Star Trek Fan Series Sets Course For Georgia

Starship Farragut, the on-going Star Trek series based around Baltimore, MD, has found a new home. While the show has shot all over the place in the past—everywhere from Cincinnati, OH to the sets of Star Trek: Phase II in upstate New York—the Starship has found a new berth for its permanent sets in historic St. Marys, GA, an area on the border of Georgia and Florida, close to Interstate 95 and 30 minutes from Jacksonville International Airport.

“We are so pleased to have a place to build our sets and leave them up indefinitely,” said John Broughton, Executive Producer. “Typically when we film, we build the sets, transport and assemble them at a separate location, film, tear-down, and then store them. Now, we can also build the more complex sets that require a permanent place such as the iconic bridge and transporter room, and not have to worry about teardown and storage. Achieving this milestone will be a breakout year for Starship Farragut as it opens up more avenues for us.”

Farragut Films, the film company that produces Starship Farragut, searched extensively for a building in the Greater Washington, DC area; however, the size requirements and accompanying leasing options made it cost-prohibitive for the non-profit project to house permanent sets. Therefore, other locations outside the Greater Washington, DC area were considered, focusing on the East Coast. Realtor Kimberly Watson identified the W.H. Gross Construction Company, which was able to work with Farragut’s requirements and provide a building conducive to its filming needs.

Holly Bednar, Farragut’s Associate Producer, led the effort to obtain the building. She commented, “The hospitality of both Kimberly Watson and Bill Gross, President of W.H. Gross Construction Company, has been extraordinary and the establishment of our permanent sets is a huge milestone for Starship Farragut.”

Benefits of the St. Marys’ soundstage location include the proximity of the I-95 highway, hotels, Crooked River State Park (cottages for lodging), restaurants, stores, and the Jacksonville International Airport. The weather in this region also lends itself to filming in the colder fall and winter months.

Last year, Starship Farragut’s second film, “For Want of a Nail” won “Best Fan Film of 2008” at the Wrath of Con film festival in Panama City Beach, Florida. Recently, the third and fourth films, “Just Passing Through” and “A Rock and a Hard Place” debuted at the University of Maryland’s Hoff Theater. The fifth film, “Hair of the Dog” is in pre-production and will start filming next month. In addition, NEO f/x’s production of Starship Farragut – The Animated Episodes will be released in the first half of 2009 and features the voices of the Farragut crew in addition to well-known Star Trek guest stars, such as Tim Russ, Chase Masterson, and Chris Doohan (son of James “Scotty” Doohan).