Star Trek II: Retribution

Star Trek: Retribution is a forthcoming fan-produced CGI film, produced by Brandon M. Bridges as a sequel to the popular film Star Trek: Specter of the Past. Writing for the new movie's plot began on Wednesday, October 13, 2010, and production officially commenced on Wednesday, January 12, 2011.

Summary
Few details of the new movie's plot were immediately available. As with Specter, the principal action would be set aboard the USS Fitzgerald (NCC-85107-A), and would take place in the "alternate" timeline seen at the end of Specter, now ten years later. The story follows the crew's attempts to halt a planned invasion by the fractured Romulan Empire, retaliation for the Romulans' belief that the Federation was responsible for a supernova that resulted in the destruction of Romulus (as described in ).

At the center of the invasion plans is a piece of evidence the Romulans possess, which they claim shows a Federation starship destabilizing the sun just before the nova occurred. With only four days left before the Romulan invasion fleet becomes operational, Admiral Thornton dispatches the Fitzgerald to New Romulus to discern the authenticity of the evidence, and to prove the Federation's innocence before time runs out.

But things become complicated when, while en route to Romulan space, Admiral Reyf is visited by the ghost of his old friend, Dr. Braiyon Garr, long thought to be dead since the events of Specter. Garr warns Reyf that only death awaits him beyond the Neutral Zone, and warns him not to try to stop what's coming but rather to flee, so that Garr himself can kill him.

With the deadline rapidly approaching, Captain Bradley Prentice finds himself caught between an unstoppable Romulan foe, and a superior officer he's sure is hiding something, a dark secret that could save the Federation--or seal its doom.

Cast
Many cast members from Specter are slated to reappear in Retribution, many with new or expanded roles from the original film. A voice cast for Retribution has yet to be selected, though several actors from Specter are confirmed to have been contacted about reprising their roles.


 * Admiral Gaius Reyf (voiced by Dennis Gard Robb). Representative of Starfleet Intelligence and mission specialist, expert in Romulan culture and psychology
 * Captain Bradley Prentice. Commanding officer of the Fitzgerald
 * Commander Kendra Ronston (voiced by Elaine Korff). First officer of the Fitzgerald.
 * Dr. Elizabeth Falwell. Chief medical officer of the Fitzgerald.
 * Lieutenant Commander Jennifer Hargrove. Chief tactical officer and chief of security of the Fitzgerald.
 * Lieutenant Commander Renee Mitchell. Chief engineer of the Fitzgerald
 * Lieutenant Commander Lesley Kal. Chief of operations and chief science officer of the Fitzgerald.
 * Dr. Braiyon Elias Garr (voiced by Brandon Bridges). Former operative of Starfleet Intelligence, now bent on revenge against Admiral Gaius Reyf and the crew of the Fitzgerald for their roles in his defeat during the events of Specter. By the time of Retribution, Garr has lost any grip on sanity he once had, and Reyf describes him as "more dangerous than ever."
 * Admiral Margaret Thornton. Head of Starfleet Intelligence and Reyf's immediate superior.

Production
The producer has stated that Retribution will be similar in structure to Specter, although the running time would not exceed one hundred minutes. Further, the tone of the new movie would be less "big budget" than its predecessor, and that despite what has been described as a "thrilling" storyline, Retribution would be "less a personal confessional than Specter and would be more firmly rooted in Star Trek canon." As part of the new production approach--meant to reduce production time from Specter's benchmark of four and one half years--material would be re-used from Specter wherever possible. An example of this approach could be seen in the first preview scene released for the film: a mission briefing in Admiral Thornton's office supposedly aboard a starbase is actually a redress of the set used to portray Dr. Garr's office at Starfleet Headquarters in the previous film.

