Star Trek: Of Gods and Men - Movie Review

MAIN CHARACTERS:
Walter Koenig ~ Pavel Chekov
Nichelle Nichols ~ Nyota Uhura
Alan Ruck ~ Captain Harrington, captain of Enterprise-B in Star Trek: Generations

ALSO STARRING:
J.G. Hertzler ~ Koval (the Klingon). (played Martok on Deep Space 9)
Crystal Alan ~ Yara, a new character (guest actor from Enterprise)
Garrett Wang ~ Garan, a new character (played Harry Kim on Voyager)
Gary Graham ~ Ragnar, a new character (played Detective Matt Sikes on AlienNation)
Tim Russ ~ reprising role of Tuvok from Voyager; also co-wrote and directed film
Chase Masterson ~ Xela the Orion slavegirl, original character (Leeta the Dabo Girl on DS9)

And that's just for starters. Watching this movie is like playing "Spot the SF actor".

It's been a long time since a Star Trek story put tears in my eyes. The last two were "The Visitor" on DS9 and Star Trek: TNG's superb "Inner Light." I guess that shows my tastes: I like alternate timeline stories from "Mirror, Mirror" in the old series (the dark alternate universe Federation) to the lighthearted DS9 send-up of the old series, "Trials and Tribble-ations". I enjoy how they take the world we love and turn it upside-down, showing favorite characters and the Star Trek universe in a different light in order to bring out the core of what they are.

Star Trek: Of Gods and Men is such a story. The alternate timeline gives its writers freedom to tell an original story without violating canon, while letting Walter Koenig uncork that rugged, darker side of his acting that he discovered post-Trek! Nichelle Nichols, on the other hand, plays Uhura as the wise, gracious, and sharp-tongued character she always was, but scripts seldom allowed her to be. Uhura is the hero of this tale, and in my opinion "wins" the battle with the truth of her words, trumping all the fighting and (excellent) space battles.

Despite Uhura's mastery of communications, I have to admit the dialog is somewhat wooden in places -- a flaw of much Star Trek! I could've done with a little less vamping from Chase Masterson (Leeta from DS9, having a ball playing an Orion slave girl). It's also more violent than old Trek, warranting a PG-13 rating, and there are a few instances when the main characters don't react to redshirt or minor character deaths as much as I'd expect. Those glitches aside, the acting is good to excellent.

Alan Ruck reprises his role as the good-hearted, unlucky Captain Harrington, who commanded the Enterprise B in Star Trek: Generations. (There's an insider's joke in Of Gods and Men: he says ruefully that what happened the day Kirk died would probably have happened no matter who was in the captain's chair. It's sad but true, since most of us have forgotten him!)

Tim Russ (Tuvok) is as perfect a Vulcan as ever, and I'm glad he found time to act as well as direct. The few non-Trek actors hold their own with the regulars. Garrett Wang (Harry Kim) seems to be taking Sinister 101 lessons from Walter Koenig to shake off his boy scout persona. J.G. Hertzler plays yet another Klingon with his usual aplomb (though he seems to be fighting his fangs). Lawrence Montaigne (Stonn, Spock's rival in "Amok Time") is intriguingly good: I wish he'd had more screentime. (Yes, T'pring shows up too). There's touching cameos by Grace Lee Whitney reprising Janice Rand and Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko) as Uhura's son -- and the size of a linebacker! Finally, Ethan Phillips (Neelix) helps launch the tale, playing an anonymous nebbish who ought to be wearing a red shirt.

The camera work is steadicam (an oxymoron), which some viewers have complained about. It's the technique used in the new Battlestar Galactica series. I don't mind it. The special effects, especially the space sequences, blow away the old series and some of TNG.

I'm dodging around the most important topic -- the PLOT! because I'm trying to avoid spoilers. But, in short, this Star Trek fanfiction story explores the question, What Happened to Charlie X?

So that's Charlie. In the end, Kirk was forced to leave Charlie behind with alien caretakers who came to take him away when he threatened the lives of everyone aboard the Enterprise. They had given him augmented powers to help him survive a crash that killed his parents. But they could not give him the moral compass needed to live among his own kind. What happened to Charlie? We never knew-- until now.

You may also want to review this trailer of Where No Man Has Gone Before, the Star Trek pilot episode that kickstarted the series. It, too, plays a major role in the plot of "Of Gods and Men."

As for the story, I can only say a few things more without spoiling it. It explores many, many of the recurring themes of Star Trek: When is fighting justified, the logic and pacifism of Vulcan philosophy, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one" (or do they?), how to handle extraordinary power, and the bonds of friendship that transcend command rank, race, and species. This is a dark story with a style all its own. Yet it feels like part of the Star Trek family. The more you know of Star Trek, the more you will love this labor of love.

Rather than give you all the details of casting, production, and the company that made this (Renegade Studios), I will send you to their website so you can watch the highest-quality version and browse their in-depth info on how "Of Gods and Men" was made. But first... let me show you the first segment of the actual movie, so you can get a feel for it.

Visit the website below to watch higher-quality versions of the entire movie -- for free!
There's information about the cast, the production, and Renegade Film Studios. Also, while they can't sell fan-made Star Trek products, they do sell licensed Star Trek movie posters and other memorabilia on behalf of the show's owner -- CBS -- and will throw in a "complimentary copy" of the Star Trek: Of Gods and Men DVD!

Note: They've had to limit the number of viewers watching at the same time on their website due to the film's popularity. If you're blocked, the studio has also uploaded a YouTube Version. (I suggest the higher quality playback.)