Despite Uhura's mastery of communications, I have to admit the dialog is somewhat wooden in places -- a flaw of much Star Trek! I could've done with a little less vamping from Chase Masterson (Leeta from DS9, having a ball playing an Orion slave girl). It's also more violent than old Trek, warranting a PG-13 rating, and there are a few instances when the main characters don't react to redshirt or minor character deaths as much as I'd expect. Those glitches aside, the acting is good to excellent.

Alan Ruck reprises his role as the good-hearted, unlucky Captain Harrington, who commanded the Enterprise B in Star Trek: Generations. (There's an insider's joke in Of Gods and Men: he says ruefully that what happened the day Kirk died would probably have happened no matter who was in the captain's chair. It's sad but true, since most of us have forgotten him!)

Tim Russ (Tuvok) is as perfect a Vulcan as ever, and I'm glad he found time to act as well as direct. The few non-Trek actors hold their own with the regulars. Garrett Wang (Harry Kim) seems to be taking Sinister 101 lessons from Walter Koenig to shake off his boy scout persona. J.G. Hertzler plays yet another Klingon with his usual aplomb (though he seems to be fighting his fangs). Lawrence Montaigne (Stonn, Spock's rival in "Amok Time") is intriguingly good: I wish he'd had more screentime. (Yes, T'pring shows up too). There's touching cameos by Grace Lee Whitney reprising Janice Rand and Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko) as Uhura's son -- and the size of a linebacker! Finally, Ethan Phillips (Neelix) helps launch the tale, playing an anonymous nebbish who ought to be wearing a red shirt.

The camera work is steadicam (an oxymoron), which some viewers have complained about. It's the technique used in the new Battlestar Galactica series. I don't mind it. The special effects, especially the space sequences, blow away the old series and some of TNG.

I'm dodging around the most important topic -- the PLOT! because I'm trying to avoid spoilers. But, in short, this Star Trek fanfiction story is a sequel to the classic Trek episode, "Charlie X." Here's a one-minute trailer for that fan favorite: