Before diving into critiquing this movie, I think we must ask the obvious - how did Viacom (Paramount, CBS) allow Skyway Productions to distribute Renegades into circulation? At the end of the movie credits there is a notice: "Star Trek and related marks are trademarks of CBS Studios, Inc. CBS Studios has not endorsed nor is affiliated with with Star Trek Renegades. No copyright infringement is intended."
But to my eyes there clearly is copyright infringement. And this is not just a matter of squabbling about getting a few extra pennies from rights-fees into the Viacom accounting sheets. In my opinion ST Renegades damages the Star Trek brand.
This is because Renegades is not a good movie. It is not the worst movie ever made, it just doesn't have the quality needed to carry the "Star Trek" brand name.
In this case the script, especially the dialogue, is groan-worthy and the biggest problem. Some of the directing and post production (cutting) is also very weak. I'm not going to blame the actors for this movie - with a better script and better directing they probably could have carried off a decent bit of entertainment.
Concepts in Renegades' plot are borrowed from the usual canon of the space-cowboy genre with a dose of stealing from the ST canon (e.g., holodeck technology).
I would have given Renegades three stars, but a bonus star was added for the scene of Chekov sitting at the Spock memorial, and Chekov looking wistfully into nothingness, just as old men do as we remember our past glories.
Not recommended for anyone but Star Trek fans who just can't get enough of Chekov and miscellaneous Trek characters, or who need to see it just for completeness of having seen all things Star Trek (even though as I pointed out earlier, this isn't really Star Trek.)
But to my eyes there clearly is copyright infringement. And this is not just a matter of squabbling about getting a few extra pennies from rights-fees into the Viacom accounting sheets. In my opinion ST Renegades damages the Star Trek brand.
This is because Renegades is not a good movie. It is not the worst movie ever made, it just doesn't have the quality needed to carry the "Star Trek" brand name.
In this case the script, especially the dialogue, is groan-worthy and the biggest problem. Some of the directing and post production (cutting) is also very weak. I'm not going to blame the actors for this movie - with a better script and better directing they probably could have carried off a decent bit of entertainment.
Concepts in Renegades' plot are borrowed from the usual canon of the space-cowboy genre with a dose of stealing from the ST canon (e.g., holodeck technology).
I would have given Renegades three stars, but a bonus star was added for the scene of Chekov sitting at the Spock memorial, and Chekov looking wistfully into nothingness, just as old men do as we remember our past glories.
Not recommended for anyone but Star Trek fans who just can't get enough of Chekov and miscellaneous Trek characters, or who need to see it just for completeness of having seen all things Star Trek (even though as I pointed out earlier, this isn't really Star Trek.)