With the arrival of Star Trek Discovery on mainstream television last fall, a long hiatus from network broadcast ended for one of the most influential sci-fi series.
ST: Enterprise, which debuted in 2001 ended in 2005, leaving a more than decade-long drought.
But the absence of Star Trek on mainstream TV did not mean new stories weren’t being told.
Fans picked up the slack with a number of groups launching online podcast shows for the love of Trek.
One of the best of the bunch is Star Trek: Outpost which debuted at Giant Gnome Productions in April 2009 with the airing of the first episode, ‘What Could Be So Bad?’ co-written and produced by Daniel McIntosh and Tony Raymond. The team of McIntosh and Raymond are still at the helm of the ongoing show.
Star Trek: Outpost is an internet-based, fan-produced, serialized audio drama series. It follows the adventures of the crew of Deep Space 3 and the USS Chimera.
So a bit about the series from the website and the show’s opening lines; “in the darkest reaches of the United Federation of Planets, an isolated station stands sentinel over a neglected frontier. Commissioned long ago with high hopes, its promise is now all but forgotten; a lonely outpost serving as the gateway to the vast expanse beyond, where discovery…and adventure…await.”
The website stexpanded.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Trek:_Outpost goes far more into depth on the background series that I recommend anyone interested in ST: Outpost check out.
“Sometime after the USS Enterprise made contact with Balok, a citizen of the First Federation, Starfleet officials worked diligently to establish diplomatic ties. While the formalization of relations took several years, trade agreements were quickly established. The United Federation of Planets wanted to establish a strong presence near the First Federation border and what was, at that time, uncharted space. Through the negotiations and agreements, Starfleet arranged to build a Spacedock-class starbase …
“While touted as being a new stepping off point, the station’s promise was almost forgotten… Once the isolationists had taken control, they closed the First Federation borders and forbade trade and traffic with outsiders. With no support from the First Federation in trade and traffic, 
Starfleet was faced with a decision – either finish the station in the hopes that diplomatic ties could be re-established, break down what had already been completed and move it elsewhere, or abandon the project altogether. Starfleet decided that a compromise between those three options was most feasible: Starfleet opted to minimally complete the station, sealing off unfinished areas and complete the minimum needed to make the station habitable. It was then stuffed with a skeleton crew. Sections of the station that had been assembled but not yet installed were diverted to other projects within the Federation. In essence, DS3 was akin to a 19th century American west frontier town that had been bypassed by the railroad. One starship, an aging Oberth-class vessel, was permanently assigned to the station: the Oberth-class USS Chimera. The USS Chimera would primarily be responsible for policing the area around the station and servicing marker buoys marking established trade routes and borders.”
And from that almost forgotten element, the story has unfolded over what is now near 80 episodes. That might seem daunting, but jump in on this one at www.giantgnome.com It is outstanding with a memorable crew and unique part of the space frontier.
The series is still in production. In September of 2013, Star Trek: Outpost was the recipient of the Parsec award for Best Audio Drama Long Form.
About Author
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
Calvin’s Commentaries: Star Trek: Outpost
ST: Enterprise, which debuted in 2001 ended in 2005, leaving a more than decade-long drought.
But the absence of Star Trek on mainstream TV did not mean new stories weren’t being told.
Fans picked up the slack with a number of groups launching online podcast shows for the love of Trek.
One of the best of the bunch is Star Trek: Outpost which debuted at Giant Gnome Productions in April 2009 with the airing of the first episode, ‘What Could Be So Bad?’ co-written and produced by Daniel McIntosh and Tony Raymond. The team of McIntosh and Raymond are still at the helm of the ongoing show.
So a bit about the series from the website and the show’s opening lines; “in the darkest reaches of the United Federation of Planets, an isolated station stands sentinel over a neglected frontier. Commissioned long ago with high hopes, its promise is now all but forgotten; a lonely outpost serving as the gateway to the vast expanse beyond, where discovery…and adventure…await.”
The website stexpanded.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Trek:_Outpost goes far more into depth on the background series that I recommend anyone interested in ST: Outpost check out.
“While touted as being a new stepping off point, the station’s promise was almost forgotten… Once the isolationists had taken control, they closed the First Federation borders and forbade trade and traffic with outsiders. With no support from the First Federation in trade and traffic,
Starfleet was faced with a decision – either finish the station in the hopes that diplomatic ties could be re-established, break down what had already been completed and move it elsewhere, or abandon the project altogether. Starfleet decided that a compromise between those three options was most feasible: Starfleet opted to minimally complete the station, sealing off unfinished areas and complete the minimum needed to make the station habitable. It was then stuffed with a skeleton crew. Sections of the station that had been assembled but not yet installed were diverted to other projects within the Federation. In essence, DS3 was akin to a 19th century American west frontier town that had been bypassed by the railroad. One starship, an aging Oberth-class vessel, was permanently assigned to the station: the Oberth-class USS Chimera. The USS Chimera would primarily be responsible for policing the area around the station and servicing marker buoys marking established trade routes and borders.”
The series is still in production. In September of 2013, Star Trek: Outpost was the recipient of the Parsec award for Best Audio Drama Long Form.
About Author
Calvin Daniels
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
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