The universe of Polaris
- The Transhuman Authority a warring empire spawned in the pitiless wastes of interstellar space, determined to rule the human race - or destroy it.
- Polaris a starship of the United Worlds Navy, pursued by the Authority and lost in the uncharted reaches beyond the Milky Way.
- Phaidros a planet that cannot exist…yet does. To find their way home again, Captain Sam Fredericks, scientist Valerie Young and the crew of Polaris must decipher its mysteries.
- Their discovery will forever change humanity - if they live to tell about it!
Latest Articles
- It’s a wrap!
- Polaris on location: Day One
- “It’s…green!”
- “Trenches” is online
- Polaris at Farpoint (February 12-14)
- February Update: Starship Polaris Design, and Convention News
- Aboard The Starship Polaris
- To the best cast and crew in the world…
- Gina Hernandez is “Valerie Young”
- Susan Cirrincione joins Polaris cast
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Paul has been seen in Washington/Baltimore area film and tv productions ranging from HBO’s award-winning urban drama “The Wire,” to playing police captain Gary Houston in DC TV’s “CLOSE,” to portraying a crazed football fan in PSAs for the Combined Federal Campaign. He’s best known to the Internet audience for a variety of character roles in fan films including “Star Trek: New Voyages/Phase II” and “Starship Farragut.” One of the creative minds behind “Farragut”, Paul played security chief Henry Prescott in two episodes of the series as well as writing and directing several segments. He continues to provide the voice of Prescott and other characters for “Starship Farragut – The Animated Episodes.”
Paul is currently portraying unethical lawyer “Sooner Fairbanks” in the comedy film “Law and Disorder” for BeaverDamProductions.
About the character
Sam Fredericks was born and raised on Ruskin Three, one of many worlds settled by human beings during the first centuries of interstellar travel. Once a partner in an exploring and prospecting company, he volunteered for naval service after the Polaris’s home base of Starport Medina was destroyed by a sneak attack early in the First Interstellar War. He commands a crew of veterans, young war-time recruits and civilian specialists that includes ship’s exec Commander Paul Duncan, astrophysicist Valerie Young and Lieutenant Anne “Howie” Howard.
Okay, so these two guys walk into a diner and decide to make a movie…
D.L Nielsen has brought his artistic skill, a basic understanding of engineering as well as a professional background in history and a strong layman’s knowledge of science to developing the world of “Polaris.” He is too laid back and polite to ever just say to me “Dennis, that’s stupid,” but if he did I’d have to concede without an argument. He’s got cred.
(That’s half a lie. A better man than me would concede the point gracefully. I’d pout quite a bit first.)
I decided early on that possibly the greatest contribution that I, as a producer, could make to the success of “Polaris” would be to not star in it. In fact, I promised to stay as far away from the business end of a video camera as possible.
Look, I know three or four of the guys who both produce and star in fan films. They’re generally photogenic, talented, real good with people and do not have voices that wobble in an unlikely zone between Woody Allen and Foghorn Leghorn. I on the other hand am challenged in every one of those areas.
Also, I’ve noticed from working with and watching these guys that there is at least one Great Advantage and one Great Disadvantage to both producing and acting in a movie.
The advantage is that, as one of them pointed out to me, if you cast yourself and friends and family you can be pretty sure that your main cast will be available and willing to remain involved for the long years that it may take to get the movie finished.
The disadvantage is that it’s impossible to be in two places at once and exhausting to try.
And - oh, did I mention the “photogenic” thing? James Cawley and Jimm Johnson and John Broughton and Nick Cook and all those guys are fairly young and pretty good looking in addition to being believable performers. Strike Three for Captain Bailey.
Not long after D.J. and I started talking about doing a movie locally, a DC-based group of “Star Trek” fans and filmmakers launched Starship Farragut. With efficiency and focus that was startling even among the trekkie guerillas who make fan films they produced their first movie “The Captaincy” in less than a year and even wound up featured for it in the New York Times (there’s also a NYT video piece devoted to Trek fan films that includes them here).
I eventually got to help out around the edges on one of the “Farragut” shows. They are great folks - friendly, enthusiastic and talented, a self-assembled extended family with the touch of lunatic obsession that really seems to be de rigeur for fan filmmakers.
Watching them onscreen and then hanging with them on a one-day shoot early this year I was particularly impressed by the guy playing their “security officer” - though that day he was working behind the camera as the director. He’d turned down a professional acting gig, offered to him at the last minute, because he’d made a commitment to “Farragut” that day.
Paul Sieber is a great character actor - and a character all on his own. He’s dedicated to whatever he does, hard-working and energetic, funny as hell and gregarious. He seems to really like people. What’s up with that?
Since I’m none of those things I knew that I needed Paul to captain this ship. Now all I need to do is help build a spaceship, rent equipment, remember to yell “action” and to make sure everyone gets fed well…although Paul has some experience and thoughts about that kind of stuff too. That’s why in addition to being the lead actor in “Polaris” he’s one of our producers.
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