The producer has also said that where the tone of Specter could vary from lighthearted to sinister, the mood of Retribution would be more consistent, and would tend more towards the serious end of the spectrum. According to the producer, "there are still going to be plenty of plot twists and personal intrigue, plus interplay between our three main heroes--but don't expect any mysterious Price is Right holodeck programs this time." And further: "At its core, Specter was a story about friendship (between Garr and Reyf), and love (between Garr and Kristie), growing up (Reyf), and redemption (Garr). For me, it was a very personal story because it was inspired by real events. Retribution isn't going to have nearly that many violins playing, for any character. Reyf is going to be dark and mysterious; Garr is going to be menacing and very, very threatening for his appearances; Prentice is all grown up and has become a fine commanding officer, and in general everyone's going to be acting more like the cohesive and adult Starfleet crews we've seen over the last few decades. No one's got training wheels on this time."

Sets
Where possible, sets from Specter will be re-used for Retribution, either as-is or redressed as needed. Contrary to popular belief, however, the sets will retain their "alternate" looks to emphasize that the events are taking place in an alternate timeline. In addition, the Galaxy-class sets will be updated to appear period-appropriate as depicted in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Release
As was the case during Specter, sequences will be released as they are completed via YouTube. For Retribution, however, an early round of preview/demo scenes will be released before production actually begins in earnest.

Preview Clip #00001: "Mission Briefing"
The first clip was posted on YouTube on Thursday, 13 January 2011, and depicts a briefing between Admiral Margaret Thornton, Captain Bradley Prentice, and Commander Kendra Ronston. In the clip, Thornton explains the situation in Romulan space and assigns the USS Fitzgerald to the case. All three officers are wearing the "All Good Things" combadge, and instead of the typical three pips, Ronston has three gold pips and one black pip, indicative that a ship's first officer is now indicated by what is essentially a "captain, junior grade" insignia. Ronston's hair is darker than it was last seen in Specter, and Thornton's hair is slightly lighter, a dark gray instead of jet black. ''The set is a redress of Dr. Garr's office from the previous film; Dean Scott's Babylon 5 station appears as a piece of set dressing. Two photos from HD episodes of Star Trek TOS Remastered appear on the set. The name of the Romulan leader, Drakus, is a reference to the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon--in that context, Drakus co-designed the Technodrome along with Krang.''

Preview Clip #00002: "Rimward Station"
The second clip was posted on Saturday, 15 January 2011, and depicts a brief meeting at a space station in an unknown sector of Romulan territory, between a Romulan and an unknown, shadowed figure (presumably Drakus). The aide informs Drakus of Starfleet's decision to dispatch an emissary to New Romulus, and Drakus says that a surprise should be prepared for the visitors. ''The exterior of the station is portrayed by the Rimward Station, by Treybor. The set is a redress of the Mustafar Control Board Room, by Jan Jacob. The Romulan is portrayed as bald in accordance with Star Trek XI. According to production notes, the station will actually be referred to as "the Rimward Station" in dialogue.''

Preview Clip #00003: "The Shuttle"
The third clip was posted on January 16, 2011, and accompanies Captain Prentice and Commander Ronston on the shuttlecraft taking them back to the Fitzgerald. The two share a conversation during which the audience sees a very different dynamic between them than was observed in Specter, very definitely one involving mutual respect and trust, and even hints of affection. The "shuttlecraft" is actually a Volga-class runabout, designed by medjai; referencing it as a "shuttlecraft" in dialogue rather than as a "runabout" continues a running gag first established in Specter''. The Spacedock interior is by Wil Jaspers. The Clydesale Mk2 shuttle is by virtualkey08. The Insignia-class starship is by Mark Kingsnorth.''

Preview Clip #00004: "The Bridge / Reunion"
The fourth clip was posted on January 21, 2011, and shows the bridge of the Fitzgerald as the crew discusses the Romulan upgrades taking place. Midway through the scene, Starfleet's special envoy arrives, and preparations to depart begin. ''The "All Good Things" combadges worn by the crew are by Richard Duda. Reyf's uniform is a modified version of Warrior's basic STFC uniform.''

Preview Clip: "Scenes 1-3 + Main Titles"
An early draft of the first ten minutes of Retribution, including material not available in the other three preview clips. This material includes: a brief recap of Specter highlighting the three major players (Reyf, Garr, Kristie) and ending with a stock shot of the ISS Voyager; an early version of the main titles, which include the names of several of the voice actors from Specter along with roles that have no actor identified; and smoother scene transitions. The clip is just over ten minutes in length.