[Captain X]

INTRODUCTION


Star Trek: Foundations is a script-based fan fiction, developed independently by a small number of individuals As a reboot to the television series Star Trek: Enterprise (ENT). It takes place aboard the United Earth Ship Enterprise, which is Earth's first attempt at a serious long-range explorer. The story starts in 2152 and will progress from there, showing Earth's growth from a modest planet to a major force behind the founding of the Federation.

The intent here is to use the same concepts behind ENT, but to better utilize these concepts to present the "Birth of the Federation" in a manner that reflects the continuity of the Star Trek franchise rather than rewriting it. At the same time, this is an opportunity to part from the other series and present a version of humanity that we can recognize and associate with better, because they have not yet reached the utopian vision seen in those later series. Humanity is taking its first steps into the unknown.

The technology that has come to be familiar to us from the other series will either be completely unknown or in its infancy. Very few species possess anything like a transporter, and Earth isn't one of them. Energy-based shields and tractor beams are still just an engineer's daydream, just as phasers and photon torpedoes are the perfect uber-weapons that only exist in the fantasies of the military. The military itself is a major force to be reckoned with, thanks to major conflicts with the Kzinti and the Nausicaans. The United Earth Space Probe Agency is the small upstart civilian organization originally founded by Dr. Zefram Cochrane himself, and charged with space exploration. It has come into conflict with the United Earth Military over this point, which sees the civilian exploration of space as naïve at best, and dangerous at worst. Earth's Vulcan allies agrees with them to a point, but sees Earth's apparent militarism and naivety as signs that it is not yet ready to join the interstellar community.

Sufficed to say, this makes Foundations somewhat darker than any other canon incarnation of Star Trek. But the underlying message is growth. Not only will we see humanity grow, but we will see the crew of the Enterprise grow as well through the experiences we witness them have. Foundations is definitely a character-based series, but make no mistake, no one is safe. Just as we have lost people in our first steps into space, these are dangerous times, and the crew of the Enterprise will be put to the test time and again.

We hope you enjoy the series and the journey of our crew. We don't have much of a website yet, but you can visit it here. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them here.

Here are the episodes that have been released so far (which are in modified script format):

Miniseries

"One Small Step…" Part I Foundations Miniseries episode #1. Story by CJ Sitter, Jimi James, and PG15. Written by CJ Sitter, Rigil Kent, and Daegan A. Haller. Script first released on 21 March 2006. No date given. As Earth makes her first steps into deep space exploration, trouble erupts on Alpha Centauri. A colony wanting out enlists the help of an alien nation, and brings to a hault the mission of the newly commissioned UES Enterprise. Now a rookie crew and untested ship must do their best to end an uprising without bloodshed, and do it without the Vulcans pulling the plug on this newest endeavour by Earth.

"One Small Step…" Part II Foundations Miniseries episode #2. Story by CJ Sitter, Jimi James, and PG15. Written by CJ Sitter, Rigil Kent, and Daegan A. Haller. Script first released on 8 Jun 2006. 20 May 2152. A great mystery makes itself known, and the Enterprise is thrown into battle again as our adventure continues.


Season 1.0


"Rubicon" Foundations episode #1. Story by CJ Sitter, Jimi James, and Rigil Kent. Screenplay by Rigil Kent. Script first released on 19 January 2007.
No date given. In no shape for a fight, Enterprise is caught in the middle of a tense situation as Alpha Centauri presses its cause for independence. Vulcan vows to mediate the disagreement, and will protect its mediator, but Earth doesn't want to give up so easily.


"Flashpoint" Foundations episode #2. Story by CJ Sitter, Jimi James, and Rigil Kent. Screenplay by Rigil Kent. Script first released on 2 Febuary 2007.
No date given. Earth declares war on its rebellious colony and moves to attack. The Vulcan fleet will defend Alpha Centauri, and now Captain Archer is in a desperate race against time to bring them back from a war that seems inevitable.


