| Star Trek and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan production is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made film series intended for recreational use. No commercial exhibition or distribution is permitted. No alleged independent rights will be asserted against CBS or Paramount Pictures. |
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TREK CONTINUES INC MISSION | CAREERS | SCIENCE |
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SARAI DUENAS – ACTRESS / INTERNET PERSONALITY 
“I’ve been watching Star Trek for as long as I can remember it. I started watching because I felt something inside of me that loved Star Trek so much, I’m never going to stop watching it!” YouTube channel |
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ANDY FARBER – COMPOSER/ARRANGER/SAXOPHONIST 
“I have watched TOS since it was released in syndication in the early 1970s. My friends and I used to play Star Trek in grade school, and I always wanted to be Spock! In fact, I had a Mr. Spock haircut in those days. Later on, Star Trek helped form my personal politics and social outlook. The utopian vision of the future appealed to me, and still does to this day. “Since there was no way I was going to be accepted to Starfleet Academy, there was no direct influence of Star Trek on my career. I’ve been into music even longer than Trek, though Star Trek actually did get me interested in film scoring. It was Trek that first demonstrated to me how music could be an important part of storytelling. I’ve now composed original music for episodes of STC, and I transcribed and adapted some classic cues from TOS for Episode 4 (‘The White Iris’).” |
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STEPHANIE HALL, MD – PSYCHIATRIST 
“I’m a psychiatrist in private practice in Louisville, KY. My practice interests are medical treatment of psychiatric illness during pregnancy and postpartum, adult ADHD, and bipolar disorder, as well as any adult psychiatric illness. I was a faculty member of the University of Louisville Department of Psychiatry from 2002–2004, and in private practice from 2004–present. I’ve also worked in outpatient community psychiatry in 2008, and in correctional psychiatry in 2014–2015. “I loved Star Trek from the moment I first saw TOS as a teenager. I loved the sense of adventure and the absorbing stories that were so dramatic and so meaningful all at the same time. When The Next Generation began in college, I became an even bigger fan. I was especially thrilled with strong female characters like Counselor Troi and Dr. Beverly Crusher, whose roles were so crucial to making decisions and rounding out the wholeness of the crew. I would escape to watch TOS and TNG whenever possible to relieve the stress of demanding classes and life. As I finished medical school and decided to become a psychiatrist, I remember thinking it was the most natural thing in the world for me to be like a combination of ship’s doctor and ship’s counselor! The meaning and inspiration I got from those characters was comforting and motivating after a tough overnight shift in the ER, or a bad day taking care of extremely sick patients. And helping to carry on the inspiration in STAR TREK CONTINUES is a dream come true! “I love that Dr. McKennah was introduced to the TOS universe of STC as the first full-time ship’s counselor. Her strength and conviction are just the type of characteristics that were thrilling for me to see as a young woman striking out in a difficult scientific field. And the messages and female characters already put on screen in STC make me proud to be a part of a series that reinforces women as strong and powerful voices in the universe. I’ve met many wonderful new people, and am thrilled to continue this meaningful mission through being a production assistant, background actor, and makeup artist on STC!” |
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KAYLA IACOVINO, PhD – VOLCANOLOGIST (NSF Post-Doctoral Research Fellow) 
“Growing up as a nerdy kid, Star Trek brought my family and I together. From a young age, my parents and I watched as Kirk and his crew explored the galaxy… driven not by conquest nor power, but by sheer curiosity. “When I got to college, I wanted to be an astronaut — the closest thing to a member of Starfleet that I could conjure. But, unbeknownst to me at the time, I’d encounter a series of professors and mentors who would avert my gaze from the skies above to the ground below… to the stuff that our planet (arguably, any human’s favorite planet) is made of. Now that I hold a PhD in volcanology, I realize that geology is the closest thing to Trek-style exploration there is. While astronomers — and even astronauts for the most part — are limited to looking at their objects of study through the lens of a telescope or as data on a computer screen, I can actually go into the field and pick up a rock that I want to study. I even get to use instruments that bear a striking resemblance to Mr. Spock’s tricorder! And, better yet, my studies have taken me all over the world: from the icy landscape of Antarctica to the high desert of the Atacama — even to the reclusive country of North Korea — all in the spirit of exploration. What is the Earth made of? How do volcanoes work? Who are the people that live on our planet? I love my job. Every day, I get to explore our world… just like Captain Kirk.” |
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GRANT IMAHARA – ELECTRICAL ENGINEER 
Grant was one of the hosts of Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters. Before that, he spent nine years as an animatronics engineer and model maker for George Lucas’s Industrial Light and Magic. Grant worked on many blockbusters including the Matrix sequels, Galaxy Quest, Terminator 3, and Star Wars: Episodes 1-3 (although he was not responsible for Jar-Jar). He put the lights in R2-D2’s dome and gave the Energizer Bunny his beat. Grant created the often rude and irreverent robot skeleton sidekick for late night talk show host Craig Ferguson. Sadly, Imahara passed away in July 2020. Grant Imahara video |
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CARL MAZUR – SCHOOL TEACHER 
