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
At Starbase 54, Captain Bradley Prentice and first officer Kendra Ronston receive a briefing from Rear Admiral Thornton regarding the Romulan situation: after a decade of civil war following the Shinzon incident, the various factions of the Romulan Star Empire have banded together, and are preparing to invade the Federation. The reason: a piece of evidence suggesting that Starfleet was responsible for the Romulan sun unexpectedly going supernova the year before, destroying the planet in the process. Thornton tells them that no only was this evidence supposedly delivered by a human, but that the human in question--known to them only as Drakus--has assumed command of the Romulan fleet and is coordinating the preparations for the invasion. Thornton tells Prentice that he and the Fitzgerald are being dispatched to find out whether the evidence is genuine or a forgery, and to learn the true identity of Drakus if possible, and that to assist she is sending along an expert on Romulan society. Upon returning to the ship, Prentice and Ronston are met by Admiral Gaius Reyf, who tells them he is the promised expert, and the Fitzgerald launches shortly thereafter.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Romulan space, at a massive starbase, a Romulan aide enters a dark observation room at the apex of the station, to confer with a shadowy figure. The Romulan reports that the Federation has dispatched an emissary to New Romulus, just as the figure had predicted. The figure--Drakus--orders a "little surprise" to be prepared for the coming visitors.

While en route to the Romulan Neutral Zone, Reyf fills the crew in on the details: the Romulans are believed to be massing an invasion force of epic proportions, and that Starfleet doesn't have the numbers to counter it, making it crucial that Prentice's mission succeed. Hargrove points out their odds of success, but Reyf refuses to go into detail beyond an acknowledgement that the key lies in proving the purported evidence to be false. The meeting is then adjourned, but Reyf and Prentice remain behind to have a private discussion concerning trust. Reyf acknowledges that he still trusts Prentice but that certain operational details must remain secret until the proper time, and then abruptly leaves. A visibly concerned Prentice simply remarks, "We're doomed," before leaving as well.

Later, Reyf is in his quarters, lying awake and apparently unable to sleep, when he hears a voice and is startled to discover the apparition of none other than Dr. Braiyon Garr in the room with him. After the shock of seeing Garr wears off, Reyf questions him about what happened following the anti-time explosion he witnessed ten years prior. Garr tells him that the magneton warhead the Fitzgerald fired at him destabilized the power grid, throwing off his anti-time calculations and creating an explosion hundreds of times more powerful than it was supposed to be. Garr's body--already damaged from previous experiments with tetryon particle energy--was nearly ripped apart by the resulting radiation surge, and was only saved through the use of Borg nanoprobes. A horrified Reyf listens as he describes his recovery, nine months of agony during which his tissues were repaired and rebuilt by the nanoprobes, ultimately replacing almost three-quarters of him with biosynthetic tissue. The result, he says, is "living flesh over a titanium endoskeleton."

At Reyf's insistence, Garr explains that the reason for his visit is to warn Reyf not to venture into Romulan space, that if he attempts to stop the coming war, he will certainly be killed--something that Garr has vowed to do himself, as revenge for what he sees as Reyf's betrayal. He then disappears in a burst of green light, and Reyf immediately calls for security. While he briefs Prentice and Ronston on the incident, Lieutenant Commander Jennifer Hargrove's security scans detect photonic residue, indicating that Garr visited via hologram, from which Reyf deduces he must've somehow accessed the ship's holographic communication system. Prentice orders Hargrove to find a way to protect their systems.

A short time later, Reyf appears in Main Engineering, to enlist the assistance of Commander Renee Mitchell with specific adjustments to the ship's plasma distribution grid. Mitchell is uncomfortable with the request, and decides to seek captain's approval before moving forward. Before Reyf can reply, Prentice summons him to the bridge--the Fitzgerald has reached the rendezvous point.

Reyf arrives on the bridge, but instead of the Romulan escort he'd been expecting, they instead find the hulk of the warbird Vaxis--their ally has been savagely attacked, leaving no survivors and the ship almost totally destroyed. Worst of all, sensors cannot conclusively identify the attacker. Interpreting this as a warning of what will befall the Fitzgerald if it moves forward, Prentice contemplates turning around, a possibility Reyf refuses to even consider. Ronston suggests salvaging the Romulan ship's cloaking device, but Prentice at first refuses, citing the Treaty of Algeron and the Prime Directive. At Reyf's insistence, Prentice relents, and a short time later, Mitchell returns and is able to sufficiently repair it to cloak the ship. Safe from prying eyes, Prentice orders course set for New Romulus.

