debut of a quirky new animated fan series called WYLDE SPACE from creator WADE WHITE, who also stars as the voice of Captain Wylde. This is a Trek parody where all of the characters are paper doll animals with acerbic attitudes. The first short episode premiered on January 6 and was pretty funny…
Wade produces a number of different genre parodies in this style, and you can view them all here. A second part of Wylde Space debuted in February, with another three episodes announced.
THE UNMADE MIND
On January 19, VANCE MAJOR released yet another installment in the CONSTAR saga, this time writing and directing the story of how the USS Constar came to be a museum ship moored at Wolf 359. Shot primarily on the TOS bridge set at WARP 66 STUDIOS in Harrison, Arkansas, this short fan film stars JEFFERSON KELLEY (who also provided the story), a Trekker who has interviewed many fan producers on his numerous podcasts. Over the years, a number of friends commented that Jefferson looked enough like actor AVERY BROOKS that he should play Benjamin Sisko in a fan film, but Jefferson was never comfortable trying to fill that role. So instead, Vance created the character of Preston Sisko, a 23rd century ancestor of the legendary Deep Space 9 commander. Also appearing in cameos in this release are a bunch of other fan film showrunners playing their established characters, including STEVE “HAIRY” HARRIS, JOSE CEPEDA, RANDY WRENN, GEORGE KAYAIAN, and JOSH IRWIN…along with donor and all-around awesome cool guy RAY MEYERS.
THROUGH THE IRON VEIL
It was inevitable that eventually someone would create a Star Trek fan film entirely using AI, and that someone was ELVIS DEANE of Hyperbolic Films on YouTube. He’s been creating digital short films for 15 years, and he has recently begun pushing the envelope with AI. All of his images were generated using the AI generator known as Midjourney and edited in Photoshop. Then he made the video with a combination of Kling AI, Runway, and Minimax (here is a webpage comparing the AI three tools). The dialogue and music also appear to be AI. And while some of the quirks of AI, like inconsistent clothing elements, are evident in this short fan film, they are very minor and easily ignored. And of course, AI generation is only going to improve in the future, and it’s off to a surprisingly strong start with this early release…
FEBRUARY
February brought the third “period” style Star Trek fan film from showrunner JEFF NORD. His first production in 2022, COMMANDERS OF STARFLEET, reimagined Star Trek as a 1930’s/40’s sci-fi matinee serial, presented entirely in black and white with cheesy costumes, sets, and purposefully-cheap VFX. Two years later, Jeff’s second release, DEFENDERS OF THE FEDERATION, took the concept into 1970’s sci-fi, complete with physical spaceship models, pastel costumes, and slightly more elaborate set backgrounds. And in 2025, Jeff took his third project into the 1980’s with a fan film that feels like a cross between Star Trek II and Alien, with the Borg as adversaries. It’s a very unique take on Trek fan films, and definitely worth checking out…
TO KNOW THINE ENEMY
The first (of six!) Trek Shorts releases of 2025 saw the first collaboration of showrunner SAMUEL COCKINGS with a new writing and acting partner, KRIS HANSEN, who supplied the voice of a Klingon adversary named Mersa. In this fan film, Mersa is going up against Captain Daniel Hunter, played by long-time showrunner and star of the Scottish fan series INTREPID, NICK COOK, and the crew of the USS Intrepid. And although Sam has dabbled with digital recreations of characters in some of his previous fan films, this one takes a big step forward by having all scenes of Mersa and her crew on the Klingon bridge be CGI-generated. And while Nick Cook appears on camera for much of the film, there are a few inserted shots of him on the viewscreen that were also digital. Check it out…
STARFLEET SAFETY INSPECTOR
Oh, what would the fan film world be like without a new STARFLEET JOBS video from our friend STEVE SHIVES every few months? Steve released his the first of these fun and funny looks “under the Starfleet hood” back in early 2023 and has made four per year since then. I did a video interview with Steve last year that’s worth watching. But what’s even more worth watching is STARFLEET SAFETY INSPECTOR because it’s hilarious…
MARCH
BATAVIA: “WHERE WE LEFT OFF” (trailer)
I don’t usually include trailers for fan films, but in this case, I’m making a small exception. STAR TREK: DARK ARMADA from the Netherlands was releasing its swan song episode just as I was launching Fan Film Factor in 2016. At the time, plans were in the works for a new fan series from showrunner and star ROBIN HIERT, but nothing solid materialized until the release of the following trailer this psst March. And wow, do things look impressive!
