It seems that every person I meet wants to be a red shirt in Axanar. Well, we don’t kill off red shirts, so sorry, folks! But seriously, casting is always a fun topic of discussion, so let’s talk how we are casting Axanar.

First, no one is signed to star in Axanar yet. Deal memos will be going out this month as we move towards a February shoot. Richard Hatch of course is committed to the project and very excited. Gary Graham is in, as well (and already starred in the Vulcan scene). JG Hertzler, always a huge fan of Axanar, says he can’t wait, and has been talking about how he plans to make Sam Travis look younger (since Axanar takes place about fifteen years prior to Prelude to Axanar). Kate Vernon is also coming back.

Unfortunately Tony Todd will not be back, though. Tony is busy with The Flash at the moment (which is one of our favorite shows BTW). So, we’ll have a different Admiral in his place… who is an Andorian!

The one major role that we will be casting is Garth. Yes, you read that right; I will not be playing Garth in Axanar. There are a few reasons for this.

First, I am not a professional actor. (I’ve taken acting classes with some brilliant teachers over the past three years, and it’s been an amazing experience, during which I learned a lot, but I never set out to make acting a career.) And, if we want to be a professional production, then we really need a professional actor in the lead role.

Second, Axanar takes place about fifteen years before Prelude. We need a younger Garth, one in his early 40s. While I thank everyone who tells me they can’t believe I am 55, the fact is I am, and a younger actor will be more appropriate. (I will still play the older version of Garth in our vignette Heroes and may be in future installments of The Four Years War).

Third, this is not a vanity project. A hallmark of fan films is the creator making himself the central character, whether that is Kirk or Pike or whomever. While that is fine for your average fan film, we are shooting a bit higher.

Finally, I want to produce in Hollywood. Sure, acting is fun, but my career is in producing, which is what I am focusing on.

So, I will focus on producing and writing Axanar. I think the project is shaping up to be even better than we had planned!

As for the rest of the cast? Well, our casting director has been busy! We have already met with several amazing actors—some of whom you would recognize instantly. What we won’t be doing is raiding every Star Trek series for actors. Yes, we all have our Star Trek favorites (and we would love to get Jeffrey Combs), but beyond that, we are casting a wide net with a professional casting director in charge.

Stay tuned for more news from Axanar!

Alec Peters

Executive Producer