Later, in Ten Forward, Prentice approaches Reyf about the oddities he's observed about their mission, including the adjustment he had Mitchell make, as well as having Cargo Bay Six sealed off, and the internal sensors in that section shut down with encryption codes from Starfleet Intelligence. Reyf cryptically responds that they both want the same thing, to ensure the survival of the Federation, but before he can elaborate further, red alert sounds, and Prentice is called to the bridge.

On the bridge, Commander Ronston reports that a group of Romulan ships is on a near-perfect intercept course and only minutes away. Reyf realizes that since the ships aren't cloaked and have their weapons armed, they must be coming back to finish the job of whoever attacked the Vaxis earlier. At Reyf's urging, the Fitzgerald drops out of warp and enters Grey Mode, powering down everything except sensors, the cloaking device, and life support. Though Prentice is nervous, Reyf insists they'll be alright. Sure enough, the Romulan fleet maintains speed and heading, with no indication that they detected the Fitzgerald. Reyf suspects the encounter means someone knows the Fitzgerald wasn't frightened away by the sight of the Vaxis at the border--what he refers to as a "scarecrow"--and that once Drakus realizes how they were able to slip past him, "every ship from here to the Gamma Quadrant will be searching for us." Once the Romulan ships reach a safe distance away, the Fitzgerald resumes course for New Romulus.

A short time later, Prentice receives a disturbing report from Commander Mitchell: in the course of studying the cloaking device she's stumbled across the reason why Reyf had her adjust the plasma grid earlier. To compensate for the increased power the cloaking device requires for sustained operation, they had to increase pressure across the EPS grid, which would normally be generating a substantial amount of waste heat; however the alterations Reyf asked for increased the efficiency of the plasma grid enough to reduce waste heat emissions to practically zero. Prentice realizes that without the adjustments Reyf asked for, the fleet that just passed them would certainly have detected them.

Later, in Prentice's ready room, he and Ronston discuss Reyf's peculiar behavior, and she voices concern that the admiral knows far more than he's letting on, and presses Prentice to confront him. The captain points out that Reyf has kept them out of harm's way twice already, and that until he does something more suspicious, he doesn't want to risk a confrontation. Ronston leaves, but a moment later, the ship powers up as the cloaking device shuts down.

Prentice enters the bridge, where Reyf tells him he ordered the ship decloaked to conceal from the Romulans the fact that the Fitzgerald is equipped with the cloaking device. Prentice deems the move sensible, and a few minutes later the Fitzgerald arrives at New Romulus. Immediately upon dropping out of warp, sensors detect a massive fleet of warships surrounding the planet. Reyf expresses surprise at the sheer size of the fleet, just before the Fitzgerald is scanned, followed closely by a perimeter warning. Ronston orders all stop, and Reyf sends out a message identifying himself and the purpose of his visit. Moments later, a transmission comes in that includes an orbital trajectory and transport coordinates. With no alternative, Prentice gives the order to move in.

On the surface, Ronston, Prentice, and Reyf meet with the Gueridian Proconsul, who shows them the evidence at the heart of the situation: a visual recording of the Romulan sun, just before it destabilized, showing a shadow moving across the surface, accompanied by sensor readings confirming a Starfleet warp signature. Prentice says the "evidence" is hardly convincing, but the proconsul counters by asking just how closely his own people would examine similar evidence if the tables were turned. Reyf convinces him that their intentions are honorable, and is given a copy of the recording to be analyzed. Before they depart, Reyf asks if the proconsul has any idea as to the identity of Drakus, only to be told that very few have ever seen his face.

Meanwhile, in his secret base, Drakus receives a report from an aide on the meeting between Prentice's crew and the proconsul, adding that "our operatives are in place, ready to proceed as planned--on your order." Drakus gives a single order: "Take them."

In Main Engineering, Commander Mitchell reviews the recording provided by the proconsul, and initiates an analysis as Ronson enters. Mitchell reports that so far all signs point to the recording being authentic, before they begin to discuss what the proconsul said about if their positions had been reversed. Mitchell insists that part of being human is sticking to the highest moral standard, even in the face of tragedy. Pondering that, Ronston leaves.

