When fan-favorite shows like ‘Terra Nova’, ‘Eureka’, and ‘Sanctuary’ get cancelled on what seems to be the whim of a television executive, it often leads to said fans becoming upset. And why not? Sure… the bottom line of the networks’ is to make money but, if a show is getting a lot of good feedback from a hardcore group of sci-fi fans, it still feels lousy when the show is dropped. As a fan of the single-season shows ‘Firefly’ and ‘The Lone Gunmen’, I know this pain all to well.
Well now it seems as if someone has listened and decided to make a show for, and more importantly by fans, without any network control whatsoever. A group of sci-fi creators, led by Marc Zicree and Doug Drexler, have decided to make a show called ‘Space Command’. Marc was a writer on a myriad of classic sci-fi shows, among them ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’, ‘Sliders’, and ‘The Twilight Zone’. Marc will be lead writer on ‘Space Command’ and will be co-directing with Neil Johnson (‘Humanity’s End’). Doug Drexler will be handling the special FX. Doug did work on the original ‘Star Trek’, the updated ‘Battlestar Galactica’, and the fan-supported-but-never-got-off-the-ground ‘Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome’.
Even though it’s described as a “show”, another unique aspect of ‘Space Command’ is that the “episodes” will be the length of feature films. Writer/director Marc Zicree described the idea this way:
“We’re delivering our stories as a series of two-hour films, starting with four of them, but the structure is much more akin to a TV series as our stories focus on a group of characters that grow and change and face major challenges. Each two-hour film will have a self-contained (and entertaining) story, but they will all fit together into a larger whole.”
And while all of the above sounds pretty cool, I haven’t even gotten to the best part. To keep networks (and the usual gang of investors) out of the decision making on ‘Space Command’ Zicree and Drexler decided to take their project to the masses and fund it through a Kickstarter campaign. With a goal of $75K for the first feature, ‘Space Command’ drew support like wildfire and reached their goal in only three short days! As of this morning, the Kickstarter page had drawn in over $100K and was still rising with a good month and a half to go.
The teaser video for ‘Space Command’:
So why the amazing outcry of support from fans? It could be the great team of creators or actors attached to the project? The first episode of ‘Space Command’ will star Armin Shimerman, best known for his roles as the Ferengi Quark on ‘Deep Space Nine’ and Principal Snyder on ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and Zicree has mentioned talking to other sci-fi stalwarts such as George Takei. Takei, best known as Mr. Sulu on the original ‘Star Trek’ worked with Zicree on an award winning episode of ‘Star Trek: New Voyages’. So, as you can see, the group behind ‘Space Command’ is a dedicated group of friends with a vision for something magical and Zicree believes that the fans saw this and it’s what drew them to the project. When I asked him why he thought the fans were drawn to ‘Space Command’, Zicree said…
“Science fiction fans are smart, and they recognize when something is the real deal. When you have a proven background, amazing visuals and a clear and exciting vision, it comes through. Authenticity is the key — and having talented friends doesn’t hurt, either.”
So if you’re one of those fans that wants to see an original science fiction series done without the control of those pesky networks, head on over to the ‘Space Command’ Kickstarter page and become a sponsor. As a bonus, sponsors get some pretty cool rewards including everything from ‘Space Command’ ID cards and Blu-rays of the movie to producer credits, cast photos, and even your very own spaceship! For details on some of the larger rewards, see PledgeSpaceCommand.com.
With this kind of team and support, I can’t wait to see what comes out of the ‘Space Command’ project. Stay tuned here for details on the first episode as we get them.
