STAR TREK: FIRST FRONTIER DIRECTOR’S EDITION
Hi, I’m Kenny Smith, writer and Director of Star Trek: First Frontier. This Director’s Edition is my mission to correct the limitations I was forced to accept in the original release of the film.
I financed the entire film myself, in good faith, for fellow Star Trek fans. When Covid came through, our autograph convention company was forced to stop doing business, fan conventions being seen as super spreader events. With no income, the finances to correct the film’s limitations were no longer available to me, I had virtually depleted our savings to make the film which ended up being a hardship on my family but, like so many others, we bonded together and made it through.
This campaign is meant to perfect many aspects of the original release including brand new, updated visual effects in Dolby Vision, 4K resolution, additional footage, cut scenes, and maybe most importantly, an epic Dolby Atmos audio mix to correct and perfect the audio issues. I have recruited amazing, talented visual effects artists and audio technicians for the Director’s Edition, it will be something really special when it’s finished.
If you have enjoyed First Frontier and have the means to donate to this project, please remember I asked for nothing to give the film to the world. You could really help a fellow Star Trek fan see his dream become a perfected reality and help me to recoup some of the debt my family has faced, this film was definitely not cheap.
I was asked once why I made this film knowing that I most likely would not recover the money spent to see it through and my answer was that, if I had the ability to make this movie and I didn’t do it, the cost may not have been the money, but “the cost would have been my soul”, as Admiral Kirk would say. I was compelled to do it, regardless of risk or cost. It’s something maybe only Star Trek fans can understand.
I hope this film will be a valuable part of the Star Trek universe with this being Nichelle’s final performance as Uhura. After all the joy she has given me through my life, I feel I owe it to her legacy to make this film as perfect as possible.
I sincerely appreciate your help. 

NICHELLE NICHOLS’ FINAL PERFORMANCE AS UHURA
Uhura was the princess of the Star Trek universe, always there behind Captain Kirk on the bridge through so many adventures, supremely intelligent and exotically beautiful. We decided early on that Nichelle was the perfect choice to perform our intro monologue, guiding the viewer, gently, into our story. When I directed her at her taping, I told her that her motivation was as if she were Uhura telling this story to her loving grandchildren, and that’s how she envisioned her monologue, giving me an epic performance, she tapped right into Uhura. It was a moment in my life I will never forget as a Star Trek fan. As she was leaving, Nichelle made it a point to let me know that she had read the script and that she thought it was very close to what Gene had envisioned. I couldn’t imagine a greater compliment. 
When we recorded her lines, we had no idea that we would become Nichelle’s final credited performance as Uhura in all of Star Trek. She passed away in 2022 and while the universe was brighter because of the new, bright star that was hers, our hearts ached at her loss. 
It was clear to me, that having the unique honor of her final appearance, I needed to perfect this film, if for no other reason than her memory alone.
I concluded many fans may like the opportunity to have their names included in the credits along with hers so I made it a perk of this campaign.
I hope she can feel, wherever she is in the universe, how much we love her.

THE FIRST FRONTIER STORY
Star Trek: First Frontier is the an all-new story of the initial launch of the Constitution Class USS Enterprise in 2245 under the command of Captain Robert April, along with his wife, Chief Medical Officer Commander Sarah April.
An alien presence threatens Earth, prompting Captain April to take command despite his trepidation to do so, having lost crew members on a previous mission.
First Frontier features the first married Captain of the Enterprise, which creates interesting and unique dramatic elements, and introduces brand new characters, each with their own depth and development, and also introduces a brand new race of alien, not seen in Star Trek before.
It’s the story of a Starship that needs a Captain, and a Captain that needs a Starship.
The overall message is one of hope and is meant to inspire others to reach for the universe.
“The stars are not that far”.

THE FIRST FRONTIER JOURNEY
We finished principal photography on the film in 2015. We shot for 15 days in Atlanta, Georgia. We followed all SAG guidelines and are SAG compliant. All actors in the film are professionals. We carried out an extensive casting and found amazing, talented actors to fill the roles.
Our production team was comprised of professionals in the film industry and was beyond talented.
We were finished before the Fan Film guidelines were issued which gave us a “grandfathered-in” status, allowing us to complete the film as intended.
Post production took appr 5 years to complete, Covid took the funding so I released it in acceptable, but not perfect condition, This campaign will correct the limitations the film faced.

USS ENTERPRISE NCC-1701 11′ MINIATURE
Not being a fan of CG Enterprises, we went the extra mile and commissioned an 11′ miniature of the USS Enterprise to be built. It is fully lit and even has a scale Shuttlebay in the aft section. This version of the Enterprise is the one used in the pilot of Star Trek, “The Cage”.

USS ENTERPRISE SHUTTLEBAY 6′ x 4′
Also unique to our production, to be used in the Director’s Edition, we built a practical, 6′ x 4′ miniature of the shuttlebay as seen in the original series. As far as I know, this is the only practical miniature of the shuttlebay in existence. It is big enough for someone to lay down inside! 

THE DIRECTOR’S EDITION SPECS
The film will be remastered with the following specs:
*Remastered in 4K Resolution
*Dolby Vision Visuals
*Dolby Atmos Audio Mix
*Updated and Improved Visual Effects
*Additional Scenes
*Alternate Takes
*Revised Edit

REASONS TO CONTRIBUTE
*To see the film in a whole new way, virtually everything will be enhanced and corrected to bring a near cinematic experience.
*To be a part of perfecting the film to honor the legacy of Nichelle Nichols, you may even be able to see your name in the credits of the Director’s Edition, if you choose.
*You will be helping me recover from the overwhelming expense, Star Trek fans coming to help a fellow Star Trek fan (My family and I appreciate it). Even $1.00 helps immensely, if you can spare it.
*Simple curiosity to see what we have in store for the film! Spoiler alert: It’s going to be epic.

OTHER WAYS TO HELP
If you don’t have the means to contribute financially, that’s ok! We could still use your help to get the word out about this campaign. Your positive energy is an unstoppable force. Please share as much as you can, and know that the entire Star Trek: First Frontier cast and crew appreciate you.

An Impulsive Production, LLC has no affiliation with CBS or Paramount Pictures  No rights given or implied  This is a fan-produced and completely self-funded production, all funds provided by Kenneth Smith to date. The intent of this film is to recreate a long-unused storytelling / filmmaking style, previously used by the series Star Trek (1966), to expand it’s existing story-line (though non-canonical) with new, original content written by Kenneth Smith to satisfy nostalgia. This film is intended as a gift to the Star Trek community to commemorate Star Trek’s  anniversary September 8.