She visits Prentice, and the two ponder the improbability of a human assuming command of the Romulan fleet in the wake of the Shinzon incident. Prentice speculates that the differing circumstances may be one explanation--a decade prior, the only thing Shinzon had on his side was fear of his Thelaron weapon--even going so far as to quip, "Fear of superweapons is no way to run an Empire"--before contrasting that in the present day, Drakus is offering them a target for their rage and desire for revenge over the destruction of their homeworld. The discussion then turns to Drakus' identity, and Prentice shows her some clues he's uncovered as to who their mysterious nemesis might be. Before the discussion can proceed very far, Hargrove signals from the bridge that something is happening.

Returning at once to the bridge, Prentice learns that the consulate building where he met with the proconsul is under attack, that there are signs of rioting in the area, and out of concern for their safety she's pulling them back to a safe distance. Prentice and Ronston both reach the same conclusion: a coup. As they summon Reyf to the bridge, sensors detect a small scout ship taking off from the consulate building, and when it hails the Fitzgerald they discover it is the proconsul--seeking assistance and then, asylum, before being cut off my a jamming signal. Citing the tactical improbability of one starship against a huge fleet of warships, Prentice is at first reluctant to intervene, until Reyf convinces him that this is a pivotal moment and that "in every revolution, there is one man with a vision."

Prentice calls for red alert, and the Fitzgerald moves in, opening fire with its new Romulan weapons on a Warbird to try and draw fire away from the proconsul's scout ship. The Romulans return fire, and the Fitzgerald comes about for another pass as the proconsul clears the defense perimeter. Without any protective cover, pursuing Warbirds attack relentlessly, until a fierce volley from the Fitzgerald again temporarily draws their fire. The Fitzgerald takes significant damage, and the Ops console explodes, badly injuring Commander Kal. Prentice has her beamed to sickbay, but in the meantime the pursuing Warbirds manage to destroy the proconsul's scout ship--before changing course to pursue the Fitzgerald. Prentice takes the helm and prepares to perform a daring maneuver to escape from the Romulans, declaring it "the last thing they'd ever expect" to a clearly terrified Reyf. After shunting all available power to structural integrity and inertial dampers, he sets course for the closest of the New Romulan moons.

Entering into a slingshot trajectory and accelerating to full impulse power, Prentice leads the Romulan ships around the moon, and uses an unexpected burst of speed from the impulse engines to escape from sensor contact of both the planet and the pursuing ships, before rapidly decelerating, firing a probe, and then cloaking.

The crew of the Fitzgerald watches as the trio of Romulan warbirds goes into warp after the departing probe, and they all breathe a sigh of relief as Mitchell restores warp power. Prentice orders a course set back to Federation space, but when Reyf attempts to interject, Prentice stonily tells him to wait in the observation lounge. Clearly discomfited, Reyf leaves the bridge, where a concerned Ronston asks Prentice of his intentions. Prentice responds that he's going to get answers--"whatever it takes."

Meanwhile, at Drakus' command station, his aide reports on the events at New Romulus. Drakus becomes enraged when he learns that a fragment of the proconsul's distress signal managed to reach the Fitzgerald, and promptly pulls out a phaser and kills the aide for his failure.

Memorable Quotes
''"You can't be serious, Admiral! The magnitude of this...it's unthinkable!"  "Whether you think about it or not...it's happening anyway."''


 * - Prentice and Thornton

''"There is one other thing...and that's the matter of where this purported evidence came from."  "Forgive me, admiral, but what difference does it make?"''

"Kendra!"

"No, it's alright, captain, it's a fair question. Assuming we can trust the Romulans' account of what happened, I think it's damned convenient that someone just happened to be aiming a sensor array in the right direction at the right time, don't you?"

"Well, when you put it that way...it does sound awfully convenient."


 * - Thornton, Ronston, and Prentice

''"All we have to go on is a name: Drakus."  "Drakus? Sounds like something out of a childrens' story."''


 * - Thornton and Ronston

''"Are we ready for this?"  "I seem to recall we were asking ourselves that same question ten years ago. And look how things turned out."''

"Yes, just look at it."


 * - Prentice and Ronston

''"Any idea who this purported expert is they're sending?"  "No idea. Probably some...backroom wag from the diplomatic corps eager for some field action."''


 * - Prentice and Ronston

"Bradley let me tell you something. There's always going to be some disaster about to happen. First it was the Romulans, then the Klingons, then the Borg. What matters isn't the challenge we face. What matters is that we stick together...and that we come out on top. The captain taught us that."