"Recalcitrant Matter" Foundations episode #3. Story by the daft punk and CJ Sitter. Screenplay by CJ Sitter. Script first released on 16 February 2007.
7 July 2152. Responding to an alien distress signal, the crew of Enterprise learns that not everything is as it seems and a deadly new threat makes itself known...


"Shadows of Paradise" Foundations episode #4. Story by CJ Sitter, Rigil Kent, and Daegan A. Haller. Screenplay by CJ Sitter. Script first released on 2 March 2007.
No date given. Enterprise finds a previously undiscovered planet. With his crew on the verge of cabin fever, Captain Archer decides to use the planetary survey mission as an excuse for the crew to get some R&R on the planet. It seems like a tropical paradise, but beauty is only skin deep.


"Solitude" Foundations episode #5. Story by Terry Herman and Rigil Kent. Written by Rigil Kent. Script first released on 16 March 2007.
7 July 2152. Enterprise encounters a relic from the past. Driven to examine a piece of their history, the crew soon finds itself in a deadly trap.


"Objects at Rest" Foundations episode #6. Story by the daft punk and CJ Sitter. Screenplay by Rigil Kent. Script first released on 30 March 2007.
18 October 2152. Times have gotten tough for the Boomers, and some have turned to piracy. Enterprise is drawn into the complicated situation, unaware that not everything is as it appears...


"Objects in Motion" Foundations episode #7. Story by the daft punk and CJ Sitter. Screenplay by Rigil Kent. Script first released on 13 April 2007.
23 October 2152. The crew of Enterprise find themselves in a race against time to rescue missing crew members from the clutches of vile Orion slavers.


"A Coming of Age" Foundations episode #8. Story by Daegan A. Haller, CJ Sitter, and Rigil Kent. Screenplay by Daegan A. Haller. Script first released on 27 April 2007.
No date given. A pursuit for fugitives turns into a potential for disaster when an alien planet, poised on the edge of a new era of peace and exploration, is instead thrust back to the brink of war.


"Adrift" Foundations episode #9. Story by CJ Sitter and Rigil Kent. Screenplay by CJ Sitter. Script first released on 11 May 2007.
2 December 2152. The crew of Enterprise run into some unexpected company and what started out as a pleasant first contact with friendly people turns into a frantic search for missing crewmembers.

"Party Lines"Foundations episode #10. Story by Daegan A. Haller and CJ Sitter. Screenplay by Daegan A. Haller. Script first released on 25 May 2007.
17 December 2152. A chance meeting with an old "ally" leads to a tense stand-off for the crew of Enterprise.


"Soli" Foundations episode #11. Story by Rigil Kent and CJ Sitter. Screenplay by Rigil Kent. Script first released on 8 June 2007.
7 January 2153. T'Pol makes a status report to Ambassador Soval regarding recent events aboard Enterprise.

This post has been edited by Captain X: 22 August 2007 - 09:13 AM

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

I was never able to get into script-based fan fiction... until I discovered Foundations!

Great series that I highly recommend!

[Captain X]

“Bicinium” Foundations episode #12. Story by Rigil Kent and CJ Sitter. Screenplay by Rigil Kent. Script first released on 14 September 2007.
No date given. Enterprise and Ti’Mur face destruction as they struggle against an anomaly that doesn’t obey the laws of physics.

[Captain X]

“In Memoriam” Foundations episode #13. Story by Rigil Kent and CJ Sitter. Screenplay by CJ Sitter. Script first released on 28 September 2007.
25 February 2153. The 25th of February holds special significance for Jonathan Archer. Something happened that forged him into the man his is, but haunts his soul.

[Captain X]

New Website Opens

I've been working on this like forever, but I've finally managed to finish it. Now all that's left to do is to finish writing the rest of Season 1.

As you look through the new website, you might notice a new feature - HTML versions of the episodes. All of the episodes that have been released are there and are available to read. Hope you enjoy the new website!

[Kirok]

Nice website. Good idea about having them available as html - I'm gonna try downloading them to my iPaq as an eBook

Cheers

K

[Captain X]

In that case you'll probably just want to download the PDF versions. They aren't the most up-to-date versions, but there's basically just some minor tweaking that I've done since they were first published.

