'Star Trek' Fan Film Hits Warp Drive on Kickstarter

04-02-2014 • http://www.space.com, By Elizabeth Howell

The short fan film, called "Star Trek: Prelude To Axanar," takes place decades before the famous exploits of Captain James T. Kirk and his Enterprise crew of "Star Trek" lore and is scheduled to warp into release this May. As of Friday (March 28), the Kickstarter project had raised $58,362, with three days left in the campaign.

What's more, its makers promise "Axanar" will foreshadow the most epic Trekkie fan film ever: a full-length movie with a $250,000 budget that will focus on the Battle of Axanar, which was won by Starfleet captain Garth of Izar about 21 years before the original "Star Trek" series took place. [Watch: "Star Trek: Prelude to Axanar" Kickstarter Video]