 * - Commander Kendra Ronston

"A Federation starship with Romulan upgrades. That's just wacky."


 * - Captain Bradley Prentice

''"Running headlong into hostile territory. Trusting our lives to untensted, experimental weapons. What could possibly go wrong?"  "Now now...let's not predict disaster before we even leave spacedock."''

"Fine. I'll wait until we're in open space. Then I'll predict disaster."

''"That's all I ask." (pause) "It looks like the only thing we're waiting for now is our specialist to arrive, then we can leave." (softer) "This mission is going to be tough enough without being saddled by a know-it-all bureaucrat."''

"Didn't I just hear someone preaching the power of positive thinking?"

"No idea what you're talking about. Whoever it was must've been insane."


 * - Prentice and Ronston

"If they have such overwhelming numbers, then why haven't they moved yet? They have to know we're watching them. Are they hoping we'll terrify ourselves into submission?"


 * - Commander Kendra Ronston

"Alpha team: assemble in transporter room three. Bring a dustpan."


 * - Commander Renee Mitchell

"Our best bet is to hold our position--and hope Renee's membership in the Guild of Miracle Workers is current."


 * - Admiral Gaius Reyf

"We can't get out backwards. Got to go forward to go back...better press on."


 * - Admiral Gaius Reyf

"You, however, have a clear incentive to prove your innocence, regardless of the facts! What assurance can you offer that your investigation will be impartial? And that you will share the results of that investigation freely, whatever they may be?"

"Proconsul, please...I ask you to believe that I understand your concerns, but if you'll allow me: the Federation was founded on principles of friendship and peaceful exploration, principles that I am sworn to protect. An unprovoked attack against a planetful of innocent people goes against everything I believe in--and if it should be proven that elements of the Federation did carry out such an attack, it's my responsibility to see that they're brought to justice."

"You would turn against your own people?"

"Anyone who would do something like this forfeits their humanity."


 * - The Gueridian Proconsul and Admiral Reyf

"Put yourselves in our position. That's what the proconsul said--he wondered how we'd react if the tables were turned, and it was the Romulans implicated in the destruction of Earth?"

"I'd like to think we could do better than immediately looking for revenge."

"Could we? It really makes you wonder, doesn't it--are we really so different from the Romulans? If push came to shove, if...something disastrous did happen, and we were frightened enough, or...desperate enough, how would we react? Would we stay true to our ideals, or...?"

"I think that the capacity to stay true to the highest moral standard, regardless of the circumstances, is part of what makes us human. The minute we stop trying to do good for the universe, even in the face of tragedy, we lose our humanity--and with it, everything that makes us worth saving."


 * - Ronston and Mitchell

"I woke you...I'm sorry, I'll--"

"Kendra, it's alright, I couldn't sleep. Besides, it wouldn't matter even if I were--you're welcome to wake me up anytime."


 * - Ronston and Prentice

"I can't stop thinking about what the proconsul said, about how no one knows who Drakus is, how no one's ever seen him. Why would a species as paranoid as the Romulans be willing to blindly follow someone like that? Especially if he's rumored to be human? I mean, if we know then they must have some idea--and after what happened the last time a human meddled in their affairs, I just can't see them being willing to trust one again!"

"A decade ago, all Shinzon had on his side was fear--fear of the 24th century death ray he'd created. Fear of superweapons is no way to run an Empire."


 * - Ronston and Prentice

"You have failed me for the last time!"


 * - Drakus

"I tried to warn you, Gaius...you should have listened to me. I've waited almost ninety years for the day I'd finally crush you. Run home if it suits you, it makes no difference...you can't outrun death!"


 * - Drakus

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. 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." His exact role in the plot of Retribution remains unclear. Bridges has said that his performance as Dr. Braiyon Garr in this film will be based on the performance of Tom McCamus as Mason Eckhart in the "Mutant X" TV series.
 * 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."