Anyway, nice to know that someone's interested in reading; hope you like it.

[Terilynn]

The HTML is great and very easy to pick up where one leaves off! Great stuff!

[Captain X]

Would anyone be interested in joining the staff in a consulting role?

My activity level is probably going to be somewhat sporadic over summer, but I could really use some feedback on episodes as I write them and some help coming up with ideas for scenes, particularly with the episode I'm currently working on.

[Kirok]

Captain X, on May 4 2008, 06:26 PM, said:

Would anyone be interested in joining the staff in a consulting role?

My activity level is probably going to be somewhat sporadic over summer, but I could really use some feedback on episodes as I write them and some help coming up with ideas for scenes, particularly with the episode I'm currently working on.

I would imagine that the members of "Save Enterprise" would jump at the chance of working with anything that is based on Enterprise.

K

[Captain X]

Heh, "Save Foundations" I don't think it'd be appropriate to post in their forum though.

[Captain X]

Randomness...

Well, in case you were wondering just what I was wasting my time on over break when I wasn't wasting time watching movies or doing something with my family (or gaming), this is pretty much it. I'm very disappointed to say that I didn't get anywhere near as much done as I wanted to, and that my lack of Illustrator-fu is definitely showing in the uniforms and probably on some of the department pins as well.

So, to start things off, let's have a look at what I have done for the department symbols, which is to say the chrome pin version that would be worn on the service dress uniform variants.

Aquisitions, Supply & Financial Management


Communications


Dining Services


Engineering


Judge Advocate General Corps


Medical


Navigation


Operations & Logistics


Flight Operations (Qualified Pilot)


Science



Ranks (Note: These are the same on all uniforms where applicable, as UESPA has no worry about blending in to anything)

Officer


Enlisted



Uniforms (Note: I plan to do some enlisted versions of all of these, but I only have one done so far. I'm also bound to do some tweaking on these in the future)

Short Sleeve Service Uniform


Long Sleeve Service Uniform


Full Service Dress (Officer)


Full Service Dress (Enlisted)


Operational Duty Uniform (Undershirt Only) (Note: This would be pretty much the same for everyone, and yes, I did base these very heavily on what the US Coast Guard and NOAA Corps personnel wear)


Operation Duty Uniform (WIP) (Note: I still have some things to add to this, but I thought I'd give you a look at it since it took me such a long time to draw it. I'm not entirely satisfied with what I've done so far on this, and I'm thinking of adding some extra shoulder material similar to what BSG did on pretty much all of their uniforms. I still need to do the name patches, department patches (black or brown leather do you think?), and the officer rank patches for the shoulders or collar)



I could also use quite a bit of help for finishing up on the uniforms. For instance, if anyone has some good drawings of the ENT coveralls done from the same perspective as the drawings I've done, I'd really appreciate it if you could share them with me - the bigger the better, because I have some, but they're tiny.

And if anyone knows Illustrator, I was wondering if you knew how I could use a jpeg as the fill for a live paint group or an object, particularly if I could use a jpeg as a repeated pattern for that background, such as a camouflage pattern.

I could also use some opinions on the UEM uniforms, mostly to do with the color scheme to use. I've already decided to use the uniform from Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within as the basis for the design, but I'm having trouble deciding on the color scheme to use for it.


I could use WWII US Army colors:


Modern British Army colors:


US Marine colors:


Swiss Army colors:

(Could be too similar to UESPA colors)

Late 20th Century US Army colors:


Modern US Army colors:


I already have a fairly good bead on the Vulcans, Andorians, and Romulans as far as what I want to do with them, but I could use some hi-res reference pictures from the episode Stigma of this outfit:

[Captain X]

So, for the UESPA ODUs and the coveralls, which would be better for a name tag/department patch? Something based on the current Air Force version which includes both the name and the department symbol:

Or a separate name tag and department patch, with the department patch being on one of the pockets?

