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See our Lorraine boldly going where no TV presenter has been before
Star Trek Intrepid: Heavy Lies the Crown is thought to be the only Star Trek fan film in production in the UK. You can see Lorraine making a guest appearance on the show by clicking on the link
Nick Cook and his friends share a passion for Star Trek in all its incarnations, and in trying to recreate their heroes they are not alone. Across the world it's been estimated that there are more than 20 fan-made Star Trek projects on the go, with their efforts attracting increased interest since the TV series ended in May last year.
The final incarnation of the Star Trek saga, Enterprise, was cancelled after ratings fell in the US to just under 3 million viewers. Behind the door of the top floor tenement flat near the centre of Dundee, a new world is taking shape though.
Beside the fridge and next to the spice rack sits the interior of an intergalactic vessel, painstakingly recreated from old kitchen cabinets and table tops, camping lights and grey spray paint. The captain's chair came from MFI, the material for the professional standard costumes from the local Remnant Kings.
Ship mates
Most of the crew of the USS Intrepid met through Dundee's Star Trek club, Sector 001. It disbanded some time ago, but the friends stayed together and often talked about making their own version.
"Then I stupidly said, I've got a camcorder," said Steve Hammond, 37, a programmer with an electronics company, and director of the Scottish fan film. The group's early internet postings promised the 50-minute feature length production would be "coming soon in 2003". None of them had appreciated, said Nick Cook, quite what would be involved in the filming.
The plot centres on a group of civilians who want to colonise a planet on the far edges of the galaxy, but can only travel if they are accompanied by a Star Fleet vessel. The key theme is how the two groups work together in adversity. Location shots were in Glen Doll, Angus, which produced its own challenges including torrential rain and curious hillwalkers.
"Sheep kept going mehhhh! just as we were about to film," said Nick Cook. "That was a major problem." Although most of the film has been produced in Dundee on a shoestring budget, there is copious use of CGI effects, and even a walk-on by a Texan police officer who filmed his bit part and emailed it in. The score has been created by a South African musician living in London, and Trekkies across the world have shared knowledge and special effects.
See Lorraine in Star Trek action by clicking on the link
