Trekkies 2: Once Was Not Enough

Last weekend was the bittersweet goodbye to James Doohan as Scotty, who at 84 is just too old and sick to carry on with his appearances at conventions and so forth.

Coincidentally, Trekkies 2, a documentary about hard core Star Trek fans was just released on DVD:

Once wasn’t enough! Trekkies was shot in 1996, during the 30th anniversary of Star Trek™. 7 years later, we’re finding out what’s new in the world of Star Trek™ fandom.

After we completed Trekkies, we were inundated with fascinating stories about the fans of the greatest science-fiction show in television history. We had an amazing adventure meeting and interviewing hundreds and hundreds of Star Trek fans for Trekkies, but we didn’t venture beyond the borders of the United States and Canada. This time, in addition to following up on some of our original profilees and finding a few new ones in the United States, we traveled to several countries around the world.

Additionally, our goal in producing a follow-up to Trekkies was partly to respond to the concerns some Star Trek fans voiced after seeing the first film. We asked fans about extremism in fandom, when is it appropriate to wear a Star Trek uniform in public, and how is a “normal” fan defined. Another thing we did was present more of the charitable side of Trek fandom, observing and hearing more of the stories of how fans donate their time, money, and other efforts to better their communities.

We traveled to 8 countries across Europe, North and South America, and Australia. (Africa, Asia, India, the Middle East, and Russia, look out for us in Trekkies 3 in a few years!) We met thousands of people. And though they were all unique, they all shared a love for “Star Trek”.

We began our three month journey in Bonn, Germany for Fed-Con 11. Nobody is more serious about Star Trek than the Germans. Then we drove to Heiger (near Frankfurt) to meet Christoph Hees and his crew shooting their fan film, “Star Trek: Das Vermächtnis” (“Star Trek: The Legacy”). We continued on to see Robby Amper’s fan-film bridge-set in his flat in Munich.

We hopped a train from Munich to Paris to meet the founders of the French Star Trek organization, Unification: Eric Saussine, Frank Mikanowski, and Jean-Regis de Vanssay. It was non-stop amazing food, art, architecture…Paris was awesome!

Next stop was England, for a chit chat with fans at a London pub called the Pitcher and Piano. We also drove to Hinckley in Leicestershire to see Tony Alleyne and his flat, which he has renovated as a starship—it has to be seen to be believed.

We flew to the U.S.A. to meet with Commodore Barbara Adams in Little Rock, Arkansas. Still working (and highly appreciated) at Sir Speedy Printing, Adams is doing very well.

Then it was back to Europe for a convention on the Adriatic Sea in Bellaria, Italy, run by Massimo Romani and Jessica Farella. It’s hard to beat a week by the sea in Italy—and the food was unbeatable.

The biggest surprise was the fun we had at the first-ever convention in Serbia (part of the former Yugoslavia). The Serbian folks were so sweet, we didn’t want to leave.

Next we flew to Australia, via Los Angeles. Talk about jet lag! We visited both Sydney (the beauty) and Melbourne (the culture).

Our last international stop was in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The Trek fans were great and the night life was insane! Can’t wait to visit there again…

Not to leave the U.S.A. out of the picture entirely, we visited Minneapolis to see Star Trek fan Brian Dellis shooting his fan film, “The Final Frontier: Revisted.” We also traveled to Baltimore for Shore Leave, the longest running fan-run convention.

We also made several stops in California. Gabriel Köerner (and his father Richard Köerner) was busy with his fan film in Bakersfield. And we met not one, but five Star Trek tribute bands in Sacramento: No Kill I, No Kill I: The Next Generation, No Kill I: Deep Space 9, Stovokor, and Warp 11.

In Los Angeles we checked in with Brannon Braga at Paramount, and Robert Burnett, the director of the Star Trek-themed comedy, Free Enterprise, and we saw a play called Romeo and Juliette: The Last Battlefield, a reworking of Shakespeare with all Trek characters directed by Ggreg Snyder.

After sorting through150 hours of footage, we hope we’ve brought you to the best, the wildest, and the most informative moments in Star Trek fandom.

Today, filmmakers Roger Nygard and Gabriel Koerner will be at the DVD Planet Superstore in Huntington Beach signing DVD’s of Trekkies 2 (purchased at DVD Planet that day – duh).
Saturday Sept 4th at 7pm-8pm
DVD Planet Superstore
17011 Beach Blvd, Suite # 120
Huntington Beach, CA

Also, the website is offering the chance to win a trip to the 2005 FEDCON XIV Convention in Bonn, Germany from May 4 to May 9. The prize package includes air transportation, hotel accommodations and two passes to the FEDCON convention.