STV: Writer-director James Kerwin on making "mirror" with Star Trek Continues—Part 1

Just in time for a Star Trek Continues screening and panel this noon Saturday at Stan Lee's Comikaze...

Here's Part 1 of my sit-down with STC's "Fairest of Them All" co-writer and director James Kerwin, made last summer before the episode won for "New Media—Drama" at the Burbank International Film Festival, and represented the entire series to win "Best Web Series" at the 2014 Geekie Awards. 

I've known friend-of-Trekland James since I first saw his sci-fi noir feature "Yesterday Was a Lie" thanks to star Chase "Leeta" Masterson, and we also talked to him during the Spirit of Star Trek series in L.A. in 2010-11. Although I did not act for James, he has not been shy about exercising the phone line in my role as STC creative consultant at times...so it was a pleasure to talk about this episode after the fact, and out of the on-set stress of concentrating to get the shoot finished.

We'll have Part 2 up shortly with more insights and in-jokes... and more on his own RUR project later still.

LA ALERT: FREE TOS/STC screening/writers Saturday

 

If you are in the LA area and love you some Original Series, plus Star Trek Continues' depiction of it... you have a don't-miss triple whammy this Saturday, July 12, 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. in Glendale.

 

And it's all free!

First up at the Glendale Central Library, 222 E. Harvard St., there's a stellar Star Trek panel with Walter Koenig (Chekov), Marc Cushman (award winning Star Trek author of These Are the Voyages TOS books), Mark Altman (writer/producer of Free Enterprise), John D.F. Black (sole surviving producer of Star Trek, TOS) and Scott Mantz of Access Hollywood.

After that, hang on for the screening of a clip from STC's most recent, "Fairest of Them All" (the mirror universe follow-up) -- and then a panel with director James Kerwin, assistant director Chris White, and actress Kipleigh Brown.

That's a knock-out, historic first panel—and if you have somehow not seen Marc's books yet, they are incredibly dense with TOS material. I know all those buds on the TOS side—as well as that lineup coming on afterward. I wish I could be there...but family calls, during my "rest" this month.

Yes, the day is free—plus get 3 hours' free parking (with validation from library) at the Market Place shopping center parking structure off Harvard Street.

Click in at the Facebook event page here.

L.A. ALERT: A little Trekland/Con of Wrath invasion for Gallifrey One!

Wow! Convention season 2014 is off and running!  Even if "Who" is what it's about.

Yep, Shaun Lyon has once again invited Dr. Trek to be a part of Gallifrey One, the largest Who con in the world, and once again a sell-out at the LAX Marriott this weekend in its 25th edition.


Despite the focus on Doctors who use a screwdriver instead of a hypo, I've been assured—and seen first-hand—that there is a place for Trek at Galley. It's "a change-of-pace" for the travelers who show up for this mega-con who still have more than one interest.

So, come find me at my Trekland table—I'll have Stellar Cartography and Trekland: On Speaker CDs and off-bid Trekland Trunk trinkets of all kinds!

Most of all, I'll for sure be around for these showtimes:

Friday:
—1:30 pm, Program C: The 2014 debut edition of the Trekland "Between the Cracks" show: gabbing about the state of Trek and the boom in Trek nonfiction… and of course ST Continues in post-premiere week!  (The pocket program does not mention "Star Trek," so help me spread that concept across to the "new" Whovians with a wandering eye.)

Saturday: 
—1 pm, Program D: Crowdfunding 101: I'll be among those talking about Kickstarter, Indigogo, and whatever's been invented in the last 47 minutes to help on projects like The Con of Wrath, Star Trek Continues, and whatever else The Suits are neglecting to give us.

—2 pm, Program C: RUR Genesis Preview screening and panel (left): Adaptor/director James Kerwin asked me to moderate the panel for his new project updating the classic 1918 pioneering robot/sci-fi play with Chase Masterson, Kipleigh Brown, and assistant director Joshua Lou Friedman. This is a wonderfully conceived setting in mod 1968, the actual setting of the play (by the writer-director of the next Star Trek Continues episode).

—11 pm-1 am in Program E: Our first  "Dr. Trek" Show meetup-fundraiser of the year for The Con of Wrath documentary—and my first at Gallifrey! It will be an experiment among the Whovians, but let's go! We'll start up after the masquerade is over. Thanks to Shaun for finding us space rather than dragging outside the Marriott…and, as always, you put in $20 for two hours of prize trivia, rare Trek video, clips from the doc… and late-night Trek tales I shouldn't be telling!

If you can, go Join the Facebook Event page right now.