Starship Valiant

Starship Valiant is a web based fan-film series with an indeterminate number of episodes to be produced. It has been in the planning and production stages since September 2013 and the first episode is near completion with a debut date of June 27th, 2014 at the SoonerCon sci-fi Convention in Midwest City, Oklahoma. The series was created by Michael L. King.

The series is contemporaneous with Star Trek: The Original Series, i.e., 2267-2269. The series takes place during the 4th season of the original series. It is intended to return to the TOS environment in terms of the scripts and scenery but focusing more on character development and internal strife with the highlight being the betterment of the human condition. The series starship was inspired by the notes of DC Fontana where she listed the USS Valiant as an alternative name for one of the original 13 Constitution-class starships, NCC-1707.

Starship Valiant is in pre-production and is using the bridge set with the endorsement and blessing of Jimm and Josh Johnson who produced Starship Exeter -- and building additional standing sets near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: full bridge and engineering sets, transporter room, briefing room, sickbay, captain's quarters, corridors -- about 90% of the original Paramount/Desilu Stage 9 sets. These sets are now housed at Starbase Studios under the care of CEO's Scott Johnson and Richard Wells.

Michael L. King conceived the series as direct inspiration of Starship Exeter and always held the dream of creating his own expression of Star Trek, albeit on a more personal level with the characters taking center stage and the action being a distant second. He brought together a winning team to help, consisting of professional videographer Brady Foster, director and cameraman, Benjamin Richardson, editor and acting coach as well as assistance from Scott Johnson, Richard Wells and Charles England.

Craig William Frey is in charge of special visual effects and have rendered all the effects work for the vignette. He has completed 90% of the effects as of this article. Frequent updates in photos and video production reports of the progress are posted by the producer and staff.

CAST OF CHARACTERS - LEGACY STORYLINE
CMD. Jackson K. Bishop]]Jackson K. Bishop (played by Michael L. King) is an exceptional officer and has often proven his abilities in command of the USS Valiant. He is cool and calm in the face of danger and is quick to pull his phaser when needed. He does not often ask for others opinions when he is in command and he’s always analytical. He's seen many battles and has proven invaluable to his captain and he has the utmost respect of the crew, especially his best friend Leeza S. Kennedy. He’s a very driven man boiling over with emotions. He can be combative, harsh, seemingly uncaring at times and arrogant but he is also capable of the reverse of all these things. Few know the true person behind the uniform. His personal life is a mess, hiding feelings of terrible guilt and persecution. He's a haunted man and the only thing that seems to bring him temporary peace is serving on board the Valiant, which takes his mind temporarily away from his problems. Though he may have many personal problems, when he is in command the safety of the ship is foremost on his mind. He is overly protective of the crew given what they have all gone through together. He’s seen many of his shipmates die…perhaps too many and it weighs heavily on him. Often time, he wonders if he has the strength inside to handle another death. He knows that it’s inevitable that death will occur again. It was at the behest of Senior Admiral Parker who goaded him in commanding the ship for which he reluctantly took command but he can’t shake the feelings of deep guilt over the fact that his deceased captain was his best friend and may be somehow he let him down. Still, he will challenge even those most high in Starfleet if he feels they are wrong. He is very protectant of his crew and he will do whatever it takes to ensure the safety of his ship and company.

Leeza S. Kennedy (played by Kelley Wyskiel) Leeza S. Kennedy (played by Kelley Wyskiel) is 3rd in command of the USS Valiant. She takes her job very serious and often oversees many departments onboard the ship and many crewmen report directly to her with status reports. She is the classic workaholic and thrives on it. Leeza loves the Valiant and even thought the ship was nearly destroyed and put to space dock, her overriding goal was to get her ready as fast as possible so that Valiant could once again leave the galaxy. Although not assigned to oversee the refit of the ship, she chose to personally take the responsibility into her own hands. Valiant is a ship that she considers her home and she has taken ownership of the starship. In that instance she shares a sense of peace and tranquility just as Bishop does when he is onboard. The ship brings them both peace of mind.

Admiral Shelly Parker (played by Shirley Amauric) is a senior admiral in Starfleet. Parker’s career spans many years of dedicated and honorable service for Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets. She worked her way up from a lowly ensign, then captain, commodore and finally an admiral. She has the distinction of being the first female starship captain and commanded the very first Constitution class starship, the USS Constitution upon its initial launch in 2240. She commanded the earliest incarnation of these ships which would become the vanguards of the Federation and paved the way for early deep space exploration.

Abigail Bishop (played by Doneco Wellington Guy) Daughter of Commander Bishop of the USS Valiant, Abbey harbors quite a bit of anger and dissatisfaction with her father. She blames him for the death of her mother and for his lack of parenting in her life. To say that there is an uneasy peace between the two of them would be universal exaggeration. Their relationship is one of pain and distress and its not quite certain if she can ever bring herself to simply...like her father. Strong-willed and very intelligent, she is a mirror copy of her dad but she'll never admit it as she hates everything that makes him...him.

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