SMOKE AND MIRRORS – A WARBIRD VALDORE FILM
It’s rare that you see a storyline crossover from one Trek fan series to another, although it has happened a few times. But the folks at DOMINION MEDIA decided to take things one step farther and create a trilogy spanning three different fan series. Granted, they are three fan series from Dominion Media, so it’s at least a little easier, but it’s still a challenge. Smoke and Mirrors is the second installment in the saga, continuing from 2024’s IT’S ALL DONE WITH MIRRORS from PROJECT: RUNABOUT. Let’s see what’s been going on with the Romulans…
APRIL
POLITICS OF VIOLENCE
April 5 is affectionately known by Trekkers as “First Contact Day.” And so it’s not surprising that a lot of activity happened in our community on that particular day. The first fan film to lay claim to that coveted release date in 2025 was the second Trek Shorts for the year, POLITICS OF VIOLENCE. This production featured Samuel Cockings’ long-time TREKYARDS co-podcaster, STUART FOLEY playing Captain Foley of the USS Foley. And yes, there’s a story behind that multi-Foley naming, but I don’t know what that story is. Anyway, take a look…
STARCHILD
One of the final fan films to ever be filmed at the Kingsland, GA location of NEUTRAL ZONE STUDIOS (now being re-constructed in Sandusky, OH), this episode of the fanthology series TALES FROM THE NEUTRAL ZONE initially seemed like just another “Mary Sue” fan story. But you can’t always judge by first impressions! The actress who starred in Starchild, GRACE FLORES-ARBOLAY, absolutely knocked it out of the park playing the main character. It’s actually worth watching this livestream interview she did with director/cinematographer Josh Irwin to learn more about what went into her amazing performance. But definitely check out the short film first…
WELCOME ABOARD
April also welcomed a brand new fan production team from the Netherlands, USS CASSANDRA, the work of showrunner THOMAS ARGANTE. Thomas had previously appeared in a bunch of American-made fan films, including THE PASSENGER WITH BAGGAGE, PROJECT: RUNABOUT, and MOM from Dominion Media, and SINKING IN THE SWAMP from Vance Major. Now, in “WELCOME ABOARD,” Thomas leads a new cast of Dutch Trekkers in what is planned to be the first fan series to shoot on TOS set recreations located in Europe…
CROSSROADS – PROJECT GEMINI: “ROMULAN AILS, Part 1”
FRANK PARKER, JR. worked on creating STARSHIP FARRAGUT‘s TOS sets before launching DREADNOUGHT DOMINION in 2015. His most recent fan series is CROSSROADS – PROJECT GEMINI, and like any dedicated Trekker blessed with skills in design and construction, Frank turned his mother-in-law’s North Carolina garage into an elaborate Star Trek-style bridge set! Of course, that’s nothing compared to the extensive basement TOS sets under the home of JOSE CEPEDA (of the fan series NATURE’S HUNGER) in Atlanta, Georgia . But imagine getting both of these do-it-yourself home studios together for one fan film! And that’s exactly what Frank did. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you “ROMULAN AILS, Part 1“…
LORELEY wins “Best in Fest” for 2024 in the DIRECTORS CHOICE AWARDS
For the past four years, there have been two annual awards shows spotlighting the best in fan films as judged by a panel of fan filmmakers themselves: the DIRECTORS CHOICE AWARDS and the SHOWRUNNER AWARDS. And while the latter is open only to Star Trek fan films, the former extends eligibility to fan films from any genre. As such, Trek fan films aren’t always the top winners. In fact, no Star Trek fan film had won the “Best in Fest” top category in the Directors Choice awards since SQUADRON in 2022…until now. You can view all of this winners here, but “Best in Fest” was won this year by the German fan series LORELY with “PRELUDE TO PART III – KOBAYASHI MARU.” And even though it’s a 2024 release, I’m including it here because it’s really good…
MAY
DAEDALUS (an AXANAR-related fan film)
The big story in May for Star Trek fan films was what was removed from YouTube. As also happened in March 2024 when CBS’s attorneys contacted YouTube to pull down the AXANAR-related fan film THE ICARUS MANEUVER (now available only on the Axanar website) shortly after its release, history repeated itself in early May of 2025 for a similar short film: DAEDALUS. Apparently, after settling their 2016 lawsuit, CBS remains quite serious about limiting ALEC PETERS and AXANAR PRODUCTIONS to only two 15-minute sequels and nothing more. That said, now that Skydance has acquired both Paramount and the rights to Star Trek, it’s unclear whether studio relations with Axanar will continue to be quite so antagonistic.
