"Redshirt Blues" is a 2001 fan film

Fan film

A fan film is a film or video inspired by a film, television program, comic book or a similar source, created by fans rather than by the source's copyright holders or creators. Fan filmmakers have traditionally been amateurs, but some of the more notable films have actually been produced by...

 that was made by fans of original Star Trek

Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...

. It was written, directed and produced by David O. Rogers. It satirizes the use of redshirts

Redshirt (character)

A "redshirt" is a stock character in fiction who dies soon after being introduced. The term originates with fans of Star Trek , from the red shirts worn by Starfleet security officers who frequently die during episodes.-Star Trek:...

 on the television series as well as the show itself, Trekkie

Trekkie

A Trekkie or Trekker is a fan of the Star Trek franchise, or of specific television series or films within that franchise.-History:In 1967, science fiction editor Arthur W...

s, and popular culture.

Plot

The disillusioned and disgruntled redshirt Crewman Averson is stuck on patrol on an unknown planet when he meets optimistic Crewman Leeds, who is new on board the USS Enterprise

USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

The USS Enterprise, NCC-1701, is a fictional starship in the Star Trek media franchise. The original Star Trek series depicts her crew's mission "to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before" under the command of Captain James...

. As the two search for an energy field, Averson tells Leeds the true nature of redshirts as cannon fodder

Cannon fodder

Cannon fodder is an informal, derogatory term for military personnel who are regarded or treated as expendable in the face of enemy fire. The term is generally used in situations where soldiers are forced to deliberately fight against hopeless odds in an effort to achieve a strategic goal...

: "Redshirts die first" and goes on about his opinions on Captain Kirk

James T. Kirk

James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. Kirk was first played by William Shatner as the principal lead character in the original Star Trek series. Shatner voiced Kirk in the animated Star Trek series and appeared in the first seven Star Trek movies...

, Spock

Spock

Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek...

, and other fixtures of the show. Leeds on the other hand says he is eager to serve in Starfleet

Starfleet

In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...

, wants to learn to speak Klingon

Klingon language

The Klingon language is the constructed language spoken by the fictional Klingons in the Star Trek universe....

 "just for fun" and his observation about how Qui-Gon Jinn

Qui-Gon Jinn

Qui-Gon Jinn is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, and a main protagonist of the 1999 film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, portrayed by Liam Neeson. He also appears in the Star Wars Expanded Universe of comic books, video games, and novels...

 doesn't disappear in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a 1999 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the fourth film to be released in the Star Wars saga, as the first of a three-part prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy, as well as the first film in the saga in terms...

as does Obi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan Kenobi is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He is one of several primary characters in the Star Wars series. Along with Darth Vader, R2-D2, and C-3PO, he is one of the few major characters to appear in all six Star Wars films...

 in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...

. Eventually, the two encounter an alien resembling a floating orb. While Averson hides, Leeds is stuck admiring its beauty and is killed. Averson tries to contact the Enterprise with his communicator

Communicator (Star Trek)

Communicators are devices used for voice communication in the fictional universe of Star Trek. They allow direct contact between individuals or via a ship's communication system....

, which he finds is broken and replaces it with that of Leeds and moves on.

Reception

"Redshirt Blues" was first shown in the 2000 Boston Film Festival

Boston Film Festival

Boston Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Boston in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It has been held annually since 1984, usually in early September....

, which The Boston Phoenix

The Phoenix (newspaper)

The Phoenix is the name of several alternative weekly newspapers published in the United States by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts including the Boston Phoenix, the Providence Phoenix, the Portland Phoenix and the now-defunct Worcester Phoenix...

reporter Mike Miliard reviewed as a "great Star Trek parody". It was also screened at the 2000 Pacific Palisades Film Festival, 2001 Nodance Film Festival

Nodance Film Festival

Based in Park City, Utah, the Nodance Film Festival celebrates the alternative digital film culture, with an emphasis on first-time filmmakers and digital filmmaking. Held annually in Park City, Utah, Nodance holds the distinction of being the world's first DVD-projected film festival...

, and shown on a special Star Trek episode of Sci Fi Channel

Sci Fi Channel (United States)

Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...

's short film television series Exposure

Exposure (TV series)

Exposure is a short-film oriented science-fiction anthology series that aired on the Sci-Fi Channel between the years of 2000 and 2002. The series showcased the short sci-fi films of both unknown and known filmmakers, giving rise to the channel's own Exposure Studios...

on September 16, 2001. Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...

reviews it as an "amusing riff on the hapless Starfleet crewmen whose uniforms invariably mark them for untimely deaths." Overall, Wook Kim rated the Exposure episode as "B".

External links

• Official website
• "Redshirt Blues" at YouTube
  YouTube
  YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....