Besides the new tone and method of storytelling, the producer has also touted new and improved production techniques that will allow for far more lifelike sets than were typically possible in Specter. One example could already be seen in the early shots of the Fitzgerald main engineering set:


 * "In Specter, a shot of Engineering that involved the carp core, you'd have to have three things: a basic still shot of the set, then an alpha-channel mask for the core chamber, and finally a shot of the warp core chamber in which the core itself is pulsing. These would then be composited together as follows: you start with the basic still shot of the set; the alpha-channel shot would then be used to 'cut a hole' in the image wherever you can see the core chamber; then the separate shot of the core pulsing would be added in behind the still. It's actually similar to placing an animated element behind a matte painting. This time around, we've devised a much faster way to go about it--once again, we start with a basic still shot of the set. Then we render up a separate effects shot of the warp core pulsing in a version of the set that's completely unlit, except for the warp core (which has the added benefit of catching the shine on the core casing from the pulsing lights). This effects shot is then superimposed on the existing shot seamlessly using a special luma key, and voila. The upshot of this is that you need one less element, and the effects shot renders up much faster than a fully lit set would, and you can get some really nice shots in a tenth the time we could in Specter. We're going to do something similar for all the LCARs displays around the ship--any monitor where you'd expect to see a motion graphic, you'll see one. The backgrounds are really going to come alive this time, and it's going to be so much better than having those boring still shots like we had in Specter."

Upgrades in the Bryce rendering engine also made possible to provide better visuals for energy weapons and deflector shields in operation. These improvements were seen in Scene 23, "Escape from New Romulus," which showed a space battle over New Romulus as the Fitzgerald crew attempts to rescue the proconsul's scout ship from destruction by Drakus' Warbirds. The scene includes numerous shots of starship weapons (including phasers and disruptors) in operation, as well as defensive shields on multiple ships.

Ships
It has been stated that a mix of canon and non-canon ship designs will appear in Retribution as needed. So far (in order of appearance):


 * Shuttlecraft Guibert (Volga-class Runabout): a fan design in a cameo appearance as a VIP courier shuttlecraft
 * USS F. Scott Fitzgerald (NCC-85107-A): a refitted Galaxy-class starship, aboard which the principal action will be set. To allow for the re-use of stock footage from Specter, the model for the ship's exterior has not been altered.
 * USS Insignia: a fan design seen in the interior of Starbase 54. Used by special agreement with Mark Kingsworth.
 * D'Deridex-class Romulan Warbird: primary class of Romulan battlecruiser in use in the late 24th century; the first to appear is the Vaxis, an allied ship sent to escort the Fitzgerald to New Romulus.  Numerous additional ships of this type are later seen as part of the orbital defense fleet at New Romulus itself
 * Movie-Era Romulan Warbird (Sean Kennedy): an extrapolation of the classic Warbird design, seen as part of the defense fleet over New Romulus
 * Kerchan-class Romulan Battlecruiser: warship designed as an anti-starbase vessel; several are seen as part of the defense fleet over New Romulus
 * Romulan Science Vessel: modification of the scout ship from TNG; serves as the Gueridian Proconsul's escape ship following a coup at New Romulus

It has been rumored that later battle sequences will feature additional Federation ship types, and that at least one more Romulan ship will be seen. Rumors have begun circulating that the final Romulan ship will be portrayed by a recolored model of the USS Event Horizon, from the film of the same name.

Sets
Where possible, sets from Specter are being 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.

One notable element is Admiral Thornton's office aboard Starbase 54. The set is a redress of Dr. Braiyon Garr's office at Starfleet Headquarters from Specter. Attentive fans will notice several classic Star Trek: The Original Series matte paintings around the set, along with a gold model of Babylon 5 briefly visible behind Prentice and Ronston.

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.

Reception
Initial reaction to Retribution was mixed, with commentators on Scifi-Meshes.com as well as viewers on YouTube expressing strong concerns over concept of a human once again leading the Romulan fleet in the wake of the events of Star Trek Nemesis. Some viewers who had not seen Specter also expressed strong feelings over the producer only including his own voice in the preview clips. Others praised the continuing quality of the writing, as well as the more mature characters and different manner of storytelling.

Pre-release Preview Clips
Between January 13 and February 6, 2011, a series of preview clips were made available on YouTube for viewing, depicting selected scenes from Retribution and largely following the story scene by scene. After the final preview clip was posted, users at Scifi-Meshes.com were provided with a rough outline of the remainder of the storyline and encouraged to make contributions of their own ideas. Bridges has stated that during this period, earlier scenes will be "polished," making fixes such as adding warp stars through the observation lounge windows during Reyf's briefing. On Monday, February 14, 2011, a new full-length clip was posted that included many of the promised fixes, and at the same time all the previous clips were removed.