[Kirok]

Captain X, on Jan 13 2009, 08:49 PM, said:

Randomness...

I'll do what I can to help - out of curiosity why are you working on graphics for a script-based virtual season? Illustrations? Covers? Graphic Novel?

...I could also use quite a bit of help for finishing up on the uniforms. For instance, if anyone has some good drawings of the ENT coveralls done from the same perspective as the drawings I've done, I'd really appreciate it if you could share them with me - the bigger the better, because I have some, but they're tiny.
The BEST resource I've found for Trek costumes is the Star Trek Auction Listings - how more authoratative can you get than photos of the original costumes?

And if anyone knows Illustrator, I was wondering if you knew how I could use a jpeg as the fill for a live paint group or an object, particularly if I could use a jpeg as a repeated pattern for that background, such as a camouflage pattern.
Sorry, I don't know Adobe Illustrator - my graphics skills are pretty basic - Is there a "clone paintbrush" on it? I would use that in the same situation.

I could also use some opinions on the UEM uniforms, mostly to do with the color scheme to use. I've already decided to use the uniform from Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within as the basis for the design, but I'm having trouble deciding on the color scheme to use for it.
Speaking broadly, (and purely from guesswork!) a uniform would have two purposes, to be distinctive and to be practical, that's why you have a dress uniform and combat fatigues. Dress uniforms have in the past been bright colours: the British redjackets, French blue and Prussian ... um, green? Combat fatigues need to suit the environment they will be used in, why would a space marine's uniform need to be green? I think the ENT MACO uniform is meant to be a disruptive pattern based on the steelwork of corridors.

I already have a fairly good bead on the Vulcans, Andorians, and Romulans as far as what I want to do with them, but I could use some hi-res reference pictures from the episode Stigma of this outfit:
I always checkout TrekCore for screencaps.

Good luck

K

[Captain X]

Kirok, on Jan 14 2009, 03:51 AM, said:

I'll do what I can to help - out of curiosity why are you working on graphics for a script-based virtual season? Illustrations? Covers? Graphic Novel?

Visual aids.

Quote

The BEST resource I've found for Trek costumes is the Star Trek Auction Listings - how more authoratative can you get than photos of the original costumes?

I already have the drawings I needed. Any photos would have had to have been with someone wearing it for me to get much use out of it so I can see, well, how it looks when someone is inside of it.

Quote

Sorry, I don't know Adobe Illustrator - my graphics skills are pretty basic - Is there a "clone paintbrush" on it? I would use that in the same situation.

Not of which I am aware.

Quote

Speaking broadly, (and purely from guesswork!) a uniform would have two purposes, to be distinctive and to be practical, that's why you have a dress uniform and combat fatigues. Dress uniforms have in the past been bright colours: the British redjackets, French blue and Prussian ... um, green? Combat fatigues need to suit the environment they will be used in, why would a space marine's uniform need to be green? I think the ENT MACO uniform is meant to be a disruptive pattern based on the steelwork of corridors.

I'm only talking about the service dress uniform, not the combat uniform.

Quote

I always checkout TrekCore for screencaps.

I already have - that's actually where I got the example I posted. Nothing I could find showed the end of the pant legs though.

This post has been edited by Captain X: 14 January 2009 - 09:16 AM

[Captain_Hair]

Unfortunately, I don't know of any way to use JPEGs as Live Paint fill. It is possible to import a JPEG and then use clipping paths to cut it down to size. But if you want a pattern, it might be best to try and make it a vector pattern so you can use it as a swatch.

[Captain X]

How would I do that? Is it in with the swatches somewhere? Or in one of the menus?

[Captain X]

Ok, I did a couple initial runs at the leather name/department patches for the ODUs and the coveralls.


This version has the department symbol incorporated into the name patch and would be worn just above the left pocket.


This version separates the name from the department patch. The name would still be worn above the left pocket, but the department patch would be worn centered on the left pocket itself.

Any opinions on which version sounds better?

[Captain X]

An example of what I was talking about, BTW.

[Captain X]

Changed colors for consistency.