“Star Trek was textbook — how they filmed; the methodologies for camera angles. I use it in the classroom to demonstrate to my students… and I even go one step further with grade 12. I give them a segment of an episode — a script — and have them go through that and create their own storyboards. They film it, edit it, and add sound effects… then I sit down and compare their interpretations to the original.” Carl Mazur video |
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CATHERINE ROBERTS, MD – RADIOLOGIST 
“The most influential thing about Star Trek on me becoming a doctor was this: The only thing that should matter about getting a job is whether you can do the job. It doesn’t matter what color your skin is; what color your blood is; what shape your ears are; or any of a myriad other reasons. It’s what you can get done.” Dr. Catherine Roberts video |
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WILLIAM SMITH – DESIGN/BUILDING CONTRACTOR 
“I have always been interested in space travel from my earliest memories. I spent my childhood standing on the beach, watching rockets launch from Cape Kennedy, imagining the future of exploration and the expansion of the human race out into the universe. Watching Star Trek further fueled my interest in space and ignited a creativity that eventually would become my career. Although I vividly remember seeing a few of the first season episodes when they originally aired, it was watching the series in syndication in the 70s that was most influential. During that period, I began to keep a notebook of drawings of the things that I had seen on the show; and many times, when practical, building props from those drawings. Since there was no way to stop or rewind the episodes, the drawings had to be done very quickly… mostly using memory to recall what the equipment, sets, or displays seen on TV looked like. Teaching myself to see details quickly and evaluate a design by watching Star Trek is a skill that has been beneficial my entire life. “It was this period of drawing and documenting Star Trek that would lead me to a career of designing and building as a building contractor. The satisfaction I’d experience from drawing something I saw on the show is the same that I now get by working with a client to design and build a home, office building, or restaurant. My interest in Star Trek is as strong as ever. I continue to document the series as I’ve done for 40 years — some of which is available on my website TOSGraphics.com, dedicated to accurately detailing the show that I love. In addition, I have now come full circle as the art director and prop master for STAR TREK CONTINUES, which allows me to design and recreate those sets and equipment I spent years documenting from childhood. Having a passion for Star Trek set me on a course which allows me to use those embryonic skills I learned as a young boy, and to utilize them in fulfillment of my career — both professionally, and now with STC.” TOS Graphics website |
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KIM STINGER – ACTRESS 
“The influence for me was that Nichelle was the only woman on TV who looked like me that was also presented in a glamorous, beautiful, and powerful way. No other characters like her existed. She was aspirational — a real-life Black ‘Barbie’ who was also smart, respected, and accomplished from the perspective of my little-girl eyes. I’m honored to get the chance to play her character. Uhura and Nichelle changed the way I looked at me, so to get the opportunity to step into those shoes is kind of amazing.” Kim Stinger website Facebook page |
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ROGER THOMPSON, MA FRSA — CIVICS PROFESSOR / TREK ETHICIST (Kyung Hee University) 
“Star Trek had a huge impact on me starting in 1973, when I was eight-years-old. I had all the Trek models and toys, and Captain Kirk was my hero. Still is. For me, Star Trek was a show with a deep message — and it was also very entertaining, which is a great combination. One of my best childhood memories is of my late father helping me build and paint AMT models of the U.S.S. Enterprise. “I now teach at Kyung Hee, one of Korea’s top universities. In addition to teaching the ethics of Star Trek, I’m also a civics professor, a Fellow of Great Britain’s Royal Society of Arts, and a published author. I graduated from the University of King’s College in 1991 (BA Honours Certificate in Sociology) and Dalhousie University in 1994 (MA in Political Science). “The Trek course was originally taught by a friend of mine, and when he left the university he recommended that I replace him (for obvious reasons). So my credentials are that I’m a Star Trek fan who was in the right place at the right time! In the class, we examine twenty episodes of TOS and STC, plus a couple of the feature films. Our textbook is The Ethics of Star Trek by Judith Barad and Ed Robertson. Barad and Robertson argue that Kirk’s ethical code is based on Aristotelian virtue ethics and prima facie duty ethics; whereas Spock’s ethical code is based on stoicism and utilitarianism. As my students are mostly Korean, most have never seen the original Star Trek. For them, it is a whole new experience! “So, at age 50, I can now say that it’s my job to talk about Star Trek and teach young people about the ethics of the characters.” Professor Thompson’s course on ‘The Ethics of Star Trek’ is timely and important in today’s troubled world. Gene Roddenberry, with whom I worked for 17 years, always said that many episodes were like little morality plays — they spoke to human rights, equality, the futility of war, and much more. ‘Star Trek TOS’ is more than 50 years old, but it is a brand new thing to most Koreans, and Professor Thompson’s class is truly a pioneering effort to enlighten a new generation. -Susan Sackett |
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LIZ WAGNER – RESEARCH ASSISTANT 
“Star Trek has long been a highly influential part of my life. The Original Series first introduced me to the wonders and possibilities made available through science and dedication. The character of Mr. Spock showed me that knowledge is extremely useful, and Captain Kirk demonstrated that the application of knowledge is equally — if not more — important. It was this burgeoning understanding which showed me that — while I may never change the laws of physics nor cure a rainy day — I can still make a difference.” |
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