One of the best Trek stories you've never seen is going to get its due.-

By the time we meet Capt. James T. Kirk in the first season of Star Trek, he's already got some high-octane animosity toward the Klingon Empire. We heard there was a four-year war in the TOS episode Whom Gods Destroy. Kirk's son was even killed by a Klingon. Heck, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is all about the challenges of moving on from that war.

But we've never actually seen it. And, the way things have been going over at Bad Robot, fans have been wondering if they'd ever see that story told in a way that shows actually reverence to the original Trek Universe.

Enter Christian Gossett and Alec Peters to the rescue. And they aren't alone. They've brought on a certain Robert Burnett to edit, who, many moons ago, crafted a little motion picture called Free Enterprise, which teamed up a pair of aging dweebs with their one true hero -- Captain James T. Kirk William Shatner. Was it any good? Well, Shatner raps Caesar, so, uh ... YES. Yes, it was.

Star Trek: Axanar, will finally tell the story of the Four Year War. The feature will run 90 minutes, but there's already a short that's been produced called Prelude to Axanar, which is packed with existing Trek talent. Here's the trailer and summary:

PRELUDE TO AXANAR is a transmission from Memory Alpha and the Federation Historical Society recounting the famous Battle of Axanar, the decisive victory won by Captain Garth of Izar, bringing the Four Years War to a conclusion and the first tenuous peace between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. This special details accounts from the actual participants who were there, fighting, and changed the face of the Alpha Quadrant forever.

Gary Graham, J.G. Hertzler and Tony Todd? These guys are real Trek vets! And that doesn't even touch upon Battlestar alumni Richard Hatch and Kate Vernon. Axanar might technically fall under the category of a fan film, but it's not like any fan film we've ever seen.

Prelude will debut at this year's San Diego Comic Con, which will, fingers crossed, help generate the funds necessary to really make the full-length picture happen. Considering the pedigree behind this, we're pulling for this thing to really get made.

(via io9)