Metro Pulse/Gamut/Fan Nation

What: Trailer from the documentary, Trek Nation, part of Valleyfest
When: Thursday, April 10, 8:45 p.m.
Where: 315 Mohican Dr. in Homberg Place (the former Terrace Taphouse Theatre)
How much: Passes to the full April 9-13 event are $60; day passes $15, specific film blocks $6; call 577-9941 for more information

Six, 6ix, six
A locally produced documentary asks questions about the Lillelid murders

The son of Star Trek's creator and a local film producer team up to honor a shared vision of a better tomorrow

by Scott McNutt

Now 28 years old, Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry, son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, was not yet born when the original series was on the air. He says of his famous father, "My dad was just a dad. He had an office, he went to work. There were no Hollywood parties, I didn't hang out with cast kids or anything. I wasn't into sci-fi. I never watched the TV series. I had no idea of the enormity of the phenomenon my father had created. To me, he was just dad."

As he grew older, Rod learned more about the show his father had developed, but it was still of little interest to him. He was a teenager, and, as teenagers do, he was forming his own identity, separate from family connections. But when the elder Roddenberry passed away in 1991, Rod began to grasp the full extent of his father's creation.

In the 4-minute trailer from Atmosphere Pictures' in-progress documentary, Trek Nation (which will be shown at Valleyfest next week), Rod recounts his moment of realization:

"[My father] passed away when I was 16. At the memorial service, someone read a letter they said was from a fan. It read something like, 'I was born a quadriplegic. My parents did the best they could to take care of me, but they couldn't handle it, so they put me in a home. I lived most of my childhood there, and life was pretty much unbearable. I tried to commit suicide many times. In 1966, Star Trek came on. It gave me hope for a future where, even if there were still handicaps, even if all diseases haven't been cured, I could be accepted as a member of society. I'd be 'normal.' And that gave me hope.'"

In an interview later, Rod recalls, "At that moment, my grief was overcome by pride in what my father had accomplished. For his work to have touched this one life in such a way, to have made it better—when I saw that, it was a complete 180, emotionally."

Since that time, Rod says, "I've tried to learn about my father, to understand his legacy. If I can continue that, his vision of a better future, then that's what I want to do."

That tale and its aftermath sum up Rod's motivations for working on the Trek Nation documentary. And it's precisely that sentiment that Scott Colthorp, owner of the local full-service film production company Atmosphere Pictures, wants to capture in Trek Nation. Colthorp shares Rod Roddenberry's enthusiasm for the Star Trek vision—so much so that he's sunk about $100,000 of his own money into developing the documentary.

His interest in the Star Trek phenomenon, Colthorp says, goes back a long time. "When I was in college, everybody watched Star Trek [in reruns]. It had such a positive perspective on the future. And it was being watched by millions of people, all over the world. I was fascinated by that."

He began to formulate the idea of doing a biographical film of Gene Roddenberry. And Colthorp leapt at the opportunity for Atmosphere Pictures to produce a series of short inserts and commercials for TNN when that network began airing repeats of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

It was during the filming of these inserts that Colthorp and Rod Roddenberry met. They found that they had a common bond—their respect for Gene Roddenberry's humanitarian vision. With Rod's input, Colthorp's idea for a Gene Roddenberry biography morphed into a documentary on the fans and the positive influence Star Trek has on them. Colthorp persuaded Rod that the narrative structure for the documentary could be supplied by Rod Roddenberry's quest to understand and come to terms with his father's creation.

Although plenty of footage has already been shot, doing additional filming, then putting it all together and editing it down to a cohesive narrative will take money, perhaps another $500,000. At the moment, Paramount Studios is interested in the documentary, says Colthorp. "Don Beck [whose company has done many Star Trek promotions and behind-the-scenes segments for Paramount] is repping for us out in Los Angeles. He's optimistic. He says 'I can't believe Paramount would let anybody else buy this.'"

Colthorp goes on, "The Star Trek franchise isn't doing well right now, and I don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing for us." He pauses, then adds, "With all the upheaval in the world right now, this may be a bad time for something like this [to come out]. But then, all the upheaval in the '60s was a catalyst for Gene's vision."

Colthorp expects to hear from Paramount before Valleyfest. Atmosphere is also shopping the documentary to other networks and studios.

Colthorp and Roddenberry recognize that a serious film on Star Trek fans might not be as appealing as one that mocks them for being "trekkies" (as the 1999 documentary of the same name did). But both men are determined that this film treat the fans with respect. Says Rod Roddenberry, "I'm a fan of the fans. I want to show that these people are not just 'trekkies,' that they are not just about dressing up in costumes. I want to show how they have been inspired by Star Trek, and how they apply what they get from it in their own lives."

Happily, the Trek Nation trailer itself is neither somber nor overly reverential. Colthorp and Atmosphere manage to compress an incredible amount of energy, information, and imagery into 4+ minutes. It's full of quick cuts, a kaleidoscope of images and sounds bites featuring creators, stars, and fans of the Star Trek franchise, with periodic voice-overs from Rod Roddenberry.

Although the camera doesn't shy away from showing fans in costume as their favorite Star Trek characters, the images are not belittling. Indeed, Colthorp hopes to land interviews with the likes of Microsoft mega-billionaire Bill Gates, former Vice President Al Gore, Simpsons' creator Matt Groening, and the Dalai Lama, all of whom have expressed their enjoyment of Star Trek. It's a way, he says, of both broadening the appeal of the documentary and of presenting a different image of the typical Star Trek fan.

But ultimately, if it's completed, the documentary's success will probably rest on how compelling a case it makes for the worldview of the man a young Rod Roddenberry knew simply as "dad." If the prospect daunts the grown-up Rod, he doesn't let it show. "I'm not trying to fill my father's shoes," he says. "I'm just following in his footsteps and trying take the next steps."