Just saw it myself.
The IDEA behind this, of having a group of renegades doing the behind the scenes dirty work that a regular federation ship wouldn't, while under the personal pay of a grouchy old admiral... that isn't so bad.
The EXECUTION was horrible.
Now, don't misunderstand, as a fan film, I can excuse poor sets and special effects. Even poor acting given the shoestring budget. What I can't excuse though is the story itself, promising premise aside.
Let's start large and work our way down to details. The main bad guys are a totally new race, who seem to be using some sort of ancient devices that looks like Preserver tech from TOS, that they blame on the Federation; as such they have a bloodlust for revenge. Ok... this could work. But for it to work, you have to open with the destruction of their world, why they thought the Federation was behind it, how blowing up dilithium mines would be helpful and not just tip your hand, and so on. Developing the crew of the Icarus more, who they are, why they are together, that would be important too, as would be developing the crew and personality of the Archer more.
If this seems too much for a 90 minute film, it is, and there is a large part of the problem. Lack of focus.
Getting down to specifics:
-I can buy that Admiral Chekov might still be alive... but taking a day to day role running Starfleet security? Or doing... anything other than enjoying his kids and grandkids? Hard to swallow.
-This is set 10 years after Voyager. Suddenly Section 31 is common knowledge?
-Lexxa Singh... where did she come from? Khan went into stasis about when the baddies THINK that the humans sent the devices. Some connection there might make this dreck more watchable. It's perfectly plausible Khan had kids before he went into stasis... so where has she been for the last 300 years? Post-stasis he also could have had a kid, sure, or a half-breed with the Starfleet woman who went into exile with him from Kirk's crew; but then where was she in WOK, and how did she escape the destruction of Ceti Alpha V? And why isn't she damn near as old as Chekov? Or if Khan is back, how, and from where? You don't just toss an augment out there and expect it to make sense.
-The lady in glasses apparently killed the Doctor, stole his mobile emitter, and gave it to Fixer, the Minion wannabe. What a waste. Some info on her relationship to Doc Zimmerman and why they are close is needed to understand why he'd overlook this and care for her.
-The young girl and her roommate- Chekovs great great granddaughter- she doesn't particularly advance the plot.
So many other little things but for me those were the big ones.
I could write a better story on this premise easily.
Open with a peaceful prosperous planet, with the would-be bad guys living their lives. Cut to earth; show a 2080s earth launching it's first warp capable deep space probe with suitable fanfare. Cut to the probe in deep space with the title, 6 years later. The probe crashes into a small moon around the bad guy's planet, dislodging a piece of ancient tech- the preserver obelisk, and both fall to the planet. The bad guys see the obelisk and open the remains of the probe, learning about earth, and figure both were sent together. Cut scene to scientists working on the obelisk, and suddenly it folds space around their planet for 300 years, and what emerges is a shattered, burnt wreck, with few survivors.
Go from there. Suddenly we have a solid premise.
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