In the meantime, Alec did finally enjoy a major legal victory in October when a lawsuit that had been working its way through the Georgia courts for more than five years made it in front of a jury. Fired Axanar director PAUL JENKINS had sued Alec for defamation, fraud, and use of image likeness without permission. Alec had countersued for breach of contract (dropping a concurrent defamation claim just before trial). After an unusually-long nine-day trial (most civil trials take only a few days at most), the judge tossed out Jenkins’ two defamation claims, and the jury ruled against his other two complaints. Alec, on the other hand, was awarded a $60,000 judgement for damages in his breach of contract claim plus an additional $182,281.11 for attorneys fees…for a total jury verdict of more than $242,000.
Meanwhile, I have been invited to a professional mix session at a sound studio in Encino, CA on January 6 and7 where the audio for the first of the two Axanar sequels will be finalized. Only two more composites of green screen talking head footage need to be completed, plus insertions of a few remaining tactical readout animations. Then episode four: “The Gathering Storm” (the first of the two 15-minute sequels) will be finished…with a likely release during the first quarter of next year. Fingers obviously crossed for that
The second and final Axanar sequel is still being planned to debut at a private screening near San Diego ComicCon in 2026. Fingers crossed on that, too, of course. Then I can finally release both my alt-Axanar script (written during a sleepless all-nighter back in 2017) plus my Axanar sequel novella, “Why We Explore” (a semi-biography of Kelvar Garth), which includes spoilers from the two unreleased episodes and has to wait until after they both premiere before I can share it.
And finally, below is the fan film Daedalus, now accessible only on the Axanar website…
FLIGHT OF THE PEGASUS
Teachers and their students can make Star Trek fan films, too! In fact, it’s a great way to engage young adults in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). In 2024, the educators at Spacegate Station in Jacksonville, FL shot a 38-minute Trek fan film titled THE PATH OF HONOR at Neutral Zone Studios in nearby Kingsland, GA starring a number of their junior high and high school students from the Lavilla School of the Arts. A year later, they ventured to several area locations, including the USS Orleck Naval Museum. The kids from the Duvall County Public School District are obviously not trained actors with years of experience and study, but they obviously tried hard, put in a lot of work, and it looks as though the had fun doing so…
STARFLEET BORDER GUARD
It’d been three months, so it was obviously time for another installment of Starfleet Jobs from Steve Shives. However, unlike the more whimsical Starfleet Safety inspector who provided a bunch of fun chuckles, the STARFLEET BORDER GUARD was a pretty obvious commentary on what’s been happening in America this year with ICE deportations and increased border security. Steve never shrinks away from political hot-topics on his YouTube channel, and sometimes those editorials cross over into the realm of Star Trek—just like many classic episodes of the various Trek TV series. Such stories are more likely to make you tear up at the end (I’ll just leave it at that)…
JUNE
FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE
June brought with it the third release from Trek Shorts, a STAR TREK: PRODIGY quasi-tie-in titled FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE. Part of Samuel Cockings’ (and others’) #SaveStarTrekProdigy campaign, which is facing a serious uphill battle, this 22-minute film features a large cast including Sam himself, his father STEVEN COCKINGS, his girlfriend MARIE-LOISE SVALENG reprising her recurring role of Starfleet historian Dr. Louise Nilson, NIMRAN SAUND returning as Commander Anna Keeley, RHEA KEEHN supplying the voice of the Starfleet computer, and yet another appearance of NICK COOK as Daniel Hunter, this time of the Galaxy-class starship USS Gallant in the timeframe just after the destruction of Romulus. It’s a very strong production and worth watching…
TIME AND TIME AGAIN
With much of the footage shot at the Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas during August 2019, the latest fan film from STAR TREK FAN PRODUCTIONS INTERNATIONAL wasn’t completed and released until June 22, 2025 for reasons explained by showrunner DAVID CHENG in this interview I did with him. TIME AND AGAIN features a hotel full of cosplayers in elegant monster maroons and other assorted costumes, plus a number of familiar faces to folks who like to attend American Star Trek cons. Take a look…
BROKEN MIRROR
June finished off with a DREADNOUGHT DOMINION fan film that completed the crossover trilogy that began with Project: Runabout and continued in Warbird Valdore (see entry in March above). Unlike the two prequels which teased a connection to the classic Mirror Universe, the conclusion actually took members of the crew on board the ISS Dominion, where we got to see showrunner GARY DAVIS play a truly evil version of his Captain Brusseau character. Also making his first fan film appearance on American soil at Neutral Zone Studios was Thomas Argante, who had recently launched his new USS Casandra fan series in the Netherlands (see entry in April above). This was a really fun fan film…
Okay, take a breath. We’re halfway through the year, and Star Trek fan films are only just hitting their stride. Come back tomorrow for releases from July through December as we wrap up 2025 on a high note!
Appreciate you including mention of our film. Just wanted to correct the title. It is “Time And Time Again,” not ‘Time Again.” Thanks.
Kewl Beans 🙂