Pacionsbo
Absolutely Fantastic
Curapedi
I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.
Jakoba
True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.
SSJ_Alhazred
Hidden Frontier's low budget shows; the green screen effect constantly leaves visual artifacts, the costumes and make-up are often cheap to the naked eye, and the amateur acting is often on-par with the worst Mystery Science Theater ever screened.The inexperience of the production team shows clearly with the first two seasons, both in filming and creativity. The early time travel story about the Titanic makes a lot of awful written fanfiction look genius by comparison.So, why is it worth it?If there was ever a testament to the value of practice and dedication, it's Hidden Frontier. As the show progresses, the writing goes from awful to tolerable to better than the common cookie-cutter cliché driven recycled scripts used in mainstream professional television. The production value increases with every episode. The terrible and nonsensical episodic plots give way to an intriguing story arc that mixes enough familiar elements of canon with original ideas to remain grounded in Star Trek while exploring new ideas and telling a new story; the use of Insurrection's setting as an area of mystery, intrigue and ancient precursors is one of the best decisions they made, surely the best in the beginning long before the series had found it's feet. The consistency through the main plot is such that it would give Voyager-era Rick Berman and Brannon Braga a heart-attack over their old "continuity is bad" philosophy.Nearly the entire case is made memorable in some way, from Aster, Ro and Zen being the first live-action gay Star Trek characters, to Naros' cryptic past and wit, to Siroc's villainous plotting, to Shelby's command presence. All of the characters grow into roles that fill the niches of a story without becoming caricatures of literary devices. For all of the neon signs Ro makes over being gay, it's easy to see him as a real person with an actual life beyond singular issues, and this trait extends to most of the cast. It is this, above all else, that makes Hidden Frontier so enjoyable; the cast is extremely easy to care about, and tension often comes not from wishing to see what happens next, but wishing to see what will happen to the characters themselves.Even the acting improves as time goes on, with many long-time cast members getting better over time, and those who come partway through bringing an increasing level of talent; Larry Laverne and Jim Davis as Naros and Siroc are clear standouts with spectacular performances. For my money, I like Hidden Frontier's Elizabeth Shelby better then the Next Generation original.Another thing the show gets right is having the right balance between"cool" and "practical." Characters are rarely bogged down by technobabble, but the show throws some of the best parts of 'Trek lore at us, with the Excelsior's galaxy-class Dreadnaught refit glimpsed in the Next Generation finale never to be seen again, plenty of the newer Federation cruisers like Akiras and Steamrunners fighting alongside their more-seen brethren, and all manner of small details like having the Tholians as a main antagonist that always seem hidden behind the curtain in official Star Trek, leaving the fans wanting something instead of another run-in with the Borg or Romulans or another plot about Klingon and Human culture clashing; the latter is something Hidden Frontier actually does, but throws a twist even to that.Is Hidden Frontier unprofessional? Absolutely. But it's important to understand that it goes from being unprofessional in mentality to unprofessional in budget, and a solid experience can be had from something unprofessional in budget when the creators know what they're doing. It won't win you over if you dislike fan-made endeavors anymore than Phase II's real sets would make up for not having the actual original cast. If you don't mind the nuances of a fan-production, Hidden Frontier is a well-crafted epic with a story arc worthy of canon, indeed, a story arc with far more depth and more memorable characters than the episodic nature of Voyager or the thinly-veiled political allegories of Enterprise's later seasons.
lukepic123
With the amount of actors they have working on the project they have a wide variety of cast. Nice starship CGI in places BUT their green screen needs some work. Anyone heard of Adobe After Effects 7, they should buy it get their keying better.Stories are well thought out, plenty of trek elements in this to keep it in the right context. BUT BUT the idea of two guys kissing makes me wind forward the episode. Im not homophobic but i cant help that i don't find men kissing entertaining (dont mind women). Anyway... For a fan series this is good stuff. With minor improvement in their green screen, brush up acting and some guidance ratings this series is stunning. Anyway i recommend this series to who ever enjoyed TNG and DS9.
Michael G
Hidden Frontier has been talked about and reported on by several news agencies for their long commitment to creating the best Star Trek stories and to providing an example of the togetherness that was Gene Roddenberry's mission. Their focus on homosexuality, depression, war, and acceptance of different races is on par or exceeds those of the other Trek series and movies. The production value started off as smaller and choppy but over the 7 seasons of production the acting has improved, the stories are more complex, and the visual graphics have gotten smoother and more impressive. In season 6 episode 1, Countermeasures, there is one of the biggest space battles in Trek history. The ships are rendered well and the space battles are impressive and exciting. The real draw to Frontier is not the ships or the backgrounds, but it is the people and the interplay and growth of characters. There are also nods to other Trek series and movies with places and characters we all know. I recommend any Trek fan to check out Countermeasures and you will be hooked!
jedi_boyuk
Nicely done, and along with "New voyages" it's a great continuation! Fab to see James Cawley in the latest episode "Vigil" Check it out! I like the growing characterisation, and think we have good replacements for the TV actors in a fan-produced piece. This show manages to capture the feel quite well, as they state on the ste, it has improved over the years with experience and I hope with some more experience, a strong script editor, and a pick-up in timing and CGI that HF will becoming more remarkable than it already truly is!Good work to all concerned!(I have a HUGE soft spot for Lefler & McFarland (GREAT acting), although I'm a bit tired of "Lefler's laws". ENOUGH already! Shelby's great (if a little uptight) and it's cool she got the ship. Commodore Ian's nice (like Fred Flintstone), but lacks the gritty edge of a commanding officer and does seem too pleased with himself. The Doc, Counselor, and Rawlins are right on the money in my eyes, as is the WONDERFUL Nechayev (what a beautiful accent - a REAL Russian! (Well, I'm guessing Rene hails from the Czech Rep.)It gets my vote, and the CGI is kewl. Some of the greenscreen's obvious, but on a small budget whaddayagonndo?Really glad I found it!(OK, some of the acting isn't great but it's fan-made and is therefore allowed to be variable - sorry Cmm. Cole)The gay material is layed on too thick (Graham Norton'd be embarrassed). Trek doesn't pay that much attention to hetero couples so why signpost gays with all the snogging? It's not necessary to showpiece someone's sexuality to this extent - I hope they tone it down & let Aster & Zen be people not tokens - I don't treat my gay friends any differently, They're just regular guys.Musically it's a mixed bag. I can tell its all stock Trek OST stuff and works most of the time, but timing can fall flat now & then (the end of "Worst Fears Part 2" misses the crunch, and the edit. Love the fact they use the "Galaxy Quest" music!I certainly can't wait for more!! Dazza"Never give up, never surender!"Viva les frontieres